"Mm. Kirigakure's First Mizukage truly was extraordinary..."
Gengetsu cleared his throat lightly.
The other Kage immediately gave him strange looks.
How did a traitor manage to appear among them?!
"That Five-Tails jinchūriki has a good head on his shoulders!"
The Second Raikage's eyes flashed.
"Mū, your student Ōnoki has a good subordinate. He knows when to sacrifice the smaller piece to protect the bigger one. He's already preparing battlefield ninjutsu..."
On the split-screen display of the genjutsu formation, the Kage could simultaneously watch the different perspectives being relayed by the White Zetsu.
From their omniscient vantage point, Han's movements hadn't escaped their notice.
"This is going to decide whether their blocking formation succeeds or fails..."
"This is where powerful individuals run into their greatest limitation. If Sarutobi Hiruzen can break through even this, then numbers will cease to have any real meaning against him from this point onward..."
"I can't say exactly where his absolute strength would rank, but if he succeeds, then he will have surpassed every shinobi currently alive and entered the realm once occupied by Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara."
Mū spoke without expression.
At this point, he almost wished Ōnoki were less competent...
Kiritori had been such a complete disaster, yet Kirigakure had somehow ended up with a favorable outcome.
Where was the justice in that?
'The Sage of Six Paths is so damn unfair!'
Mū cursed inwardly.
Even a Kage needed someone to blame every now and then.
And a Sage who no longer existed in the shinobi world was an extremely convenient target.
"Do you think he can actually do it?"
Gengetsu's little mustache twitched as concern appeared on his face.
"Iwagakure's battlefield ninjutsu is the strongest among all the villages. The combined strength of hundreds or thousands of shinobi focused into a single point is no joke..."
"Especially here in the Land of Earth, where the local geology is ideal for Earth Release. Even with only a hundred people, Earth Release: Sandwich Technique can easily seal a Tailed Beast. That Five-Tails jinchūriki actually managed to organize a thousand shinobi this quickly!"
"This is bad. Our First Mizukage isn't going to get himself killed, is he...?"
Gengetsu hurriedly raised his voice toward Madara next door.
"Senju Tobirama, watch how far you take this! Enough is enough! That's your student, Kirigakure's Mizukage, and Konoha's Hokage!"
Gengetsu knew perfectly well that Hiruzen's Spirit Release could dismantle ninjutsu, even something as advanced as Kekkei Tōta.
But the same principle applied as with Ginkaku's Preta Path.
The complexity of dismantling a technique was one issue.
The number of people and the sheer scale involved were another.
Quality and quantity couldn't always be dealt with the same way.
Madara ignored Gengetsu.
He was also inexplicably somewhat nervous for Hiruzen.
But he believed this was exactly what made it a true test, and the key pillar supporting every part of the stage they had constructed.
If they didn't create something dramatic enough, how were they supposed to fool Obito now that the boy was gradually becoming a little smarter?
Besides, based on Madara's own experience, anyone who truly wanted to keep growing stronger needed to face increasingly complex and dangerous situations, forcing themselves in real combat to squeeze out one hundred and twenty percent of their talent.
Just like him and Hashirama.
Madara hadn't known every application of Susanoo from the beginning, nor had Hashirama always possessed his hand-seal-free healing.
Those abilities had all been developed through battle after battle, amid countless exchanges of both gaze and intent.
"Still, Hiruzen really is something..."
"That temper really does resemble mine!"
Madara hadn't expected Hiruzen to break the deadlock in such a thoroughly "Shura of the Shinobi World" fashion.
It was almost exactly how Madara himself would have handled things in his youth!
The entire strategy boiled down to one thing:
Violence!
Madara had originally assumed Hiruzen would follow his usual cautious approach.
For example, he could have mobilized all of Konoha, Amegakure, and Kirigakure's forces at once and applied overwhelming pressure to Iwa and Kumo.
Then even if Danzō and Seisui were captured, Ōnoki and the Raikage wouldn't dare do much to them. They would still have to negotiate.
Madara had originally planned to exploit that opportunity.
He wanted Obito to see something like "Seisui being captured" and find out whether the sight might awaken his eyes.
Afterward, the Crimson Organization could simply reveal itself to the shinobi world and mediate between the three sides.
The "death of the Hokage" would naturally have been the most shocking scenario.
Uzumaki Ashina had been making every effort to provoke Hiruzen into personally taking action, but nobody had really expected much from that possibility.
Hiruzen's caution was just as deeply rooted in everyone's minds as his reputation.
Yet unexpectedly, Madara's young inheritor of his will had chosen exactly this method to shatter the deadlock!
Or rather...
He was even crazier than Madara had been back then!
"Entering the battlefield by dropping out of the sky..."
"Possessing multiple Kekkei Genkai and combining chakra modes together..."
"Good!"
Madara loudly praised Hiruzen.
There was pure admiration for a powerful shinobi in his Rinnegan, along with a sense of nostalgia at seeing someone continuously refine themselves just as he himself once had.
In a little over a year, his student had clearly grown far stronger than when he had fought Gengetsu and Mū!
This was what an inheritor of his should look like!
Obito certainly wasn't bad either.
But ultimately, Obito was still an unpolished piece of jade being hammered into shape, while Hiruzen had already become an exceedingly rare masterpiece.
Especially now, with his dark armor reflecting the colors of the magma, crimson light and shadow sweeping across its surface like the blood-red hue of the Sharingan.
For a moment, Madara's emotions became unexpectedly complicated.
Not an Uchiha...
Yet more Uchiha than the Uchiha themselves!
'Hiruzen, can you overcome this hurdle?'
Without realizing it, Madara clenched his fist.
A thousand-man Iwa formation fully prepared for battle, pouring all of its power into a single battlefield ninjutsu, could unleash a force that only a Complete Body Susanoo or True Several Thousand Hands could withstand head-on...
This could be seen as a dividing line in individual combat power—or rather, an entirely different tier of warfare.
Madara and the Kage gradually fell silent.
They watched Hiruzen continue advancing, smash through the second column, and finally arrive before the formation Han had organized!
Through Han's constant communication and redeployment, Ōnoki and the Third Raikage had already learned of Hiruzen's movements.
They immediately abandoned their pursuit of Danzō and Tobirama and rushed toward the central interior.
The "young Madara" was ultimately only a codename.
And even ten Konoha advisors put together weren't worth one Hokage...
More importantly, given the combat power Hiruzen had already displayed, if there weren't core fighters strong enough to anchor the battlefield and prestigious shinobi capable of holding the army together, then the combined force of more than ten thousand Kumo and Iwa shinobi would turn into nothing more than ten thousand pigs!
There—
Hiruzen had no idea anyone was watching him.
But Ashina, elsewhere in the Land of Earth, had also stopped moving.
He sat cross-legged beneath the shade of a tree and focused completely on watching how Hiruzen would respond.
"HE'S HERE!!!"
In the distance, Han saw the figure woven from black armor and blood-red light finally appear.
He immediately roared at the top of his lungs: "Everyone, get ready! Use Earth Release: Sandwich Technique from three directions and seal the Hokage!"
"Kumo shinobi, use your combined Lightning Release barrier!"
"I'll go up and keep him occupied! Don't worry about me—seal both of us together!"
Han's shout steadied the hearts of the Iwa and Kumo shinobi somewhat.
They had listened as entire columns were torn apart by a single man.
They had seen the disaster-like magma, and they had heard defeated shinobi fleeing past them screaming like lunatics.
The psychological pressure on them was enormous.
Quite a few hadn't even exchanged a single blow with Hiruzen yet, but sweat already covered their foreheads and soaked through their backs.
Their teeth trembled slightly as adrenaline flooded their bodies.
Battlefield Ninjutsu: Thousand-Man Formation: Earth Release: Sandwich Technique—Lightning Seal Formation!
Never before had Iwa and Kumo shinobi acted with such perfect unity.
Under the crushing pressure, they simultaneously released as much chakra as possible, using the collective amplification of the formation to drive the sealing power to its absolute limit.
This was the battlefield where mid-level forces could perform at their very best...
Once a powerful shinobi scattered their formation, they became lambs waiting to be slaughtered.
But when they could confront an enemy using battlefield ninjutsu, everything changed.
Even Tailed Beasts had to avoid meeting them head-on!
The drawback was that this wasn't the technique of a single individual, so its activation speed was naturally slower.
But the tremendous power made up for that weakness.
At that moment—
An enormous amount of steam erupted from Han's body.
Stage Two Tailed Beast chakra covered him completely as he activated both powers at once.
Using them simultaneously placed an irreversible burden on his body.
But Han had already resolved to die.
That no longer mattered.
If he could stop Hiruzen for even one second, then one second was enough...
To die together with a shinobi this powerful would be the greatest honor he could achieve as an Iwagakure shinobi.
Hiruzen's pupils tightened.
He had expected an ambush.
There had simply been no way to avoid it.
After all, he was alone, while his opponents were an organized, systematic Iwa military formation.
Running headfirst into battlefield ninjutsu the enemy had prepared in advance was something Hiruzen had already accounted for.
The earth seemed to come alive!
All around Hiruzen—
Three impossibly towering walls of earth rose high enough to blot out the sky.
They were several times taller than even a fully transformed Tailed Beast, as massive and thick as mountains, yet they converged on Hiruzen at tremendous speed.
Within the area centered on Hiruzen, vast amounts of electric current and interwoven lightning grids suddenly appeared out of thin air.
A sealing-like force was mixed into them, continuously compressing the electricity until the charge became so dense it almost seemed ready to liquefy.
This was Kumogakure's battlefield Lightning Release.
If the attack landed, Hiruzen would be pinned beneath three enormous masses of earth, completely sealed in place while countless currents infused with sealing power condensed around him.
This was a technique the Third Raikage and Ōnoki had devised after forming their alliance.
It had originally been meant to deal with multiple Konoha jinchūriki at once.
But because of Hiruzen's deployments, Konoha had never given them that opportunity by launching a full-force assault...
And now, ironically, the Hokage himself would be the first to face Iwa and Kumo's combined battlefield ninjutsu!
"What overwhelming power..."
Hiruzen drew in a deep breath.
A roar like an earthquake thundered around him as the earth itself churned violently.
The force created by concentrating the power of over a thousand shinobi into a single attack truly wasn't something to underestimate!
"Hiruzen, are you really going to take this head-on?" Enma asked anxiously.
Far away, Han erupted with all of his remaining chakra and steam, charging toward Hiruzen like a madman.
He no longer cared about proper technique or form...
All he wanted was to grab Hiruzen by the leg and cling to him with everything he had, keeping him trapped here!
"Taking it head-on would be difficult..."
"The amplification created by massed ninjutsu really is terrifying."
"That's also why I've always focused on making every Konoha shinobi stronger. Once they have Hashirama Cells and Curse Marks, and then learn or transplant a few Kekkei Genkai..."
"When Konoha's shinobi pool their strength into battlefield ninjutsu in the future, the result will be far greater than what Iwa and Kumo can produce here. Maybe even Sages will have to show it some respect."
Hiruzen looked at the enormous earthen mountains closing in around him—
And actually burst out laughing inside the lightning formation.
His laughter was deep and powerful, echoing between the three rapidly converging peaks before resounding across the entire battlefield!
The Iwa and Kumo shinobi, who had only just begun to relax, instantly tensed again.
"What the hell is so funny?!"
An Iwa jōnin's eyes bulged as he stared at Hiruzen almost hysterically.
He just wanted this to be over already!
Please...
No more terrifying surprises...
"Hey, Hiruzen, this isn't a meeting back in Konoha. Why are you still talking about village development right now?"
Even Enma was rendered speechless by his old partner.
It really was a professional disease unique to Hokage.
Han came charging straight at him.
Hiruzen neither dodged nor evaded, causing the Steam Ninja himself to freeze for a moment.
If the Hokage didn't run, wouldn't Han simply end up taking this attack together with him for nothing?
But in the next instant, Han stopped thinking about it.
Dying together with the Hokage would still make for a legendary life...
"Sorry, sorry."
"I was just in an excellent mood because I realized the village really is moving in the right direction."
"As for this battlefield ninjutsu, it's actually the perfect thing to use against me..."
"Because I happen to counter it."
Hiruzen inhaled deeply.
His body lowered slightly into a horse stance.
The Yin Seal on his forehead released in an instant, forming a golden circlet-like mark across his brow!
At some point, the halberd had been tossed into the air, spinning overhead.
White Spirit Release light gathered wildly around Hiruzen's fists, condensing into two spheres of chakra compressed to the absolute limit.
Then Hiruzen opened his fists into palms.
The muscles across his broad shoulders tightened visibly, while the lines along his forearms stood out like deep furrows beneath the extreme exertion.
His eyes seemed to stare directly into the countless structures running through the earthen mountains and lightning grids, searching for the points that connected them together.
One after another, he identified them.
The halberd plunged into the ground.
At the same time, Hiruzen's five fingers clawed downward as though gripping something invisible.
His gaze sharpened.
Then, slowly, he pulled his hands down.
"What is he doing?" Mū muttered unconsciously from where he watched.
"Mm..."
Gengetsu was already too tense to speak.
As though answering everyone's question from afar—
The first crack appeared at the top of one of the earthen mountains.
A second followed instantly.
Then a third.
The three enormous masses created by battlefield ninjutsu, each resembling an actual mountain, began splitting apart at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Dense webs of cracks spread across their surfaces.
"This..."
Kinkaku and Ginkaku stared in stunned silence.
Absolute technique backed by overwhelming raw power...
This was a realm they couldn't understand.
Hiruzen let out a furious shout and slammed both hands downward!
At that moment—
It felt as though the atmosphere itself shattered!
Spirit Release spread outward and detonated at node after node.
The powerful vibrations created by those explosions rapidly dismantled the earthen mountains and lightning grids in an unstoppable chain reaction!
Crack.
The mountains, which had seemed impossibly dense and solid moments ago, suddenly crumbled like layers of flaky pastry.
With one downward pull from Hiruzen—
They collapsed instantly into enormous torrents of chaotic chakra.
At the same time, the lightning grids disintegrated into particles, combining with the chakra turbulence to form a massive storm in midair!
The Iwa and Kumo shinobi could only stare blankly.
What did this even mean...?
Was the Hokage simply not allowing them to use ninjutsu?
The further development of Hiruzen's Spirit Release, and the strange, terrifying way it manifested, created an entirely new level of psychological pressure for the Iwa and Kumo shinobi...
Even against True Several Thousand Hands or Complete Body Susanoo, they at least understood what they were looking at.
But Hiruzen was telling them something entirely different.
This isn't about attack power or personal durability.
In front of the Hokage, ninjutsu simply isn't permitted.
Not even battlefield ninjutsu.
Han was still charging toward Hiruzen.
In truth, his mind had stopped processing anything long ago.
His body was completing its final task entirely through muscle memory.
'A fine shinobi...'
'What a shame.'
A trace of admiration flashed through Hiruzen's eyes.
Boiling steam and magma instantly gathered around his fist.
Then he charged straight at Han!
Their fists collided—
Han's punch struck Hiruzen squarely in the chest, causing his body to jolt.
At the same moment, Hiruzen's fist slammed into Han directly over the heart.
The explosive force pierced straight through Han's chest in an instant, while magma erupted out the other side like a pillar reaching toward the sky!
In a single exchange—
Han, jinchūriki of the Five-Tails, died in a direct clash with Hiruzen.
At that moment—
The Five-Tails emerged from Han's body.
The man had kept his promise.
He hadn't allowed the Five-Tails to disappear together with the seal.
Instead, he had released it.
"Please... don't make things difficult for the Five-Tails..."
Han's voice was barely audible.
The boiling magma had instantly disabled his body.
Hiruzen's blow had been clean enough that Han hadn't even felt much pain.
His strength had simply vanished all at once, and his vision was already blurring.
"All right."
Hiruzen nodded.
Then he turned toward the white stallion, which seemed to have deliberately reduced its size, blinked, and suddenly had an idea.
"The Nine-Tails asked me to send you its regards."
The Nine-Tails had never actually said that.
But the Five-Tails was visibly excited.
"Greetings!"
Hiruzen froze.
Was Iwagakure's Tailed Beast really this polite?
He hadn't expected that seeing Tailed Beast cloaks appearing on Konoha shinobi would make other Tailed Beasts familiar with the Nine-Tails realize that Konoha had become a village friendly toward their kind.
"Greetings..."
Hiruzen replied with slight hesitation.
"If it's convenient, could you give me a ride? I know you have your own difficulties, but I'm in a hurry right now, so I won't waste time on unnecessary words."
"Once we return to Konoha, we can talk properly. For now, fight alongside me."
"I know this is sudden, but there really isn't another option."
"I swear on my name as Hokage that I won't hold anything you've done as Iwagakure's Tailed Beast against you. After all, Hashirama-sama was the one who distributed you to them. None of this happened because you chose it out of malice."
"Once we reach Konoha, whether you want to remain in the village or live freely, I'll respect your decision."
Hiruzen spoke faster and faster, but his tone remained exceptionally sincere.
He already possessed some of the Five-Tails' chakra, and Konoha itself now had several Tailed Beasts.
If this friendly little horse wanted freedom, Hiruzen had no objection.
"You swear on your name as Hokage?"
The Five-Tails' eyes lit up.
Even Iwa and Kumo recognized the weight of those words throughout the shinobi world.
That was the gold standard.
"All right! I'll help you! Please, get on..."
Hiruzen didn't stand on ceremony.
He swung onto the Five-Tails' back, scooped up the halberd from the ground with one hand, and charged directly toward the distant Iwa-Kumo columns.
Boil Release: Mountain-Crushing Strike!
The Five-Tails leapt into the air.
Hiruzen immediately understood its intent and activated Boil Release as well.
It was their first time fighting together, yet man and beast moved in perfect harmony.
The halberd and hooves crashed down at the same time!
Violent explosions and the crushing weight of the blade trampled through the Iwa-Kumo formation with absolute, undeniable force!
Hiruzen didn't rush.
He didn't extend the halberd any farther.
After all, he had already unleashed several massive bursts of power in succession.
He needed the enemy to believe he required a moment to recover.
More importantly, his strategic objective had already been achieved.
What he needed to guard against now was the sudden arrival of Ōnoki and the Third Raikage—
As well as any possible interference from Uchiha Madara.
Almost as though he were showing off, Hiruzen moved nimbly atop the Five-Tails' back, effortlessly avoiding attack after attack from the surrounding Iwa and Kumo shinobi.
His halberd danced with brutal force through the military formation, yet his movements remained as fluid as a soaring bird!
White horse.
Black halberd.
Dark armor.
In the blink of an eye, he had already charged through the formation again and again!
It looked as though technique alone were enough to dismantle the entire battle line.
Not far away, Ōnoki and the Third Raikage watched the towering mountains collapse.
They exchanged a glance, shock appearing in both men's eyes.
With the main force behind them, the two immediately advanced at full speed toward Hiruzen's position!
And Hiruzen continued riding the Five-Tails deeper into enemy territory without the slightest intention of retreating.
If anything, he could feel his body growing hotter and hotter.
Earlier, when he had released the Yin Seal and erupted with chakra to use "Spirit Release: Shock Form" at full strength—
Hiruzen had felt the chakra of the nine Tailed Beasts within him begin to show the earliest signs of merging together under Spirit Release's extreme decomposing force from the inside out.
He couldn't clearly explain what exactly had changed.
But it definitely made his body feel better.
It was an unexpected gain.
...
"Excellent, Hiruzen!"
"That's incredible! Is this a new transformation of the Ten Thousand Seals Body Integration Seal? I knew you could do it! This is what the offensive form of Fūinjutsu was truly supposed to become!"
In the distance, Uzumaki Ashina sprang upright from beneath the shade of the tree and began cheering for Hiruzen.
He threw his head back and laughed loudly.
His Impure World Reincarnation body almost seemed ready to shed tears.
The obsession that had consumed his entire life—
One so deep that even Uzushiogakure and the Uzumaki Clan had to come second—
Had finally transformed from an impossible fantasy into a real and powerful technique!
And in Hiruzen's hands, it genuinely possessed the potential to stand alongside Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara!
'Am I getting too excited?'
Ashina suddenly froze and blinked unconsciously.
He didn't know whether it was just his imagination, but for a moment, he thought he saw the moon visible in the daytime tremble almost imperceptibly.
It even seemed to give off a faint glimmer.
But when he looked carefully again—
Everything was normal.
As though nothing had happened at all.
Meanwhile, at the Mountains' Graveyard—
Obito, having finished his training, politely knocked on the door of the viewing room.
Madara, disguising his voice as Tobirama's, transmitted a message directly into everyone's minds.
'The plan begins!'
The Kage immediately understood.
Though in truth, they barely needed to act anymore.
Hiruzen's performance had shocked every single one of them badly enough that simply letting themselves sink into the moment already looked completely convincing.
The only one who actually needed to perform was Gengetsu.
He simply couldn't stop himself from wanting to laugh.
So before Obito opened the door, Gengetsu lowered his head, covered his face with both hands, and let his shoulders tremble slightly.
It still looked a little like he was laughing.
But surrounded by everyone else's expressions, it passed surprisingly well for crying.
"What's wrong with all you uncles?"
Obito scratched his head.
He had originally come to ask when his training would finally end...
"A great hero may have reached the end of his road."
Mū turned his bandaged face toward Obito.
"Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen is dead."
"He went to rescue Seisui and Danzō. His current status is unknown."
"He was sealed by Iwa's battlefield ninjutsu and then struck by Dust Release..."
"Sigh."
Obito froze as though struck by lightning!
"What do you mean his status is unknown?! If his status is unknown, doesn't that mean he's dead?!"
Mū didn't answer.
Kinkaku and Ginkaku, meanwhile, professionally put on cruel smiles.
"This is the shinobi world, kid! Even Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara will die someday..."
"We brothers told you already. Being dead is happier than being alive. Do you understand now?"
Obito still wanted to say something.
But then he looked at Hōzuki Gengetsu, who appeared utterly "devastated."
Panic erupted through Obito's body like a volcano.
Other than Hi-kun...
Gengetsu was probably the teammate he trusted most!
"I DON'T BELIEVE IT!!!"
Obito's eyes went bloodshot.
In an instant, he rushed toward the doorway.
Facing the sealed stone door, Obito drove chakra through his left arm, which was filled with Tobi's cells—
And shattered straight through it with one punch!
His entire body began running forward uncontrollably.
"Impossible, impossible, impossible..."
Obito ran wildly.
He had no idea how long he had been running when suddenly—
A scene appeared before his eyes that made his heart feel as though it had been submerged in ice water.
Rin had driven a ninja sword through Kakashi's chest.
Like a terrified fawn, she sobbed desperately: "I'm sorry, Kakashi! I was caught in a genjutsu!"
Then another cry rang out.
Han, the Five-Tails' jinchūriki, fell from the sky—
And crushed Rin beneath him.
"NOOOOO!!!"
Obito desperately wanted to warp Han away.
To save Rin.
To save Kakashi!
He roared.
The tomoe in his eyes rapidly connected together.
The power known as Kamui awakened within his bloodline.
Terrifying visual power erupted from his eyes.
Obito gasped heavily.
At that moment—
He wanted to destroy everything!
A world without Hokage-sama, without Kakashi, and without Rin—
Needed to be purged!
But then—
Rin and Kakashi vanished like bubbles before his eyes.
None of it had ever happened.
The violent swing from despair to relief left Obito's mind feeling as though it had simply crashed.
{Obito, you're still far too stupid.}
{You let your emotions control you so badly that a simple Hell Viewing Technique was enough to catch you?}
Madara's voice echoed inside Obito's mind.
{I've already removed the restraints I placed on you. That genjutsu consumed the chakra maintaining them.}
{If you still acknowledge me as your Great Clan Head, then don't mention my name once you return to Konoha.}
{Take this farewell gift and get lost!}
{And stop letting your emotions control you, brat.}
{Don't disgrace me when you return to the village...}
{Remember, you're Madara's disciple! And Hiruzen... well, that man inherited the ideals I held in my youth. You could practically call him another disciple of mine. So show your elder some respect, brat...}
Madara unconsciously began rambling.
Obito blinked.
His heart still hurt badly.
But the overwhelming relief of having survived that nightmare swept through his entire body, leaving his knees weak.
{Hmph. Now get lost!}
There was, however, a faint trace of amusement in Madara's voice.
This had been Hi-kun's idea...
Madara was very satisfied.
No restraint at all—
Yet more effective than any restraint.
Now this was a sophisticated method worthy of someone at his level!
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