"Hmph, Uchiha brat... let's call it a day for now."
"Next time we meet, pray you've fully mastered the power of the Rinnegan..."
"Otherwise..."
Uchiha Hikaru watched the gray-and-white flakes fall from Madara's decaying body. His chakra flared with brilliance, yet he couldn't help but mock the man one last time. But then, an odd impulse bubbled up inside him—
I... I want to be the very best... like no one ever was...
"The moment is now!"
"Madara! Surrender and become my Pokémon~!"
Madara blinked, momentarily stunned by Hikaru's outburst—but he still understood the insult perfectly.
This damn kid! He's been corrupted by Konoha's foolishness—disrespecting his ancestors like this?!
Hikaru quickly formed hand seals, summoning the King of Hell, whose eerie, monstrous face brought back uneasy memories for Madara.
"This is—!"
"Not good!"
Hikaru thrust out his right hand. At the same moment, the King of Hell opened its grotesque mouth, a long tongue shooting out at blinding speed toward Madara.
"Outer Path: Soul Extraction Jutsu!"
Madara threw his arms up, and white chakra surged into his palms.
"Sealing Technique: Absorption Seal!"
He attempted to absorb the King of Hell's chakra from its tongue—but even so, the tongue coiled around Madara's Impure World Reincarnated body.
With a sudden snap, Madara's soul was torn from its puppet body and lifted toward the sky.
He looked down at Hikaru, emotion churning behind his eyes.
So the Uchiha still produce such brilliant successors…
Judging by his age, he's only a few years younger than Obito. If I'd known earlier… I might've waited—maybe even convinced this kid to help execute the Eye of the Moon Plan.
But it seems I've outplayed you once more… I've escaped. Next time we meet, I'll be at my peak. I hope you'll be able to entertain me then.
Hikaru watched Madara's soul float skyward, a look of genuine disappointment creeping onto his face.
Damn… this was the ninja world's top-tier legend. Like trying to catch a shiny Rayquaza... No—a legendary-level ninja!
What a waste that I couldn't capture him…
Seeing Hikaru's expression, Madara unexpectedly felt a surge of pride.
Hmph. So you're truly afraid of my full power?
As expected of me—Uchiha Madara!
Laughing proudly, his soul dissipated into light and returned to the Pure Land.
Hikaru stared at the sky for a long time, unable to let it go.
Saya came up beside him, gently resting her head on his shoulder and wrapping both arms around his left hand.
"Master Hikaru… don't worry. No matter what dangers lie ahead, I'll always be at your side."
"I believe you'll win. Always."
Hikaru blinked, realizing his odd behavior had clearly been misinterpreted by Saya. Still, he raised his hand and softly stroked her hair, smiling.
"It's fine. I'm not afraid of Madara's future strength."
"I'm just annoyed I couldn't capture him and make him do grunt work..."
At that moment, Orochimaru, who had approached to deliver a post-battle report, suddenly paused mid-step. Hikaru's words clearly piqued his interest.
"Hikaru… were you trying to capture Madara's soul just now?"
At first, Orochimaru had assumed Hikaru simply feared the future power of Madara's Rinnegan and wanted to seal him away. But now… this was something else.
He wanted to seize him?
Hikaru's bizarre plan suddenly filled Orochimaru with wild inspiration.
That's right!
If a soul can remain after death... why can't we develop a jutsu that preserves or captures it?
"Hikaru, let Kabuto deliver the damage report later. I've had a breakthrough—I'm heading back to the lab!"
There was genuine excitement in Orochimaru's voice, like when he'd first begun pursuing immortality.
Hikaru turned just in time to see Orochimaru sprinting off toward his research institute.
"A new inspiration, huh... Is Orochimaru trying to become a Pokémon Master too?"
"The universe really is just a giant Poké Ball…"
Shortly after, Hikaru and Tsunade led the remaining ninja in cleaning up the battlefield. They sealed the remains of White Zetsu into scrolls—half sent to Orochimaru via the ANBU, the rest to Kabuto.
Once everything was tallied, Tsunade's face clouded with sorrow.
She had poured all her chakra into summoning Katsuyu to heal the wounded, and still, more than a hundred Konoha shinobi had died in Obito's assault.
The casualty ratio was impressive—just over a hundred lives lost against an army of White Zetsu and countless reanimated monsters—but death never got easier.
It reminded her, once again, of the true horror of war.
Ōnoki, Ay, Rasa, and Mei Terumi approached Tsunade and Hikaru, their expressions serious.
Ōnoki folded his arms and addressed them solemnly.
"Hokage... I hadn't expected Akatsuki's strength to be so monstrous."
"I propose that after the Chunin Exams, we hold another Five Kage Summit to address the Akatsuki threat."
Ay clenched his fist, his face twisted in frustration.
"For once, this old man's talking sense."
"Brother Hikaru, I agree. We need to coordinate a joint front. I didn't think they could dig up so many legendary corpses…"
Rasa, on the other hand, looked as though he'd swallowed something foul.
"Hokage, Konoha needs to take responsibility for its own forbidden jutsu."
"If I recall, the Impure World Reincarnation Technique was created by your Second Hokage, Tobirama."
"Uchiha Madara was once yours. Now the Akatsuki have his body."
"Don't let them dig up your other past Kage, too."
"If you're serious about preventing this from happening again—cremate them."
His words echoed the final message left behind by the Third Kazekage before his spirit ascended.
Tsunade's expression darkened. Her voice turned sharp.
"You don't need to worry about that. The remains of our Konoha ancestors are none of your concern."
"Just make sure your people don't go vanishing again."
Then her gaze shifted to Mei Terumi, and her tone softened into a pleasant lilt.
"Sister Mei, after the Chunin Exams, Konoha would love to host you anytime~"
Mei caught the hidden message instantly.
[If anything happens to the Hidden Mist, you're welcome in Konoha.]
"Thank you, Sister Tsunade~"
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