Nagato listened to Obito and Kabuto talking in riddles and couldn't help but ask,
"What are you two even talking about? Don't tell me there's actually someone who can defeat that Uchiha Kaito?"
Kabuto himself wasn't sure, so he had no choice but to reply,
"I don't know either, but at this point, all we can do is try."
As he spoke, he slammed his hand forcefully onto the ground and shouted,
"Edo Tensei!"
Boom!
Another coffin burst from the earth, then shattered with a thunderous crack. A figure slowly emerged from the swirling smoke.
This man wore armor from the Warring States era. His long, wild hair whipped in the wind, and his very presence radiated unrestrained arrogance.
He stood still with his eyes closed, as though savoring something unseen. When he finally opened them, a pair of scarlet Mangekyō Sharingan revealed themselves before everyone's eyes.
Ōnoki glanced over in the middle of battle—and that single glance left him completely dumbfounded. The Second Tsuchikage seized the chance and slammed a kick straight into Ōnoki's face.
The shinobi from Iwagakure were horrified. Kurotsuchi rushed forward to catch Ōnoki as he reeled back, a black footprint smeared across his face, looking strangely comical.
Kurotsuchi shook him anxiously and shouted,
"Grandpa! Are you alright?"
Hearing her voice, Ōnoki finally snapped back to his senses. He wiped the blood from his nose and said in a trembling voice,
"It's him… he's back!"
Kurotsuchi froze, then quickly pressed,
"Who? Who's back?"
"Uchiha Madara!"
"What?! Isn't Uchiha Madara supposed to be that masked man?"
Ōnoki shook his head grimly and said,
"I could never mistake him. The one who just walked out of that coffin is the real Uchiha Madara!"
Madara stood with his arms crossed, his Mangekyō sweeping across the shinobi alliance. He already understood his current state—an Edo Tensei, not yet fully revived.
He gave a cold snort, and in the next instant appeared beside Obito.
He had questions that needed answers. The moment Black Zetsu saw him, joy surged through his heart. Without waiting for Obito to speak, he slipped up to Madara and gave him a quick rundown of the situation.
Nagato frowned, pointing at Obito as he demanded,
"He's Uchiha Madara? Then who the hell are you?"
Obito turned his face away and replied coldly,
"You can think of me as Madara's representative. Nothing more."
"What?! What's going on here?"
Konan tugged on Nagato's sleeve and shook her head.
Obito, Black Zetsu, and Madara clearly knew each other well. That alone made her uneasy. But with the Allied Shinobi Forces pressing from the front, this wasn't the time to unravel secrets.
As Black Zetsu continued his explanation, Madara's expression grew more and more intrigued. He turned toward Kaito and said,
"I didn't expect the Uchiha clan to produce such an interesting descendant. Not bad. Let me use this body to test him."
Kaito locked eyes with him. On the battlefield, two pairs of Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan stared each other down, and everyone instinctively swallowed hard.
The pressure radiating from those eyes was even heavier than that of the Rinnegan.
By now, the hundred-thousand-strong White Zetsu army had been nearly wiped out. Only the resurrected Edo Tensei warriors remained on Akatsuki's side. Many shinobi were free to act—but not a single one dared face Madara.
Madara glanced at the first-stage Susanoo cloaking Kaito and said,
"Susanoo, is it? How nostalgic."
Blue chakra erupted around Madara, rising skyward until it formed a skeletal giant to stand opposite Kaito's.
No words were exchanged. A violet skeleton and a blue skeleton charged at each other, colliding violently at the center of the battlefield.
A powerful shockwave exploded from their clash. Itachi grabbed Sasuke and dragged him back as fast as he could.
Once they reached a safe distance, Itachi finally let go. His eyes stayed locked on the two titans clashing in the distance, shock etched deeply across his face.
It was hard to believe—even in their first forms, those Susanoo were already stronger than his own third form.
For many shinobi, it was their first time witnessing the power of Susanoo. The sight made them question the meaning of their own existence.
Before that kind of power, they felt like ants.
The battle only intensified. As the clash continued, each Susanoo began to sprout muscle and flesh over its bones, until both stood fully armored.
Each drew a blade of pure energy, and their fight shifted from hand-to-hand combat into a duel of flashing steel.
Blue and purple sword energy ravaged the battlefield, carving deep scars into the earth.
As the summoner, Kabuto stood there slack-jawed. He'd never planned to control Madara in the first place, but now that idea was utterly impossible.
Nagato clenched his fists tightly. His Rinnegan felt useless—laughable even—in the face of those twin Mangekyō.
Inside their Susanoo, Madara and Kaito both stood with arms crossed, unmoving as their avatars tore the battlefield apart.
But Madara's calm exterior was deceptive. Inside, he was genuinely shaken by Kaito's strength.
In his mind, only the First Hokage, Hashirama, had ever pushed him this far. To think that such a monster could appear among his descendants…
No wonder Obito had brought him out early. This wasn't someone they could handle alone.
Madara even thought to himself—if only he'd chosen Kaito as his successor. Would the Infinite Tsukuyomi have already been completed?
Kaito, however, wasn't thinking that deeply. He was simply enjoying the fight. For him, this was just fun.
By now, the battlefield had been devastated by the two Susanoo. Both Akatsuki and the Allied Shinobi Forces were nothing more than spectators, forced to watch from afar as the Uchiha clashed.
Boom!
Another titanic clash shook the ground. Madara pulled his Susanoo back a few steps, lowering his arms as he gazed at Kaito with rare admiration.
"Impressive. Uchiha Kaito, was it? I'll remember your name."
Kaito smirked and said casually,
"You're not bad yourself."
Hearing that, Madara chuckled. Shaking his head, he said,
"Just 'not bad'? Looks like my own descendant thinks little of me."
His eyes narrowed sharply. In the next instant, blue flames surged across his Susanoo's body.
The giant began to grow larger and larger. Before everyone's stunned eyes, it sprouted legs and wings, completing its evolution into a full-body Susanoo.
From high above, Madara looked down on Kaito with a smile and asked,
"This—can you do it too?"