The three of them were the Kage of their respective villages, bearing the weight of responsibility on their shoulders. It was impossible for them to step back and let the younger generation go first.
Besides, each of them had pride in their bones, and the courage to challenge a super-strong opponent like Madara. This was a battle they had to fight.
Onoki was the first to speak. "Madara, I know how strong you are, but you're a dead man. Stop stirring up storms in the shinobi world and obediently go back to the Pure Land. The future of this world should be decided by the young."
Tsunade added, "Madara, you hold yourself in such high regard, but in the end you're just an idiot being played like a puppet by Black Zetsu. Your so-called Eye of the Moon Plan is nothing but Black Zetsu's scam. Once you learn the truth and realize a lifetime of effort was just you being used as a tool, it'll be far too late for regret."
"Don't waste your breath. He won't listen. Just knock him down, that's all that matters!"
A was far more hot-tempered. He couldn't be bothered with long speeches. He simply activated his Lightning Release Chakra Mode and charged straight in.
And in truth, just as A had said, Madara was never going to listen to anyone's "nonsense." He believed in his own eyes, believed in the secrets he had seen on the stone tablet, and believed in his own dream of becoming a savior. How could a few words from others change that?
Maybe only when Black Zetsu finally stabbed him in the back would he truly wake up.
In the blink of an eye, A reached Madara, fist wrapped in lightning as he slammed it forward.
Madara didn't move at all. He simply stood in place and let Susanoo materialize around him. He didn't take the Five Kage seriously and couldn't even be bothered to dodge.
Boom.
The lightning-clad fist smashed into Susanoo and did absolutely nothing.
Boom.
Tsunade's Tsūtenkyaku (Heaven Kick of Pain) followed right after, but she couldn't crack Susanoo's defense either.
Susanoo really was a bugged-out technique. The stronger the user, the stronger Susanoo seemed to become. With Madara's level of power, his Susanoo was absurdly thick and solid. You weren't going to break it "just like that."
In the original history, Tsunade had been able to crack Susanoo's armor only by relying on the power of Byakugō no Jutsu (Strength of a Hundred Technique), combined with the support of the other Kage. Only then had Madara's Susanoo been broken.
Now, there were only three Kage. Whether they could break this Susanoo was anyone's guess.
A, however, didn't believe in "impossible" and kept up his assault.
Meanwhile, at some point Onoki had already clambered onto his back, opening the road and stacking buffs for him.
"Raiton: Jūryū Baku (Lightning Release: Heavy Current Rampage)!"
"Doton: Chōkajūgan no Jutsu (Earth Release: Super Weighted Boulder Technique)!"
A's lightning charge, combined with Onoki's Earth Release, produced a crisp cracking sound. Susanoo split open with a clear fracture.
Tsunade immediately followed up with a punch from the side, and the whole Susanoo shattered completely.
"Take this! Raiton: Rariāto (Lightning Release: Lariat)!"
Boom!
A's arm swept across Madara's collarbone like a scythe, sending him flying. Both of Madara's shoulders visibly shattered, and his head lolled as if it might come off at any moment.
If he hadn't been an Edo Tensei body, he probably would have been heavily injured, if not outright killed.
Tsunade rushed in right away, raising her leg high to deliver another Tsūtenkyaku (Heaven Kick of Pain) directly onto Madara's head.
"Mokuton (Wood Release)!"
Madara pressed his hands together. Thick tree vines erupted from the ground, instantly wrapping around Tsunade. Her leg remained raised, and for a moment she couldn't move at all.
Madara's body, however, had already regenerated. He let out a breath. "Katon: Gōka Metsushi (Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation)!"
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
Flames roared forth, covering an enormous area. Tsunade was in real danger.
At that moment, a white beam of light tore through the sea of fire. It spun in a circle, slicing a path open and completely sweeping the flames away, freeing Tsunade from her predicament.
It was Onoki's Jinton (Dust Release).
The three Kage regrouped, their expressions grim.
They hadn't expected Madara to be this strong, and it even looked like he still hadn't used the power of the Rinnegan. That meant he was far from going all out. They couldn't deny that this was a heavy blow to their morale.
Even so, they couldn't possibly give up so easily. This wasn't about pride. It was about their responsibility as Kage.
In the rear, Kakashi and Guy watched with deep concern.
They had already fought Madara once and knew exactly how terrifying he was. Unless they threw everything they had at him, there was no way to win.
Now, even with three Kage acting together, they were still being pushed back. It was only a matter of time before they lost. The only question was how long they could hold out.
Natsuki asked, "Kakashi-senpai, are they buying time?"
Kakashi nodded. "We actually discussed a plan in private beforehand. Once Madara appeared, we'd send someone to track down Kabuto's location and carry out another assassination. As long as Kabuto is eliminated, Madara's Edo Tensei state will be canceled. That would mean our victory."
"So that's it. It is indeed a solid plan."
Natsuki understood. If you were thinking in normal strategic terms, this plan was plenty reasonable.
In the original course of events, things had been similar. While the Five Kage fought Madara, the Uchiha brothers went after Kabuto and pulled his plug. All of the Edo Tensei bodies immediately lost their controller. After that, there were reunions between the living and the dead, and many people had their wishes fulfilled.
Even Dan had flown over just to say farewell to Tsunade.
However, Madara was a walking bug. Even if Kabuto died, Madara could use Edo Tensei: Kai (Impure World Reincarnation: Release) on himself and completely break free of control, turning into an Edo Tensei that no one could command. As long as he didn't want to leave, nobody could send him back to the Pure Land.
So Natsuki wasn't exactly optimistic about this plan.
But it didn't matter. When the time came, he could just beat Madara down himself.
Up ahead, the battle still raged.
A, Onoki, and Tsunade rotated their attacks. Their coordination wasn't bad at all, and they managed to tangle with Madara for quite some time.
On the surface, Madara still acted as if he looked down on the three of them, but in truth he was enjoying himself. While they hadn't reached the "beyond Kage" realm, all three were still at the peak of Kage-level. Working together, they did cause him some trouble.
But precisely because of that, Madara was starting to feel annoyed.
"The three of you attacking one of me… I won't call it underhanded. If that's how you want to play it, I'll just add more of me."
As he spoke, Madara used Mokuton (Wood Release) to create six clones. Each Wood Clone opened a three-meter-tall Susanoo and charged the Kage from all directions.
This development gave the three Kage splitting headaches, but they had no choice except to grit their teeth and face it.
However, Susanoo was tough by nature. To break its defense at all required considerable power. Now it was six-on-three, which immediately threw them into an extremely passive position.
Before long, Susanoo sent Tsunade flying with a single punch.
Thankfully she was unharmed. She still hadn't even activated Byakugō no Jutsu (Strength of a Hundred Technique).
A remained agile, carrying Onoki on his back as he darted between the six small Susanoo at high speed. With Onoki's lightening effect from his weight manipulation jutsu, his movements were even faster and lighter. For now, he remained uninjured.
The problem was, at this rate, they were nowhere near being a match for Madara.
Guy couldn't take it anymore. "The Blue Beast of Konoha can't just sit and watch his comrades fight and do nothing. I'm going too!"
He charged straight toward the maelstrom of battle, and Kakashi followed right behind him.
(End of Chapter)
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