The images continued to play on the Heavenly Screen...
A fierce wind whipped up sand and gravel, Gaara hovered high in the sky, his hands suddenly clasped together. The desert below surged as if alive, countless sand waves rising from the ground, transforming into a sandstorm prison that blotted out the sky.
"Sand Binding Coffin!" In an instant, yellow sand enveloped the deep blue Susanoo.
"A mere trick." Edo Madara sneered, and the four arms of Susanoo suddenly erupted with dazzling blue light. The torrent of Chakra was like a volcanic eruption, and the sand cage collapsed in an instant. The exploding sand rain smashed the ground within a radius of a hundred meters into a honeycomb pattern.
But in that split second, Ōnoki had already led two shadows to the edge of the battlefield.
"Listen carefully," the Tsuchikage hovered on the Raikage's shoulder, his three-inch white beard dancing wildly in the wind. "That guy's Susanoo is sturdy." His wrinkled hands traced tactical trajectories in the air. "Mei Terumi's Hidden Mist Technique can interfere with the Sharingan's vision. A will take the lead in the attack, and I'll use Light-Weight Rock Technique to support you."
"Understood." The Raikage unleashed his Lightning Release Chakra, blue lightning flowing across his bronze skin.
Mizukage: Water Release Hidden Mist Technique! A torrent of water vapor burst forth from her fingertips as she formed hand seals, instantly engulfing the entire battlefield in a milky-white mist, even blurring the outline of Susanoo.
"Here we go!" Ōnoki's aged voice rang in the Raikage's ears, and he slapped his back with both hands. "Earth Release: Ultra-Light-Weight Rock Technique!" The Raikage instantly felt as light as a feather, and the speed of his Lightning Release Chakra propulsion tripled, transforming into a streak of azure lightning that tore through the thick fog.
Edo Madara's Rinnegan suddenly contracted: "This Chakra reaction is--" Before he could complete the Susanoo transformation, the Raikage had already broken the sound barrier and appeared before him. Ōnoki's roar shook the battlefield, "Now! Earth Release: Ultra-Added-Weight Rock Technique!"
A terrifying weight was instantly applied to the Raikage's right fist, which was already encased in Lightning Release Armor and now seemed to have turned into a meteorite.
With a deafening roar as the air was compressed, the punch shattered Susanoo's chest armor, and the Edo Madara's body to pieces. The blue Chakra shell shattered like glass, and amidst the scattered fragments of reanimated Impure World Reincarnation, a hint of surprise flashed in Sharingan for the first time.
Earth Release: Rock Giant!
Onoki, perched on the Raikage's back, rapidly formed hand seals, his Chakra Ōnoki wildly. The ground trembled violently, and a rock giant tens of meters tall rose from the earth, its rough Rock Fist slamming towards Edo Madara with a whooshing sound.
Taking advantage of the momentum, the Raikage leaped up and stood on the giant's shoulder with Ōnoki, their lightning-wrapped fists poised to strike.
"Crush him!" Ōnoki's white beard danced wildly in the wind, his aged voice filled with determination.
However, the shattered Edo Madara of Susanoo merely raised his head calmly, a hint of mockery flashing in his Rinnegan. He clasped his hands together with composure:
"Wood Release: Advent of a World of Flowering Trees".
In an instant, the earth cracked, and countless thick vines burst forth like giant pythons, instantly coiling around the body of the rock colossus. The woody fibers eroded the rock at a visible speed, producing a teeth-grinding cracking sound. Edo Madara smirked. "The power of an ant."
Boom!
The giant rock statue crumbled under the strangling vines, and the Raikage retreated rapidly amidst the flying debris. Behind him, Tsunade was channeling medical Chakra into Mei Terumi, and the Mizukage's pale face gradually regained its color.
"It's getting closer... What should we do?" Mei Terumi looked at the vine forest spreading like a tide, her voice unusually tinged with panic. Vibrant red flowers were blooming on the vines at an astonishing speed, their stamens faintly shimmering with golden pollen.
Tsunade's pupils constricted sharply, and she cried out in a trembling voice, "That's... Grandfather's...!" The scene in her memory overlapped with the view before her eyes—when Hashirama Senju used this technique, the entire battlefield would turn into a graveyard of flowers.
"Kazekage!" She suddenly turned to Gaara.
"I understand."
Gaara had already activated his Chakra, and the sand cloud beneath his feet suddenly expanded, lifting everyone up. The sand grains condensed in the air to form a platform, carrying the Five Kage rapidly into the sky. Just as they left the ground, vines crashed against their original positions like giant waves, stirring up clouds of dust.
"Don't inhale the pollen!" Tsunade warned sharply, looking down at the gradually spreading golden mist, "That's a deadly poison that can instantly paralyze the nerves."
Everyone held their breath, looking down at the wildly growing garden of death. The vines continued to climb, some already touching the edge of the sand cloud. The Raikage's fists clenched so tightly they cracked. "That bastard..."
Five Kage hovered high in the sky, the desert beneath their feet having long since transformed into a dense forest. Vines writhed like giant pythons, and bewitching red flowers bloomed, their golden pollen spreading like a thin mist, enveloping the entire battlefield in a deadly beauty.
However, just as they were becoming wary of the Flower Tree World below—
"Your attention is all on the flowers."
A cold voice came from behind.
Boom--!
Deep blue Chakra surged skyward, and a gigantic Susanoo rose from the ground, its arms outstretched, like a demon god descending. The Tsuchikage Ōnoki, narrowed his eyes and whirled around. "Oh no! The Raikage--!"
But it was too late.
Susanoo's giant fist crashed down like a meteorite, the air was compressed and exploded, and the Five Kage had no time to react before being slammed into the ground by this terrifying force.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sandstorm exploded, and the Five Kage figures were blasted deep into the forest. Vines and giant trees broke and shattered under the impact, and huge craters were formed in the ground.
Edo Madara stood within the crystal on Susanoo's forehead, coldly gazing down. He crossed his arms, a mocking smile playing on his lips, "How pathetic, the Five Kage."
Then, Susanoo leaped backward and landed steadily on a high ground in the distance. Madara slowly raised his hand and formed a simple hand seal.
"Let's add another big spark."
Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!
Boom--!
The blazing flames erupted like Dotō, engulfing the entire forest and instantly igniting the vines and giant trees. Golden pollen exploded in the intense heat, turning the entire battlefield into a sea of fire. The heat distorted the air, even turning the sky blood red.
The Five Kage struggled to maintain their balance, but the toxins from the Flower Tree World had begun to erode their nerves. Tsunade, attempting to use Medical Ninjutsu to detoxify, but the flow of Chakra slowed down.
The Raikage's muscles trembled slightly, and the light from his lightning armor faded; Gaara's sand manipulation also became sluggish.
"Mizukage..." Ohno struggled to look at Mei Terumi, hoping she could Water Release extinguish the fire.
Mei Terumi's face was pale, cold sweat beaded on her forehead, and her Chakra was suppressed by the poison, making it difficult for her to even muster the strength to form hand seals.
The Raikage lay unconscious to one side. The Tsuchikage, watching all this, slowly collapsed as well.
The flames drew closer, the heat scorching their skin, and Five Kage's vision began to blur.
Edo Madara stood inside Susanoo, coldly observing everything as if he were watching a meticulously choreographed drama.
"It's over."
The real Shinobi World...
The images of the Five Kage falling were displayed on the Heavenly Screen, plunging the entire Shinobi World into a brief silence. Then, panic, anger, and doubt erupted like a tidal wave.
"Impossible... Those are the Five Kage! The five strongest people in the Shinobi World!" A Sunagakure clenched his fist, his voice trembling.
"That Madara Uchiha... I saw his Battle of the Valley of the End shown on the Heavenly Screen before, but I never expected him to be this strong!" The Iwagakure ninja turned pale. "And he was clearly dead, yet he was resurrected to start a war..."
"Konoha's forbidden techniques are terrifying!" The Kirigakure ninja gritted their teeth. "These Ninjutsu, which desecrate the dead, must be completely banned! Otherwise, the Shinobi World will never have peace!"
Kumogakure...
A ninja from Kumogakure said, "That Orochimaru, that missing-nin from Konoha, doesn't he only know this move? When he killed the Third Hokage in Konoha, he summoned the First and Second Hokage!"
"Yeah, right!" someone chimed in. "But the First Hokage wasn't nearly as powerful as portrayed on the Heavenly Screen. If he were truly as powerful as legend says, with Wood Release capable of pacifying the world, Konoha would have been razed to the ground long ago when Orochimaru summoned him!"
"And that Kabuto Yakushi!" a nearby ninja said angrily. "It was shown on the Heavenly Screen; that guy also mastered the Impure World Reincarnation."
"In the end, it's all Konoha's fault!" A roar erupted from the crowd. "First they developed this dangerous forbidden technique, and then they cultivated a group of powerful missing-nin! Orochimaru, Uchiha Itachi, Kabuto Yakushi... aren't they all madmen who wreak havoc on the Shinobi World?"
"Konoha must give us an explanation!"
"That's right! They must completely destroy the research data on the Impure World Reincarnation! Otherwise, who knows what kind of monster might emerge one day!"
On the Training Grounds of Kumogakure, looking at the content displayed on the Heavenly Screen, the Fourth Raikage smashed a boulder beside him with a punch, roaring, "Damn it! How much more trouble are those guys from Konoha going to cause?!"
The people of Konoha were also discussing it animatedly.
In the distance, Kakashi stood on a high place, gazing at the Heavenly Screen, his single eye filled with a complex expression.
"Impure World Reincarnation... Orochimaru... Kabuto..." he murmured. "Indeed, the existence of this technique is itself a curse."
On the roof of the Hokage's office, Tsunade crossed, her golden hair swaying slightly in the wind. She gazed at the scene of the Five Kage's defeat in the Heavenly Screen, her amber eyes reflecting the raging fire of the Flower Tree World, her knuckles unconsciously clenching until they turned white.
"That Madara... he can actually use Wood Release." Her voice was low and heavy with disbelief. "How is this possible? Wood Release is clearly my grandfather's unique Kekkei Genkai."
Jiraiya squatted on the rooftop, his long white hair dancing in the wind. Unusually, he didn't have a playful grin, but instead spoke in a deep voice:
"Even more terrifying is the Second's forbidden technique... If the future truly unfolds as the Heavenly Screen foretell, the Impure World Reincarnation will reduce all the powerful figures of each generation to mere tools of war." He turned to Tsunade, his eyes sharp as knives. "The old man should have destroyed the scroll of this technique entirely back then."
Thinking of the potentially even more brutal war to come, Jiraiya's pupils suddenly contracted. "I must go find Orochimaru." He abruptly stood up. "Right now, with his hands sealed by the Third, he's at his weakest. Before he ends up like that in the Heavenly Screen— "
"No!" Tsunade interrupted sharply, and several fine cracks appeared on the eaves under her sudden burst of Chakra.
"Konoha has just been attacked Chunin Ninja Exams, and the Sunagakure delegation is still eyeing the village covetously." She pointed towards the inn in the distance.
Jiraiya's fists clenched so tightly they cracked. The wind swirled fallen leaves between them, and the blue light of the Heavenly Screen cast shifting shadows on their faces.
"Listen, Jiraiya." Tsunade took a deep breath. "After the Heavenly Screen finishes playing, we need to negotiate with Sunagakure first. What's being shown on the Heavenly Screen might be the future, but that's just one possibility."