Just as Madara Uchiha erupted with Chakra, ready to fight to the death—
Elsewhere in the Land of Snow, Hikaru Uchiha was enjoying a delicious meal and chatting with several women.
However, at that very moment, his brow twitched slightly, as if sensing some unusual fluctuation.
He slowly set his chopsticks down and looked into the distance, a playful glint in his eye.
Although Madara Uchiha had escaped during the Chūnin Exams, Hikaru had memorized his Chakra.
Now, that familiar Chakra was surging violently in the distance, its intensity and pressure shining like a brilliant star in the night sky—impossible to ignore.
To Hikaru, it was as if the brightest star of the show was putting on a wild light display just for him.
"This… could it be that Madara Uchiha awakened the Rinnegan and is issuing a challenge to me?"
That was the thought running through Hikaru's mind.
After all, to him, such a move did come off as rather provocative.
Their group hadn't deliberately concealed their movements. Riding on Chōmei at full speed, normal people likely wouldn't sense them.
But Madara Uchiha was certainly no ordinary person.
If he really had awakened the Rinnegan, then such provocation would be very much in character.
However, as Hikaru focused his senses more carefully, he began to dismiss that idea.
Because near Madara, he sensed two other presences no weaker than his.
This discovery truly surprised him.
He had thought it was just Madara being provocative, but now it seemed the situation was far more complicated than he expected.
His shift in expression didn't go unnoticed by the three women. Tsunade stepped forward and asked:
"Hikaru, is something wrong?"
Hearing her question, Hikaru nodded and confirmed,
"Yes. I just sensed Madara Uchiha's Chakra near the Land of Snow—and it seems he's in the middle of an intense battle."
The news shocked the three women.
They had only just begun their mission to search for Madara, and hadn't expected their target to appear so soon.
What shocked them even more was that in today's shinobi world, someone as powerful as Madara Uchiha could still find an opponent to match him—besides Hikaru, of course.
Seeing the astonished looks on their faces, Hikaru chuckled and said,
"No worries. Even if there were two Madara Uchihas, I could handle it with one hand."
Six years had passed—and for Hikaru, who was backed by the Idle Training System, those years had brought earth-shattering change.
His strength had reached an unimaginable level.
If six years ago, Madara still had a chance to escape from him, then now, just appearing within Hikaru's sensory range made even the idea of escape a luxury.
Chiri looked at Hikaru's confident words with admiration and awe sparkling in her eyes.
As a member of the Uchiha clan, she was deeply attracted to the self-assurance Hikaru radiated.
And she was no longer the shy little girl she used to be. Though her face flushed red, she still voiced her concern:
"Even so, you should be careful! This is Madara Uchiha we're talking about!"
Nonō Yakushi, though silent, also looked at Hikaru with worry and care.
Looking at the concerned faces of the three women, Hikaru gave a proud smile. "Don't worry. I'll be back in a flash."
With that, his figure vanished from their sight.
Meanwhile, the battle between Madara Uchiha and Isshiki Ōtsutsuki had entered a fever pitch.
These two beyond-S-rank beings were unleashing power so overwhelming, it was altering the landscape itself, shaking the very earth.
The Armored Susanoo cloaking Madara was no longer as majestic as when it first appeared.
Its once-mighty armor was now tattered and worn after prolonged combat.
Standing atop the wooden golem, Madara fell into deep thought, trying to devise a way out of the current predicament.
He could feel clearly that although the Armored Susanoo was formidable, it still felt lacking against Isshiki.
What troubled him more was that during their clash, he had let his guard down—and Isshiki had absorbed a significant amount of his Chakra.
This made him realize that relying on this technique would only waste his Chakra and ocular power, and put him at even greater disadvantage.
Just as Madara was lost in thought, a mocking voice rang in his ear:
"You're zoning out while fighting me? Are you underestimating me that much?!"
Madara's pupils constricted instantly, and his guard shot to full alert.
To his shock, the Armored Susanoo had suddenly shrunk!
That meant he was now completely exposed to the enemy—a highly dangerous situation.
"Die!"
Isshiki declared coldly. The black staff in his hand sliced through the air like a reaper's scythe, swinging straight at Madara.
At that life-or-death moment—
"Shinra Tensei!"
A young girl's voice echoed across the battlefield.
She had seized the fleeting opportunity and unleashed the powerful technique.
An invisible force surged like a tidal wave, forcefully blasting both Isshiki and Madara apart—breaking the deadlock.
Madara used the chance to quickly adjust his stance, deactivated the Armored Susanoo, and steadied his footing.
Yet even after narrowly escaping death, Madara showed no fear.
Instead, he chuckled internally,
'Been too long since I've fought… I got careless. If Hashirama knew, he'd never let me live it down.'
After being knocked away, Isshiki didn't continue his attack.
Like a cat toying with its prey, he'd never been serious in the first place.
Though Madara was troublesome, he posed no real threat.
And sparing the girl again and again—wasn't it all to lead up to this very moment?
Giving hope, only to snatch it away—that was his favorite seasoning for this long "tree-planting" life.
The girl now ran to Madara's side and said with determination:
"Lord Madara, these eyes were yours to begin with. Please, take them! With them, you can still fight!"
Madara turned his gaze toward her, full of surprise.
His own eyes… in someone else's possession?
He hadn't known.
But as he looked at the little girl—clearly terrified, yet still standing firm before him—Madara chose to believe her, just this once.
After all, things couldn't get any worse.
And if these really were his eyes—then he had confidence he could still win.
So without further hesitation, he reached toward her eyes.
At that moment, however, Isshiki Ōtsutsuki flew into a rage.
Face twisted in fury, he roared, "Who gave you permission to decide what's mine?!"