Hyuga Gakuya stepped forward once more, positioning himself beside the Allied Shinobi Forces.
"Sasuke, don't you think you've gone too far? End this pointless slaughter."
That technique in the sky—while dramatic—was useless against Kage-level shinobi. At best, it could only kill the ordinary ninja in the alliance.
This wasn't war.
It was a massacre.
"Hyuga Gakuya, I'm fulfilling your original dream! Are you seriously going to stand against me now?" Sasuke snapped, a tangible surge of chakra erupting from his body. "If that's how it's going to be... then I'll just have to kill you too."
Gakuya chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Do you know how I've always described your personality?"
Before Sasuke could respond, Gakuya answered his own question.
"You've never had a clear sense of your own strength. You were like that back then—and you still are now."
"Even if I can't use the Tenseigan at the moment... do you really think you can take us all on?" he said, spreading his arms wide.
At his back, the alliance's strongest gathered.
"Sasuke, your arrogance has always kept you isolated, while mine draws people toward me. That's my charisma. That's the final lesson I teach you on behalf of Uchiha Itachi."
Sasuke's eyes burned with rage.
"Enough preaching, Gakuya! I'm the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki now—my power surpasses yours!"
Gakuya smiled calmly. "Then let's find out. Naruto, Hashirama Senju, Tobirama Senju, Third Raikage—you're with me. We'll bring Sasuke down. Everyone else, focus on saving our forces. Leave him to us."
There was logic behind the selection: Naruto, the main character with his ever-present protagonist's aura; Hashirama, whose Sage Art Wood Release could suppress and slow Sasuke down; Tobirama, with his Flying Thunder God to aid mobility and coordination; and the Third Raikage, the one person among them who could potentially break through a Tailed Beast Bomb with raw power.
Gakuya's Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan flared to life. His Susanoo—a towering azure humanoid—leapt into the sky, brandishing its chakra blade, charging straight for Sasuke.
He didn't intend to go all-out—just enough to stall Sasuke while waiting for Obito and Kabuto to make their next move.
Naruto entered Sage of the Six Paths Mode, transforming into a massive golden Nine-Tails fox, and charged toward Sasuke alongside Gakuya.
Tobirama placed a Flying Thunder God seal on the Third Raikage. An instant later, the Raikage became a bolt of lightning, shooting into the sky toward Sasuke.
Hashirama, meanwhile, used Wood Release to summon a forest of giant trees, trying to bind Sasuke's movements. But Obito shattered them with a single swing of his staff.
Gakuya's Susanoo soared, chakra blade glowing with icy brilliance, aimed straight at Sasuke.
Sasuke snorted, sweeping his own staff forward, releasing a powerful wave of energy to counter.
The golden Nine-Tails roared, launching a blazing Tailed Beast Bomb from its jaws.
Sasuke calmly formed a Truth-Seeking Ball shield, effortlessly absorbing the explosion. The shockwave lit up the sky.
The Third Raikage, streaking through the air like lightning, arrived in an instant. His body crackled with Lightning Release as he thrust his Hell Stab, cloaked in volatile energy, at Sasuke.
Sasuke twisted mid-air, narrowly evading. With a flick of his staff, he aimed to sever the Raikage's arm—only for Tobirama to appear behind him.
In the blink of an eye, Tobirama used the Flying Thunder God to switch positions again, appearing at Sasuke's other side. At such close range, Sasuke barely had time to conjure a thin Truth-Seeking Ball shield on that side.
But it wasn't enough.
Empowered by Gakuya's Sage Mark, the Raikage's Hell Stab had become a true Sage Technique. The devastating force tore through Sasuke's defense and stabbed clean through his shoulder.
Pain seared through Sasuke's body. He immediately directed his Truth-Seeking Ball to crush the Raikage's arm—but Tobirama wasn't about to let that happen.
With another teleport, he whisked the Raikage back to the ground.
Sasuke's counterattack missed its mark entirely.
Their brief engagement created a crucial opening. Hashirama used Wood Release again, summoning colossal vines that coiled around Sasuke like serpentine dragons.
Just as Sasuke raised his staff to cut through the wood, Gakuya's Susanoo blade—infused with Sage chakra—and Naruto's Tailed Beast Bomb descended in perfect unison.
Sasuke had no time to properly defend himself. He leapt away, but both attacks were too fast.
In an instant, the blade sliced through his shoulder, while the enormous Tailed Beast Bomb struck him head-on, engulfing him in a blinding explosion.
Smoke and fire billowed across the battlefield.
Everyone's eyes locked onto the center of the blast, silently wondering—was it over?
...
But a wave of overwhelming chakra surged out of the smoke.
Sasuke emerged, body battered and bloodied, but eyes burning with fury and resolve.
"You insects... you think this is enough to defeat me?" he roared. Chakra flared violently from his body as the Truth-Seeking Balls reformed, patching his injuries.
He flashed through a series of hand signs.
Behind him, a towering tree burst from the earth.
The God Tree had returned to the Shinobi World—planted by Sasuke himself.
It grew at an alarming speed, its roots ensnaring countless Allied Shinobi who struggled in vain. Within moments, their bodies were reduced to withered husks, their chakra drained to feed the tree.
Fueled by stolen chakra, the God Tree surged skyward, towering high enough to reflect the light of the moon.
Six massive blossoms bloomed along its branches. At the top, a single enormous flower opened, revealing a Rinnegan with nine tomoe. On each branch, another Tailed Beast Bomb formed.
One of them alone dwarfed even the combined size of Naruto's Nine-Tails and Gakuya's Susanoo.
The sheer power it held was unimaginable.
Gasps of horror rippled through the allied forces. Tension reached its peak.
Gakuya's expression turned grim.
"Everyone, be on guard! Under no circumstances can we let that Tailed Beast Bomb be fired!"
Naruto gritted his teeth, summoning every ounce of chakra he had. The Nine-Tails roared, its tails glowing with light.
Hashirama pressed his palms together, unleashing a torrent of Wood Release. Gigantic wooden walls rose up, attempting to block the impending blast.
Tobirama vanished in a flash, reappearing behind Sasuke, aiming to interrupt his hand signs.
The Third Raikage once again cloaked himself in lightning, preparing to launch another high-speed assault.
But Sasuke smirked.
"Too late."
The words had barely left his lips when five colossal Tailed Beast Bombs shot forth, their destructive power aimed directly at the battlefield.
...
At that very instant, Gakuya's Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan flared brightly.
A strange and powerful force surged from his eyes.
"Toki no Kage!" he shouted.