Onoki arrived beneath the descending meteor, a mass capable of crushing the entire Allied Shinobi Forces, in an instant.
He braced the stone with a single hand, but the sheer weight was staggering, threatening to drive him into the earth.
"Earth Release: Super Light-Weight Rock Jutsu!"
The meteor's descent slowed marginally, yet even lightened, a stone of such magnitude remained a colossal burden. Watching Onoki strain until his voice cracked, Kanon spoke with cold indifference: "It is a futile effort. Stop struggling."
Beside the Tsuchikage, Gaara summoned a torrential flood of sand, forming a massive cushion to help Onoki halt the falling mass.
"Just a little more... just a little more... and we'll have it..." Onoki gritted his teeth. Cracks began to spiderweb across the meteor's surface from the pressure of his touch, and blood sprayed from beneath his fingernails.
"AAAAAHHHH!"
Finally, with a guttural roar from Onoki, the meteor actually ground to a halt.
Kanon and Madara watched the scene, their expressions unreadable.
"That brat Onoki... he's certainly gained some skill," Madara remarked, almost nostalgic.
"He is a Kage, after all." Kanon felt a fleeting sense of admiration for the skeletal old man. Before them, the massive sandstorm acted like two titan palms, holding the celestial monolith in place.
Naruto and the rest of the Allied Shinobi Forces broke into relieved smiles. Gaara and Onoki exhaled sharply, and the shinobi below began to cheer.
But then, Madara spoke, his voice dropping like a cold shadow beside Kanon.
"Fine then. What will you do about the second one, Onoki?"
At that moment, the dark clouds were torn asunder. A second, identical meteor emerged, slamming directly into the crown of the first. The collision caused both stones to shatter and grind against each other, instantly sweeping across the entire Fourth Division battlefield.
With a deafening explosion, the colossal stones fell with the force of a thousand thunderclaps upon the Allied Forces.
The ground buckled. It was a vision of the apocalypse. Shockwaves radiated outward like ripples in a pond; trees, boulders, and the very crust of the earth were uprooted and sent flying, leaving behind a series of gargantuan craters.
The sheer magnitude of the impact caused a massive earthquake that reached as far as the Allied Shinobi Forces Headquarters.
"What happened?!" Shikaku Nara shouted.
"A report from the Intelligence Division!" Inoichi Yamanaka yelled. "A giant stone that practically blots out the sun has fallen over the Fourth Division's position against Kanon Uchiha!"
"So that was the source of the tremor!" the Raikage barked, then demanded, "Any word from the Fourth Division?"
Ao, sweat pouring down his face, could only mutter in shock: "Heavens... to take out so many people at once..."
"Was it Kanon Uchiha's doing?" The Raikage slammed his desk in a rage.
"No... it was likely Madara," Shikaku analyzed. He turned to Tsunade, knowing they could no longer afford to wait. "Tsunade-sama, if this continues..."
Tsunade looked up, her expression grim. At the Fourth Division's battlefield, they weren't just facing Kanon Uchiha anymore, Madara Uchiha was also on the prowl.
"I'm going there myself!" Tsunade roared.
…
The entire battlefield was now carpeted in yellow dust. What had been a site of active combat was now a living purgatory.
Survivors wandered aimlessly through a landscape littered with corpses. For many, this was their first war, and this sight was its ultimate, brutal definition. So many had perished, snuffed out by a power that transcended the human realm. The heavy air of death heralded the deepest level of despair.
Gaara and Onoki had used every ounce of their strength to protect themselves, but Onoki was now severely wounded. Even Naruto had collapsed to the ground, staggering.
However, this was merely a clone. Naruto looked at the scene before him, a field of the dead, a literal hell on earth. His voice trembled with confusion.
"Rubber-man... why did you bother saving just a clone...?"
"I'm sorry for the others," Dodai replied, "but even if it's just a clone, we cannot afford to lose this power. Not if we want victory."
Naruto bit his lip, scanning the ruins. "Where's the old man Tsuchikage?"
He rushed to Onoki's side to check his injuries.
"Don't worry, he's alive..." a nearby medic whispered while tending to the old man. "But... he is badly hurt."
High on the vantage point from before, Kanon's form flickered from ethereal to solid. She stared blankly at the two figures, Madara and the white Zetsu-vessel of Kabuto, as their Reanimation bodies slowly regenerated on either side of her.
She wasn't surprised that Madara was capable of this. However, Kanon had seen a far more terrifying existence. Compared to the shock Konin had given her that day, Madara's display of carnage felt almost insignificant.
Once you have witnessed the majesty of an elephant, do you still marvel at the strength of an ant?
"So this is the power of the Sage of the Six Paths? Truly incredible," Kabuto remarked through Mu's body, sounding impressed.
Madara gave a disdainful snort. "What a nostalgic sight." He then turned his gaze toward the puppet-master. "You, the one called Kabuto... how much do you actually know about me?"
Kabuto looked toward Kanon, seeking her unspoken permission before answering. Kanon gave a slight nod, and Kabuto began his explanation.
"It is merely my hypothesis. In that battle against the First Hokage, Hashirama, you did not actually die at the Valley of the End."
"Even though you were defeated by Hashirama Senju... you managed to obtain a portion of his power. Am I correct?"
Madara pulled back his collar, glancing at his chest. He understood instantly.
"I see. You are quite the strategist." Madara paused. "Do you and Kanon know of our plan?"
"Of course," Kabuto replied. "I am the one assisting Kanon in casting the Infinite Tsukuyomi. Her goal is the same as yours."
"Very well," Madara nodded. "If you stand with Kanon, you stand with me."
"I only wonder if that fake Madara, Obito, intends to follow the plan as well," Kabuto chuckled.
Kanon, who had been silent for a long while, finally spoke.
"Regardless of his intent, the Infinite Tsukuyomi will be cast. Whether it is by you or Obito makes no difference to me. This war exists solely for that purpose."
Kabuto nodded slightly. "Indeed, Kanon-chan is right. There are still many survivors, and the Tsuchikage and Kazekage are proving troublesome. What is the move?"
"There is something I wish to confirm first," Madara said. "Summoning Jutsu!"
Kanon and Kabuto watched, but nothing appeared.
Suddenly, in the distance, Naruto felt a searing pain in his abdomen. He fell to his knees before the bars of the Nine-Tails' cage.
"This chakra calling out to me... is it Madara?!"
Seeing that the summoning failed, Madara looked back at the other two. "It seems you have not captured the Nine-Tails yet."
"This war was started specifically to capture the Eight and Nine-Tails," Kabuto explained, pointing in a specific direction. "The Nine-Tails is currently still inside its Jinchuriki."
Madara and Kanon followed his gaze. There stood Naruto, kneeling on the ground, clutching his stomach and drenched in cold sweat.
"Naruto?" Kanon murmured.
"That boy is the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Naruto Uzumaki."
"Uzumaki? A kinsman of Mito," Madara noted, nodding slightly. "The brat who attacked me earlier."
"He is not to be underestimated, though that is only a clone," Kabuto added. "Shall we go after the original body now?"
"You two go," Kanon said, crossing her arms. Her eyes were devoid of emotion. "I will stay here to execute the Five Kage."
"You truly are like me," Madara said with a grim sense of pride. He stepped beside her. "I have a jutsu I've been wanting to try out, Kanon," he added with a cold smirk.
Kanon brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear and stepped aside, clearing a path for him. "Go ahead."
Madara walked past her, looking down upon the devastated battlefield.
"There are too few people here. A technique this beautiful should be used where the crowd is thicker."
Before Kanon's eyes, Madara began to weave signs. Behind him, massive, gnarled vines erupted from the earth, the power of the Wood Release.
"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"