As the first rays of dawn illuminated the Hokage Rock, Kaito and Madara had already departed in a carriage bound for the Daimyo’s capital.
On the surface, they were traveling under the pretense of “accepting punishment.” In secret, however, Tobirama and Izuna were leading a force behind them, preparing an ambush in the mountains outside the city.
After a long and bumpy journey, they finally arrived beneath the walls of the Daimyo’s capital.
Only after a series of inspections by the city’s defenders did the gates slowly creak open.
When the two stepped out of the carriage, they were greeted by broad corridors and a magnificent, gold-adorned main palace.
Two attendants escorted Madara and Kaito to a side hall, while their five ANBU escorts were ordered to remain outside.
Neither Kaito nor Madara touched the tea that had been prepared for them.
They simply waited patiently.
They waited until sunset.
Yet no summons came.
Then suddenly, flocks of birds erupted from the mountains behind the city.
The two immediately realized something was wrong.
Madara’s expression darkened.
“We’ve been exposed.
We attack now.”
Without another word, he kicked open the side door and charged toward the main palace.
Meanwhile, in the forests behind the city.
Izuna’s sword sliced through a samurai’s throat.
He pivoted smoothly, dodging another attack.
Surrounded by numerous samurai, he suddenly attached an explosive tag to himself.
In the horrified gazes of his enemies—
BOOM!
Izuna exploded.
The unfortunate samurai around him were obliterated.
Yet Izuna himself slowly regenerated his shattered body.
Beneath the moonlight, the scene was horrifying.
Still, the countless samurai continued charging forward without hesitation.
Originally, Tobirama’s group had planned to wait for the signal before launching their assault on the Daimyo’s capital.
However, after nightfall, large numbers of armored samurai had suddenly appeared in the surrounding area, as though conducting a search.
After a brief analysis, Tobirama concluded that the enemy had likely detected them through some secret technique.
He immediately issued new orders.
“Activate the contingency plan.
Hold the enemy at all costs.”
Then he added with a grin:
“This is a good opportunity to test everyone’s strength.”
The moment Tobirama gave the order, the battlefield erupted with a series of loud explosions.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
As white smoke filled the air, Senju Tōka led the Senju clan members in summoning three giant toads, three giant snakes, and four giant Katsuyu slugs.
The enormous summons launched devastating attacks against the enemy.
This was one of the rewards Kaito had provided to those who worked hard to improve themselves.
Together with their summons, they unleashed coordinated combination attacks.
Water Release swept enemies away.
Swamp techniques restricted movement.
Earth Release sealed off escape routes.
Massive boulders crushed their foes.
After spraying acid, Katsuyu split herself apart to heal the wounded.
But that wasn’t all.
The other clans of Konoha watched as the Senju clan stole the spotlight.
Remembering the recently established military merit system, they became equally eager.
After all, military achievements meant rewards, resources, and access to powerful techniques.
The Inuzuka shinobi fused with his canine companion.
Inuzuka Style: Human Beast Combination Transformation!
As the smoke cleared, he had transformed into a gigantic, white, two-headed hound.
Fang Wolf Fang!
His body spun at high speed, creating a massive tornado that tore through a group of samurai.
Wherever it passed, screams followed.
Only shredded corpses remained behind.
Aburame Shimura’s goggles flashed.
He immediately used his clan’s secret technique.
Secret Technique: Insect Sphere!
Countless insects poured from beneath his cloak and swarmed three samurai.
The men desperately hacked at the insects.
It was useless.
Soon, they were completely engulfed.
The insects burrowed through the gaps in their armor, tore through their flesh, attacked their eyes, and crawled into their bodies through their ears and noses.
The victims could only watch helplessly as their chakra and flesh were devoured bit by bit.
Nearby, Hyūga Kōban activated his Byakugan and provided reconnaissance support.
The air exploded with a thunderous crack.
A distant samurai’s armor suddenly caved inward.
That was the power of the Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm.
Uchiha Kagami instantly activated his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, using genjutsu to control enemies while occasionally supplementing his attacks with Fire Release and shuriken techniques.
Danzō Shimura summoned a Baku.
Its appearance, especially its long trunk, resembled an elephant.
Its mouth acted like a powerful vacuum, immobilizing enemies while Danzō cut them down with Wind Release.
Fighting beside him was Hiruzen Sarutobi.
“Enma!
Transform!”
Poof!
The small monkey instantly transformed into a staff.
Hiruzen swung it skillfully, protecting Danzō.
Gradually, Konoha’s side gained control of the battlefield.
Then the Daimyo’s general shouted:
“Elite Unit!
Eliminate them!”
Several hundred elite samurai charged forward.
Their equipment was exceptional.
After activating their chakra armor, they actually took to the air.
The chakra not only extended the reach of their blades but also enhanced their sharpness.
“Damn it!”
Seeing Konoha shinobi dying, Izuna cursed his own carelessness.
He roared in anger.
Blue chakra erupted from his body.
A massive skeletal frame appeared.
The skeleton gained flesh-like armor and transformed into a humanoid warrior.
With a single swing of its arm—
Armor shattered like paper.
Blood mist, severed limbs, and corpses rained down.
“Susanoo?”
The general muttered to himself before immediately issuing another order.
“Deploy the ballistae!”
Three giant ballistae were wheeled onto elevated positions.
Their bolts were enormous.
Attached to each one was a giant explosive tag.
“Ready!”
“Fire!”
The massive bolts screamed through the air toward Izuna.
Before he could react, one pierced straight through his shoulder.
BOOM!
The explosive tag detonated with terrifying force.
The blast actually shattered the second stage of his Susanoo.
An ordinary shinobi would have died instantly.
But Izuna was now effectively immortal.
In the blink of an eye, his body regenerated completely.
At the same time, he activated the third stage of his Susanoo.
“Impossible!”
The general’s face darkened.
“I hit him directly—wait, no!”
Before he could finish his command, Susanoo’s blade had already begun swinging.
Bodies fell everywhere.
The enemy did attempt to counterattack.
Unfortunately, their efforts were nearly meaningless.
The sheer range of Susanoo’s gigantic blade made evasion almost impossible.
A single strike killed over eighty men.
The commander of the elite unit immediately ordered his troops to disperse.
Groups of five began attacking the Konoha shinobi instead.
Seeing this, Izuna had no choice but to charge directly toward the enemy general.
“Hahaha!”
He laughed madly.
“Now you’ll all become headless flies!”
The general glanced toward the person beside him and gave a signal.
The man immediately charged toward Izuna.
“Ridiculous.”
Izuna sneered.
“A mere insect dares challenge a mountain?”
His face was stiff.
His eyes were empty.
There was no emotion whatsoever.
He didn’t even seem human.
Suddenly, blue chakra engulfed his body, and a voice—barely human—whispered:
“The Gate of Injury…
Open.”
Before Izuna could react—
The man vanished.
“What?!
Where did he go?!”
Izuna’s Mangekyō Sharingan scanned frantically.
He couldn’t see anything.
“Above you!”
Hyūga Kōban’s voice suddenly rang in his ear.
This was one of the techniques the Yamanaka clan had used before the battle, allowing messages to be transmitted directly to designated targets.
Unfortunately—
The enemy was too fast.
Before Susanoo could even raise its arm—
The attacker was already at its head.
Imperial Foot Technique: First Strike!
Using the momentum of his fall combined with his own speed, he delivered a devastating aerial axe kick.
CRACK!
The head of the Susanoo—
A defense famed for being nearly absolute—
Actually cracked.
Izuna’s eyes widened.
He immediately performed hand seals.
Fire Release: Dragon Flame Release Song Technique!
Four fire dragons pursued the attacker.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Izuna charged once more toward the general.
Three strides.
That was all it took.
Susanoo’s giant sword descended.
But then—
A cold voice echoed behind him.
“The Gate of Limit…
Open.”
At this point, Izuna no longer cared.
He was immortal anyway.
Then something unbelievable happened.
The gigantic blade of Susanoo—
Was kicked aside.
Imperial Foot Technique: Second Strike!
The attacker vanished once more.
BOOM!
There was no time to react.
This time, the attack pierced through Susanoo’s defenses entirely.
Izuna was launched like a human cannonball and smashed into the ground.
“Sealing Team!
Move!”
The general shouted.
“Seal him with everything you’ve got!”
While regenerating, Izuna’s combat ability and mobility were significantly weakened.
This was one of the drawbacks of the Impure World Reincarnation Technique.
The enemy had clearly prepared specifically for this weakness.
Sealing formulas quickly wrapped around Izuna’s body.
As he struggled, regret filled his heart.
Regret for Madara.
Regret for the Uchiha.
Regret for Konoha.
And regret for his own carelessness.
“Nii-san still needs me.”
“The Senju’s conspiracy hasn’t been exposed yet.”
“I can’t disappear here!”
“AAAAAH!”
The sealing formula had already reached his neck.
Then—
A voice sounded behind him.
The last voice he wanted to hear.