250 Naruto: Snatching the Mangekyō

"Shinra Tensei!"

A massive repulsive force erupted outward. Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Fugaku's Susanoo trembled violently before freezing in place, their massive blades unable to complete their downward slash.

"The Rinnegan!?" The shock in Fugaku and Shisui's hearts was evident.

"They withstood Shinra Tensei without being blown away?" Madara was equally astonished.

"Amaterasu!" Fugaku's crimson Sharingan spun rapidly, and in an instant, blazing black flames ignited on the azure Susanoo.

The fire raged violently, consuming everything in its path. In mere moments, Madara's fully formed Susanoo was engulfed, the flames threatening to incinerate it entirely.

"Damn it! This isn't normal Amaterasu—its intensity is far beyond the usual!"

Inside Susanoo's brow, Madara's expression darkened. The strength these two possessed far exceeded the limits of the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.

Seeing his Susanoo about to be burned away, Madara's eyes sharpened. Pressing his palms together, he shouted, "Shinra Tensei!"

In an instant, the black flames were scattered in all directions by a powerful repulsive force, revealing his now heavily damaged, half-destroyed azure Susanoo.

"Die!"

A sudden roar rang out.

Madara's eyes flickered as he saw a figure descending from above, aiming a devastating kick straight at him.

"Ridiculous!" he scoffed, unleashing a surge of chakra that instantly restored his battered Susanoo to its full form.

Susanoo was hailed as the ultimate defense, its defensive power surpassing even its offensive capabilities.

To think someone would dare challenge it head-on with their bare body—it was laughable.

Yet, at that very moment, a deafening crack echoed through the battlefield, followed by a sharp shattering sound.

Madara's expression changed drastically.

Before his eyes, fractures spread across the rhombus-shaped plate at the center of his Susanoo's forehead.

Before he could react, the entire front of his fully formed Susanoo shattered with an explosive burst. The next thing he saw was a massive foot hurtling toward him.

Boom!

With a dull thud, Madara was sent flying like a cannonball, crashing into the ground with earth-shattering force.

Rumble—

The land split apart, a cloud of dust and debris rising into the air.

With another thunderous impact, Tsunade landed heavily, striding toward the battered and broken Madara lying in the crater.

Sealing techniques—she knew them well.

Madara's Edo Tensei body was in tatters, with more than half of it crumbling away.

But as Tsunade approached, her brows furrowed, and she abruptly halted.

Before her, Madara's body began to shift, turning bit by bit into wood, until all that remained was a ruined wooden effigy.

"Tch! A wood clone? That old bastard is really not easy to deal with," Tsunade scoffed, expanding her sensory field in search of him.

High above, the remnants of the shattered Susanoo collapsed, and from within, Black Zetsu plummeted toward the ground.

Before it could land, Fugaku's voice rang out, filled with killing intent: "Amaterasu!"

Whoosh—

Black flames surged, instantly setting Black Zetsu ablaze.

"Aaaahhh!"

A genuine scream of agony echoed through the battlefield—it was not an act.

These flames, born from the fusion of Six Paths power and senjutsu, could truly destroy it.

As its body disintegrated mid-air, Black Zetsu's screams grew weaker, until finally, it was completely consumed by the flames.

Two streaks of light—one golden, one green—descended from the sky, landing beside Tsunade.

As Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Shisui touched down, Tsunade spoke up: "Madara's chakra signature has vanished."

"Vanished? He must have some way to mask his presence," the two speculated, momentarily stunned.

With their level of power, they should have completely overpowered Madara in his Edo Tensei state.

"Let's find the Fifth Hokage. His Tenseigan can see through everything—Madara won't be able to hide from his gaze," Tsunade decided after a moment's thought.

"Madara escaped?" Uchiha Akira raised an eyebrow. "That shouldn't be possible."

Given the strength of Tsunade, Fugaku, and Shisui, they should have been able to crush an Edo Tensei Madara effortlessly.

"These old war veterans are never easy to deal with," Tsunade shrugged. "He's probably hiding somewhere. Check for yourself."

Just as Akira was about to activate his vision abilities, he paused, glanced at Uchiha Hikari, and said nonchalantly, "I'm going to use my clairvoyance. Apologies in advance."

Hikari's face flushed slightly, her irritation evident.

"Just do it. Why even mention it? What are you implying? No wonder you're still single despite being Hokage!"

"Fifth Hokage..." Tsunade shook her head, exasperated.

Akira looked genuinely puzzled. Wasn't it common courtesy to give a heads-up before using such an ability?

Fugaku sighed, rubbing his forehead, while Shisui, looking left and right, remained equally confused.

"Isn't it normal to give advance notice?"

"Hmph, typical Uchiha..." Senju Tobirama scoffed.

"Granduncle, you of all people shouldn't be laughing. If Akira has taken twenty steps down the path of being single, you've walked a full hundred!" Tsunade shot back.

"I..." Tobirama was momentarily speechless.

To think he'd lived this long only to be lectured by his own grandniece—and he couldn't even refute it!

"I can't find him. He's completely disappeared from the battlefield," Akira reported after scanning the area.

"Disappeared?" Tsunade frowned. "He doesn't have space-time ninjutsu, so how could he leave the battlefield so quickly?"

Tobirama interjected, "Tsunade, have you forgotten about the Summoning Jutsu?"

Tsunade blinked. She had, indeed, overlooked that possibility.

Though primarily used to summon animals, the Summoning Jutsu was, at its core, a space-time technique. And since it was easy to learn, it could also be reversed—allowing the user to escape instantaneously, provided they had a contract.

"That cunning old fox!" Tsunade clenched her fists in frustration.

As if reminded of something, Fugaku turned to Akira. "Madara possesses the Rinnegan."

"He has the Rinnegan?" Tobirama was visibly shocked.

During their previous encounters, Madara had never revealed such an ability.

"I see..." Akira nodded, showing little surprise.

Noticing his reaction, Tobirama narrowed his eyes. "Fifth Hokage, it seems you had already suspected this?"