Ōnoki was in the middle of a "friendly" conversation with his old teacher when, without warning, he suddenly struck—his hands forming a familiar seal.
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"
But the Second Tsuchikage, Mū, was a battle-hardened veteran and a sensory-type ninja. Predicting his student's move, he launched his own Dust Release technique in response!
Two pillars of blinding light collided midair. Mū, his expression a mixture of helplessness and calm, said,
"If I could control my own body, I wouldn't want to raise a hand against the Allied Shinobi Forces... The Five Great Villages united—never thought I'd see the day, even after death."
At that moment, a shout erupted from below.
"Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!"
The voice belonged to none other than Kurotsuchi's father—Kitsuchi!
He slammed his hands onto the ground, joined by a squad of Earth Release users.
A moment later—
"Rumble!!!"
Hundreds of towering walls of earth burst from the ground, crashing toward Mū in the sky!
Seeing the walls surging toward him, Mū quickly tried to dodge—but that was exactly what Ōnoki had planned.
In the instant Mū moved to evade, Ōnoki appeared beside him, pressing his palm against his teacher's body.
"Earth Style: Ultra-Added-Weight Rock Technique!"
Unlike the Light-Weighted Boulder Technique, this jutsu increased the opponent's mass, rendering them nearly immobile!
Even though Mū was a master of Earth Release, there was no counter once the technique hit—his body plummeted straight toward the ground!
Ōnoki exhaled in relief. "Finally caught you, sensei."
But Mū's expression shifted.
"No... not good! (ಠ .̫.̫ ಠ)"
A split second later, his body divided—splitting cleanly in two!
...
Somewhere in the forests of the Land of Fire, a red-haired man, gaunt as a skeleton, trudged forward.
If anyone had seen him, they would have noticed not only his strange clothes and posture—but also his eerie, rippled violet eyes.
The man muttered to himself:
"Strange... why am I still alive?"
"And why can't I control my own body?"
"Where... am I going?"
...
Akatsuki's hidden base.
Kabuto sat before a shogi board, murmuring to himself.
"The sealing technique specifically designed to counter Edo Tensei... the Allied Shinobi Forces have managed to mass-produce it."
He let out a hiss. "Tch... that makes the Edo Tensei army a lot less useful now."
"Looks like it's about time to release him... As long as I don't get too close, it should be fine."
...
Iron Country — Desert Battlefield.
Ōnoki smacked his forehead in frustration as he watched his teacher's body split apart.
"How could I forget sensei's Splitting Technique!"
Fortunately, though one of Mū's halves had escaped, the other remained under Ōnoki's control and crashed to the ground!
As soon as it landed, a sealing squad carrying a Netherworld Seal scroll rushed forward and sealed half of the Second Tsuchikage's body.
Kitsuchi arrived right after, glancing at the ashes where Mū's dust had scattered, then at the other Mū still fleeing in the distance.
"Dad, what's going on?" Kitsuchi asked. "If the main body's destroyed, shouldn't the clone vanish too? (´°Δ°`)"
Ōnoki patiently explained, "This is a technique unique to the Second Tsuchikage. It's completely different from a regular clone."
"After using the Fission Technique, his chakra divides evenly—both halves are real bodies. However, after splitting, he can no longer use Dust Release, and his strength drops significantly. Hurry and seal him before he gets away! (*Ӧ)σ"
"Got it!" Kitsuchi shouted and sprinted off.
But then, another ninja yelled, "Look! The Second Tsuchikage just summoned a coffin!"
"An Edo Tensei ninja using Edo Tensei himself?!"
"No—wait! It's the person controlling him!"
"Hold up! The coffin's opening!"
"Hey, that person inside... he looks familiar! (≖╻≖;)"
"Red armor... long hair..."
"Madara!!"
"Uchiha Madara!!! It's Madara-sama!!! (๑ʘ̅ д ʘ̅๑)!!!"
...
A few seconds earlier—
Mū's split body, under Kabuto's control, performed the Summoning Technique.
"Whoosh—"
A grayish-brown coffin rose from the ground.
"Click." The lid creaked open, revealing none other than Uchiha Madara inside.
Madara blinked in confusion, glancing down at his own body.
"Edo Tensei... so I've been revived? Who did this?"
The Second Tsuchikage answered, "It was me."
Madara immediately recognized that Mū was being controlled and didn't bother asking further. Instead, his gaze shifted toward the massive Allied Shinobi Forces ahead.
"How many are there?"
Kabuto, speaking through Mū, replied, "Counting only those still combat-capable, roughly five to six thousand."
Madara's eyes narrowed. "If you've revived me through Edo Tensei... what about Hashirama?"
Kabuto responded, "No. Due to certain... technical limitations."
He had resurrected Uchiha Madara because he knew Madara despised Konoha—and likely the entire shinobi world as well.
Even without direct control, Madara would naturally turn his power against the Allied Forces.
But Senju Hashirama was a different story. If left uncontrolled, he would destroy Kabuto in an instant. If controlled but still conscious, one mistake could mean Kabuto's death all the same.
Kabuto continued, "I've made special modifications to your Edo Tensei body, so your current strength... actually surpasses your prime. ୧⍢⃝୨"
Madara's lips curved slightly. "You've seen my prime before?"
Kabuto admitted, "No... but please, allow me the honor of witnessing it now.（ --0027▿ --0027 ）"
Madara gave a faint nod. He said nothing more. Standing alone against thousands of enemy shinobi, he spoke in a deep, commanding voice—
"So... who among you wishes to dance with me?"
With that, he leapt forward—his foot slamming into the nearest shinobi, sending the man flying!
And then began the taijutsu spectacle—one man against an army.
Minutes later, seemingly bored of simple hand-to-hand combat, Madara jumped back, forming hand seals.
"Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!!"
"Whoosh!!!"
Flames erupted from his mouth, igniting into a roaring inferno that swept across the entire battlefield!
The firestorm expanded wildly, engulfing everything in sight until the whole desert blazed like hell itself.
The Allied Shinobi Forces: (๑ʘ̅ д ʘ̅๑)!!!,ヽ( ຶ▮ ຶ)ﾉ!!!,Σ(っ °Д °;)っ
"I've never seen a Fire Release this powerful!"
"So this is the man who once fought the God of Shinobi... terrifying!"
"This isn't the time to talk! Think about how we're going to survive!"
At that moment of panic, the Second Division Commander, Kitsuchi, roared,
"All Water Style users—release water, now!"
In an instant, thousands of ninja unleashed Water Release jutsu.
The flood met the flames, and the entire desert battlefield filled with thick, boiling steam!
The sheer power of one man's ninjutsu eclipsed that of hundreds—no, thousands of shinobi.
Finally, the flames began to fade...
But no one dared relax. Before them stood the true demon of the battlefield.
As the Second Division braced themselves, filled with dread and tension—
A voice shouted, "Look up!!"
Everyone glanced toward the sky—and froze.
Above them, the heavens had turned black.
"Why is it so dark all of a sudden?! (‧_‧?)"
"That's not darkness... it's a meteor!!! (Φ皿Φ)"
"A meteor big enough to cover the entire battlefield!!! ヽ( ຶ▮ ຶ)ﾉ!!!"