Because Uchiha Madara had been defeated and his chakra absorbed, and the God Tree had also been absorbed into Kaguya's body, the incomplete Infinite Tsukuyomi was interrupted. People were slowly lowered from the trees and broke free from the wooden bindings that held them like cocoons. Most were still confused, unsure of what had happened, while only a few who had noticed the moon had some vague understanding.
"What is going on?" Mei Terumi asked, rubbing her aching head, a symptom of severe chakra depletion.
Suddenly, she saw a beautiful silver-haired girl slowly walking toward them—it was Kaguya. Just as Mei was about to greet her, something shocking occurred.
"Ahhhh!"
Blood splattered, and the screams were abruptly cut off.
Everyone who got close to Kaguya was torn to pieces by an invisible force, blood spraying everywhere, staining the ground dark red. The chakra from their bodies formed glowing orbs that flowed into her palm.
The people on the battlefield realized that the silver-haired girl who had once helped them had now, for some unknown reason, become a harbinger of death, reaping lives mercilessly. She moved through them like a grim reaper, and few could withstand her. Kaguya remained spotless, unscathed, without even a trace of blood, which made her even more terrifying.
"Attack her, stop her now!" one ninja shouted, his voice trembling, sweat streaming down his forehead.
"Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall!"
The ground shook violently as a massive wall rose from the earth, towering like a mountain in front of Kaguya, blocking her path. This earthen wall was incredibly thick, and ordinary ninjutsu couldn't penetrate its defenses. Just as the ninjas thought they had successfully stopped the girl and were about to relax, their worst fear came true.
Boom!
The earth shook, and the massive wall exploded with violent force, rocks flying and smoke billowing. Amidst the roar, the wall crumbled instantly, burying several ninjas who couldn't escape in time beneath the rubble.
A graceful figure emerged from the dust and smoke, slowly walking toward them. She was a beautiful girl radiating a cold aura. On any other day, they might have stopped to admire her or even fantasized about her. But now, seeing her was like seeing the Angel of Death, coming to claim souls and harvest lives.
Finally, some ninjas' nerves broke, and they fled in all directions, cursing themselves for not having more legs to run with.
The chaos drew the attention of the Five Kage, who turned their gaze to the silver-haired girl wreaking havoc on the battlefield.
"How can it be her?" Tsunade frowned, puzzled. In her memory, Kaguya wasn't a bloodthirsty person. "It seems she's been controlled by something."
"We must stop her," the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, said, looking at Kaguya in the distance, sweat beading on his forehead.
"We might have to kill her if necessary," the Raikage said, his eyes flashing coldly. He waved his large hand decisively. "We can't let her continue this."
"But..." Mei Terumi hesitated, her eyes still fixed on that silver-haired figure.
"There's no 'but,'" Raikage clenched his fist and shouted. "If we don't stop her, more people will die, and—"
"And she won't be easy to deal with," Gaara added. "Without the resolve to kill her, we certainly can't defeat her."
They had all witnessed Kaguya's power, which had surpassed human limits and could even be called divine. Knowing that they had to face someone who even Uchiha Madara couldn't defeat made their hearts sink.
At that moment, a gigantic Thousand-Armed Buddha statue came rushing over with a thunderous roar, its arms stretching and bending, smashing down toward the Five Kage.
The Five Kage were startled and quickly leaped away, trying to dodge the incoming attack.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The massive arms crashed into the ground with deafening explosions, shattering the rocks into pieces and sending debris flying.
Even though the Five Kage attempted to dodge, their exhaustion prevented them from moving quickly enough, and they were struck by the giant arms, sending them crashing to the ground.
"Don't get distracted."
Standing atop the Thousand-Armed Buddha statue was a man wearing a spiral mask and a cloak—it was White Zetsu.
The Five Kage struggled to get up from the ground, breathing heavily, sweat pouring down their faces, with expressions of frustration.
"The technique didn't activate," Mei Terumi said, pressing her lips together and panting lightly, "My chakra is already—"
"To think we'd be held up by someone like this," Tsuchikage Onoki said bitterly.
"That weird guy is here again," Sakura said, clenching her fists, her eyes fixed on White Zetsu in the distance.
"He can use Wood Style; who is he?" Tsunade thought quickly, but she had never seen this person before.
"I told you, I won't let you pass easily," White Zetsu said with a hint of amusement in his voice. "Also, can't anyone seriously answer my question? What does 'freedom' feel like?"
They had just been fighting White Zetsu. Although the 100,000 White Zetsu clones weren't very strong individually, their sheer numbers made them formidable, like ants that could overwhelm an elephant. They had exhausted a lot of their stamina and chakra fighting White Zetsu, and now their chakra was nearly depleted.
The Thousand-Armed Buddha statue controlled by White Zetsu was called Wood Style: True Several Thousand Hands. Though it was also Wood Release, it was nowhere near the level of Hashirama Senju's Sage Art Wood Style: True Several Thousand Hands. Normally, any of the Five Kage could easily crush it, but in their exhausted state, they were being overwhelmed by White Zetsu.
Suddenly, the five heads on the giant Buddha opened their mouths, gathering chakra within. Each head had a different chakra nature: fire, lightning, wind, earth, and water.
"I guess it's similar to the thrill of killing," White Zetsu said, standing on the Buddha's head with his arms crossed.
"It can use all five elements at once," Mifune said grimly, his long sword trembling slightly from exhaustion. "How should we respond?"