"Cough… cough…"
A torrent of blood flowed endlessly from Yuto's mouth.
Even without further attacks from Madara or Hashirama, Yuto's body was already at its limit.
Both of them knew it—and so, they didn't rush in for the kill.
After all, who could say what kind of tricks Yuto still had up his sleeve? If he retaliated in a final desperate outburst, unlike him, they didn't have immortality.
Hashirama and Madara were waiting.
They were waiting for Yuto… to die on his own.
They were well aware of Yuto's immortality—a power they had carefully studied.
It seemed nearly perfect. Terrifying, even.
But with all the intel they had gathered—an entire room filled with classified reports, and the full brain trust of Konoha behind them—they had uncovered a critical detail:
> Yuto's immortality had a flaw. Not exactly a weakness, but a window of opportunity.
After dying, it took Yuto between one to three seconds to fully revive—depending on the severity of his injuries.
That time frame was all they needed.
As long as they struck the moment he died, Madara and Hashirama could seal him dozens of times over, locking him in an endless cycle of death.
No, they couldn't kill him permanently.
But it would make no difference—Yuto would be trapped in eternal limbo.
They waited.
And Yuto?
He was waiting too.
---
"You two… really think you've already won…?"
Yuto gasped, barely able to speak through the blood and pain.
Both Hashirama and Madara frowned.
They could hear it in his voice—a faint but unmistakable note of confidence.
"Madara."
Hashirama called out.
Madara nodded grimly.
Whatever plan Yuto had, it didn't matter. Dead men had no schemes.
His Mangekyō Sharingan began to spin once more, ready to trap Yuto in an illusion and end things here and now…
BOOM! BOOM!
Two deafening explosions erupted from the distance!
"Ice Release: Frozen Dominion!!"
"Shikotsumyaku: Dance of the Early Bloom!!"
Two thunderous shouts came from behind Yuto.
The once-warm air dropped to freezing in an instant. Massive sheets of ice swept across the battlefield, coating everything in their path.
Where the frost spread, it froze everything solid.
At the same time, razor-sharp bones erupted from beneath the ground, intertwining with the ice, forming a deadly crystalline forest.
Each bone was like steel—unbreakable and lethal.
Hashirama and Madara narrowed their eyes and leapt into the air, narrowly dodging the lethal terrain.
"The Yuki Clan's Byakuren… and the Kaguya Clan's Tsukuyo."
Madara's tone was flat as he gazed toward the two figures who had suddenly appeared beside Yuto.
They were die-hard supporters of the Mizukage—and their presence wasn't surprising in the slightest.
Yuto looked at the two of them, smiling faintly as he saw the large sealed jar in their hands.
"Byakuren. Tsukuyo. I'll leave this to you two."
"Lord Yuto, let us fight alongside you in this final battle!"
Byakuren declared, his voice firm and unwavering.
Despite the feminine name, Byakuren was no lady. He was an old, weathered man—tough as nails.
Yuto took the massive, person-sized jar from their hands. The outside was covered in dozens of sealing talismans.
"The two of you must leave immediately. The next part of this fight… isn't something you can be a part of." His tone was grave.
"But—"
"My Lord—"
Both Byakuren and Tsukuyo looked deeply troubled.
"Leave. That's an order from your Mizukage."
Yuto cut them off, his voice carrying a finality that brooked no argument.
"You are the last remaining Kage-level combatants in the Hidden Mist. If anything happens to you now, our village will suffer a blow it may never recover from."
Byakuren and Tsukuyo froze.
They could feel the farewell in his voice.
They wanted to say more, but one look from Yuto silenced them completely.
Byakuren clenched his teeth, grabbed Tsukuyo's hand, and quickly retreated from the battlefield.
---
"Why did we leave?! We could've bought him time—"
Tsukuyo snapped, yanking his hand away, his voice full of frustration.
"Don't forget— Lord Yuto is immortal.
Even if he falls today… he'll rise again. Maybe not in our lifetime, but the Mist Village will see his return."
"Our duty now is to protect what's left, rebuild our strength, and wait for that day. When Lord Yuto returns… we must be his sword, and help him unite the entire ninja world!"
"That's not just my will. It's his… and the plan agreed upon by the entire upper council of the Mist."
Byakuren's voice was heavier than it had ever been.
Tsukuyo trembled.
The truth was… they all knew that Yuto wouldn't walk away from this fight.
---
Back on the battlefield—
Yuto's eyes were burning with anticipation as he tore off the sealing talismans from the jar.
ROAR!!!
A torrent of wild, bloodthirsty chakra exploded from the jar into the sky.
"No! He's trying to use the Three-Tails' power!!"
Madara's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Stop him—NOW!"
Hashirama shouted, suddenly realizing what Yuto was about to unleash.
"Too late."
Yuto smiled, unbothered.
As the final seal broke, the slumbering power of the Three-Tails began to awaken from deep within the vessel.
> This era…
does not belong to the Hidden Mist.
It belongs to Konoha.
But even knowing how this ends...
Yuto would still fight to the bitter end.
---