Edo Tensei Returns

Night had fallen, and the Shinobi Allied Forces' encampment was enjoying a rare moment of quiet.

The previous surprise attack by the reanimated Kage had cost them more than three hundred shinobi. The bodies had already been removed, and the wounded had been sent to the Medical Corps in the rear, but the air still reeked of blood and scorched earth. The survivors hurriedly ate, replenished their Chakra, and repaired the fortifications. No one spoke—everyone knew this was merely the calm before the storm.

The Fourth Raikage, A, leaned against a support pillar in the temporary command post. Lightning Style Chakra circulated slowly through his body, accelerating the healing of his wounds. His right arm was wrapped in bandages, injuries left from his last clash with the Third Raikage. His eyes were half-closed, but he was not asleep—he was resting with his eyes shut.

Listening closely to the sounds underground.

The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, floated above the command post, his aged body swaying slightly in the night wind. His Dust Release Chakra was already prepared, his hands ready to form seals at any moment. He had lost to Mu last time, and lost thoroughly. This time, he had no intention of losing again.

The Fifth Kazekage, Gaara, sat cross-legged on high ground along the flank of the encampment, sand forming a thin perimeter around him. His expression was calm, yet his hand unconsciously clenched every few seconds—he was thinking of Rasa, of the father who, even under the Impure World Reincarnation, still looked at him with those eyes.

The Fifth Mizukage, Mei Terumi, stood before the long-range ninjutsu forces, both hands tucked into the pockets of her robe. Her gaze occasionally swept toward a point at the edge of the battlefield—the place where Hozuki Gengetsu had appeared last time.

"Still