There was no need for words at the start of battle. Against such obstinate foes, the best answer was brute force!
Explosions thundered one after another, and everywhere you looked, countless Kidō and spiritual power-enhanced jutsu lit up the skies. Once again, Kirigakure was drowned in the flames of war.
On Kirigakure's side, there were dozens of fighters—each one a top-class powerhouse who, in the old shinobi world, would have stood at its very pinnacle. Yet even with so many gathered, besieging Uchiha Obito and Uchiha Madara, the momentum was firmly against them.
The Truth-Seeking Orbs effortlessly blocked the attacks of both Shinigami and Quincy alike. Even Tsunade in her second-stage Bankai, and Kisame with his Samehada, dared not meet the Sword of Nunoboko head-on.
With a casual flick, Obito loosed a few black rods at razor-sharp angles, disrupting the coordinated Water-and-Thunder combos of Ringo Ameyuri and Mangetsu Hōzuki.
The explosion of a Truth-Seeking Orb shattered Yagura's replication techniques completely.
Once, the combined might of Shinigami and Quincy had been able to resist Obito just after he first stepped into the Six Paths realm. But now—having not only merged with the Ten Tails but also devoured the chakra of the Giant Tenseigan—they truly were nothing more than what Obito had said.
An insect blocking a cartwheel.
Truth-Seeking Orbs were indestructible.
Truth-Seeking Orbs were unstoppable!
The Sword of Nunoboko swung down, cleaving apart Mei Terumi's full-powered Lava Release in an instant. With a flick of his right hand, black rods precisely intercepted the golden chains unleashed by Uzumaki Hiromi and Uzumaki Kushina.
Behind him, the Orbs spun outward again—no one dared touch them.
High-level Hadō spells were broken mid-incantation by a single Orb.
Layer upon layer of Bakudō stacked up, but they could not stop the advance of even one Truth-Seeking Orb.
"Uchiha Obito!"
Just then, as Obito swept the battlefield with his Orbs, Kimimaro—empowered in Vollständig mode—charged straight into the storm, forcing his way against the devastating orbs to strike at Obito.
Expressionless, Obito swatted him aside with a single palm. The Truth-Seeking Orbs carved gaping wounds through his body—every part of him they touched disintegrated instantly.
In the blink of an eye, Kimimaro's body was on the verge of collapse, broken and torn apart.
Yet his eyes never wavered. He stared straight at Uchiha Obito.
"I remember you once told me… that you were the captain of Yuki Yoru's royal guard. Codename—'Miracle,' was it not?"
Obito thrust the Sword of Nunoboko forward, piercing directly through Kimimaro's heart. "I wonder… this time, will your so-called miracle appear again?"
Blood poured from Kimimaro's mouth, his body on the brink of collapse, yet there wasn't the slightest trace of fear on his face.
"A 'miracle' never truly disappears. It always exists."
"But miracles are rare, because when they happen in trivial moments, no one thinks to call them miracles. Only when people's hearts are swallowed by despair—only when the impossible occurs before their very eyes—does it become a true miracle!"
Kimimaro's voice was soft, almost youthful, yet his words thundered in every heart.
And then—the change in his body left everyone utterly shaken!
As his words fell, an overwhelming surge of spirutal pressure erupted from within Kimimaro.
This power was unique, its intensity beyond comprehension.
With it, his entire being suddenly shone with a blinding white radiance.
And as that light burst forth, all those present felt as though a vast shadow had fallen over them.
A giant nearly a hundred meters tall stood upon the earth.
"I am Kaguya Kimimaro, Captain of Lord Yoru's Royal Guard. Codename: [M] · Miracle!"
At this moment, a mask appeared on Kimimaro's face, covering everything except his eyes and part of his mouth. Black markings spread from his shoulders down to his arms, while his lower body bore the inverse design—white markings upon a black base. From his back sprouted a pair of angelic wings. In his right hand, he held a radiant sword-hilt of holy light, and on his left arm, a sun-shaped shield lined with piercing spikes. His entire figure resembled a god of war!
In this divine form, Kimimaro gazed down coldly at Uchiha Obito below, his voice echoing like a god's decree:
"Until Lord Yoru returns, I will block everything, become the miracle itself, and protect Kirigakure!"
Such a dramatic transformation not only left the Shinigami and Quincy in awe but even caused the self-proclaimed invincible Uchiha Obito to frown deeply.
The immense surge of spiritual presssure bursting from Kimimaro, along with his unstoppable will to overcome all, gave Obito—for the first time—a faint sense of threat.
"A miracle… there will be no more miracles."
Staring at the war-god-like Kimimaro, Obito clenched his hand in the air. The Sword of Nunoboko, sensing its master's intent, grew darker, more restrained.
Boom!
Kimimaro moved. He did not cast Kidō or any other spiritual techniques. In his godlike form, his body itself was the perfect weapon.
The holy sword slashed, sending out waves of spiritual power that rippled across the battlefield. As it descended, the sword seemed like divine punishment falling from the heavens, aimed straight at Obito.
Obito's eyes narrowed. With a lift of his hand, five Truth-Seeking Orbs layered in front of him—three forming a shield, while the other two shot toward Kimimaro's head and heart from opposite angles.
Even though Obito believed himself invincible, the sheer force Kimimaro now wielded made even him feel a flicker of doubt.
"Feel the power of a miracle, Uchiha Obito!"
Kimimaro showed no fear as the two Orbs streaked toward him. His holy sword did not waver in the slightest.
The blade came crashing down upon the overlapping Orb-shield. The Truth-Seeking Orbs—supposedly able to erase anything—were pierced through by the divine sword, though much of its strength was diminished in the process.
At the same time, the two Orbs targeting Kimimaro struck true, piercing his head and heart once again.
Obito froze for a moment at the ferocity of the sword's descent, then quickly regained composure, raising the Sword of Nunoboko to block.
Boom!!
In an instant, the holy sword, which seemed capable of vanquishing all evil in the world, collided violently with the Sword of Nunoboko in Obito's hand.
This was a clash between the pinnacle of Yin-Yang power and a product of highly condensed spiritual particles!
But evidently, the Sword of Nunoboko, wielded by the self-proclaimed invincible Obito Uchiha, seemed to have the upper hand.
Crack!
The sword of conviction of the former Sage of Six Paths shattered the attacking holy sword. At the same time, Obito's figure instantly appeared above Kimimaro's body.
The Sword of Nunoboko slashed down.
Kimimaro's head, which had a hole pierced through it by a Truth-Seeking Orb, was severed in response.
"I told you, there are no more mir—"
Boom!!
Before Obito could finish speaking, a giant hand descended from above, slamming him into the ground.
The headless corpse that should have fallen lay glowing once again, erupting with dazzling white light.
A new Kimimaro appeared—stronger, more terrifying, his aura even more overwhelming than before.
"A miracle will never disappear!"
Though his holy sword was shattered, Kimimaro raised his holy shield high and smashed it down with fury toward where Uchiha Obito stood.
One strike!
Another strike!
The power of Miracle will never fade!
…
"Susanoo!"
"Susanoo!"
Two Perfect Susanoo clashed once more in midair, stirring up massive shockwaves.
But in this kind of large-scale battle, Uchiha Hikari could not freely use the Eight Thousand Spears to draw in spiritual power and strengthen herself. She could only extract chakra from those unqualified to participate in combat. Because of this, she fell slightly behind Madara in their clash.
"In the end, you are nothing more than a Mangekyō, Hikari."
Within the crystalline armor of his Perfect Susanoo, Uchiha Madara stood with his arms crossed. The sword of Susanoo swung down in a single strike, forcing Hikari's Susanoo to stagger back.
Hikari did not answer. Her Mangekyō spun in her eyes, the strength of her Susanoo flaring even further.
But as Madara had said, without being able to unleash the Eight Thousand Spears to their fullest, her ocular power simply could not rival his.
"It won't be long before Obito crushes every last one of your resistance. The Eye of the Moon plan will have no more obstacles." Madara's voice was calm. "You have already lost."
Uchiha Hikari remained silent, stubbornly controlling her Perfect Susanoo.
But just as they were locked in battle, both suddenly noticed the colossal figure of Kimimaro in the distance.
"That is…"
Madara's face froze, a flicker of disbelief flashing through his eyes.
"So, it's been drawn out to this level…" Hikari's heart clenched tight, but almost immediately she felt relief.
She knew Kimimaro's power better than anyone. It was truly the power of a god—but its true source wasn't Kimimaro himself. It was Yuki Yoru.
[Miracle].
Even in death, he would revive again by the swing of the divine sword!
It meant that as long as Yoru still existed, as long as Kimimaro held hope in his heart, the power of Miracle would continue to erupt, continue to grow—until it created the true miracle that would crush all obstacles before them.
"This war—we will not lose, and we cannot lose!" Hikari declared coldly.
"Well said. Let me aid you!"
A hoarse shout came from behind. Orochimaru, wearing the 12th Division haori, suddenly entered the battlefield. Bringing his hands together, he growled:
"Eight Branches Technique!"
A massive eight-headed serpent burst forth, rising beside Hikari and standing against Madara's Perfect Susanoo.
"Orochimaru?"
Hikari looked at him in surprise, her gaze sharpening as if she understood something—but she didn't speak it aloud.
She was indeed not Madara's match. With Orochimaru here, the pressure could truly be eased.
"Do you think such a helper will make a difference?"
Madara looked at the great serpent before him with nothing but disdain.
Was every stray dog and cat qualified to step into their battle now?
But in the very next instant, the disdain in Madara's eyes turned to shock.
Before him, Uchiha Hikari's Perfect Susanoo began to dissipate. Meanwhile, Orochimaru's Eight-Headed Serpent was suddenly enveloped in surging waves of dark red chakra!
Immediately after, a dark red phantom began to gather around Orochimaru's body, swiftly taking shape until it completely enveloped the Eight-Headed Serpent!
Seeing this, a flicker of surprise appeared in Uchiha Madara's eyes—tinged with a trace of reminiscence.
The dark red Susanoo shrouded the Eight-Headed Serpent, and in just a few breaths it rapidly grew flesh, sinew, and the armor of a black Tengu, covering the entire serpent.
Eight snake heads, each clad in Susanoo's war-armor!
"Susanoo Armament: Eight Branches Technique!!!"
"Interesting…"
Perfect Susanoo combined with the Eight Branches Technique—it was far more than simply one plus one. As Madara observed this power, a rare spark of battle-lust rose in his heart.
Long ago, he had used Susanoo Armament, together with the Nine Tails, to face Hashirama—and had ultimately lost. But that did not mean the power of Susanoo Armament was weak.
"Come, let me test the measure of your strength!"
The towering hundreds-of-meters-tall Perfect Susanoo and the Susanoo Eight Branches clashed fiercely. The mere instant of their collision unleashed a devastating shockwave, sending monstrous waves surging across the sea.
The snake heads shrieked, roaring like dragons, hurling themselves against Susanoo.
Madara's Perfect Susanoo swung its blade and cleaved off two serpent heads, but the remaining ones crashed violently against it.
Yet Perfect Susanoo's defense was nigh-impenetrable. Even against such collisions, it suffered little harm.
But the Susanoo Eight Branches' assault was far from simple. With Susanoo's armament, each serpent head was like a colossal mountain, crashing again and again onto Perfect Susanoo in an endless assault.
"Is that all!"
Madara let out a cold snort, and his Perfect Susanoo's left hand condensed yet another blade.
Double Sword Slash!
It was as if infinite light converged into the twin swords. The very air before them detonated, accompanied by a piercing shriek. A terrifying, unstoppable sword energy howled forth, instantly severing all six of the Eight-Headed Serpent's remaining heads!
"So this is the power of the Shura of the Shinobi World… truly formidable."
Orochimaru gave a chilling laugh. The seven severed necks writhed, muscles glistening with slime, and in moments, new white-scaled serpent heads sprouted forth.
Shrouded in Susanoo, the Eight-Headed Serpent reappeared!
In terms of sheer combat power, the Susanoo Armament: Eight Branches Technique might not quite match the Wood Golem Susanoo Armament from the Land of Wind back then. But Orochimaru's undying vitality was terrifying in its own right—no less potent than Nagato's Wood Golem enhanced by Sage Body.
For a time, the battle reached a nearly even stalemate—six to four in balance.
But as they fought, Orochimaru's gaze slowly shifted away from Uchiha Madara… and settled upon Uchiha Hikari.