Guy had opened the Seventh Gate, successfully suppressing the chaos in Kakashi's unit.
At the moment, only Mangetsu remained at large. Given the current circumstances, it was manageable.
"!" Maki called out while arranging sealing tags.
"Captain Kakashi!"
Kakashi looked at the sealed reincarnated shinobi and gave his orders. "These sealed Edo Tensei shinobi will remain under your care. I'll assign a protective team to guard against any attempts by Kabuto to retrieve them."
Maki nodded. "Understood."
Kakashi stepped forward and picked up the decapitation blade—Zabuza's iconic weapon—that had been unsealed by Mangetsu earlier. He slung it over his shoulder. Even if it had fallen into enemy hands, Konoha wouldn't let such legendary weapons go to waste.
As Kakashi examined the massive blade, he couldn't help but think of Zabuza. He would never forgive this twisted jutsu that disrespected the dead.
Meanwhile, at one of the Akatsuki hideouts, Kabuto was fuming.
"Tch... another batch of valuable pawns lost. This is really starting to annoy me."
Kabuto glared at the battlefield layout in front of him, which was mapped like a giant board game. But he wasn't done playing yet. Zetsu clones had arrived at his position. With the combined forces of White Zetsu and Edo Tensei, Kabuto was ready to charge forward.
"Now then... full-scale assault."
Second Division – Loess' Command
"They're coming!" shouted Kitsuchi, Captain of the Second Division.
Kiba and Akamaru were the first to launch into battle. "Fang Over Fang!" he shouted, as he spiraled forward at high velocity, tearing into a group of White Zetsu.
"Secret Technique: Parasitic Insects!" Shino commanded. A black cloud of kikaichū erupted from his sleeves, swarming onto the enemy.
"Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm!" Hinata released a focused shockwave that repelled several attackers, but more Zetsu immediately filled their place.
Nearby, Sage Mode Naruto observed, already forming a plan of action.
Neji leaped to Hinata's side. "Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven!"
His chakra rotation created a large protective dome, blowing away nearby enemies. However, one of the White Zetsu clones took advantage of the cooldown.
Opening its chest cavity, it latched onto Neji, beginning to drain his chakra.
Neji frowned. "They can absorb chakra?"
"Neji-niisan!" Hinata cried out in concern.
Neji gritted his teeth. "There's no end to them... Gentle Fist Style, One Hit!"
Chakra burst from Neji's palm, rupturing the Zetsu's core and sending it flying. But even before he could regain his stance, another wave of Zetsu approached.
"This is endless!" Kiba shouted.
Neji snapped, "Less whining, more fighting!"
Shino adjusted his glasses. "This is becoming a battle of attrition. If it continues like this, we will be overwhelmed."
As he spoke, more insects were released to buy some breathing room.
Loess spotted the worsening situation. Just then, a messenger ninja arrived.
"Captain! Headquarters reports that a detachment of a thousand enemy units has passed directly beneath us!"
Loess clenched his fists. "So they're tunneling beneath the battlefield..."
Meanwhile, Kabuto smirked at his success. "Even if you block the front, I can sneak forces in through the ground."
And this wasn't his only front.
Fourth Division – Desert Front
Kabuto turned his attention to the Fourth Division.
"Time to unleash my real pawns."
He controlled a figure to emerge into the desert landscape—the reanimated Second Tsuchikage, Mū.
There was no longer any need to hide. Kabuto activated the Summoning Technique.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three coffins opened and disappeared into clouds of smoke, revealing their contents:
The Third Raikage
The Second Mizukage
The Fourth Kazekage
Gaara sensed a disturbance in the distance and floated down from his sand platform.
"They're coming!"
Behind him, Allied Shinobi forces sprang into action.
"All units, prepare for battle!"
Kabuto watched gleefully through Mū's eyes. "No Hokage among them, unfortunately. Their souls are bound by the Shinigami's seal—only Orochimaru knows how to release them. Still, this will do."
He removed the personality suppression seals on all four Kage.
The Third Raikage stirred first. "Where am I?"
The Second Mizukage smirked. "What a surprise... the old gang, back together. How unexpected."
He turned to the Fourth Kazekage. "And you? Who are you supposed to be?"
"I'm the Fourth Kazekage. It's no surprise you don't know me, sir."
The Mizukage chuckled. "Sand has made it to a Fourth Generation, huh? Time flies."
Mū spoke solemnly. "This is Edo Tensei. Our souls have been forcibly recalled by the Second Hokage's technique."
"Edo Tensei...?" the Second Mizukage frowned.
Mū clarified. "You were killed. I killed you. We both died in the same battle."
"Hold on," the Mizukage replied, visibly annoyed. "You make it sound like you won. It was mutual destruction! Don't go inflating your ego."
Mū blinked. "Was it really... mutual?"
The Fourth Kazekage stepped in. "From the timeline, it's clear. All of you died long ago. Konoha was already on its Fourth Hokage by the time I died."
Mū looked pensive. "So this isn't Tobirama Senju's doing, then."
Inside the Sealing Barrier – Konoha
Within the confines of the Shinigami's barrier, Tobirama felt a flicker of familiar chakra.
"Hm... Something's off," he muttered.
Hashirama glanced over. "What's wrong, Tobirama?"
"I can sense old comrades... the chakra of Mū, Gengetsu, and A. Even Rasa, the Kazekage."
Hiruzen scratched his head. "That's impossible. They've all passed on, like us."
Shadow Clone Naruto nodded. "They've been reincarnated using Edo Tensei. Kabuto's controlling them."
Hiruzen's face darkened. "So many Kage-class shinobi... reanimated? This is bad."
Tobirama stood abruptly. "We must get out. I know the threat these men pose. Mū can become invisible, Gengetsu can manipulate illusions and water oil bombs, and A... A has an impenetrable body. We can't let them fight the Alliance unchecked."
Hashirama grew silent. Shadow Clone Naruto's expression was grim.
The storm was coming.
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