In the Heavenly Screen...
The scene gradually came into focus: on a desolate battlefield, the earth was cracked, and a red full moon hung in the sky.
Six Paths Madara stood in the middle of the battlefield, his white robes fluttering in the wind, nine jet-black Truth-Seeking Orb orbiting behind him like planets. His right Rinnegan indifferently surveyed the crowd below, while his left eye, though closed, still exuded an overwhelming aura of power.
Sudden--
"Whoosh!"
A green meteor streaked across the sky and crashed heavily in front of Kakashi! Amidst the rising dust, Might Guy was enveloped in green steam.
Madara looked at Might Guy had suddenly appeared and saved Kakashi, and said, "I feel like I've seen him somewhere before."
"Who's that... huh?" Kai blinked and turned to look at Madara.
"Even if reinforcements arrive, you will be nothing more than tiny grains of sand." His voice seemed to come from a distant void. "It will all be too late."
"Is he Madara?!" Might Guy asked Kakashi.
Kakashi knelt on the ground, panting, and said, "Yes."
Just then, two figures arrived in Body Flicker Technique!
One is Gaara, the Fifth Kazekage. And on the other side—
"Ugh...!"
Impure World Reincarnation Minato Namikaze staggered to the ground, both arms broken, only able to bite down on Flying Thunder God Kunai. Beneath his golden bangs, his azure eyes remained resolute.
"Kakashi, are you alright?"
"It's alright, thanks to Kai."
"No..." Minato shook his head, "That's not what I meant. I was worried about whether my Sage Art: Rasengan hurt you."
Kakashi gave a wry smile, "That's alright, I just used Kamui to teleport the Rasengan."
"That's great..." Minato breathed a sigh of relief.
Might Guy's eyes widened. "Sage magic? Senjutsu?"
Minato slowly raised his head, gazing intently at Six Paths Madara: "Yes... now, the only things that can harm him are Senjutsu... and physical damage caused by Taijutsu."
Gaara said in a deep voice, "In other words, apart from the Fourth Hokage's Senjutsu and Guy's Taijutsu, there is no other way."
Kakashi looked at Minato: "I remember... Sensei, your Senjutsu..."
Impure World Reincarnation Minato smiled helplessly, "To be honest, I'm not good at Senjutsu. It takes too long to condense Chakra, and I can't maintain it for long. I don't use it much in actual combat..." He gritted his teeth, "And I can't form hand seals now, so it might be difficult to launch a decent offensive again."
--silence.
All eyes finally fell on the man whose body was engulfed in green steam.
Might Guy slowly raised his head, his eyes burning like flames beneath his thick eyebrows!
He stood up and leaped forward. "So that means..."
He suddenly bent over, crossed his arms in front of his face, and his muscles instantly swelled to their limit!
"Now it's my turn Blue Beast of the Hidden Leaf, to make my appearance!!"
"Eight Gates-- "
"The Seventh Gate of Wonder - Open!!"
--Boom!!
Blue Chakra erupted like a tsunami, instantly causing the ground beneath their feet to collapse into a giant crater! The violent shockwave even caused Six Paths Madara's robes to flutter wildly in the distance!
Madara blocked the flying debris with his right hand, his Rinnegan narrowing slightly. "Blue steam?"
"The Eight Gates... the gate before the Gate of Death?" Madara's Rinnegan narrowed slightly. "It's not red steam after all. I've really been underestimated."
Before he could finish speaking, Might Guy's figure had already approached like lightning!
"Drink up--!"
With Seventh Gates open, Kai's punches and kicks rained down like a storm, each strike capable of shattering mountains. However, Six Paths Madara's figure flickered like a phantom, easily dodging all attacks.
"It's useless." Ban's voice was cold and indifferent.
Behind him, Impure World Reincarnation Minato, with Kunai in his mouth, warned, "Kai! Don't touch his black ball and stick!"
Kai ignored him, his attacks becoming even more ferocious. Suddenly, he clasped his hands together—
"Daytime Tiger!!"
The air was compressed to its limit in an instant, transforming into a roaring white tiger that pounced straight at Six Paths Madara!
"Bang--!"
Amidst the deafening explosion, Madara's figure was blasted away once again. Guy, exhausted, crashed heavily to the ground, the Eight Gates technique completely dispelled, his muscles trembling from the overload.
"Is it... over?"
However--
As the smoke and dust cleared, Six Paths Madara stood there calmly, completely unharmed.
"A boring trick." He raised his left hand slightly, waved his Six Paths Staff, and a Truth-Seeking Orb on his back instantly transformed into a black stream of light, shooting straight towards Kai, who was lying on the ground!
"Oh no!" Kakashi's pupils shrank sharply.
At the critical moment--
"Kakashi, Kunai!"
Impure World Reincarnation Minato suddenly spat out the Flying Thunder God Kunai from his mouth, and Kakashi reacted extremely quickly, grabbing it and throwing it away with all his might!
However, the Truth-Seeking Orb is even faster!
Just as the black sphere was about to engulf Kai--
"Sixth Gate - Gate of View - Open!!"
A green figure streaked past like a shooting star, scooping up Kai with astonishing speed and narrowly avoiding the fatal blow of the Truth-Seeking Orb!
"Rock Lee?!" Gaara looked at the suddenly appearing boy in shock.
Holding the weakened Kai in his arms, Rock Lee's eyes, beneath his thick eyebrows, burned with unwavering determination. "Teacher Kai... are you alright?"
Might Guy opened his eyes and replied, "Sorry, where's Li Tenten?"
Rock Lee said, "She said she had some things to confirm and told me to go first. I finally caught up with her here, and then I suddenly saw Daytime Tiger."
Kakashi, standing behind him, asked, "Are you alright, Guy?"
Kai turned his head and replied, "Ah, just a broken right arm and a few ribs."
Kakashi said gravely, "Even our only hope —Taijutsu— is useless. What are we going to do?"
The real Shinobi World...
Konoha, Land of Fire
"That's the Fourth Hokage?! He... he's been resurrected?!" A Chunin excitedly pointed to the sky.
"Idiot! That's Impure World Reincarnation!" the Jonin beside him interrupted sharply. "Just like the Impure World Reincarnation Madara Uchiha shown in the Heavenly Screen before! He's a dead being summoned using a forbidden technique!"
"But wasn't the Fourth's body sealed in the Heroes' Cemetery? Who could possibly obtain his body tissue?!"
The crowd fell silent for a moment, then erupted into an even more heated discussion.
Orochimaru! He must be that traitor!
"And Kabuto! That guy used to be medical-nin in Konoha!"
"Damn it... just how many heroes' remains did they steal?!"
At the entrance of the barbecue restaurant, Choji Akimichi dropped the skewer of meat he was holding. "Even the Fourth was desecrated..."
Shikamaru Nara looked up at the remaining light and shadows in the Heavenly Screen, his brows furrowed. "What's even more troublesome is Madara Uchiha... In the last video, he was still in Impure World Reincarnation form, but this time—"
"But he was like a true 'god'," Ino Yamanaka added, her voice trembling. "That posture... it completely transcends the realm of 'resurrection'."
Hokage's office
Tsunade gazed at Might Guy 'Shinobi World -shattering outburst in the Heavenly Screen, her golden hair gleaming in the sunlight streaming through the window, but her eyes were colder and harder than steel.
"That guy Kai... can he really reach this level in the future?"
Shizune stood to the side, holding the documents, fine beads of sweat appearing on her forehead. "Lady Tsunade, the latest report from the Anbu indicates that the cemeteries of all the major ninja villages have been breached, especially the remains of powerful figures from past generations... It's likely that Orochimaru and Kabuto Yakushi collected cell samples from most of them."
Tsunade's fists clenched so tightly they cracked, her knuckles turning white from the force.
"Hmph, Impure World Reincarnation... That Orochimaru is definitely plotting something."
She stood up abruptly, her Hokage robes fluttering behind her, her gaze sharp as a knife:
"Pass down the order—"
"Have the Anbu expand their search area! They must dig three feet into the ground to find Orochimaru and Kabuto Yakushi!"
"Then contact the other Four Great Shinobi Villages." Her voice was low and resolute. "Tell them—stop hiding it! If the future shown by the Heavenly Screen truly arrives, no one will be able to escape unscathed!"
Shizune took notes, but the tip of her pen trembled slightly. "Lady Tsunade, are you worried... that Madara Uchiha's 'resurrection' has already begun?"
Tsunade didn't answer directly. Instead, she walked to the window and looked down at the streets of Konoha. She looked at the ninjas and civilians who were talking with their heads up, her eyes filled with complex emotions.
Iwagakure, Tsuchikage's Office
"Bang!"
Ōnoki slammed his fist on the table, and the light of Dust Release burst out uncontrollably from his palm, instantly disintegrating half of the desk into atoms.
"That bastard Madara Uchiha! Impure World Reincarnation wasn't enough, he actually came back to life?! And he's become that monster?!"
His roar shook the entire Tsuchikage Building. Kurotsuchi shrank back and muttered softly, "Grandpa, calm down..."
"Calm down?!" Ōnoki suddenly levitated into the air, his small frame radiating an astonishing aura of oppression. "Look at that battlefield in the Heavenly Screen! Apart from the Sunagakure brats, it's all Konoha people! Where are our Iwagakure ninjas? Are they all dead?!"
His eyes were fixed on Might Guy's figure unleashing his Seventh Gates in the Heavenly Screen. The blue steam, the earth-shattering Taijutsu —it all made him feel as if he had been transported back decades to the past.
(That man... the Third Raikage!)
Memories flooded back like a tide.
Third Shinobi World War, ten thousand Iwa ninja surrounded and attacked the Third Raikage for three days and three nights!
That monstrous man withstood the Dust Release with his bare body and tore apart the Earth Release wall with his bare hands!
Even as it finally succumbed to exhaustion and died, it remained standing, as if mocking the incompetence of Iwagakure!
And now, Might Guy in the Heavenly Screen has the same berserk aura as the Third Raikage!
"Damn Konoha!!" Ōnoki was almost driven mad with jealousy. "Why do they always have monsters like this?! Hashirama Senju Madara Uchiha are one thing, but now even a Taijutsu ninja can be this strong?! And those two brats—"
He pointed through gritted teeth at the final battle between Naruto and Sasuke that had once been shown on the Heavenly Screen.
"The future is even stronger than the God of Shinobi?! Is God blind?! Why are all the geniuses born in Konoha?!"
Kurotsuchi sighed and rubbed his forehead, "Grandpa, you really look like a resentful woman..."
Ōnoki glared at her fiercely, then suddenly calmed down, hovering by the window, his sinister gaze sweeping into the distance.
"You've seen the bounty Bounty Station lately, haven't you?"
Kurotsuchi was taken aback. "You mean the 100 million ryo bounty on Naruto and Sasuke?"
"Hmph, I wonder whose doing this is, but it suits my purposes perfectly." Ōnoki's lips curled into a chilling smile. "Notify the Explosion Corps to anonymously allocate an additional thirty million taels... no, fifty million taels!"
Kurotsuchi Tu gasped, "Grandpa! What are you doing—"
"Konoha has too many geniuses..." Ōnoki's Dust Release condensed into a dazzling ball of light in his palm. "It's time... to let a few of them 'die young'."
After Kurotsuchi left, Ōnoki drifted alone to the Heroes' Monument in Iwagakure.
The monument is inscribed with countless names, but one line stands out particularly—
The Third Shinobi World War: 19,782 casualties.
(Nearly 30% of them... died at the hands of the Third Raikage alone.)
His aged fingers traced the names, a rare flicker of hesitation crossing his eyes.
Kumogakure, Raikage's Office
"Boom--!"
The Fourth Raikage, A, slammed his fist down, only to find that there was nothing in front of him—the poor desk had been smashed into wood chips ten minutes earlier.
"Damn it!!" he roared furiously, his fist hovering in mid-air with nowhere to vent his anger. In the end, he could only slam his fist hard against his own thigh, making a dull "bang".
Killer B Bee sat cross-legged on the windowsill, blinked his eyes behind his sunglasses, and casually rapped:
"Hey~ Don't be angry, bro~ Our future enemy is too cheating~"
"The enemy is cheating and acting unreasonably~ We're all going to be wiped out~"
"Shut up! You idiot!" Raikage roared, veins bulging on his temples. "Who said I'm 'GG' with you?! I'm still alive!"
He pointed sharply at the Heavenly Screen, his voice a mixture of anger and resentment:
"Look! Last time, when the Heavenly Screen showed the Five Kage teaming up to fight Edo Madara, at least I was there! But what about this time?!"
In the Heavenly Screen, the battlefield was desolate. Apart from Kakashi, Might Guy, and Impure World Reincarnation Tensei Gaara Minato Namikaze from Konoha, Gaara from Sunagakure, and Sunagakure Rock Lee who saved Guy, there was no trace of any other ninjas.
"What about me?! What about the ninjas of Kumogakure?! Did they all die in the battle against Edo Madara?!"
Killer B adjusted his sunglasses, his expression uncharacteristically serious for a second. "Maybe we just... missed the camera's shot?"
"Bullshit!" The Raikage ripped off the cloak with the character "Raikage" emblazoned on it, his muscular upper body tensing with rage. "Even that Sunagakure brat survived, how could I possibly die such a pathetic death?!"
He paced anxiously back and forth in his office, each step causing the floor to tremble slightly.
(Could it be... that my future self really died in that battle against Madara Uchiha?)
(No, impossible!)
Suddenly, he stopped and glared at the Anbu with his one eye. "Where's Darui?!"
The Anbu knelt on one knee. "Lord Darui is at the Training Grounds, he said..."
"Say what?!"
"They said... they want to develop an even stronger new Lightning Release."
Raikage was silent for two seconds, then suddenly burst into wild laughter. "Haha! Good! That's more like my subordinate!"
He grabbed the new Raikage cloak (a spare) and strode towards the door. "Be! Come with me to the Training Grounds!"
Killer B tilted his head. "Yo~ Big brother's going to have special training~"
"Enough nonsense!" Raikage turned around, his eyes flashing with electricity. "Since the future of Kumogakure, as shown on the Heavenly Screen, Kumogakure 'absent'—"
"I'll smash the future to pieces with these fists!!"
Sunagakure - Above the Sunagakure Tower
Gaara, the light from the Heavenly Screen illuminating his pale face, his blue-green eyes reflecting the Six Paths Madara and the people of Konoha on the battlefield.
Temari leaned to one side with her arms crossed, her brows furrowed. "It's that Madara Uchiha again... and people from Konoha too. I really wonder if this is the future, or some kind of Genjutsu created by Konoha."
Kankuro, holding the Puppet in his hand, unconsciously fiddled with Puppet mechanisms, and said with a sneer, "What's even more absurd is, why haven't I even seen a shadow of myself? Did I get instantly killed as soon as I appeared?"
Gaara turned his head, his voice calm yet firm. "No."
"Huh?" Kankuro was taken aback.
"In the future, I will protect the village, and I will protect you all."
Temari and Kankuro's eyes widened instantly, staring at Gaara as if they had seen a ghost.
(Is this really Gaara?!)
Although they had known for a long time that their brother had changed, hearing him say such things still felt unreal to them.
Temari twitched, barely managing to suppress a laugh, "Ahem... alright, since the Lord Kazekage has said so."
Kankuro exaggeratedly clutched his chest. "Ouch—am I under Genjutsu? Quick, Temari, give me a slap!"
Temari slapped him without hesitation.
"Smack!"
"Ouch! It's not a dream!"
Watching the siblings playfully bickering, Gaara's lips curled into a slight smile, but he quickly regained his composure.
(Is the future shrouded in the Heavenly Screen truly unchangeable?)
(No, I won't let that happen.)
Inside the Kazekage's Office
Baki placed an intelligence scroll on the table and said in a deep voice, "According to intelligence from the Anbu, Sasori has recently been active on the border of the Land of Earth."
Chiyo snorted coldly, tapping her teacup lightly with her fingers. "Hmph, that boy is still so restless."
Ebizo stroked his beard with a grin. "What, sister, you're not thinking of sneaking out again to 'clean house' up, are you?"
"Don't give me that!" Chiyo glared at him. "What's playing on the Heavenly Screen is how it took me and that pink-haired girl from Konoha working together to take him down. My old bones can't take any more of that now."
Baki breathed a sigh of relief, "It's best that Elder Chiyo thinks that way. The current Sunagakure can't withstand any turmoil."
Chiyo glanced at the lingering shadows of the Heavenly Screen outside the window and said calmly, "Those lunatics from Akatsuki, let the other villages do the work."
Ebizo nodded, his gaze distant. "However... Gaara's recent performance has been quite gratifying."
Baki smiled too, "Yes, he is calm and powerful in the Heavenly Screen."
Chiyo gave a soft hum, but her gaze softened slightly. "That kid... he's starting to look like a Kazekage."