The Three Nations Allied Forces at Iron Wall Gorge suffered heavy losses and were slaughtered. In the golden palace of Golden Feather Capital, the capital of the Land of Birds, incense and candles burned brightly, but they could not dispel the coldness inside the palace.
At both ends of the obsidian table, the Kageko of the Masataka leaders were stretched long by the candlelight, resembling Sanjo venomous snakes poised to strike.
"As you all have seen," said the Land of Birds Kaneba Washi, a dusty gray rope woven from human hair and stained with dark red blood at the end, his fingertip twirling. "The mess in the Land of Earth is far worse than we imagined. The Iwagakure is fighting amongst themselves; at best, only about one-tenth of the ninja still breathing are alive."
He chuckled softly, the gold threads on his white feather cloak gleaming coldly in the candlelight. "A weakness that happens only once in a millennium. It's only thanks to Madara Uchiha and Tian Uguisu that they're holding on. If we don't fight them to the death now, once they recover, we'll be the ones torn to pieces next."
Kumano Takeru, the daimyo of the Land of Bears, slammed his fist on the table with a loud thud. Mars flew from his meteorite gauntlets, creating a shallow dent in the surface. "Enough nonsense!" he roared, veins throbbing in his neck. " The Star Ninja's Mysterious Peacock Method has been held back its full potential for a lifetime. This time, we'll show all the nations what 'Falling Star' truly means! I've already given the order for the Hoshikage to devour that falling star and obtain the power of the god—then, not only will the Land of Earth, including the Land of Fire Tian Uguisu and Madara Uchiha, be our stepping stones!"
Lady Youtan of the Land of Ghosts, had remained silent until now, when she slowly raised her hood. Behind the veil, there was no face, only a semi-transparent phantom, like a ghost submerged in water. "The Ghost Legion has been hungry for a long time," her voice drifted, as if rising from the earth. "If you all need me, I can open the gates of the Netherworld at any time. Then, trillions upon trillions of undead will help us fight and sweep across the Shinobi World."
Kaneba Washi picked up the blood wine on the table, and the three wine cups clinked together. Bright red wine beads slid down the sides of the cups and dripped onto the table, where they strangely condensed into a three-colored talisman, which slowly rotated in mid-air.
"We swear an oath by blood." Kaneba Washi's voice suddenly turned cold. "We will divide the Shinobi World, and no one can go back on their word."
"I will never go back on my word!"
The three people drank the blood wine at the same time, and the talisman suddenly shattered with a "crack," turning into three beams of light that shot straight up to the top of the palace, tearing three holes in the night sky.
Almost simultaneously--
In the Onmyo Bureau of the Land of Birds, a bronze bell that had been silent for a century suddenly rang out with a loud clang, the sound shaking the entire capital.
On the meteorite altar of the Land of Bears, a ghostly blue flame suddenly shot up a hundred feet high, illuminating half the sky;
Inside the Tower of Ten Thousand Spirits in the Land of Ghosts, all 100,000 ever-burning sealed lamps went out with a "poof," and countless faint footsteps echoed from the bottom of the tower, as if something was trying to crawl out.
Inside the palace, Kaneba Washi looked at the pillar of light outside the window, licked the blood from the corner of his mouth, and said, "The show is about to begin."
Five days later, in the western border of the Land of Earth, at Falling Rock Plain.
The wind whipped up sand and gravel that stung the faces of the Iwagakure Ninja. The defensive line of 200,000 defenders stretched like a long serpent across the wasteland, but every leg was trembling—on the opposite horizon, a dark mass of 30,000 Star Ninja from the Land of Bears, their chests adorned with star stones that gleamed with an eerie purple light, staining half the sky purple.
" The Mysterious Peacock Method - Open!"
The thirty thousand Star Ninja roared in unison, their sonic booms causing the pebbles on the ground to bounce. Suddenly, their Chakra erupted in purple flames, some transforming into giant eagles with outstretched wings, their flapping wings creating a whooshing sound in the air; others became fierce tigers, their fangs gleaming coldly; and still others became giant pythons, their bodies coiled up like small mountains. The Chakra- condensed birds and beasts were densely packed, their ferocious aura terrifying, pressing down on the Iwagakure side until they could barely breathe.
"Kill!" Star Ninja Captain Hoshihi Kai took the lead, his Chakra Threads shooting out like live snakes.
Just as the 200,000- Iwagakure garrison was about to Hand Seals for defense, they were scattered by the torrent of purple flames. A giant eagle slapped down the fortress with one wing, a tiger gnawed through the Earth Release wall in a few bites, and a giant python swept its tail, causing screams of agony. The garrison's formation collapsed instantly, and some turned to run, only to be burned to ashes by the purple flames behind them.
"Quick! Earth Release: Earth Wall!" Jonin roared, forming Hand Seals to raise a stone wall to block the attack. But as soon as the stone wall appeared, it was sizzled by the Star Ninja's purple flames, quickly drying out and crumbling into gravel, leaving not even a fist-sized stone behind.
Hoshihi Kai laughed wildly in the formation, the Chakra Threads at his fingertips suddenly tightening. Ten Iwagakure Ninja hadn't had time to run were forcibly dragged in front of him, bound together like puppets. "Strangle them!" He grinned maliciously and withdrew his hand, the Chakra Threads tightening instantly.
"Pfft--"
The ten people were instantly shredded into mincemeat, and the blood dripping onto the ground was quickly vaporized into a blood mist by the purple flames.
From the moment the Star Ninja charged forward to the collapse of the defensive line, it only took the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. On the Falling Rock Plain, there were burning tents, collapsed fortresses, and the corpses of Iwagakure Ninja everywhere. Purple flames licked at the scorched earth, dyeing the sky an eerie purple.
A messenger hawk swooped down before the Iwagakure tent, its talons soaked in blood. Madara Uchiha unfurled the scroll; most of the writing was obscured by blood, leaving only the words " Falling Rock Plain Fallen" and " Star Ninja Powerful" legible. His Rinnegan flickered slightly, reflecting the ink of the giant purple flame beast on the scroll, and he suddenly chuckled, " The Star Ninja of the Land of Bears, they've kept their secrets well."
He tossed the scroll to the ground, turned, and walked out of the command tent. Susanoo Chakra surged forth behind him, its six arms outstretched, its long sword gleaming coldly in the sunlight. "Since you're here, let's put on a good show."
With a single step, Ban's figure vanished from the entrance of the command tent, leaving only a sentence drifting in the wind. "Tell Tian Uguisu, I can handle the situation in the west alone. Tell her to wipe out the Moryo for me."
Inside the crater of the Land of Birds, the stench of sulfur was so strong it made it hard to open one's eyes.
Eight hundred Onmyo Bureau priests circled the altar, chanting obscure incantations, the sweat on their foreheads instantly evaporated by the intense heat. In the center of the altar, the crimson-gold chains binding the ancient divine beast were cracking inch by inch, the runes on the chains extinguishing one by one, revealing the restless black shadow within.
"With the blood of our three noble families—" the leading high priest roared, slashing his wrist as blood dripped onto the chains, "Unseal—the divine beast, the Immortal Golden Crow!"
"Snap!"
The last chain broke.
The altar suddenly exploded, and a ball of pitch-black flame shot into the sky, transforming into a gigantic three- Golden Crow in mid-air. But this Golden Crow was entirely black, and its wings flapped with a heat wave that could burn everything. It was no divine bird; it was clearly a ferocious beast that would devour anyone it encountered. It cried out towards the crater, and the sound wave transformed into a black ring of fire that shot far away. The grass, trees, birds, beasts, and even rocks around the volcano were instantly vaporized, leaving not a speck of ash behind.
"Go!" the great wizard shouted, pointing towards the Land of Earth. "Burn Madara Uchiha and Tian Uguisu to ashes!"
The Immortal Golden Crow cried out once more, flapped its wings, and flew towards the Falling Rock Plain, leaving a long trail of black flames behind it.
At this moment, on the Falling Rock Plain, Madara Uchiha's Susanoo in the midst of a fierce battle. He wielded his six-armed longsword, and the Purple Flame Star Ninja fell down like wheat being harvested. However, there were simply too many Star Ninja, and wave after wave came after one batch was killed. The Susanoo's armor already had many scratches.
"Buzz--"
The sky suddenly darkened. Madara looked up and saw the Golden Crow, like a black sun, swooping down, the heat making his skin sting. "Oh? Another one coming to die?" He sneered, his Rinnegan spinning to its limit, " Perfect Susanoo: Yasaka Magatama!"
Susanoo's six arms simultaneously Hand Seals, and countless black flame Tomoe condensed in mid-air, shooting towards the Golden Crow like a torrential rain. The Golden Crow did not dodge; it flapped its wings and spewed out a ball of flame as black as the sun, colliding with the Tomoe.
"Boom--!"
Suddenly, the world fell silent.
The shockwave, like an invisible giant hand, tore a vacuum zone a kilometer in diameter in the center of the battlefield. The Iwagakure and the Star Ninja were all thrown out and crashed into the distant rock walls, their fate unknown.
As the dust settled, the Golden Crow flapped its wings in mid-air, leaving only a faint white mark on its chest, which quickly disappeared; while Madara's Susanoo had Spiderweb -like cracks covering its breastplate. It stood on Susanoo's forehead, its left sleeve burned off, charred black, and still smoking.
"Interesting." Madara Uchiha's eyes blazed with even stronger fighting spirit.
As if enraged, the Golden Crow swooped down, its wings gleaming white, moving with the speed of a blade descending from the sky. Madara, controlling Susanoo, raised his sword to meet the attack. With a deafening clang, the sword collided with the Mars, sparks crackling and exploding, illuminating the night sky for miles around.
In their first exchange, the two were evenly matched, their strength causing the air to tremble.
In the second exchange, the Golden Crow suddenly turned around and lashed Susanoo's side with its tail. Madara reacted extremely quickly, ordering Susanoo to block with its arm, but it was still forced to retreat repeatedly, and several pieces of Susanoo's arm armor shattered.
In the third exchange, the Golden Crow seized an opening, its sharp beak suddenly piercing Susanoo's shoulder armor. Black flames seeped into the crack, causing Susanoo's Chakra to fluctuate violently. Madara groaned, enduring the excruciating pain as he formed Hand Seals: " Amaterasu Flame!"
The black flames instantly entangled the Golden Crow's feathers, but the Golden Crow suddenly flapped its wings and absorbed all the black flames into its belly. The feathers, on the contrary, became even brighter and blacker, exuding an eerie luster.
"What?" Madara's pupils contracted.
In that moment of distraction, the Golden Crow's beak was already pecking at his chest. "Pfft--" Susanoo's breastplate shattered completely and he fell to the ground. Madara felt a sharp pain in his chest, his ribs were probably all broken, and blood flowed down the corner of his mouth, dripping onto his Rinnegan and staining his purple pupils dark red.
With Susanoo disintegrated, turning into countless fragments of Chakra. Madara, like a kite with a broken string, plummeted straight to the earth, crashing onto the Falling Rock Plain, kicking up a cloud of dust.
The Golden Crow circled once in mid-air, letting out a triumphant cry, before swooping down as if to deliver the final blow to Ban.
On the ground, Ban lay in a pool of blood, his consciousness beginning to fade. He watched the approaching shadowy figure, then suddenly smiled, blood oozing from the corner of his mouth. " Tian Uguisu... this time... it seems I'll have to trouble you..."