Uchiha Chiga watched the snowy streets with calm amusement. This moment felt almost surreal, as though it belonged in the illusions of the Infinite Tsukuyomi rather than in reality. At his side, Yūgao and Kurenai followed quietly, their eyes on him more often than on the frost-covered buildings.
Ahead, Itachi Uchiha noticed his approach and immediately straightened.
"Chiga-sama."
Chiga's lips curved into an easy smile. "No need for formality outside the battlefield, Itachi-san."
Yūgao and Kurenai also offered greetings to Minato and the others nearby. But when they laid eyes on Minato's aged, uncle-like face, the two women couldn't help but stifle their laughter behind gloved hands.
Minato, unaffected by their reaction, fixed his serious gaze on Chiga.
"Chiga… are you certain you can handle both the Rinnegan and the Ten-Tails together?"
Chiga's confidence radiated as he answered without hesitation.
"Don't worry. No one in this world understands those powers better than I do."
He spoke with such certainty that even the mention of Nagato or the revival of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki seemed like trivial matters to him.
Naruto's trust in Chiga deepened instantly. In his eyes, even if the Ten-Tails grew more tails and more monstrous, Chiga could still triumph.
Chiga waved his hand dismissively, his smile widening.
"Enough of this gloom. Since we've met, let's share a meal. Consider it an early victory banquet."
Three days later, Obito appeared in the Land of Iron, announcing the location of the battlefield. Under Chiga's command, the entire Ninja Alliance mobilized, marching toward the designated site.
What awaited them was a vast desert plain, stark and lifeless, the stage for a war that would decide the future of both worlds.
On one side stood Akatsuki, their line bolstered by Nagato and the remaining members, as well as one hundred thousand White Zetsu. The scale matched the Alliance's numbers, but Obito knew well the truth: the Zetsu army was fodder, incapable of standing against true shinobi might.
Kabuto Yakushi, standing beside Obito, eyed Chiga at the forefront of the Alliance lines with curiosity and unease.
For long moments, silence stretched between the armies. Then Obito raised his hand, and the ground shook with the thunder of one hundred thousand Zetsu charging forward.
Chiga did not move. To him, such an army could be erased with a single Shinra Tensei, but he did not waste his effort. Instead, he raised his hand in command, and the Ninja Alliance surged forward to meet the horde.
The battlefield erupted in chaos. Explosions of ninjutsu lit the sky, earth split apart beneath the force of chakra, and the ground became a sea of fire, water, and lightning. Though outnumbered, the Zetsu faltered under the onslaught, their weakness swiftly exposed.
Nagato frowned. "These things are useless. The Alliance will cut through them soon enough."
Obito remained indifferent. The Zetsu were nothing but husks. They were not warriors, only corpses forced to fight again. To him, their deaths meant nothing.
Kabuto chose that moment to act. Slamming his palm against the sand, he summoned a wave of coffins that clawed their way out of the ground. As the lids fell away, the battlefield froze.
From the coffins stepped figures long thought dead, their legendary presence chilling the hearts of the Alliance shinobi.
Ōnoki's aged eyes widened, his voice a whisper. "Our predecessors…"
A dark smile played on Chiga's lips. "So begins the real show. Edo Tensei's army."
The reincarnated shinobi surged into battle. The Alliance, caught unprepared, suffered immediate casualties. The sheer immortality of Edo Tensei overwhelmed them. Without sealing techniques, the enemy could not be truly defeated.
Among the chaos, Mei Terumi faced her predecessor, the Second Mizukage, Gengetsu Hōzuki. She fought valiantly but struggled under his relentless assault. Already wounded, her arm burned from a Water Gun attack.
Gengetsu himself sighed between strikes. Despite Kabuto's control, he spoke.
"This isn't what I want either. Listen carefully, Mizukage, I'll tell you how to defeat me…"
But his guidance only went so far. Mei's injuries mounted, her strength waning. With one final Water Gun, her knees buckled.
Kabuto seized the chance, forcing Gengetsu to unleash his signature technique. Countless shimmering bubbles filled the air—Steaming Danger Impasse, a deadly genjutsu-like trap that exploded with devastating force.
Mei's eyes widened. She knew there was no way she could evade them. Her heart clenched as the glowing spheres closed in.
But then—
A shadow stepped between her and certain death. Dark smoke burst from the earth, rising in black tendrils that knit themselves into a barrier. The bubbles struck, absorbed, and vanished.
Mei's breath caught. Her lips parted in awe.
"Hokage-sama…"
It was Chiga.
He turned his head just slightly, offering her a small smile.
"Looks like you're in trouble. What's wrong, Mei? Can't bring yourself to strike down your predecessor?"
His tone was teasing, giving her pride room to breathe.
She pushed herself up, but her legs trembled, forcing her to lean against his back. The warmth of his presence washed over her like a tide. Her chest pressed lightly against him, and though he did not react outwardly, Chiga spoke.
"Rest."
She closed her eyes and let out a faint hum of agreement, the tension in her shoulders dissolving.
Gengetsu observed with intrigue, his lips quirking. He recognized the coat Chiga wore—the cloak of Hokage. "So this young man is a Kage… and Mizukage-sama seems quite taken with him. Interesting. Perhaps this is a bond between Mist and Leaf…"
Chiga ignored the speculation. Dispelling the barrier with a flick of his fingers, he extended his hand. A swirling vortex of black chakra spun into existence, pulling Gengetsu toward him before the Edo Tensei could react.
Gasps rippled across the battlefield. Dozens of shinobi turned to watch.
In a blur, Chiga gripped Gengetsu by the throat. From his palm surged a tide of darkness, wrapping around the reincarnated body, molding it into the form of a coffin made of pure shadow.
The coffin floated upward, silent and ominous. Gengetsu was gone, his chakra connection severed.
Kabuto's eyes widened, his composure cracking. "Impossible! I've lost control of him entirely… A sealing jutsu with no preparation at all. Terrifying…"
Ōnoki and the other Kage were stunned. They had been fighting desperately, struggling against their predecessors, yet Chiga had neutralized one of the most dangerous Edo Tensei shinobi in mere moments.
Mei opened her eyes, her voice soft but unsteady. "Is it… over, just like that?"
The coffin hovered in silence, black against the storm of battle.
And Chiga, calm and unshaken, stood at its center—an anchor in the chaos, the shadows bending to his will.