Uchiha Madara's intentions were simple and direct. He planned to evaporate the entire lake with a single Tailed Beast Ball. For a tailed beast, this task was effortless. However, just as the Five Tails' Jinchuriki fired the Tailed Beast Ball, a massive figure descended and intercepted it.
Boom!
"A wooden figure!?"
Madara's gaze locked onto the towering wooden humanoid that had caught the Tailed Beast Ball with both hands. A flicker of nostalgia surfaced in his eyes.
"To think you'd force me to this extent… Looks like I'll need to revise my resurrection plan."
Madara had lost his eyes. Although he could still control the tailed beasts using Yin-Yang Release by channeling chakra from the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path through White Zetsu's body, he could no longer exert his full strength. Judging from the current situation, that level of power was no longer sufficient to handle this boy. He could already feel that his connection with the Four Tails' Jinchuriki had been severed. Now, only the Five Tails remained, and even that wouldn't be enough to bring down Rasa.
"In that case, brat, I'll leave you with one last gift."
At that moment, the Five Tails regained its complete form and withdrew. Once it had retreated far enough from the lake, it raised its head high, gathering an overwhelming surge of chakra. A Tailed Beast Ball even larger than the beast itself, immense and glowing like a moon, began to form in the sky above Sunagakure.
"Oi oi… this is just playing dirty now!"
The villagers stared up in horror. Their faces drained of color, and their eyes widened with despair. They had already witnessed the devastation caused by a Tailed Beast Ball only ten meters in diameter, which had destroyed an area larger than the entire village. But this one looked to be fifty, maybe sixty meters wide.
"Can Lord Kazekage really block something like that?"
Someone muttered. All around, people swallowed hard, their throats dry with fear.
From a distant vantage point, Uchiha Madara, controlling the Five Tails, began to laugh with joy. This was the final move, and there was no reason to hold back. He cared nothing for the lives of the tailed beasts. Using up the Five Tails' life force to fire this ultimate Tailed Beast Ball brought him great satisfaction.
For the first time, Rasa felt the true pressure of facing Uchiha Madara. And this was a Madara without the Rinnegan, aged and weakened. Just how terrifying must the real Madara have been at his peak?
Still, Rasa was not the same man he once was. He had grown. He had power now. Tossing the sealed body of Roshi, the Four Tails' Jinchuriki, behind him, he launched himself toward the Five Tails' Jinchuriki with fierce determination. His hands came together as he began weaving signs.
"Sage Art: Limit Release: Wood Style: Wood Human Technique."
"Sage Art: Limit Release: Magnet Style: Shukaku's Aspect."
On either side of Rasa, two enormous constructs took shape. The Wood Human stood tall and formidable, and next to it, the embodiment of Shukaku's Aspect roared into existence. However, Rasa knew even these two towering forces were not enough to stop such a colossal Tailed Beast Ball.
He would need to merge them. However, even that wouldn't be enough. He required something greater.
"Sage Art: Limit Release: Secret Technique: Avatar of the Divine."
Under the silver light of the night sky, an awe-inspiring figure emerged. It was vast beyond reason, its head brushing the stars and its feet planted firmly on the earth. Shaped like a human, it wore golden and black armor that radiated both elegance and dread. In its hands it held a massive iron staff, gold at the ends and black at the center, a weapon of mythic scale.
The figure stood silently, like a mountain given form. Its sheer size dwarfed any tailed beast. At two or three hundred meters tall, it was an overwhelming presence that filled the entire battlefield. All of Sunagakure looked up at it, breath caught in their throats, as the true battle began.
"God!"
That single word echoed in the minds of everyone in Sunagakure.
The colossal giant now stood tall like a guardian deity, unwavering in front of the moon-sized Tailed Beast Ball. It looked as though divine judgment had descended to protect the village.
"A fine technique indeed. Let's see if it can withstand this!" Uchiha Madara's voice roared across the battlefield.
Boom!
Time itself seemed to pause as the enormous Tailed Beast Ball surged forward, crashing through the air with unstoppable momentum.
Standing atop the Divine Avatar's shoulder, Rasa raised the Dragon Golden Staff and slammed it into the ground with tremendous force, positioning it directly in the path of the incoming attack. At that moment, the staff lived up to its legendary name, transforming into a stabilizing pillar, as though it had the power to pacify raging seas and violent skies.
Simultaneously, Rasa stretched out his right hand. The Kāma mark upon his body burst into brilliant light, and its mysterious energy was unleashed without restraint.
Boom!
---
Far away in the desert, Chiyo and her group were racing anxiously toward the battlefield. Suddenly, the earth beneath them quaked violently, and a blinding light pierced the night sky, illuminating the entire desert. A heartbeat later, a thunderous shockwave swept toward them like a raging storm.
"Watch out!"
Bunpuku reacted immediately, activating the power of Shukaku. With a swift gesture, he manipulated the sand beneath their feet to rise and form a massive sand sphere, enclosing and shielding everyone within.
Boom!
The shockwave struck without mercy, engulfing everything around them in a storm of wind and force.
---
At the border between the Land of Rivers and the Land of Wind, Sunagakure and Kumogakure shinobi were locked in a tense standoff. Although the frontline war had temporarily calmed, neither side had lowered their guard. Patrols continued even into the dead of night.
Just as everyone assumed the night would pass quietly, a sudden explosion ripped through the air. Light erupted on the horizon, shaking the sky and grabbing everyone's attention.
Both sides scrambled out of their tents, startled and on high alert.
"Is it an enemy attack?"
Someone shouted as the shinobi rushed to their posts. However, despite their readiness, there was no enemy in sight.
"What's going on?"
Confusion spread among the ranks. Then, someone pointed at the sky. A streak of light cut through the heavens, too fast and too unnatural to be mistaken.
"What the hell!?"
Even the seasoned Kumogakure shinobi were momentarily frozen in disbelief. Mikawa burst from his tent, and as soon as he laid eyes on the light, his pupils constricted in shock. On the Sunagakure side, several shinobi shared the same realization.
"That light... it's coming from the direction of the village!!!"
---
Land of Fire, Konohagakure.
The village had enjoyed rare peace in recent days.
Since the capture of Iwagakure's Two-Tails and Five-Tails, the shinobi world had fallen into a heavy, uneasy silence. Iwagakure and Kumogakure's plans to invade Sunagakure had completely collapsed. Even Konoha, once tempted to act, began to reassess Sunagakure's strength, choosing caution over confrontation.
In this brief moment of stillness, Minato was finally able to spend peaceful evenings with Kushina.
That night, they sat facing each other, enjoying a simple dinner and sharing light conversation. Suddenly, the dining table shook.
"An earthquake?"
Minato murmured, frowning. Yet, something felt off. The vibration didn't seem natural.
Across the table, Kushina's face turned pale. She stood up abruptly, eyes wide and filled with fear.
"What is it, Kushina?"
She raised her hand and pointed toward the window. Her voice trembled.
"From that direction... I'm sensing an incredibly terrifying chakra!"
Minato's expression hardened. He never once doubted Kushina's sensory abilities. He dashed to the balcony and looked in the direction she had indicated.
His eyes widened as he saw a bright light radiating in the far-off sky. Despite the distance, its glow pierced the night with terrifying intensity.
"That's... Sunagakure..."