The quicklime hardened fast—within minutes, the first-stage Ten-Tails was locked in place.
But this world was nothing if not absurd and merciless.
No bloodline, no darkness to fall into—people like that could never truly change the outcome.
From the cliff above, the Allied Shinobi Forces poured down, hands flashing through jutsu like dumplings dropping into boiling water. Uchiha Madara watched the spectacle, a cold smile twisting his lips.
"Pathetic..."
As his words faded, the Ten-Tails' petrified body began to writhe.
A monstrous, grotesquely elongated beast burst from the square pit with a roar that shook the battlefield. Ten spindly tails braced against the earth, lifting its massive frame with disturbing ease.
Meanwhile, on a distant peak, Rinjin trudged up the slope, Gaara slung over his back, Ōnoki and the Fourth Raikage dangling from each hand like sacks of rice. Tsunade followed, supporting Mei Terumī, her expression somewhere between exhaustion and disbelief.
"Seriously, I'm dying here!
Hey, Fourth, did your dad feed you fertilizer as a kid? Why are you so damn heavy?!"
The Fourth Raikage scratched his head, looking sheepish.
In Rinjin's other hand, Ōnoki—who'd been limp as a rag—spotted the Allied Forces below and started wriggling like a beached fish.
No way he'd let his own village see him hauled around like luggage.
"Rinjin, put me down! Now!"
"Okay~"
Rinjin nodded, not bothering to check if the old man was ready, and let go of his collar.
Thud.
Ōnoki's big nose made a sudden, intimate connection with the ground.
Tsunade instantly clapped a hand over her mouth, shoulders shaking as she struggled not to laugh. She wanted to crack up, but remembering how Ōnoki had fought beside her made it feel wrong.
They say married couples start to resemble each other over time. Clearly, Tsunade was picking up the habit.
On the battlefield, the second-stage Ten-Tails—now under Obito's control—erupted from the pit, launching a barrage of attacks without discrimination.
A teardrop-shaped Tailed Beast Ball formed at lightning speed.
Ōnoki's son Kitsuchi immediately flashed through hand seals.
"Earth Release: Earth Moving Core!"
With a shout, the ground beneath the Ten-Tails' twisted left foot heaved upward.
The massive beast stumbled, crashed to the ground, and the Tailed Beast Ball—already primed—shot off wild and uncontrolled into the distance.
The resulting explosion shook the heavens. Mountains shattered, crumbling to dust in a wave of thunderous destruction.
The Allied Forces stared in horror, cold sweat breaking out across the ranks.
If that thing had gone off any closer, they'd all be dead.
On the mountaintop, Tsunade's amusement vanished.
She'd thought the full-body Susanoo was monstrous enough—who could have guessed this warped Ten-Tails would be even worse?
In her shock, a voice suddenly echoed in Rinjin's mind.
"Hey, can you hear me?"
"No money, not buying cars or houses, insurance pays, bad credit."
"..."
"Sensei, it's me, Shikaku!"
"Oh~
Long time no see! You never come visit your old teacher in the Rain Village. How's life treating you?"
"Uh... uh... it's fine... pretty good..."
As they spoke, the Ten-Tails—having crashed down—started forming another Tailed Beast Ball, this time vaguely aimed at the command center a hundred miles away.
Rinjin frowned, impatience clear in his voice.
"Hold up—don't hang up!"
He vanished before the words had even finished.
On the battlefield, the teardrop-shaped Tailed Beast Ball blasted toward Allied Forces HQ.
Shikamaru spun, eyes wide with dread as he stared at the distant target.
At that split-second, a streak of blue lightning shot across the field, faster than the eye could track, slamming straight into the Tailed Beast Ball.
Sizzle—
Sparks flashed, and the crowd finally saw what was happening overhead.
A middle-aged man, crackling with blue electricity, had literally headbutted the Tailed Beast Ball, knocking it off course and sending it rocketing into the sky.
At the same time, the stranger fired off rapid hand seals.
"What's with all the noise?! Can't you see I'm on the phone here? Ever heard of manners?!"
His voice rang out, full of irritation. He thrust his right hand forward—an enormous palm appeared, blotting out the sun, and slapped the Ten-Tails across the face.
In the next instant, both the man and the giant hand vanished from the air, leaving the Ten-Tails and everyone else staring in utter confusion.
Back on the mountaintop, Rinjin sat cross-legged as if nothing had happened, mumbling to himself:
"Alright, where were we?"
"...Sensei, I... uh... we were talking about how I've been doing lately..."
"So, how's it going?"
"Pretty good. Inoichi and I made it to the Allied upper ranks—easy work, good pay, close to home, and the food's not bad."
At headquarters, Shikaku let out a long breath, glancing at the still-shaken Inoichi beside him.
"That's great. You three have kids now, money's not an issue—don't push yourselves too hard."
Rinjin's fatherly advice came through loud and clear.
"Got it~" Shikaku replied, earnest as ever.
"Alright, I'm off. Gotta watch the fight!"
"Sure thing, Sensei. Take care."
At HQ, Shikaku nodded along, hand still on Inoichi's head, a childlike smile on his face. Around them, busy staff stared at the forty-something strategist whose expression could not have been more out of place.
On the battlefield, after several seconds of shell-shocked silence, both sides threw themselves back into the fight.
One thing had changed—Madara, who'd been weaving signs to control the Ten-Tails, lowered his hands, Mangekyō Sharingan scanning the field with relentless intensity.
The Allied Forces might not know that mysterious man, but Madara couldn't possibly mistake him.
Sakuhō Rinjin—this persistent bastard was here to screw things up again.
While the battle raged on, hundreds of kilometers southwest in the Hidden Rain Village, Shisui and Orochimaru walked side-by-side through the gently falling rain, peace hanging over the village.
"We're here."
Shisui pushed open the security office door, walked to the battered registration desk, and rummaged through a drawer. He tossed a mask to Orochimaru.
"You know how to use this, right?
Anyway, Grandpa Rinjin said you would."
Orochimaru glanced down—and immediately started trembling.
The Death God Mask!
Seven, eight years of searching, and now it was right here!
Could it be...?
Of course—the Uzumaki clan!
The realization hit, and Orochimaru paused, then let out a raspy laugh.
"Rinjin really does know everything.
Yeah, he's right—I'm the only one who can use this!"
Shisui nodded calmly, pressing his hand to the security office wall.
A pulse of chakra, and the brick wall rippled. Several pale White Zetsu slowly emerged.
These were the ones Rinjin had snatched from Madara ages ago, used mainly to keep Madara's own Zetsu in check.
"Get the previous Hokage into the fight.
Let's call it support from our village—saves us from hearing the Five Great Nations complain we didn't pull our weight when this is over."
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