482. Uchiha Madara, Appears

"Is this the power of the Rinnegan?"

As the thick smoke over the battlefield slowly dissipated, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Tsunade, and the others stared at the massive crater large enough to engulf an entire village, their voices filled with awe and shock.

Within the crater, everything had been reduced to ashes, leaving behind only the broken corpses of Sunagakure shinobi—a scene straight out of hell.

They couldn't even imagine the devastation if such an attack had been unleashed on Konoha.

This was no longer a gap that could be bridged by human effort. An entire capital could vanish under such destructive power!

At that thought, the three exchanged glances of relief.

Thankfully… Nagato was on their side.

For Sunagakure, however, there was no such comfort.

The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, and the Fifth Mizukage, Mei Terumī—both barely surviving the attack—gazed at the near-total annihilation of their forces, their eyes filled with despair.

The battlefield was littered with Suna shinobi, their blood pooling into streams that flowed into the crater.

"What kind of monster is this…?"

Rasa's voice was hollow, the overwhelming disparity in strength having crushed his last shreds of fighting spirit. He slumped to the ground, the golden sand in his hands losing its luster.

Even Mei looked pale and lifeless, her once-neat blue hair now disheveled, her fine makeup ruined by dust and sweat.

Konoha's power had far exceeded their expectations. There was no hope of victory left.

As a fierce wind tore through the smoke, Kakashi and the others finally approached Rasa and Mei.

Kakashi's gaze was cold and unwavering as he looked down at the defeated leaders.

"This war… is already over."

His words were an attempt to make them surrender.

But then—

"Over?"

A voice laced with amusement cut through the air.

"Kakashi, isn’t it a bit too early to say that?"

In the next instant, a figure wearing a white spiral mask materialized out of thin air, his presence alone making the atmosphere feel heavy.

"That guy—the masked man from the night of the Nine-Tails attack!"

Kakashi immediately tensed, his hand gripping a kunai as his body coiled like a predator ready to strike.

Tsunade and Hiruzen swiftly assumed combat stances.

Tsunade formed hand seals, chakra gathering in her palms.

Hiruzen tightened his grip on the Enma Staff, its surface gleaming coldly.

"Oh? You still remember me. How flattering."

Obito chuckled from behind his mask, his tone unreadable.

"Enough talk! With so many of us here, there’s no way you’re escaping this time!"

Oyashiro En slapped the blood gourd on his back, sending a surge of crimson liquid snaking through the air like a red serpent, encircling Obito.

The metallic stench of blood filled the air, nauseatingly thick.

"He’s right. We’re not letting you get away this time."

Tsunade clenched her fists, monstrous power surging through her muscles, veins bulging like a volcano on the verge of eruption.

The Nine-Tails incident was a pain no Konoha citizen could forget, and this masked man was a criminal they absolutely had to capture.

Yet Obito only smiled lazily.

"Trying to capture me?"

"Too bad. You’re not my target today."

"Your opponents… aren’t me either."

His voice was calm, but it carried an undercurrent of hidden schemes.

Then—his gaze shifted toward Nagato, who was still recovering from his earlier exertion.

"Damn it, his target is the Rinnegan!"

Hiruzen realized instantly, his voice sharp with urgency.

But before he could act, Obito had already summoned three coffins.

The eerie structures radiated a chilling aura, the air around them turning icy.

The middle coffin was the first to burst open—kicked apart from the inside.

Amidst the splinters, a figure clad in dark red armor slowly emerged.

"Tch. Finally, the world is in view again."

Uchiha Madara, his body covered in cracks, narrowed his faintly glowing violet eyes as an overwhelming pressure engulfed the battlefield.

"Uchiha Madara…"

"Edo Tensei again…?"

The sight of Madara made every Konoha shinobi, including Hiruzen, recall that disastrous night.

"This is my fault… I never should have let Orochimaru escape."

Regret weighed heavily on Hiruzen’s heart.

If only he hadn’t let Orochimaru go, if only the Edo Tensei hadn’t been leaked—so many tragedies could have been avoided.

Tsunade sighed inwardly.

Her teacher was too soft, too indecisive. He had never been suited to be Hokage.

But what was done was done. Now, they had to deal with the present.

"Pull yourself together, old man."

"What we’re facing now is Uchiha Madara!"

At Tsunade’s sharp reminder, Hiruzen snapped back to focus, his resolve hardening once more.

"I know!"

Madara scoffed at their exchange.

"Sorry, but you lot aren’t even worth my time."

As soon as he finished speaking, Obito stepped onto one of the remaining coffins, grinning.

"Let these two be your opponents instead, Konoha!"

With that, the last two coffins burst open—

Revealing the reanimated bodies of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, and the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, their eyes empty and lifeless.

"Damn it! They brought back the previous Hokage again?!"

Hiruzen’s face twisted in fury.

To see his teachers reduced to mindless puppets—it was a disgrace he couldn’t bear.

"This place is yours to handle."

After unleashing his "old friends," Madara didn’t waste another second.

In a flash, he shot toward Nagato.

Before the final stage of his plan could begin—

He needed to reclaim his eyes.