"Did Minato send you?" Takuno asked somewhat helplessly as he looked at the charred body of Might Guy in front of him.
Kakashi was somewhat surprised, as the way The Collector addressed his teacher felt a bit too familiar.
Furthermore, the voice also seemed somewhat familiar, but in his current state of anxiety, he couldn't immediately place where he had heard it before.
"My teacher sent me here; he said you have the ability to save Might Guy," Kakashi said anxiously.
Takuno glanced at Might Guy. His impression of this taijutsu Shinobi had been quite good from his past life to the present, so he didn't mind lending a hand.
Then, Might Guy's body floated toward Takuno as he began to examine his condition.
It wasn't just the surface of his body that was charred; the man had been almost entirely parched from the inside out.
Without the appropriate means to mitigate the side effects of the Eight Gates, the consequences were this severe.
"Hmm..."
Takuno mused. Based on Might Guy's condition, if he were to use the side effects of the Eight Inner Gates Formation later, it should be acceptable.
Hearing this sound, Kakashi grew nervous again and asked with trepidation.
"Excuse me, can Guy still be saved?"
Takuno glanced at Kakashi and said, "Since I am intervening, he can naturally be saved."
"That's wonderful." Kakashi finally breathed a sigh of relief and then thanked him repeatedly.
Takuno ignored Kakashi. Might Guy's condition was much lighter than in the original story, likely because he hadn't used the final Night Guy.
But that made sense; Night Guy's kick had nearly obliterated Six Paths Madara. If Six Paths Obito had faced that kick, Minato probably wouldn't have been needed later.
In that case, once Might Guy recovered, there would be no risk of him being crippled; this taijutsu Shinobi's youth was not over yet.
While thinking, Takuno began to use Yang Release to treat Might Guy.
Now that he could relax, Kakashi finally began to ponder Takuno's voice, quickly comparing it in his mind to voices he had heard before.
Moreover, this voice wasn't something he had heard by chance; it belonged to someone he was quite familiar with.
Soon, Kakashi locked onto a target and then showed a look of disbelief.
"I must be mistaken, right? How could Senpai be..." Kakashi denied the possibility in his heart.
After all, that senior was one of the seniors he respected most. How could he be this Collector who only wanted to see the world in chaos!
Suddenly, as if realizing something, Kakashi looked toward the distant Hatake Sakumo—his father.
If The Collector really was Takuno-senpai, then that meant Takuno was the one who saved his father?
Furthermore, as Kakashi looked up at Might Guy's gradually recovering form, the image of Takuno began to solidify in his mind once again.
Though it wasn't like before, Senpai had saved his father and was now saving Guy.
If it really were Senpai...
"That seems quite nice too," Kakashi murmured.
On the other side.
The Ten-Tails' roar as it broke free from Obito's broken husk shook the heavens and earth, and a massive surge of chaotic chakra swept across the battlefield like a physical storm.
At the center of this chaos, Madara's gaze was locked onto the Ten-Tails that had burst forth, his Rinnegan flashing with undisguised greed and desire.
"Hashirama! Get out of the way!" Madara's roar drowned out the rumbling.
The massive deep-blue blade of the Perfect Susanoo, carrying the power to cleave mountains, swung down fiercely toward the First Hokage, Hashirama, who stood in his way.
However, Hashirama's response was even faster!
He clapped his palms together, and the markings of Senjutsu instantly appeared on his face as a Sage Art: Wood Release even more powerful than before rose from the ground.
It was no longer simple wood dragons or wood golems, but dozens of incredibly thick Sage Art wood dragons that, like wild forest pythons, slammed violently into the Susanoo's giant blade!
Boom!!!
In the deafening explosion, the deep-blue Susanoo warrior was actually knocked off balance by the stampede of wood dragons, its giant arms tightly bound and locked.
The vast Senjutsu chakra contained within the wood dragons acted like strong acid, frantically corroding the Susanoo's chakra structure. The indestructible armor actually let out a strained 'crack' as cracks spread rapidly!
"Now! Tsuchikage!" Minato's voice rang out as he traversed the battlefield like a Yellow Flash.
Ōnoki, who had long been prepared, had a sharp glint in his eyes as a white cube compressed to its limit appeared between his hands.
Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World, formed in an instant!
"Don't underestimate a Kage, Uchiha Madara! Hah!"
A blinding white light tore through the smoke and dust, striking the shoulder of the Susanoo—which was temporarily bound by the wood dragons—with pinpoint accuracy!
The terrifying power of Dust Release to disintegrate matter was difficult even for a Perfect Susanoo to fully withstand.
With the sound of disintegration, the Susanoo's left shoulder—symbolizing its power—along with half of its arm guard, was instantly reduced to nothingness as if bitten off by an invisible giant beast!
The massive energy imbalance caused the deep-blue giant to sway violently again, nearly toppling backward.
"Flying Thunder God: Level 2!" Minato's figure appeared without warning directly in front of the head of Madara's Susanoo, where he had quietly left a Flying Thunder God Jutsu Formula during their earlier fight.
What he condensed in his hand was not a Rasengan, but a highly compressed Sage Art: Spiraling Halo!
Bang!!
The halo, containing the dual destructive power of Senjutsu and Lightning Release, slammed solidly into the Susanoo's face mask!
A violent shockwave and blinding lightning exploded, and the Susanoo's majestic helmet shattered, revealing Madara's face inside, which looked slightly startled yet filled with frantic excitement.
The immense force made the Susanoo unable to maintain its balance any longer, and it crashed backward onto the cracked earth, kicking up a cloud of dust and debris that completely swallowed Madara's figure.
The legendary, god-like Madara had actually been knocked down by the combined assault of three top powerhouses of the Allied Forces!
However, in the next second...
"Hahahahahaha!!!"
A burst of wild, unbridled, and even extremely joyful laughter suddenly erupted from the rolling dust!
This laughter pierced through the Ten-Tails' roar and drowned out the noise of battle, filled with absolute confidence and an arrogance that looked down on everything.
The dust was pushed aside by an invisible air current, revealing the scene within.
Madara had not completely deactivated his Susanoo but was maintaining a half-kneeling posture.
His armor was shattered in many places, scorched marks from Minato's halo explosion remained on his face, and a trace of blood even leaked from the corner of his mouth; he looked quite wretched.
But in that Rinnegan, what burned was a fighting spirit and excitement more intense than ever before!
He slowly stood up, ignoring his injuries. His laughter subsided, but it turned into an even more boastful declaration:
"Not... bad! Hashirama! And you insects!"
Madara's gaze swept over the solemn-faced Minato and Ōnoki, as well as the other Allied powerhouses standing ready in the distance, before finally landing back on Hashirama.
The corners of his mouth curled into an almost feral grin. "This is more like it! This is what deserves to be called a war! It has made my long-cooled blood... boil again!"
He suddenly raised his only remaining right arm, fingers splayed as if to seize the entire sky, his voice abruptly rising with unquestionable madness:
"But! Did you think you could defeat me, Uchiha Madara, like this? Naive! You are all just appetizers to keep me slightly entertained!"
"Let me show you what true despair is! What... the power of a god is!"
"Give up, Madara. You've already failed."
Hashirama looked at the wretched yet still laughing Madara, momentarily seeing the wild and unbridled companion of the past.
"Hahaha, Hashirama, still thinking of making me give up? As expected, you... are still so naive!" Madara replied with a loud laugh.
Hashirama fell silent. Realizing he couldn't persuade the other through words, the three immediately decided to press the attack.
Minato turned into a Yellow Flash, a Rasengan infused with Senjutsu chakra in his hand, stabbing toward Madara's back, intending to interrupt his attempt to seize the Ten-Tails.
Ōnoki floated in mid-air, the brilliant cube of light between his hands shining brightly.
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World!"
He aimed at Madara's flank.
Hashirama clapped his hands, and with a surge of vast life force, several giant wood dragons burst from the ground, roaring as they coiled around Madara's lower body to lock him firmly to the ground.
"Hmph, a deathbed struggle!"
Madara looked slightly disheveled due to Guy's Evening Elephant, but the arrogance in his eyes hadn't diminished in the slightest.
Just as the trio's attacks were about to land...
Buzz!
"You surely didn't think that just because you had the upper hand before, you could keep it forever, did you?" Madara laughed loudly.
He hadn't just been standing around during that time.
After using his Rinnegan ability, Limbo: Border Jail, to block Might Guy's kick, its cooldown was finished!
Facing the fierce assault of Hashirama, Minato, and Ōnoki, the corner of Madara's mouth hooked into a cold arc.
In his only remaining Rinnegan, the purple ripples suddenly swirled!
"Limbo: Border Jail!"
Because he had only one Rinnegan, he could only summon one shadow.
This invisible clone, harboring terrifying power, instantly appeared by Madara's side.
This shadow was invisible to anyone who was not a Rinnegan wielder or a Six Paths-level sensor!
Of the three present, although Minato possessed Senjutsu sensory abilities, he hadn't reached the Six Paths level;
Hashirama's Senjutsu was powerful, but he likewise couldn't sense Limbo;
Ōnoki was even less capable.
So, being completely defenseless and not knowing how to defend...
The Limbo shadow moved with speed beyond limits, ignoring the Flying Thunder God reaction time Minato was famous for—or perhaps the nature of Limbo: Border Jail made it impossible for him to react at all.
A palm strike containing devastating power slammed with pinpoint accuracy into Minato's defenseless back!
"Pfft!" Blood erupted from Minato's mouth like a fountain, and the Yellow Flash instantly dimmed.
Minato was like a leaf struck by a giant hammer, slamming violently into the ground and kicking up dust, completely losing his ability to fight.
Almost at the same moment Minato was sent flying, the brilliant cube of light from Ōnoki's full-power "Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World" had already shot before Madara's eyes.
"Hmph, petty tricks!"
Madara snorted coldly, his Rinnegan's Ocular Power activating.
"Preta Path!"
The light that could disintegrate all things was swallowed as if by an invisible black hole, vanishing instantly.
Ōnoki gasped heavily from chakra exhaustion, his face written with shock and powerlessness.
Hashirama's wood pythons roared in right after the Dust Release, intending to coil around and bind Madara.
However, the deep-blue chakra giant rose from the ground again, and the massive Susanoo arm swung its greatsword, fiercely severing the tough wood dragons!
Wood chips flew everywhere as Hashirama's offensive was completely blocked outside the Susanoo.
After dealing with Minato, the invisible shadow did not pause for a second.
It teleported like a specter, instantly appearing behind Ōnoki, who was exhausted and mentally shaken by the absorption of his Dust Release!
"Argh!"
Ōnoki felt an irresistible force strike from behind, and the sharp pain of breaking ribs made his vision go dark.
The Limbo shadow's attack was simple and crude but extremely effective; that shadow of Limbo: Border Jail instantly dealt a heavy blow to Ōnoki!
The Third Tsuchikage fell like a kite with a broken string.
The Limbo shadow's assault was still not over!
Without stopping, and carrying the momentum of crushing two Kage-level fighters, it lunged straight at Hashirama, who was controlling the Wood Release and was distracted by his companions falling.
The opponent clearly wanted to defend against the Limbo: Border Jail attack, but how could he defend against something he couldn't see or sense?
Even if he wrapped himself entirely in Wood Release, would he be able to defend against the opponent's assault?
Several pitch-black rods containing powerful sealing power appeared out of thin air in the shadow's hand, thrusting out as accurately as venomous snakes!
Puchi!
The Black Rods instantly pierced Hashirama's shoulders and thighs, and the powerful impact pinned him firmly to the cracked earth!
The intense pain and the Black Rods' interference with his chakra made Hashirama groan as his powerful chakra stalled, his body pinned down and unable to move!
In the blink of an eye, Madara, with only his own power and a single invisible Limbo shadow, had completely dismantled the combined offensive of the Allied Forces' three top combatants!
Minato was heavily injured and unconscious, Ōnoki was heavily injured and falling, and even the God of Shinobi, Hashirama, was pinned to the ground by Black Rods, unable to move.
Madara stood within the protection of his Susanoo, looking coldly at the instantly defeated Allied leaders, his arrogant laughter ringing across the battlefield once more.
"Do you see, Hashirama! This is true power! Your era, along with this laughable resistance, should all come to an end!"
Then Madara came before Hashirama and, without hesitation, reached out and pressed his hand against the other's chest.
He didn't know Senjutsu, and what he wanted to do now was absorb Hashirama's Senjutsu chakra.
A moment later, black Senjutsu markings appeared on the face belonging to Hashirama on his chest.
"Is this Senjutsu? It seems like nothing special," Madara said, feeling the power of Senjutsu, somewhat disappointed.
Then he stopped looking at his defeated opponent beneath his feet, his burning gaze locking firmly onto the Ten-Tails.
"Madara..."
Hashirama, pinned there, looked at Madara's figure, wanting to stop him but already powerless.