Dust and ash rolled through the Mountain Graveyard like choking fog, stirred by the steady march of shinobi boots. The armies of Kumogakure and Iwagakure advanced in tight formation, their ranks disciplined, their faces hard.
Craggy ridges loomed like forgotten monuments, shaped by time and corrupted by the lingering taint of chakra-infused death. This was no ordinary battlefield, this land had drunk deeply from war.
At the head of the army walked Raikage A, broad-shouldered and armored, his face set in a permanent scowl. Beside him, Tsuchikage Ōnoki hovered slightly above the ground, his aging body wrapped in a sturdy cloak, his eyes sharp beneath heavy brows.
The overcast sky cast them in shades of steel and ash, as if the heavens themselves foresaw blood.
Suddenly, several sensor-nin halted mid-step, their hands flying up in warning.
"I'm picking up chakra signatures!" one called out. "They are ahead! A lot of them!"
"Their chakra is off… are they not alive?" Another closed his eyes, sensing further.
A's eyes narrowed, his jaw tightening. "Edo Tensei," he muttered through gritted teeth. "That damned jutsu again…!"
"We expected this. Good thing we brought the sealing teams." Ōnoki floated higher, wind kicking at his robes.
With a sharp nod from A, the ranks shifted instantly. Seasoned jōnin surged to the front, forming a shield wall as the Sealing Division knelt behind them, scrolls, tags, and chakra-inked talismans already in hand.
Then they came, Edo Tensei shinobi. Blank-eyed, their movements jerky but swift, they marched with unsettling coordination.
Armor rusted with age clanked against dried bones. Many wore the symbols of shinobi long dead, some from the First Ninja War, others who had faded from history altogether.
Darui, A's trusted right hand, cracked his neck as he drew his blade, dark lightning crackling along the edge.
"Looks like we've got some cleaning up to do."
"Let's make it fast." Kurotsuchi, fists bubbling with molten chakra, stood beside him.
Together, they surged forward. Darui's sword cut through limbs like water through grass. Kurotsuchi hurled Lava Release bullets that melted torsos before they could regenerate. Yet Edo Tensei's curse was persistent, they didn't stay down.
That's when the Sealing Division stepped in. Tags were slapped on regenerating bodies, chakra inscriptions glowing bright before snapping the dead into stillness. One by one, they were sealed into scrolls.
Within minutes, nearly half the first wave had been immobilized.
Far from the battlefield, perched on a jagged cliff above the chaos, Orochimaru smiled, his pale fingers brushing back a lock of hair. His yellow eyes gleamed with satisfaction.
"Barely worth the effort," he mused. "Still, they've served their purpose."
Beside him stood Obito, cloaked in shadows, his purple Rinnegan eye scanning the battlefield in cold calculation. His fingers tapped rhythmically on his arm, expression unreadable.
"You never did appreciate subtlety," Obito muttered.
"And you never appreciated beauty."Orochimaru grinned.
He raised one slender hand. In response, four familiar figures who were also Edo tenseid stepped forward: Tayuya, Kidōmaru, Jirōbō, and Sakon. Each one marked with their cursed seals, their auras twisted and strong.
Then another stepped forward behind them, Kimimaro.
He moved with poise, his white hair fluttering, his elegance sharp enough to cut. Orochimaru's prized creation, the apex of his earlier experiments.
"Go. Make a mess." Orochimaru's voice dropped to a purr.
The five Sound shinobi vanished in streaks of motion, heading straight for the allied lines.
Back on the field, the change was immediate. The Sound Four tore through the front like blades through silk.
Their Curse Mark transformations made them monstrous, faster, and stronger than expected. Screams erupted as shinobi were thrown through the air or crushed beneath enormous jutsu.
Raikage A's eyes were locked not on them, but on Kimimaro.
"That chakra… those movements…" he growled. "The Kaguya clan's legacy."
He didn't wait.
Lightning exploded across his body, blue sparks dancing over his skin. With a burst of speed, he disappeared, and reappeared a heartbeat later, right in front of Kimimaro. The two clashed instantly.
Kimimaro's bones extended like blades, spinning in graceful arcs. A met them with raw power, fists crackling with energy. The ground shattered beneath them, shockwaves rippling across the battlefield. A's brute force met Kimimaro's deadly elegance, unstoppable force against unyielding grace.
But slowly, the edge turned.
Kimimaro began to falter.
With a roar, A slammed a punch into his chest, lightning flaring. The impact drove Kimimaro into the earth, creating a crater of cracked stone. As he began to regenerate, the Sealing Division swarmed in. The light lit up his pale body. Light flickered, and he was sealed.
Above, Onoki dropped boulders and weighted stone bombs onto the other Sound shinobi. Darui bisected Jirōbō with a lightning slash, while Kurotsuchi and her team sealed the remaining three in coordinated strikes.
Back on the cliff, Orochimaru clapped lazily.
"Well played," he chuckled. "That's all I had in store."
Obito didn't speak.
He simply raised his hand and formed a single hand sign.
The air thickened.
The sky groaned.
A ripple tore through the earth, a black spiral churning in the clouds above. Chakra, immense and unnatural, poured from the underground like a waterfall of malice.
And then it emerged.
The Gedo Mazo.
The empty vessel of the Ten Tails.
It crawled from the ground like an executioner's blade, it jumped and then landed with a deafening BOOM. Earth cracked. Air shook. Fear struck the shinobi like a second blow.
Some screamed. Some froze. Others ran away.
All understood they were staring at something beyond their strength.
"So… that's it. The source of their power." A said as he spat blood and he wiped his chin.
"No… it can't be…this power…" Ōnoki floated higher, his old face pale.
The Gedo Mazo moved.
Its massive arm swung like a titan's club. Earth and shinobi alike were swept aside. The battlefield was torn in half.
Seal squads fell back in disarray. Darui barely ducked in time. Kurotsuchi bellowed for order, but panic had already begun among the shinobi.
A's chakra surged again.
Electricity cloaked his frame.
He launched forward and drove a punch into the statue's leg.
Nothing.
It didn't flinch.
Instead, it swung back, swatting A like a fly. He smashed into the ground, coughing blood, barely rolling aside as another crater opened where he'd been.
"Retreat! Regroup! Get into formation!" Ōnoki's voice cut through the chaos.
The Gedo Mazo stomped down. Stone crumbled. Screams echoed.
Then, something changed.
Near its next step, Samui stood frozen. Her blonde hair whipped around her face. Her kunai had dropped. Her knees locked.
She was trapped in fear.
The shadow of death stretched across her.
And the foot descended.
She didn't scream.
Couldn't.
But the ground beneath her exploded upward. A hand, pale, shot from the earth and slammed against a nearby stone.
A seal flared on it.
Space cracked.
In a flash of chakra, Samui vanished from death's path.
And reappeared in the warmth of an embrace.
Strong arms around her waist. A steady heartbeat beneath her ear.
Her eyes flew open.
Silver hair.A calm gaze. A half-smile that had melted hearts since he took his mask off.
Hatake Kakashi.
"You alright?" he asked gently.
Samui blinked up at him, heart pounding, breath catching. She nodded slowly.
"Good." He smiled faintly.
Behind him, chakra shimmered.
Figures appeared in rapid succession:
Tobirama Senju, who was also in Edo Tensei mode his cloak billowing, his red eyes cold and analytical.
Itachi Uchiha, silent and serene, his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan spinning lazily.
Sasuke, brimming with power, gazed forward.
Orochimaru's Clone, wrapped in chakra.
And three cloned Madaras, UM01, UM02, UM03, each humming with restrained power, face identical and lifeless like statues of gods.
Kakashi lowered Samui carefully, stepping forward. His eyes scanned the devastation. Shinobi lay wounded. Some dead. The battlefield was a broken nightmare.
Then his eyes rose.
And across the field, perched above the ruin, Obito stood.
Their eyes met.
Obito smirked, shadows curling at his feet.
Kakashi's Eternal Mngekyo Sharingan spun slowly, then flared crimson. This time, there was no hesitation in his stance.
No restraint, no forgiveness. Only purpose.
And war.