On the battlefield.
With coordinated efforts from Izumi Uchiha, Haku, and Shinrin, the Seven Swords of the Bloody Mist—who had been resurrected through [Impure World Reincarnation]—were sealed once again.
"Piece of cake."
Izumi smirked, flipping her hair back with confidence.
"Phew~" Shinrin exhaled sharply, wiping sweat off her forehead.
This was her first time participating in such an intense battle. She had spent the entire time on edge, afraid she might become a burden to her two teammates.
Haku stood quietly on the side, watching their companions with a gentle smile.
Just then—
Whoosh!
Heiyan arrived with Samui.
"Great job."
First, he praised his three apprentices for their performance, then assigned them their next mission—heading toward the battlefield where Naruto Uzumaki and Obito were fighting.
However, their primary objective wasn't to interfere in the fight but to protect Hinata, who was by Naruto's side, as well as her cousin Neji Hyuga.
After all, Neji's fate in the [original timeline] had been far too tragic.
Under Heiyan's arrangement, Samui also joined Izumi's team.
As for himself, he used the [Flying Thunder God Technique] to teleport directly to the battlefield where the Five Kages were engaged in combat against Madara Uchiha.
When Heiyan arrived, both sides had already launched into fierce battle. Tsunade had activated [Creation Rebirth: Strength of a Hundred Seal]. With the combined strength of the Five Kages, they shattered Madara's Susanoo.
Then, Tsunade delivered a powerful punch that sent Madara flying backward. Gaara quickly followed up with his pyramid-like structure to seal him away.
Victory seemed within reach, and joy appeared on the faces of the Five Kages.
Suddenly, a blade erupted from beneath the ground—part of Madara's Susanoo—aiming directly at the healer among the Five Kages—Tsunade—and impaling her body, lifting her high into the air.
It turned out Madara had pretended to be overpowered, intentionally allowing himself to be sealed. Then, when the Five Kages lowered their defenses, he struck back.
Crack!
Tsunade severed the blade of Susanoo and, using her incredible regenerative abilities, survived the attack.
Heiyan didn't reveal himself immediately. Instead, he watched everything unfold from the shadows.
For Tsunade, this battle was also a rare opportunity for growth.
The battle escalated further.
Madara bluntly stated that having five opponents gang up on him was extremely unfair. Therefore, he created twenty-five clones, each manifesting a Susanoo, turning the tables and overwhelming the Five Kages.
The group struggled desperately until Onoki unleashed his "[Dust Release: Boundary Demolition Technique]," eliminating all the Susanoo clones.
Then, Madara got serious.
His Perfect Susano'o emerged on the battlefield. With one move, it released two blade auras that sliced through two distant peaks in the distance.
Faced with such an overwhelming power gap, the Five Kages finally felt despair. Fortunately, just as Madara's Perfect Susano'o appeared, it automatically dissipated before it could cause destruction.
It seemed that Itachi Uchiha and Sasuke had defeated Kabuto Yakushi, thus releasing all the Impure World Reincarnations—including Madara—who was now about to vanish.
However, Heiyan knew Madara wasn't done yet. The real show was just starting.
He looked toward the distant sky, sensing a spirit form rapidly approaching the battlefield.
It was Dan Kato.
As Tsunade's first love in her youth, he had also been resurrected by Kabuto Yakushi and deployed onto the battlefield of the shinobi world. Just before the Impure World Reincarnation was lifted and he was about to return to the Yokai Realm, Dan used [Spirit Transformation Technique] to rush over for a final meeting with Tsunade.
Meanwhile, Madara wanted to act before his Edo form faded completely, so he unleashed his sure-hit [Dragon Fire Song Technique] against his enemy.
Tsunade charged forward and took the hit head-on. Though she managed to block Madara's jutsu, as her chakra dwindled, the [Strength of a Hundred] Technique also dissipated at that moment.
Yet Madara did not vanish as the Five Kages had anticipated; instead, he personally released his own Impure World Reincarnation.
Then, repeating his previous trick, he thrust once more toward Tsunade's body with [Chakra Blade of Susano'o]. If this strike landed, Tsunade would undoubtedly face certain death.
According to the original plot, at this very moment, Dan's spirit would appear and help Tsunade evade this fatal blow.
But now, since Heiyan was present, there was naturally no need for Dan to step in as the hero.
So—
Whoosh!
At the critical moment, Heiyan activated [Flying Thunder God] and teleported into the air. One hand wrapped around the unbalanced Tsunade, while the other casually intercepted the Susano'o blade.
Heiyan's sudden appearance startled the Five Kages greatly.
"Has he come too?"
Onoki, Raikage, and Gaara stared at Heiyan's back, confused about whether he was friend or foe at this moment.
Only Mei Terumi didn't overthink it. She relaxed slightly and murmured,
"I knew it—he'll definitely show up. How could he possibly let Tsunade get hurt? Sigh, having such a boyfriend really is enviable."
She sighed and leaned against a nearby rock to rest, knowing that what followed was entirely Heiyan's stage.
"Heiyan!"
In midair, Tsunade's face lit up with surprise and joy.
Just moments ago, she truly believed she would die. In that final instant before death, memories from her entire life flashed through her mind like a flickering dream—and most of those scenes were moments spent with Heiyan.
Then, as though answering her inner cry, Heiyan magically appeared.
"Who are you?"
Madara Uchiha looked down arrogantly at the suddenly appearing Heiyan and asked coldly.
Heiyan [Heiyan] glanced at Madara.
In his memory, in the original timeline, after releasing himself from the Impure World reincarnation, Madara had lost interest in playing with the Five Kages, slaughtered all five of them, then went on to rendezvous with Obito and capture the Nine-Tails.
In particular, Tsunade herself would have been sliced in half, her chakra utterly drained, causing her to revert into an elderly woman.
Fortunately, through sheer willpower and survival instinct, she had somehow remained alive and even saved the other four Kages.
Thinking of this, Heiyan gazed tenderly at Tsunade and gently told her,
"Tsunade, as Konoha's Fifth Hokage, you've worked hard and given your all. Now leave it to me. Don't worry—I promise I won't let any harm come to you ever again."
After speaking, Heiyan gently brushed her forehead.
"Heiyan..."
Moved to tears, Tsunade buried her face into Heiyan's chest.
No one noticed.
In the distant sky, the spectral form of Dan Kato was watching this scene unfold.
"It seems there's no need to meet Tsunade after all," he murmured. "After all, she has already found true love. That man looks powerful and reliable—he'll definitely be able to protect her."
He spoke softly, then gave a sincere smile, genuinely happy for Tsunade.
It means bringing happiness to the one you love.
At that moment, Dan suddenly noticed Heiyan turn his head from far away, glance at him, and give him a slight nod.
"I'll leave Tsunade in your care," he said.
Startled at first, Dan Kato calmly returned the nod with a smile on his face.
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