Sakura's heart tightened. She instinctively rose to her feet, not even noticing as the medical kit slipped from her hand. She took a step forward, her voice edged with wariness and urgency. "Who are you?!"
She could sense the other person's pure goodwill, but those eerie cracks kept her from feeling entirely at ease.
"I'm the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze." Minato offered no further explanation. His gentle gaze sharpened in an instant as he pointed toward the still-rampaging Ten-Tails in the distance. His voice was urgent but steady. "There's no time to explain. Are you ready? It's about to explode!"
Before the words had even left his mouth, pale blue chakra surged around Minato. The Flying Thunder God Kunai in his palm glinted with a chilling light.
Blue light flashed beneath his feet, and his figure vanished in a blur. The next second, a terrifying current of air surged skyward, carrying a devastating force as it shot toward the heavens!
Wherever the current passed, the air was violently torn apart. Loose stones and bloody mist were swept off the ground, and even the howling wind across the battlefield fell still.
The Allied Shinobi Forces looked up. They saw the current of air racing toward the distant sea, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
Only when a thunderous boom shook the heavens and the sea swelled into waves thousands of meters high did everyone realize what had happened—it was Minato!
He had used the Flying Thunder God Technique to forcibly teleport the Tailed Beast Bomb the Ten-Tails was about to unleash out over the sea!
"Th-that was fast!"
"That was the Flying Thunder God Technique! No wonder he's the Fourth Hokage!"
A wave of astonished cries erupted from the ranks. At last, the enormous weight hanging over everyone's hearts lifted. Many shinobi collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath, their faces filled with relief at having survived.
Just then, three distinct yet equally powerful chakra signatures swept in from the horizon like peals of thunder, instantly blanketing the entire battlefield.
The first to arrive was a silver-haired figure wearing a dark Hokage robe. His expression was stern, and pale blue chakra swirled around him. He stood atop ripples formed by Water Release—none other than Tobirama Senju, the Second.
Close behind him came an elderly man in an orange Hokage robe, his face kind and a distinctive staff in his hand. A steady, weighty chakra radiated from him. It was Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third.
Last to appear was a tall, straight-backed figure with a warm, gentle air. His green hair fluttered in the wind, and the vibrant chakra of Wood Release swirled around him. Simply standing there, he inspired an unshakable sense of security. He was Hashirama Senju, the First!
The three Hokage landed beside Minato. The four tall figures stood shoulder to shoulder, their Hokage robes fluttering behind them. The words "First, Second, Third, Fourth Hokage" gleamed in the sunlight as an overwhelming pressure, powerful enough to suppress the entire battlefield, spread in an instant.
Tobirama Senju turned to Minato. A rare hint of approval crossed his stern face as he said, "Fourth Hokage, your Flying Thunder God is even faster than mine was. That was well done."
Minato gave a slight nod and smiled gently. "You're too kind, Second. I just happened to arrive in time."
"It's the First!"
"And the Second and Third! All four Hokage are here!"
Someone in the Allied Shinobi Forces roared out the words, and a moment later, cheers and shouts long held back burst forth!
Countless shinobi were moved to tears. The fatigue and despair in their eyes gave way to a renewed blaze of fighting spirit.
They brandished their weapons and shouted the names of the four Hokage. In an instant, the battlefield's mood shifted from the desperate struggle to catch one's breath into a fervor that set their blood racing. With four legendary Hokage leading them, they finally felt they had a chance to stand against the Ten-Tails!
But their fervor had barely lasted when chakra so savage it seemed like a black cloud swept in, drowning out the battlefield's clamor.
Everyone looked up. A figure clad in deep red armor descended from the sky, long black hair whipping wildly in the wind. Black Susanoo Armor chakra swirled around him, and his blood-red Mangekyō Sharingan stared fixedly at Hashirama Senju, burning with boundless battle lust and obsession.
"Hashirama!" Madara Uchiha's roar shook the heavens, its force seeming to pierce the soul. He landed heavily on the ground, kicking up clouds of dust. "I've been waiting for you!"
Hashirama Senju slowly turned around. His gentle expression became utterly serious, and Wood Release chakra stirred quietly around him. Looking at Madara, whose battle spirit blazed to the heavens, he spoke with firm gravity. "I'll come find you later! Madara, our priority now is to stop the Ten-Tails. If it fully awakens, the entire Shinobi World will be destroyed!"
At those words, the fury and anticipation on Madara Uchiha's face froze. His blood-red Sharingan contracted sharply, and a look of incredulous shock crossed his face.
He clearly hadn't expected Hashirama's first words to him to be about the Ten-Tails instead of accepting his challenge!
After the shock came a rush of irritation. He clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white, and his chakra grew even more violent.
"Tch, still the same as ever!" Madara ground out, his face full of impatience and frustration. "Always putting your so-called 'greater good' first. I knew we'd never see eye to eye!"
Before Madara's anger had even subsided, the ground began to shake violently. This wasn't the aftershock of shinobi fighting, but a heavy rumble capable of tearing heaven and earth apart. Each tremor sent ripples through the battlefield's muddy ground. The Allied shinobi struggled to stay on their feet, stumbling as they grabbed onto one another for support.
Everyone looked up, their hearts gripped by utter terror. The Ten-Tails' massive body was slowly advancing toward them. Its black form loomed like a moving mountain. Each step ended with its foot slamming into the earth with a thunderous crash, crushing a bottomless crater into the ground. Stones and bloody mist tumbled down the crater walls as smoke rolled toward them like a black tide.
Its ten tails swung carelessly, each sweep capable of shattering distant mountains. Savage chakra swirled around it like tangible black mist, pressing the breath from everyone's lungs. Its blood-red, slit-pupiled eyes held no emotion, only an instinctive desire to destroy, and remained fixed on the Four Hokage and the Allied Shinobi Forces before it—as if it would devour the land entirely the very next moment.
"Everyone, fall back!" Sarutobi Hiruzen roared. He struck his pipe hard against the ground, steady Fire Release chakra flaring around him, while his aged body remained as straight as a pine.