Just as the chains were about to strike, Hashirama shouted, "Mito, calm down! Don't lose your mind!"
Mito halted for a moment upon hearing this and yanked the chains back at the last second.
Both Hashirama and Madara Uchiha let out a sigh of relief.
However, before they could even celebrate, a devilish smile crept across Mito's face.
She sneered, "Calm? How do you expect me to stay calm?!"
As she spoke, the chains she had just retracted drew a sinister arc through the air, then whipped back at them with even more force.
This time, the chains were faster—stronger.
Faced with this new wave of attacks, both Hashirama and Madara turned pale.
They struggled with all their might to break free, but the bindings held firm, leaving them completely immobilized.
The chains traced deadly paths through the air, grazing just past their bodies each time—dangerously close.
Watching from behind, Hikaru Uchiha nearly burst into laughter.
A moment later, he felt a pang of regret—if only Mito hadn't caught on so quickly, he definitely would've recorded this to enjoy later.
Still, he could tell that Mito hadn't actually lost her mind.
He had noticed that, despite the fierce swinging of the chains, none of them had actually hit Hashirama or Madara. Every strike had narrowly missed.
This meant Mito was only trying to scare them.
But the women behind Hikaru didn't share his level of insight.
Nonō Yakushi's face was filled with worry. Her eyes remained locked on Mito, afraid the latter might do something truly irreversible.
Chiri Uchiha, on the other hand, wore a look of satisfaction as she watched Madara—clearly expecting a good show.
Hinata Hyūga didn't seem to notice what was going on at all. Her attention was fixed on Ōtsutsuki Isshiki, frozen in time, analyzing him repeatedly as though calculating how best to strike when the moment came.
Meanwhile, Tsunade—Mito's own granddaughter—watched the chaos with gleeful amusement, as if enjoying a drama. Her face lit up with excitement; all she was missing was a bag of sunflower seeds.
After watching the show for a while, Hikaru realized it was time to intervene.
He wanted to give Mito a way to exit gracefully—lest Hashirama and Madara figure out she'd only been putting on an act.
So he said aloud, "Grandma Mito, I just got word from Tobirama. He said he has something to ask you."
Hearing that, Mito quietly let out a sigh of relief.
She had more or less vented her anger and now needed an excuse to back down.
But simply walking away without a word would've made her lose face.
Hikaru's line gave her a perfect excuse. She looked at him with quiet approval:
'As expected of Hikaru. His observational skills are top-notch.'
Riding the momentum, Mito withdrew her chains and turned around with a stern expression.
"If Tobirama has something to discuss, I'll go see him now."
Without waiting for Hashirama to say anything, she briskly left.
After she was gone, both Hashirama and Madara let out a long sigh of relief.
Though the chains hadn't actually hit them, the psychological damage was done.
Suddenly, Hashirama's expression froze.
He tried to move—but found himself still completely bound.
The Adamantine Sealing Chains were a powerful fūinjutsu. Even Kushina Uzumaki, whose life force was nearly depleted, could use them to restrain the Nine-Tails.
And this time, it was Mito at her peak.
Realizing this, Hashirama grew anxious. He couldn't break free.
Madara looked at Hashirama's struggle and smirked with disdain.
"Hashirama, so this day has finally come. I told you, women only slow down your jutsu casting."
Furious, Hashirama shot him a glare.
"Then why don't you try moving?! If you're stuck too, quit talking nonsense!"
Madara bristled with rage. "Hashirama!"
Hashirama reflexively snapped back, "Madara!"
And just like that, the two of them slipped into a repetitive shouting match.
Hikaru watched from the sidelines, and a mischievous idea popped into his head.
He leaned closer and suddenly shouted, "Mito's coming back—with the chains!"
That single line snapped the two of them out of their squabble.
The moment they heard Mito was returning—with her chains—their faces turned pale.
They shut up immediately.
A beat passed, and then—
Pfft!
Someone nearby stifled a laugh.
Seeing their reactions, Hikaru couldn't hold it in any longer. He burst out laughing.
His laughter spread to the women nearby, who also began chuckling uncontrollably.
In an instant, the entire alternate dimension was filled with joyous laughter.
Hashirama, ever kind-hearted, smiled too—even though he knew he'd been tricked.
But Madara Uchiha couldn't stand being made fun of.
Shamed and angry, he growled, "Enough! Who do you think I am? If you're going to kill me, then kill me! Don't insult me like this!"
Chiri stepped forward at that, and without warning, slapped him hard across the face.
"You think you're some kind of hero?" she spat. "Do you even remember who I am?"
Madara had been ready to lash out, but the moment he saw Chiri's face, he faltered.
Even someone like Madara couldn't escape the guilt of kidnapping children as leverage.
He had used the Eye of the Moon Plan to hypnotize himself—just to carry out something he never would have done in the past.
But deep down, his conscience hadn't completely faded. Facing a victim in person made him feel ashamed.
Seeing his reaction, Chiri sneered.
"So you do remember me. Then you should know—what you did was nothing but cowardly."
"All your strength? It makes you nothing more than a weakling."
Her words were like a dagger to Madara's heart.
At that moment, Chiri turned to Hikaru—who silently handed her a kunai.
The sight made Hashirama's pupils shrink.
He immediately realized what they were planning.
He opened his mouth, wanting to plead for Madara's life—but the moment he recalled all the terrible things Madara had done, the words got stuck in his throat.
His heart was torn—just like the day they fought at the Valley of the End.
He didn't want to see Madara hurt again. But he couldn't forgive him either.
Then, Chiri raised the kunai and plunged it toward Madara Uchiha's heart.
Madara stared at the incoming blade, eyes full of confusion.
'The Eye of the Moon… did it fail?'