"This guy was supposed to be our target!" Deidara snapped angrily. Moments ago, he'd been one-shot by Obito, and seeing Tō instantly finish him off himself infuriated Deidara even more.
Tō glanced at Deidara and responded, "I didn't want any complications. That means doing what had to be done." With that, she vanished in a blur.
The rest of the Akatsuki and the others could only sigh—there was no time to waste now. Even the Ten-Tails was close to overwhelming, let alone Madara Uchiha.
Tō reappeared behind Madara, but his senses were sharp. He spun, sweeping with a foot, blocking Itachi's fire technique with an arm, absorbing it. He leapt to avoid Sasuke's arrow. Flawless motion, unmatched timing; even Tō was impressed. Madara's Edo Tensei body far surpassed that of the First, Second, or Fourth Hokage in strength, chakra, youth, and with Senju cellular enhancements.
Even Tō could at most suppress, not seal, him.
Meanwhile, the Ten-Tails had fully awakened. Its immense chakra unleashed multiple Tailed Beast Bombs—one was jointly blocked by the First Hokage, Itachi, and Nagato; another was teleported away by the Fourth and Second Hokage's Flying Thunder God techniques. But one final bomb was left—aimed at Tō.
Tō reappeared before the Akatsuki and Kakashi, sealing her hands with seals and shouting: "Five-Layer Rinnegan Barrier!" Several clangs—this barrier delayed the bomb only briefly before it slammed into her.
Tō whispered, "Damn… my chakra is nearly gone, borrowed from the Nine-Tails… but I have to stop it!" She lifted her arms, and the bomb halted just before her—but as it hit, the recoil tore at her flesh. Blood sprayed. Her palms felt shredded, and her red‑rimmed eyes furrowed in pain.
At this sight, the Akatsuki and allies leapt back instantly, spreading out. They launched their strongest jutsu toward the Ten-Tails.
Furious, the beast emitted another bomb. All previous techniques seemed futile. This one headed straight for Tō—unfortunately, another bomb collided with it, compounding the explosion. She was thrown into the air.
Even the quick reactions of the Second and Fourth Hokage using Flying Thunder God couldn't save her in time. A massive wave carved across the ocean; Tō's hands bled profusely. The recoil had surpassed what her Paramecium-fruit rebound could handle.
Tō cursed internally but used her last strength to hurl something into the sky. A thunderous explosion followed—it shattered over the sea, shaking all shinobi on the water's surface. She plummeted into the ocean.
"Tō!" everyone shouted in unison. Naruto and Sasuke dove in, racing to reach her.
"This is an opening!" Madara called sharply as Black Zetsu merged with Obito. Zetsu began a seal—Madara was activating Rinne Tensei to revive Obito.
Realizing this, Nagato exclaimed, "No—Madara is controlling Obito with Rinne Tensei!" The Hokage responded immediately, attacking, but Madara anticipated them.
He dodged the First Hokage's strike and vanished in a cloud of dust. That dust, amplified by the recent tidal shock, became a massive cloud jutsu that even the First had to dive into the ocean to avoid. Even an Edo Tensei body needed time to recover after being hit.
Meanwhile, Zetsu—having seized Obito's Rinnegan—appeared behind Madara, transferring the eye directly. "Your timing's slow," Madara murmured. Zetsu replied, "Obito was just freed from the Ten-Tails. I had the opportunity, thanks to Tō not seeing it coming—otherwise that one palm would've taken me out."
"And he drained his chakra completely—his stamina's shot. Even if his power exceeded mine at full force, I could've bested him. That technique… deflecting the Tailed Beast Bomb just now—it scared me," Zetsu added.
Madara smirked: "No point talking now. That brat—if he doesn't die, he's severely hurt. No need to worry anymore!"
With that, he teleported next to the Ten-Tails.
Tō, meanwhile, was in agony. Naruto and Sasuke had rescued her from the water, though she'd inhaled seawater. Her injuries and the strain of holding back two Tailed Beast Bombs left her unable even to lift her hands. Even mastering Sage mode required chakra, and Senju chakra alone couldn't restore her now, not even for someone of Hashirama's power.
At that moment, voices appeared: "Looks like we arrived just in time!" / "Heh… It's been a while since we've seen a battle like this!"
Tsunade teleported beside Tō. Seeing Tō's injuries and the situation, Tsunade's brow furrowed, but she immediately began applying medical ninjutsu.
"Tsunade-bāchan! You came just in time!" Naruto and Sasuke cheered. They knew just how powerful Tsunade's medical jutsu could be.