These Reanimation resurrected shinobi were none other than legendary figures from each of the villages.
Among them were elite jōnin like Kinkaku and Ginkaku, and even former Kage who had died in past wars. Their appearance dealt a massive psychological blow to the Allied Shinobi Forces.
"Isn't that the Second Hokage from the mural? How is he here? And the Second Mizukage from Kirigakure too. I clearly remember the Second Hokage and the Second Mizukage perishing together decades ago."
Before long, shinobi from Kirigakure and Iwagakure recognized their respective Second Kage among the crowd. Compared to the others, the Second Tsuchikage wrapped in bandages and the mustached Second Mizukage were unmistakable.
Hearing the cries from the crowd, Ōnoki, Terumī Mei, and Zabuza all had a visible shift in expression. They had expected difficult enemies under Madara Uchiha's command, but not that they would be their own predecessors.
In hindsight, it made sense. Madara himself was a resurrected shinobi. If even Madara could return, it was only natural that previous Kage could be brought back as well. But now, they had to face their former leaders in battle.
Seeing the Allied Forces across from them, the Second Tsuchikage and Second Mizukage seemed momentarily stunned.
After dying together on the battlefield, they had both moved on to the Pure Land. It had only been recently, after being revived by the masked man, that they had begun trying to understand the current state of the shinobi world.
Now, they suddenly realized that the Five Great Shinobi Villages had formed an alliance—and they were standing as its enemy. This realization made them question their very existence.
"Third Raikage-sama! Why are you here!"
After spotting the Second Mizukage and Second Tsuchikage, the shinobi from Kumogakure also noticed the Third Raikage among the crowd. This Kage-level powerhouse, known for fighting tailed beasts in hand-to-hand combat, looked utterly bewildered.
He should be dead, killed in Iwagakure's siege. These past few days he had met many familiar, deceased faces, assuming this was another version of the Pure Land. That shinobi who bore a strong resemblance to him—surely that was his son.
Did his son die in the war too and come to the Pure Land?
The Fourth Raikage also noticed the Third. He stood still, brows furrowed, unsure if he should go and speak to him. Would showing any weakness hurt his prestige as Raikage?
Similar situations kept unfolding among the Allied Forces. More and more shinobi discovered their loved ones and friends had been resurrected through Reanimation jutsu.
This meant their next enemies would be those closest to their hearts.
Thinking this, the Allied shinobi looked toward Madara Uchiha with conflicted expressions. His methods were far too vile. To even conceive of such a cruel strategy was unthinkable.
Regardless of victory or defeat in the upcoming tournament-style battles, the emotional toll would be unbearable.
Madara, however, felt slightly wronged. He glanced toward Byakuya as if to say, "You're the one who started the Fourth Shinobi World War. It was also you who decided on using tournaments to determine the outcome."
Byakuya smirked, activating his chakra ring to send a message, "Madara, don't you think this is interesting? Using the past Five Kage against the current Five Kage… Let's see if the next generation has truly surpassed the old."
Madara didn't disagree. He too found the idea intriguing.
Before launching the Infinite Tsukuyomi, he had no issue playing this little war game. It also gave him the chance to vie for control over the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path with Byakuya.
Though both of them aimed to resurrect the Ten Tails, the Rinnegan was still in Byakuya's hands. If he managed to fuse with the Ten Tails and become its jinchūriki, there would be no guarantee that the Infinite Tsukuyomi plan could be realized.
Moreover, Madara was unwilling to leave his fate in Byakuya's hands.
Thinking this, Madara replied with chakra, "Do as you wish. The tailed beasts are still being gathered anyway. But when do you plan to reveal your identity and strike at the Five Kage?"
Byakuya answered coolly, "When the time is right. Oh, and based on my intel, some of my rogue subordinates have resurrected a few rather impressive individuals. Interested in them?"
Upon hearing this, Madara seemed to recall something and replied, "I already told you—do as you please. No matter who gets resurrected, I don't care. I haven't fought those guys in ages. Let's see who's stronger now."
After the commotion in the crowd settled, Byakuya and Madara stepped forward to restore order.
Under the control of Reanimation, the resurrected shinobi's eyes slowly dimmed, becoming mere puppets. Only when the tournament began would their consciousness be restored.
(AN: Author is using both terms for the Jutsu, e.g., Reanimation and Impure World Reincarnation. So I am also using both.)
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Several minutes later, after rough arrangements were made, the tournament officially began.
As expected by the Allied Forces, every shinobi who participated ended up facing their most troublesome opponent, formidable in strength and bound by bonds of kinship or friendship.
Seeing this, Byakuya, as the leader of the Allied Forces, couldn't help but frown.
As the tournament started, the Reanimated shinobi gradually regained their consciousness. Though they could still fight with about 50-60% of their strength while mindless, full power could only be achieved with their wills restored.
The Fourth Raikage's opponent was, naturally, the Third Raikage. After regaining his mind, the Third gradually came to understand the current state of the shinobi world.
Faced with Madara, who posed a threat to the entire world, all the villages had united. Even old enemies like Iwagakure were now allies of Kumogakure. For someone like him, who had long been focused on expanding power, this was hard to accept.
However, every generation faces its own unique challenges.
As a father and former Raikage, all he could do now was test his son's strength with fists.
Thinking this, he looked at the Fourth Raikage and shouted, "Ae, don't hold back! Treat me as your true enemy. I'll also go all out to test how far your training has taken you!"
"Yes, Father!"
Before the words had even faded, the Fourth Raikage activated his Lightning Release Chakra Mode and charged at his father. The speed of both was so fast their figures were nearly invisible.
Spectators could only see afterimages in the air and marvel at the sheer power of the Kage. But to Madara, the speed and taijutsu of the Raikage were unimpressive. They met the minimum standard, but in all other aspects, they were leagues below him and Byakuya.
To him, reckless brutes who relied solely on brute force could be neutralized with a single genjutsu.
Byakuya, on the other hand, wasn't bothered. He was more interested in figuring out how to bring these Reanimated shinobi under the Akatsuki's control, further boosting his own strength.
If the two Raikage symbolized the pinnacle of taijutsu in the shinobi world, then the battle between Ōnoki and the Second Tsuchikage undoubtedly represented the highest level of ninjutsu.
Both of them had mastered Dust Release through relentless training—a kekkei tōta that surpassed kekkei genkai, with devastating destructive power.
No kekkei genkai in the Shinobi World could compare to kekkei tōta. Not even the Wood Release used by the First Hokage, because the truly powerful one was the First Hokage himself, not the Wood Release.
After evading Ōnoki's Dust Release, the Second Tsuchikage hovered in midair. He looked at Ōnoki and spoke in a faint tone, "Ōnoki, I didn't expect you to be this old already. Even your speed has dropped noticeably. If you can't defeat me quickly, you might die in this battle. You have to find a flaw in my technique—don't give me a chance to dodge."
"Yes, Second Sensei..."
Faced with his old teacher's instruction, Ōnoki was momentarily brought back to that summer when he learned Dust Release under the Second Tsuchikage. While he had now surpassed his teacher in mastering Dust Release, he still had many shortcomings in other areas.
His speed was simply too slow. While it outmatched more than half the jōnin, it was a fatal flaw in a battle between Kage-level powerhouses. There was nothing he could do about it—he was simply too old. The only reason he could still fight at this level was thanks to long years of careful physical upkeep.
Byakuya also turned his gaze toward Ōnoki, a clear vision of Ōnoki's future flashing through his mind.
Ōnoki would be the primary damage dealer in the Five Kage vs. Madara Uchiha battle and was currently the strongest of the Five Kage. Unfortunately, such a formidable Tsuchikage would ultimately die in the internal strife of Iwagakure.
Madara was also quite intrigued by both Ōnoki and the Second Tsuchikage.
Back then, just before the first Five Kage Summit, he had taught both of them a lesson. At the time, neither had particularly strong abilities, yet now they were showing strength that could even threaten him.
If he had a physical body right now, even using Susano'o, he would have to be careful when facing these two.
After all, Dust Release was simply too destructive. But in his current state as an Edo Tensei body, Dust Release posed almost no real threat to him.
Compared to the serious tone of the Iwa and Kumo battlefields, the Kirigakure arena was filled with a much more relaxed atmosphere.
The Second Mizukage was one of the strongest Mizukage in the history of Kirigakure. Not only was he an expert in assassination, but he also possessed extremely high proficiency in both genjutsu and ninjutsu.
Upon seeing that the challenger was none other than Zabuza of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, he intentionally started to go easy. While explaining his own weaknesses aloud for Zabuza to hear, he asked, "Hey, you with the Executioner's Blade—your strength isn't bad, but you shouldn't be qualified to be Mizukage. Who's the current Mizukage of Kirigakure? Why hasn't that person shown up yet?"
Zabuza swung his blade at the Second Mizukage, slashing through the illusion. He responded, "Second-sama, Kirigakure no longer has a Mizukage. Right now, the village is ruled in turns by various elders. I'm currently the third elder. But the one everyone truly trusts is Master Genji."
"Genji? That old geezer is still alive?"
The Second Mizukage frowned, and while forming hand seals to summon a miniature clone, he explained, "Zabuza, this is my secret technique—Steaming Danger Tyranny. Since you're an Elite of Kirigakure, you should know its power. Be careful. Don't get yourself killed."
Before he even finished speaking, the clone had already approached Zabuza, its body swelling rapidly, and then exploded.
Boom!
The clone burst into a wave of intense heat that swept in all directions. The temperature of the steam exceeded natural limits, easily scalding or even killing any nearby shinobi.
Faced with this assault, even the modified Zabuza had no choice but to retreat from the arena.
The next fighter to enter the arena was Haku from Amegakure. As soon as he appeared, ice crystals began forming in the air, and the temperature in the arena dropped by several degrees. Even the mist in the air began to condense.
Haku rapidly formed hand seals and, with the power of the Cursed Seal, launched an attack on the Second Mizukage.
Seeing such a large-scale Ice Release technique, the Second Mizukage's expression grew solemn.
At last, a capable youth from Kirigakure. And from the Yuki clan, no less. It seemed that Kirigakure still needed bloodline-limit shinobi to compete with the other villages.
He couldn't help wondering how the bloodline clans were faring in the current Kirigakure—had they managed to integrate successfully?
Of course, if any shinobi from Kirigakure could hear the Second Mizukage's thoughts, they'd likely find them bittersweet at best. After multiple purges, the village barely had a few bloodline-limit shinobi left.
Thanks to Sunagakure's "excellent tradition", the Suna arena was the only one where no Reanimated shinobi participated.
After all, most of their powerful shinobi had either been turned into puppets or repurposed in other ways. They never even made it to burial, thus avoiding the curse of Edo Tensei entirely.
And the combatants in the Sunagakure arena were old acquaintances.
The Fifth Kazekage Sasori of the Red Sand, versus the Fourth Kazekage Rasa. Their battle was a familiar Magnet Release civil war, as they clashed with iron sand and gold dust across the arena. However, unlike the other arenas, both sides held back.
Though one was a Kage and the other a missing-nin, they were in fact both members of the same organization and shared a vision of elevating Sunagakure's status.
After all, without the threat of the Fourth Kazekage, Sasori wouldn't have been able to manipulate the Wind Daimyō so easily.
Regardless of the outcome of this war, Sunagakure would ultimately emerge as the true victor. This was the benefit of betting on both sides—Suna would rise above once and for all.
Meanwhile, on the Konohagakure arena.
As the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade did not face any of the previous Hokage. Her opponent was merely an elite jōnin, who didn't seem particularly strong.
This was good news for Konoha—it meant that none of their past Hokage had been desecrated. Tsunade wouldn't need to bear the pressure of fighting her predecessors.
Because truthfully, all of Konoha's former Hokage were excessively powerful.
Tsunade had no confidence in defeating any of the First through Fourth Hokage. Facing any one of them would have ended in disaster.
Yet, upon seeing her current opponent, Tsunade hesitated in a rare moment of emotional turmoil.
Her opponent, though possessing only the chakra of an elite jōnin, was none other than her former lover, Dan Kato.