255 Naruto: Snatching the Mangekyō

She and Nagato were fighting over the Ten-Tails. While Nagato possessed the Rinnegan and had a greater innate compatibility, she had still managed to seize more than thirty percent of the Ten-Tails' power.

Now, she could technically be considered a Jinchūriki of the Ten-Tails. Though she lacked the Rinnegan, in her battle against Uchiha Madara, she had managed to obtain nearly twenty percent of the beast.

Given these circumstances, it was clear—now that Madara had been resurrected and regained his Rinnegan, his power far exceeded Nagato's when he was still short of becoming a Jinchūriki.

Uchiha Hikari remained on high alert, her expression grave as she stared at Madara. A thought crossed her mind:

Perhaps, even without the Ten-Tails' power, Madara is already at a level equal to or beyond what I was before!

"So this is what it feels like to be a Jinchūriki of the Ten-Tails?" Madara murmured, his Rinnegan glinting coldly. "Though the beast isn't complete, at least I have reclaimed my eyes. Now, I can fight with some elegance."

His gaze swept across the four warriors before him, who were bracing themselves for battle.

"The next step is to reclaim the portion of the Ten-Tails she stole. Once that's done, the beast will be whole again, and I will become the second Sage of Six Paths." Madara's icy stare locked onto Hikari.

At that moment, a hoarse voice echoed—Black Zetsu.

"Madara-sama, be careful. Those four are no ordinary foes. They, too, wield the power of the Ten-Tails."

Madara scoffed. He had already noticed something off about Tsunade, Fugaku, and Shisui.

With a touch of disdain, he said, "They're no different from the likes of Kinkaku and Ginkaku—thieves who have stolen fragments of the Ten-Tails' power. They're nothing to be concerned about."

Then, his gaze returned to Hikari. "But she is different. She truly possesses the Ten-Tails' power. That makes her worth my full attention."

Seeing the four warriors' heightened wariness, Madara smirked with absolute confidence and declared, "It's futile. Nagato could never fully wield the true power of these eyes. As their rightful owner, allow me to show you what they are truly capable of."

"In an instant. That's all it will take to end this battle, no matter who stands before me."

The moment his words fell, Madara's Rinnegan pulsed.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Three dull impacts resounded. Tsunade, Fugaku, and Shisui were sent hurtling through the air, flung hundreds of meters away by some invisible force.

Hikari, however, managed to dodge. Her crimson Sharingan spun rapidly as she carefully scanned her surroundings.

Suddenly, a Truth-Seeking Orb shot out from behind her like a cannonball.

Bang!

The orb crashed against something unseen, sending a dull shockwave rippling through the air before it was repelled.

"So it's some kind of invisible force… and there are four of them," Hikari muttered, realization dawning upon her. Turning back to Madara, she sneered.

Madara's face darkened slightly as Hikari smirked.

"Looks like you didn't end the battle in an instant after all. Not just me—even they're still standing."

Far above, Tsunade and the others had recovered. Their gazes darted warily across the battlefield.

"Be careful," Tsunade warned. "The attack just now came from something invisible. Whatever it is, it's incredibly powerful."

Blood trickled down her waist, a deep gash already closing at an accelerated pace.

Fugaku's right arm hung limply at his side—it had been obliterated in the first strike.

Shisui was in the same state, one arm barely attached.

Their Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan had failed to see the attack. They had only sensed the faintest traces of something—an indistinct presence just beyond their perception.

Madara's expression grew darker. Things weren't going as he had anticipated.

He had expected his unique Rinnegan ability to instantly eliminate all four opponents and allow him to reclaim the Ten-Tails.

Clearly, that had been far too naive.

"But what does it matter?" Madara smirked. "Limbo's shadows are identical to me. Whatever I can do, they can do as well!"

In the blink of an eye, his four Limbo clones surged forward.

Complete Body Susanoo—Manifest!

"Amaterasu!"

Her Sharingan flared, and black flames erupted, engulfing the Susanoo.

"Kagutsuchi!"

The flames twisted and sharpened into razor-like edges, slicing the invisible construct to pieces.

Meanwhile, Tsunade, Fugaku, and Shisui each employed their own methods to counterattack.

A towering wooden golem surged from the earth, while two colossal Susanoo—one golden, one green—soared through the sky, dodging the relentless onslaught of unseen enemies.

Unlike Hikari, their focus was purely on defense rather than offense.

"This isn't as difficult as I expected," Hikari sneered, mockery lacing her tone. "So this is your great Rinnegan ability? Devastating against weaklings, but completely useless against those with Six Paths power."

Madara's face darkened further. Hikari's words struck a nerve, and he had no retort.

She was right.

Against those without the Rinnegan or the power of the Six Paths, Limbo was an absolute trump card—capable of instant, unavoidable destruction.

But against opponents like these? Those who had inherited the Six Paths' strength could sense the clones' existence, even if faintly. And that was enough to mount a countermeasure.

They could not be instantly annihilated.

"And it seems your ability doesn't last very long," Hikari noted as she glanced at the battlefield. The invisible force had disappeared—Madara's technique had run its course.

"So let's see how the so-called strongest of the previous era fares now that he's a Jinchūriki."

Her blade trembled as she stepped forward, launching an assault.

"You arrogant brat!" Madara's fury ignited. Wielding his Six Paths staff, he charged to meet her. "I'll show you the difference that experience makes!"

Clang!

A resounding metallic clash echoed as the two warriors collided, white shockwaves rippling outward.

Hikari's scarlet Sharingan spun wildly, each strike aimed at a vital point.

Madara's Rinnegan gleamed as he parried every blow with uncanny precision.

Though he lacked the dynamic vision of the Sharingan, his battle experience was unparalleled. And he knew the techniques of a Sharingan user better than anyone.

Thus, he countered every one of Hikari's relentless attacks.