"Shinra Tensei!"
Instinctively, Nagato unleashed this technique.
The powerful repulsive force struck Madara, instantly shattering him to pieces.
"Rinnegan: Chibaku Te—"
He was just about to prepare the follow-up, Planetary Devastation, to seal Madara away for good—but Nagato realized his body could no longer move.
Something black flowed from his back, quickly spreading across the right half of his body. Through his left Rinnegan, Nagato saw the true form of the thing.
"Black Zetsu... so it was you!"
"Of course. I was created by Madara-sama. My mission is to revive Madara-sama. Nagato, accept your fate!"
Having lived for a thousand years, Black Zetsu was quite adept at taking control of bodies.
Even with the Rinnegan, Nagato could do nothing about it at this moment.
"Outer Path — Rinne Rebirth Technique!"
His right hand formed the seal. Under Black Zetsu's control, Nagato directly activated this forbidden technique capable of reviving the dead.
"The nine tailed beasts aren't all gathered yet. Even if you revive him, you..."
"Hahahaha! This is what power feels like!"
Madara's manic laughter cut off Nagato's words. Steam rose from his body as he felt his heart beating once more. Uchiha Madara's blood surged with excitement—he wanted nothing more than to march out right now and sweep the entire shinobi world clean.
"You don't need to worry about the tailed beasts anymore!"
"Right now Konoha has the Eight-Tails. I'll take care of that. But don't you find it strange? Why hasn't that kid Obito shown up yet?" Madara looked at Nagato, his gaze carrying a hint of mockery.
'Just a pawn, yet he thought himself important.'
'For the sake of you nurturing my Rinnegan all this time, I'll give you one chance this once!'
"I remember you still have a little girl by your side. If you want her to live, then don't resist. After all, what I want is to create a peaceful shinobi world—and you should get your own happiness too. Keep living hard! The Infinite Tsukuyomi will let you all meet again. Trust me!"
Nagato's struggling ceased.
He did not approve of the Infinite Tsukuyomi, but he could not simply watch Konan die.
Only when standing before this man did one truly understand the magnitude of the gap in strength.
A true powerhouse. The real deal.
"I'll give you the Rinnegan... but you have to promise not to harm Konan."
"Rest easy. I'm doing this for the peace of the shinobi world. Just stay put quietly!" With those words, Madara unhesitatingly plucked eyes from Nagato's sockets and pressed them back into his own.
Rinnegan, open!
"As payment for nurturing my eyes, Black Zetsu, find him a suitable pair of eyes. Don't let him die."
Black Zetsu slid down from Nagato's body. "As you command, Madara-sama!"
---
"Hokage-sama, a monster is charging in from the distance! His chakra is even more terrifying than a tailed beast!" A sensor shinobi quickly detected the anomaly in the distance and reported to Tsunade.
In an instant, Tsunade's expression turned grave.
Even she could feel the newcomer's overwhelming power at this moment—a domineering aura so strong it didn't bother to conceal itself.
His speed was incredible too, far surpassing most people. Even Tsunade didn't think her own speed could match his.
"All civilians evacuate to the shelters immediately! All jōnin, assemble here to meet the enemy. Raikage, Mizukage—we're facing this foe together now!"
Without waiting for their replies, Tsunade immediately looked into the distance.
She saw the blood-red armor, that domineering face.
"Uchiha... Madara!"
Though she desperately didn't want to say the name, with this man appearing before her, she had no choice.
'What?'
The Raikage and Mizukage no longer cared about words. They stared at the man standing proudly.
He was clearly standing on flat ground, yet in their eyes he towered higher than any mountain, vaster than any sea.
"Wood Release... You're Hashirama's granddaughter!"
Uchiha Madara glanced at the remnants of Wood Release, shaking his head. "Compared to your grandfather, you're far too lacking. There's no senjutsu aura either. Wood Release like that can't stop me... and besides..."
His Sharingan swept over her, instantly reading Tsunade's current condition.
"Your chakra is running low. The consumption from using Wood Release is something your body can't sustain. This time I only want the Eight-Tails. For Hashirama's sake, step aside!"
Step aside?
How could she possibly step aside?
Tsunade looked at Uchiha Madara, a wave of powerlessness rising in her heart.
But she quickly suppressed the feeling.
"Strength of a Hundred Seal—Release!"
The Yin Seal opened, and the chakra she had accumulated surged through her body. In an instant, the chakra within Tsunade exploded to a hundred times what it had been before.
"Wood Release: Nativity of a World of Trees!"
"I'll play with you for a bit!"
Facing the oncoming Wood Release, Madara's face showed excitement.
Before carrying out the Infinite Tsukuyomi, he didn't mind warming up a little.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"
It was clearly just an ordinary B-rank Fire Release technique, yet in Uchiha Madara's hands it raged almost like an S-rank forbidden jutsu. The sea of flames stretched hundreds of meters, suppressing Tsunade's Wood Release before it could even fully take shape.
"Water Release: Water Pillar!"
Waves rose without wind.
A massive surge of water appeared out of nowhere, blocking the Fire Release head-on. Water countered fire, instantly creating a colossal cloud of steam that obscured both sides' vision.
"The Mizukage's Water Release is impressive!" The Raikage praised, genuinely admiring it.
Fighting alongside such powerful allies was truly one of life's greatest joys. His blood was already boiling, and he could hardly restrain himself from challenging Uchiha Madara to a one-on-one fight.
The fire and water vanished almost simultaneously.
A sudden gentle breeze dispersed the thick smoke on the battlefield. Uchiha Madara's voice rang out.
"Not bad Water Release... However, Hashirama's granddaughter, your Wood Release is somewhat weak. I used an ordinary Fire Release and you couldn't even handle it. Honestly, that Wood Release of yours is quite pathetic."
"But it's not your fault. You all always think Wood Release is a combination of Water and Earth chakra natures. That's wrong. Wood Release should be a kekkei tōta formed from Water, Earth, and Yang Release. Your body can't compare to Hashirama's. Right now you're barely managing to use it, but you've consumed far too much Yang Release chakra. I'm really curious—where did you even get that Wood Release from?"
"It doesn't feel like something you awakened yourself!"
Hearing this, Tsunade's expression shifted slightly.
Without senjutsu, Wood Release couldn't display its full power. Without sufficient Yang Release, it was merely an ordinary kekkei genkai, lacking any overwhelming suppression against regular techniques.
In this situation, what could she do?
"Hokage, don't let him get to you! The three of us Kage are here—we refuse to believe we can't take down one Uchiha Madara!" Though the Raikage was also curious about the origin of her Wood Release, right now defeating Uchiha Madara was the priority.
"The Raikage is right. In times like this, we Kage should unite!" Terumī Mei responded in agreement.
"You guys are right. Even an old-timer like me can't fall behind. Wouldn't you agree, Kazekage!" That was Ōnoki.
A stream of sand rose from the ground, and Gaara appeared, standing opposite Uchiha Madara.
"The Tsuchikage is correct. We Kage have the duty to protect our villages. Hokage, don't let him shake you!"