Chapter 602: Edo Tensei Madara
Land of Water, in a small village in the southwest.
Kisame, Terumī Mei, Mangetsu Hōzuki, Genshi, and others were gathered here.
Since deciding to adopt guerrilla warfare, Kiri's high command moved locations frequently. They had been in this village for less than a month.
At this moment, the Kiri leadership was unaware that danger was approaching. The village was peaceful.
Kiri ninja went about their business, seemingly without any guard up.
Suddenly, a white head popped out of the floor in Genshi's room.
The White Zetsu clone grinned at Genshi. "Lord Genshi of Kirigakure, a piece of intel for you: The Tsuchikage is coming with dozens of powerful ninja."
"Iwa has sent out their elites. Good luck!"
With that, the Zetsu clone prepared to sink back underground.
But just then, a hand shot out from behind him, grabbed his neck, and yanked him out of the floor with lightning speed.
Before the clone could react, he felt dizzy.
Not good! Genjutsu! That was his last thought before losing consciousness.
White Zetsu clones were no longer a secret in the shinobi world. Every village had its own countermeasures.
Iwa had installed steel plates under all important facilities and set up sensory barriers. With their ample manpower and 24/7 surveillance, Zetsu clones couldn't approach undetected. Plus, knowing Ishiro could sense them underground, they generally avoided Iwa.
Kiri hadn't installed steel plates in this temporary base, but they had sensory barriers.
So the moment the Zetsu clone approached, the ninja inside detected it.
However, they didn't raise the alarm. Instead, they hid using their specialized techniques.
Genshi had no combat power, so he was protected by Kiri's elite ANBU.
The two ANBU who had just captured the Zetsu were from the Yuki and Hōzuki clans.
The Yuki ninja had been hiding inside a mirror made of ice. The Hōzuki ninja had liquefied and hidden in a corner.
Against two elite Kiri ANBU, a Chunin-level Zetsu clone had no chance.
Genshi, being old, only realized his room had been invaded after the Zetsu was captured.
But he didn't panic. He looked at the captured Zetsu and told one of the ANBU, "Go tell the Fifth Mizukage."
The ANBU left.
Soon, Kisame and the others arrived in Genshi's room.
Kisame ordered the ninja who cast the genjutsu to interrogate the Zetsu immediately.
The Zetsu clone hadn't been trained to resist genjutsu and quickly spilled everything he knew.
"These Zetsu clones told Iwa our location, and now they're telling us Iwa is coming," Mei said. "They obviously want us to destroy each other!"
Mangetsu Hōzuki asked, "Iwa is coming in force. Should we retreat immediately?"
"Non-combatants retreat immediately," Kisame said. "We stay and fight."
"These Zetsu are everywhere. With them tracking us, we can't escape."
"Better to fight. Once the non-combatants are safe, we'll scatter and run."
Everyone agreed. Genshi was the first to be evacuated. Before leaving, he said to Kisame, "Ask Konoha for help."
"If the Hokage's three disciples don't join the fight, you have no chance of winning."
"If they don't come, just retreat. Don't worry about us old folks."
Kisame nodded.
As Mizukage, he didn't want to abandon his people. But there was no choice. As long as the Kage-level ninja survived, Kiri still existed.
Otherwise, they would end up like Kumo—after Killer B died, no one treated them as a Great Shinobi Village anymore.
And Suna... only after Gaara's rise did people reluctantly accept them back into the fold.
After Genshi left, Kisame immediately sent a distress signal to Konoha via summon.
In the message, he detailed the source of the intel.
He also stated that if Konoha didn't come, Kiri would scatter and retreat immediately.
After sending the message, Kisame ordered an ANBU, "Perform the Edo Tensei!"
The ANBU acknowledged and left quickly.
After the ANBU left, Kisame said to Mangetsu, "Tell Suigetsu to retreat too."
Mangetsu frowned. "Suigetsu is Kage-level now. If he stays, he can help!"
Kisame shook his head. "Times have changed. One Kage-level ninja can't turn the tide anymore."
"Only powerhouses like Konoha's Naruto Namikaze, Sasuke Uchiha, and Hinata Hyūga can change the outcome."
"In this battle, one more Kage won't make a difference."
"If we win, great. If we lose and don't escape... the village will have to rely on Suigetsu."
"Tell him he's not a deserter. In this situation, living requires more courage."
"Give him the Explosive Blade I brought back from Konoha, too."
Mangetsu realized Kisame was essentially giving his last orders. He was silent for a few seconds, then stopped arguing and went to find Suigetsu.
After Mangetsu left, Mei sighed. "Genshi always said that whenever Konoha was in danger, a hero would appear. I didn't believe him."
"Now I know it's true. Not counting Kakashi, Konoha suddenly produced three beings surpassing Kage level!"
"It's so unfair! Why weren't such geniuses born in Kiri?"
Kisame said, "Don't resent fate. At least we're better off than Kumo. We haven't been wiped out."
"Konoha exists in name only. They have only two thousand ninja left, most of them half-grown kids."
"Their economy collapsed long ago. The ninja who died in recent months didn't even get pensions!"
"They're holding on purely because of the faith those three 'heroes' bring!"
"And whether Konoha's heroes can turn the tide like before... who knows."
"Fighting the Tsuchikage isn't something a few heroes can solve."
"Minato Namikaze was a hero too, and he still died because of the Tsuchikage during the Nine-Tails attack!"
Mei was silent for a while. "If we all lose... what happens?"
Kisame laughed. "What else? The shinobi world will be unified! Maybe there won't be any more massive wars."
"If we survive, we might even witness the birth of a new era!"
Mei looked at Kisame, stunned. She hadn't expected him to think that way.
After a moment, she asked a question she had harbored for a long time. "Kisame... what did the Tsuchikage say to you back then that made you become Kage-level?"
She didn't call him Mizukage; she asked as a friend.
Kisame looked at her in surprise.
"Don't look at me like that," Mei huffed. "Mangetsu wants to know too."
"Back then, we were the biggest contenders for the Fifth Mizukage. Then you suddenly appeared and snatched the position."
"Whether out of unwillingness or curiosity, Mangetsu and I have always been bothered by it!"
Before Kisame could answer, Mangetsu returned. "Bothered by what?"
He had only heard the last part.
Mei shot him a look. "Bothered by how the Tsuchikage brainwashed our Mizukage!"
Mangetsu looked embarrassed but also looked at Kisame expectantly.
Kisame sighed. "The Tsuchikage just asked me two questions. One: What is the meaning of a ninja's existence? Two: What is the nature of chakra?"
"And then I became a Quasi-Kage."
Mei didn't believe it. "That's it?"
Kisame shrugged. "What else? He did talk about world peace and the village system and other nonsense."
"But I didn't care about any of that; it went in one ear and out the other."
"Those two questions were the key. The first was something I had always struggled with."
"The Tsuchikage told me that to answer the first question, I had to know the answer to the second."
"Under his guidance, my thoughts were led astray... and then this happened."
Mei thought for a moment. "So... what is the nature of chakra?"
Mangetsu also looked curious.
Kisame sighed helplessly. "I don't know either. The Tsuchikage was vague. In the end, he just told me to train hard, and only when my strength reached a certain level would I be qualified to think about it."
"He also said he learned Sage Art and was seeking the nature of chakra through elemental fusion."
"He said I wasn't suited for that path and told me to focus on mastering a single element. He said if I could master Water Release to the extreme, I might also understand the nature of chakra."
"But to this day, I still don't know what it is."
Perhaps sensing the upcoming battle might not end well for them, Kisame, Mei, and Mangetsu engaged in a rare, friendly conversation.
They talked about trivial things, ignoring the impending life-or-death battle.
Previously, their relationship hadn't really been "friends." They were comrades and rivals.
Over the years, they had met many times for business.
Because the situation facing them was always dire, they had been accommodating to each other.
To reduce internal friction, they wisely avoided conflict and were always polite.
This was the first time they had talked intimately like friends.
In this moment, they seemed to forget Kiri's impending crisis.
They chatted happily until an ANBU entered and reported, "Mizukage-sama, the Hokage is here!"
Kakashi had the Flying Thunder God. To facilitate mutual support, he had left marked kunai with Kiri.
So his reinforcement was swift!
Kisame wiped the faint smile from his face. "Let's go meet the Hokage."
He walked out first.
Mei and Mangetsu followed, their expressions turning serious.
Soon, they met Kakashi.
Kakashi was also going all-in. He brought Naruto's trio, the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki Fū, and... many coffins.
Seeing Naruto's trio, Kisame took a deep breath, casting aside all stray thoughts. Now, all that mattered was fighting this battle as best as they could.
After a brief exchange about the situation, they decided to give it their all.
Kakashi tallied their strength.
Konoha had five living fighters and six Edo Tensei: Mito Uzumaki, the White Fang, Hiruzen Sarutobi (3rd), Minato Namikaze (4th), Danzō Shimura (6th), and Kushina Uzumaki.
Yes, Minato and the others were here. Konoha had broken the Reaper Death Seal.
The one who broke it was Hinata Hyūga. Her Jōgan's third ability: Soul Manipulation.
She had released the souls of the Hokage from the Reaper Death Mask left in Konoha.
Then Kakashi had them reanimated.
On Kiri's side, the living were just Kisame's trio and Ao (the Three-Tails Jinchūriki). Fewer than Konoha, and weaker.
However, they had seven Kage-level Edo Tensei. The First through Fourth Mizukage, two former Jinchūriki, and... Kakuzu.
Besides these seven, Kiri had also summoned some strong Elite Jonin.
Like the first generation of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, and a ninja with the Ketsuryūgan (Red Eyes).
Normally, they wouldn't have the DNA for all these people, so who knew where Kiri got it.
Combined, they had twenty-two Kage-level combatants, plus some Elite Jonin.
Of the thirteen reanimated Kage, only Kakuzu had his consciousness suppressed. Everyone else, including Danzō, was free!
Twelve free-willed Kage and many elites, crossing the boundary of life and death. Naturally, there were reunions and regrets to address.
The scene became lively.
Naruto ran to Minato and Kushina, grinning foolishly.
Hiruzen was apologizing to Danzō and asking him to join the final battle.
Kisame, as Mizukage, directly ordered Fuguki Suikazan to fight.
After the reunions, Kakashi and Kisame briefed the reanimated ninja on Iwa's Kage.
Kakashi explained Ishiro's group's weaknesses and tactics.
After the briefing, they waited. A long time later, the twenty-eight people from Iwa finally flew in.
Looking at the twenty-eight "Iwa ninja" on the porcelain platform, Kakashi and those with special eyes immediately noticed something was wrong.
Although they looked like Ishiro and the others, they were surrounded by chakra—it was the Transformation Jutsu.
But what confused Kakashi was that their powerful auras were real.
Where did Iwa get over twenty Kage-level ninja to impersonate Ishiro's group?
But Natsuki, Sakura, and Yakumo didn't let them wonder for long.
Knowing they couldn't fool Konoha and Kiri, the three controllers had the reanimations dispel the transformation.
Seeing that Iwa had sent an army of Edo Tensei Kage, Kisame was puzzled. He looked at Kakashi.
If Iwa only sent reanimations, where were their real powerhouses? Where were Ishiro, Neji, and Izumi?
Did they go to Konoha? Kisame wondered.
If Iwa went to Konoha, what would Kakashi do?
But when Kisame looked at Kakashi, he found Kakashi's expression was wrong. He was staring straight ahead.
Kisame followed his gaze and quickly identified the target.
"Him?! The mysterious Uchiha who controlled the Fourth Mizukage!" Kisame was shocked.
Yagura had described Obito's face, so Kisame recognized the scarred features immediately.
But he quickly realized... He's an Edo Tensei? When did he die?
He was reanimated by Iwa... did he die at Iwa's hands?
But now wasn't the time for that.
Kisame said to Kakashi, "Hokage, this is an army of Edo Tensei. We don't have many sealers. You have the Uzumaki. You arrange the battle."
Kakashi had been distracted by seeing Obito.
He had suspected Obito's death, but seeing him suddenly, without mental preparation, still shook him.
Hearing Kisame, Kakashi snapped out of it and nodded.
Compared to Kiri, Konoha had Mito, Kushina, and Minato—all sealing masters.
Kakashi himself knew some sealing jutsu.
They didn't attack immediately. The main reason was that Natsuki, Sakura, and Yakumo were struggling.
It was their first time controlling so many reanimations remotely.
There were twenty-eight in the Iwa camp. Four were Iwa's own (First/Second Tsuchikage, former Jinchūriki) and didn't need control. The other twenty-four did.
Natsuki and Yakumo each controlled seven; Sakura controlled ten.
Because Sakura had Inner and Outer Sakura, she counted as two people when controlling puppets.
The three girls conferred and decided to be conservative. They kept the taijutsu fighters on the perimeter for defense and had the ranged fighters attack first.
Kakashi's side didn't attack immediately because they needed to re-analyze the enemy intel.
They were facing reanimations from a long span of history. Sharing intel on their abilities took time.
After the analysis, the Konoha-Kiri alliance attacked first.
Leading the charge was a swarm of Narutos. His Shadow Clones rushed the Iwa reanimated army.
The others supported Naruto with ninjutsu.
Naruto's Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu was excellent for testing enemy abilities.
The alliance side was mostly composed of free-willed powerhouses with rich combat experience.
They could easily analyze favorable intel from Naruto's reconnaissance.
While the standoff in the Land of Water continued, Ishiro's group passed through the Land of Snow and reached the Moon.
The passage to the Moon was huge; blocking a ninja of Orochimaru's level was impossible. So Ishiro left the entrance open.
Orochimaru saw the empty passage and understood instantly.
"Waiting for me on the Moon?" He didn't linger and dove into the passage without hesitation.
Ishiro's group followed a beat later.
After Orochimaru and Ishiro's group entered the passage, Black Zetsu made his move. He didn't go to destroy the passage as Kabuto had guessed.
He used Edo Tensei.
Black Zetsu had provoked the Iwa-Kiri war not just to help Orochimaru lure the tiger from the mountain.
That was an excuse. His real goal was to spy on Kiri's use of Edo Tensei.
Now, a White Zetsu clone had mastered it.
So Black Zetsu used a White Zetsu clone as a sacrifice and cast Edo Tensei.
It succeeded quickly.
A handsome man in Warring States-era armor appeared before him.
"Black Zetsu... you revived me? No... this isn't Rinne Tensei. This is Tobirama's Edo Tensei?"
The one summoned was, of course, Madara Uchiha.
Black Zetsu said shamefully, "I'm sorry, Madara-sama. Accidents happened. The situation is out of control."
Madara said flatly, "Is Nagato disobedient, or did Obito rebel?"
His tone was calm, as if the problems Black Zetsu faced were nothing to him.
Black Zetsu cursed the Uchiha internally but explained the current situation in detail.
There were Sages in the world now. If Madara still thought this was the era he lived in, he was finished.
Madara frowned, unable to accept the facts Black Zetsu presented.
"Sages? And three of them?"
Madara knew what the Sage level meant. When he awakened the Rinnegan, he was close to that level.
But back then, his body was already decayed, and he relied on the Gedo Mazo to survive, so he hadn't truly experienced Sage power.
Later, he gave his Rinnegan to Nagato, and his strength fell below Sage level.
Madara didn't care about Obito and Nagato anymore.
He couldn't accept that the realm he had strived so hard to reach had been easily attained by others.
Black Zetsu quickly explained, "They should be similar to you back then. Their eyes reached the Sage level."
"But they are young, so they can fully utilize their eyes' power."
The implication was: Avoid them for now.
Madara thought for a moment. "Recover the Rinnegan first, then collect the Tailed Beasts. I must become the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki as soon as possible."
Black Zetsu breathed a sigh of relief. Good, Madara wasn't arrogant enough to charge straight to the Moon to fight the Sages.
Black Zetsu quickly said, "Nagato is in the Land of Rivers. But intel says his compatibility with the Rinnegan is very high. He can use its advanced dōjutsu."
Madara said flatly, "No matter!"
With that, he left the underground cavity, heading straight for the Land of Rivers.
(End of Chapter)