Inoiki looked at Black Zetsu, now trapped inside the space cage he had created by sealing space itself into a spherical structure. The cage was completely invisible—nothing but empty air to the eye—yet within it, a chunk of landmass floated, suspended unnaturally. Black Zetsu stood upon that fragment of earth, his dark form still, his gaze lifted upward—directly toward Inoiki—as the entire cage hovered silently in front of him.
A faint distortion rippled through the air around the sphere, like space itself resisting its confinement.
Inoiki met his gaze and said calmly, "I knew you would definitely come the moment you saw Obito weakened." A slight pause followed, the wind brushing past him. "That's why I deliberately feigned weakness… said I was tired, even though I wasn't tired at all."
His eyes sharpened just a fraction.
"And you fell for it."
For a brief moment, silence lingered—heavy, pressing.
Then Inoiki turned his head toward the others present, his expression steady but carrying a deeper weight now. "Very well," he said, his voice echoing faintly in the open space, "it is time to let all of you know a few of the secrets… what exactly is going on in this world."
A subtle pulse of chakra began to rise from his body.
"Some truths of this world need to be known," he continued, his tone firm, almost inevitable, "and also… someone, because of whom all this battle has unfolded—someone who needs to know the truth as well."
His gaze shifted, distant for a fraction of a second.
"That is Madara Uchiha."
As the words settled, Inoiki extended his chakra outward. Thin strands emerged from his body, stretching into the air like delicate, glowing threads—yet each carried an overwhelming presence. They moved with precision, weaving through the battlefield before attaching themselves to Naruto, Sasuke, the reanimated Kages… and even Orochimaru, who had been hiding in the shadows.
The moment the thread brushed against him, Orochimaru's eyes flickered slightly. So… he noticed me after all.
The chakra threads pulsed once, linking them all.
Inoiki did not extend them toward Team Taka. They stood untouched—unnecessary to what was about to unfold.
As soon as the chakra threads attached, Inoiki activated his space-time teleportation. The air twisted for a split second—then everything vanished.
One moment they were there… and the next, they were gone.
The remaining members of Team Taka stood still, eyes narrowing as they watched the empty space where everyone had disappeared. A brief silence passed between them before understanding settled in.
"This is his Space-Time Ninjutsu…" one of them muttered under their breath.
The ability to teleport anywhere at will.
Meanwhile—
Inoiki reappeared directly at the Fourth Division battlefield, bringing everyone along with him in an instant. The transition was abrupt, and the moment they arrived, a heavy, suffocating pressure filled the air.
Before them lay chaos.
The battlefield was in complete disarray—cracked earth, uprooted terrain, and destruction spreading endlessly in every direction. Towering across the field stood multiple Susanoo, each one colossal, radiating overwhelming power. And within every single one of them… the unmistakable figure of Madara Uchiha could be seen.
Like a nightmare repeating itself.
At the same time, massive wooden roots—thick, twisted, and alive with chakra—spread across the battlefield, tearing through the ground and rising like an endless forest. The Wood Release techniques had reshaped the entire terrain into something monstrous.
A faint rumble echoed beneath their feet.
Inoiki took in the entire scene, his eyes scanning everything in a single glance. He already understood what needed to be done.
First… stop Madara.
If Madara continued like this, the battlefield would only descend further into chaos. At the very least, he had to suppress him—bring him to a point where he could be made to listen.
Only then could they move forward.
Without wasting another moment, Inoiki turned his attention toward the Kages who were still engaged in battle—Tsuchikage, Raikage, Hokage, Kazekage, and Mizukage. Their figures moved against the overwhelming force of Madara, but even they were being pushed back.
Inoiki's expression hardened slightly.
Then, without raising his voice, he reached out through his Psychokinesis and spoke directly into their minds.
"All of you… retreat."
His voice echoed clearly within their consciousness, calm yet carrying undeniable authority.
At the same time, he extended the same command to the other elite ninjas present on the battlefield.
For a brief moment, there was hesitation—
Then they obeyed.
One by one, the Kages and the elite shinobi disengaged from the battle, pulling back as quickly as they could. The sound of combat began to fade, replaced by the distant rumble of Madara's overwhelming presence as the battlefield slowly cleared.
As they began retreating, Madara could have easily launched an attack and cut them down mid-withdrawal.
But he didn't.
His attention had already shifted.
He looked toward Inoiki—the same person who had appeared earlier, taken Naruto, and, with nothing more than compressed air released from his palm, had sent him flying back. Madara still remembered that moment clearly.
That feeling—
Disdain.
As if he had been treated like nothing more than a minor obstacle… a weak warrior.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
…That man.
His ego had not forgotten.
He had intended to settle that matter—to fight Inoiki properly—but the moment his gaze fell upon another familiar presence, everything else was pushed aside.
"Hashirama!" Madara's voice rang out across the battlefield, sharp and filled with unmistakable excitement. "So you are here. It seems… we can fight again."
Hashirama met his gaze, his expression serious, grounded despite the chaos around them. "We are here to talk about something more important than this, Madara."
For a fraction of a second, there was silence.
Then—
Madara moved.
He had no intention of listening.
The massive Susanoo he stood within shifted, its colossal form stepping forward as its sword rose high into the air. With overwhelming force, it swung downward toward Hashirama, cutting through the air with a deafening roar.
Before the blade could reach—
"Space Barrier."
Inoiki's calm voice cut through everything.
In an instant, a section of space itself formed along the path of the sword. Invisible—intangible—yet absolute.
The giant blade slammed into it.
And stopped.
Not even an inch further.
A ripple spread across the transparent barrier, like a stone dropped into still water, distorting the air for a brief moment. The force of the strike echoed outward, but the barrier held perfectly.
Madara's eyes sharpened.
Inoiki didn't wait.
The moment the attack was halted, he moved.
A surge of power erupted from him as he activated his Psychokinesis at full strength. A sky-blue light outlined his body, glowing intensely, and the air around him trembled under the pressure. His hair lifted and swayed wildly, as if caught in an unseen storm.
Then—
He raised his hand.
With a single gesture, the ground beneath every Susanoo began to crack.
A deep rumble tore through the battlefield as the earth split apart, massive chunks of land breaking free and rising into the sky, lifting the towering Susanoo along with them. Rocks shattered, debris spiraled upward, and the entire terrain twisted under his control.
The Susanoo stood upon unstable, floating land—no longer anchored.
Inoiki's gaze remained fixed.
Then he clenched his fist.
Instantly, all those massive landmasses—along with the Susanoo—were pulled toward a single point with terrifying speed. The air screamed as they collided, crushing into each other with overwhelming force.
The impact reverberated across the battlefield.
The colliding masses began to grind together, rotating and compressing like a colossal grinding machine. Stone crushed against stone, chakra constructs shattered under pressure, and the immense forms of the Susanoo cracked and broke apart within the chaos.
One by one, the wooden clones were destroyed.
The Susanoo collapsed.
And soon—
Only fragments remained.
The grinding slowed, then stopped.
What followed was silence… and the soft, steady fall of dust, as the remnants of shattered earth rained back down onto the battlefield.
After dealing with all the wooden clones of Madara—and the Susanoo surrounding them—Inoiki finally turned his full attention toward the real Madara.
The battlefield had quieted, dust still settling in the air.
Facing him directly, Inoiki spoke, his voice calm yet carrying weight.
"Madara… we need to talk."
A brief pause.
"Or else… you will lose one of your best subordinates."
His gaze remained steady.
"Or the one you think is your subordinate."
As he spoke, the transparent space cage drifted beside him, hovering in the air. Within it, Black Zetsu remained trapped.
Madara's eyes shifted the moment he saw it.
A silence followed.
Madara understood immediately—this was not something he could ignore. Black Zetsu was deeply tied to his plans. And now, he was completely in Inoiki's control.
Attacking recklessly was no longer an option.
For now, he chose to listen.
Inoiki, seeing that Madara had restrained himself, shifted his attention toward the Kages present on the battlefield.
"All those ninjas whom you believe to be worthy of your trust… those who may become the next Kage—bring them here, to the core of the battlefield."
A faint wind passed across the broken land.
"Let the rest of the Fourth Division retreat."
As his words settled, Inoiki descended from the air and landed atop a massive wooden root structure, standing firm. Madara stood ahead of him.
Soon, figures began to gather.
The reanimated Hokages arrived first—Hashirama, Tobirama, Hiruzen, and Minato. Hashirama's gaze softened slightly as he looked toward Tsunade.
"Tsunade…"
Tsunade stood firm, with Jiraiya and Kakashi beside her.
Mei arrived with Chojuro. Gaara came with Kankuro and Temari. The Fourth Raikage stepped forward with Darui and Samui, while Onoki arrived with Kitsuchi and Kurotsuchi.
One by one, they gathered.
The battlefield, once chaotic, now became still.
All eyes turned toward Inoiki.
He stood elevated, the space cage containing Black Zetsu hovering near him.
Inoiki's gaze moved across every face present. The air felt heavier now.
He knew this was the moment.
The most appropriate time to reveal everything.