Kenta's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Madara's cold, sharp voice. "Get ready. We're going to strike now."
Kenta nodded, snapping himself out of his musings. He noticed the afternoon shadows stretching across the landscape as they moved. They'd already executed a silent elimination at dawn; the entire squad had been on edge, expecting some reprieve, but Madara clearly wasn't about to grant it.
Kenta couldn't help but think, 'He's pushing the Iwa shinobi to the brink… but he's wearing out his own forces, too.' Nevertheless, Kenta followed Madara without hesitation; somehow, Madara's relentless approach worked.
Though they suffered a few losses, Iwagakure's numbers were dwindling even faster.
They soon arrived at the edge of a makeshift Iwagakure encampment, where the faint light caught the nervous expressions of exhausted shinobi. Kenta saw Izuna ahead, briefing the Konoha forces, his face a mixture of intensity and control. "We need to strike quickly," Izuna was saying.
"They're tired, and our scouts report their reinforcements are still days away." The Konoha shinobi nodded in acknowledgment, expressions hardening in determination.
Madara moved over to Izuna and simply muttered, "Let's go."
Within minutes, their team of shinobi had crossed the border from the Land of Grass into the Land of Earth, darting quietly through dense forest and mountainous paths. As they neared the enemy encampment, Madara's sharp gaze caught movement up ahead.
Sensing the time was right, he drew in a deep breath, forming a single hand sign.
"Fire Style: Great Fire Dragon Jutsu!" Madara stated as he spat out a roaring mass of fire that took the shape of a colossal dragon. The searing flame dragon tore through the forest, cutting a fiery path toward the Iwagakure shinobi stationed up ahead.
Chaos erupted. Iwa shinobi scrambled, shouting orders and countering with a flood of jutsu. Kenta leaped forward, weaving through the turmoil, spotting Izuna, who was locked in combat with two enemy shinobi, his Sharingan flashing as he skillfully avoided their attacks.
Izuna flicked his wrist, sending a whirlwind of kunai laced with explosive tags at the shinobi. The blast illuminated his smirk as the Iwa shinobi were blown back, barely able to recover.
Meanwhile, Kenta dodged between boulders and trees, his senses attuned to the chakra flaring all around him. Suddenly, he saw a shorter Iwa shinobi up ahead, not much older than him, with a serious expression and an air of raw determination. They locked eyes, and Kenta could feel the intensity radiating from him.
The young Iwa shinobi stepped forward, his hand moving to his weapon pouch. "I'm Ōnoki," he declared with a grim smile, his tone hard as stone. "Remember that name, Konoha."
"Kenta," he replied, drawing his own kunai with a firm grip. They rushed each other, kunai clashing as sparks flew. Kenta moved with speed and precision, feeling the weight of his weeks of training with Madara.
Ōnoki parried skillfully, sending bursts of Earth Style chakra with each strike, forcing Kenta back. But Kenta countered with a burst of Fire Style, forcing Ōnoki to leap back and regroup. The two paused, circling each other.
"Earth Style: Mud Wall!" Ōnoki shouted, slamming his hand into the ground. A massive wall of solid rock shot up, blocking Kenta's path.
But Kenta was ready, charging aether into his hands and leaping over the wall. In mid-air, he formed quick hand signs. "Aether: Long Ranged Fist Barrage!" A series of small fists scattered toward Ōnoki, who countered with an Earth Style: Shield, barely escaping the fist formed aether.
"Not bad," Kenta muttered to himself, eyes gleaming as he sensed a new surge of energy within. He rushed forward, closing the gap between them, engaging Ōnoki in a flurry of close-quarters combat.
Finally, with a swift, decisive strike, Kenta managed to knock Ōnoki off balance, landing a powerful kick to his chest that sent him crashing into the ground.
As Ōnoki struggled to stand, the earth trembled with footsteps. Multiple Iwagakure jonin emerged from the shadows, surrounding Kenta in an instant. They had watched the duel and now eyed Kenta with cold, lethal intent.
Their hands moved in unison as they formed hand signs, they then shouted. "Lightning Style: Shock Net!" "Earth Style: Stone Bind!" The ground around Kenta rippled and rose, ensnaring his legs, while a shimmering net of electric energy descended upon him.
Kenta's eyes widened, his mind racing as he tried to find a way out, but the jutsu moved faster than he could react. His heart pounded as the jonin approached, weapons drawn, poised to strike.
In that tense moment, a figure materialized between him and the Iwa shinobi in a blur of ethereal energy. The crackle of lightning dissipated, and the stone binds crumbled to dust. Kenta's eyes widened in relief as he looked up to see Kūga standing before him, radiating power and a faint, mischievous smile.
"You almost died there," Kūga remarked, glancing back at him with an amused gleam. His voice was calm, almost playful, as if they weren't surrounded by dangerous enemies.
Before Kenta could respond, Kūga turned back to the jonin, an almost pitying look on his face. The Iwa shinobi's expressions shifted from confidence to wariness, and then to fear as they realized who stood before them.
One by one, they prepared their jutsu, shouting their techniques in a last-ditch effort.
"Earth Style: Rock Shatter!" "Wind Style: Crushing Whirlwind!" "Lightning Style: Thunder Spear!"
The battlefield was suddenly filled with a barrage of jutsu as every remaining Iwa jonin attacked. Kūga raised his hand, his gaze unperturbed.
"Aether: Ethereal Shield," he murmured, conjuring an invisible barrier that absorbed every attack thrown his way. The jutsu dissipated into wisps of energy against his defense.
With a cold grin, Kūga vanished, only to reappear in the midst of the jonin. He didn't waste any more words. One by one, he took them down, deflecting their blows effortlessly and cutting through their defenses like paper. His movements were smooth and fluid, an artful display of dominance.
His blade glowed with a faint, otherworldly light, slicing through weapons and defenses alike. The few jonin who managed to regroup attempted to retreat, only for Kūga to dispatch them with ruthless precision.
As the final shinobi fell, a familiar voice interrupted the silence. Izuna had arrived, his Sharingan spinning in surprise as he took in the scene of devastation and Kūga's unexpected presence.
"Kūga," Izuna said, looking between him and Kenta. "What're you doing here?"
Kūga flashed a grin. "I'll fill you in later, Izuna. Let's just say I had some unfinished business with Kumo."
Izuna gave a brief nod, leaping away to engage the other Iwa shinobi nearby.
Kenta let out a shaky breath as Kūga walked back to him, wiping his blade with a cloth. The battlefield was eerily quiet in the aftermath, and as Kūga looked at him with a proud smirk, Kenta felt a surge of gratitude—and awe.
He had been saved once again, but this time, the gravity of Kūga's power had struck him deeply.
And though he felt a flash of exhaustion, he forced himself to his feet, joining the others in their pursuit of victory, inspired by Kūga, who he aspired to become.
.
Kūga observed the battlefield with an amused chuckle, shaking his head at the sight of Madara's intense strategy. He knew Madara's tactics could be extreme, but they worked — primarily because it was Madara executing them.
Surveying the scene from above, he noticed the Uchiha's Susanoo dominating the fight, its massive, armored form swatting away shinobi as if they were nothing more than insects. Kūga couldn't help but smile slightly at the sight.
Not wasting any more time, Kūga floated higher, scanning the area for his next target.
His gaze settled on the encampment situated between the Land of Fang and Claw, and with a small grin, he flew off in that direction, leaving behind a trail of energy as he shot across the sky with an iconic sonic boom.
Madara, still in the thick of battle, heard the echoing boom and instinctively glanced up, watching the trace of Kūga's energy fade into the distance.
He quickly returned his focus to the enemy as they launched futile attacks against his Susanoo. The shinobi below pounded away with jutsu, weapon strikes, and desperate blows, but they barely scratched the ethereal armor enveloping him.
Smirking, Madara continued his brutal assault, sweeping his massive Susanoo blade through the ranks of enemy shinobi with effortless power.
Inwardly, Madara allowed himself a brief flicker of satisfaction. He could sense the First Tsuchikage's presence somewhere nearby, and a thrill ran through him. 'Either Hashirama or I will face him,' he thought, feeling a surge of anticipation. 'And I hope it's me.'
.
The battlefield was a cacophony of clashing steel and roaring jutsu. Konoha and Suna shinobi fought side by side against the fierce forces of Iwa and scattered shinobi from minor villages, with sand whirling and wood sprouting amidst explosions and shockwaves.
Hashirama Senju stood at the center of it all, his presence a beacon of hope to his allies and a force to be reckoned with to his enemies.
Across the field, a trio of figures emerged, emanating power that sent a ripple of unease through the ranks of Konoha and Suna. The first was the First Tsuchikage, Ishikawa, whose grim expression softened into a smirk upon spotting Hashirama.
Beside the Tsuchikage stood two imposing figures, each hosting a tailed beast within — Shiro, the Four Tails Jinchuriki, and Hon, the Five Tails Jinchuriki, their chakra swirling around them like a storm barely contained.
Ishikawa cracked a smug smile. "The legendary Hashirama Senju, protector of Konoha, reduced to fighting alongside a bunch of villagers," he sneered, his voice cold and cutting.
"They say you're unbeatable, Senju, but here and now, that legend dies."
Hashirama responded with an easy smile, undeterred. "Ishikawa, you talk too much. Let's see if your jutsu speaks as loud as your words."
With a guttural command, Ishikawa formed a flurry of hand signs, summoning a towering wall of rock that tore through the ground toward Hashirama. "Earth Style: Colossal Landslide!" he roared, launching the wall forward like a tidal wave of stone.
Hashirama leapt to meet it, weaving his own jutsu. "Wood Style: Deep Forest Bloom!" Thick wooden branches burst from the earth, coiling through the ground and rising in a lush forest, halting the oncoming wall with a thunderous clash.
In that moment, Shiro and Hon charged forward. Shiro opened his mouth wide, chakra gathering and forming into a glowing sphere of raw power. "Bijudama!" With a bestial roar, the Four Tails jinchuriki fired the tailed beast bomb straight at Hashirama.
Simultaneously, Hon, the Five Tails jinchuriki, lowered his horned head, creating a powerful whirlwind as he charged forward, kicking up a vortex that roared alongside the coming bijudama.
Hashirama's grin turned sharp as he responded with a swift jutsu. "Wood Style: Hotei's Grasp!" Giant wooden hands erupted from the ground, catching Shiro's bijudama and containing its destructive force with a fierce glow.
Hashirama pushed more chakra into the wood as it groaned under the strain, while another wooden hand shot forward to intercept Hon's whirlwind. The swirling force splintered parts of the wood, but Hashirama held his ground, standing firm.
Their onslaught didn't stop. Ishikawa stepped forward, his hands flashing through a rapid series of signs. "Earth Style: Mountain Collapse!"
Massive slabs of earth broke free and fell from above, intent on crushing everything in their path. Hashirama's allies scrambled, shouting warnings to each other as the sky seemed to fall.
Hashirama reacted swiftly, pressing his hands together. "Wood Style: Advent of a World of Flowering Trees!"
A massive forest surged up from the ground, its branches stretching high and wide, meeting the falling mountains and splintering the rock into harmless debris. The blooming flowers released a sweet-smelling pollen that drifted toward the jinchuriki, who swayed, momentarily slowed by its effects.
Undeterred, Shiro let out a monstrous roar that sent shockwaves across the field, dispelling the pollen. He charged another bijudama, his face contorted with fury, while Hon, now fully transformed with his beast's strength, created another whirlwind, sending rocks and debris hurtling toward Hashirama like projectiles.
Hashirama moved gracefully through the chaos, casting another jutsu. "Wood Style: Laughing Buddha Jutsu!" Gigantic wooden arms shot forth, deflecting the projectiles and dispersing the whirlwind. But even he knew that this fight couldn't be won without stepping up his power.
He took a deep breath, calling upon his Senjutsu as his body began to glow faintly, his features now marked with sage-like designs.
With his chakra amplified, he turned back to his opponents, the aura around him intensifying. "This ends now."
Hashirama clapped his hands together, and a massive wave of wooden tendrils burst from the earth, twisting around Shiro and Hon with an iron grip.
His Senjutsu-infused chakra heightened the jutsu's strength, and the two jinchuriki were unable to break free, trapped by the unyielding wood. Hon struggled violently, his tailed beast chakra flaring, but the sage-powered wood absorbed and nullified it, rendering him immobile.
Shiro's bijudama fizzled out as the wood closed around his mouth, silencing him.
Ishikawa, seeing his comrades defeated, grit his teeth in frustration. He cursed under his breath, backing away as his tactical mind realized the fight was no longer in their favor.
With a scowl, he spat at the ground. "This isn't over, Senju! I will see you fall."
With a final snarl, he formed a quick series of hand signs, creating a thick wall of earth that covered his escape as he retreated, disappearing into the chaos of the battlefield.
Hashirama watched him go, his expression calm but his eyes steely. The remaining Iwa forces began to scatter, losing heart without their leader. Hashirama released his jutsu, letting the jinchuriki slump to the ground, unconscious and firmly bound by his wood.
.
Reifū darted through the battlefield like a ghost, her movements swift and precise, each step in perfect sync with the rhythm of her breathing. Her aether techniques enveloped her, shimmering with a faint ethereal glow that defied the harsh reality of war around her.
Iwa shinobi rushed at her, hoping to overwhelm her by sheer numbers, but she was a whirlwind of calm destruction, each strike imbued with an almost otherworldly energy that left her opponents collapsing one after another.
"Aether: Celestial Winds," she whispered, extending her arm. A powerful gust, tinged with her energy, exploded forward, scattering the advancing shinobi like autumn leaves.
Another wave of enemies surged toward her, determined to take her down, but she moved through them with effortless precision, dodging, parrying, and striking with a combination of taijutsu and aether strikes that left her opponents on the ground, lifeless.
In the midst of the chaos, Reifū sensed an intense, sharp presence approaching. Turning, she came face to face with none other than Mū, the newly appointed Second Tsuchikage, known for his mastery of stealth and earth-based techniques.
His sharp gaze met hers, sizing her up in silence before vanishing into thin air. Reifū tensed, her senses heightened, and in an instant, she felt his presence behind her. She spun just in time to parry his strike, and the battle was on.
The two clashed in close-quarters combat, their hands and feet moving in a blur of calculated strikes and blocks. Mū's movements were fluid, elusive, as if he were shifting with the very air itself. Reifū kept pace, her own style blending agility and power.
They exchanged blows with fierce intensity, each movement aimed with deadly precision.
"You're quick," Mū remarked, dodging one of her punches and countering with a sweeping kick.
Reifū sidestepped, retaliating with a spinning backfist. "So are you. I'm not impressed just yet." Her grin was unwavering, even as Mū's serious expression held a hint of respect.
Seeing an opening, Mū launched himself backward, forming a series of intricate hand signs with blinding speed. "Dust Release: Atomic Dismantling Jutsu!" he intoned, creating a glowing cube of destructive energy in his hands.
He thrust it toward her, the jutsu crackling with an intense, disintegrating force.
Reifū didn't flinch. Instead, she raised her hand, conjuring a swirling vortex of aether energy. "Aether: Void Vacuum," she stated calmly, her energy coalescing into a massive square of void that appeared in midair.
The dust release attack collided with the void, only to be absorbed entirely, vanishing into its depths without leaving a trace.
Mū's eyes narrowed, a flicker of disbelief crossing his usually unreadable expression. "Impossible… where did it go?"
Reifū chuckled. "Let's just say it's not your concern anymore." She advanced, pressing her attack with renewed vigor, her strikes fluid yet relentless, each one threatening to pierce through Mū's defenses. But he was skilled, weaving and evading, occasionally going invisible to keep her on her toes.
Despite her counter, Mū was no ordinary opponent. He continued to vanish and reappear, launching attacks from unpredictable angles. Their battle was fierce, neither able to gain the upper hand as they clashed in a deadly dance of skill and power.
Each time Mū tried to push her back with another Dust Release attempt, Reifū would summon her Void Vacuum, absorbing his attacks as though they were nothing.
Suddenly, a signal from the distance caught Mū's eye. He spotted Ishikawa, the First Tsuchikage, pulling back, retreating with the rest of the Iwa forces.
Mū's expression tightened as he took one last look at Reifū. With a swift nod, he turned, fading into the distance to follow his retreating comrades.
As Mū and the Iwa shinobi began their retreat, Kūga, hovering high in the sky, took in the sight.
His lips curved into a smirk, an idea forming in his mind. "A little parting gift," he murmured to himself, raising a hand skyward.
He gathered ethereal energy into a compact, brilliant sphere. "Aether: Ethereal Bomb," he whispered, his voice barely audible as the energy coalesced into what looked like a burning comet.
The ethereal comet shot down toward the retreating Iwa forces, blazing through the sky. A split second later—
*BOOOOOOOM!*
The explosion shook the ground for miles, sending shockwaves that reverberated through the battlefield. Suna and Konoha shinobi paused, staring at the destruction with wide eyes as the ground beneath them trembled.
Even Hashirama, in the midst of the battlefield, looked up in surprise as he registered the massive blast. Glancing at the sky, he spotted a dark figure hovering far above, cloaked in black.
Hashirama chuckled, shaking his head with an amused grin. "What a show-off…" he muttered,
watching as Kūga turned and vanished into the horizon.