Putting some distance between herself and Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke, Kaguya turned to Naruto Uzumaki and said,
"Uzumaki Naruto, if you give up the Nine-Tails, I can tell you where your father went... or even send you to meet him."
Sasuke felt nervous, fearing Naruto might fall for it. He urged, "Naruto, don't believe this woman! Without the Nine-Tails, you'll lose your life too."
Naruto remained silent with his head slightly lowered, as if hesitating.
"Yeah..." Madara Uchiha, who had taken a spectator's stance, mockingly cut in, "If she's saying Minato Namikaze is dead, then doesn't that mean she wants to send you to die as well?"
"You bastard, think I'm not here?" Hearing Madara Uchiha interrupt, Hiroki immediately shot a Chakra Hakutori toward him.
Dodging the attack effortlessly, Madara Uchiha scanned the area until his gaze locked onto Black Zetsu.
Black Zetsu stood still like a statue, motionless, seemingly deep in thought.
"Black Zetsu," Madara Uchiha said, "how about you possess Naruto and fight alongside Sasuke against that woman? Since you've already been abandoned, why bother staying with her?"
As Madara Uchiha's words reached his ears, Black Zetsu twitched slightly, genuinely appearing to consider the suggestion.
Such an open act of sowing discord naturally provoked Kaguya's displeasure.
She performed several deliberate Hand Seals, movements precise like a shinobi casting spells.
"Summoning Technique..."
Suddenly, Madara Uchiha stiffened, and his nimble yet massive [Susanoo] also froze for a moment.
"[Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion]!"
Taking advantage of this opening, Hiroki launched another Chakra Hakutori.
Direct hit!
Boom!
The Susanoo staggered and crashed down.
Thick smoke obscured everyone's vision.
At the spot where the Akatsuki Organization pretended to be dead, Hidan half-opened one eye, rolled over, and looked toward the source of the tremors.
"Huh, Lord Madara isn't actually gone already, right...?"
Just then, he suddenly sensed a huge shadow looming above him and turned his head.
A beautiful face wearing a fake smile was quickly enlarging before his eyes.
"Lady Tsunade...?"
"Aren't your act over by now?"
Tsunade slowly straightened up, dropping the artificial smile on her face.
Behind her stood a mass of assembled troops—an entire army of survivors from the various ninja villages.
Kazekage Rasa and the forces he led...
Tsuchikage Onoki and the remnants under his command...
Mizukage Terumi Mei and her remaining forces...
Raikage Yugito and the soldiers loyal to her...
Alongside them were capable jonin and chunin from Konoha still able to fight—
Including Hinata's team, Gaara, and more.
Looking at the large force before them, Hidan gave an awkward smile.
At that moment, they all felt another powerful tremor shaking the ground again.
"Look over there—something seems to be coming out..."
Hidan pointed toward the commotion.
He didn't need to say anything—Tsunade and the others had already turned their heads, faces grim with concern.
At the site where Madara Uchiha had fallen, a colossal figure slowly emerged from the smoke.
"That's..." Gaara, Kimimaro, and Yugito suddenly changed their expressions, feeling a powerful sense of danger rise within them.
The ninja from the Five Great Nations reacted in alarm as the colossal figure finally revealed itself before them.
It roared furiously. Ten tails swung behind it as it exhaled a mass of energy.
The energy shot forth, scattering tiny glimmers of light onto Tsunade and the others.
In an instant, their faces turned pale—Akatsuki members included.
They could feel their Chakra rapidly draining away.
"It's the Ten-Tails!" Hanaki Hiroki slightly shifted his stance while staring at the towering, emaciated beast.
Kaguya placed a calm hand on his shoulder and said, "Don't worry, let it absorb."
Boom!
The Ten-Tails sprang forward, pushing off the ground with its legs toward Tsunade and the others.
They immediately responded with serious attacks aimed at the beast, ready for an all-out battle to prevent complete Chakra depletion.
[Tailed Beast Ball!]
[Dust Release: Split Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!]
[Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion!]
[Boil Release: Boiling Blood Technique!]
"..."
"Can't Madara even control the Ten-Tails? Why are we also being affected?"
Hidan and Kakuzu exchanged glances, hesitated briefly, then moved beside Tsunade and pointed their weapons at her group.
"What are you doing? Don't you understand who our real enemy is yet?"
Tsunade shouted furiously but was forced to divert part of her strength to fight back against them.
Thus, Konoha became two battlegrounds.
One revolved around launching attacks at the Ten-Tails, while the other targeted Akatsuki members whose loyalties kept shifting.
"Cough... cough..."
From within the dust and debris, Madara bent forward slightly, coughing violently as he spat dark blood onto the ground.
Earlier, when confronting Kaguya, after she casually made some vague gesture, he actually sensed the Ten-Tails within him trying to resist control and struggle free.
And because of that momentary distraction, he had been struck by Hanaki Hiroki.
Therefore, he made a decision—better to just release it completely.
This emaciated Ten-Tails lunged hungrily toward the gathering of jinchuriki and those with high Chakra reserves.
After watching Tsunade and other Kage-level ninja panic in confusion fighting both the Ten-Tails and Akatsuki members, Madara shifted his gaze to Black Zetsu.
He approached quickly and calmly asked:
"Have you decided yet, Black Zetsu?"
"Decided what?" Zetsu replied, pretending not to notice Madara's approach. His face was expressionless, his eyes lifeless—utterly devoid of vitality.
"The one you care about doesn't value you at all. So why keep her? Or perhaps... reshape her into the version of herself you desire?" Madara suggested gently.
Upon hearing these words, Black Zetsu turned his head toward him.
"Come on..." Madara extended one hand toward him.
Black Zetsu fell into a state of despair and aimlessness, feeling discarded and without purpose. He gazed blankly at Madara before finally choosing to cooperate with him once again, reattaching himself to his body.
As for what needed to be done, Black Zetsu had no idea.
Meanwhile.
"Hey Sasuke, who are we helping?" Naruto asked.
"Just seal Kaguya, and everything will end," Sasuke replied.
Because they had no means to keep up with Kaguya's space jutsu, the two could only remain vigilant on the spot, maintaining battle-ready stances.
Ka...
A dark fissure opened overhead.
"Here she comes..."
Naruto and Sasuke's expressions turned grave.
A pure white hand reached out from the rift, perfectly flawless yet sending chills down their spines with its sharp crimson nails.
"Let's go, Naruto!"
Glancing at each other and nodding in unison, they rushed toward the spatial rift together.
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