Ninja Alliance

On the horizon, the Allied Shinobi Forces stretched out like a spreading tide, their momentum capable of crushing all in their path as they descended upon the gates of Phantom Branch Village. Banners fluttered, the radiance of chakra merged into a single expanse, and the chilling aura of slaughter scattered the clouds in the sky. This was the final strength of the shinobi world, the ultimate reckoning for the atrocities committed by the "Branch" organization.

At the front of the Allied lines, the Five Kage stood together (the acting Tsuchikage among them), gazing with grave expressions at the bizarrely styled, terrifyingly silent city ahead.

Yet, the response to their ultimatum was not the roar of a thousand armies, but a single, solitary figure.

Uchiha Sakuya walked slowly out from the gaping gates of Phantom Branch Village. He still wore that white spiral mask and a black cloak with red clouds over a white trench coat, his steps steady, as if he were not walking toward an army of tens of thousands, but merely patrolling his own territory.

He stopped at the maximum range of the Allied forces' arrows, standing alone against the might of the entire shinobi world.

"Uchiha Sakuya! Release the jinchuriki and the Tsuchikage, surrender and face justice! This is your final chance!" the acting Tsuchikage roared until his throat was raw, his voice amplified by chakra to carry across the entire battlefield.

His answer was a disdainful cold snort from Sakuya, followed by... a sudden, erupting wave of terrifying, tangible chakra!

BOOM!!!

Pale blue chakra, burning like flames, shot into the sky! It rapidly condensed and took shape! Ribs, spine, arms... a colossal Susanoo, though only manifested to the waist, suddenly descended upon the battlefield!

But this was no ordinary Susanoo! Its density and oppressive weight far exceeded common knowledge! It was clearly the second form of Susanoo! Though not yet a complete body, it already possessed full arms and a partial chest plate, radiating a wave of power that induced despair!

Even more shocking was that the hands of this Susanoo were not empty!

The right hand gripped a massive straight blade wreathed in purple chakra flames! The blade's edge shimmered with a cold light, as if it could sever space itself! The left hand held an even larger Gunbai, inscribed with six red tomoe—the signature weapon of the Uchiha clan—a replica of the very fan once wielded by the "Dance King of the Battlefield," Uchiha Madara!

One hand held the blade that severed all things, the other held the shield that reflected all attacks!

At this moment, Uchiha Sakuya stood within the crystal at the center of the Susanoo's forehead, his "Eighty Gods Mirror" eyes beneath the mask coldly overlooking the Allied forces below.

His posture, his power, his crushing presence—it was as if that Uchiha Madara who once stood against ten thousand had returned to the world!

"KILL!!!"

The commander of the Allied forces let out a roar of attack! Arrows, ninjutsu, and Explosive Tags poured down like a torrential rain upon the blue giant!

However!

Sakuya moved!

The Susanoo's left hand swung the Gunbai forward violently!

"Uchiha Reflection!"

The torrent of terrifying ninjutsu slammed into the Gunbai; not only did it fail to cause damage, but it was absorbed entirely and then reflected back in an even more violent and chaotic fashion!

RUMBLE!!! The vanguard of the Allied forces was instantly blown into disarray by their own attacks, suffering heavy casualties!

At the same time, the straight blade in the Susanoo's right hand moved!

There were no flashy techniques, merely a simple horizontal slash!

SWISH—!!! A purple blade aura, hundreds of meters long and condensed to the extreme, tore away from the blade, sweeping across the Allied positions like the scythe of the Grim Reaper!

Whether it was Earth Wall, Water Wall, or various defensive ninja tools, they were like paper before this absolute power! Wherever the blade aura passed, flesh flew and limbs were severed, instantly clearing a massive area!

"A devil! He is a devil!" "Scatter! Don't bunch up!" The Allied forces instantly fell into massive panic and chaos!

Sakuya steered the Susanoo, taking a step forward! Every stride shook the earth! He needed no tactics; he simply advanced, swung his blade, blocked, and reflected!

Every time the straight blade fell, it claimed countless lives! Every time the Gunbai swung, it forced the Allied forces to taste their own attacks!

He was like a cold killing machine, carving a path of blood and gore through the Allied formation! Unstoppable and invincible! The numerical advantage of the Allied forces seemed so laughable and pale in the face of his absolute power and divine artifacts!

Screams, explosions, and roars intertwined, turning the battlefield into a true hell on earth!

The Five Kage watched with eyes splitting from rage!

"We cannot let him continue like this!" Gaara was the first to act! A vast amount of sand surged from behind him, forming a giant hand that blotted out the sky, reaching for the Susanoo! "Desert Layered Imperial Funeral Seal!"

At the same time, the other Kage launched their own strikes! The acting Tsuchikage joined forces with numerous Iwagakure jonin: "Earth Style: Earth Mountain Technique!" Two massive hemispherical rocks clamped down on the Susanoo from both sides! The Raikage (injured) roared as he transformed into a bolt of lightning, launching a surprise attack: "Lightning Style: Heavy Flow Violent!" He slammed into the Susanoo's leg! The Mizukage: "Water Style: Water Dragon Biting Explosion!" A massive water dragon lunged to bite! Naruto (distracted by the unknown status of Boruto, yet still fighting with all his might): "Wind Style: Spiral Shuriken!" A massive chakra shuriken whistled through the air!

Facing the combined assault of the Five Kage, Sakuya finally grew slightly serious.

The Susanoo's left hand used the Gunbai to precisely block the Raikage's desperate strike, violently reflecting him away! The right hand's straight blade shattered the Water Dragon Biting Explosion with a single swing! As for the Earth Mountain Technique clamping from the sides, the giant sand hand pressing from above, and the Spiral Shuriken flying from the flank—

The "Eighty Gods Mirror" in Sakuya's eyes flashed wildly! The Susanoo spun violently! The straight blade carved a perfect circular arc of light! "Ring Sever!"

CRACK! BOOM! The massive rock hemispheres formed by the Earth Mountain Technique were instantly shattered and disintegrated! The giant sand hand was also sliced to pieces by the blade aura! The Spiral Shuriken was skillfully deflected by the side of the Gunbai as the Susanoo rotated, sending it flying into the distance to explode!

With a single strike, he broke the encirclement of the Five Kage!

But Gaara's sand was endless! The shattered sand flowed back, re-condensing and becoming even more agile, as if it possessed a life of its own, winding around the Susanoo from all directions in an attempt to trap and seal it!

"Annoying sand." Sakuya snorted coldly, and the Susanoo shook violently, attempting to throw off the sand, but it was incredibly adhesive and inexhaustible.

"Now!" Gaara slammed his hands together! "Desert Rebel Slave!" More sand surged up, even attempting to cover the Susanoo's chakra armor!

The other Kage were brewing their next attacks!

However, Sakuya's target had instantly locked onto Gaara!

"To catch the bandits, first catch the king."

The Susanoo abruptly abandoned part of its defense, tanking the attacks of the other Kage while the left-hand Gunbai shielded its core, and the right-hand straight blade was raised high! All his chakra surged madly into the blade! The weapon erupted with a purple light as blinding as the sun!

"Eighty Gods Mirror... Lock on!"

Gaara felt a cold killing intent instantly envelop him completely, as if he were bound by invisible shackles, his very thoughts becoming sluggish! Under the insight of the "Eighty Gods Mirror," the sand defenses around him seemed to turn transparent, revealing the most critical flaw!

"DIE!"

Following Uchiha Sakuya's cold verdict, the straight blade, condensed with terrifying power, crashed down like divine retribution! Its target was not Gaara himself, but the earth beneath his feet and... the critical energy node within his sand defense system that connected to the underground mineral veins!

Gaara's pupils constricted as he exerted all his strength to control the sand for defense! "Shukaku Shield!" The strongest defensive sand shield, infused with chakra, formed in an instant!

BOOM!!!!!!!!!!!

The blade's radiance collided violently with the sand shield! It emitted a deafening roar, as if a planet were shattering!

A stalemate! For only a second!

Crack! Under the weak-point strike revealed by the Eighty Gods Mirror and the crushing force of absolute power, the so-called absolute defense of the Shukaku Shield actually... shattered!

Although the blade's radiance was mostly neutralized, the residual impact still slammed fiercely into the spot where Gaara stood!

"Lord Kazekage!" Temari and Kankuro screamed in terror!

Rumble! Dust and smoke soared into the sky! A bottomless chasm was carved into the earth!

As the dust began to clear, Gaara was seen half-kneeling on the edge of the chasm, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, his gourd shattered, and the sand swirling around him thin and chaotic; he had clearly suffered significant internal injuries. Had he not used the sand to push himself away slightly at the final moment, he likely would have been cleaved in two!

Uchiha Sakuya glanced indifferently at the injured Gaara, making no move to finish him off. Defeating the Kazekage was enough to deal another heavy blow to the Allied Forces' morale. His Susanoo also appeared slightly dimmed after tanking attacks from the other Kage and unleashing its most powerful strike.

Yet, at this moment, he still stood in the center of the battlefield like a god of war, with mountains of corpses and seas of blood at his feet, and the Allied Forces, whose morale was on the verge of collapse, before him.

One against ten thousand, cleaving the Kazekage with a single blade!

The terror of Uchiha Sakuya was deeply branded into the hearts of every surviving Allied ninja, transforming into an indelible fear. The battle was far from over, but the offensive of the Allied Forces had been single-handedly brought to a halt by him!