Nonō understood Orochimaru's meaning, and her face flushed red with embarrassment.
The Flying Thunder God Technique mark, once engraved—was permanent. It could be called the mark of death when placed on an enemy.
But when inscribed on oneself, it became a mark of protection?
And engraved in any position…?
Did that mean it could be placed on… anywhere?
Curiously, she glanced at Tsunade in the distance.
For some reason, she suddenly wanted to know where hers was located.
Looking back at the lifelike butterfly on Mikoto's waist, she found herself feeling a little tempted.
The butterfly looked much better than the standard Anbu tattoo…
—
While Orochimaru and Nonō carried on their casual conversation, Madara's irritation grew.
But right now, he was fighting two opponents at once, and dealing with them wasn't easy.
Now, with Chōmei (Seven-Tails) joining the fray, his situation became even more complicated.
Glancing between the Gedō Mazō, which was rapidly regenerating, and the Chōmei, which was circling above, waiting for an opening to strike, Madara had a nagging sense that something wasn't right.
But in the midst of battle, he had no time to think further.
—
Roar!
The Gedō Mazō's recovery was complete, and it let out another monstrous roar.
Seeing this, Madara smirked and clasped his hands together.
"Let's deal with this tailed beast first."
"Fūinjutsu: Gedo Kain!" (Binding Chains of the Outer Path!)
A chain of pure chakra shot from the Gedō Mazō's mouth, moving at lightning speed.
Before Chōmei could react, the chain wrapped tightly around its neck!
The captured beast struggled violently, its wings flapping wildly.
But this was the ultimate seal designed specifically to suppress tailed beasts.
Escape was impossible.
Slowly, but inevitably, Chōmei was dragged toward the gaping maw of the Gedō Mazō.
And just like that.
The final tailed beast was sealed.
Now, the Gedō Mazō contained all nine tailed beasts—completing its transformation into the most perfect vessel for the Ten-Tails.
A deafening roar erupted from the massive creature.
Its body pulsed with raw power as it began its evolution toward the Ten-Tails.
And at the same time.
A surge of Yin-Yang Release chakra gathered in its mouth.
—
"That's…"
Tsunade's eyes narrowed.
"A Bijūdama?!"
The moment the Gedō Mazō finished regenerating, it had already begun charging its attack.
The Jūbi's Bijūdama wasn't a perfect sphere like those of ordinary tailed beasts.
Instead, it took on the form of an elongated fruit.
Not only was it more powerful than a standard Bijūdama, but it also condensed much faster.
And unlike typical Bijūdama, which traveled in straight lines.
This one followed a parabolic trajectory.
Whoosh!
Before anyone could react, the attack was already launched.
The terrifyingly dense energy curved through the air, headed straight for Mikoto.
But Mikoto was fast.
She immediately controlled her Susanoo, raising its sword in defense.
"Yata no Tsurugi!" (Yata Mirror Blade!)
With a single slash, the Bijūdama split in two!
The fragmented energy scattered in all directions, creating countless small explosions throughout the battlefield.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Mikoto quickly scanned the area.
"At least there are no allies nearby."
She stole a glance toward the Five Kage's position.
That area had been cleared beforehand, none of the Kage, their subordinates, or the elite spectators were within range.
And Namikaze Minato stood in front of them, ready to shield them from any remaining energy.
As for the other four Kage, their combined strength would be enough to withstand the scattered shockwaves.
But—
With the Ten-Tails now present on the battlefield, Madara's burden was significantly reduced.
Combining its raw power with his own Susanoo and Rinnegan abilities, he became an even greater threat.
This battle…
This battle was shaping up to be just as legendary as the one at the Valley of the End.
"Hmph… how troublesome."
Madara sneered.
"Let's see the true power of the Rinnegan."
Standing atop his Susanoo, he lifted his gaze to the sky.
His Rinnegan glowed with ominous energy.
And then.
"Tengai Shinsei!" (Heavenly Obstruction Meteor!)
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A deep, earth-shaking rumble echoed through the sky.
Everyone instinctively turned their eyes upward.
For now, nothing could be seen in the darkening sky.
But they felt it.
Something massive was approaching.
A crushing pressure filled the battlefield.
A suffocating weight bore down on everyone.
"What… is this?"
The Kage looked at each other, shock written all over their faces.
"This oppressive feeling… it's unreal."
Both Tsunade and Mikoto felt a sense of dread creeping in.
And then, the source of the noise finally revealed itself.
Breaking through the evening clouds.
A colossal meteorite, several kilometers in diameter, came crashing down.
"Impossible…"
The flaming mass illuminated the sky, a terrifying spectacle against the encroaching night.
The sheer heat from its descent burned the air itself.
"Is this a joke?!"
"No way…"
"This guy Madara is insane…!"
Realization hit hard.
This wasn't just going to affect Madara's enemies.
This meteorite was so massive that everyone on the battlefield was in danger.
"We can't just stand by! We have to stop it before it lands!"
"Agreed!"
"Let's move—together!"
For once, even the stubborn Ōnoki agreed without hesitation.
Everyone knew.
No single person could stop this alone.
Summoning a meteorite in battle…?
This was beyond insane.
The Five Kage prepared to intercept.
But one voice cut through their panicked discussion.
"You four, trap the Ten-Tails with Shisekiyōjin (Four Red Yang Formation).
"Leave the meteorite to us."
The voice was calm.
So relaxed that it almost sounded like the situation wasn't urgent at all.
Everyone froze.
They knew this voice.
"Orochimaru…?"
"Telepathy?"
Minato instantly recognized the technique.
It was similar to the Yamanaka clan's Shindenshin no Jutsu (Mind Transmission Technique).
But now was not the time to question it.
The Kage exchanged glances.
Then, without hesitation, they nodded to one another.
The Raikage and Ōnoki moved to one side.
Minato and Rasa took the other.
They sprinted toward the Ten-Tails.
Because at this moment, they had no choice but to believe in Orochimaru.
Orochimaru had planned for Madara's resurrection.
He had planned for Kaguya's return.
And—
He had already accounted for this meteorite.
"Mikoto, fall back."
"Tsunade, hold Madara."
"Got it!"
Mikoto didn't hesitate.
Her Susanoo leaped backward, its wings carrying it to the rear of the battlefield.
At the same time, Orochimaru placed his hand against her back.
Mikoto's eyes widened as a sudden surge of power filled her body.
"Orochimaru-sama… this is…?"
Orochimaru smirked.
"Synchronization."
"Isn't fusing Susanoo interesting?"
Mikoto's lips curled into a playful smile.
"Very interesting indeed."
At the same time, Susanoo moved on its own, reaching back and detaching a specially modified rocket launcher from its back.