Hinata's Sensual Adventure - The Chronicle's End [Part A]

The Hermit's Apprentices – Hearts Converge!

Kabuto was sporting an ear-splitting grin when Zetsu popped his grotesque head out of the ground.

"Ehh? Looks like things are going well on the battlefield," the parasite said by means of introduction, noting the man's barely contained excitement.

"I've finally got the Kyūbi cornered," Kabuto mused darkly, looking down at the pebbles strategically placed on a piece of parchment depicting a map. "But what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be focusing on completely assimilating Hashirama's cells?"

Zetsu was busy moving around the poorly lit cavern, half his body buried beneath the hard ground as if he was treading water. "Tobi sent me to find out if you had properly disposed of the wood element user. He doesn't want to risk intel being leaked at this phase in his plans."

"I see his trust in me hasn't improved at all," Kabuto returned, his gaze unswerving as he meticulously controlled the piece that held Naruto's life by a thread. "Anyway, while I have gotten rid of that woman, Anko... I haven't disposed of Yamato just yet."

Zetsu waited for the man's excuse.

"I want to first ensure that there are no problems with your procedure."

"Fair enough," the fiend replied, even as he discreetly scanned the crude hideout until he spied the Jōnin imprisoned in a cramped cell at the back of the cave. "Just ensure he doesn't escape, or Tobi will be mad."

"I administered a powerful neurotoxin before the procedure, so he won't be regaining consciousness anytime soon."

Zetsu's grin tightened. "You must have a lot of faith in that drug, if you didn't even bound his arms and legs."

"Orochimaru-sama was a pioneer in pharmaceutical research," Kabuto asserted quietly, eyes still transfixed on his puppeteering. "That man will be unconscious for another few hours, at least. And, besides, there is only one exit from this cave."

"Whatever floats your boat, buddy," was all Kabuto heard before his parchment was suddenly skewered by an earthen spear.

Before he could snap his head around to assess the assailant, another spike shot up from the ground toward his throat. The conniving snake leapt back into a high somersault, then eased into a quick series of backflips as more deadly spikes threatened to penetrate his heels.

"What's the meaning of this?" Kabuto demanded hotly, skidding to a halt outside the mouth of the cavern.

His eyes adjusted in time to spy as the assailant dispelled his disguise as Zetsu. The clone of Naruto waved mockingly as he slowly retreated into the ground with an unconscious Yamato in tow.

"Na-Naruto-kun?" the man exhaled in disbelief, looking down at his forearm where a technique formula was once engraved. But he had entirely cut out that portion of skin and flesh before finding another hideout. So how did Naruto manage to locate him again – and so soon?

"Oh well," he allowed his shoulders to sag, a wide smile touching his reptilian eyes. "I'm almost certain I was able to succeed making the Zetsus stronger using Yamato's cells. So I don't need him anymore. In addition, he was unconscious the entire time he was in captivity, so he wouldn't know anything about our plans. Right now, I should prioritize finding another hideout and finishing off the real Naruto, before he manages to escape."

The Raikage gave an absent stare, eyes wide in shock. Between switching to autopilot from being manually controlled, the burly giant had stilled like a marionette who had its strings cut. That slight window of vulnerability was all it took for his fleeting existence to come to an abrupt end.

"Sorry we're late, boss," an ANBU agent said repentantly as the dust cleared, mirroring three other clones who had their swords penetrating the Raikage's chest through an old battle scar. "We were only just able to start sensing your chakra again."

Temari was flabbergasted, her expression reflecting that of the Raikage whose body had started grumbling like crystallized paper. But she wasted no time instructing the sealing squad to restrain the monster before he had the opportunity to start regenerating again.

Her quick response secured their victory, and the squadron howled in triumph. But Naruto and Hinata heard nothing beyond their own dejected heartbeats. Our Orange Knight allowed one final look at the bloodied patch of earth where Kurama took his final breath, and then he fell into the dark abyss of unconscious.

"You needn't worry," Akiko reassured compassionately, her astral form towering over her grief-stricken host. "He's just unconscious. With the unbelievable amount of pain he must have been enduring, I'm surprised he was able to attack that brute like he did."

Hinata's lips quivered at the thought.

She noted the unyielding lines of distraught underneath Naruto's eyes and wondered what her own face looked like. She still couldn't come to terms with the fact that Kurama was gone. Weeks of memories with the feisty canine flickered in her mind like a candle's flame exposed to a threating gale. And her heart swelled at the precious images.

But the princess knew it wasn't the time to grieve. Steeling her nerves, she looked to one of Naruto's clones tellingly, and then to Gaara's elder sister. "Temari-san... I'll leave the rest to you."

The woman's lips parted to pronounce the word "wait", but it ended up getting stuck in her throat, instead. She had so many questions — the first being how could they possibly be there right now. But, between owing her life to their presence and a comrade being slaughtered before their eyes, how could she possibly burden them any further?

Lowering her hand, Temari watched helplessly as one of the ANBU warriors crouched beside the Hyūga princess, an attentive hand upon her shoulder. Then, almost instantly, they were completely out of sight and sound. And the clones quickly followed suit.

Elsewhere — in the name of justice, peace, equality, and a list of other righteous traits that were a blatant lie, so long as he was free — Bee happily made his way unto the battlefield while his brother was distracted trying to restrain Naruto. Eventually, the rebellious Jinchūriki crossed paths with one amongst the sage's many clones and they paved their way deeper into the war together.

Unbeknownst to them, however, was the fact that two very capable Edo Tensei shinobi were dispatched to intercept and capture them.

"Uchiha Itachi and... Nagato?" Naruto exclaimed in disbelief, both him and his fellow Jinchūriki coming to a sudden halt.

"You know these guys, Naruto?" Bee was calm and on guard.

"...Yeah, both of them."

"Of all the people I could possibly have to fight... right, Naruto?" Nagato said in a dejected tone, Itachi supporting the weight of his decrepit body. "I'm sure time must have passed since our last meeting, but it feels like I've only just died."

Both Jinchūriki did well not to lose themselves in the civilized conversation, especially Naruto who could feel the unrelenting pull of sentimentality at the familiar sound of the man's voice. The fact of the matter was that these prominent relics of the past were being controlled by a sadistic snake. And they could become hostile at the drop of a hat.

"You've changed a little, Naruto," Nagato remarked, looking his apprentice over.

"Oh this?" he said modestly, regarding the brightly lit aura cloaking his body. "It's called Chakra Mode — it's a new form I got for learning how to control the Kyūbi's chakra."

"What?" Itachi was evidently surprised.

"I see. So that's why you look different." Nagato smiled warmly. "It's in your eyes."

Naruto clenched his fist with a smug grin, illustrating his unchanged determination since the last time they met.

"You're saying you can control the power of the Kyūbi?" Itachi was still in a state of disbelief. He knew of the creature being the epitome of evil. "You've grown more than I could have imagined."

"He's my master's junior student," Nagato explained with a smug smile of his own. "I expected nothing less."

"That's all thanks to me," Bee rapped, not missing the chance to flaunt his own greatness. "He's been walking in the footsteps of a prodigy."

Nagato's eyes hardened. "Then you have managed to conquer hatred?"

Naruto's smile was smooth, liquid crystal eyes portraying the spurt in growth his clones had brought him over the course of just a few weeks. "Yeah. From the pain you taught me as my brother in spirit, to Bee's training at the Waterfall of Truth... and even my mom and dad — it's thanks to all of you that I made it this far."

Nagato's smile touched the Rinnegan etched in his eyes. And Itachi couldn't help but think of his younger brother as the two shared a cosmetic moment.

His brows furrowed. "Naruto... there is something I must ask you."

The sage's own brows descended low above saffron eyes as he surmised what the man's question would be. "Now that you mention it, I wanted to talk to you, too."

Despite their mutual interest, the puppet master didn't hesitate to intervene. Perfectly tucked away inside his new hideout, the serpent but mused over the fact that he had managed to track down both the Hachibi and Kyūbi — and nothing delighted him more than adding both Jinchūriki to his arsenal. With a more favorable deck of cards, he knew even his comrade would be dancing in the palm of his hand. If he had any regrets, it would be the inability to see his expression sour behind that obnoxious mask of his.

Joining his fingers to form a seal, Kabuto molded his sinister chakra. The forbidden Edo Tensei technique heeded the man's command, traversing time and space to rob both Nagato and Itachi of their fleeting moment of freedom.

Both shinobi could feel the dark, invading power taking root. But decades of meditation and training was fruitless; they couldn't abolish the puppeteer's tightly wounded strings. And Itachi was the first to strike.

Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!

Even as he continued supporting Nagato, Itachi summoned chakra in his gut and conjured a blazing ball of fire that cleaved the earth in an attempt to completely devour both Jinchūriki.

But simply brandishing his organic sword with a forward thrust was enough for Bee to effortlessly split the flames in two — though, Samehada was none too pleased about being lunged into the blistering inferno. And Itachi frowned, deducing that his former colleague, Kisame, must have already been mowed down during the course of the war.

Naruto mirrored the man's gaze. "We were still talking," he murmured high enough for his fellow Jinchūriki to hear.

"Looks like the puppet master's tired of gawking," Bee murmured back. "He doesn't care about timing. Get ready!"

The moment the words left his lips, Itachi was gone, his body dispersing into a cloud of smoke. Before Nagato's frantic warning could reach his ear, Naruto was looking up, nonchalance and battle-readiness radiating from his form.

Then, in the blink of an eye, he too was gone, meeting the notorious Uchiha midair in an echoing clash of brute strength.

Itachi followed up with a sweep of his hand, like a lethal blade. "What became of Sasuke?"

The Orange Knight watched as the man's lethal sword-like arm narrowly passed his face. "He wants to take revenge on Konoha!" he returned above the roar of their clashing energies. "He's even gone and joined Akatsuki."

Itachi's eyes shot open in abject shock. "Why won't he return to the village?"

Despite his body and mind being on entirely different wavelengths, the man launched into another quick series of attacks upon dropping to the ground. And Naruto guarded against the assaults, blow-for-blow, the confrontations leaving utter destruction in their wake.

"He got told about your secret mission," Naruto started to explain. "And decided to destroy the village!"

Itachi couldn't control his body, but he could still feel as his heart sunk to his toes, the Mangekyō Sharingan quivering in evident grief.

"Secret mission?" Nagato repeated to himself.

"It couldn't be... Madara?" Itachi pondered, even as he retreated when both Naruto and Bee attempted a pincer attack.

"Madara told me the truth about you, too," Naruto informed, his battle-ready stance never faltering.

"So that's it..."

"Then he was really telling the truth, after all," Naruto confirmed based on the man's reaction. "The Uchiha Clan was really planning to take over the village when—"

"That's enough, Naruto," Itachi interjected. He preferred not to dwell on the past when his choice hadn't gifted his brother even an ounce of happiness.

But Naruto ignored him. "You died pretending to be a villain in order to protect the village and Sasuke. I think he understands both your suffering and your resolve. But, never mind inheriting your will, he actually wants to destroy Konoha. It's a war of vengeance against the village that tormented his beloved brother."

The animated corpse of Edo Tensei frowned his frustration. Damn you, Madara! You knew me well, after all...

Itachi seemed somewhat relived; however, when he was reassured that, apart from Naruto, only Yamato and Kakashi knew the truth of the matter. And the Copycat Ninja preferred if word didn't get out about it. Itachi preferred it that way, as well, to preserve the honor of his fallen clan.

Before the Uchiha could follow up with a question, Nagato's eyes suddenly changed. In an instant, Naruto felt as the world slipped away from beneath his feet. Gravity had conceded to the beck and call of the godlike shinobi, pulling the Jinchūriki into a collision course with a giant boulder pulled from a nearby river.

But our golden knight wasn't your standard shinobi, either. Before he could meet with a tragic fate, a chakra-forged arm shot out from his cloak and latched onto the rock, allowing him to maneuver his body as he threw the boulder off course.

Nagato watched in relief as the capable shinobi skid to a halt atop the river's surface. Even more so when two frogs rose their heads up from the misty blue in a lightning fast summoning jutsu, launching a high-pressured jet of water that effortlessly sliced through the earth, like a hot knife through butter.

Naruto watched as both Edo Tensei warriors bailed for cover, his eyes narrowing to calculating slits. He wasn't just about to let his senior sully the sacrifice he just made to redeem himself. If it was the last thing he did, he would free the man from Kabuto's abusive grasp before he did any irreversible damage.

"I'll leave Sasuke to you," Itachi said, acknowledging Naruto's skills.

"He was always mine to deal with," Naruto returned coolly, a colossal water serpent's roar adding fuel to the solemn words.

"I knew I was right to entrust it to you," Itachi said on a low breath, the enigma behind his words putting Naruto even more on guard.

Bee watched as the Uchiha skillfully dispersed in a cloud of smoke as the water serpent's rampage met his motionless body. Nagato spawned a giant beast with one head short of a Cerberus-look-alike, as well as a matching size bird upon which he rode.

With a strike that rivaled the clap of thunder, the serpent sank its fangs into the mountainous canine, preventing its escape. And a coiling tail began enveloping the creature inside a watery prison, the epic struggle changing the geography around them.

PISSEWW!

A water projectile punched a gaping hole in the bird's wing. But it wasn't severe enough to down the alarmed creature, and Nagato mentally commanded it to retreat.

Naruto grinned devilishly, quickly giving chase.

It wasn't his intention to bring the bird down, but to distance Nagato from Cerberus. He knew the man could easily nullify his water-based technique, if he was within range. Though, Naruto was also aware he could just as easily revive the beast using the king of hell, should it perish. But it seemed Kabuto didn't know enough about the Sage of the Sixth Path's powers. Whatever the case, it was imperative he sealed the Edo Tensei warrior away before the puppet master could adapt and maximize the use of the godlike shinobi.

But Nagato wasn't about to make it easy.

"Fire Style: Red Giant!"

"Wind Release: Hurricane Breath!"

The sky tinted a dark red as a powerful cyclone supplemented a blazing orb that descend from the heavens, like a meteorite. Naruto watched in alarm as the vegetation around him wilted under the unmerciful heat of the falling sun. Summoning his power, the Orange Knight erected a transparent barrier into which the sphere collided with an ear-splitting hum.

And then it detonated.

All-consuming fire hurled in every direction, like a disaster of biblical proportions, rendering all that was green into ash. Even the river had been purged from existence.

In a heartbeat, both Jinchūriki were on the bird with the former Akatsuki leader, intent on downing the man in a pincer attack — Naruto with a Rasengan, Bee with a sword coated with the lightening element.

But the corpse was calm.

"Shinra Tensei!"

Effortlessly negating the laws of gravity, Nagato willed the natural forces to his whim. An invisible barrier threw both Jinchūriki back, like rag dolls, the ensuing blast wiping away the ashen forest and even the bedrock below.

Bee snapped his head around amidst his free fall, noting that the demigod had somehow closed the distance between them a microsecond after his destructive attack. "I ain't goin' down that easy, ya dumbass phony!"

In the next beat, the Jinchūriki was already in his Version-Two Form, an enlarged arm swinging at the man to no avail. But the succeeding Lariat attack connected, folding the bastard with satisfying effectiveness.

Regardless, Nagato didn't flinch, nor did he make a sound. His eyes were vacant and yet resolute as he mentally verbalized his counter technique.

"Gakido (Preta Path)!"

Capitalizing on another skill bestowed upon him by the Rinnegan, the godlike shinobi began absorbing the Bijuu's chakra through their physical contact courtesy the Lariat. The dark cloak fortifying Bee's body slowly began retracting — in return revitalizing the enemy's Edo Tensei body.

Nagato's hair gradually regained its dark red luster. His dry lips moistened. Color returned to his face and his emaciated body hardened into youthful steel.

"You sucking out my chakra?" Bee said with a calm that betrayed his face.

WHAMM!

Naruto suddenly appeared in Sage Mode — a Frog Fu backhand blasting the man away, like a stray bullet.

Stunned, Bee looked to the technique formula that momentarily made itself visible on his arm. Then to a nonchalant Naruto and, finally, Nagato who smashed into and bounced off ground, like a crash test dummy.

"We can't allow him to regain his power," Naruto warned urgently, even as he bummed fists with Bee to telepathically convey his senior's skill set and potential weaknesses.

Then, in the next moment, he was gone.

Time slowed.

As Naruto slipped from one teleportation portal into the next, he spied one of many tiny toads he had summoned to propagate his technique formula throughout the general area.

Nagato regained his footing in a greener part of the forest, extrasensory abilities acute as his junior closed the distance between them. But Naruto's senses in Sage Mode was far superior — and that confidence pushed him to confront his godlike adversary without hesitation.

"Water Style: Lions' Stampede!"

The forest trembled as an imposing pride of lions and lioness's barreled forward. The lofty tidal wave came crashing down with tremendous force, but the Sage of the Six Paths simply used the Gakido Gate to begin absorbing the threatening ninjutsu.

In the same beat, Naruto was behind him, gearing up for an attack while the man was evidently distracted.

"Shurado (Asura Path)!"

An extra mechanical arm, fashioned into a blade, sprouted from the man's shoulder as he snapped open another godly gate. It made an attempt at Naruto's neck, but the shinobi was able to evade the close shave through the danger-sensitive reflexes granted to him by Sage Mode.

In the next heartbeat, Naruto was in another blind spot, but Nagato wasn't having it. He used the natural forces in an attempt to blast away the nuisance, but the Orange Knight merely shifted to another teleportation gate to avoid any damage.

Trees and bedrock groaned in defiance as columns of absolute force tore through the land. But Naruto was persistent, eyes narrowing to saffron slits as his fist sunk into the puppet's gut, the man's body folding around the steely jab.

Kabuto was seconds away from bursting a blood vessel — and his invisible strings dug deeper into the helpless mannequin in his exasperation. Nagato's body was just a blur when he was forced to relocate. And Naruto's eyes followed, adjusting in time to see when the man summoned a pack of canines whose grotesque design didn't support the gift of sight. Instead, the feral creatures were adept at recognizing and locating heat signature — and Naruto assumed their motive as they dispersed and began scoring the vicinity.

"Are they after my jutsu?"

His question was clearly answered when razor sharp claws shredded through the spongy-like skin of a defenseless toad. The amphibian shrieked as it returned to Mt. Myōboku in a cloud of smoke, taking the technique formula with it that was written on cloth around its tiny body.

The ravenous hound followed up by going after the formula etched in a tree trunk. But Naruto was there — a clone dispatched at each canine, vanquishing them simultaneously with a lethal Rasengan. Then they turned the full force of their eyes onto the unremorseful Edo Tensei spawn, the sage-mode-garrison hurling toward the phantom like a pack of wolves.

"Bee!" Naruto called upon reappearing next to him. "Are you alright?"

"Naruto?" the Jinchūriki's face was as pale as a ghost for a second. "Wasn't that the Flying Thunder God technique the Fourth Hokage was notorious for?"

"More importantly," he began, his body hyperaware as his clones continued pressing the emotionless phantom. "Do you know any sealing techniques? There will be no end to this fight, if we don't find a way to seal Nagato and Itachi away!"

"Fire Style!"

Naruto and Bee's head snapped around.

"Pyronado Blades!"

Before the Jinchūriki could react, they were both enclosed inside a spiraling tornado made of shuriken and searing hot flames. The smoldering wind licked at their bodies like Ifrit's tongue, the blistering heat like Hade's breath. And the deadly twister was tightening in around them, threatening to tear and burn them to ashes.

"Bee!" Naruto called tellingly.

"Right!"

Without skipping a beat, the Jinchūriki transformed into Bijuu Mode with what little chakra Nagato hadn't squeezed out of him.

"Water Style: Rising Dragon — Water Pillar!"

The earth split open with a roar as a blue serpent made its glorious ascent, light refracting through its scaly design. Capturing both its master and Bee in its jaws, the beast bashed through the fiery prison before spitting its tenants into a nearby tree. Then it hurled its colossal form at the source of the fire-natured jutsu.

Itachi wore an expressionless mask, his body easing into an offense stance as he molded chakra in his gut.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

Fire and water collided in a great explosion that sent steam and boiling droplets washing over the battlefield and wilting foliage.

"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!"

Both Naruto and Bee hopped around as droplets pelted them like acid rain.

SHINGG!

The blood red glow of Itachi's Sharingan pierced the thick mist. Naruto glimpsed in dread as the design etched in the man's pupils slowly transformed into a menacing windmill.

"Look out, Bee!" Naruto warned urgently. "If he gets you with Amaterasu or Tsukuyomi, it's over — it's the Mangekyō Sharingan!"

Heeding his own advice, Naruto was cautious to refrain from looking into the clutches of certain doom.

He didn't look.

He was sure he didn't.

But his body reacted.

He felt a spasm, and then something shifted uncomfortably in his lower abdomen. Before he could even vaguely comprehend what was happening, something began forcing itself up and out of his body. Naruto's mouth flew open much beyond his control, and out came the head of a crow sporting an ominous-looking Sharingan.

The creature's head flitted from left to right inquisitively. Then, finally, Naruto fully regurgitated the bird that immediately took flight and proceeded to fly around overhead.

"So it did appear, after all," Itachi said calmly.

Did he do something to Naruto with his ocular abilities? Bee pondered worryingly, watching intently behind his shades.

"Why did a crow just come out of my mouth?" Naruto was out of breath, his eyes quivering with apprehension. But, when he looked up at Itachi for even an ounce of insight, he noted as blood started spilling from one of his eyes. Amaterasu? He exclaimed mentally, gearing up to flee.

But, when the man's eyes blinked open, he was holding the steady gaze of the mysterious crow. The bird stared back, compelled by the inner workings of some otherworldly jutsu — and the Mangekyō Sharingan in its eyes reacted.

"What?" Kabuto looked around his dreary hideout in bleat alarm, breaking out into a sweat. "Wh-What is the meaning of this?"

Without a sound, the animal perched on Naruto's shoulder in a rather friendly manner. And the sage took his time to study the stark contrast between the bird's raven black plumage and the mysterious eye etched in its head.

As if holding the creature's gaze induced the memory, Naruto recalled his last encounter with Uchiha Itachi. The rogue ninja had trapped him inside a genjutsu and planted the bird inside of him. And the experience was no less uncomfortable than this one.

While the string of bizarre events continued unraveling around Itachi, Kabuto's rage had continued to rise, by extension. As if the malevolent energy seeped into its strings and dyed the puppet black, Nagato heaved a sinister and telling frown.

The man quietly rerouted the destructive forces into a tight force field. The translucent energy encased him like a bubble, an effective maneuver to ward of the clones' insufferable attacks.

Kabuto sneered, his tail mirroring his hostility. "If I can't find and get to the technique formula, I'll just destroy the entire forest. If I kill either the Hachibi or Kyūbi in the process, I can just revive them using the Hell Path. Then I can add both of them to my collection with Madara none the wiser."

"Chibaku Tensei (Cataclysmic Heavenly Body)!"

Clasping his hands together, Nagato forged a small black sphere akin to a dark void. Releasing the black dot to the wind allowed it to gather momentum as it soared up into the upper atmosphere. And then it grew — summoning a powerful and daunting vacuum when it found a stationary spot in the clouds.

Naruto's clones dispersed as the very ground beneath their feet betrayed them. The earth cracked and thumped violently. Deep fissures cut through stubborn bedrock and loosened centuries old roots. Mountains and trees abandoned the earth to merge with the black hole that had secured itself in the sky. And with them, Naruto's discreetly hidden technique formulas.

"Tha' hell's up with this crazy technique?" Bee yelled above the roar of the ensuing chaos.

"The last time he used it, he would've caught me if not for the Kyūbi going berserk." Naruto informed with a calm that betrayed the situation.

Bee blanched.

But just before both Jinchūriki and their patch of land could be swallowed up by the raging void—

CRUNCH!

Nagato's temple cracked, like his body was made of solid clay – and his eyes widened in alarm. The demigod looked down to find a chakra-forged sword piercing through his chest. As the strings of Edo Tensei loosened under the weight of the mortal wound, the man heaved a wanly smile when he regained his senses. Then he traced the mythical sword back to its source, where he spied Naruto and Itachi standing within a smoldering Susanoo.

The triumphant sage allowed a mocking grin — not at his senior, but the conniving snake behind the scenes. "I planted my technique formula when I punched you before. Did you forget about that?"

Kabuto punched the ground in his frustration, hot blood churning beneath his pale skin. "Damn you, Nagato!" He cursed. "You really did lack mobility. I thought I'd make up for it by sharing lines of sight with the hidden chameleons I summoned on the field, but so much for that plan.

Damn Itachi and his technique for launching kunai from blind spots. As much as they were perfectly camouflaged, he was able to blind all three chameleons and attack Nagato simultaneously. I underestimated him. He pretended to still be under my control so that he could strike at the opportune moment. Uchiha Itachi... he really is in a league of his own."

Nagato looked to Naruto and Itachi repentantly. "Itachi... how did you—"

"I prepared that crow to emerge in response to my Mangekyō Sharingan," he informed candidly. "I replaced one of its eyes with that of Uchiha Shisui's — the bearer of the ultimate genjutsu: Koto Amatsukami (Distinguished Heavenly Gods). This genjutsu allowed me to restore myself. It seems Shisui's Mangekyō has run out power, however."

"Uchiha Shisui...," Naruto repeated.

"The supreme Uchiha genjutsu user," Bee spoke with familiarity. "Shisui the flash..."

Itachi blinked his eyes open, memories of his best friend flickering in his mind. "Shisui's ocular powers gave birth to the ultimate genjutsu, which allows one to manipulate the target without them ever realizing that they are in its grip. I tailored a genjutsu commanding the target to protect Konoha in Shisui's eye, and then implanted that eye into a crow, which I then passed on to you, Naruto." He was holding the sage's appraising gaze. "Though I never expected that I'd have to use it on myself."

"I see," Nagato said, more fissures running along his body.

"This is the Blade of Totsuka," Itachi informed empathetically. "This sword itself is a sealing technique; you will be sealed soon. Do you have any final words?"

Nagato smiled, holding his junior apprentice's gaze anew. "Naruto... I will go back to our master and watch your story unfold from there..."

Naruto grinned, scratching at his cheek embarrassingly. "I can't really explain it, but I honestly don't believe that Ero-Sennin is gone."

Nagato's eyes gleamed with a hint of hope, his guilt fading.

"I think he's still somewhere out there, watching as my story unravels. And I have no intention of letting him or you down."

He gave a zealously thumbs up.

Nagato smiled warmly. "Naruto... thank you."

And, all too soon, he was gone.

Bee, Itachi and Naruto stood silent for a while — honoring the man's final moments and burning his warm countenance into their memories. Kabuto, on the other hand, held no respect for the dead. No sooner had his blood cooled to a simmer than another devilish grin stretched his face. And his reptilian tongue swept across his lips at the sheer deliciousness of his wicked agenda.

"I guess there's no use wining over spilled milk," he said. "I may as well go ahead and use the special treat I'd been saving."

Susanoo's impressive aura tinted the surrounding landscape a bright, unyielding red. Naruto watched in grief as the new home for his senior slowly dematerialize — first its impressive armor, muscles, and then steel-like bones.

"This Edo Tensei technique is pissing me off more than I thought possible," Naruto fumed, his eyes fixated. "I hate being forced to fight people who don't want to be fighting. And I'm sure everyone else feels the same way, too. This needs to stop... now."

Itachi turned to appraise the fire burning in his eyes. "I'll deal with Edo Tensei," he decided with unwavering finesse and resolution. "I'm leaving Madara to you two."

"We fought some Edo Tensei guys on our way here," Bee informed coolly. "Some Suna shinobi managed to seal them, but it seems like they couldn't kill them — okay? Seems like this technique is perfect; no weaknesses anywhere — okay?"

"Every technique has a flaw which can become a weakness," Itachi retorted.

"I wonder about that," Bee wasn't quite convinced.

"No, I'll stop it," Naruto's voice was hoarse and unforgiving, warranting both men's undivided attention. "Leave the rest to me!"

To reinforce the words and his hardened conviction, Naruto's eyes snapped open as he exerted his power, intent on transitioning from sage into his newly achieved Chakra Mode. But, instead, both his forms dissipated — all his encounters up to this point rendering his energy meter to nil.

Bee pitted his friend as the young shinobi studied his hands in disbelief. "You're overusing the Kyūbi Chakra Mode, Naruto. You're pushing yourself too hard."

"Don't exhaust yourself trying to do everything on your own," Itachi added. "I'm ideally suited for stopping Edo Tensei. I have a plan."

Naruto clenched his fingers into tight fists. "But you've already sacrificed so much for the village. It's unfair that, even after death, this world still expects something from you.

I received a prophecy that I would be the one to end this war. And I want it to be a war without sacrifice; I want to put an end to this madness before even more lives are lost."

Itachi regarded the teen for a while. He had broken out into a sweat, unyielding lines of fatigue craving his face. "You've changed... and have definitely grown stronger than before. However, as a consequence, you're starting to lose sight of something very important."

Bee paid attention, too.

"Listen closely — and remember well. The villagers who hated you began to admire you and came to see you as one of their own, only after you put everything you had into thinking about others and seeking their acknowledgment."

Naruto's eyes quivered at the truth of that.

"You said you've come this far thanks to everyone. Now that you've become strong, if you forget about others, grow conceited, and cling to your individuality above all else, you will eventually become like Madara."

Naruto's body tensed at that appalling proposition, and the crow flew from his shoulder, as if driven away by the sudden current.

"However strong you become, never seek to bear every burden alone. The shinobi of this war have lost friends, families, their home — they wish to fight for what they believe in, as well... just like you. If you share the weight of your responsibilities with everyone, you will prevail.

Your father, Minato, could be Hokage only because he had your mother, Kushina, and all his friends and allies. I believe you share your father's dream."

Naruto nodded solemnly.

"Then remember this," Itachi continued. "It's not that those who become the Hokage are then acknowledged by everyone. Rather, it's those that are acknowledged by everyone who become Hokage. Never forget your friends."

Naruto gasped.

It felt like a gear inside of him that was turning in the wrong way this entire time was suddenly set in proper motion. The resulting fix had flood gates bursting open, flooding his entire mind and body with renewed zeal and resolve.

"Naruto," Bee called, smoothing his neatly trimmed stash. "I promised Iruka something. I sorta said I'd protect you, so I can't let you go alone."

Naruto scratched at his cheek awkwardly. "Well, if that's the case... you may wanna go ahead and find the boss," he clarified repentantly. "I'm just a clone."

"What?" Itachi was in disbelief, as was Bee.

The two men couldn't help but remember all the high-level ninjutsu the shinobi had consistently churned out throughout the duration of the fight.

"Then where is the real Naruto?" Bee pressed, his shades askew in his flustered state.

"I couldn't tell you," the clone replied honestly. "Thousands of clones were created months prior to the start of the war and others, just recently. I've been around for a while now."

Itachi blinked away his astonishment with a cool smile. "If Naruto's become this strong, then I'm reassured Madara will be dealt with in due course."

"I'm starting to feel a bit sorry for the guy," Bee laughed.

Naruto watched as Itachi's eyes changed when the crow perched on his arm. It was the same kind of focus and precision he exhibited when he used Amaterasu before.

"Wait!" Naruto said, clutching that arm.

Itachi calmly turned his head to look at him, like a machine. "Shisui's eye won't be ready for use for another few decades, unless there is an astronomical amount of chakra to facilitate its power."

Naruto's hold tightened.

And Itachi peered into a set of philosophical eyes, trying to unravel the enigma that dwelled within those oceanic depths. But, alas, he couldn't quite decipher what Naruto's intentions were. "Do you wish to use the genjutsu on Sasuke, after all?"

"That's not it," Naruto responded truthfully. "Just call it a contingency plan."

Bee looked on in wonder.

Itachi's intuition told him Naruto's interest in his best friend's eye held far greater merit than dealing with his younger brother. His intentions weren't selfish or evil but, judging by his tepid facial expression, the resolve possibly stood on the border of immorality.

Itachi smiled ruefully.

Throughout the course of time — within the history of every prosperous age — there was always an individual or a committee that had to make unsavory decisions away from prying eyes, for the greater good. And Naruto was already at this sensitive crossroad, contemplating the necessity of this controversial play.

"I'll trust your judgment," Itachi conceded, dismissing the crow and summoning a contract scroll in the same beat.

RIBBIT

A toad — a survivor of Nagato's previous onslaught — hopped toward the Uchiha's feet in a telling gesture. Recognizing the amphibian as one of Naruto's summons, Itachi dropped the scroll toward the creature. And it proceeded to swallow the contract before swiftly taking its leave.

"You have the same spirit as Shisui," Itachi admitted affectionately. "So I don't mind passing his eye onto you. I'm sure his spirit will find peace, if you use his powers in the name of righteousness."

"And what about you?" Naruto inquired curiously. "You should go and see Sasuke yourself. I'm sure this time—"

"No," Itachi interjected. "I tried to fix this on my own and failed. This time," his eyes softened. "I'll entrust it to my comrades."

Bee cupped the back of his neck with a grin. "There's more to you than just being a strong shinobi after all, isn't there?"

The Uchiha turned his back as the compliment struck home. "Killer Bee," he said as a means of farewell, his voice earnest. "Look after Naruto for me."

"Assuming that I can find him," Bee returned playfully, watching as the man's back disappeared in the distance. Then he looked to Naruto who was now burning like a star. "I take it you're ready to rock?"

"Let's go!"

Shikamaru. Chōji. Neji. Kiba. Lee.

If there was one thing they deeply regretted in their lives — it was the sheer extent to which they had struggled fighting off Orochimaru's lackeys three years ago. While it's true the battle was won, they clearly lost the war as Sasuke still managed to leave the village in the end.

If only they had managed to overpower their adversary without as much difficulty. Then they could have possibly met up with Naruto, and worked together to drag Sasuke back home to receive the mental and emotional help he obviously needed.

Kabuto licked his lips darkly, an impressive information network providing him with plenty of insight on the enemy's past traumas. As if wanting to pry open old wounds, the conniving snake ensured the teenagers were reacquainted with the rogues who wielded Orochimaru's cursed seal.

Upon meetings their executioners, the villains didn't hesitate to vow their revenge and don their monstrous forms, a permanent scowl etched in their faces.

But the gang wasn't deterred.

While these fossils of years long passed had been in a state of suspended animation, the young shinobi had been growing and refining their craft. The power they wielded over three years ago paled in comparison to their current potential — and the Edo Tensei pawns were figuring that out the hard way.

"Kabuto's intentionally confronting people with old comrades, loved ones and even former foes," one ANBU warrior said to another with evident distaste. "It's an ingenious strategy to inflict emotional and psychological damage."

But, whatsoever devious moves the man dished out, Naruto's clones were present at every corner of the battlefield, avidly watching over his fellow shinobi. Consequently, as soon as Shikamaru and his friends were in a bind, a guardian angel made no delay swooping in from his high roast and swiftly lending aid.

Unfortunately, Edo Tensei wasn't the only poison plaguing the land. But Naruto was the messenger of justice. As much as the original was incapacitated at the moment, his counterparts were ensuring his will was thoroughly being executed.

Thanks in part to the communications team, the orange warriors were able to effectively navigate to all the divisions and incapacitate the Zetsu clones who had continued disguising themselves as soldiers of the alliance.

"Na-Naruto-kun!" Hinata chided, slowly reclining his back upon a bed of hay. "You shouldn't be exerting yourself whatsoever; I haven't even finished healing you..."

The princess was sitting on her heels beside him. The girl was like an attentive and overprotective mother tending to her sick child, her expression glum and worrisome. From the corner of her eye, she glimpsed as the dozens of clones he had spawned — glowing like an afternoon sun — leaped into a high arch and were quickly out of view.

Unable to suppress her anxiety, Hinata boldly argued that he had a responsibility to focus on his recovery. It was in times like these that he had to learn to trust and depend on his friends. Sakura, Shikamaru, Kakashi and the others, were more than capable of taking caring of themselves. And she was certain they would feel guilty, if they understood just how much his sacrifices were weighing on him.

The princess noted as his tired eyes gleamed pensively as they shifted to the crudely made ceiling. She could tell his dismissed clones were presumably returning with intel — but with that information also came a swath of worldly burdens that threatened to cast him off the razor's edge. As she progressed his healing, the kunoichi could sense the increased toll it was taking on him.

"The Zetsu clones... have been giving everyone a hard time with their perfect imitations," Naruto defended weakly, each word below a whisper. "The... Kyūbi Chakra Mode... is the only way we can effectively... deal with that."

The princess' frown didn't clear.

And Naruto's eyes softened. "Hinata... winning this war would be meaningless... if everyone ended up dying. Even in this shape... I have to do whatever I can... to protect you and everyone else. There are no second chances."

Hinata pursed her lips at the grim truth of that, tears swelling in her eyes. She wanted him to see as they fell, hoping her sorrow would coax him into being a bit more reasonable with her delicate heart.

"Naruto-kun... I was so scared. I don't know what I'd do without you..."

The shinobi could vividly remember the otherworldly pain that utterly floored him not too long ago. It felt like a dark shroud — something alien and evil — had descended upon him, driving heated needles into every pore of his skin. But he managed to push the memory aside and heaved a small smile, his eyes closed as he weaved in and out of consciousness.

"I don't plan on... going anywhere until I've made you the happiest girl alive."

Hinata mirrored his warm smile, the wondrous image of him even more surreal behind her swelling tears. "Hn!" she nodded. "I'll have you all healed up so that you can keep your promise."

Outside the crude dwelling, two masked guards of Naruto's design watched as another clone appeared before them in a cool and quiet descent.

"It's probably a good idea if you guys remain in Sage Mode," the newcomer suggested in a silky tone, gazing up at them from a crouched position. "We're surrounded."

The two warriors blinked their eyes open in a battle-ready stance, the mark of the sage already accentuating the corner of their eyes. But the newcomer had already taken the liberty of pinpointing the location of every rotten invader underground, the hilt of his wakizashi short sword glinting in the sunlight.

"Earth Element: Skewering Spears!"

Readily betraying its grotesque master, the earth yielded to a being far more powerful than the former. A pained shriek echoed outside the old hut as a few dozen Zetsu clones shot up from beneath the ground, fatally skewered by earthen spikes. The ghastly scene looked like something straight out of Game of Thrones or Spratacus — corpses risen on pikes as a silent message to the enemy. But this message served as neither provocation or warning; it was simply a one-sided slaughter.

The masked warriors allowed their shoulders to drop. The absence of negative energy reassured them the fight was over, at least for the time being. Without a word, they observed as the newcomer looked around with an air of contemplation.

Garbed in the brown and amber colors native to the Iwagakure shinobi, the clone cupped his chin as he concocted an idea. "We should create a moat," he said all of a sudden. "Hinata — how much longer until the boss is healed?"

"Etto...," her adorable voice came wafting outside like a gentle breeze. "Maybe thirty minutes? His clones keep coming back, so his vitality keeps fluctuating."

"Okay — so I would say around forty-five minutes to an hour," he roughly estimated, even as he laced his fingers together and started molding chakra to freely control the elements. "If we create a moat, Zetsu won't be able to get the drop on you guys before you see them coming."

"...Now that you mention it," another clone began. "He was always notorious for popping up out of the ground. But if there's water—"

An earth-splitting rumble swallowed the rest of the clone's words. Exerting enough chakra for his free reign of the rebellious element, Iwa-Naruto elevated the building and dug a trench around it. And then the other two warriors took the initiative to add the water.

"I personally haven't seen it in action, but I heard we can add density to water? I'm sure that could add another layer of defense to this place."

Both clones regarded him obediently.

It was weird but they felt like the bastard was being condescending. Was it even possible to be an asshole to yourself? Maybe this jutsu had been ongoing for far too long.

Sporting an ANBU mask that conveniently concealed their annoyance, both warriors watched as the Iwa-clone said his farewell to their princess.

Among all the clones operating on their own, this one in particular was especially adept. He's currently the only one capable of earth-nature transformation and is frequently popping up all over the front lines — thrashing enemies, saving hides, and then disappearing like a wayward spirit. And it looks like he was out playing the hero again.

"Later," he gestured with his fingers, his body seeping into the earth in an impressive Orochimaru-style body flicker technique.

"Show-off," one clone scoffed.

"Kakkoii~" the other gleamed.

Hinata's eyes twitched in her deep focus, a perfectly woven synergy shared between Akiko and herself. Based on her diagnosis of his condition, the princess vividly drew up a two-dimensional diagram of Naruto's energy reservoir in her mind — perfectly divided into spirit, stamina and chakra capacity.

While cool, revitalizing power was flowing into him from her healing, Naruto's energy would sporadically evaporate as his clone's fatigue returned to him. But Hinata was committed.

She continued pouring her heart and soul into him, tipping the scales in her favor. As she persevered keeping the worse at bay, the princess noted that Naruto's reservoir was stretching ever larger. The Kyūbi's chakra aside, she had never sensed such a vast and intense power before.

It was astronomical.

Even if she were to reincarnate twice and added both power levels, her prowess would still pale in comparison. But the sacrifice for this godlike stature still held a razor at his throat — and as that power steadily grew, the deadly blade pulled ever closer.

How many more clones had yet to return? And how much wider would that expand his overall power and intellect?

Hinata was curious to behold this amalgamation of this impressive transformation — and she increased her healing output toward that end, eager to be curled up and safe in his arms once more.

Worlds Apart — The Strongest Uchiha!

While Naruto continued to recover, his counterparts, on the other hand, continued saturating the battlefield with overwhelming strength and dexterity. At the behest of headquarters, they had set out to destroy the Zetsu clones and aid in the sealing of the former Kages.

Noting that their role had culminated with the arrival of a stronger class, all the clones who were dispatched before Naruto achieved Kyūbi Chakra Mode were instructed to dismiss themselves. And, of course, this added more strain to Hinata's already hectic task.

Although the soldiers didn't readily make their elation show, they were both thrilled and relieved that Naruto had joined their ranks. With his abilities on each battle front, they had completely suppressed the enemy and reversed the balance of power. Now all they needed to do was deal with Madara and all the Jinchūriki he had under his control. Needless to say, Kabuto's destruction would follow right, afterwards.

Or so they thought.

"Wh-What's that?"

All the troops from Gaara's division turned their attention to an evidently spooked sensory shinobi.

"Do you sense something?" Ōnoki asked on behalf of everyone.

"Over there!" he squeaked, pointing to a lofty rock formation overlooking them.

In the same beat, a familiar shinobi wrapped in bandages ambled to the ledge. He looked down at his foes with undisguised contempt, somehow not deterred that he was sorely outnumbered and outclassed.

"That's the Second Tsuchikage!" Gaara exclaimed.

Naruto heaved a calculating frown. "I'm pretty sure I saw you seal him, though."

"Don't tell me he managed to divide himself under those conditions!"

"Divide himself?"

Gaara, Naruto and Temari regarded the old man curiously as he attempted to shed some light on their confusion.

"Mu-sama is capable of dividing his body to create clones. No, it would be more accurate to say that he divides his body into two more originals. Though his power is, likewise, divided in half."

"It's not him!" the sensory shinobi cried out in denial, the monstrous chakra haunting him to no end. "There's someone else..."

"What?" Temari finally caught a glimpse of this illusive companion. "There's someone else with him!"

"Th-That's..." Ōnoki couldn't find his tongue.

Naruto remained silent. Whoever this person was, he was far more powerful than both Kabuto and Madara combined. It was only after he was recognized that his overwhelming chakra started revealing itself. Could he be the true mastermind behind this entire war?

Ōnoki broke out into a sweat, feeling exactly what Naruto did. "So you've come," he uttered with obvious familiarity. "Uchiha Madara!"

"That's him?'' Naruto squared his shoulders. "So this is what he looks like under the mask."

That's what he said, and yet he couldn't see the correlation between the two chakra types.

"He looks exactly as he did so long ago," Ōnoki affirmed.

"How can this be?" Gaara had never seen Madara's face before, nor was he distinguishing chakra types. "Look closely — his eyes... they're Edo Tensei eyes"

The crowd looked on in wonder.

"Edo Tensei is a technique that brings the dead back into this world. In other words, he was dead all along."

"Hold on," Temari interjected in disbelief. "As I recall, HQ told us that Madara was leading his Jinchūriki in another direction, right?"

"Yet that is, without a doubt, Madara," Ōnoki insisted knowingly. "In my youth, in ages passed, I fought him, myself. If this is the real Madara... then who on earth is the masked man?"

Dark clouds eclipsed the sun.

A creeping shadow swallowed the first division, like an eerie representation of the Uchiha's dark malevolence — or perhaps it was the gods who were teasing a subtle warning. Whatever the case, Madara regarded the shinobi as if they were mere cattle. But as his dark brows descended above a pair of blood red Sharingan, perhaps vermin was a more ideal description.

"Who could the masked man be?" Temari persisted, then she signaled to Ōnoki. "As Tsuchikage, you've used Akatsuki's services before. Do you have any ideas?"

"No one springs to mind. It doesn't matter who he is, anyway; we still have to stop him."

"Their forehead protectors read shinobi," Madara said shrewdly, his voice deep and cool. "Yet their garments are those of all five Great Shinobi Nations. Is this a new allied army?"

"This is war, after all," the former Tsuchikage simply said.

"This must be his doing," the Uchiha thought openly, arms folded comfortably across his chest despite the hostile force decked out below him. "I'm sure he has something in mind, but so far it seems like he's deviating from the plan." His frown deepened. "How dare he raise me in such a form! Who is wielding this Edo Tensei technique?"

"Beats me."

Dissatisfied with the Kage's flippant behavior towards his most honored chest piece, Kabuto commandeered the man's consciousness to establish a personal means of communication. "I'm Kabuto," he said as a means of introduction. "I'm that man's ally."

Madara remained unenthused. "It takes a very withdrawn man to speak to others via Edo Tensei."

"Your Edo Tensei is special," the snake attempted to appease. "I have improved it beyond even your glory days."

For the first time since he was summoned, Madara moved. His armor rattled as he swiveled his head to sneer at the disrespectful coward, his voice low and cold. "Are you saying you know the full truth of my glory days?"

"Not at all," Kabuto exercised humility. "That's why I would like you to display it here — display the legendary power of the Uchiha."

There was a moment of calm.

Then the rush of sand shattered the deafening silence — remotely controlled hands that threatened to crush and restrain both Edo Tensei warriors.

"So he won't be that easy to catch," Gaara muttered disappointedly as both men effortlessly eluded capture.

Madara's chain mail rattled again as he landed atop the sandy dunes to join the apprehensive shinobi, eyes malicious as he decided to fulfill the puppeteer's request. Or rather, the request would only be inadvertently met as the Uchiha sought to retaliate against the alliances' provocative attack.

Everyone watched him, like a herd of antelope that had spied a lion on the open savanna. And their open trepidation amused the predator.

When was the last time he breathed in this toxic atmosphere? There was blood, conviction, guilt, grief, fear, anxiety... all seeming to combine and hang on the arid desert air — an exhilarating cocktail he could have relished even more if blood still coursed through his veins.

The malevolence rolling off the tightly knit alliance coaxed his own. A warrior hardened by an unrelenting era of war and strife, Madara assessed his prey, eager to find out if the puppet master had really managed to refine his power.

A thicker veil of shadow slowly enveloped the Uchiha and then the alliance, like the dark robes of death. It was as if the world was signaling a warning to the Allied Forces, but even a single step backwards in retreated could've spelt the end for everything they had ever loved or believed in.

As Madara confidently ambled forward — a powerful monster whose legacy had inked the history books of every hidden village in existence — the icy claws of dread gripped the shinobi.

Those who weren't utterly petrified by fear brandished their weapons in an attempt to keep their confidence afloat, while others opted to whisper a prayer to their God.

But Madara didn't wait.

His slow strides gradually hastened.

A shinobi at the forefront reached into his pouch for a kunai with trembling hands, droplets of sweat pooling at his chin. To his left, another man swallowed passed a hard lump in his throat, his forehead glistening in his nervousness. But he tightly gripped his sword nonetheless, his body arching forward.

"Here he comes!" Naruto bellowed.

"Don't look him in the eye!" Ōnoki warned.

And then Madara was running.

With a hearty battle cry born of a primeval urge to survive, the warriors mirrored the Uchiha's speedy advance. And then, finally... they clashed.

A series of successive explosions rang out as the villain collided with the oncoming horde like a wrecking ball. Grown men and woman flew skyward — knocked in every which direction like rag dolls as they met the humanoid tank. And Madara's momentum never slowed. Instead, his speed kept increasing as he cleaved through the helpless crowd.

WHAM!

He hurled a Konoha shinobi into an approaching group, toppling them all like pinballs. A roundhouse kick and right hook had two others barreling for yards. A jump-kick broke someone's neck. A blinding series of jabs and kicks shattered bones and destroyed organs. Madara flitted around the battlefield like a natural disaster — a conscious and very vindictive hurricane.

Every assault against him was met with a precise and crippling counter — each one resounding and fatal. Numbers meant nothing. Dreadfully enchanting eyes darted about robotically. Each threat was being analyzed within mere nanoseconds with a powerful body keeping perfect pace.

Kabuto's senses was linked with the second Tsuchikage. And he watched from the sky as Madara's physical attacks detonated at different points on the battlefield, like land mines. Amidst the chaos and Ōnoki's watchful gaze, he tried to utilize the Kage's Dust Element for a devastating ranged attack, but the jutsu failed.

You won't be able to use Dust Element after diving, Ōnoki assessed, watching as the naive puppet master slipped the Kage out of sight and sound. "Sensory types," he called instructively. "Track Mu-sama!"

In the same beat, Gaara unfurled his arm with a telling frown, only to have Temari intervene. "Wait! You and Tsuchikage-dono must prioritize recovery." She looked to Konoha's Orange Knight. "Naruto, you should activate that special mode again."

"I've used up all that chakra," the clone replied repentantly, assessing oceanic eyes never leaving the dexterous enemy. "But I do have one more ace up my sleeve. I just need to get a grip on this guy's battle style so that I don't risk losing before another clone arrives."

Temari pivoted her head toward the source of everyone's turmoil, her teeth gritted. "So we'll have to keep sacrificing soldiers to figure out this guy's fighting style? He's already decimated our ranks and he hasn't even used any jutsus yet."

A white arch traced the trajectory of a sword as it sliced through a man's armored vest and torso in the same beat. Madara's raven black hair twirled as he cleaved through flesh and bone in what could only be described as a dance of death. Countless shinobi contested him with their own blades and skill, only to be effortlessly cut down like wild game.

Without looking, the Uchiha skillfully caught a kunai aimed at his back. Within the motion of a single spin, he dismantled the two-layered weapon. The explosive note was pasted to an enemy in front while the kunai was returned to its sender with double the force and lethality.

"Eek! Eek!" the shinobi in front squealed like a pig when Madara kicked him into a crowd. He struggled to notify his comrades and remove the explosive in the same beat.

But it was too late.

BOOOOM!

The stifling stench of charred flesh saturated the air and blanketed the battlefield. But Madara's movements didn't slow; astonishing red eyes guided his glorious conquest. His limbs seemed to take on a mind of their own as he trampled the enclosing horde. The sword he wielded seemed to blur into many has he whizzed through dozens of people like a living blade.

Using a hopeless wretch as a shield against a shuriken bombardment, the warrior cast the body aside in time to entrap another pitiful assailant within a powerful genjutsu. Jumping right after downing the fool prevented him being caught in a follow-up ambush from underground.

The earth user shrieked as a deadly kunai dug into the sand in retaliation. Then Madara was on the move again — a blinding cyclone of slashes, jabs and kicks that kept mowing down the opposition. His body came back into focus when he stopped to clasp a Kumo shinobi's neck, outraged by the man's sheer and utter incompetence.

WHAMM!

An attack finally connected.

"We're not done yet!" Temari brandished her massive fan, the wind-natured ninjutsu blasting Madara a couple of yards away, much to the astonishment of the onlookers.

His stoic visage never changing, the Uchiha eased into a controlled flip. He slid backwards along the torrid sand until his body came to a stop. Mockingly, he dusted his shoulder guard and mentally decided to retaliate in the like, his bangs rising as he molded chakra for an attack.

"Fire Style: Great Fires of Destruction!"

The open dunes made a quick transition into glass as an ocean of fire spewed from Madara's lips, like a volcanic eruption. The all-consuming flames rolled forth — intent on rendering all to ash. But all the water-capable shinobi stepped up and — despite their panic — collectively forged a sea of water that rivaled the hell-bound flames.

TCHHHH!

Again the battlefield was veiled in a thick blanket of mist. Despite the steam that scorched their skin and nostrils, the shinobi remained alert. And for good reason, too.

Within seconds, Madara was leaping through the dense fog with over a dozen fire-forged orbs at his back. The house-sized missiles descended upon the alliance like meteorites, donating upon impact. As the fires of hell unraveled its searing tongue all around him, the Uchiha trounced on the helpless soldiers without an inkling of hesitation or remorse.

A capable sword sung a dirge as its master performed a tragic dance the shinobi had grown to know too well. Try as they might: taijutsu, ninjutsu, weapons, cowardice, a plea — nothing managed to breach the impenetrable hurricane that was Madara's offensive-defense.

Until now.

A lethal blade carved a trajectory toward a man's lower abdomen went it was intercepted by a pillow of sand. Shrewd eyes took note of the intervention, but Madara insisted on ending the latest shinobi who incurred his wrath. He followed up with a roundhouse kick to break ribs and puncture the man's heart, but the sand intervened again.

Gaara pushed to his feet with renewed conviction as a medical ninja concluded his treatment. And Madara eased into a series of quick backflips as a thrashing wave of sand threatened to crush and suffocate him. Effortless agility and nimble reflexes had the seasoned veteran eluding capture yet again. Even while airborne with minimal maneuverability, the Uchiha still managed to best the appendage-like arms that shot out at him.

The moment his feet touched the ground, however, he noted a foreboding shadow that consumed him whole.

"Big Ball Rasengan!"

"Earth Release: Moving Earth Core!"

Supplementing Naruto's bold descent, the Tsuchikage elevated the spot of ground upon which Madara stood, propelling him toward the projectile for a devastating pincer attack.

CRASHH!

The collision detonated like a nuclear explosion. Gaara managed to mitigate the shockwave for a great many, but a few of the more distant shinobi were threw to the sky like debris in a cyclone.

As the shockwave continued to rock the battlefield, Naruto followed by Ōnoki were the first to realize that their synchronized attack didn't prevail. Madara stood calm inside the rib cage of a familiar entity with an even more familiar design etched in his eyes.

Faster than a bullet, the blue guardian spawned a torso and an arm to fend off Naruto's attack. Then a head materialized to heave an earth-shattering roar that sent another violent shockwave rippling across the front lines.

"Is that Susanoo?" Ōnoki asked knowingly, his frown deepening. "Then he has already activated the Mangekyō Sharingan."

Multicolored lights illustrating a variety of elemental attacks highlighted the blue devil in a fierce assault. The alliance looked like ants bombarding an anteater. The cold predator tittered mockingly as even the Kazekage's sand attempted to penetrate the impenetrable titan, but to no avail.

The fear-stricken shinobi gawked in absolute dread as the animated beast sprouted an additional pair of arms — each equipped with a menacing chakra-based blade. And in the next instant, hundreds of bodies were thrown into the air as light peeled across the earth from the weapons, like a whip of lightening.

But, just before despair could drill its icy claws any deeper, a familiar high-pitched hum from an evolutionary form of the Rasengan seized the atmosphere. And Naruto stepped forward, eyes narrowed to dangerous slits as he studied the hordes of bodies that lay motionless around him. Lifeless bodies he swore he wouldn't let exist.

"Let's see how he likes this one," Naruto spat angrily, acid etched in each syllable. "Everyone, get back!"

Intent on bolstering their next move, Ōnoki leapt forward and laid his hands upon Gaara's gourd. "Earth Release: Featherweight Rock Technique!"

"Go, Kazekage! I've lightened the sand around you, as well!"

My sand weighs nothing now, Gaara noted with a quiet glee, marveling at how freely the element rose from its home on his back. This might do it!

Despite the fusillade of attacks that erupted against the titan's ginormous chakra-forged form, Gaara still decided to opt for a distraction that would ultimately compromise the man's defenses.

Commanding gold-infused sand to his will, an unrelenting wave tackled Madara's humanoid barrier. But Susanoo didn't even budge. Pushing his frustration aside, the Kazekage remembered his fight with Sasuke at the Summit. Susanoo was almost indestructible from the outside but—

Madara's attention suddenly veered to the ground as the sand stirred and hummed beneath his feet like a living creature. Before he could switch from his lax disposition to defend, the sand latched onto his arm and hurled him out of the barrier, like a humanoid frisbee.

Acknowledging his hearty call, Naruto lunged forward with the projectile he hoped would be the catalyst to finally put an end to this tragic war.

"Wind Release: Rasenshuriken!"

With a screech that no mermaid or siren could ever emulate, the sphere of pure destructive power illuminated a path toward its target.

Time slowed — and Madara's eyes widened.

But it wasn't out of fear or rage — no, the man preserved his cool countenance as his ocular abilities transcended the established norms of evolution and pushed him even that closer to true godhood. With a simple flick of his wrist, both sand and wind-natured projectiles dematerialized in an instant, as if they never existed to begin with.

"That was excessive," Madara said coolly, smoke undulating from a gloved hand.

"H-He absorbed it," Temari stuttered, the spectators sharing her abject shock.

H-How can this guy have the Rinnegan? Naruto thought mentally, golden eyes narrowed to curious slits. Wait. Could this be the all-powerful shinobi that Old Man Fukasaku mentioned before? According to Giant Grandpa Sage, Kabuto needed to be kept alive until he summoned this guy so that we can seal him for good. But we'll definitely need the boss's help if we're going to stand a chance against this guy. Though, with that said, can I even stand against him until then?

Allowing his guardian to dematerialize, the unscathed Uchiha retreated to the monolithic stone structure from which he came.

"My theory has been validated," Kabuto said by means of greeting. "The Sharingan's next evolution really is the Rinnegan."

"I awakened my eyes to it shortly before my death," Madara informed, a natural hint of assertion to his low tone. "Kabuto, was it? What have you done to this body?"

"I already told you," the snake began to reiterate, though he evidently tried to exercise a certain degree of humility and respect. "I've improved it beyond even your glory days."

Madara wasn't enthused — and his dark browns descended above the rings that circled his cornea. "The likes of you dared to study my body's secrets? Are you saying a miserable creature like you managed to decipher the Uchiha stone tablet without even being able to read it?"

"Orochimaru-sama and I used our many years' worth of research data to develop a hypothesis. Now, you are unliving proof of that hypothesis. You can wield a fraction of the power of the Rikudō Sennin: the power of a god. And it is I who created your power."

Madara ignored the vermin, taking a moment to relish the destruction he artistically carved into the battlefield. The blue flames from Susanoo's blades still scorched the dry earth with a heat that rivaled Amaterasu. Lifeless bodies dotted the landscapes like droplets of paint from an artist's brush. Shinobi knelt by the still corpses of their neighbors, friends and family. Pain, panic and pressure bubbled up and over amidst the devastated alliance. But the grim reaper had no intention of giving the warriors a quarter — nor did he care to take prisoners.

"Make no mistake," the demigod replied bitterly to the devious puppet master. "You did not create this."

As the blue titan regained its imposing form from Madara's surging chakra, the Uchiha executed a few seals that Susanoo expertly mirrored. And humanity gazed upon the odd collaboration between man and deity as the medical team aided the injured and the communication team kept HQ afloat.

Within moments, the sky darkened.

TING!

A man dropped his sword to the ground and gave a hopeless laugh. "Well, shit..."

"Tha-That's impossible...," another grieved, looking skyward with pained eyes.

"How can this be?"

Naruto gritted his teeth, sweat rolling down his face.

"It's like... another world," uttered Temari, her knees buckling.

"Is this the power of a God?" Gaara couldn't believe his eyes.

And the Tsuchikage couldn't find his tongue.

Thousands of feet above them — effortlessly shattering the earth's upper atmosphere — a gargantuan meteorite spanning the length of roughly one-hundred football fields hurled toward them at a breakneck pace. The foreign mass hummed terrifyingly as it drew closer. And the earth seemed to grumble a low warning to the surface dwellers in a language they could easily decipher.

But there was no escape. And the anxiety kept permeating throughout the ranks of the shinobi like a toxic miasma.

"A meteorite? How can he..."

"Can you even call this ninjutsu?"

"We have no chance to escape."

The Tsuchikage looked around worryingly as negative remarks and whimpering assaulted him from every direction. He could almost hear as the shinobi's morale deteriorated like a burning fuse.

"Don't speak as if you've given up already!" he shouted before regarding the terrifying force of nature again. "Don't give up until you've tried! Even if it's not much, we'll do what we can!"

"Tsuchikage-sama!" one man yelled with evident concern as the old fossil flew off toward the source of their anguish.

"All of you, get as far away from here as you can!" Gaara instructed with a flick of his arm. And the shinobi took heed to the commander's hearty cry.

"You're taking us out, as well?" Kabuto asked quietly.

"Of course," Madara replied with a cool smile. "The Edo Tensei technique was originally designed for suicide attacks. We'll recover given a little time."

In the same beat, they saw a dot whizzing through the air and took a moment to focus their gazes on the curious figure.

A shinobi flying through the sky? Madara thought inwardly. "That must be the Iwa Fence-Sitter Boy," he mused aloud, a mocking smile stretching his lips.

BANG!

The Tsuchikage's head slammed into the rock's surface when he made contact, nails digging into the unyielding mass in his sheer determination to stop the looming catastrophe. "Earth Release: Flyweight Rock Jutsu!"

With a fervent roar, Ōnoki expelled enough chakra to encompass the entirety of the meteorite — and his endeavor succeeded in slowing its velocity. Following up, the Kazekage found the highest rock formation upon which to stand and gave life to a pair of colossal arms made of sand. Finally, Naruto pitched in by summoning Gamabunta — the chief toad of Mount Myōboku — and two others of equal size.

The chief wasn't enthused about the precarious situation in which he was hurled, but he shot his tongue upward — like a crotch — and his brothers mirrored the same maneuver in hopes of slowing the space rock's momentum.

Almost there..., Ōnoki psyched himself up, his forehead bruised, his fingernails bleeding. Just a little more and we can stop this thing!

Sharing the man's fiery passion for success, the warriors focused on this singular reason for being and their hearts connected in this desperate struggle for survival. With a united shout, they mustered every ounce of strength they had in one final synchronized push.

In the next few heart-wrenching moments, the deep rumbling that spread across the surface of the earth ceased, and howls of panic and madness faded into silence.

A few harmless chunks fell from the interstellar rock. It shattered the deafening silence, slowing the shinobi's once chaotic retreat. And the light of hope gradually returned to their eyes.

Madara, on the other hand, gazed upon the unforeseen miracle with an emotionless mask. "The Fence-Sitter Boy has grown up to be a man."

The meteorite had stopped, as if it had been spellbound — frozen in a state of suspended animation. And the shinobi rejoiced, Ōnoki and Gaara feeling their bliss resonate in their own hearts. But Naruto was quiet, his mind calculating.

Madara.

His abilities as a fighter was truly astounding. But it wasn't just his physical capabilities that were sharpened by a lifetime exposure of war and strive. He was also a master at psychological warfare. From the fixed scowl on his face, to his effortless domination of the allied forces, he was breaking the shinobi from the inside out. And Naruto had a feeling this was only just the beginning.

In that instant — as if the Gods wanted to prove his claim correct — the pensive sage sensed a gigantic clump of chakra. And it was on the move. But, before he could spin a cohesive warning in his mind to warn his comrades, a second meteorite burst through a cover of clouds with deadly accuracy.

"Now...," Madara whispered, his eyes cold and aloof. "What will you do about the second one, Ōnoki?"

But there was nothing that could be done.

By the time the more keen of the shinobi noted the foreboding presence above them, the colossal space debris was already slamming into the former, sending a lethal shockwave through the Tsuchikage's head. Fissures ran through the meteorites like erupting veins, hurling down rocks upon the unsuspecting forces.

The explosive impact rippled across the earth, its effects being felt as far as HQ.

"What just happened?!" Shikaku exclaimed, pivoting his head in Inoichi's direction in hopes of some measure of clarity.

Ino's father was synchronized with a machine via a helmet that enhanced his mental powers. At this pressing moment, he was pushing himself to assimilate as much information as possible.

"Message from the information relay center!" he began. "There are reports that a rock big enough to blot out the sky has been dropped on the Forth Division's battlefield."

"That's what's been causing these tremors?"

"Have there been any reports from the Fourth Division since then?" Now the Raikage's voice thundered across the room.

"This is insane," another man murmured in terror. "To wipe out so many in one stroke..."

"There's no other possibility," Shikaku concluded regrettably. "This must be some sort of technique from Madara." his head swiveled around to regard his female superior, eyes wide with the extremity of their current predicament. "Tsunade-sama... we can't allow this to continue!"

"I'm heading out!" she pushed to her feet with warranted haste, her eyes burning vehemently.

A lone shinobi navigated through a cloak of receding dust, eyes a somber shade of grey. A survivor of the interstellar invasion, the man slouched around on unsteady feet, careful not to step on the mangled corpses of his fallen brethren that littered the rocky battlefield.

Finally he spied an Iwa-shinobi on his knees. The man's hands were still against an earthen wall of his own construct, in an attempt to defend against the cataclysmic disaster. But a single touch had the corpse falling limply onto his back, his barrier crumbling to reflect the morale of the other survivors who braved the rough-hewn maze.

Clutching an injured arm, Temari knelt attentively beside her brother who had exhausted almost all of his chakra just to keep himself alive.

A large toad resurfaced from the earth to spit out Naruto and a few dozen other shinobi it was able to save in the nick of time. But a few dozen wasn't nearly enough, and the teen allowed the sheer regret and frustration to rip through his heart like a lose arrow from an expertly pulled bow. His grief only deepened when he found a broken Tsuchikage motionless beside an attention shinobi.

"Don't worry," the man reassured, ignoring his own injuries. "He's alive... though... his wounds are serious."

Naruto stared down at the truth of that — fresh blood running from the man's mouth and swollen left eye. His small body tattered and torn, totally motionless.

In contrast, there was a flurry of activity on the enemy's part. Like billions of multicolored papier-mâché, tiny particles accumulated to form a pair of humanoid bodies. Courtesy of Edo Tensei's evil design, Madara and the Second Tsuchikage rematerialized.

"So this is the power of the Rikudō Sennin," Kabuto mused. "How magnificent."

Madara's eyes blinked open, a smog smile stretching his lips at the man's surprise. "This scenery brings back memories," he reminisced for but a fleeting moment, then his countenance was once again sour. "Kabuto, was it? How much do you know about me?"

Kabuto held the Uchiha's scornful gaze with impressive composure. "I know that you fought the First Hokage, Hashirama, in the Valley of the End — and I suspect that you didn't die there. Not then, at least."

Madara frowned at the scoundrel's shrewdness.

"You may have lost to Hashirama, but you also obtained a little of his power. Am I wrong?"

The man's frown deepened, then he took a peek inside his shirt. "Now I see. You are a systematic thinker. Do you know about our plan, as well?"

"Not in detail, but I'm on your side — though, I'm not so sure if the fake Madara truly intends to follow the original plan."

Madara regarded the man for a while, as if weighing the true of his words and revisiting contingencies just in case of such an occasion.

"Whatever the case," Kabuto broke the intense silence with a change of subject. "I see there are scattered pockets of survivors. The Tsuchikage and Kazekage are as resilient as one might expect. What shall you do?"

Peering down at said group, Madara weaved a few hand signs and then slammed his palm down to the ground. "There is something I'd like to test — Summoning Technique!"

Like a monarch's royal decree, his command took flight — invisible hands that scoured every corner and crevice of the globe for his former servant spirit.

Meanwhile — inside his subconsciousness — Naruto fell to the ground as heat welled up inside his stomach like a typhoon. The Kyūbi looked from the suffering Jinchūriki to the dark ceiling of his cage in anger and disbelief, noting the insidious hands that beckoned to him.

This chakra summoning me... is it Madara?

"I see the Kyūbi has not yet been captured," the Uchiha pushed to his feet with little disappointment.

"That's the purpose of this war," Kabuto enlightened. "The Kyūbi is inside a Jinchūriki right now. See — that one right there. That boy is the Kyūbi's Jinchūriki, Uzumaki Naruto-kun."

"Uzumaki?" Madara looked down upon the squirming bug, even as an imagine of Hashirama's wife dared to appeared in his mind. "Then he is of Mito's clan, and he is the brat that attacked me earlier."

"He's quite the troublesome one," Kabuto warned. "You can take him out, if you like, but that's just one of many clones he's got scurrying around on the front lines. Shall we get on with capturing the original?"

"Not yet," Madara denied, his chain mail rattling as he sauntered forward. "There's a technique I'd like to test. It will be far more colorful in a place full of people."

The moment he formed the seals, a sensory ninja amongst the group detected the man's monstrous chakra in motion. Without delay, he alerted the group. But with everyone tuckered out and quite a few trapped beneath rubble, there was little that could be done.

"Wood Element: Birth of the Tree World!"

The ground trembled and hummed in defiance as enormous trees sprouted from beneath the surface, and equally large vines slithered across the earth like vipers.

"He even has wood element," Dodai exclaimed with a pained stare as he supported a limp Ōnoki.

"I guess this is it," said the sensory ninja, conceding to a grim fate.

Gaara and Temari looked on with similar sentiments. But Naruto — down on his last few inklings of chakra — still didn't exude any signs of resignation.

Naruto..., the Kyūbi's deep voice rose in his mind. For now, I'll lend you my strength.

The outraged teen glared at the lupine catastrophe within its spacious prison, his stomach still burning from Madara's summoning attempt. "Are you seriously trying to take control of my body right now?"

No. I'm just giving you chakra, he reassured with a scowl for the name about to be weaved upon its tongue. Even someone like you is better than having Madara control me again.

As opposed to Naruto's shocked expression at the Kyūbi's offer, Kabuto wore his typical ear-splitting grin. If I can keep making such good use of Madara, I'll be able to shape this war any way I like. He's an even more valuable piece than I first thought.

As the intertwining roots and vines closed the distance between them with utter destruction in their wake, the lines of fatigue and distraught evaporated from Naruto's face. Then, without an ounce of hesitation, he threw himself into the fray.

"Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Dozens of clones — like humanoid shotgun shells — sprang forth from receding billows of smoke, each wearing hardened expressions and wielding a large Rasengan. They launched themselves into the wooden tides like dynamite — a consistent string of explosions shaving away at the dense forestry.

"It's as you said... he's quite something," Madara complimented with a smile, looking down at the Jinchūriki like an object of amusement.

Naruto looked up at the villains who towered over the remnants of his comrades like a dark plague. The had used up the entirety of the Kyūbi's power in one fell swoop. His legs threatened to buckle beneath him — no, his very existence seemed to have been held together by a single thread.

But, so long as his friends were behind him, he would not fade. Nor would he allow his foes the pleasure of his defeat.

"Naruto...," Ōnoki had regained consciousness. "You've done enough; we'll take it from here."

"Tsuchikage-dono," Temari exclaimed. "You're in no state to—"

The man tittered, cutting her off. "The time and place to regain myself is finally here. If that's what I'm fighting for, I'm more than ready."

"That's insane!" the woman retorted. "You've been beaten to a pulp!"

Madara and Kabuto leapt closer, intent and mocking their game before delivering the final crushing move. "There are more techniques I'd like to try, but it doesn't look like you can dance anymore, Ōnoki."

The Tsuchikage sneered at the snide remark.

"Why do you look at me like that?" Madara offered his own well-sculptured sneer. "I thought I'd shown you the gap in power between us long ago."

"We shinobi know battle in our every waking breath. We have fought endlessly for the sake of our nations and villages, and felt no regret as we pillaged the nations and villages of others. We rob and are robbed, then we rob our robbers. As our hatred grew beyond measure, we fought wars not once but thrice."

"That is what it means to live," Madara simply said, his face devoid of any emotion but mockery and disdain. "Can you truly have grown so old and yet learned nothing from suffering in your past?"

"I've lived longer than you," Ōnoki declared as a matter of fact. "And there are a few things I've learned. It's because I have suffered in my past that I can consider what is best to pass on to the future."

"Now... we're in the midst of a fourth war," Kabuto patronized. "Is this the best you've come up with?"

"This war is different!" the man defended solemnly. "This is not a war to steal from each other like in days passed. We are fighting to win something different and new."

Madara looked on in displeasure and utter ridicule.

"Seeing these two — he looked to Gaara aiding an exhausted Naruto — I've come to understand that time is not simply going by. Slowly but surely, the world is growing as it gains more past to draw upon. It is growing towards peace."

Despite his panting breaths, Naruto regarded the man carefully, eager to witness how he would respond to Ōnoki's — no, the world's new consensus, its destination.

Madara folded his arms across his chest, his expression scathing. "The world has no need to grow any more."

Naruto frowned.

"The world is hopeless," Madara drawled. "Let it sleep within the genjutsu of Eternal Tsukuyomi!"

"Long ago, you made me give up on myself," Ōnoki admitted regrettably, even as he unsteadily pushed to his feet with the aid of Dodai. "That is why I'll defeat you, and redeem myself here! You're the one doomed to eternal sleep."

Madara tittered, his chin tilting challengingly. "Oh, so you can still dance?"

"For myself, and for the future, I will defeat you right here!"

Elsewhere, Tsunade was exuding the same level of fiery determination. At headquarters, upon learning of the real Madara and the devastation he had unleashed upon the Fifth Division, the woman was transfixed on joining the fray. The Raikage shared her impatience and zeal, intent on facing off against what they perceived as the ultimate threat.

Noting these latest developments may indeed by the climax of the Fourth Great Ninja War, Shikaku conceded to his superior's wishes to depart. And, thus — along with the Mizukage whose water element would have been effective against that of the Uchiha's fire — all three Kages were simultaneously transported to the battlefield.

And just in nick time, too, for Madara and Kabuto went on the offensive. Before their claws could pierce the throats of their prey, the Raikage and Hokage intervened — landing a solid attack that sent the bastards hurling.

Naruto looked to his side, sensing in advance as a power similar to his own destabilized the space. In the next second, four shinobi appeared — three men forming a ring around the Mizukage. They were former ninjas of the Fourth Hokage's squad and the only living people who knew how to use the Flying Thunder God Technique. But, unlike Naruto and the Fourth, they all needed to combine their powers to perform the taxing jutsu.

"You're all still alive," the Mizukage said quietly. "So it seems we made it in time."

"I can finally go wild!" the Raikage's customary frown deepened. "I thought we'd never get to this part."

"Well, I'm ready," Tsunade asserted.

Gaara said nothing, but Ōnoki grinned for them both. "Looks like it was worth living this long, after all. I never thought the day would come when all five Kage gathered to fight side by side."

"This is perfect," Madara said, having found another lofty summit from which to look down upon the insects. "Any less and the tests would not be worth performing."

Wasting no time, Tsunade disposed herself to healing both Gaara and Ōnoki simultaneously while the Raikage and Mizukage kept Madara preoccupied. A combination of the Lava Element Bloodline Limit and Lightening Enhanced Taijutsu seemed to back the Uchiha into a corner, but the man effortlessly rebounded with a mocking smile, Susanoo's torso providing an impenetrable defense.

Madara's smile vanished when he went on the offensive to test their defense. The blue guardian materialized a head and both arms to launch a fusillade of chakra-forged shuriken at the leaders' dependable healer. A fully recovered Kazekage and Tsuchikage responded with a double-layered golem shield made from a combination of sand and stone.

"This has become a war to protect everyone," Ōnoki said, his stone golem's density reflecting his resolve.

"In that case," Naruto began, his cool, informative tone of voice pulling everyone's attention. "I think we should consider evacuating the Hidden Villages and relocating the Daimyōs."

Everyone regarded the suggestion with sheer absurdity and disbelief. And Naruto attempted to clarify his reasoning. "More so through his actions than words, Madara has proven that he's a master at psychological warfare. I have a feeling he would try and hurt everyone we care about, just to see us suffer."

Before anyone could respond, Madara was on the offensive again. While Gaara kept the menace at bay, Ōnoki was busy communicating a plan to both the Raikage and Mizukage. And the strategy commenced when the woman summoned a thick veil of mist to blanket the entire battlefield.

Concealing Mist? Kabuto thought mentally, finally succeeding in eluding his tenacious pursuers. They must be trying to reduce the Rinnegan's field of vision.

"Let's do it, Raikage," said Ōnoki who was now perched on the man's back.

Kabuto landed like a fly on a horses' backside, sticking close to Madara. Damn you, Tsuchikage... so you've accelerated the Raikage even further by reducing his weight. But that only means that the attack will be light—

BAAMM!

The Raikage disappeared and reappeared in an instant, a perfectly heavy uppercut sending Kabuto hurling into the sky like a rag doll. Any farther and he would have blasted away like Team Rocket.

"Super Rock Weight Technique!"

Ōnoki regulated his powers with a speed and finesse that only he could muster — now the Raikage was throwing a punch at the blue titan. It was unclear whether Madara was just blind to the quick assault or just too confident in his own defense, but the attack hit its mark.

And it was more powerful than he anticipated.