A chill surged through her heart at the thought.
When the Tailed Beasts suddenly appeared just now, she had already sent Tsunade and Nonō Yakushi to take refuge.
And for safety, she also assigned Uchiha Ang to protect them.
After all, since the Tailed Beasts were under Uchiha Hikaru's control, Uchiha Ang's protection wasn't really necessary.
But if Uchiha Madara really targeted Tsunade and the others, then even Uchiha Ang might not be safe.
Though she didn't know if her suspicion was right—why would Uchiha Madara target Tsunade?
Just the possibility alone made her shudder.
Mito Uzumaki took a deep breath and forced down her anxiety.
She formed hand seals and shouted:
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
As her voice fell, the atmosphere around suddenly shifted.
Then,
"Bang~" xN
The sounds rang repeatedly as one after another, Mito Uzumaki's figures appeared in place.
The sheer number of clones was dazzling, making it hard to distinguish real from fake.
Uchiha Madara watched this scene and admired Mito Uzumaki even more.
He thought to himself:
'In such a short time, to come up with so many—no wonder she is the wife of Hashirama Senju.'
'It was worth having the Third Mizukage release malice to conceal my presence.'
Yet, he showed no mercy as he struck.
Uchiha Madara controlled his Susanoo to slash with a sword, the sharp blade carving a graceful arc through the air.
Immediately, Mito Uzumaki's shadow clones began to dissipate into smoke one by one.
Even those clones who escaped the sword's range were destroyed effortlessly as Susanoo launched magatama for ranged attacks.
For a moment, the two were locked in a standoff.
Mito Uzumaki kept releasing shadow clones, while Uchiha Madara, relying on his exceptional reflexes and battle experience, relentlessly prevented any clones from escaping.
Each attack was precise and decisive, putting immense pressure on Mito Uzumaki.
The intense fight did not escape Uchiha Hikaru's eyes.
He too sensed something was wrong.
Uchiha Hikaru stood atop the wooden training dummy, eyes narrowed as he observed the four Tailed Beasts before him.
"Looks like I can't hold back this time. I was originally planning to keep these Tailed Beasts alive."
He muttered to himself.
His original plan was to seal these four Tailed Beasts inside Konoha as his collection and also to bolster Konoha's strength.
But compared to those close to him, these Tailed Beasts were clearly insignificant.
Sealing is always slower than killing, and with time running out, he could not afford to hold back.
It seemed the four Tailed Beasts sensed his intent; they suddenly froze in place, ceasing their attacks.
But with them not attacking, Uchiha Hikaru would no longer wait.
In his hand, the Susanoo suddenly manifested a longsword composed of flames.
The sword was as black as ink, the blaze reined in to the utmost, as if it could devour everything.
Tiny spatial cracks shimmered with a ghostly glow around the blade, as if telling the power this sword wielded.
The Mangekyō Sharingan in Uchiha Hikaru's eyes locked onto the four Tailed Beasts as he slowly raised his hand.
At the same time, the wooden dummy also raised the giant sword it held.
At that moment, the entire world seemed to fall into utter silence.
The giant sword cut across the sky, leaving a dazzling streak of light.
The four Tailed Beasts seemed frozen in time, fixed in place.
Suddenly, four massive spatial rifts appeared from nowhere, splitting the four Tailed Beasts into halves.
Then, a tremendous roar thundered through the heavens and earth.
At that instant, the entire battlefield fell into dead silence.
Whether Konoha's ninja or those from other villages, everyone was too shocked to speak.
They had never witnessed such overwhelming power or terrifying methods.
Even Uchiha Madara glanced sideways in shock, his pupils constricted.
He clearly saw those four spatial rifts; such an attack even he could not block.
Uchiha Hikaru's strength had surpassed his imagination, causing unprecedented pressure.
But with it came excitement—immense excitement.
Just as Uchiha Madara was thrilled, Uchiha Hikaru instantly teleported beside him.
The pitch-black giant sword carved a graceful arc in the air and struck hard against his Susanoo.
The defense that Mito Uzumaki had struggled to break through before was like butter under a hot knife against this sword—without the slightest resistance.
Uchiha Madara's Susanoo was easily cut apart by the sword's attack.
Inside the Susanoo, Uchiha Madara shifted at the last moment, avoiding complete annihilation by the blade.
However, his arms and legs were crushed and disappeared, inflicting a severe wound.
"Flying Thunder God?! No, no. That's wrong. The intel was incorrect!"
Uchiha Madara paid no mind to his heavy injury and laughed maniacally:
"Uchiha Hikaru, I acknowledge you! In terms of offense, I, Uchiha Madara, proclaim you the strongest!"
Hearing this, Uchiha Hikaru frowned but ignored Madara.
This figure clearly could not be the real one, and having sustained heavy damage, there was no escape.
He was more concerned about other matters.
At that moment, Mito Uzumaki rushed over and hurriedly said:
"Hikaru, can you sense if Tsunade and the others still have the Flying Thunder God Kunai on them?"
Uchiha Hikaru's expression shifted slightly as he activated his sensing.
His perception surged like a tide, instantly covering all of Konoha.
"This is in your hands now, Granny Mito."
With that, Uchiha Hikaru disappeared from sight.
Watching Uchiha Hikaru leave, Uchiha Madara was not disheartened but laughed even louder.
"This time, I have lost. Unexpectedly, he did not use the Flying Thunder God."
Uchiha Madara's tone was full of surprise and admiration.
He was clearly shocked by Uchiha Hikaru's strength and ability.
Hearing his wild laughter, Mito Uzumaki showed no expression.
But her Adamantine Sealing Chains honestly revealed her feelings.
The chains wrapped around Uchiha Madara in circles from left to right, binding him like a dumpling, then hung him upside down.
Being treated like this, Uchiha Madara could no longer laugh.
He looked deeply at Mito Uzumaki and said meaningfully:
"You're still as hot-headed as ever."
"Just wait, next time, I'll be the one who wins."
After saying that, he slowly melted away, revealing the White Zetsu inside.
Seeing this, Mito Uzumaki was not surprised.
After all, this man was Uchiha Madara, who, along with her husband Hashirama Senju, had pacified the Warring States.
But thinking that Uchiha Madara was not dead while her husband Hashirama Senju had passed away from overwhelming grief stirred a wave of sorrow and anger in her heart.
She stomped the ground fiercely, and the earth cried out, sinking a large hollow.
Several shadow figures in the distance were attracted by the roar and hurried over.
Seeing the scene, they all shrank their necks.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Uchiha Hikaru picked up three Flying Thunder God Kunai from the ground and looked expressionlessly into the distance.
"Did you really think dropping the Flying Thunder God Kunai would let you run away? You seriously underestimated me."