"That's right, it's him! The Fourth Raikage! Don't underestimate him. I was there when Uchiha Madara fought against Hashirama Senju. What you felt wasn't even a direct blow—it was just the aftermath of their battle. Even Kage-level shinobi couldn't withstand it!"
Ohnoki's expression was grim as he floated in mid-air. "Tsunade-sama sent you here. That should be enough!"
"Hmph! Ohnoki, how can you kill your own morale like this? Are you saying the four of us together can't deal with a single Madara Uchiha?" the Raikage barked, his tone laced with dissatisfaction.
Inside the colossal blue Susanoo, Madara's eyes gleamed with scorn. He laughed, his voice echoing across the battlefield. "Hahahaha! You shrimp soldiers and crab generals think you can kill me, Uchiha Madara? Ants like you have no idea how high the sky truly is."
As his mocking laughter rang out, Gaara and Tsunade appeared beside Ohnoki, only a heartbeat slower than the Raikage.
Gaara's arrival made sense, as his battlefield wasn't far from here. But Tsunade's presence was different. To reach the frontlines in time, she had resorted to a desperate measure—asking Mabui to use Kumogakure's Heavenly Transfer Technique.
The Heavenly Transfer was a dangerous space–time ninjutsu, one that used blindingly fast transmission to deliver its target instantly. For ordinary humans, the friction of such speed would shred their bodies apart. That was why Kumogakure had always restricted its use to transporting objects, not people. Only the Third Raikage had ever survived it in the village's history. Now, Tsunade became the second.
Her Byakugō Seal was fully open, the markings spreading across her face as her regenerative abilities worked overtime to keep her body intact.
With Tsunade and Gaara joining, the battlefield shifted. The five Kage now stood united. Ohnoki's tension eased, his eyes regaining the confidence he had briefly lost.
Yes, this was the Five Kage. The leaders of the Five Great Nations. Surely, five Kage together could put an end to even Uchiha Madara.
The battlefield fell silent as the five shadows faced Madara, ordinary shinobi retreating behind them. None of them dared intervene anymore.
Madara stood within his towering Susanoo, unshaken by the growing crowd. His gaze never wavered from the five figures below. A smirk tugged at his lips, cold and arrogant. "Interesting. The five of you gathered together, huh? That might actually spark my interest. Since Hashirama isn't here, I suppose you'll do for a warm-up."
"Arrogant fool!" Ohnoki barked. "Let this old man see if you're truly qualified to speak so highly of yourself!"
The Raikage, ever the most hot-blooded among them, growled and vanished in a flash of lightning. His body was cloaked in the Lightning Release Chakra Mode, sparks exploding around him. In an instant, he appeared in front of Susanoo, his fist already cocked back.
"Recurrent Violent Punch!"
His iron fist came down like a thunderbolt, striking Susanoo's head with a resounding crash.
Boom!
The shockwave ripped through the battlefield, the sheer force shaking the ground. But as the dust cleared, Madara's Susanoo remained standing, unscathed.
"What?" the Raikage growled in disbelief.
Madara's cold eyes peered up at him. "Is that all your strength amounts to? Pathetic. Compared to the old generation, you're nothing but a pale imitation."
Before the Raikage could react, one of Susanoo's massive hands balled into a fist and slammed into his stomach.
Bang!
The impact launched him across the battlefield, smashing him into the ground. Dirt and debris erupted as his body skidded through the terrain, but the Raikage forced himself back up, rejoining the other Kage with a grim look.
"Be careful," he warned. "That blue armor isn't ordinary. Its defense is monstrous."
Madara sneered from within Susanoo. "Trash. All of you."
He raised Susanoo's sword, the enormous blue flame blade descending in a deadly arc. The sheer pressure split the ground before it even made contact.
The Raikage's instincts screamed, and despite his lightning cloak and hardened body, he knew he couldn't block it head-on. He darted aside, and the other Kage followed suit.
Boom!
The blade cleaved the earth, tearing a massive crack through the battlefield. With a swift motion, Madara swept the blade horizontally, a wave of chakra slicing toward them.
Terumi Mei's curse mark flared as her chakra surged, her Byakugō Seal glowing to replenish what she had lost. Her fingers blurred through hand seals before she inhaled sharply.
"Lava Release! Melting Apparition Technique!"
A torrent of corrosive liquid spewed from her lips, crashing against Susanoo like a tidal wave. Steam hissed as acid met chakra armor, but Madara only shook his head, disappointed.
"This is the level of your ninjutsu? Pathetic."
With a casual motion, he crossed Susanoo's arms, unleashing a massive X-shaped slash toward Mei.
Her eyes widened, and she flickered away just in time.
Meanwhile, the Raikage and Ohnoki launched their counterattack from above.
"Now!" the Raikage roared.
"Lateral Bolt of Pain!"
"Earth Style, Super Weighted Boulder Technique!" Ohnoki added, his jutsu reinforcing the Raikage's blow.
Together, they struck Susanoo's head with devastating force.
Crack!
The colossal armor shuddered, hairline fractures spreading across it. With a final roar, the Raikage's chop split Susanoo clean in half, its fragments scattering like glass across the battlefield.
For the first time, Uchiha Madara's expression shifted ever so slightly.