Dust and sand filled the air, swirling endlessly, dyeing the entire sky in a dull yellow hue.
Countless grains of sand rose and gathered into a humanoid shape.
Madara spoke calmly, "Looks like I might've gone a little overboard… but it's nothing serious."
Thanks to Kiyosuke's quick order for the Allied Shinobi Forces to retreat, no one was injured.
Moments later, Uzumaki Mito and Kushina appeared, flames flickering around them.
Kiyosuke stood atop a boulder, breathing lightly. That last attack had cost him a fair bit of chakra, but it wasn't a big deal—he'd recover soon enough.
...
Rumble!
Susanoo burst out from beneath the debris, hurling away the massive stones that had pinned it down.
Itachi and the others emerged, unharmed—well, not completely. Blood was flowing freely from Itachi's eyes, a clear sign of the heavy strain he'd taken.
Kiyosuke created a shadow clone and said to Obito,
"Obito! Itachi! Let's go. We're stopping Edo Tensei. Take this."
He tossed a mask toward him.
"Got it."
Obito caught the Hannya mask, nodded, and tucked it away. He understood what Kiyosuke meant.
The shadow clone entered Sage Mode, closing his eyes briefly to sense for Yakushi Kabuto's location.
He pointed in one direction.
"He's over there. Let's move!"
"Right!"
Obito used Kamui, warping himself, the clone, and Itachi away.
Meanwhile, Kiyosuke's real body turned toward Madara.
"Now then…"
Before he could finish, he turned sharply as two figures appeared—Fourth Raikage and a badly wounded Tsunade.
They had used Mabui's Heavenly Transfer Technique to get there.
But the technique was meant for objects, not people—when used on humans, spatial turbulence would tear through the body, leaving severe injuries.
Raikage's Lightning Armor let him endure it, but Tsunade wasn't so lucky. Her entire body was battered, though she hadn't activated her Creation Rebirth yet.
...
In a flash, four more figures appeared.
Three shinobi stood beside Terumī Mei, surrounding her protectively as they landed on the battlefield.
They were once part of Minato's personal guard—he had taught them the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Due to their limited talent, they could only perform it together as a trio.
Now, facing Uchiha Madara, the Five Kage had gathered once again.
...
"Mito-sama?"
Seeing her granddaughter, Uzumaki Mito's face lit up with a smile.
"So many years have passed, and you still look just like that, my dear Tsuna."
"Grandma…"
While healing herself with medical ninjutsu, Tsunade looked at her grandmother with tears in her eyes. Seeing her in her youthful form again—it was nostalgic beyond words.
...
Standing on his boulder, Kiyosuke called out,
"Naruto, you're just a shadow clone right now. You don't need to fight in this one. I'm guessing your real body's facing enemies too, so save your chakra. The real battlefield isn't here."
"Okay."
Naruto nodded, said goodbye to Kushina, and vanished.
Kiyosuke turned to the two women.
"Mito-sama, Kushina, I think you should go help Naruto. Leave this battlefield to us."
"No, Kiyosuke. You should go too! They're our hope!"
Tsunade's tone was sharp, resolute.
"Madara's our problem. We Five Kage will handle him."
Kiyosuke only shook his head.
"No way. I'm not leaving my wife here."
Terumī Mei smiled softly.
"I may be Mizukage, but I'm not about to run from this. Go protect Naruto. We'll handle the sealing."
No—you're not his match!
Kiyosuke's expression hardened.
"No. I'll stay. Once Obito and the others stop Kabuto, they'll regroup with my clone and head straight for Naruto. Don't worry about me."
"Enough talk! We're going in!"
The Fourth Raikage didn't bother with more words. He charged forward, fists glowing.
Kiyosuke followed, and the two unleashed a storm of power upon Madara.
"Let's go, Kushina!"
Uzumaki Mito knew what had to be done. She took Kushina with her, leaving the battlefield to the younger generation.
"Mm."
Kushina gave one last look at the fight ahead before turning away, rushing to help her son.
...
"So it's the Five Kage and you, kid?"
Madara grinned, eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Then come at me! I'll show you the power that once made Hashirama the terror of the shinobi world! Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!"
The ground trembled violently.
From the barren desert, countless giant trees burst forth, their twisted trunks rising like waves of green, surging toward them.
Ōnoki flew forward.
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"
A glowing white construct appeared between his palms, expanding into a massive cylinder that disintegrated everything before it into dust at the molecular level.
A single sweep—everything in its path was annihilated.
"Nice one, old man. Your Dust Release is still the fastest way to deal with these things."
Kiyosuke could've cleared the trees himself, but not as quickly as Ōnoki.
Madara chuckled.
"Interesting. Wood Style: Advent of a World of Flowering Trees!"
The jutsu looked almost identical to the last one.
But Kiyosuke's eyes widened.
"Stop it before it blooms! Once the flowers open, they'll release paralyzing pollen—it'll be trouble for us."
To wipe everything out at once, they still needed Ōnoki's Dust Release. The old man nodded, ready to act again—
When suddenly, a blazing fire pillar descended from the sky.
"Fire Release: Dragon Flame Jet!"
Kiyosuke inhaled deeply and exhaled his own roaring flames to meet the incoming inferno head-on.
BOOM!
The clash erupted in a blinding explosion, scattering flames across the field.
The blast gave Ōnoki enough time to unleash another Dust Release, clearing the area once more.
"Well done. But first, I'll deal with you and the old man."
Madara didn't waste a moment.
He charged forward in his colossal Susanoo, its massive sword slashing downward.
Everyone scattered.
"Old man, support the Raikage and the Kazekage!" Kiyosuke shouted.
Ōnoki immediately understood.
He flew to Gaara's side, lightening the weight of both Gaara's sand gourd and the surrounding sand.
Then he turned to the Fourth Raikage, using the Light–Weight Rock Technique on him as well.
The Raikage, who weighed over two hundred pounds, suddenly became light as a feather.
His speed skyrocketed, and with it—his power.
Speed is mass.
And now, he had both.
"Mei!"
"Got it! Lava Release!"
Sand restrained Susano'o, lightning struck, dust supported, lava corroded, and fire recovered—Kiyosuke coordinated the battlefield while attacking in tandem, forcing Madara to retreat.
"Hmph, impressive. So this is the power of the Five Kage. But you—"
Madara's eyes locked onto Kiyosuke.
"To get rid of them, I'll have to start with you!"
He dismissed Susanoo and lunged forward, closing the distance in a blink.
"Die!"
The Fourth Raikage met him head-on, roaring, his fist crashing down—
But it was blocked by an invisible wall.
Madara smirked.
The Rinnegan in his eyes glowed ominously.
Those weren't just for show.