Sunagakure.
The battle raged on.
"You really know how to wreck my eyes, huh, Kakashi."
Uchiha Obito, encased in the second stage of his Susanoo, swung his blade toward Kakashi. Kakashi, likewise wielding the second stage of his own Susanoo, brought his sword up to meet the strike.
Their powers were nearly identical. Even their Susanoo forms were nearly the same in shape and color.
Boom!!
The collision of the two blades sent a shockwave rippling through the air, shattering the ground beneath them and forcing both of their Susanoo to stagger back a step.
Kakashi's gaze darkened slightly.
Since mastering Sage Body and transplanting Obito's Mangekyo Sharingan, this was the first time he'd truly found himself at a disadvantage.
The Edo Tensei version of Uchiha Obito possessed the same Kamui Mangekyo as him, meaning their abilities largely neutralized each other. Phase-shifting was pointless, and Kamui's spatial attacks could be countered by the same technique.
Their battle had become a pure test of Susanoo strength.
Fortunately...
The Obito revived through Edo Tensei only had the power of a standard Mangekyo Sharingan, not the Eternal Mangekyo. He was slightly weaker than when he was alive and couldn't summon a complete-body Susanoo. That gave Kakashi, who also lacked full-body Susanoo, the chance to hold his ground.
At this point, it was a stalemate.
"Don't waste time trying to wear me down, Kakashi," Obito said in a low voice. "In this state, I've got unlimited chakra. You'll never win by trading blows. Look for a chance to seal me instead!"
Inside his Susanoo, Kakashi exhaled lightly, replying, "I know the theory, but that's easier said than done. With the same powers, breaking through Susanoo's defense is nearly impossible."
"I can try to wrestle control from the Edo Tensei for a second, just enough to create an opening. But you have to be ready for it."
Obito fell silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Has Rin... been doing well, since I died?"
"Mm..."
Kakashi gave a noncommittal hum, silently adding in his head: If you count her fighting with a bunch of other girls over Kaede as 'doing well,' then sure.
If this were the old him, he probably would've made a sarcastic jab or stabbed Obito in the heart with a sharp comment. But he'd matured a lot since then. And besides, Obito was dead. Kakashi figured it was better not to shatter the heart of someone who had always been... kind of a softie.
But Obito wasn't exactly the naïve boy he used to be. After all, he had turned evil and died once. Just from Kakashi's tone and expression, he picked up on the dodge.
His thoughts turned. He glanced toward Rin, who was locked in combat in the distance, then turned back to Kakashi with a slightly stiff expression.
"I'm going in, Kakashi!!"
Boom!
Obito's Susanoo flared into its third form, sword in one hand, shield in the other, charging in like a rampaging beast and hammering away at Kakashi.
Kakashi sighed and begrudgingly summoned his own third-stage Susanoo. He could clearly see that Obito was agitated. He could probably guess the reason, if his crush ended up chasing after some guy he hated along with a pack of other women, he might go a little berserk too.
Girls really are troublesome creatures, Kakashi thought to himself.
While Obito and Kakashi clashed in an explosive frenzy, elsewhere the battlefield had descended into chaos. Konoha, Sunagakure, and the Edo Tensei-revived ninja were locked in a massive, tangled brawl.
"What the hell is going on?! Did Konoha really invade the village itself?!"
Chiyo, revived by Edo Tensei, was manipulating several corpses as puppets using chakra threads, fighting off Konoha's elite Anbu and Sunagakure shinobi alike. She shouted in disbelief.
A nearby Suna ninja was drenched in sweat. "Konoha just launched a full-scale assault. We're barely holding on..."
"Useless brats!"
Chiyo clicked her tongue. Though she couldn't resist the Edo Tensei's control, she still leaned toward helping her own village. Most of her attacks were aimed at Konoha's elite units, resisting the control just enough to make her bias clear.
As she clashed with Rin, who was now wielding chakra from the Three-Tails, her gaze swept across the battlefield. She spotted several powerful shinobi: the Three-Tails Jinchuriki Rin, the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki Yuhi Kurenai, Uchiha Shisui... but she didn't sense Kaede's chakra.
"That White Fang's brat isn't here?"
Still exchanging blows with Rin, Chiyo muttered, "Did that little runt die already? I thought getting revived would finally give me a chance to get some payback."
Bang!
One of Rin's chakra tails whipped out and smashed one of Chiyo's corpse puppets into pieces. Rin's expression remained cold and serious.
"Sorry to disappoint. Hokage-sama is alive and well."
"Hokage?"
Chiyo's eyes narrowed slightly. "That little brat became Hokage?"
She glanced at the nearby battle involving Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage. Judging from his appearance, it hadn't been more than ten years since her death, and in that time, Kaede had already risen to become Konoha's Hokage.
"Well, if the brat's not here, then I'll just take some interest from you first. Didn't expect the Three-Tails to end up in Konoha's hands."
With a flick of her fingers, countless chakra threads surged toward Rin.
=============
Elsewhere,
The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, was engaged in battle with the Second Kazekage.
"You're the Fourth?" the Second asked coldly. "How did Konoha get all the way into the village? Has Sunagakure really fallen this far?"
After realizing he couldn't break free of the Edo Tensei, the Second Kazekage took in the battlefield around him and turned to Rasa with disappointment.
Rasa's face darkened. "My deepest apologies, Lord Second... Konoha won the Third Great Ninja War. Their momentum has been overwhelming."
The Second Kazekage snorted. "So things really did go downhill after I died, huh? Back in my day, we built this village under the threat of Konoha's First Hokage, Hashirama Senju! And now you can't even hold off an invasion?"
"I understand..." Rasa said with difficulty. "But Konoha's current Hokage is also... a terrifying force."
The Second's eyes swept over the battlefield. "Where is he?"
His gaze turned cold.
Though he couldn't break free of the summoner's control, he could change targets. If he could kill this so-called powerful Hokage, maybe he could turn the tide for Sunagakure.
As for the "terrifying" part? He didn't care. He'd once fought beside the First Kazekage against Hashirama Senju. On this battlefield, he hadn't seen anyone who truly felt that dangerous.
Maybe Hatake Kakashi, with his Susanoo, was a bit troublesome.
But only a bit.
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria