For a killer like Hidan, who worships an evil cult, Takeshi had nothing to say.
With a glance, he signaled Hikari to place Hidan's severed head on the ground. Takeshi didn't wait for Hidan to curse him a few more times; thoughtfully, he turned the head toward the fallen body and, right in front of him, unleashed fire-style jutsu.
"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
The surging flames instantly engulfed Hidan's body. In his terrified gaze, his towering frame disintegrated into a pile of powder in the blink of an eye.
"You damned brat! You think doing this will get you anything? The Jashin-sama will punish you!"
Hidan's eyes widened in rage. He shook his head violently, trying to bite Takeshi's calf with his teeth.
"Hmph. Behave yourself. Your so-called Jashin-sama? At most, they can give me a small kick. What else can they do?"
Takeshi planted a foot on Hidan's head. He didn't bother talking more to this madman; he had to clean up the battlefield and check whether the mysterious masked man was still alive—there was no time to waste on Hidan.
"You—"
Hidan's voice was abruptly cut off. His head was frozen solid with ice, then Takeshi drove his blade downward through it. Amid the shattering of ice crystals, the head was crushed into powder.
"You two, stay with Hikari. I'll go check the other side. Be careful."
After reminding Kamizuki Izumo and Kotetsu Hagane, Takeshi shifted his gaze back to Hikari.
"Hmph. The one who should be careful is you. Every time you go out, so many assassins appear. You might as well commit suicide."
Hikari snorted coldly, showing she didn't need Takeshi's concern.
"I won't," Takeshi replied, making a face. Then his expression turned serious as he rushed toward the depression he had created.
Watching Takeshi's figure gradually disappear, Hikari crossed her arms and naturally began directing the two people beside her.
"Go. See if there are any survivors. Be careful—the previous Earth Style user might not have gone far."
The two exchanged glances. Having witnessed Hikari's combat ability firsthand, they didn't dare slack off. They responded and carried out his instructions.
...
"Huff… huff… damned kid. Once I get back and transplant the Rinnegan, I'll—"
At the edge of the depression, Setsuna clung to his last breath, struggling to crawl on the ground.
Half of his body had been hit by the explosion. He was already in a pitiful state. Though the Hashirama cells inside him were desperately repairing his body, life still drained rapidly from his blood.
Even now, he hadn't thought of using Izanagi to change the situation.
"Madara-sama… wait for me. I will definitely bring you back…"
Setsuna kept muttering Madara's name, as if the elder's figure appeared before him.
"Madara-sama… is that you?"
Blinking hard, Setsuna stared at the old man in disbelief.
Perhaps the Sage of Six Paths had heard his call—an image of Madara, leaning on his scythe, appeared before Setsuna.
"Forgive me, Madara-sama. I've betrayed your trust—"
Setsuna trembled as he reached forward, seemingly wanting to touch Madara.
Madara also extended his hand, slowly moving closer.
Just as their hands were about to meet, Setsuna's vision blurred, followed by a searing pain in his eye socket.
"Ah!"
With only one eye left, Setsuna was plunged into darkness. Blood flowed from the socket, proving that his last intact eye had been taken.
"It's… you… Yōwan!"
Setsuna regained his wits amidst the pain and immediately realized that Yōwan's dōjutsu was at work.
"Too slow to react. Consider yourself lucky you didn't use this eye in battle—otherwise, I would have already finished off this old man."
Squatting down, Yōwan knocked the mask off the other's face. Looking at the slightly aged face before him, he curled his lips into a satisfied grin.
"Why… why…"
Setsuna, too weak to even roll in pain, barely spoke. He couldn't understand why Yōwan would strike him now.
"Hmph. You think I didn't know about the conspiracy you and Madara were plotting? Deliberately killing my grandfather to push me into darkness? Such a trick could only fool idiots with insufficient intelligence."
Yōwan had realized from the start that it was a conspiracy. But due to his insufficient strength, he could only pretend ignorance, feigning compliance with Madara's plan.
"Then why attack Konoha twice…"
Setsuna didn't understand. If that were the case, Yōwan could have ignored Konoha and focused on waiting for him to make a mistake.
"Hmph. Fool. All of this stems from Konoha's policies. Since Konoha's founding, the Uchiha clan has faced unjust treatment. I opposed your plan, but I hated Konoha even more."
Mentioning Konoha, Yōwan ground his teeth, blaming all misfortune on the village.
"Konoha was founded by the Uchiha and Senju clans together. Why should the Uchiha be marginalized?!"
Suddenly standing, he kicked Setsuna in the head. Yōwan didn't stop, using him as an outlet for his anger.
"The Uchiha clan should stand alone, living in a paradise built entirely by themselves. There, no daimyo, no other clans—only the Uchiha at the top! As for the Sarutobi and other clans, their choice is submission or death!"
After several powerful kicks, Yōwan's strike finally snapped Setsuna's neck. The sound of bone breaking echoed, making him pause.
Seeing no movement from Setsuna, Yōwan crouched down—only to realize he had already killed him.
"Fool."
Yōwan looked coldly at the body beneath him.
Setsuna was dead.
Yōwan wouldn't allow any flaws in his plan. Setsuna's Mangekyō Sharingan was now in his possession. The Rinnegan was already his. All he needed was to use the power at hand to reshuffle the ninja world.
Without looking at Setsuna's body, Yōwan turned and left.
Unbeknownst to him, all his actions were observed by Black Zetsu, hidden in the shadows.
"Hmph. Damn it. When did this guy lift the curse seal?"
Black Zetsu had tried to activate the seal in Yōwan's heart to stop him the moment he moved.
But no matter how he tried, Yōwan seemed completely unaffected.
Helpless, Black Zetsu could only watch Setsuna being eliminated by Yōwan, powerless to intervene.
No, he couldn't let Yōwan continue recklessly. This would affect his chances of rescuing his mother.