He never could have imagined that a name—one all but forgotten in the dusty corners of the clan's history would return with such a world-shattering impact, becoming a primary architect of the chaos engulfing the ninja world.
The sheer contrast between the past and the present left him with a sense of absurdity and a creeping chill.
Beside him, a flicker of emotion stirred deep within Itachi's eyes.
His own recollection of the name was slightly clearer than Shisui's, yet it was still limited to the image of a clansman who had died young—a contemporary of Kakashi.
Now, watching that figure—wielding terrifying ocular powers to ignite a global ninja war and reflecting on the clan's dark, ambitious past, Itachi felt a surge of intense vigilance and deepening anxiety about the future.
The true nature and the depth of obsession harbored by this "long-dead" clansman far exceeded anyone's imagination.
"Oh." The Fourth Raikage nodded upon hearing this, then added, "Who he is doesn't matter; what matters is how, exactly, Uchiha Madara was resurrected!"
At these words, a bitter smile touched Minato's lips, for he was the first to identify the cause of Madara's "resurrection."
It was the Edo Tensei—a forbidden jutsu originally developed by the Second Hokage.
Nearby, the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki—a "living fossil" who had actually lived through the era of Madara—experienced a particularly complex mix of emotions, yet he instantly noticed the momentary wavering in Minato's expression.
To steady the morale of the allied forces and to clarify the true nature of the crisis at hand... Ōnoki spoke in a deep, grave tone; his voice, aged yet resonant, carried clearly to the ears of the other powerful figures nearby:
"This technique is known as 'Edo Tensei'. It is a forbidden jutsu devised by the late Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, through the exhaustive application of his intellect.It utilizes a special ritual pact and requires living human sacrifices."
"The souls of the long-deceased are forcibly summoned from the Pure Land back to the mortal realm, bound within vessels constructed of dust and ash."
"Unless the caster voluntarily releases the jutsu, the reanimated body will regenerate perfectly even if blasted apart by countless explosive tags."
"Sealing is the only way to deal with it."
"This technique profanes the dead and disrupts the natural order of life and death; it carries immense power alongside extreme risk."
"Precisely because of its forbidden nature, the jutsu vanished from the ninja world after Tobirama's passing, becoming a legend found only in ancient scrolls. It is only natural that you younger generations have never heard of it."
Ōnoki's explanation was concise and precise, identifying the jutsu's creator, its nature and mechanics, and the reason it had been lost for so long.
His words not only resolved the Raikage's deep confusion but also instantly made it clear to everyone that the "Uchiha Madara" standing before them was not truly resurrected.
Instead, he was an undead puppet controlled by some forbidden power—a threat undiminished, and indeed made even more troublesome by his undying nature.
Madara's cold, reanimated eyes swept across the Allied Forces; he had already learned the full story from Black Zetsu.
His gaze finally settled on Obito—once a mere pawn in his schemes—as he spoke in a low, imposing voice. "It seems the plan has hit an unexpected snag... Obito?"
Obito's crimson Sharingan fixed intently on the reanimated Madara; his voice carried a trace of frustration:
"Lord Madara, after you 'departed,' the plan was proceeding steadily. Nagato, controlling Pain, faithfully executed the objectives of gathering Tailed Beasts and manufacturing weapons; the Akatsuki's power was indeed growing."
"However, a few years ago, things took a subtle turn."
He paused, seemingly recalling that pivotal moment.
"Nagato... it was as if he suddenly learned something. I was unable to pinpoint the exact source of that information."
A shadow crossed Obito's eyes—perhaps a memory of a moment that had caught him off guard.
"Although on the surface he continued gathering Tailed Beasts—with his operational goals unchanged—he had become wary."
"He began to hold back details regarding the execution of core directives and did not fully accept the 'suggestions' offered by Black Zetsu and myself."
"He even started setting up countermeasures at key strategic points—precautions that went far beyond mere intent."
"By now, the Ten-Tails has been successfully awakened, possessing power enough to upend the ninja world."
"Yet, Nagato chose to conceal his true body—hiding it with extraordinary thoroughness."
"This has made it difficult for us to pinpoint his location in order to control him or seize the Rinnegan."
Obito's tone betrayed clear frustration.
"What makes it even trickier is that his companion, Konan, protects him with airtight vigilance."
A hint of irritation crept into Obito's voice.
"She prepared specific countermeasures against my abilities in advance—particularly defenses against my ocular techniques. Not long ago, I attempted to forcibly capture her to either draw Nagato out or disrupt his control, only to be met with a meticulously prepared counterattack..."
"It prevented me from quickly subduing or controlling her, and consequently, from effectively threatening Nagato's hidden true body."
Obito emphasized the crux of their current predicament. "Without quickly eliminating Nagato and Konan, it was impossible to directly control the Ten-Tails and the Rinnegan."
"The plan hit a critical bottleneck as a result. Under these circumstances, conventional methods proved ineffective, and time was running out... I had no choice but to use the Edo Tensei to summon you back."
"Only your power can break this stalemate and ensure the ultimate realization of the 'Eye of the Moon Plan'."
Upon hearing this, Madara gave a cold snort; he didn't say much else, merely nodding.
Obito's explanation largely aligned with what he had already heard from Black Zetsu.
It was a plausible enough story, yet Madara remained less than satisfied.
It hadn't been easy grooming Obito; he had even 'helped' him awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Furthermore, the integration of White Zetsu cells—infused with Hashirama's DNA—into Obito's body had significantly raised his potential.
With the assistance of both Black and White Zetsu, he had held such a massive advantage, only to let the situation devolve into this mess.
Still, now was not the time for reprimands.
Both Madara and Obito turned their gaze in the same direction; Konan was fleeing toward the Ten-Tails.
The moment Madara appeared, not only did the Allied Shinobi Forces halt, but the Ten-Tails itself seemed to pause for some reason, acting as if facing a formidable enemy.
"Heh, a mere beast wouldn't possess such intelligence," Madara chuckled upon seeing this.
"You mean... Nagato is nearby, watching us?" Obito realized.
Yet, even with the visual prowess of his Mangekyō Sharingan, he could detect no trace of anyone nearby.
"Hmph! A leaf obscuring the view." Madara stared at the Ten-Tails—specifically at its tightly shut, massive maw—and the corners of his mouth curled upward.
"As for whether that's the case... a simple test will tell!"
In the next instant, Madara moved.
His Sharingan locked onto the scraps of paper fluttering through the air, and a look of utter contempt played upon his lips. Konan's reaction was swift; the moment Madara's chakra surged, she activated the "Dance of the Shikigami," intending to disperse into countless sheets of paper to evade the lethal strike.
Yet, before the "Asura of the Shinobi World," this was merely...
"A petty trick."
The cold assessment was accompanied by destructive power.
Madara did not even need complex hand seals; a suffocatingly vast amount of chakra coalesced in an instant.
"Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"
This was not Fire Style on the level of Obito.
Madara's flames were like a torrent of lava erupting from a volcano; their span blotted out the sky, instantly engulfing the entire expanse where Konan's paper had spread.
The power was immense; the air warped under the extreme heat, emitting piercing, explosive cracks.
The white-hot core of the flames held terrifying energy capable of instantly melting rock and evaporating lakes.
It far exceeded the endurance limits of any special protective jutsu imbued within Konan's paper.
It was as if divine retribution had descended!
In a split second, the raging sea of fire completely swallowed and submerged every fluttering sheet of paper!
Upon contact with the flames, the paper did not merely burn—it instantly vaporized!
"Urgh!"
A stifled groan of agony escaped from the sea of fire.
Konan's eyes widened abruptly, her pupils contracting violently from the searing pain and the looming threat of death.
She could clearly feel every single sheet of paper—each a vessel for her chakra—being ruthlessly torn apart by this unrivaled force.
The advantage of dispersion gained by transforming into paper proved as fragile as gossamer against such overwhelming, crushing power.
She attempted to maneuver the remaining paper to escape, but the sheer coverage and destructive speed of the inferno cut off any hope of survival.
The surrounding Allied Shinobi—even the battle-hardened elites—were plunged into a state of unprecedented shock and horror.
They had witnessed powerful Fire Style techniques before, but they had never imagined that such a jutsu could reach a scale and intensity capable of such cataclysmic destruction! "Th-this... how is this possible?!"
The Fourth Raikage, A, widened his eyes—large as bells—and instinctively raised his massively muscular arms to shield himself, as if trying to push back the invisible wave of heat.
The speed and strength he took such pride in seemed utterly insignificant and powerless before this cataclysmic inferno.
The thunderous, overwhelming momentum with which he and Killer B had just been battling Kakuzu vanished completely in the face of this sheer, fiery might.
A B-rank ninjutsu? This was nothing short of a natural disaster!
"Minato!" A growled, glancing at the golden-haired commander beside him; his voice was laced with incredulous shock.
Minato furrowed his brows, his golden locks fluttering in the hot wind, while a turbulent storm raged deep within his usually calm, azure eyes.
He had witnessed countless powerful ninjutsu and had even personally contended with the awesome power of Pain's Rinnegan.
Yet, the sheer scale of the flames before him—and the intense heat and crushing pressure radiating from them—
...made him instantly realize just how terrifying a combination the "immortal body" of the Impure World Reincarnation was when paired with the true might of Madara.
Beside Minato and the Raikage, the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, shuddered violently; the blood drained instantly from his wrinkled face, leaving it deathly pale.
Beads of cold sweat broke out on his forehead in an instant, trickling down the deep furrows of his wrinkles.
"Th-this feeling..."
Onoki's voice trembled uncontrollably, and his pupils contracted sharply.
It was as if the raging flames before him had dragged him back to an afternoon decades ago—a memory etched into his soul, filled with humiliation and terror.
The name "Great Fire Annihilation" was not unfamiliar to him; theoretically, it was merely a B-rank Fire Style technique that any skilled Jonin could execute.
But...
"Not a high rank?" Onoki screamed inwardly, a bitter taste filling his heart. "In the hands of Uchiha Madara, do rank distinctions even matter anymore?!"
Long-buried memories came flooding back: the overwhelming inferno that seemed capable of burning a hole right through the sky; that figure standing at the heart of the flames, looking like a demon god; and that crushing sense of despair—heavy as a mountain—that left him unable to breathe or even conceive of resistance...
Back then, he had been nothing more than a child trailing behind his master, Lord Mu; now, that fear, rooted deep within his soul, was fully reawakened by this sea of fire—a blaze far greater in scale and intensity than anything he had witnessed in the past.
Sweat soaked the back of his Tsuchikage robes, and his body trembled uncontrollably.
He understood better than anyone present that behind this seemingly "basic" Fire Style jutsu lay Madara's bottomless reserves of chakra and his unparalleled mastery of ninjutsu!
This wasn't merely a jutsu, it was a truly divine judgment.
It was Madara's way of making a direct declaration:
He had returned.
The young Five Kage—such as Gaara and Mei Terumi—along with Naruto, Itachi, and Sasuke, who had just arrived at the heart of the battlefield, were all stunned into silence.
Though they had not lived through that era, they were awestruck by the sheer, unnatural power of the flames.
Feeling the scorching heat that seemed ready to melt everything around them, and watching even the Water Style experts from the Hidden Mist turn pale,
they finally grasped the true meaning of "legendary" pressure.
The battlefield fell into a profound silence, gripped by shock at this "low-rank" jutsu unleashed by Madara.
Everyone—including Konan, who was charging toward the Ten-Tails—was overshadowed by the terrifying might of flames that seemed capable of incinerating the heavens and boiling the seas.
Madara, brought back by the Impure World Reincarnation, cared nothing for their reactions.
He simply stood before the raging inferno, his crimson Sharingan fixed upon the zone of destruction, as if he had merely brushed away a speck of insignificant dust.
His attack on Konan was not intended merely to kill; it was a probe—a move designed to force a reaction from Nagato, the one hiding in the shadows and orchestrating it all. Just as Konan was on the verge of being completely engulfed by the flames, the Ten-Tails moved!
A massive, scale-covered palm sliced violently into the raging sea of fire from the side, acting like an impenetrable barrier.
It shielded Konan with pinpoint precision, instantly blocking the terrifying, all-consuming flames of the Great Fire Annihilation!
At the same moment, the Ten-Tails' other colossal fist—charged with power enough to tear the earth apart—
Smashed down directly toward Madara, who stood proudly below!
Facing a giant fist capable of leveling mountains, Madara showed not a trace of fear.
Instead, a knowing smile—filled with arrogance and excitement—curled upon his lips as he shouted:
"Just as I thought! Nagato! You are inside the Ten-Tails, aren't you?"
Before the words had even faded, a surge of purple chakra—so immense it seemed to shake the very heavens—erupted violently!
A towering figure, formed entirely of solidified chakra and rivaling the Ten-Tails' fist in scale, rose up from the ground.
It was Madara's Complete Body Susanoo!
Like a god descending to earth, it materialized instantly, clad in massive samurai armor, and its colossal chakra-infused fist fiercely met the incoming blow!