The flames of war burned across the Stone Village. Its ninja lay scattered on the ground.
The reanimated Third Raikage, free from the worry of chakra consumption, unleashed his Lightning Style Chakra Mode. He led a squadron of reanimated ninja as if marching into unguarded territory, delivering a crushing blow to the Stone Village forces.
Onoki, the Third Tsuchikage, watched helplessly, unable to stop the Raikage. He could only fight off the reanimated shinobi nearest to him while shouting orders for his people to retreat.
"Fall back from the front lines!"
"Everyone, withdraw!"
"Retreat to the rock formations inside the village and form a new defensive line!"
"Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!"
A massive wall of earth rose within the Stone Village. Following the orders of the Third Tsuchikage and Commander Kitsuchi, countless Stone ninja retreated behind it.
However, the wide wall was shattered by A, the Third Raikage. Led by him, the reanimated ninja tore through the Stone's defensive line like tigers among sheep.
This wasn't just like a war. It was a war.
Faced with Kabuto's reanimated army, the Stone forces, known for their sheer numbers and powerful defenses, were quickly routed. Countless Stone ninja poured in from all sides to plug the gap, only to be continuously defeated by the reanimated corps.
This small army of just over a hundred shinobi possessed terrifying combat power under the Third Raikage's leadership.
Left with no choice, Onoki and his son, Kitsuchi, gave the order for a full village evacuation, forced to abandon their home and turn it into a battlefield.
While the Stone Village was in chaos, the ones who started it all were preparing to leave. A pitch-black portal of space-time appeared above Kabuto and Shirou.
The gate of Yomotsu Hirasaka slowly descended, ready to swallow them and the captured Five-Tails Jinchuriki, erasing their presence from the village.
"Leaving so soon is rather impolite!"
Onoki saw this and immediately moved to stop them. He knew Dust Style would be too slow and worried it might endanger the Five-Tails Jinchuriki.
Instead, he hastily unleashed an Earth Style ninjutsu.
"Earth Style: Earth-Moving Core!"
The ground beneath Shirou and the others suddenly collapsed, as if they had fallen into a sinkhole.
Shirou slapped his hand against the wall of the sinkhole. Instantly, the ground beneath them shot upward like an elevator, raising him, Kabuto, and the Five-Tails Jinchuriki back to the surface.
"How troublesome..." Kabuto smiled as he felt the ground rapidly descend and then ascend.
Once they were back on level ground, Shirou reached his left hand out toward Onoki. His fingers clenched into a fist, aimed at the short old man, as natural energy gathered at his command.
"Not good!"
Onoki suddenly felt the air around him grow heavy. An invisible force pressed down on his body, slamming him into the ground.
What kind of jutsu was this? He couldn't even perceive how the attack was formed.
Onoki was slammed into the ground, striking his head. Under the immense pressure, he couldn't even get up. He could only lie there and watch as the space-time portal swallowed Shirou and the others.
"Farewell, Lord Tsuchikage." Kabuto smiled and waved, a glint flashing behind his glasses. "I originally planned to leave quietly with Lord Shirou, but it seems I should prepare a special gift for you before we go..."
"..."
Onoki had a bad feeling about those words.
The other man's "gift" was probably not going to be a pleasant one. He couldn't guess what it might be, he could only watch as Kabuto and Shirou departed.
Only then did the heavy pressure on his body vanish. He supported his aching old back and struggled to his feet, intending to help deal with the reanimated shinobi in the village.
But just as Onoki stood up, a figure quietly materialized behind him. The figure held a ninja sword and swung it at Onoki's head.
However, Onoki had already seen the man's shadow. Because he was so short, he happened to spot the tall shadow appearing behind him. He rolled out of the way, dodging the sneak attack.
When Onoki saw his attacker clearly, his heart sank. He understood now what "gift" Kabuto had left for him.
"Lord Second Tsuchikage..." Beads of sweat formed on Onoki's forehead.
The Second Tsuchikage, Mu, was his teacher.
Mu had been his mentor, carefully nurturing him and teaching him everything about Dust Style—the kekkei tōta that combined three chakra natures. He had single-handedly guided the hot-tempered youth until he was ready to become the Third Tsuchikage.
To ensure Onoki would grow into his role quickly, Mu had even abdicated his position shortly after the First Great Ninja War. He was a true master and benefactor.
Master and student… forced to fight to the death. This was Kabuto's gift.
"A good dodge." The Second Tsuchikage, Mu, had the same personality as he did in life. After coldly praising Onoki, he raised his sword and pointed it at his student.
"Alright. Now, defeat me."
"This body retains most of my abilities from when I was alive. Furthermore, that Impure World Reincarnation jutsu created by the Second Hokage gives me infinite chakra. In theory, I am stronger now than I was at my peak..."
"..."
Onoki began to sweat profusely. As Mu's successor, he knew his teacher's strength better than anyone. Back then, he had been completely helpless against him.
Worst of all, the reanimated army was still rampaging through the Stone Village.
"Onoki... you'd better defeat me quickly." Mu looked at his student with dissatisfaction, showing no special treatment to his elderly successor.
He continued to scold him coldly, "Otherwise, at this rate, you won't be able to protect the village!"
"Dust Style: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"
Onoki finally gritted his teeth and made his decision. He brought his hands together and fired a beam of white Dust Style light at his former master.
Master and student, once as close as father and son, were now reunited after years of being separated by death, only to face each other as enemies.
However, Onoki knew he couldn't show any weakness. He knew his teacher's personality.
If he showed any cowardice, he would only be scolded more fiercely. Even at nearly eighty years old, in front of his master, he was still just the student who was often reprimanded.
-----
On the other side, at the Akatsuki's base, Shirou and Kabuto returned with the Five-Tails Jinchuriki.
While remotely controlling the reanimated shinobi, Kabuto asked Shirou about the battle's objective and when he should call it off.
"Let them know that to fight the Akatsuki, they need more than just a few powerful ninja. They need a large army."
"Yes." After agreeing, Kabuto smiled and asked his own question. "But with you and Mr. Madara in the Akatsuki, will the ninja world truly have the confidence to fight back?"
Although Kabuto had only attacked the Stone Village with Shirou, he believed that if the Cloud Village were to face Madara Uchiha, their situation would be just as dire. The confidence of some villages was likely to collapse entirely.
Shirou's answer was clear. He had seen countless resilient souls in the ninja world over the past thousand years.
This strength, he explained, came from the Sage of Six Paths. It was a legacy that had lived within shinobi for over a millennium and would not be broken by one or two failures.
Besides, it was impossible for them to give up. They would inevitably be cornered.
"They have no path of retreat," Shirou said. "Only by moving forward can they find a chance of survival. He felt the rain begin to fall and recalled his own desperate choice from a thousand years ago: choosing to die in order to live. "Back then, when I was in a desperate situation, I didn't dare choose to live out my life in mediocrity. Why would they?"
"..."
Kabuto smiled wryly, unable to respond. He had never seen Shirou act cowardly or weak. He couldn't even imagine a time when Shirou might have been confused or indecisive, because the man he knew seemed complete, almost without flaws.
Just as Kabuto was about to chat a bit longer and learn more about Shirou's past, his expression suddenly changed, as if something unbelievable had happened on the battlefield.
"How is that possible!"
"The Second Tsuchikage… was actually defeated..."
"Onoki surpassed his teacher. That's not so strange." The blind Shirou spoke as if he could see everything perfectly, not because of any past-life knowledge, but because of the vast perspective he had gained over a thousand years.
"Recall your reanimated army." Shirou instructed Kabuto, casually forming a small, white Dust Style cube in his hand and toying with it. "We've done enough. The ninja world's next move will depend on Madara and Sasuke's situation. And Madara never disappoints..."