Six Paths Obito's killing intent was like physical ice, instantly freezing the entire battlefield.
The brief stalemate shattered completely; a more cruel battle was on the verge of breaking out.
While Six Paths Obito confronted Minato and Kakashi, attempting to shake their will with the false vision of the Eye of the Moon, Madara did not stand idly by.
He utilized the moment Obito was distracted, his hands having already finished forming the hand signs.
With a low shout of "Summoning Jutsu!", an ancient coffin covered in symbols crashed onto the desert wasteland amidst a cloud of dust, positioned exactly in the open space between Madara, Obito, and the Allied Forces.
The heavy coffin lid slid off, revealing the figure standing within.
That iconic red armor, that resolute face, and that life force as vast as the sea—it was none other than the former "God of Shinobi," Konoha's First Hokage, Hashirama!
"Hashirama?!"
Six Paths Obito's figure, suspended in the air, faltered slightly, his voice betraying a hint of irrepressible surprise and emotion.
"Heh... How ironic. The 'God of Shinobi' and the 'Asura of the Shinobi World,' who once ended the era of chaos fighting side-by-side, are now 'standing together' again in this form and on this occasion?"
Obito's gaze swept between Hashirama and Madara, his tone immediately turning to absolute confidence and contempt.
"However, the times have changed. Before the Six Paths Power that controls all things, even a team-up between you two fated rivals is nothing more than a shadow of the old era!"
The moment Hashirama opened his eyes, they held the confusion of someone who had just been awakened.
He subconsciously looked around, and what met his eyes was a tragic desert battlefield, powerful enemies of various forms, and the Allied Forces standing ready in the distance.
Immediately after, he noticed the abnormality of his body.
It wasn't the vivid sensation of a body of flesh and blood, but a cold body composed of dirt and covered in fine cracks; the flow of chakra within him also carried a sense of sluggishness from being bound.
"This feeling... this technique that profanes the dead..."
Hashirama's brow furrowed tightly, his gaze shooting like lightning toward Madara standing not far away, his voice low and filled with anger.
"Madara! It's you! This is the forbidden technique Edo Tensei developed by Tobirama! You actually used such means to forcibly call me back to the living world?!"
Facing Hashirama's questioning, Madara only let out a cold sneer, his crimson two-tomoe Sharingan flashing with a dangerous light.
"Hmph, Hashirama! Now is not the time to dwell on methods. The world needs your power, old friend. Welcome to the stage of the end!"
"Hmm?" Hashirama looked at the two-tomoe Sharingan in Madara's eyes with some confusion, then glanced at Six Paths Obito in the sky who was emitting a heavy pressure, his eyes full of incomprehension.
Madara gave a cold snort and began to quickly explain the current situation to Hashirama.
Minato's golden pupils constricted sharply, his gaze locking onto the figure that had suddenly appeared and was emitting a vast life force—the First Hokage, Hashirama!
Lord First had actually been summoned by Edo Tensei as well, and was currently confronting Madara.
Although Madara was still the source of the calamity, Minato, as the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces...
He instantly realized that with the arrival of the even more terrifying existence that was Six Paths Obito, and Hashirama's unexpected appearance, the balance of the battlefield and the relationship between friend and foe had undergone a drastic change.
"Uchiha Madara... though dangerous, Six Paths Obito is the existential threat right now... With Lord First appearing, the situation might..."
Minato's thoughts raced, and a clear tactical consideration emerged.
"If necessary, extremely limited tactical cooperation with Madara to oppose Obito is not entirely impossible. At the very least, I cannot let Lord First become a needless enemy!"
As soon as this thought arose, Minato immediately thought of the other Edo Tensei summon he had sealed in a corner of the battlefield—the Second Hokage, Tobirama.
He had previously used Flying Thunder God: Guided Thunder in coordination with Sealing Jutsu to successfully trap this dangerous creator of the Flying Thunder God.
But the situation was different now. Releasing the Second Hokage could, on one hand, be a signal of goodwill to the First Hokage.
On the other hand, as a master of forbidden techniques, Tobirama's very existence was a variable; rather than letting him be used by the enemy or become an obstacle, it was better to release his bonds.
After a brief moment of thought, Minato did not hesitate at all, his body turning into a golden flash as he instantly appeared beside the Jutsu Formula sealing Tobirama.
His hands quickly formed several release signs as he shouted low: "Release!"
The light of the symbols on the Sealing Jutsu formula rapidly dissipated.
The figure of Tobirama, who had been imprisoned within, became clear again.
His eyes were still hollow, but a moment later, Tobirama's Edo Tensei body suddenly shook violently, and the dust composing his body began to crumble upward uncontrollably.
Under Minato's solemn gaze, the Second Hokage Tobirama's figure was like a sand sculpture blown apart by the wind, quickly disintegrating and turning into countless tiny dust particles, completely vanishing into the air.
Minato frowned as he watched this scene.
"The caster actively released the Edo Tensei. Is it because they don't want to add more variables, or do they need to concentrate their power...?"
Just as Minato was pondering the sudden change and the caster's intent behind Tobirama's disappearance due to the release of Edo Tensei...
The space in front of him rippled slightly.
In the next moment, Tobirama's familiar figure actually appeared clearly before him once again!
However, this time was fundamentally different from before.
Tobirama's crimson eyes, which had been hollow and indifferent due to the Edo Tensei, had now regained their sharpness and clarity, and were resting steadily on Minato with a hint of scrutiny and a hard-to-detect approval.
He even took the initiative to break the silence, his voice low but clear: "You must be the Fourth Hokage, Minato."
Minato's pupils shrank slightly, and alarm bells rang in his heart, but he felt more surprise and doubt than anything else.
The Second Hokage before him had clearly broken free from the control of the Edo Tensei and regained his own will!
His hand gripping the Kunai did not relax, but his tone maintained respect for his predecessor.
"Lord Second? You are..."
Tobirama did not directly answer Minato's question, but instead cast his gaze toward the position where Minato had just used Flying Thunder God: Guided Thunder and the Sealing Jutsu, as if retracing that brief yet heart-pounding exchange.
He nodded slightly, his tone carrying a form of recognition:
"No need to be nervous. I was just confirming... that exchange just now. Even when my mind was being controlled and my actions were restricted, for you to be able to accurately capture the minute flaws in the Flying Thunder God formula in such a short time, and use it to complete the transition between teleportation and sealing..."
"This reaction speed, this grasp of combat opportunities, and the depth of your understanding of the Flying Thunder God Technique... is indeed terrifying."
"Lord Second, you flatter me," Minato said.
Upon hearing Minato's humble response, Tobirama did not relax; instead, his brow furrowed slightly.
His crimson eyes looked directly at this blonde junior Hokage, his tone resolute:
"There is no need for false modesty." His voice was exceptionally clear on the chaotic battlefield, carrying the unique authority and unquestionable nature of the Second Hokage.
"The ingenuity of your use of the Flying Thunder God Technique, the extremity of your speed, and the precision with which you grasp opportunities in the rapidly changing battlefield have already surpassed what I was capable of back then."
"This is not a compliment, but a conclusion based on every movement you made to trap me while traversing the battlefield to support the Allied Forces."
"Your tactical intelligence and mastery of space-time Ninjutsu are worthy of any praise."
Minato was slightly stunned, seemingly not expecting this legendary predecessor to give such direct and high praise, and was about to speak.
But Tobirama had already continued, his tone carrying a hint of subtle relief:
"Seeing that the Konoha of later generations can have a Hokage like you, I... can finally be truly at ease."
These words seemed to lift a heavy stone from his heart.
His gaze swept across the Allied Forces that had regrouped under Minato's command, then fell back on Minato, the thoughts deep within him churning:
Compared to that little monkey Hiruzen, Minato is clearly a better fit for the position of Hokage.
Hiruzen... he was more than capable of maintaining the status quo, but his boldness and decisiveness were ultimately a step behind, and he was sometimes too indecisive when facing complex situations."
Choosing him back then when I was at death's door was merely due to the pressure of the situation; in that haste, there were no other more suitable candidates.
If there had been someone like Minato back then, who combined strength, wisdom, decisiveness, and leadership charisma...
This thought flashed through Tobirama's mind, carrying a hint of helplessness regarding the past and gratification regarding the present.
He understood that now was not the time to indulge in past choices; the Six Paths Obito before them was the greatest threat.
He turned his attention back to the heart of the battlefield, to the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki suspended in the air and emitting a terrifying pressure, his gaze becoming sharp as a knife once more.
Tobirama's crimson eyes swept the battlefield; his elder brother Hashirama, summoned by Edo Tensei, was confronting Madara.
This Second Hokage, known for his cold rationality, took a step forward, his white hair flying in the chakra turbulence, his voice piercing through the roar of the battlefield:
"Regardless of past grievances or future choices, there is only one prerequisite right now: let the Shinobi World survive this catastrophe!"
His gaze cut toward Six Paths Obito like a blade.
"Any differences should be settled after the destruction is averted."
Hearing this, Six Paths Obito, suspended in the air, actually let out a low laugh.
This laughter gradually grew louder, finally turning into a frenzied roar.
"Settled? Catastrophe? Ridiculous!"
He spread his arms, the six paths staff spinning in his palm, his Rinnegan reflecting the tiny living beings below.
"Are you still clinging to these meaningless struggles?"
The laughter stopped abruptly, replaced by an extreme coldness:
"Bring all the spirits you can summon, your hidden trump cards, the ants struggling for their last breath... bring them all to this desert!"
"I will use this power that surpasses the Sage of Six Paths to crush all who resist. In the perfect world that has Rin, despair is the only finale you deserve to have!"
Six Paths Obito just watched this scene below, having no intention of stopping it.
This was confidence, and also absolute trust in his current power.
As long as that Collector, whose background he still couldn't see through, didn't make a move, then he... was invincible!
On this side, Hashirama had been summoned to the battlefield by Edo Tensei and, under Madara's explanation, quickly understood the situation.
The Ten-Tails Jinchuriki Nagato had already left the stage, Obito had transformed into the more terrifying Six Paths form, and his younger brother Tobirama was fighting side-by-side with Minato.
He strode toward Madara, who was confronting the Allied Forces, scratching his head and letting out his iconic hearty laugh.
"Haha, Madara! It seems the world after death isn't peaceful either..."
Before he could finish, Tobirama had already flickered in front of Hashirama, his crimson pupils locked onto Madara as he said sternly:
"Big brother! Get away from Uchiha Madara immediately! Even if Obito is the current arch-enemy, this man is still the root of the Shinobi World's troubles!"
He was clearly on the highest alert against Madara.
Hashirama's smile froze on his face as he tried to smooth things over: "Tobirama, Madara is now..."
"Shut up!"
Tobirama interrupted unceremoniously, his cold gaze sweeping over Madara's damaged spare Sharingan.
"Don't forget who summoned the Ten-Tails and caused this disaster! And don't forget that he used Tengai Shinsei to indiscriminately attack the Allied Forces!"
Hearing this, Madara let out a bone-chilling cold laugh; although his Rinnegan was gone, the pressure belonging to the Asura of the Shinobi World still made the air stagnate.
"Hashirama, your brother's narrow-mindedness really hasn't changed in a hundred years..."
Just as he was about to retort, Hashirama suddenly reached out and pressed a hand on Madara's shoulder.
"That's enough, Madara!" Hashirama rarely put on a serious face, but when he turned to his brother, he used a pleading tone.
"Tobirama, Madara's power is crucial for fighting against the Six Paths Obito!"
He pointed to Obito in the distance, who was suspended in the air and surrounded by Truth-Seeking Orbs.
Tobirama gritted his teeth and held back his technique, but still refused to yield an inch.
"Cooperation? Look at Obito's end! Madara's schemes and calculations have run through this entire war, from controlling Nagato to summoning you with Edo Tensei!"
Veins popped on Madara's forehead; the humiliation of having his Rinnegan stolen and Tobirama's contempt made his killing intent boil.
But when he caught a glimpse of the pitch-black Truth-Seeking Orb forming in Obito's hand, he ultimately gave a cold snort and turned his head away.
At this moment, having lost his Rinnegan, it was difficult for him to contend with the Six Paths Power using only a two-tomoe Sharingan; Hashirama's intervention instead gave him a way to temporarily avoid the brunt of the threat.
At this time, Minato flickered into the space between the Senju brothers and Madara, his blonde hair trembling slightly from the high-speed movement, his speech rapid yet clear.
"Lord First, Lord Second, let's put the catching up on hold! I have a piece of critical intelligence: the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki's Truth-Seeking Orbs can annihilate all Ninjutsu, but Senjutsu and Taijutsu are exceptions!"
His gaze swept over Obito, who was suspended in the air and clad in the Six Paths raiment.
"This is a rule I confirmed earlier when I used Sage Art: Rasengan against Nagato's Truth-Seeking Orbs; although Six Paths Obito is much stronger now, this rule should still apply!"
Tobirama's crimson pupils suddenly constricted, and he immediately looked toward his elder brother.
"Big brother! Among the existing combat forces, the only ones who have mastered Senjutsu are you and the Fourth!"
Although Tobirama's tone was cold and harsh, his tightly furrowed brow exposed his strategic considerations.
He loathed Madara, but he was even more wary of Obito's destructive Six Paths Power.
"Haha, leave it to me, Tobirama!" Hashirama clapped his palms together, and vast Natural Energy instantly surged into his Edo Tensei body, black Senjutsu markings appearing on his cheeks.
He looked up and locked onto Obito, his fighting spirit boiling.