The battlefield was a wasteland of shattered mountains and molten stone.The first meteor had scarred the land; the second had changed its shape entirely.Yet, amid the flames and falling debris, five figures still stood.
The Five Kage — Itachi Uchiha, the Hokage of the Hidden Leaf, and the leaders of the great nations — each wounded, bloodied, yet unbroken.
Madara Uchiha floated above the wreckage, eyes glowing with an unholy radiance. His cloak was untouched, his armor pristine. "You survived," he said, as though mildly impressed. "That alone earns my attention."
Lightning flashed beside me. Raikage growled, his body blazing with chakra. "Stop talking and fight, old man!"
He vanished in an instant, lightning trailing behind him. I saw his movement — barely. He landed a punch that shattered Madara's ribs, sending him spiraling through a rock wall.
Mei didn't miss a beat. "Lava Release: Melting Apparition Technique!" she cried, spewing molten acid into the gap where Madara had landed.
But a moment later, a wooden dragon burst from the flames — Wood Release, coiling like a serpent, smashing through the lava and slamming Raikage back.
"Hashirama's cells," I muttered. "He's got them too."
Ōnoki floated overhead, panting but resolute. "Then let's see how he handles the power of the old!" His palms glowed. "Dust Release: Atomic Dismantling Jutsu!"
Madara raised a single hand and summoned Susanoo, dark and terrible. The cube of light struck, but his ethereal armor took the brunt — cracking, but not shattering.
I leapt forward. My Susanoo erupted around me — crystalline blue light in contrast to his dark aura. Chakra blades collided, shaking the air. The clash created shockwaves that rippled across the horizon, turning sand to glass.
"Your Susanoo is magnificent," Madara said with a smirk, parrying my swing. "You've inherited my clan's strength well."
I spun, blocking his next strike. "Then let me show you how much stronger we've become."
I teleported behind him, blade flashing. "Flying Thunder God Slash!"
The strike cleaved through half his Susanoo, slicing its arm clean off — only for the limb to regenerate instantly.
"Space–Time ninjutsu?" he mused, intrigued. "That technique… it's almost divine."
Gaara seized the moment. "Now!" he shouted, sand flooding the ground like a tidal wave. "Sand Coffin!"
The sand engulfed Madara's Susanoo, crushing it with unimaginable force. Ōnoki added his weight manipulation, doubling the pressure. Mei's lava followed, sealing the prison shut.
For a moment, the battlefield went silent.
And then — the sand burst apart.
Madara emerged, laughing. "Excellent! You five truly are worthy of the title 'Kage'!"
He clapped his hands. "But allow me to show you the difference between power born of mortals… and power born of gods."
Chakra flared. His eyes changed — one Rinnegan, one Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. The earth cracked beneath him. "Perfect Susanoo."
The form towered over us, stretching to the sky — vast wings, a blade large enough to cleave mountains. The sheer presence of it forced the air from our lungs.
Raikage cursed. "How the hell are we supposed to fight that?"
"We can," I said quietly. "Together."
I summoned my own Perfect Susanoo, its blue light clashing with his crimson glow. The two titans raised their blades. The sound when they struck was beyond thunder — the air screamed, the ground shattered, and even the clouds split apart.
Gaara and Ōnoki combined their powers, launching massive sand bullets infused with gravity seals. Mei flooded the field with mist to mask our movements while Raikage darted from shadow to shadow, his lightning cutting through Madara's defenses like a scalpel.
For the first time, Madara staggered.
"Impossible…" he muttered, his armor fracturing, chakra leaking like blood.
I saw my chance. "Amaterasu!" The black flames erupted across his body.
Ōnoki raised his hand, voice trembling. "Now, Itachi!"
"Right!"
I teleported above Madara, my Susanoo blade charged with pure Yang chakra — recently mastered through my new ability. The energy condensed, white-hot and blinding.
"Heavenly Severance!" I roared.
The blade descended.
The explosion was apocalyptic. White fire and black shadow clashed, swallowing the landscape. When the dust cleared, half the battlefield was gone — vaporized.
Madara knelt in the crater, one arm missing, his Susanoo shattered. Yet even now, his eyes gleamed with admiration. "You've surpassed even my expectations, Hokage… You've done what few could — forced me to kneel."
I landed a few meters away, chest heaving, my chakra nearly depleted. "Stay down, Madara. This world has changed. There's no place for your ideals anymore."
Madara chuckled, voice fading with the wind. "Perhaps… Perhaps this era truly belongs to you."
And with that, his body began to disintegrate — the Edo Tensei finally releasing.
The storm had passed.
We stood there, five Kage, bloodied but victorious.
Raikage laughed. "You did good, brat."
Gaara smiled faintly. "The world might actually survive this war."
I nodded slowly, looking at the horizon. "This war isn't over yet. But today, we've proven one thing…"
"The Will of Fire still burns."