Uzumaki Suigetsu had just witnessed her sister's death with her own eyes and had yet to recover from the grief of losing her last close family member.
On top of that, the name Uchiha Madara itself was enough to strike terror into the hearts of those who had lived through the Warring States period.
The Asura of the Shinobi World was no empty title—he was a man who showed absolutely no mercy to his enemies, someone who would never leave a foe alive if he could kill them.
Back then, countless members of the Uzumaki clan had been slaughtered by Uchiha Madara.
Even her father, the previous head of the Uzumaki clan, had been completely suppressed by him, utterly powerless to resist.
Uzumaki Ashina had been the greatest sealing master of his era, the man who elevated fūinjutsu to its peak—yet even he had held no advantage whatsoever when facing Uchiha Madara.
Now, staring at that terrifying skeletal structure, Uzumaki Suigetsu recalled the name of the jutsu.
"Susanoo…"
Madara offered no praise for her recognition of the jutsu. In his eyes, the old woman before him was already a dead person.
Under Suigetsu's horrified gaze, the skeletal arm of Susanoo swung down, the blue samurai blade cleaving through the air.
Against such an attack, even a peak Kage-level expert could only attempt to evade.
But Uzumaki Suigetsu was merely at mid–Kage level—she didn't even have the time to dodge.
Boom!
With a single slash, massive cracks spread across the ground. Suigetsu, caught at the center of the strike, barely managed to shift aside—but even so, a huge wound was torn open across her body.
The gash ran diagonally from her upper torso down to her waist. Her internal organs were completely destroyed by that single, casual strike. Even without lingering damage, she was already beyond saving.
Had she been decades younger, she might have survived by relying on the Uzumaki clan's extraordinary regenerative vitality, perhaps aided by medical ninjutsu.
But she was already over sixty years old. That vitality had long since declined.
Death was the only possible outcome.
After casually disposing of the two elderly Uzumaki, Uchiha Madara did nothing further. He dismissed his Susanoo, closed his eyes, and began resting—as though waiting for something.
Behind him, the Nine-Tails lay quietly, its eyes transformed into Sharingan patterns, completely docile, like a well-behaved pet resting at its master's side.
In truth, Madara's effortless assassination of Uzumaki Mito owed much to the presence of White Zetsu.
When it came to concealment, White Zetsu stood at the absolute pinnacle of the ninja world. Unless one possessed Sage Mode or Six Paths–level power, detecting him was virtually impossible.
Wrapped within White Zetsu's body, Madara's presence had been perfectly concealed—no one could sense him at all.
Madara himself was already at the peak of the super–Kage tier, making his aura exceptionally difficult to detect even without assistance. The combination of both ensured that Uzumaki Mito sensed nothing before being instantly killed.
Moreover, Mito and Suigetsu had been reunited after decades apart. Overcome with emotion, their vigilance had dropped to its lowest point—giving Madara the perfect opportunity.
Despite Madara's dismissive words, fighting a fully recovered Mito head-on would not have been easy. He had simply chosen the most efficient way to end the battle.
After all, he was old now. His stamina had inevitably declined, and conserving strength before the coming battles was far more important.
White Zetsu hopped out at the sight of the two legendary Uzumaki lying dead and exclaimed in mock surprise:
"Oh wow! As expected of Madara~! Uzumaki Mito was the first Nine-Tails jinchūriki, you know—yet you took her out so easily!"
There was not the slightest trace of guilt in his voice. Which was only natural—he wasn't human to begin with, merely a plant.
Even the White Zetsu later known as "Tobi," with all his exaggerated liveliness, was fundamentally an emotionless organism.
Schemes like corrupting Uchiha Obito and indirectly causing Rin's death meant nothing to him.
Madara did not revel in the praise. He replied flatly:
"They were just two old people already halfway into their coffins. Nothing worth boasting about."
White Zetsu didn't argue, instead continuing cheerfully:
"Still, they were both Kage-level. Mito's chakra even felt like mid super–Kage tier! To kill someone like that instantly—no wonder you're Madara~!"
...
In the distance, the Uzumaki clan fell into panic the moment the Nine-Tails appeared.
Even on all fours, the Nine-Tails stood fifty to sixty meters tall. If it stood upright, it would easily exceed a hundred meters.
Because of that, it was visible even from far away.
Some of the older clan members were the first to shout:
"It's the Nine-Tails!!"
"How is that possible? Wasn't the Nine-Tails sealed inside Mito-hime?!"
"That chakra… that shape… there's no way we're mistaken!"
"Did something happen to Mito-hime?!"
"Hurry—go check!"
...
Back then, they had assisted Hashirama Senju in sealing the Nine-Tails.
Hashirama could defeat Madara and suppress the beast—but sealing it inside a human and creating a jinchūriki had been beyond him.
That had always been the Uzumaki clan's specialty.
Because they had once sealed the Nine-Tails themselves, the Uzumaki understood better than anyone just how terrifying it was.
That vast, sinister chakra—deep, oppressive, seemingly endless—far exceeded what a Kage-level existence should possess.
None of them yet realized that beside the Nine-Tails was an even more monstrous chakra presence, cold and abyssal, like something from the depths of the underworld.
When the Uzumaki finally arrived, they immediately saw the two bodies on the ground.
The familiar faces were unmistakable.
Uzumaki Mito.
Uzumaki Suigetsu.
But they had no time to mourn.
Some of the older members recognized the elderly man standing with his eyes closed at a glance.
"Uchiha… Madara!"
The name sent a shock through everyone present.
The hairstyle, the facial contours—barely changed, only aged. There was no mistaking it.
This was the man who had once dominated the shinobi world.
Uchiha Madara.
At that moment, Madara slowly opened his eyes, ignoring the Uzumaki gathered before him. Instead, he looked up toward the sky, narrowing his gaze.
"…So you've finally arrived."