The sandstorms along the border of the Land of Lightning carried the stench of blood as the 200,000-strong army retreated back home. Yotsuki Mumei stood atop the city wall, gazing at the weariness and resentment on the soldiers' faces, his heart filled with mixed emotions. He gripped the lightning blade at his waist, the image of his brother Raikage A's, death haunting his mind—the piercing wound in his chest, its aura identical to the wound on Senrai's body just two days prior.
"From this day forward, I am the Second Raikage A!" His voice echoed from the city wall, carrying an undeniable authority. However, two resentful gazes pierced the crowd—those of Kinkaku and Ginkaku. These brothers, highly respected in the army, now wore expressions of utter disdain. " Lightning Ninja Village has become the private property of the Yotsuki family!" Kinkaku muttered under his breath, while Ginkaku sneered, suppressing his own discontent.
Throughout the Land of Lightning, the cause of the First Raikage's death was the talk of the town, rumors spreading like wildfire. Some said he died at the hands of the Blood Sword Killing God. This Blood Sword Killing God was said to have a mysterious origin, and his bloodthirsty longsword seemed to possess its own consciousness, having drunk the blood of countless powerful warriors. Every strike he made carried a chilling aura; wherever the sword passed, blood splattered, and the wails of the dead echoed. The First Raikage's fatal wound was identical to that of General Senrai, leading everyone to conclude that they had both died by the Blood Sword Killing God's sword. This rumor filled the people of the Land of Lightning with fear and hatred for that mysterious assassin.
To avenge his brother and wash away the shame of the Land of Lightning, the Second Raikage A, decided to raise an army once more. An army of 200,000, led by generals such as Kinkaku, Ginkaku, and Rashi, marched into the Land of the Moon, advancing directly towards the border of the Land of Fire. When the news reached the Land of Fire's military camp, Tobirama Senju frowned. Only two days after the previous great battle, the Land of Fire's army had suffered heavy casualties and had not yet fully recovered. But he knew that the Land of Lightning was coming on strong, and to end the war, they would have to be dealt a heavy blow.
On the battlefield, the battle cries of the Land of Lightning's army echoed through the sky. The Second Raikage A, clad in armor and wielding a lightning blade, charged forward. His Lightning Release techniques were masterful; each swing of his blade was accompanied by dazzling lightning, causing the Land of Fire ninjas to scatter in his wake. Kinkaku and Ginkaku were even more frenzied, unleashing the tools of the Sage of Six Paths and unleashing powerful Chakra as they rampaged across the battlefield. Rashi, not to be outdone, led the Land of Lightning's elite forces in wave after wave of attacks on the Land of Fire's defenses.
Tobirama Senju stood atop the burning ruins of a watchtower. He looked down at the Kunai in his palm, its blade still glistening with undried blood—the blood left half an hour earlier when he had slit the throat of the Land of Lightning's vanguard. In the distance came the distinctive thunderous roar of the Land of Lightning's ninja army, like a moving storm of thunder, approaching over the scorched earth.
" Water Formation Wall." He formed a hand Hand Seals, and a pale blue water wall spread out beneath his feet, forming a water curtain that protected the Land of Fire ninja behind him and blocked the Lightning ninja's view. The Land of Lightning's scout force had come into view; the leader carried a heavy hammer engraved with lightning patterns, and the skin peeking out from the gaps in his armor shimmered with lightning—he was a user of Lightning Release Nintaijutsu. Tobirama narrowed his eyes, his fingertips lightly pressing against the Flying Thunder God Kunai at his waist. The cool metal crept up his spine from his fingertips, making his thoughts exceptionally clear.
"It's begun," he muttered to himself, his left hand suddenly slamming into the ground. " Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu."
A dull tremor emanated from the ground, like a sleeping behemoth turning over. First to emerge were Anbu Ninja wearing straw hats, their fatal wounds on their necks still clearly visible, yet they marched in orderly steps towards the Land of Lightning's army. Next came the missing-nin from Kubikiribōchō wielding Kirigakure, the blades whistling as they sliced through the air. For the first time, the formation of the Land of Land of Lightning's vanguard wavered. The voice of the heavy-hammered ninja was filled with terror. "How is this possible... aren't these people supposed to be dead already?"
Tobirama's figure suddenly vanished from his spot. When he reappeared, he was already standing behind the heavy hammer ninja, his Kunai grazing the other's ear, leaving a scorched mark on the armor. " Flying Thunder God Slash." He murmured the technique's name, and the Thunder God Blade swept out with the momentum, slicing the opponent in two. The surrounding Land of Lightning ninjas immediately surrounded him, blue arcs of electricity dancing on their blades, but Tobirama 'Tobirama touched the Kunai again, and his figure flashed like a ghost on the treetops ten feet away.
"Don't chase him! He's trying to scatter us!" someone shouted, but it was too late.
Suddenly, countless cracks appeared in the earth, and ninjas wearing different Forehead Protector surged out from underground. There were Jonin from Konoha, ninjas from the Land of the Moon and the Land of Hot Water, and even powerful figures from the Land of Lightning. Their movements were stiff yet precise, heading straight for the joints and throats of the Land of Lightning soldiers. A Land of Lightning ninja swung his sword and severed the arm of Impure World Reincarnation Tensei ninja, only to see the severed limb suddenly explode, white smoke filled with densely packed Explosive Tag. Explosions rose and fell, turning the night sky a crimson red.
" Yotsuki Araki! Seirai!" Tobirama stood atop the highest tree, his voice carried by the wind across the battlefield, "How much longer are you going to wait before you come out to fight?"
His response was met with two bolts of lightning shooting into the sky. On the left, Yotsuki Araki, clad in lightning armor, left charred footprints on the ground with every step he took; on the right, Seirai, wielding a lightning sword, the electric current coiled around its blade instantly turning the surrounding weeds to ashes. The two exchanged a glance and simultaneously leaped towards Tobirama's location, leaving two blinding blue streaks in the air.
Tobirama smiled. His figure vanished the instant the two were about to attack, and the next second he appeared behind Seirai, his Kunai pointing straight at the latter's back. Seirai reacted extremely quickly, turning to the side to block the attack with the hilt of his sword, only to see the Kunai at Tobirama's fingertips suddenly burst forth with a bright light—it was the light of the Flying Thunder God Formula.
"That's enough." Tobirama's voice rang in Seirai's ears, and at the same time, Tobirama Senju's Thunder God Sword crashed down on his head with the force of thunder. Seirai's pupils shrank sharply, only to find that his body suddenly could not move—at some point, an Impure World Reincarnation Anbu Ninja had bound his ankles with iron chains.
"Boom!"
The Thunder God Sword struck Seirai squarely, lightning and blood blooming simultaneously. On the other side, Yotsuki Araki was stunned for a moment, only to see Tobirama's figure reappear in front of him, holding an Explosive Tag in his hand.
" Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags," Tobirama murmured. The moment the talisman touched Yotsuki Araki's chest, the latter was horrified to see an explosion erupt in front of him. He blocked one of the explosions that caught his bundle, but explosions continued to erupt afterward, until he was finally blown to pieces in hundreds of explosions. Before he died, he saw the soldiers of the Land of Lightning around him being overwhelmed by an endless Impure World Reincarnation Tensei ninja, and many more being torn apart by the explosions of the Explosive Tag tags.
"You think numbers are an advantage?" Tobirama appeared on a rock using the Flying Thunder God Technique. "Before the tide of the dead, numbers are nothing but numbers."
The deaths of two great generals of the Land of Lightning Yotsuki Araki and Seirai, caused some commotion among the Land of Lightning's ninja army. Tobirama stood on the ruins, watching the Land of Land of Lightning's army collapse like the receding tide. The distant campfire reflected on his cold face, and the Senju Clan crest on his robes, soaked in blood, still appeared solemn and murderous in the Kakkō.
"Pass down the order," he said, turning to the ninja behind him, "Clean up the battlefield and collect war supplies. The next battle... is coming soon."
The wind whipped up the ashes from the ground, mixing them with fragments of unburnt Explosive Tag, drawing dark red arcs in the air. Tobirama Senju's figure vanished into the night once more, leaving only the light of his Flying Thunder God Kunai, like the scythe of Death God, flickering across the battlefield. After this night, the soldiers of the Land of Lightning would forever remember this name—the man who could summon the dead from Hell, the Second Hokage of battle.
The Hokage's six disciples also shone brightly on the battlefield.
Shimura Danzō his Ninja Blade, charged into the enemy ranks like a ferocious beast. His speed was lightning-fast, and his strength was astonishingly precise; every attack was fatal. His passion and bravery inspired everyone around him, and the morale of the ninjas of the Land of Fire soared under his leadership.
Hiruzen Sarutobi Chakra into his Enma Adamantine Staff, tracing graceful arcs through the air. His Five Basic Nature Transformations combined perfectly with the Enma technique, and wherever he went, the ninjas of the Land of Lightning fell one after another. He moved nimbly across the battlefield, searching for the enemy's weaknesses, and once he found one, he attacked without hesitation.
Mitokado Homura's Ninjutsu was impossible to defend against. He rapidly changed hand seals, trapping the Ninjutsu of the Land of Lightning. Some ninjas died instantly; others were trapped and became easy targets for the ninjas of the Land of Fire.
Kagami Uchiha's Sharingan played a crucial role on the battlefield. He copied the Ninjutsu of the Land of Lightning ninjas, using their own methods against them. His lightning and fire Ninjutsu was incredibly powerful; a flash of blue lightning and fire pierced through the enemy's body. He calmly analyzed the battle situation, leading his army to break through the enemy's defenses time and time again.
Utatane Koharu and Torifu Akimichi together seamlessly, and their strength should not be underestimated. Torifu Akimichi unleashes tremendous destructive power with his multiplied strength, his Human Bullet Tank rampaging across the battlefield, knocking enemies off their feet. Utatane Koharu, uses water-based Ninjutsu to support her, engaging in fierce battles with the enemy. Their combined efforts strike fear into the hearts of the ninjas of the Land of Lightning.
As the war continued, the losses on both sides grew increasingly heavy. The battlefield was littered with corpses, rivers of blood flowing. The ninjas of the Land of Lightning watched their comrades fall one by one, their hearts filled with despair. They began to loathe the war and longed for their families back home. "Why fight?" a young Lightning ninja murmured, sitting on the ground, gazing at the sky. "We just wanted to live peacefully."
The ninjas of the Land of Fire were equally exhausted. They had witnessed too many life-and-death situations, and each battle was draining their willpower. "When will this war end?" A wounded fire ninja lay on the ground, his eyes filled with confusion. "I don't want to see anyone else die."
As the number of ninjas killed on both sides increased, Tobirama Senju and the Second Raikage A realized that continuing in this manner would not benefit either country. Therefore, they decided to hold peace talks. The smoke from the battlefield gradually dissipated, but the wounds left by the war were difficult to heal.