Danzo and Obito escaped atop the Nine-Tails' head, leaving the Allied Shinobi Forces dumbfounded.
"What's going on? What did that old man Danzo mean just now?" a shinobi asked, puzzled. But before anyone could answer, he noticed the incredulous stares of his comrades—as if he had asked the most foolish question imaginable.
He wouldn't need an explanation. Reality would reveal everything soon enough.
"Why are you all here? Did you cause the chaos in our village? What's the meaning of Danzo and the Nine-Tails?!"
Hovering in the air above them was a silver-white Complete Body Susanoo, radiating overwhelming chakra. From within its helm echoed the thunderous voice of Tobirama Senju, laced with fury.
Everyone's expression darkened. They hadn't expected to be betrayed by Danzo, who had escaped with just one accomplice and the Nine-Tails as a mount—leaving the rest of them exposed.
Gathering such a large number of elite shinobi in one place had made them an obvious target.
Damn it. If I had known Danzo would pull this off, I wouldn't have brought so many here to ambush them, one of the shinobi thought bitterly.
But regret was pointless now. They had to face the wrath of Tobirama Senju.
Explanations? Useless. Anyone seeing this army so close to Konoha would know they were plotting something. And now, with Konoha having lost control of the Nine-Tails, all signs pointed to betrayal.
They had no choice but to fight. Fortunately, Tobirama, even with his Susanoo and Mangekyō Sharingan, was only one man. They had three Kage and an elite force drawn from the Five Great Nations.
Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage, unleashed his Magnet Release, sending gold dust swirling into the air.
Yagura Karatachi, the Fourth Mizukage and Jinchūriki of Isobu, entered a Partial Tailed Beast Transformation, his chakra surging wildly.
Ōnoki, the Third Tsuchikage, didn't hesitate—raising his hands to form a Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique, aiming straight for the Susanoo.
Among the three, Rasa and Yagura played supportive roles; their attacks could not break through a fully manifested Susanoo but served to distract and restrain it.
Ōnoki was the main offense. His Dust Release could potentially pierce even Susanoo's layered defenses.
With full cooperation, the Kage might stand a chance at victory—or at least stall Tobirama long enough for the Allied Forces to retreat from this disastrous ambush.
That was the plan, anyway.
But implementation was another matter.
To escape, they needed Konoha's permission. And Konoha had no intention of letting them go.
"You bastards dare to bring war to Konoha? None of you are leaving here alive!" came a furious roar.
A wave of red chakra burst from the ground.
A crimson Susanoo skeleton emerged, towering and fearsome. Its wielder: Fugaku Uchiha, leader of the Uchiha Clan and head of the Uchiha Police Force.
Behind him marched dozens of Uchiha shinobi, their Sharingan glowing like scarlet flames.
From the opposite flank, a storm of kunai, shuriken, and senbon filled the skies, descending like a swarm of locusts.
This was Kurenai Yuhi. Formerly a genjutsu specialist, she had now awakened the power of the Magnet-Magnet Fruit, bringing her control over metal to near-perfection—just one step away from full Devil Fruit awakening.
Faced with the tsunami of steel, the shinobi of the alliance blanched. This wasn't an attack—it was an industrial-scale massacre.
Especially Rasa, who had long mastered the art of magnetic manipulation. But even he paled at the sight. His chakra-based Magnet Release was limited in range and scale. In contrast, Kurenai manipulated pure magnetism—raw, absolute force—with ease.
She was like Magneto incarnate. Her every gesture bent iron to her will. Thousands of ninja tools danced around her like obedient blades.
"Kill them! Don't let the Uchiha Police Force take all the credit. Let these invaders learn what it means to challenge the Konoha Enforcement Corps!"
Another division of Konoha shinobi surged forward, led by Qingke, a fearsome general under Kawaki Aoba.
This warrior of common birth, forged by war and refined by loyalty, had remained silent since the Third Shinobi World War. Now, he unsheathed his strength once more.
Unlike the Uchiha and enforcement squads, ANBU operatives lurked in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Konoha's reaction was far too swift.
Escape was now impossible.
Only one option remained: fight to the bitter end.
Despite being outmaneuvered, the Allied Forces were no pushovers. They had brought their best, the hardened elites of the Great Nations. They could hold their ground.
But this was no mere battle. This was a premeditated ambush, a sudden blitz that ignited full-scale war.
Ninjutsu, shuriken, and elemental attacks lit up the battlefield. The fragile peace of the ninja world shattered again—this time on a scale never before seen.
Konoha was outnumbered, outgunned—or so it seemed.
Yet on the battlefield, Konoha dominated.
Why?
Because the allied shinobi wielded standard weapons. A few exceptional tools—like the blades of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist—were present, but rare.
In contrast, Konoha's forces—the ANBU, the Police Force, the Enforcement Corps—were all equipped with chakra-infused artifacts: relics of offense and defense alike.
An offensive artifact alone tilted the scale. But defensive artifacts were what broke the balance.
An ordinary shinobi might collapse from a single attack.
A Konoha shinobi could withstand it, survive, and retaliate.
The enemy's ninjutsu struck—yet Konoha endured.
Then came the counterattack—swift, merciless, and empowered.
It was like fighting ghosts clad in armor, who never stayed down.
And that, more than anything else, terrified the alliance.
However, the deadliest factor wasn't the terrain or the tactics—it was the battlefield's location: the very heart of the Land of Fire, not far from Konohagakure itself.
Signal flares arced into the sky, and reinforcements poured in from all directions.
So what if the Allied Shinobi Forces boasted a host of powerful shinobi? Even if they managed to hold off elite fighters like Fugaku Uchiha and other jōnin-level commanders, what then?
With Konoha able to reinforce continuously, the fate of the Allied Shinobi Forces was already sealed.
This grim reality was not lost on the three Kage, who were currently locked in a tense standoff against Tobirama Senju—resurrected by Edo Tensei, and just as deadly as in life.
Their hearts burned with bitterness. They loathed Danzō Shimura for dragging them into this situation.
But hatred would solve nothing. Reality could not be ignored.
> "Damn it… we can't go on like this. Once the vanguard is wiped out, we're next. How did Konoha get so many advanced defensive ninja tools? There wasn't even a whisper of this in intelligence reports!"
Glancing down at the chaotic battlefield, Ōnoki was stunned.
Konoha's shinobi were each outfitted with durable chakra armor and barrier tags—far too robust for the high-offense, low-defense combat style many Allied ninjas relied on.
They had room for trial and error. They could afford to take hits, regroup, and grind down their opponents. Attrition favored them.
Ōnoki knew this couldn't continue. But escaping now wasn't about will—it was about possibility.
Still, even in this mess, Ōnoki's mind remained clear. Their original goal had been the capture of the Nine-Tails. With that accomplished, the continued fight was meaningless.
As for the soldiers below—those brave shinobi were always meant to be pawns in the grander scheme. Their deaths would not be in vain. Iwagakure would remember them.
And then there were the other two Kage…
Ōnoki's eyes flicked toward his "allies," gleaming coldly.
Yagura Karatachi, the Fourth Mizukage and Jinchūriki of the Three-Tails, was impossible to abandon—not only because of his power, but because of what he carried inside.
But Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage, was a different story. A rival. A political obstacle. And an opportunity.
If Rasa were to die here… the blame could be shifted entirely onto Danzō and Konoha.
Having made up his mind, Ōnoki acted without hesitation.
His Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique slightly veered off course—"accidentally" directed toward Rasa.
Were it not for Rasa's sharp instincts as a Kage, he would have been atomized on the spot. Even dodging, he paid a steep price—his right arm was erased, reduced to nothing.
"You bastard! Ōnoki, what the hell are you doing, you senile relic?!" Rasa roared in agony, clutching his disintegrated limb.
But the old Tsuchikage's expression didn't flinch.
"My apologies, Fourth Kazekage. This old man's hands aren't as steady as they used to be. Must've slipped," Ōnoki said flatly, offering no sincerity.
Before Rasa could respond, Ōnoki turned to Yagura. "Mizukage, we've achieved our goal. The troops below were always expendable. If we don't leave now, we won't be able to."
Yagura's face twisted in indecision.
Then, something strange happened. A faint red light flickered in his eyes—subtle, but telling.
Moments later, his expression flattened. "You're right," he said coldly. "Let's go."
Before Ōnoki could react, Yagura vanished with astonishing speed.
Even the Tsuchikage was caught off guard by his ruthlessness. No hesitation. That was the Bloody Mist Village for you.
Ōnoki followed suit, soaring into the sky with his Flight Technique, his heart heavy—but his mind firm.
Behind them, Rasa was left alone, severely injured.
He wanted to escape, but his movements were sluggish, his body failing him.
And worse—he was now locked in combat with Tobirama Senju.
The Second Hokage, still under Edo Tensei, had been watching the betrayal unfold with quiet interest. Though he despised underhanded tactics, he understood the logic.
Ōnoki wanted him to finish the job. Very well.
Tobirama surged forward with blinding speed. He didn't have a Susanoo—that was an Uchiha technique—but he didn't need one.
With deadly precision, Tobirama launched a barrage of Water Release and Flying Thunder God strikes, overwhelming Rasa.
He didn't kill him instantly. That would have made the other two look too innocent.
Instead, he toyed with Rasa long enough to let the other Kage escape completely.
Only then did he drive a chakra blade—infused with seals and reinforced with Sage-level precision—through Rasa's heart.
The Fourth Kazekage never stood a chance.
With that, Tobirama turned back toward the battlefield.
Things below were wrapping up. Fugaku Uchiha, wielding the Mangekyō Sharingan, had carved through enemy lines. Kurenai Yuhi, although not Kage-level, had proven invaluable in disrupting enemy tactics with her genjutsu, supported by other Konoha jōnin like Qingke.
The Allied Shinobi Forces had fought valiantly, but they were crumbling.
Even so, Konoha had paid a price. Many shinobi had fallen—mostly to well-placed detonating tags and desperate suicide attacks.
The battlefield was quieting.
But in the minds of all who remained, one thing was clear: This war had been a lesson in politics, power, and betrayal.
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