Facing Uchiha Madara, a man who had long since become legend, Shisui followed Kagami's signal and activated his strongest genjutsu without hesitation
Kotoamatsukami.
For a moment, it seemed to work.
Madara's Susanoo began to collapse layer by layer. His eyes closed, and his steps came to a halt.
"Did it work…?"
Moments later, Madara's eyes slowly opened again. A wide, almost theatrical grin spread across his face.
"A genjutsu that rewrites another person's will?" he said with open delight.
"What a magnificent surprise. If not for the lingering will of the caster anchoring this Edo Tensei body, I might actually have fallen for it."
His gaze sharpened.
"Tell me, can you use it again?"
"As expected… it wouldn't be that easy," Kagami thought grimly.
"So, we're doing this the hard way."
"Kamui!" Obito called out sharply.
Madara's smile faded. He tilted his head slightly to the right as the armor around his left shoulder warped and vanished.
"Another eye with space-time abilities?" he muttered.
"Amaterasu." Fugaku's voice was low and steady.
Kagami froze for half a second, then his face lit up.
"Fugaku, when did you awaken?"
Black flames erupted across Madara's upper body. Madara glanced down at them, brows knitting slightly.
"Shinra Tensei."
The inextinguishable flames were blasted into the ground before him. Madara looked up again, clearly displeased.
"One after another… such tedious abilities."
His eyes reverted fully to the Mangekyō Sharingan as his hands blurred through seals.
"Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"
The signature technique roared from his mouth, empowered by the Mangekyō. The sea of fire expanded dozens of times beyond its normal scale, sealing off every possible escape route for the surrounding Uchiha.
Kagami, however, remained calm. He formed the same seals.
"Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"
Two massive infernos collided head-on, tearing each other apart in a violent explosion. Flames spread uncontrollably, engulfing the Uchiha ancestral grounds in a blazing ring of fire.
From behind the flames, Madara paused then scoffed.
"Lord Madara," Kagami said evenly,
"those of us with ordinary Mangekyō Sharingan do, at times, envy the younger generation and their special abilities."
"Envy?" Madara snapped.
"The power of the eyes means nothing. What matters is who wields them!"
"Susanoo!"
The fully manifested Tengu-form Susanoo once again towered over the battlefield.
"Allow me to teach you," Madara declared,
"The true way the Mangekyō Sharingan is meant to be used!"
Kagami looked up, his expression grave.
"Elders—Yunchu (Fugaku's eldest son) go assist the Senju front. This battle is beyond your reach. Do not request reinforcements from Konoha. At this distance, Hiashi's Byakugan can already see everything."
The two Uchiha elders hesitated.
Kagami's eyes hardened. His Mangekyō spun, and a pale blue Susanoo rose around him.
"Go. Now!"
Obito and the others activated their Susanoo as well.
Two red giants and two blue ones surrounded Madara's colossal form from all sides.
Madara glanced around, clearly pleased.
"One against four?" he said with a chuckle.
"Now I'm starting to feel a bit excited. As for the three who ran off… let them keep that man busy."
Senju Ancestral Grounds
A brutal six-on-six battle raged here and it had already claimed lives.
The six Senju had traded three of their own, two gravely wounded, one dead to eliminate three of the Six Paths of Pain.
Fortunately, one of the fallen Paths was the Naraka Path, capable of restoration.
Unfortunately, the Deva Path remained completely unscathed.
On one side of the battlefield, Daoyama unleashed overwhelming Water Style techniques, forcing back a grotesque multi-headed hound that only grew stronger the more it was struck. As he attempted to disengage, a massive rhinoceros slammed into him, driving him back and tightening the pressure.
On the opposite side, Nawaki struggled desperately against the Deva Path.
Behind him lay two severely wounded Senju jōnin, unconscious and defenseless. Forced to protect them, Nawaki relied on massive Earth Style barriers, burning through his chakra at an alarming rate.
Meanwhile, the newly thirteen-year-old Senju Itachi handled the Asura Path with surprising composure. However, the enemy's ability to absorb chakra meant that his Wood Release, still immature couldn't secure a quick victory.
Nawaki's chest heaved as he focused on the Deva Path, then glanced back at the injured behind him.
"This is bad… their wounds can't wait. I need to summon Katsuyu somehow. That guy's techniques seem to have about a five-second gap between uses"
His eyes widened.
"Five seconds?!"
"Banshō Ten'in!"
Nawaki's shoulders dropped as his feet left the ground, his body dragged forward.
"Damn it!"
He caught sight of the black receiver in the Deva Path's hand and forced himself to calm down, hardening his skin with Earth chakra.
"As long as it's not a vital hit… I can counter"
Just as they were about to collide at point-blank range, a massive shadow fell from above and behind the Deva Path.
With the Six Paths sharing vision, the Deva Path saw the incoming figure through the Summoning Path's eyes.
His brow furrowed.
"Shinra Tensei!"
Nawaki's Earth armor shattered instantly. He spat blood as he was blasted backward.
The descending figure, however, only stalled for a moment.
A flush of red spread across her face before it was overtaken by dense blue markings. She forced herself through the repulsion, suspended midair by sheer will.
"Shinra Tensei!!" the Deva Path roared, increasing the force.
"Repel this!" the figure snarled.
Her entire face turned blue as her fist crashed down.
The Deva Path was obliterated in silence, crushed into the ground. The earth fractured outward in layers, the shockwave upheaving everything within a hundred-meter radius.
The figure straightened. The blue markings faded, revealing Tsunade's fierce expression.
She exhaled slowly.
"Sage Mode really is a pain," she muttered.
"That bastard looks just like the one who attacked Konoha and nearly killed Nawaki back then. I never expected him to show up at the ancestral grounds… Good thing I remembered today was the memorial ceremony."
She glanced at Nawaki, who had struggled back to his feet and was staring at her in stunned relief. She waved him off.
"We'll catch up later."
Turning sharply, she called out,
"Shizune! Get over here and treat them, now! I'll take care of the remaining two!"
"Yes, Lady Tsunade!" Shizune replied, rushing over with her pig tucked under one arm.
Two Kilometers Away... Forested Mountains
A young man with twin topknots sighed deeply.
"What a hassle… I didn't expect Senju Tsunade to appear now. I'd hoped to stay out of this."
He paused, then smirked faintly.
"Still, it's manageable. Uzumaki Akio is in the Land of Whirlpools. He won't make it back anytime soon."
Konoha Village, Hokage's Office
Veins bulged around Hiashi Hyuga's eyes as he extended his Byakugan, observing both battlefields from afar.
The door opened as Hiruzen Sarutobi stepped in, having just dispatched Hatake Sakumo with an elite rescue squad.
"What's the situation?"
"The Uchiha side is clearer," Hiashi replied.
"Elder Kagami and the others aren't in immediate danger. The Senju battlefield is farther out, I can only see that Tsunade has arrived."
"Tsunade's back…" Hiruzen exhaled softly, relief mixed with concern.
Then his expression grew complicated.
"A fourth Mangekyō Sharingan among the Uchiha…"
"Uchiha Fugaku, was it?"
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