Uchiha Madara

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Countless Susanoo blades came down like a violent storm. Hundreds of the Edo Tensei Giant Buddha's adamantine arms snapped one after another, crashing down like collapsing mountains and surging tsunamis as the heavens and earth groaned!

The Buddha's arms crumbled, the earth shook, and cracks ripped across the ground like a giant earth dragon writhing beneath it. Thick smoke billowed, blotting out the sky!

The three Hokage's expressions changed drastically. They did everything they could to control the Edo Tensei Giant Buddha and retreat, yet still couldn't withstand that overwhelming pressure. They were driven back step by step!

"We can't keep fighting head-on!"

Senju Tobirama roared, his face ashen. He tried to escape with the Body Flicker Technique—

But—

Too late!

The Susanoo Great Buddha's countless arms converged, forming a gigantic arm like a pillar of heaven. A massive chakra blade on its arm pointed furiously at the Buddha!

Boom!!!

The chakra blade tore through space and blasted straight through the Edo Tensei Giant Buddha's chest. The explosion echoed, the sonic boom deafening. The Buddha's light vanished, and the divine statue shattered!

The Buddha's head exploded like a falling star, fragments flying everywhere. The dignity of a god was utterly trampled beneath this blow!

The entire Buddha collapsed with a thunderous crash. Dust surged skyward, and the heavens and earth trembled!

The three Hokage tumbled from the crumbling Buddha's body, battered and clad in tattered robes. Before they could hit the ground, a shadow was already upon them!

"Whoosh—!"

Three pitch-black Truth-Seeking Orbs shot through the air, instantly expanding into three rings like black moons. They closed precisely around the three Hokage, pinning them firmly in midair!

"Hmm?!"

Hashirama narrowed his eyes, his expression darkening instantly.

"This is..."

The power of the Truth-Seeking Orbs became chains, moving like living creatures as they precisely wrapped around the chakra core points of all three, leaving them unable to move an inch!

The Third Hokage's face turned deathly pale, cold sweat pouring down his brow!

"It can even control a Reanimated Body... This is far beyond an ordinary ninjutsu!"

Tobirama muttered through gritted teeth, his brows furrowed.

Hashirama's expression was more grave than ever. "The Susanoo Great Buddha, combined with this strange sealing technique... Uchiha Yoru is beyond what any human can defeat."

—Meanwhile.

The heavens roared, and fierce winds howled like blades!

Uchiha Yoru stood at the Susanoo's brow, his dark cloak whipping in the wind. His purple Rinnegan glinted coldly as he looked down on the three Hokage, like a god passing judgment on mortals!

"The old era you protected... ends here."

"And I will reshape the Ninja World with the hand of a god."

His voice was calm, yet his pressure ran as deep as an abyss, impossible to resist!

As he finished speaking, he flicked a finger.

"Clang—!"

The Truth-Seeking Orb chains tightened abruptly, yanking the three Hokage upward and suspending them in midair, completely sealed like divine statues!

The Susanoo Great Buddha towered between heaven and earth, like a true god descended into the mortal world!

A thousand meters away, behind the ruins, a thin figure slowly emerged.

Orochimaru!

His pupils contracted violently. Cold sweat ran down his cheeks, and even his usually steady fingers trembled involuntarily.

"So this is... the Susanoo Great Buddha?"

He murmured, his voice hoarse.

Even from a thousand meters away, the pressure of that attack still struck his heart like a thunderbolt!

"The First was a monster... but Yoru is even more terrifying."

He turned to gaze at the young man standing between heaven and earth—

Uchiha Yoru.

Those purple eyes were as deep as an endless sea of night, as if they could swallow all light.

Orochimaru licked his cracked lips, his eyes brimming with uncontrollable obsession and madness.

"Lord Yoru... you're no longer within the realm of shinobi."

"Your bloodline, ocular jutsu, taijutsu, chakra... You're an existence this era could never produce."

"Who was it that... forged you into a god?"

Orochimaru gazed at the Susanoo statue towering between heaven and earth, his eyes alight with fascination and his emotions churning.

He knew perfectly well—the Uchiha Yoru before him was no longer someone he could oppose.

That overwhelming power, even in its aftershocks, was enough to reduce him to ashes.

In the past, perhaps he would have felt resentment and anger, or even tried to find a weakness and quietly plot against him.

But now...

"If you can't defeat an existence, then you should try to understand it."

Orochimaru slowly closed his eyes, a faint chuckle rising from his throat.

Uchiha Yoru's goal was to unify the Ninja World, end the wars, and reshape the order.

And he, Orochimaru, hated nothing more than the chaos and hypocrisy that shackled freedom.

"A unified Ninja World... If it can truly be achieved, then it would be the ideal laboratory."

No conflicts to disturb him, no foolish power games. As long as he proved his worth, he could gain stable resources and a stable environment—and perhaps even receive "research privileges" personally approved by Lord Yoru.

Orochimaru licked his lips and murmured:

"I can tolerate submission... as long as my research isn't restricted."

"As long as you let me see—the door that leads to the truth."

He was a clever man. He knew what to fight for and when to go with the flow.

If Uchiha Yoru truly could become a god, why couldn't Orochimaru become the god's left hand?

"Give up? No... This isn't giving up."

"It's... an investment."

The corners of his eyes lifted slightly, and a sly, expectant smile tugged at his lips.

"Lord Yoru... please don't disappoint me."

At the same time—

On the other side of the battlefield.

Although the two Susanoo Great Buddhas there had transformed the landscape and shaken the heavens and earth, that area seemed to be separated by an invisible barrier. The violent shockwaves crumbled at its perimeter, unable to penetrate even an inch.

Long before the battle began, Black Zetsu had quietly set up multiple barriers to protect this crucial moment and prevent any unexpected interference.

Anxious beyond measure, Konan was flung back by the barrier again and again, until she finally passed out.

Its expression gradually darkened, and a cold glint flickered deep in its eyes.

"Just as I thought... This guy is no longer within the realm of normal humans."

"That aura... It's even exactly like that detestable big brother's!"

At that moment, Nagato knelt on both knees, his face as pale as paper and his body trembling. Yet he still held both arms high, letting that world-destroying chakra surge madly out of him.

His Rinnegan flashed violently, its purple light illuminating the earth, as if trying to pierce the barrier between heaven and earth and connect the worlds of the living and the dead!

Black Zetsu's chakra had already corroded his will, driving his body to serve as a vessel for the sacrifice.

Nagato opened his mouth and roared, his voice seeming to echo through heaven and earth:

"—Outer Path: Samsara Heavenly Life Technique!!!"

In an instant, the void trembled and space-time rippled like water. An invisible yet immensely heavy force descended with a crash from deep within the Pure Land!

An ancient and powerful soul was precisely locked onto and dragged into the World of the Living!

Winds rose and clouds churned. The heavens and earth lost their color!

Dust swirled across the ground as a hazy figure slowly took shape amid the surging chakra—

Blood and bone wove together to form flesh, while skin and hair took shape anew in the wind!

He stood tall, his expression imposing. He wore dark red armor, the Uchiha Clan crest emblazoned across his chest!

His Rinnegan slowly opened, cold and proud, as if he had been born to look down on all things!

"Looks like... the plan went smoothly."

Uchiha Madara!

His deep voice rang across the battlefield!

Black Zetsu emerged from the shadows with a sinister smile and bowed respectfully.

"Lord Madara, everything is going according to plan."

"Welcome back to... the Ninja World, now ready to become your stage."