Amid the thunderous roar of warships cutting through the sea, Kaito stood on the deck, dizzy and nauseated.
Barely maintaining his balance, he watched Tobirama flash through the enemy ranks like a bolt of lightning.
Just as Tobirama had predicted, the shinobi of the Land of Water launched wave after wave of Water Release: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave, attempting to flood the entire coastline.
“Shukaku!
Use Desert Layered Imperial Funeral Seal and block the harbor!”
Before he could finish speaking, the ship lurched violently once again.
“Blergh!”
Kaito vomited into the ocean for what felt like the hundredth time.
His fingers trembled uncontrollably, and his legs nearly gave out beneath him.
He had completely lost his ability to fight.
“Damn it…
I didn’t think it’d be this bad.
I should’ve gone to the Land of Lightning instead.”
Trying desperately to distract himself, he muttered,
“How the hell did people like Luffy manage this…”
Beside him, Kurama looked at him with utter disdain while channeling chakra into his body.
“The so-called God of Shinobi gets seasick?
Humans really are strange.”
Feeling the chakra flow into him, Kaito ‘s condition improved slightly.
“I don’t want this either…”
Then his expression suddenly changed.
“Damn it!
Tobirama’s in danger!”
On the battlefield ahead, Tobirama was being surrounded by three powerful shinobi revived through the Impure World Reincarnation Technique:
Byakuren.
Gengetsu Hōzuki.
And a shinobi of the Yuki Clan.
Meanwhile, Hatake Mayo, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and the others had also fallen into difficult battles.
“This is bad.”
“I can’t fight in this condition.”
“Do I really have to use that?”
He turned toward Yamanaka Jinan.
“Notify everyone to retreat immediately!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
Kaito inhaled deeply.
“Shukaku, Isobu, Kokuō, Saiken, Chōmei, Kurama!”
“Battle stations!
Prepare the main cannon!”
Kurama blinked.
“What?”
“Tailed Beast Bombs.”
“Second-stage preparation.”
“Oh.”
“You should’ve just said that.”
Just as Tobirama and the others prepared to retreat, a massive sealing formation suddenly rose around them, trapping them inside.
“Brother!”
Tobirama shouted.
“I can’t use the Flying Thunder God Technique!”
“Help us!”
“Stop charging!”
Kaito forced himself upright and led his entourage to the edge of the barrier.
“Can you break it?”
The Uzumaki elder examined it briefly before his face darkened.
“This is an advanced barrier specialist formation.”
“The Heaven and Earth Imprisonment Array.”
“I can try, but it’ll take time.”
“Too slow!”
Kaito ‘s voice was filled with panic.
“Tobirama and the others won’t last that long!”
Then he cursed himself.
“Damn it.”
“I was too naive.”
“I should’ve opened with Tailed Beast Bombs from the start.”
At that moment, he thought of Madara.
If Madara were here…
What would he do?
“Isn’t it obvious?”
It was as though he could hear Madara’s voice.
“Just smash straight through.”
Kaito ‘s expression hardened.
Sage Mode!
“Everyone, stand back.”
“Even if it kills me, I’ll save them.”
“I’ll fix my own mistakes.”
He pressed his palms together.
Sage Art: Wood Release—
Pffft!
Blood sprayed from his mouth.
With his foundation already damaged, forcing himself to use Sage Arts was far more difficult than he had expected.
But he had no choice.
Because he was—
“Hashirama Senju .”
“The Sovereign of the Forest.”
“AAAAAAAH!”
Sage Art: Wood Release — True Several Thousand Hands!
Once again, the gigantic Thousand-Armed Buddha descended upon the world.
Sage Art: Wood Release — True Several Thousand Hands: Top Transformed Buddha!
Countless wooden fists crashed down upon the barrier.
Each strike carried Kaito ‘s regret.
His anger.
His guilt.
The formation trembled violently.
Cracks spread across its surface.
Then—
It shattered.
“GO!”
Tobirama immediately led everyone out.
They broke through the Yuki Clan’s crystal ice techniques, dodged the blade attacks of Gengetsu’s Steam Imp, and fought their way free.
However, faced with countless pursuing enemies, Tobirama made his decision.
He would stay behind alone.
More than a dozen tri-pronged kunai flew into the air.
The Flying Thunder God Technique activated instantly.
Just as he was becoming overwhelmed—
Kaito appeared in front of him.
He sighed.
“I gave you people a chance.”
“But no.”
“You just had to force me.”
He immediately pressed his hands together.
Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!
Dozens of enormous roots erupted from the ground and charged toward the enemy.
At the same moment, Tobirama appeared behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder.
The two vanished instantly.
The next second, they reappeared aboard the flagship.
Cough!
Kaito wiped the blood from his mouth.
“Tailed Beasts.”
“Prepare to fire.”
Five Tailed Beasts instantly expanded to their full size upon the sea.
At the same time, enormous spheres of black-purple chakra condensed before them.
Growing larger.
And larger.
The shinobi of the Land of Water stared in horror.
For the first time, fear appeared on their previously expressionless faces.
“What…”
“What is that?!”
Byakuren’s expression changed dramatically.
“Not good!”
“Run!”
Gengetsu shouted:
“Forget the reanimated dead!”
“They can’t die anyway!”
In the distance, Kaito roared:
“Fire!”
“Fire!”
“FIRE!”
The gigantic spheres shot forward.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
The camps.
The defenses.
Everything.
Reduced to ruins.
Kaito collapsed onto the deck as if every ounce of strength had left his body.
Yet he still forced himself to issue orders.
“Mayo…”
“Clean up the survivors…”
Tobirama immediately rushed over and began treatment.
At that moment, Hyūga Kōban, who was observing from the mast lookout, shouted:
“Your Majesty!”
“There are still over a dozen survivors in the center!”
“Oh—they’re the reanimated shinobi!”
Kaito weakly smiled.
“See?”
“Your own jutsu got used against you.”
“That hurts, doesn’t it, little brother?”
Even while treating him, Tobirama snorted.
“Tch.”
“They’re just corpses.”
“Medical Corps!”
“Continue treating His Majesty!”
“Sealing Team!”
“Move out!”
The Sealing Team, composed primarily of Uzumaki and Senju shinobi, immediately advanced.
They quickly sealed the immobilized reanimated shinobi before they could fully regenerate.
“Hahaha!”
A battle-crazed member of the Kaguya Clan grinned wildly.
“It feels amazing to fight again.”
“Call me next time too!”
“You invaders…”
One of the reanimated shinobi tried to curse them.
But before he could finish—
He was sealed.
With the final reanimated shinobi subdued, the battle came to an end.
The surviving enemies fled in every direction.
Only three people remained missing.
Byakuren.
Gengetsu Hōzuki.
And the Yuki Clan shinobi.
In the distance, Kurama suddenly approached.
His voice exploded beside Kaito ‘s ear.
“Hashirama!”
“Why is your life force getting weaker?”
“Hey!”
“It’s rare for someone to actually treat us like equals!”
“So don’t you dare die!”
The moment Tobirama heard those words, he dropped everything and sprinted over.
“Brother!”
“You idiot!”
“You’d better hold on!”
By now, Kaito ‘s consciousness had begun to fade.
He thought he saw Tobirama’s panicked face.
He thought he saw Madara’s expression—
Proud.
Stubborn.
Yet filled with grief.
And then—
He saw the real Hashirama Senju .
Looking at him with hatred.
With malice.
“Hashirama…
Hashirama…”
That was Uzumaki Mito’s voice.
“Father…”
“I will not disappoint your expectations.”
That was Shūmō.
His consciousness drifted farther and farther away.
“Am I really going to die?”
He laughed weakly.
“If someone like me dies…”
“Will anyone actually be sad?”