After traveling nonstop for over ten hours, Uchiha Fugaku and his team of seven finally arrived in the Land of Frost, stopping near the edge of the Chiba Forest.
They didn't rush in immediately. Instead, they paused to rest and wait for the other shinobi villages' forces to arrive.
In fact, they weren't the first to reach the area.
Because of proximity, the forces of Iwagakure and Kumogakure had already arrived ahead of them.
From Iwagakure came the Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki, his son Kitsuchi, and five elite Iwa shinobi.
From Kumogakure came the Fourth Raikage along with six of the village's top elites.
Before long, the remaining two great villages—Sunagakure and Kirigakure—arrived as well.
From Sunagakure came the Fourth Kazekage Rasa, the legendary puppet master Chiyo, her brother Ebizō, and two of the village's elite shinobi.
From Kirigakure came the Fifth Mizukage Mei Terumi, one of the last surviving Seven Ninja Swordsmen—Hōzuki Mangetsu—and four elite Mist shinobi.
"What's going on? This doesn't match the description in the intelligence reports," Mei Terumi said as they rested on a ridge overlooking the distance.
There stood the Ten-Tails.
But unlike the reports that described a massive, beast-like creature standing on all fours, what they saw now was horrifyingly different.
It still possessed ten tails—but its body was thin and skeletal, standing upright like a humanoid figure.
At the ends of its tails were sharp, claw-like hooks. Calling them tails no longer seemed accurate—they looked more like deadly talons.
On one side of its head, a massive ear had formed, twitching eerily in the cold wind.
"It's still evolving," Fugaku said in a measured tone. "It may not have reached its complete form yet."
Of course, Fugaku already knew this. The Ten-Tails before them was in its second evolutionary phase.
But to avoid questions about how he knew, he could only speak as if it were speculation.
"Still evolving… not yet the true Ten-Tails?" Mei repeated.
The others immediately began observing the creature more closely.
Sure enough, the Ten-Tails' body was visibly changing—its frail frame slowly thickening, its proportions shifting as though it was still undergoing transformation.
"If that's true," the Third Tsuchikage said gravely, "then it's currently in a weakened state. We must strike now—before its evolution is complete."
"The Tsuchikage is right," the Fourth Kazekage agreed. "We either kill it or seal it before it stabilizes."
"Then we rest briefly to restore our strength—and move out," Fugaku said, his voice calm but resolute.
That had been his plan all along—to strike before the Ten-Tails reached its final form. Seeing Ōnoki speak those very words, he naturally agreed.
"I agree."
"Same here."
"Agreed."
One by one, the others voiced their support.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
An hour later, after recovering their chakra and stamina, the combined forces of the Five Great Villages advanced into the Chiba Forest—straight toward the Ten-Tails' location.
But as they neared the area, four figures appeared, blocking their path.
Uchiha Madara.
Uchiha Obito.
White Zetsu.
Black Zetsu.
"This road ends here," Madara said calmly, his voice cutting through the air like steel.
Despite being vastly outnumbered, his expression was utterly tranquil, almost bored.
"Is that really Uchiha Madara?"
"He's supposed to be dead!"
Even though intelligence had reported his survival, many still doubted it. How could a man who should be over a hundred years old still be standing here?
Boom—
Hearing their murmurs, Madara let out a low, contemptuous chuckle. An overwhelming wave of chakra erupted from him—heavy, suffocating, and crushing like a mountain descending from the heavens.
Every shinobi present—except for Fugaku—instinctively went pale.
This pressure… even stronger than Nagato's. There was no longer any doubt—this man was truly Uchiha Madara.
"Uchiha Madara," Fugaku stepped forward. "You can't hope to stop all of us."
He knew perfectly well Madara's goal was to stall for time, and he wouldn't allow that to happen.
"I only need to stop you," Madara replied disdainfully. "The rest are just insects—irrelevant."
His words drew angry glares from the surrounding Kage and elite shinobi.
Though Madara's reputation was legendary, they were the leaders of the Five Great Nations—and being dismissed so casually was intolerable.
"Don't be provoked," Fugaku said evenly. "I'll take Madara. The rest of you—handle the Ten-Tails and the others."
"Understood."
They all knew that Madara's real aim was to delay Fugaku. They couldn't waste time here—they had to move on and deal with the Ten-Tails before it completed its evolution.
At Fugaku's signal, they broke formation, surging past Madara to head toward the monster.
Madara didn't stop them. Just as he believed, none among them—except Fugaku—posed any real threat to the Ten-Tails.
Obito, White Zetsu, and Black Zetsu, however, leapt forward to intercept.
"He's mine."
Uchiha Sasuke moved ahead, locking eyes with Obito.
He still remembered the humiliation of their last battle—how close he'd come to death. This time, he intended to settle that score.
"I'll back you up," Hatake Kakashi said, unwilling to leave Sasuke alone, and joined him in the charge.
Meanwhile, under Fugaku's command, the First and Second Spore Clones moved toward Black Zetsu.
While everyone assumed Madara was the mastermind behind Akatsuki, Fugaku knew the truth—Madara himself was only a pawn.
The true instigator behind all of this was Black Zetsu, the will of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's third son, who had deceived Madara for centuries to orchestrate his mother's resurrection.
Knowing that, Fugaku could never allow him to live.
"Shinra Tensei!"
Madara thrust out his hand, unleashing a massive repulsive force like a roaring tsunami crashing toward Fugaku.
He didn't need to defeat him—only to delay him.
"Shinra Tensei!"
Blue ripples flared in Fugaku's eyes as his fused Rinnegan and Tenseigan glowed. A layered wall of repulsive force formed before him, clashing head-on with Madara's attack.
Boom!
The two waves of power collided violently, splitting the earth with deafening force. Cracks spread across the battlefield, the ground shaking beneath their feet as dust and debris filled the air.
In that instant of obscured vision, Fugaku vanished.
Using the Body Flicker Technique, he darted through the chaos straight toward Madara. His hybrid eyes, with their Byakugan-derived perception, saw clearly through the dust—nothing could conceal Madara's position.
Boom!
Madara barely registered the movement before Fugaku's chakra-infused fist struck.
Ever since reaching the Six Paths level, Fugaku's physical strength had undergone a complete transformation.
Even without chakra, his blows rivaled Tsunade's monstrous strength—but when chakra was infused, their destructive power far surpassed it.
Crash!
Madara managed to block, chakra surging into his arm to brace against Fugaku's strike. The impact shook the air, forcing him back several steps.
Still, the exchange confirmed it—both were true Six Paths-level beings, their bodies reinforced beyond normal limits.
But Fugaku was already on the move again.
Wham!
A sudden kick sent Madara staggering backward, though it also gave him distance to recover.
Rubbing his chest, Madara frowned as his gaze settled on Fugaku's eyes.
"Your eyes… what are they?"
He remembered their last battle—Fugaku's eyes had been purely blue. But now, though still blue, faint concentric rings of the Rinnegan rippled within them.
"You think I'd tell you?" Fugaku replied coldly.
As he spoke, he extended his hand again. "Shinra Tensei!"
The crushing repulsive force surged forward like an invisible tidal wave.
Madara raised his own hand in response, forming a barrier of repulsion before him—but this time, cracks immediately spread across it.
His barrier shattered under Fugaku's overwhelming pressure.
His eyes widened. His Shinra Tensei… is stronger than mine?!
The realization hit hard. Fugaku's fused Rinnegan-Tenseigan outpowered his pure Rinnegan.
Without hesitation, Madara activated Limbo: Border Jail—four invisible clones materialized, intercepting the remnants of Fugaku's attack.
But before Madara could regain his footing—
Whoosh!
Fugaku appeared behind him, his right arm transforming into a gleaming bone spear that pierced toward Madara's heart.
It wasn't sheer speed that allowed him to appear there. He hadn't moved at all.
He had teleported.
Fugaku didn't possess space-time ninjutsu. Which meant—this wasn't teleportation.
This was the power of the True Illusion Realm, a genjutsu space so seamless it blurred the line between illusion and reality.
At some point, Madara had fallen into Fugaku's True Illusion without realizing it.
And now, with Fugaku's eyes evolved into their hybrid form, the illusion's potency and concealment had grown exponentially—so much so that even Madara's Rinnegan couldn't detect it.
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