Chapter 119: The Alliance
"This isn't just a rabble anymore!" Naruto's voice, full of fighting spirit, echoed across the field. "What you're seeing now is the Ninja Allied Forces Technique! The most amazing, best, and strongest ninjutsu in history!"
All the Allied Shinobi gathered behind him, the light of hope flickering in their eyes.
Renji, standing on a rock, glanced at them. In reality, they were still a rabble. A rabble that was about to die terribly.
"Ninja Allied Forces?" Uchiha Madara stood atop the Ten-Tails, arms crossed, his eyes filled with disdain.
Hasumi Maki, standing beside him, nodded in approval. "One Tailed Beast Bomb from the Ten-Tails will make them behave."
Madara glanced at Hasumi Maki. He found this ninja... disgusting. He couldn't pinpoint why, but he felt a deep sense of revulsion.
"We will use this ninjutsu to stop you!" Naruto's confidence was unshaken.
"Wrong!" Obito shouted. "Even if you succeed, it means nothing! Why don't you understand? This move will fall apart after the war! Some of you will repeat our mistakes! There is no hope in this world!"
Hasumi Maki watched Obito, amused. 'Losing his composure. Arguing with Naruto. In a sense, Naruto has already won.'
Naruto, as if injected with a stimulant, just laughed. "No matter what you say, I firmly believe that hope definitely exists!"
"What's the point of arguing about hope during wartime?" Madara interrupted, annoyed by Obito's sudden chattiness. "Let's finish this quickly."
"When opinions differ, the minority should follow the majority!" Naruto said, focusing on Obito. "What do you say?"
"Good idea," Obito seethed, enraged by Naruto's stubbornness. "Then I'll just eliminate each and every one of you!"
"This world, I must protect it!" Naruto declared.
"This world, I must destroy it!" Obito's voice overlapped his.
"Everyone, charge!"
With a roar, the Allied Shinobi Forces surged toward the Ten-Tails. At the same moment, Shikaku's calm voice resounded in everyone's minds, his final, meticulously devised strategy.
"First, we must use a diversion to destroy its vision!"
The Kumogakure ninja acted instantly. "Lightning Release: Lightning Pillar!"
A dazzling, intense white light erupted, blinding the Ten-Tails.
"Earth Release: Earth Core Tremor!" the Iwagakure ninja shouted, and the ground beneath the Ten-Tails sank, forming a huge deep pit.
"Lava Release: Quicklime Congealing Technique!"
"Fire Release: Great Flame Technique!"
Countless tons of cement poured down, instantly baked hard by searing flames, sealing the Ten-Tails in place.
"Unbelievable," Madara remarked, unimpressed. "How can the Five Villages cooperate so perfectly?"
"Nothing unbelievable about it," Hasumi Maki said nonchalantly. "If they don't cooperate, they'll all die. If we faced a stronger enemy, perhaps we could cooperate with them just as perfectly."
Madara stared at him. His words were truly disgusting.
"To catch the bandits, first catch their leader!" Darui said to Naruto.
"Seize this time to attack!" Shikaku's voice urged. "Attacks other than taijutsu are ineffective against Madara! Obito's phasing only lasts for five minutes! As for Hasumi Maki... I'm leaving him to you, Renji!"
The connection was cut.
All the ninja poured out. Renji stood unmoving on his rock.
Shikaku had calculated everything, but he hadn't calculated Renji's true identity. And... they had all underestimated the Ten-Tails.
The Ten-Tails evolved, sprouting countless giant hands from its tails. The allied forces were knocked away like flies. It hadn't been sealed; it had just been accumulating power.
Hasumi Maki crouched, his hand resting on the Ten-Tails's head. Its soul connected with his, and the agitated beast quieted.
Madara and Obito looked at him, stunned.
"It was a bit disobedient," Hasumi Maki smiled. "I just made it quiet down." His voice then echoed across the battlefield. "The people scheming behind your backs are very annoying. Seize this opportunity and say goodbye to them!"
The Tailed Beast Bomb in the Ten-Tails's mouth shot toward the horizon.
...
In the Allied Forces Command Center.
"Shikaku, what should we do?" Inoichi Yamanaka asked calmly, sensing the incoming attack.
"Do what you need to do," Shikaku replied. "This is the last job. Connect me to everyone on the battlefield! I've come up with a plan to stop the Ten-Tails!"
"Father..." Ino's voice, full of tears, was heard over the connection.
"Father!" Shikamaru clenched his fists, gritting his teeth.
A loud explosion erupted in the distance.
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +5,000,000!]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +5,000,000!]
[Chakra (347,900,000 / 400,000,000)]
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +5,000,000!]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +5,000,000!]
[Chakra (353,900,000 / 400,000,000)]
...
A feast of Cursed Energy.
"It hit," Hasumi Maki stood up. "Now the Allied Forces' leadership is finished, too."
He looked at Madara. "Don't look at me like that. I'm not like Nagato or Obito. I'm on your side. I must personally witness the Moon's Eye Plan!"
Madara averted his gaze.
The Ten-Tails's hands struck out again.
"Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven!" Hyuga Hiashi and Hyuga Hizashi stood in front of Naruto.
"Don't space out, Naruto! You are the key to this war!"
"Protect Naruto!" Hinata stood beside Neji, blocking in front of her cousin.
Renji watched from a distance, aware of Shikaku's final plan. He did nothing to stop it.
Hasumi Maki, atop the Ten-Tails, suddenly froze. His main body had conveyed instructions. How malicious. He liked it.
Hasumi Maki leaped from the Ten-Tails's head and vanished.
Shikamaru caught the movement and shouted, "Hasumi Maki is on the move! Renji, we need you to restrain him!"
He froze. Renji merely glanced at him indifferently before shifting his gaze away, like a spectator.
A huge sense of unease surged in Shikamaru's heart.
"Protect Uzumaki Naruto?" Hasumi Maki's voice appeared. He was suddenly standing between Hinata and Neji, his hands gently placing themselves on their cheeks. "Just you two?"
He had appeared instantly because the main body had left a Flying Thunder God mark on each of their cloaks.
"No! Hinata! Neji!" Naruto's eyes were splitting.
In the next instant, Hinata and Neji's forms twisted, transforming into roaring beasts.They lunged at Naruto, catching him off guard and slamming him to the ground—his own comrades tearing into his flesh. Yet, even then, he couldn't bring himself to kill them.
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +10,000,000!]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +10,000,000!]
[Chakra (363,150,000 / 400,000,000)]
"Your hatred is nothing more than this," Hasumi Maki smiled, and vanished.
"Didn't you say you'd never let your comrades be killed, Naruto?" Obito's voice came. "But look around you. Experience their despairing death. Your reckless ideals will all become lies. Come to my side. In the dream, your comrades will not die."
Naruto slowly stood up. He entered Nine-Tailed Mode again, and countless clones fanned out across the battlefield, sharing their chakra. Soon, a layer of red Nine-Tailed Chakra ignited on every single shinobi.
Including Renji.
Looking at the chakra enveloping him, Renji couldn't help but laugh. "Thank you, Naruto."
"I will protect everyone, Renji!" Naruto smiled.
Renji nodded. "I believe you."
'Hopefully, he can keep saying that.'
This was Shikaku's final plan. As the Ten-Tails's attack stopped, the Nara clan used their shadows to hold it, and Ino Yamanaka dived into Obito's mind to disrupt his control.
"Let me lend you a hand," Hasumi Maki said, returning to the Ten-Tails's head and leaving his own chakra in its soul. The beast roared, easily breaking the Shadow Paralysis, and condensed a massive Tailed Beast Ball.
Renji looked into the distance. A familiar chakra was approaching.
"This chakra!" Madara suddenly became excited. "That's right! Hashirama!" He leaped off the Ten-Tails, landing on a rock to wait.
'Obito went to find Kakashi in the Kamui dimension, Madara went to find Hashirama. In the end, it's just me and you,' Hasumi Maki thought, looking down on the army.
The Tailed Beast Ball hurtled toward the Allied Forces. Their barriers shattered like paper. Everyone closed their eyes, waiting for death.
But a figure rushed forward, transforming into the Eight-Tails. "Killer Bee!"
Sakura frantically healed Naruto, who watched in horror as Bee struggled to hold back the blast. Suddenly, Naruto turned to Sakura.
"Renji... why isn't Renji making a move?"
Sakura was startled. She followed his gaze and saw Renji, standing motionless in the distance, like a statue.
"Is... is he being controlled?" Sakura muttered.
Suddenly, the Tailed Beast Ball vanished.
A figure appeared in front of Naruto, tall and upright, a Hokage robe flapping in the wind.
"Am I late?" Minato Namikaze turned his head.
"No!" Naruto's eyes filled with light. "You're just in time... Dad!"
Sakura was stunned. 'Dad?'
"I am Minato Namikaze," he said. "And it's about to explode."
A moment later, a massive wave from an explosion on the distant sea washed over the battlefield.
"It's the Lord Fourth Hokage!"
"We're saved!"
"Thank you for healing Naruto," Minato said, his gaze falling on Sakura. "Are you Naruto's girlfriend?"
Naruto pouted, then nodded. "That's right!"
"Don't talk nonsense!" Sakura punched him on the head.
"Minato, you're still so fast!" Hiruzen Sarutobi appeared, followed by Senju Tobirama and Senju Hashirama. The former Hokage had arrived.
"But who used the Edo Tensei?" a ninja asked.
"Orochimaru," Hiruzen replied, his gaze falling on the battlefield. When his eyes fell on Renji, then on Hasumi Maki, doubt appeared. 'Two Renjis?'
"There are more reinforcements behind us!" Naruto suddenly said with a smile.
A dark shadow landed in front of them. It was Sasuke.
"You're too late, Sasuke," Naruto grinned.
"Why is Sasuke here?" Sakura's joy vanished, replaced by vigilance. The rest of the Konoha 11, who had just arrived, also tensed.
"It's a long story," Sasuke said expressionlessly. "In short, I came specifically to stop Renji."
The air solidified.
"Why?" Sakura was the first to break the silence.
Sasuke didn't answer immediately. He looked at Renji in the distance, a complex light flickering in his eyes.
"It seems," he said, turning back to them, "you really know nothing about him."
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