The Ten-Tails' Chakra!
Nagato could feel that overwhelming power — the moment it entered his body, it began instinctively flowing toward his eyes.
He had a vague sense that… if he were to absorb all of it, his eyes might undergo an unimaginable transformation.
But for now, the amount of Ten-Tails chakra available was limited, and his body wasn't yet capable of fully wielding it.
So—
Nagato firmly resisted the temptation.
He calmly guided the Ten-Tails chakra into his Yin Seal,
just as Kyoichi had instructed.
In no time, the chakra filled the seal completely, sealed within his body.
It wasn't a large quantity —
but Nagato estimated it would be enough.
"Take in a bit more," Kyoichi said. "Use a sealing technique to store it as backup. You can also use a small portion to train your control over yang chakra. You'll need it when the time comes."
"…Understood!"
Nagato bowed his head.
He knew exactly how precious the Ten-Tails' chakra was.
The chakra of the Nine Tailed Beasts was scattered among the major villages, and this time, Kyoichi had risked much — using Madara as an excuse — to gather fragments of each Tailed Beast's power from across the ninja world.
Doing it again would be nearly impossible.
Every bit used now was one less forever — a resource more limited than any treasure.
Seeing Nagato's hesitation, Kyoichi split off a portion of the Ten-Tails chakra himself, channeling it into one of the artificial God Tree's branches. He then broke that branch off and sealed it.
"Take this," he said, handing it over.
Tsunade, standing beside them, spoke up with a half-smile:
"Keep it, Nagato. You know Kyoichi's talent better than anyone — he's already mastered his part completely. The rest depends on you. Don't drag him down."
Nagato hesitated a moment, then nodded and accepted it.
In truth… even after that, the artificial God Tree still held roughly sixty percent of the Ten-Tails' chakra.
Kyoichi thought it over carefully. He absorbed a portion through his clone and sealed the rest into other branches for safekeeping.
Without the Ten-Tails' chakra inside, the imitation God Tree lost much of its earlier vitality — its energy dimmed, its pulse slower —
but it still quietly absorbed the surrounding natural energy, feeding and growing in some strange, unseen way.
Who knew what it might one day become?
To be honest, Kyoichi was curious himself.
But he doubted he'd live to see that day — unless he somehow ascended to become an Ōtsutsuki himself.
Well… that was hardly worth thinking about now.
Surviving the present was the real priority.
"Next…"
Tsunade spoke first.
"You two are heading for the Land of Iron, right? The other villages are already on their way. It's time we moved as well. You and Jiraiya will be closest to Madara's location — if he tries to flee, you'll know immediately."
"Understood," Kyoichi replied.
Tsunade nodded lightly.
Madara's position was now confirmed, their formations already laid — there was no reason to delay any longer.
Even if Madara detected their movements, it would no longer matter.
As for Black Zetsu—
Well, even if he somehow survived after Madara's death, they had more than enough countermeasures prepared.
Even if the worst came to pass — even if the Ten-Tails was unleashed —
they still had contingency plans.
There would be no failure this time.
Tsunade was confident:
This time, they would win.
At least… this time, victory was certain.
Back in Konoha, the village's affairs had been handed to the Third Hokage.
As for how she and Kyoichi would reach the front lines —
they had a much simpler solution.
The Flying Thunder Formation teleportation network.
The Third was deeply envious.
Honestly, he wanted to fight again — to prove he wasn't yet an old relic, that he still had a place on the battlefield.
But, alas…
The truth was hard to ignore.
He finally realized that the battlefield really didn't need him anymore.
Tsunade and Kyoichi had been very direct:
"The Will of Fire means giving your life when you must.
Now is not that time.
Going to the battlefield just to die a glorious death helps no one."
He couldn't really argue with that.
So now, the former Hokage sat in his office,
buried in paperwork —
and when he got too tired,
he'd light a cigarette and quietly question his own life choices.
Wasn't he supposed to be retired?
Why did it feel like he never really left?
It was… an odd sort of pain.
---
The Land of Iron.
The other villages had begun to arrive one by one.
Most were from the Five Great Villages, though a few smaller ones had sent representatives as well — the stronger minor villages, like Amegakure and Takigakure.
As for the others… they hadn't even been notified.
More people didn't always mean better results.
Too many mouths, too many egos — sometimes that only caused trouble.
"Eh? That brat's not here?"
The Fourth Raikage, A, was the last to arrive.
Looking around the great hall, he spotted the leaders of every major village — except one.
No Kyoichi.
He frowned.
That kid wasn't scheming something, was he?
"Relax, Raikage," Tsunade said coolly. "Kyoichi's watching Madara — making sure he doesn't slip away."
A grunted. "Watching Madara? Then what's the point of this meeting? We should all just charge in and finish him off!"
"We will," Tsunade replied. "But first, we deal with his army. According to Konoha's research, most of his subordinates were created using the First Hokage's cells — artificial beings. They're extremely well hidden. Our priority is to surround and eliminate them first."
She unfurled a map,
marking a huge circle around Madara's position.
Several zones were already marked — surrounded by their allied ninja.
A caught on immediately.
"Got it. I'll send my men to support that area. But if I find out your people let him escape by sea, don't expect the rest of us to be polite about it."
His tone wasn't friendly.
The Kumi and Kiri villages had bad blood from the Third Ninja War. The fact they weren't already fighting was restraint enough.
The Kiri leader — Elder Genji, the acting head — gave a weary sigh.
"We of Kirigakure despise Madara more than anyone. There's no chance we'll let him go. But you've seen our condition — after all the damage he caused, we don't have many strong shinobi left. If he escapes through the northern sea, we can't guarantee—"
"Don't worry," Tsunade interrupted. "Kyoichi's clone will be stationed there to assist."
"Tsunade-hime," Yahiko spoke up, "a man like Madara is the enemy of the entire shinobi world. We must stand together. I believe unified coordination is best — our Amegakure forces are willing to follow Elder Genji's command."
"Thank you," said Genji, bowing solemnly.
He knew the truth well —
the Kirigakure wasn't strong enough to command anyone right now.
So, he continued smoothly,
"I am too old and weak to lead. Since Kyoichi's clone will oversee the northern front, let him coordinate the combined effort."
The room fell briefly silent.
That, effectively, was an endorsement — a silent agreement to Yahiko's proposal of unified command.
After a few moments, Tsunade looked toward the other Kage.
"Tsuchikage-sama, Raikage-sama, Kazekage-sama — what say you?"
"Agreed."
The three answered almost simultaneously, without hesitation.
What else could they say?
It was the best plan — and it was clear Konoha and Amegakure were already on the same page. They just couldn't be the ones to suggest it outright.
After all, as Kage, one had to know when to read the room.
"Good," Tsunade said. "Then it's settled.
Raikage, you'll take command of the east.
Tsuchikage, you handle the west.
Kazekage, the south is yours.
I'll coordinate reinforcements with Mifune-sama.
Transmit all orders by tonight —
tomorrow,
we strike."