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After Obito left, the Five Kage Summit had to continue.
Aside from the Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails, they now had a brand new topic on the table.
How would they respond to the Fourth Great Ninja War declared by the Akatsuki?
"To resist the tailed beasts in their hands, we must form a unified Allied Shinobi Forces!" the Kazekage, Gaara, said with a heavy sigh.
"Haaa…"
All five Kage sighed in unison.
They could already feel the urgency of the situation tightening around them.
Elsewhere.
Hakurī and Kabuto were diligently working on a grand project.
"Who is this?" Hakurī clicked his tongue, looking at the rotten corpse on the ground.
Kabuto wiped the sweat from his brow. "If the intel is correct, this should be the Second Mizukage of the Hidden Mist."
Hakurī nodded.
A coffin rose from the earth, sealed the corpse inside, and vanished back into the ground.
"Who's next?" Hakurī asked.
"The Second Tsuchikage of the Hidden Stone!"
"Good."
In a Konoha laboratory.
Orochimaru was packing away his ninjutsu scrolls.
"Hmm?"
"The Impure World Reincarnation… It's been activated?"
Orochimaru paused, his eyes narrowing. The corners of his lips slowly curled up.
"Interesting."
His figure vanished from the spot.
The Fourth Great Ninja War began.
After the Summit, the Kage first needed to report the matter to their respective Daimyō.
Once the Daimyō's permission was granted, the news spread outward.
Active preparations for war commenced.
One month passed in the blink of an eye.
The division of tasks among the Five Kage was rational.
The Mizukage, Mei Terumi, was in charge of transporting the Daimyō to the designated assembly point under heavy ninja guard. These lords valued their lives above all else and were a haughty bunch.
To protect the Nine-Tails and Eight-Tails, they were placed on a moving turtle island. Considerable effort went into keeping this a secret from Naruto.
Thankfully, the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, Killer Bee, was there to distract Naruto from time to time.
The other Kage poured all their energy into war preparations.
War was not just two simple words.
Behind the war was a gathering shinobi army.
The long-distance transportation of supplies.
A bustling medical corps.
The silent efforts of the intelligence division.
War began. Countless lives were fed into this brutal meat grinder.
Tsunade stood in her office, gazing vacantly at the rebuilt Hokage Rock.
"Hakurī…"
"If only you were here…"
Her eyes grew slightly red as she stared at the familiar face carved into the stone.
In a dark cave.
One coffin after another appeared before Obito, the figures inside coming into view.
Obito looked at Hakurī. "What is this?"
"These are all famous shinobi from the past. Through the Impure World Reincarnation, we can summon and use them," Hakurī explained.
Obito's eyes lit up. "Good plan."
"Hmph! Of course," Hakurī grinned.
After all, he and Kabuto had been digging up graves for a whole month.
(Kabuto: Wasn't I the one doing all the actual digging?)
"The only pity is that we couldn't find the remains of any of the past Hokage." Kabuto's tone held genuine regret.
"It's fine. These are more than enough," Hakurī said.
Obito nodded in agreement.
An army of a hundred thousand White Zetsu, plus these immortal Edo Tensei shinobi. Add in the Akatsuki renegades and the tailed beasts they held.
Victory in the Fourth Great Ninja War was all but assured.
"I can't show myself just yet," Hakurī said to Obito. "I'll appear during the final battle."
Obito narrowed his eyes. "Fine."
No matter how intense the outside conflict became, Hakurī stayed with Kabuto. Kabuto manipulated the Edo Tensei shinobi while Hakurī watched him talking to himself.
Of course, there was one other person, silent as a shadow.
Hanzo, always quietly knitting in the corner.
"…Don't you want to take a break?" Hakurī asked, looking at Hanzo sitting in her chair, fingers deftly weaving through yarn.
No matter how many years Hanzo lived in Konoha, no matter her feelings for Naruto, her true loyalty always belonged to Hakurī. When Hakurī left Konoha, he naturally took Hanzo with him.
Her departure caused no ripple. To most, Hanzo was just a nanny. The chaos of Pain's assault easily created an opportunity for her 'disappearance.' How could an ordinary nanny survive that?
Except for Naruto, whose world had already crumbled, no one knew Hanzo was gone, and no one cared.
Hakurī's life was peaceful. Sometimes watching Kabuto play shogi, other times watching Hanzo knit.
Above him, the shadow of war spread.
Clashing blades. Wild ninjutsu.
Rivers of blood. Kin killing kin.
Then, one day, Hakurī learned Naruto had entered the war.
"Figured." Hakurī smiled, utterly unfazed.
He had spent the most time with Naruto. He knew better than anyone.
Naruto couldn't—and wouldn't—hide in the background. He would charge onto the battlefield to protect the people he cared about.
Kabuto stood up and walked over to Hakurī, speaking mysteriously. "Hakurī-sama, I actually prepared a special gift for you."
Hakurī shot him a sidelong glance. "If it's not special enough, don't bother showing it."
Kabuto: "…"
Ever since Hakurī's fake death, his behavior had been… erratic. But Kabuto was learning to adapt. If you can't change Hakurī-sama, change yourself!
—Kabuto's new motto.
A massive yellow coffin slowly rose from the ground.
Hakurī raised an eyebrow, already guessing who was inside.
The Shinobi World's Dance King, the Nightclub Prince—Madara Uchiha!
The coffin lid opened. Inside was Madara, clad in his iconic red armor. Though lifeless, the expression on his face radiated sheer disdain.
Even in death, he has to maintain that aura of superiority.
Hakurī had to admire him. Not many could pull off being that much of a badass. Sasuke, for instance, could never reach Madara's level of effortless, natural arrogance.
"It is special," Hakurī said, closing the coffin lid again.
Special for him. For the Five Kage? It was a giant, delivered-to-your-doorstep package of death.
Most of the Edo Tensei bodies were dug up by Hakurī and Kabuto together. So when did Kabuto sneak off to dig up Madara's grave?
Hakurī eyed him suspiciously.
Kabuto: "…"
He guessed the suspicion and his expression cracked. "Hakurī-sama, do you remember? That one night I went out alone?" He looked at Hakurī hopefully, trying to spark a memory beyond eating, drinking, and lounging.
"Oh~" Hakurī nodded as if enlightened, then his face went blank. "No."
Kabuto: "…"
"Not that I care when you dug up Madara's grave. The important thing is making good use of this body." Hakurī patted Kabuto's shoulder and vanished from the cave.
"Hakurī-sama, it's not safe out there right now—" Kabuto's warning fell on empty air.
Kabuto: "…"
Hanzo lifted her eyes, bloodshot from knitting all night. "You don't need to worry about him."
Kabuto: "…Good point."
But maybe, just maybe, he was worried about the people Hakurī might run into?
Kabuto was about to return to controlling the Edo Tensei when he saw Hanzo's state. They were both under Hakurī's command, colleagues of a sort. A few words of comfort seemed appropriate.
Kabuto plastered on a hollow smile and approached. "Still knitting for Naruto, huh?"
"Sigh! Don't be too sad."
"At least you can burn it for him later."
He meant no mockery. These words came from the heart. Naruto, as the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, was doomed. Hanzo must know that.
Hanzo looked up. "Thanks for the well-wishes."
Kabuto: "…"
The battlefield.
White Zetsu in disguise wreaked havoc. No one could tell friend from imposter. Well-laid plans crumbled under the chaos.
"This isn't working!"
"Yeah!"
"Even the Byakugan can't spot them!"
"Even the dogs can't sniff them out!"
"This is a nightmare!"
Leading a squad of Edo Tensei Jinchūriki, Obito headed toward the main battlefield.
They ran into Naruto and Killer Bee.
Hakurī's gaze lingered on Naruto for a moment before shifting away.
He flew high above on Tenki, his blue chakra bird.
Naruto, leaping between branches, suddenly froze.
"What's wrong, Naruto?" Killer Bee asked, puzzled.
Naruto looked up at the empty sky and shook his head. "Nothing!"
On a battlefield of endless sand.
The Second Tsuchikage, Mū, formed hand seals at blinding speed.
"Summoning Technique!"
Poof!
A coffin emerged from the sand. Cracks spiderwebbed across its surface.
A split second before the explosion, Mū's form flashed away.
A hand gripped the coffin's edge.
"Finally, this day has come…"
"It seems that brat Nagato has grown up…"
A figure walked out of the sand and dust kicked up by the explosion. Red steel armor. Long, dark hair flowing down his back. The cracks of Edo Tensei marring his skin.
"To think it's him this time…" Mū sounded surprised.
"Hmph!"
Elsewhere, with the Allied Forces.
A unit of shinobi cried out in alarm.
"What?!"
"Don't panic!"
Everyone looked where the panicked ninja pointed.
The Second Tsuchikage, Mū, came into view.
"That's the Second Tsuchikage!" someone recognized him.
"Wasn't he sealed?" a Naruto shadow clone exclaimed. He remembered that fight.
"No idea!" Even those who sealed him were confused.
"It's not just him! There's someone else!" A sensor-nin started trembling. That immense chakra… that terrifying presence! It was bone-chilling!
"What?! Someone else?!"
Naruto watched as a figure in red drew closer atop a high stone platform, fully revealing himself.
"This… this is…"
Ōnoki's jaw dropped. Cold sweat dripped down his forehead.
"Madara Uchiha!"
He finally spat out the name that had haunted his childhood.
"He was revived by Edo Tensei!" Gaara noticed the cracks.
"That means the masked 'Madara' is a fake!" Naruto shouted.
Gaara nodded.
Madara looked down at the sea of shinobi below. "Headbands of the Allied Shinobi Forces, but their attire is from different nations… A new allied army?" he mused.
"This is war," Mū answered.
Madara raised an eyebrow. "If he orchestrated this, there must be a reason. His plan must not be going smoothly, otherwise he wouldn't resort to reviving me like this."
He was deeply dissatisfied with his Edo Tensei body. His plan was to return to the world of the living, reborn. Not this half-life puppet state.
"Where's that kid, Hakurī?" Madara asked.
"Hakurī-sama has not yet taken to the battlefield," Kabuto answered through Mū.
Madara glanced at him. "I see. Let's deal with these pests before us first." He brushed off non-existent dust from his armor and leaped down.
One hour later.
The shadow of death loomed over everyone.
An Allied Shinobi Forces of tens of thousands was now reduced to less than twenty survivors.
"The power of the Sage of Six Paths is truly astonishing," Mū said under Kabuto's control as their Edo Tensei bodies were already reforming.
Madara looked at Mū. "You, the one called Kabuto. How much do you truly know about my body?"
"I can only speculate. In the final battle at the Valley of the End, you did lose to the First Hokage. But you didn't die. Instead, you gained a part of his power," Kabuto explained through Mū.
Madara narrowed his eyes, watching Mū in silence.
Sensing his suspicion, Kabuto spoke directly. "Please rest assured. I am on your side. I act under Hakurī-sama's command."
Madara turned his head. The image of that little brat appeared in his mind. "Hakurī… I wonder what he's like now. But if he can recruit a subordinate like you, he must be strong."
Kabuto nodded. "Correct. Hakurī-sama is incredibly powerful."
Madara let out a light laugh.
Strong was good. The stronger, the better. It only strengthened their forces. It only sped up their plan.
"The Nine-Tails hasn't been captured yet?" When he failed to summon the beast, Madara already knew the answer.
"It has not."
"It seems Obito is useless after all," Madara stated.
Kabuto: "…"
You probably think Hakurī-sama is useless too, don't you?
"The Nine-Tails Jinchūriki is not easy to deal with," Kabuto couldn't help but defend them.
"Hmm?" Madara looked at him, then at Naruto in the distance. "Just an ordinary brat."
Kabuto: "…"
Not everyone sees him as 'just an ordinary brat'!
Madara adjusted his collar. "There's a technique I want to test."
Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!
Gigantic vines erupted from the earth, writhing and breaking through the soil like a churning green ocean.
"We really can't escape this…" The surviving shinobi looked as pale as ghosts.
Naruto gritted his teeth. "I won't give up!"
"I can't give up!"
"I promised Hakurī-nee!"
"Never give up!"
Madara's eyes narrowed. Did he just hear… a familiar name?
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