Land of Rain.
Sanchuan, leading the Fifth Combat Division, charged toward the battlefield the moment he received the urgent dispatch from headquarters.
However, when they were still a hundred miles from the Third Division's position, a group of shinobi blocked their path.
Among them stood a masked figure.
Mifune's gaze narrowed. His face darkened as he recognized the aura of the man before him. "Headquarters warned us that someone had used the Impure World Reincarnation to summon many powerful warriors from the dead. I didn't expect that even you… were among them."
The man across from him smiled arrogantly. "I don't recognize you. Aren't samurai supposed to ignore the matters of shinobi?"
"I never thought I'd one day fight alongside ninja," Mifune said as he slowly unsheathed the katana from his waist. His tone was calm but resolute. "A samurai's way is not inflexible or blind."
"You don't remember me, but I certainly remember you," he continued. "The former leader of Amegakure, known throughout the ninja world as a peak existence—Hanzo the Salamander!"
---
Akatsuki Headquarters.
In the dimly lit room, the masked man sat at a long table, his gaze fixed on a wide, unfolded strategic map. Frustration clouded his features.
"They moved faster than expected," he muttered. "I searched an entire 100-mile radius around the sea, and yet not a single island—no trace of people or movement. How did they disappear so suddenly?"
Beside him, Black Zetsu calmly responded, "Morkel knows the Flying Thunder God Technique. It's natural that he can move quickly."
"But the island wasn't small," the masked man said, narrowing his eyes. "We finally located it… only to lose it again."
Kisame stood nearby, Samehada strapped to his back. "Morkel's strength is unmatched. I'm surprised the Allied Forces didn't deploy him but instead chose to hide him."
The masked man turned to look at Kabuto, who sat nearby with his eyes closed. "Any progress on your end?"
Kabuto opened his eyes and shook his head. "Not yet. The Impure World Reincarnation warriors are far superior to regular shinobi, and the ones I summoned are all elite…"
"However, the Alliance has already started developing sealing techniques to counter the Impure World Reincarnation."
Black Zetsu snorted. "Isn't that a bit late? The war has already begun. Their response time is laughable."
Kabuto frowned. "They've already succeeded. I'm not sure what kind of sealing scroll they're using, but once it encounters an Impure World shinobi, it forcibly returns the soul to the underworld."
The masked man raised an eyebrow. "Oh? That quickly? Or have they had it all along and just chose to keep it secret?"
Konan, silent until now, finally spoke. "The Akatsuki member named Morkel… his strength in battle is exceptional, but his true power lies in his intellect."
"Chakra conversion, cell activation, advanced ninjutsu, sealing methods… he's mastered them all. Isn't it obvious he would have developed such a technique?"
Her eyes dimmed slightly, recalling a bitter memory. "Back then, Amegakure was almost split in half by his Eight Thunder Gods."
Kisame looked toward the masked man. "So, boss, what's the plan now?"
A sharp glint flashed in the masked man's eyes. "If they want to protect the Tailed Beasts, let them. We'll just keep fighting."
"When my White Zetsu army conquers the entire ninja world, I'd like to see where Morkel plans to hide then!"
He turned to Konan and Kisame. "It's time. You two move out!"
---
Cloud Village – Allied Shinobi Forces Headquarters
The rhythmic tapping of fingers on the table broke the heavy silence.
Tsunade snapped, "Would you stop that already?! The situation is urgent—can you please act like it?"
The man across from her raised both hands in mock innocence. "I'm just anxious!"
"First, the Four Kage from my father's generation were resurrected. Then the legendary Gold and Silver Brothers—dead for decades—reappeared!"
"The Third Division has been locked in battle for hours, and the Fifth Division has been held up by Kabuto's summoned troops. And there's still no news from the Sealing Unit!"
Tsunade crossed her arms. "You think you're the only one anxious? Among the resurrected shinobi is my ex-boyfriend, you know!"
Feeling awkward, the Raikage decided to change the subject. "Morkel's quite laid-back. After reporting in, he went back to sleep."
"But his skills are top-notch. If he can produce more sealing scrolls, we won't be overrun by these resurrected ninja."
Tsunade frowned. "You think he hasn't done enough already?"
"Without Morkel, we'd still be using the ancient sealing techniques—pin down the target first, then slowly perform the sealing. Not only is it inefficient, but it's also unreliable!"
Seeing the tension rise, the Raikage's secretary tried to calm things down. "Let's all focus on the battlefield for now. The front line is our priority."
The Hokage nodded. "What about the daimyo of each nation?"
Yamanaka Inoichi, in charge of communications, answered, "They're safe. Our protection is holding strong."
---
Land of Thunder – Coastal Battlefield
The first echelon of the Allied Forces engaged in a brutal battle with Akatsuki's White Zetsu army and Kabuto's resurrected elite.
On one front, Kato Dan—Tsunade's late lover—came face-to-face with Akimichi Choza.
Dan's expression was conflicted. "Choza, you've grown into a fine man… I guess I've been gone for quite a while."
"To think I'd return just to stand against the Alliance…"
Choza responded gently, "It's not your fault, Dan. You're being controlled by Kabuto's technique."
Elsewhere on the battlefield, two figures stood out—Gold and Silver Brothers, Kinkaku and Ginkaku—engaging the Cloud ninja in fierce combat.
Their bright golden and silver hair shimmered in the light, and they bore facial features eerily similar to Naruto—whisker-like marks etched on their cheeks.
Darui, sword in hand, tensed. "I can't believe I'm facing the legendary Kinkaku and Ginkaku… should I call this fortune or misfortune?"
Kinkaku grinned. "If you know what's good for you, just surrender. We don't really want to kill you."
"Right, brother?" he said, glancing at Ginkaku.
Ginkaku nodded. "He's got a point."
"But, Kinkaku… the lightning tattoo on this guy's shoulder says he's not just any ninja."
Kinkaku chuckled. "That's fine. If he wants to struggle, we'll just play with him."
With a smirk, Kinkaku opened his mouth and spat out two strange items—a golden rope and a sword.
Darui's eyes widened. He instinctively took a step back. "That's the Sage of Six Paths' equipment… the Golden Rope and Seven Star Sword!"
Ginkaku laughed and added two more treasures—a red gourd and a banana-shaped fan.
A nearby Cloud ninja shouted, "The Crimson Gourd and the Banana Palm Fan!"
Darui broke into a cold sweat. As the Raikage's right-hand man, he was no pushover—but these two monsters had once killed both the Second Raikage and Second Hokage.
How could anyone face them without fear?
"Let's go, Ginkaku!"
Kinkaku wrapped the golden rope around his arm and charged, sword flashing.
Ginkaku followed closely behind, swinging the Banana Palm Fan with one arm.
FWOOOSH!
Without any hand seals, a wave of fire erupted from the fan, engulfing the area in roaring flames.
Allied shinobi nearby scrambled to evade the sudden inferno.
An experienced veteran murmured, "That fan doesn't depend on chakra nature… one swing unleashes any of the five elemental techniques—wind, fire, earth, water, and lightning."
"It's a relic of legends… a true divine artifact."
A younger ninja nearby cried out, "Why are you praising the enemy right now?! That fan is being used against us!"
---
Turtle Island.
Far away from the chaos and bloodshed, peace lingered over Turtle Island—a tranquil paradise untouched by war.
Morkel lived leisurely, eating, drinking, resting, and occasionally strolling the island or researching new jutsu. War felt like a distant storm.
But on this particular day, his rest was interrupted by urgent knocking.
Knock knock knock!
Knock knock knock!
The pounding was impatient and urgent.
Without needing to open the door, Morkel already knew who it was.
"...Naruto," he muttered.
---