Baki gripped the kunai tightly in his hand, staring intently at Kakashi and the others. Cold sweat trickled down from his forehead, sliding along his cheeks.
His gaze trembled. His fingers clenched around the kunai were shaking uncontrollably.
All the other Sand ninja who had rushed out of the conference room, Four Kazekage Rasa among them, stood frozen, faces stiff with shock.
They had thought Kakashi had come to deliver a final warning before war broke out. But to their horror, it turned out the other side had never intended to negotiate or talk. This wasn't a diplomatic mission, it had been a full-scale assault from the very beginning!
"Then... let's begin."
Kakashi spoke calmly.
Anko Mitarashi, Uchiha Shisui, Yuhi Kurenai, Nohara Rin, Konan the Angel, and Might Guy, six people in total, began moving forward. In a sudden blur, they split into six shadows and charged off in different directions.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!!!
Explosions erupted almost simultaneously. Within seconds, the Sand Shinobi within a hundred-meter radius were swept away like leaves in a storm.
A gleam flashed in Kakashi's eyes as a massive black vortex swirled into existence.
Beneath the now-cleared area of land, numerous figures appeared, seven teams in total, each consisting of twenty people. That was one hundred and forty ninja, all clad in uniform black cloaks embroidered on the back with the emblems of their respective divisions.
Swish!
The moment these Hokage Guards of the seven squads touched the ground, they scattered into dark streaks, disappearing into the streets of Sunagakure.
In less than thirty seconds, the entire village had turned into a battlefield!
Rumble, rumble, BOOM!!
Explosions erupted from all directions.
Sunagakure did have many Jonin and Elite Jonin, but ninja at Kage-level were rare. Aside from the Fourth Kazekage Rasa, only the current commander of the Anbu could barely count as one.
But even that lineup was nowhere near enough to withstand Kakashi's onslaught. Their forces collapsed almost instantly under the first wave, there was simply no resisting the direct assault.
While Rasa had the advantage of home turf and access to vast quantities of Gold Dust, giving him a considerable edge even among Kage-level shinobi…
Still,
Even with all of that, he was no match for Kakashi!
Rasa was forced to retreat under Kakashi's fierce assault. Meanwhile, the Sand's Anbu commander was severely wounded within moments by the combined assault of Uchiha Shisui and Kurenai.
Under the full-scale offensive of the Hokage Guards nurtured by Kaede (Maple Night), Sunagakure suffered devastating losses almost instantly. Hundreds of ninja lay dead on the battlefield.
"It's over…"
Maki was locked in battle with one of the Hokage Guards.
He hadn't died yet, but wounds covered his body. Looking around at the state of the village, his expression turned grim, and fear and despair slowly filled his eyes.
They couldn't win.
These Konoha shinobi were far too strong…
Kakashi of the Sharingan. Shisui the Teleporter. The Jinchuriki of the Zero-Tails, Three-Tails, and Seven-Tails. Might Guy, wielder of the Eight Gates.
Just those seven alone were enough to annihilate an entire shinobi village!
And on top of that, Konoha still had the Legendary Sannin: the cold-blooded Orochimaru, the mighty Jiraiya, and the Medical Saint Tsunade. Even the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, was still alive. And towering above them all… was that terrifying man.
The God of the Shinobi World,
The Fifth Hokage, Hatake Kaede!
Slash!
Maki held on for a few more exchanges, but he couldn't withstand the pincer attack from two Hokage Guards. One of them landed a clean blow, his short blade slicing through half of Maki's neck. Blood gushed out like a fountain.
He staggered in place, clutching at his throat, stumbling backward, but he couldn't stop the bleeding. His strength rapidly drained away.
"Kh…!"
Blood spilled from his lips.
As he felt his life fading, Maki was consumed by despair.
Sunagakure is finished.
Everything… was over.
But just then, he suddenly sensed several immense, unfamiliar chakra signatures descending from afar. They were just as terrifying as Kakashi's group, but distinctly different.
Konoha reinforcements?!
Despair surged again in Maki's heart.
Yet just before his consciousness was consumed by darkness, he realized something, the newcomers weren't allied with Kakashi's forces. In fact, the moment they entered the village, they attacked both Sand and Konoha shinobi indiscriminately!
"Who… are those people…?"
Maki's awareness faded into black.
The question that filled his dying mind remained unanswered.
=============
At that moment,
Roughly twenty shinobi burst in from the desert and invaded the heart of Sunagakure. Whether they encountered Sand or Leaf ninjas, they attacked without mercy.
Upon seeing the appearance of these ninja, both the Fourth Kazekage Rasa and Kakashi, along with Shisui and the others, showed dramatic changes in expression.
Leading the charge was a man whose face was covered in deep cracks. His eyes, black sclera with a pattern identical to Kakashi's Kamui, were unmistakably those of an Edo Tensei. Around him, a blue-and-cyan Susanoo surged into being.
"…Obito?!"
Kakashi and Rin gasped simultaneously in shock.
Obito, encased in Susanoo's glow, crushed a Sand shinobi with a single blow. He looked toward Kakashi and Rin, his voice dark and low:
"So it really was your chakra… I should've known. Even in death, I can't escape meeting you two again in this world."
"What the hell is going on, Obito?!"
Kakashi tried to speak, but Obito answered with a sudden swing of his Susanoo's blade, its edge wrapped in Kamui's swirling black vortex.
Kakashi's expression changed dramatically. He couldn't phase through it and was forced to evade with Lightning Release-enhanced speed, barely dodging. Even so, the divine robe on his back was sliced right down the middle.
"I'm not entirely sure myself," Obito said, controlling the Susanoo as he pressed the attack. "But I'm in a state of forced control. My ocular power allows me to resist a little… This must be the Edo Tensei created by the Second Hokage."
"This is likely what they're after, tailed beasts. Protect Rin, Kakashi!"
While continuing to attack, Obito shouted instructions.
For some reason, Kakashi had the strong sense that Obito was hitting him on purpose.
=============
Elsewhere,
The Fourth Kazekage Rasa was engaged in combat with another figure, disbelief written all over his face. "First Kazekage-sama… Second Kazekage-sama… How… how is this possible?!"
"It's that damned jutsu from the Second Hokage," the Second Kazekage replied grimly. "The Edo Tensei… Both the First and I are being controlled by it. Never thought we'd end up puppets ourselves… and the caster…"
Both the First and Second Kazekage looked grim.
As veterans who had once fought the Senju brothers, Hashirama and Tobirama, they were well aware of Edo Tensei. But back in their time, Tobirama's version wasn't nearly this precise or powerful.
Now, not only was the technique executed with incredible precision, but the caster also possessed immense control, making it nearly impossible for either of them to break free.
Boom! Boom! Boom!!
With the arrival of the Edo Tensei reanimated ninja, Sunagakure plunged into complete chaos.
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria