"Not good!"
Kakashi's face was grim as he watched the ground shatter into fragments under the impact of the surging water dragons.
Meanwhile, a violent storm howled from above like a hurricane from the heavens.
He glanced toward a group of Konoha shinobi clustered in one area and immediately activated his Mangekyo Sharingan. A massive, swirling vortex of black Kamui energy began to form.
But at almost the exact same moment,
Obito also turned in that direction.
The Mangekyo in his eye spun, and another black vortex emerged.
"Damn it..."
Obito's expression changed.
He tried to cancel the technique, but it was already too late.
The two black Kamui spirals collided, releasing a sharp, grating sound as they both unraveled and vanished.
ROOOAR!!
SCREEEECH!!!
Just as the combined attacks from the First Kazekage and First Mizukage were about to engulf Kakashi and the others, two deafening roars split the air.
Rin's chakra surged violently, and in an instant, she transformed into the fully-tailed-beast form of the Three-Tails.
Her enormous claw slammed down on the rising floodwaters below.
RUMBLE!!
The mighty water dragons shattered beneath her crushing force.
At the same time, Kurenai unleashed her chakra, morphing into the form of the Seven-Tails.
She opened her mouth toward the storming sky, rapidly gathering chakra into a dense black sphere.
BOOM!!!
The Tailed Beast Bomb shot upward, colliding with the descending windstorm.
The resulting explosion sent tremors across the entire battlefield as the storm was blasted apart.
The sky-cleaving gale was destroyed.
The earth-crushing flood was held back.
"...Huh?"
"The Three-Tails and the Seven-Tails..."
"So they can completely control their tailed beasts..."
The First Kazekage and First Mizukage paused, lowering their hands. Their gazes flickered at the sight.
With Rin and Kurenai successfully transforming into their tailed beast forms and blocking the dual-pronged attack from sky and earth, the Konoha Anbu and Sunagakure shinobi caught in between were finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.
Their backs were drenched in cold sweat.
At first, they'd thought the appearance of a third force might help shift the situation, especially since it included their former Kage.
But now they realized that wasn't the case at all.
These reanimated Kage had the power to completely annihilate them!
Even just being caught in the crossfire of their battle was unbearable, let alone the fact that these former Kage were being controlled and actively attacking Sunagakure as well.
The fighting between Konoha and Sunagakure came to a complete halt.
Everyone now turned toward the former Mizukage in the distance.
They could sense the immense chakra surging from their bodies, more than a dozen Kage-level entities gathered in one place.
Even stronger than the Konoha Anbu who had already overwhelmed them with ease.
"...This is bad."
Kakashi's face remained serious.
With Obito present, he couldn't use Kamui to teleport his comrades away.
The two Kamui techniques would just cancel each other out.
Even if he managed to send someone into the Kamui dimension, Obito could just pull them in too.
Originally, this operation had no flaws.
With his Mangekyo Sharingan and Kamui, he could come and go as he pleased, even if the First Mizukage showed up, escape was still an option.
But with Obito here...
Things had taken a drastic turn.
Yes, they still had strong allies, Rin and Kurenai, both Jinchuriki, but their total combat power still didn't compare to the enemy's.
If this continued, they might all be wiped out here!
"Look out!!"
As thoughts raced through Kakashi's mind, a sudden shout rang out.
Tobirama Senju, the Second Hokage, had appeared in mid-air, lunging toward the airborne Seven-Tails.
With a flap of her wings, the Seven-Tails knocked Tobirama away.
But,
As Tobirama flew backward, his body suddenly vanished, reappearing on the beast's back.
His chakra-charged short sword slashed downward.
"Flying Thunder God Slash!!"
Shing!
A screech of pain tore from the Seven-Tails as one of her wings was severed.
She faltered and tumbled from the sky, landing next to the Three-Tails.
Tobirama's body moved on its own.
He reached out, placed his hand on the severed wing, and activated a sealing jutsu. Black script spread rapidly across the surface.
With a flash of teleportation, the wing vanished.
"Damn it..."
"What are you trying to do?!"
Tobirama clenched his jaw as his body moved against his will. His eyes filled with unease.
The enemy's goal was clearly the tailed beasts!
Konoha still had the Nine-Tails, and now even his brother, Hashirama Senju, had been reanimated.
What if Hashirama had already been sent to attack Konoha?
Just thinking about his brother's terrifying power made Tobirama's face twist with worry.
Things over there might be even worse than this battlefield.
He regretted it.
He truly regretted ever creating the Edo Tensei.
He should have destroyed all traces of it after inventing it.
His brother had warned him, and now those warnings had come true.
This jutsu had become a catastrophic liability!
"So even you ended up getting controlled by this technique, huh..."
"Second Hokage."
The Second Mizukage, Gengetsu Hōzuki, tilted his head as he watched Tobirama's actions.
Realizing that he too was being controlled, Gengetsu gave a mocking chuckle.
"This is your own invention, isn't it? Getting controlled by your own jutsu, now that's rich. Hahaha!"
"Shut up!"
Tobirama shot him a cold glare.
"With all of us together, even a full allied shinobi army couldn't stand a chance. If we get picked off one by one like this... the entire shinobi world will fall! And you're still laughing?!"
The First Kazekage also spoke grimly:
"The situation really is dire. If your brother's been summoned too, the caster could use this power to destroy the entire ninja world."
"This technique should never have been created, Second Hokage!"
The First Mizukage fixed his eyes on Tobirama and said sternly.
Tobirama shot him a cold glance.
"Now's not the time to argue about blame. We need to focus on how to deal with the situation at hand."
Nearby, Obito looked at the gathered former Kage, then turned to Kakashi.
"Kakashi! Where's Kaede?! Does he know what's going on here?!"
"He probably doesn't know yet..."
Kakashi replied in a low voice.
Obito said firmly,
"Then figure out a way to contact him. He's the only one who can stop this!"
Kakashi nodded.
"I already sent word using my summoning animal during our fight. It'll take time to reach Konoha, but once he knows what's going on, he can use the Flying Thunder God to get here immediately."
At this point, Kakashi turned to the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa.
"Kazekage-sama, you've seen the situation for yourself. These people aren't your allies. They'll wipe out you and your village just the same. If we don't work together, none of us will survive!"
Rasa's expression flickered uncertainly.
Sunagakure's remaining strength couldn't stand against any side in this battle.
They were clearly weaker than Kakashi's group, let alone the reanimated former Kage.
The reality was harsh and clear.
There was no choice.
If they wanted to survive, they had to ally with Konoha.
Anything else meant certain death.
"I didn't expect things to turn out this way."
Rasa looked toward the distant figures of the First Mizukage and the others.
"It seems you're trapped here too. Are you sure your Hokage can handle this situation?"
Kaede had previously invaded Sunagakure alone and displayed overwhelming power.
But now, they were up against the First Kazekage, the First Mizukage, and many others of similar might.
Along with the Second Kazekage, Second Mizukage, Second Hokage...
So many Kage-level foes, could even someone like Kaede withstand them?
"Yes!"
Kakashi answered without hesitation.
He stared at the former Mizukage and the others.
His Mangekyo Sharingan swirled with power.
"As long as the Hokage arrives, this battle is over!"
A brief silence fell over the battlefield.
The Second Mizukage, Second Kazekage, and Tobirama Senju all turned to look at Kakashi with strange expressions.
"Once the Hokage arrives, it's over?"
Where did that kind of confidence come from?
Tobirama narrowed his eyes at Kakashi and asked slowly:
"Is Konoha's current Hokage... really that strong?"
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria