256 Naruto: Snatching the Mangekyō

Clang!

A metallic resonance echoed through the sky as Uchiha Hikari was forcefully pushed back dozens of meters. Her scarlet Sharingan spun instinctively, taking in every detail.

She could sense them—those four unseen entities had appeared again, hovering around Uchiha Madara.

"His dōjutsu's cooldown isn't long, and the interval between activations is short!" Uchiha Hikari's mind raced as she swiftly clasped her hands together.

"Sage Art: Fire Release—Hiding in Ash and Dust Technique!"

Boom! Boom!

A massive cloud of ashen smoke erupted, spreading across several kilometers in an instant, forming a dark haze that blanketed the battlefield.

Defeating Madara wasn't the goal. The priority was stalling for time—waiting for Akira to arrive.

As long as Akira returned, Madara would no longer be an insurmountable threat.

The advantage was still on their side!

"Such petty tricks."

Madara's indifferent voice rang out as five colossal vortexes suddenly appeared, consuming the massive smoke cloud like rushing water, leaving not a trace behind.

"Five positions?" Hikari's expression tensed.

This confirmed it—Madara's dōjutsu constructs could absorb ninjutsu as well!

"If that's the case..." Hikari clasped her hands again, her voice low and commanding. "Sage Art: Wood Release—Deep Forest Emergence!"

Crack! Crack! Crack!

The ground fractured in every direction as countless massive tree roots burst forth, like an army of spears stabbing toward the heavens, launching an all-encompassing assault.

This was no ordinary Wood Release—it was infused with the power of the Six Paths!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

One after another, the colossal roots shattered before they could even approach Madara.

"Enough!" Madara's voice thundered as he clasped his hands together. "Tengai Shinsei!"

Rumble...

In an instant, a deafening roar filled the air as streaks of crimson light descended from the sky—massive meteorites hurtling toward the battlefield!

"Meteorites?! His Rinnegan possesses such an ability... This is nothing like Nagato's!" Hikari's heart pounded.

Each of these meteorites was enormous, shaking the heavens before they had even fully descended. Their sheer magnitude was terrifying beyond belief!

Boom! Boom!

Crimson light surged as a towering Susanoo, wreathed in flames, spread its wings and soared into the sky.

She could not allow these meteorites to crash down. If they did, not just the battlefield but all of Konoha—no, the entire Land of Fire—would be devastated. The casualties would be immeasurable!

It wasn't just Hikari—Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Shisui also activated their full-body Susanoo and shot toward the heavens.

On the ground, Tsunade unleashed her chakra reserves, summoning a vast network of tree roots that spread in every direction, stretching toward the sky in an attempt to intercept the falling destruction.

In this scenario, full-body Susanoo was undoubtedly more effective than the Wooden Golem Technique!

"You won't succeed!"

Madara's voice rang out once more, his body erupting with a brilliant azure glow as a colossal, full-body Susanoo took flight, chasing directly after Hikari.

"Damn it!"

Uchiha Hikari cursed under her breath. She turned sharply, her Sharingan locking onto Madara.

"Amaterasu!"

Boom!

Black flames materialized out of nowhere, igniting Madara's Susanoo.

"Pointless! Ninjutsu is useless here!"

Madara's cold voice rang out as the black flames were instantly sucked into his forehead, vanishing without a trace.

With the Rinnegan, he could already absorb ninjutsu. Now, as the Jinchūriki of the Ten Tails, his power had grown exponentially—even Amaterasu, infused with Sage power and the Six Paths' energy, could be devoured!

"Hah."

Hikari let out a cold chuckle as her Sharingan locked onto a descending meteorite.

"Amaterasu!"

Boom!

The black flames erupted, instantly engulfing the meteorite.

The raging fire burned fiercely, and within moments, the massive meteorite—hundreds of meters in diameter—was reduced to ashes.

"I might not be able to deal with you, but I can certainly deal with your meteorites." Hikari stared at Madara with an impassive expression.

One after another, the colossal meteorites ignited with black flames.

As the Ten Tails' Jinchūriki, Madara's personal abilities had been enhanced in all aspects, but so had Hikari's dōjutsu—her effective range had expanded dramatically!

Even if some meteorites slipped past her, Fugaku and Shisui were there to finish the job.

In the end, not a single meteorite reached the earth!

Fixing her gaze on Madara, still a thousand meters away, Hikari spoke, "You're not that much stronger than Nagato."

It was only natural. Before becoming the Ten Tails' Jinchūriki, Madara was indeed much stronger than Nagato. However, his Ten Tails was incomplete.

With one advantage offsetting the other, his current strength, while superior to Nagato's, was not overwhelmingly so.

"Let's see if you can keep that arrogance up in a moment!" Madara's expression remained indifferent as his Limbo clones reappeared.

He would concentrate all his power to eliminate Hikari and make the Ten Tails whole!

"Heh..." Hikari chuckled lightly. In an instant, her full-body Susanoo ignited with black flames.

Under her control, the flames shifted and solidified—forming an armor plating over the Susanoo.

With Amaterasu forged into armor, her full-body Susanoo now exuded an aura of unparalleled majesty!

Its form, already resembling a war god, now fully embodied the image of an unstoppable deity!

Moreover, its size had nearly doubled!

"Interesting!" From within the brow of his own Susanoo, Madara's eyes narrowed as his chakra erupted once more.

Boom!

A blinding azure light surged outward. In mere moments, Madara's Susanoo expanded, doubling in size, towering over the battlefield like a divine colossus.

At the same time, his Limbo clones activated their own Susanoo, soaring toward Hikari!

(T/N: In Naruto Shippūden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4, Madara's Limbo clones are capable of using Susanoo.)

Yet, just as it seemed they would clash, Uchiha Hikari abruptly veered upward, feinting a direct confrontation before swiftly ascending!

"Damn it!" Madara's expression darkened—she had tricked him.

His mind turned quickly. Without hesitation, he redirected his four Limbo clones toward Tsunade, Uchiha Fugaku, and Uchiha Shisui.

Madara was a seasoned warrior—he knew never to let the enemy control the battle's tempo.

Once the enemy dictated the pace, defeat was inevitable.

"Tch!" High above, Hikari clicked her tongue in annoyance—her strategy had not fully succeeded.

But it wasn't a complete failure. At least she had forced Madara's Limbo clones away.

With Tsunade and the others' strength, they could hold out until the clones returned to Madara's body.

Now, clad in her black-flamed Susanoo, she folded her wings and dove straight down—hurtling toward Madara like a meteor herself!