Sage Body Shatters Kamui in Fury! The Army of the Dead Storms the Border!
"So what if you found them? These five hundred batteries are my little gift to you!"
Obito's mocking voice echoed above the medical camp of the Land of Iron. The inverted Kamui vortex was like a giant black hole, and its violent suction instantly tore apart the thick canvas tents. Several seriously wounded wandering samurai screamed as they were pulled into the air.
"A greeting gift? I'll burn some paper money for you as a return gift!"
Naruto let out a cold laugh. He didn't Hand Seals, nor did he take a single step back. The violent golden Chakra Cloak his body instantly turned into a deep crimson gold. Sage Mode, activated!
Nine solidified golden chains shot out from behind him. Instead of binding those who were sucked into mid-air, they plunged directly into the edge of the wildly spinning Kamui vortex in the sky at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye!
The whirring sound of space distorting was extremely piercing.
"Get down here!" Naruto suddenly exerted force with both arms, and the bluestone ground beneath his feet shattered with a crash.
The Extreme Yang Force accompanying the Adamantine Sealing Chains flowed directly into the spatial node along the chains. Kamui force was not only forcibly interrupted, but the vortex even began to twist and collapse in reverse!
Hidden at the edge of the alternate dimension Obito groaned, a trickle of blood seeping from beneath his right eye mask. He had underestimated Naruto's Perfect Sage Body's control over Yin–Yang Release; if he continued, the spatial collapse would ensnare him.
"Naruto Uzumaki, savor this last moment of peace. The war has begun."
Leaving behind these cold, harsh words, the vortex in the sky rapidly contracted, eventually turning into a black dot and disappearing completely. The wounded in mid-air fell one after another, only to be caught steadily by the Shadow Clone created by Naruto.
"Tch, it runs faster than a rabbit."
Naruto retracted the chains and turned to walk towards Iwai, who was lying on the bed. Hinata was staring at the protruding Black Rod fragment on Iwai's chest, her brows furrowed.
Naruto stepped forward, placed one hand on Iwai's chest, and suddenly released a burst of Pure Yang Chakra. With a "whoosh," the Black Rod remnant that had been trying to devour life was forced out of his body, turning into a pool of foul-smelling black water.
"The rules are set, no one can touch them." Naruto casually crushed the pool of black water, turned to Hinata, and said, "Let's go home and prepare for battle."
Three days later, at night. Konoha, the Uzumaki Clan Settlement.
The alliance reached at the Five Kage Summit has officially taken effect, and the massive war machine of the entire Shinobi World has begun to rumble into action. Hidden Leaf, as the central hub, is currently working non-stop.
The warehouse in the backyard of the Uzumaki Estate was brightly lit.
With her sleeves rolled up, Bai deftly sorted the Alpine Snow Lotus and hemostatic herbs she had brought back from the Land of Iron, packing them into specially made sealing scrolls.
Karin, biting her pen, stared wide-eyed at a three-meter-long military supply route map. "What the hell? Why does the Sunagakure's supply line have to bypass the Land of Rivers? That's an extra two hundred miles; even the camels pulling the carts would be cursing!"
The workshop was filled with the clanging sound of hammering iron. Tenten was holding a large iron hammer and gesturing at a huge gray stone that was half a person's height.
This is the Iwagakure Ōnoki gave to Kurotsuchi before leaving, and Kurotsuchi then gave to Hidden Leaf.
"Does that old man Ōnoki have some kind of misunderstanding about the word 'portable'?" Tenten wiped the sweat from her forehead and couldn't help but mutter to herself, "Is this huge millstone meant to be used as cover on the battlefield? It's utterly unattractive!"
She casually pulled out the improved Gathering Spirit Formation blueprint that Naruto had given her, injected Chakra into the carving knife, and forcibly carved Chakra conduction patterns on the stubborn rock. Naruto had said that this thing was durable, and as long as the sensory jutsu was embedded in it, it would be the best front-line communication base station for the Allied Shinobi Forces.
Front yard medical room.
A strong smell of blood filled the air. Sakura's hands were covered in fresh pig's blood as she gritted her teeth and used Chakra Scalpel to cut open a piece of simulated human tissue, then quickly sutured it to stop the bleeding.
Shizune stood to the side with a stopwatch. "Three seconds too slow. Sakura, on the battlefield, three seconds is enough for a wounded soldier with a ruptured artery to die twice. In war, saving a person is always harder than defeating an enemy. Let's try again!"
Sakura remained silent, wiped the sweat from her face, and raised her hands, which were glowing blue, once again. She knew she didn't have a monstrous Sage Body or Sharingan, but she absolutely couldn't hold those two back on the battlefield.
Command room on the second floor.
Shikamaru stared at the map of the Shinobi World on the table, covered with small red and blue flags, and felt his hairline recede even further.
"The old men just give a few words, and the men below run themselves ragged. The forces of five ninja villages have to be scattered and reorganized, and we also have to guard against internal spies. This supply line is like a tangled ball of yarn." Shikamaru rubbed his temples and sighed deeply. "It's just too much trouble."
"Then don't slack off." Ino walked in carrying a thick stack of contact lists and slammed it down in front of Shikamaru. "You're in charge of making the plans, and I'll handle connecting the brains of the entire Allied Shinobi Forces. Hurry up and look at them; Lady Tsunade is waiting for her approval."
Shikamaru resignedly picked up the pen.
At this moment, on the highest rooftop of the Uzumaki Estate.
The evening breeze carried the chill of late autumn. Sasuke sat alone on the roof ridge, his left leg bent. In his hand he clutched the dark red Crow feather, the last keepsake Itachi Uchiha left for him in the Tsukuyomi Space.
During this time, he went through the top-secret files underground in Root, and with what Itachi had told him personally, the blood-red nightmare that had haunted his entire childhood was finally pieced together in its entirety.
The door hinges clicked softly, Naruto came up carrying two jugs of sake.
He tossed one of the flasks directly to Sasuke, then sat down beside him, his long legs dangling in the air.
"Do you regret going to see him?" Naruto took a swig of wine, not looking at Sasuke, but staring at the statue on the Hokage Rock in the distance.
Sasuke caught the sake bottle, his thumb tracing its cool surface. After a long while, he tucked the feather into his close-fitting ninja tool pouch, his voice calmer than ever before.
No regrets.
Sasuke raised his head, gazing at the night sky. "I just want to get all the questions I need to know. I don't intend to forgive the village's past decisions, but you've already killed Danzo, and you've re-established the rules. I'm unwilling to be held hostage by hatred anymore, and I won't allow the Uchiha name to be Obito tool by that madman Obito."
"Understood." Naruto grinned, raised his sake bottle, and clinked it against Sasuke's. "Then we'll be the last ones standing."
Sasuke his head to look at him.
"Only the living have the right to settle old scores." Naruto's eyes were sharp, and his tone was domineering and left no room for argument. "Whether it's the Masked Man or some Impure World Reincarnation Madara Uchiha, anyone who dares to block our way will have their ashes scattered."
Sasuke snorted coldly, but a faint smile played on his lips, "Don't talk big too soon. My Mangekyo Sharingan can kill faster than yours."
The moment the two finished speaking...
Sasuke's ninja tool pouch, which he had placed on his chest, suddenly became extremely hot!
The blood-red raven feather that had been put away spontaneously combusted, turning into a wisp of dark red smoke that pointed straight to the northwest—the border between the Land of Grass and the Land of Fire.
Sasuke's expression changed drastically, and his left eye involuntarily transformed into Six-Pointed Star Mangekyo Sharingan, spinning rapidly. He sensed it; it was an extremely cold, vast Chakra, imbued with the unique aura of the Uchiha Clan!
Almost at the same second, with a loud bang, the rooftop door was kicked open.
Karin, her glasses askew from running, rushed out breathlessly, pointing northwest and shouting:
"Naruto! The Sensing Barrier has exploded! Something has crossed the border, not a living person... it's the Chakra thousands upon thousands of summoned dead people! The one leading it... its Chakra is monstrous!"
Naruto suddenly stood up, crushing the empty sake bottle in his hand into pieces.
The wind rises.
The first wave of death in the Fourth Shinobi World War has begun.