Edo Madara

In a village in the southwestern part of the Land of Water.

Kisame, Mei Terumi, Hozuki Mangetsu, Genji, and others are all here.

Since the Mist ninja decided to fight a guerrilla war, their high command has been moving around from time to time. The Mist ninja have only been in this village for less than a month.

At this time, the high-ranking members of the Mist ninja were unaware that danger was approaching, and the village remained peaceful.

The village Mist ninja went about their own business as if they were completely unprepared.

Suddenly, a white head popped out from the floor of the room where Genji was.

The moment the White Zetsu clone appeared, it grinned and said to Genji, "Lord Yuanshi of Kirigakure, I have some information for you: the Tsuchikage is leading dozens of powerful warriors on his way."

"This time, the elite of Iwagakure have all come out. Good luck to you!"

After saying that, the White Zetsu clone was about to burrow back underground.

But just then, a hand suddenly reached out from behind him, grabbed his neck, and pulled him out of the ground in a flash.

Before the White Zetsu clone could react, it suddenly felt dizzy.

"Oh no, I've been hit by Genjutsu!" These were the last thoughts of this White Zetsu clone before losing consciousness.

The existence of White Zetsu clone no secret in the Ninja World, and each clan has its own methods for dealing with them.

Steel plates and Sensory Barrier were placed under all the important facilities in Iwagakure.

With ample manpower Iwagakure ninjas monitoring the entire village 24 hours a day, it was impossible for White Zetsu clone to approach silently.

Furthermore, since the White Zetsu clone knew that Yichen's senses could detect them moving underground, they usually dared not approach Iwagakure.

Although the Mist ninja did not set up iron plates underground to isolate the temporary village, they did set up Sensory Barrier.

That's why the village ninjas noticed the White Zetsu clone as soon as it approached.

However, instead of alerting the enemy, they hid using their preferred methods.

Genji himself had little combat ability, so he was protected by elite Mist Ninja Anbu.

The two Anbu who just captured the White Zetsu clone are from the Mist ninja Yuki Clan and Hozuki Clan.

The ninja of the Yuki Clan hid in a mirror that appeared normal but was actually formed using Ice Release.

The Hozuki Clan ninja transformed into a puddle of water and hid in a corner.

The White Zetsu clone was only at the Chunin, and had no chance of escaping from these two Mist Ninja Anbu members.

Genji was getting old after all; he only realized his room had been invaded after the White Zetsu clone was captured.

However, Genji showed no panic. He glanced at the White Zetsu clone that had been captured by the Anbu, and then said to one of the Anbu, "Go tell the Fifth Generation."

One of the Anbu responded and left.

Soon, Kisame and the others appeared in Genji's room.

Once everyone had arrived, Kisame ordered the ninja who had used Genjutsu on White Zetsu to begin interrogation immediately.

The White Zetsu clone had not received any training in combating Genjutsu, and quickly revealed everything it knew.

Mei Terumi said, "These White Zetsu clone first informed the Iwa ninja of our whereabouts, and then told us about the Iwa ninja's deployment. They clearly want us to suffer heavy losses!"

Hozuki Mangetsu then said, "The Iwa ninja are coming with great force. Should we retreat immediately?"

Kisame said, "Non-combat personnel, retreat immediately. We'll stay and fight."

"These White Zetsu clone are elusive; with them around, we can't escape."

"Rather than that, it's better to First Shinobi War. After the non-combatants are evacuated, we can then take the opportunity to disperse and escape."

Everyone nodded. Genji was assigned to be the first to retreat. Before leaving, he said to Kisame, "Let's go to Konoha's aid."

"If the Hokage's three disciples don't participate in the battle, you have no chance of winning."

"If they don't come, you can just retreat and don't worry about our lives."

Kisame nodded.

As the Mizukage, he didn't want to abandon the others and run away, but he had no choice. As long as the Kage Level ninjas were alive, Kirigakure could still be considered Kirigakure.

Otherwise, like the Cloud ninja, Killer B's death, no one would consider the Cloud ninja Village to be a ninja village of the same caliber anymore.

As for Sunagakure, in the last two years, due to Gaara's rise, everyone has reluctantly accepted its position as one of the Five Great Sunagakure Five Great Ninja Villages.

After Genji left, Kisame immediately used Summoning Jutsu to send a distress signal to Konoha.

Kisame's rescue letter detailed the source of the intelligence.

He also stated that if Konoha did not come, they would immediately disperse and retreat.

After sending the distress message, Kisame said to one of the Anbu, "Use the Impure World Reincarnation!"

The Anbu then quickly left!

After the Anbu left, Kisame said to Hozuki Mangetsu, "Let Suigetsu retreat as well!"

Hozuki Mangetsu frowned and said, "Suigetsu has also reached the Kage Level. His staying behind will be helpful to the battle!"

Kisame shook his head and said, "Times have changed. Now, a Kage Level can no longer change the course of a battle."

"Only strong individuals like Konoha Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Hinata Hyuga have a chance to change the course of the battle."

"In this great battle, one more or one less makes no difference!"

"If we can win this battle, that would be best. But if we can't win and none of us escape, then the village will have to rely on Suigetsu from now on."

"Remember to tell Suigetsu that he's not a deserter. In situations like this, the survivors actually need more courage!"

"Give him the Explosive Blade I brought from Konoha last time too!"

Hozuki Mangetsu knew that Kisame was essentially making his final arrangements. He remained silent for a few seconds, then turned and went to find Hozuki Suigetsu.

Hozuki Mangetsu leave, Mei Terumi sighed, "My Genji used to say that heroes would always appear in Konoha when it was in danger, but I didn't believe it."

"Now I know it's true. Not counting Kakashi, Konoha has suddenly produced three beings who have surpassed the Kage Level!"

"How unfair is Heaven! Why wasn't such a genius born in our Kirigakure!"

Kisame said, "There's no need to blame the heavens. At least we're still better off than the Cloud ninja. We haven't been completely wiped out yet."

"Konoha now a dead village in name only. The entire village has only two thousand ninja left, most of whom are still children."

"Konoha's economy has long since collapsed, and the Konoha ninja died in battle in recent months haven't even received compensation!"

"It was only the belief instilled by these three so-called heroes that kept us from disbanding!"

"Furthermore, it's uncertain whether Konoha's heroes can still turn the tide as they used to."

"It's not enough to just send out a few heroes to fight against the Tsuchikage."

"Minato Namikaze was a hero too, but he still died because the Tsuchikage died on the night of the Nine-Tails' Rampage!"

Mei Terumi, then said, "What if we both lose?"

Kisame laughed, "What else can happen? The Ninja World is now unified! Perhaps there will never be another large-scale war like this again."

"If we don't die, perhaps we can witness the birth of a new era!"

Mei Terumi looked at Kisame's expression with some surprise; she hadn't expected Kisame to think this way.

After thinking for a moment, Mei Terumi asked a question that had been on her mind for a long time, "Kisame, what did the Tsuchikage say to you back then that made you Kage Level?"

Mei Terumi did not address Kisame as the Mizukage, even though she asked the question as a companion or friend.

Kisame glanced at Mei Terumi with some surprise, not expecting her to ask such a question.

Mei Terumi said irritably, "It's not just me, Hozuki Mangetsu has the same question."

"Back then, the two of us were the biggest rivals for the position of Fifth Mizukage, but you suddenly appeared out of nowhere and stole our Mizukage title."

"So, whether it's resentment or curiosity, Hozuki Mangetsu and I both hold a grudge about this!"

Before Kisame could speak, Hozuki Mangetsu entered and asked, "What is it that's bothering me?"

He only heard the last half of Mei Terumi's sentence.

Mei Terumi glanced at him and said irritably, "The process by which the Tsuchikage brainwashed our Mizukage back then!"

Hozuki Mangetsu was a little embarrassed, but he also looked at Kisame with expectant eyes.

Kisame and said, "The Tsuchikage only asked me two questions back then: one was what the meaning of a ninja's existence is, and the other was what the essence of chakra is."

"And then I became a Quasi-Kage!"

Mei Terumi didn't believe her. She asked, "Is it really that simple?"

Kisame shrugged and said, "What else? The Tsuchikage did tell me all sorts of nonsense about Ninja World peace and the ninja village system."

"But I didn't pay any attention to these things at the time; I just ignored them."

"These two questions are the key. The first one was what I was struggling with at the time."

"The Tsuchikage told me that to know the answer to the first question, I must first know the answer to the second question."

"Under the guidance of the Tsuchikage, my thoughts were unknowingly led astray, and that's how it happened."

Mei Terumi pondered for a moment and then asked, "Then, what exactly is the essence of Chakra?"

Hozuki Mangetsu also looked at Kisame with curiosity.

Kisame said helplessly, "I don't know either. The Tsuchikage was rather vague at the time, and in the end he just told me to train hard and that I would only be qualified to think about this question after my strength had grown to a certain level."

He also said that he had studied Senjutsu and was searching for the Chakra essence through attribute fusion.

"They said I wasn't suited for this path, and told me to specialize in one attribute, saying that if I could Chiya the Water Release, I might have a chance to understand the Chakra essence."

"Even now, I don't know what the Chakra essence is."

Kisame, Mei Terumi, and Hozuki Mangetsu perhaps sensed that the outcome of this First Shinobi War might be unfavorable to them, so they unusually engaged in a conversation like friends.

The three of them chatted about amusing anecdotes rather than the impending life-or-death battle.

To be honest, the three of them weren't really friends; they were comrades-in-arms and competitors.

Over the years, the three of them have met many times, but it has always been for business.

Because the situation in the Ninja World was not good for the three of them, they were all quite considerate of each other.

To minimize internal friction, all three wisely avoided conflict, and thus maintained a very polite relationship.

This is the first time we've had a conversation that feels like an intimate chat between friends.

At that moment, the three seemed to have forgotten the impending crisis facing the Mist ninja.

The three chatted happily until, at some point, an Anbu came in to report, "Mizukage, the Hokage has arrived!"

Kakashi possesses the Flying Thunder God, and to facilitate mutual support, he left some Flying Thunder God Kunai with the Mist ninja Kakashi.

Therefore, Kakashi's support was very swift!

Kisame suppressed his faint smile, then Mei Terumi and Hozuki Mangetsu and said, "Let's go see the Hokage!"

After saying that, he was the first to leave the room.

Mei Terumi and Hozuki Mangetsu had similar expressions as they followed behind Kisame.

Soon Kisame and his two companions met Kakashi.

Kakashi was going all in this time, bringing Naruto and his two companions, the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki, and many coffins.

Upon seeing Naruto and his two companions, Kisame took a deep breath, casting aside all his chaotic fantasies. Now, all he needed to do was to fight this First Shinobi War to the best of his ability.

After meeting and briefly discussing the current situation, the two sides decided to fight this battle with all their might.

Kakashi began to assess the strength of both sides.

Besides the five living people, Konoha also had six Reanimated Body: Mito Uzumaki, White Fang, the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze, the Sixth Hokage Danzō, and Kushina Uzumaki.

That's right, Minato Namikaze and the others were also present and were also Impure World Reincarnation using Edo Tensei. Konoha broke the Reaper Death Seal.

The one who broke this Forbidden Technique was Hinata Hyuga. Hinata Jōgan awakened the third ability of her Hinata Hyuga: soul manipulation.

She released several Hokage who were trapped inside the Shinigami Mask left in Konoha.

Then Kakashi had someone take advantage of the situation and use the Impure World Reincarnation.

On the Mist ninja side, only Kisame and his two companions, along with Ao, the Three-Tails Jinchuriki, are still alive. Their numbers are fewer than those of Konoha, and their strength is far inferior to that of Konoha.

There are seven Kage Level Reanimated Body: four Mizukage from the First to the Fourth, two former Jinchuriki, and one Kakuzu.

In addition to these seven Kage Level Kirigakure also summoned some elite Elite Jonin.

For example, the first generation of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, or a ninja with Red Eye.

Logically speaking, not all of these people died in the Land of Water, and it's unknown where the Mist ninja got their genes from.

In total, there were twenty-two Kage Level ninja from both sides, plus some Elite Jonin Mist ninja Village.

The two sides had thirteen Kage Level Impure World Reincarnation, and apart from Kakuzu, none of them had their self-awareness suppressed, including Danzo!

Twelve Kage Level ninjas, along with many Elite Jonin, crossed the line between life and death. Naturally, many present had regrets and dreams they wished to fulfill.

So the originally solemn scene suddenly became lively.

Naruto ran up to Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, grinning foolishly.

Hiruzen Sarutobi is apologizing to Danzo and asking Danzo to participate in this final First Shinobi War.

Kisame, in his capacity as Mizukage, directly ordered Suikazan Fuguki to participate in the battle.

After fulfilling their dream, Kakashi and Kisame conducted a detailed analysis of all the Kage Level intelligence of the Iwa ninja on these Reanimated Body.

Kakashi pointed out many of Yichen and the others' weaknesses and the tactics to exploit those weaknesses.

After the Konoha and the Mist ninja joined forces, a considerable amount of time passed before the twenty-eight members of the Iwa ninja finally arrived.

Seeing the twenty-eight Iwa ninjas who had transformed into Iwa ninja using the Transformation Jutsu on the Porcelain Platform in the air, Kakashi and others with special eyes immediately noticed something was wrong.

Although these people looked the same as Yi Chen and the Yichen, they were all surrounded by Chakra, which was clearly Transformation Jutsu.

What puzzled Kakashi was that these people's powerful auras were indeed real.

Where did the Iwa ninja get more than twenty Kage Level imposters posing as Yichen and his group?

However, Natsuki, Sakura, Yakumo Kurama didn't leave them puzzled for long.

Knowing they couldn't hide it from Konoha and Mist ninja, the three of them immediately deactivated all the Transformation Jutsu Reanimated Body.

Seeing that the Iwa ninja had sent out a group of Impure World Reincarnation -Kage Level, Kisame felt strange. He looked at Kakashi, wanting to ask for his opinion.

In Kisame's view, if the Iwa ninja only sent a group of Reanimated Body to ambush the Mist ninja, then where were the other strong Iwa ninja? Where were Yichen, Neji, and Izumi Uchiha?

"Could it be that they went to Konoha?" Kisame wondered to himself.

If the Iwa ninja went to Konoha, what would Kakashi choose?

But when Kisame looked at Kakashi, he noticed that Kakashi's expression was a little off; he was staring straight in a certain direction.

Kisame followed Kakashi's gaze and quickly identified his target.

"It's him?! That mysterious Uchiha!" Kisame was shocked.

Kisame already knew Obito Uchiha's appearance from the Fourth Mizukage, so he recognized the distinctive face at a glance.

Kisame quickly realized, "This is Reanimated Body? When did the other person die?"

He was resurrected by the Iwa ninja using the Impure World Reincarnation. Did he die at the hands of the Iwa ninja?

But now is not the time to dwell on that.

Kisame said to Kakashi, "Hokage, these are a group of Reanimated Body Sealing Ninja, but you have many skilled in Sealing Jutsu. You can arrange the rest of the battle."

Kakashi was somewhat distracted after seeing Obito Uchiha.

He had actually suspected Obito Uchiha's death, but seeing him suddenly without any warning made Kakashi feel a little flustered.

After hearing Kisame's words, Kakashi snapped out of his daze and nodded.

Compared to the Mist ninja, among the people Kakashi brought, Mito Uzumaki, Kushina Uzumaki, and Minato Namikaze were all masters of Sealing Jutsu.

Kakashi himself also knows some Sealing Jutsu.

The two sides did not start fighting as soon as they met, mainly because it was the first time they had controlled so many Reanimated Body, especially from a distance.

Natsuki, Sakura, Yakumo Kurama all felt a little out of place.

There are a total of 28 people in the Iwa ninja camp. Apart from four of their own people who do not need to be controlled, the other 24 people need to be controlled by three people.

Among them, Natsuki Yakumo Kurama each control seven people, while Sakura controls ten people.

Because Sakura has Inner Sakura and Outer Sakura, when controlling her Reanimated Body, she can be equivalent to two people.

The three little girls discussed it and decided to play it safe for now, having the Taijutsu Ninja guard the perimeter while the ranged ninjas attacked first.

Kakashi's side didn't act immediately because they needed to re-analyze the enemy's intelligence.

The Reanimated Body they faced spanned a considerable timeline, and their abilities required time for them to share information.

After the analysis, the Konoha and Mist ninja allied forces launched the first attack.

Leading the charge was a large group of Naruto 'Naruto Shadow Clone, who surged forward in droves towards the Iwagakure army of Impure World Reincarnation Iwa ninja.

The rest of the allied forces used Ninjutsu to support Naruto.

Naruto's Multiple Shadow Clones is an excellent Ninjutsu that can be used to test an enemy's abilities.

The allied forces are mostly composed of strong individuals who fight with their own consciousness, and most of them have extensive combat experience.

They were able to effectively analyze information that was beneficial to themselves from Naruto's shadow clones' reconnaissance process.

While the Land of Water was locked in a standoff, Yichen and his companions passed through the Land of Snow and arrived on the moon.

The Space-Time Tunnel to the moon was too large to stop a ninja of Orochimaru's strength, so Yichen released the blockade at the entrance.

Orochimaru looked at the empty Space-Time Tunnel and immediately understood.

"Wait for me on the moon?" Orochimaru didn't linger; he entered the Space-Time Tunnel without hesitation.

Yichen and the others were a beat slower than Orochimaru, and they also entered the passage.

After Orochimaru, Yichen, and the others entered the Space-Time Tunnel, Black Zetsu also took action, but he did not destroy the Space-Time Tunnel as Kabuto Yakushi had guessed.

He also used the Impure World Reincarnation.

Black Zetsu deliberately provoked a major battle between the Iwa ninja and Mist ninja, not primarily to help Orochimaru use a diversionary tactic against the Iwa ninja.

This was just an excuse; his real purpose was to spy on the Mist ninja Impure World Reincarnation.

The White Zetsu clone has now mastered the Impure World Reincarnation.

So Black Zetsu used a White Zetsu clone as a sacrifice to perform the Impure World Reincarnation.

Black Zetsu's Impure World Reincarnation was successful very quickly.

A handsome man dressed in armor popular during the Warring States period appeared before him.

"Black Zetsu, you resurrected me? No, this isn't the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu, it's Tobirama's Tobirama Rebirth Jutsu Reincarnation?"

The one summoned by Black Zetsu was, of course, Madara Uchiha.

Black Zetsu said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Lord Madara, something unexpected has happened, and the situation is now out of control."

Madara Uchiha said calmly, "Is it Nagato who is disobedient, or Obito rebelled?"

Madara Uchiha spoke in a calm tone, as if the problems that Black Zetsu couldn't solve were nothing to him.

Black Zetsu mentally criticized the Uchiha clan, then explained the current situation in the Ninja World to Madara Uchiha in detail.

The Ninja World now has Sage; if Madara Uchiha still thinks it's the Ninja World he lived in, then he's truly doomed.

Madara Uchiha frowned, somewhat unable to accept the facts that Black Zetsu had told him.

"Sage? Or three of them?"

Madara Uchiha naturally knew what level of Sage Black Zetsu was referring to; when he awakened the Rinnegan, he was at roughly that level.

However, by then his body had already decayed, and he was only able to stay alive thanks to the support of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, so he never truly experienced the power of Sage.

Afterwards, he nurtured the Rinnegan within Nagato's eye socket, and his strength fell back below that of Sage.

The matter that Black Zetsu mentioned Obito Uchiha and Nagato is no longer of concern to Madara Uchiha.

He couldn't accept that the level he had painstakingly reached was now easily attained by others.

Black Zetsu quickly explained, "They should be similar to you back then; their eyes have also reached the Sage level."

"It's just that they're all quite young, so they can fully utilize the power of their eyesight."

Black Zetsu's words implied that he was first avoiding direct confrontation.

Madara Uchiha frowned and thought for a moment, then said, "First, retrieve the Rinnegan, then collect the Tailed Beast. I need to become the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki as soon as possible."

Black Zetsu breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, Madara Uchiha wasn't arrogant enough to go straight to the moon and personally confront those Sages.

Black Zetsu quickly replied, "Nagato is currently in the Land of Rivers, but intelligence indicates that his compatibility with the Rinnegan is already quite high; he is already able to use advanced Rinnegan Dōjutsu."

Madara Uchiha said calmly, "No problem!"

After saying this, he left the underground cavern and headed straight for the Land of Rivers.