Uchiha Madara sighed helplessly.
He admitted that Uchiha Hikaru's strength had exceeded his expectations, forcing him to reevaluate his plan.
He knew well that after awakening the Rinnegan, he might be able to defeat Uchiha Hikaru.
But that would take time—and time was exactly what he lacked.
He sat silently, hands resting on his knees, lost in deep thought.
The light inside the cave reflected off his somewhat aged face, making the wrinkles on his skin more pronounced.
He knew he was much older than Hikaru, which meant even if he awakened the Rinnegan later, his body might not withstand intense combat.
This reality brought a hint of frustration to the once all-powerful Madara.
Yet, he had no intention of giving up.
He raised his head; fierce battle intent now gleamed in his eyes.
While he was lost in thought, Kurozetsu lurked silently in the shadows, numb inside.
After more than a thousand years of waiting, finally a wielder of the Sharingan appeared.
Madara also believed in the Eye of the Moon Plan, just as he intended.
This double joy should have brought even more hope.
But why had things turned out like this?
Ah, it was because an anomaly appeared.
An Uchiha without Indra's chakra.
One who, relying solely on himself, had rendered Madara helpless.
Kurozetsu closed his eyes in despair and murmured silently:
'Isn't this just waiting? I've already waited a thousand years; what's another thousand?'
....
Uchiha Hikaru vanished in an instant, reappearing within a dense forest in the Land of Whirlpools.
He scanned the surroundings, narrowing his eyes slightly. Something here felt off.
According to Uzumaki Mito's earlier arrangement, the Konoha Anbu should have been waiting for him here.
But the scene before him made him frown.
In his perception, over a hundred ninja units had tightly encircled this area without a single gap.
Inside the encirclement, three people fought in a final resistance.
Their chakra fluctuated violently, and one's chakra was already barely perceptible to his senses.
Facing so many enemies, their fate seemed sealed.
Near the spot where Hikaru had teleported using the Flying Thunder God coordinates lay a corpse wearing a Konoha forehead protector.
The face was unfamiliar to Hikaru, but this person was also from Konoha.
Seeing the body, anger flashed in Hikaru's eyes.
He slowly walked over, crouched beside the corpse, and gently closed his comrade's eyes.
Then he looked up, a dangerous glint shining in his eyes.
He knew these people were here to attack the Konoha Anbu.
Their purpose was simple—to prevent any information leaks.
Unfortunately, Uzumaki Mito's arrangements had already alerted Konoha to the situation.
The enemies forming the encirclement hadn't noticed Hikaru's arrival; they continued tightening the siege, trying to capture the remaining three in one sweep.
However, they did not realize their doom had already come.
Uchiha Hikaru stood quietly, his Mangekyō Sharingan quietly opening, deep radiance flickering within.
Then, dark flames appeared beside him, as if hellfire rising from the underworld.
The last time, he had instantly slain all the White Zetsu in an instant, and that scene replayed.
Small black flames danced in his hands, transforming into deadly chains.
These flames seemed alive—agile and lethal—emitting an intimidating pressure.
The small black flames transformed into deadly weapons, crossing spatial barriers to chase down every surrounding Mist Shadow.
In a blink, over a hundred Mist Shadows lost their lives here, and the battlefield instantly fell silent.
Hikaru didn't linger; he immediately teleported along the Konoha Anbu chakra trails.
Upon arriving at a new spot, a kunai suddenly flew toward him.
Hikaru's eyes sharpened, and with a casual block, he firmly caught the kunai in his hand.
Then, a Konoha Anbu member came running, his face tense and anxious.
Upon seeing Hikaru was just a child, his expression stiffened, but upon recognizing his face, he let out a heavy sigh of relief.
"Lord Hikaru!"
He respectfully called out, his voice filled with deep respect and trust.
As part of the Anbu, they all clearly understood the immense power the child before them possessed.
"The Mist Shadows hunting you have all vanished. Time is short; tell me the situation here first."
Hikaru said in a deep voice.
"Yes, Lord Hikaru."
The Anbu member respectfully replied.
He gathered his thoughts and then detailed the current state of the Land of Whirlpools.
"The Mist Shadows suddenly attacked yesterday. At first, the Land of Whirlpools could resist. But after the Mizukage brought reinforcements, they started to falter and were forced to retreat step by step."
Hikaru nodded in understanding.
He then asked:
"What is the situation in the Land of Whirlpools now?"
The Anbu member's face showed bitterness as he said:
"Not good, probably close to collapse. We managed to break through to seek help."
Hikaru said nothing, silently tossing out several medical tags:
"You know how to use these, right? Go save the injured. I'll head to the Land of Whirlpools."
The Anbu member gratefully glanced at Hikaru, took the medical tags, and hurried off.
His companion was near death, and urgency outweighed protocol.
Hikaru wasn't one to care about such formalities.
He sensed the battle fluctuations around him and rapidly analyzed the battlefield situation.
The next moment, he vanished and appeared above a distant city.
Looking up, he saw the ninja from the Mist Village releasing various jutsu, attacking the golden barrier covering the entire city.
Various jutsu flew through the air, striking the barrier one after another, bursting into dazzling sparks.
Beneath the shield, a group of red-haired Uzumaki were barely holding the barrier, their faces filled with exhaustion and determination.
But they dared not give up, because they knew.
Once the barrier was breached, the entire city would fall into chaos and slaughter.
At that moment, the Third Mizukage emerged from the Mist.
Under the desperate gazes of his people, he shouted loudly:
"Water Style: Great Water Shock Wave!"
As his shout fell, an endless flood instantly formed, rushing powerfully toward the barrier.
Under the Mizukage's attack, the golden barrier slowly shattered, finally dispersing into light points.
The Uzumaki within the city showed panic and despair on their faces.
However, just as despair was about to engulf them, a figure suddenly appeared before their eyes.
Uchiha Hikaru stood not far from the Third Mizukage and said calmly:
"Meeting again, Third Mizukage. Has the Mist prepared to select the Fourth Mizukage yet?"