391-395

Chapter 391: Trapping the Tailed Beasts

"Obito, do you know why I haven’t killed you yet?" Aizen asked mockingly, his left hand casually in his pocket while his right hand held the barely breathing Obito.

At this moment, Obito was on the verge of death. If it weren’t for the Gedo Statue sealed within him, keeping him alive, he’d already be dead. Naturally, he had no strength left to respond.

Aizen continued without waiting for an answer, "It’s because of the Gedo Statue sealed in your body. If a Jinchuriki dies, the Tailed Beasts inside them will perish as well. I can’t risk any unforeseen circumstances with the statue if you die, so I’m sparing your life for now."

His voice wasn’t deliberately lowered, and Naruto, Sasuke, and the Allied Shinobi Forces, who weren’t too far away, all heard him loud and clear.

"Aizen, please stop this!" Naruto cried out, stepping forward and shouting in desperation as he watched Aizen holding Obito.

"Stop being so naïve, Naruto," Sasuke said, grabbing Naruto’s shoulder. His Sharingan gleamed crimson, locking onto Aizen with an intense stare. "Do you see it? Obito’s left eye has already been taken by that guy. Only someone with the Rinnegan can control the Gedo Statue."

"In other words, if he becomes the Ten-Tails’ Jinchuriki, he’ll be an even greater threat than Obito ever was."

"And," Sasuke paused, glancing at the surrounding Tailed Beasts, "including Kurama inside you, these Tailed Beasts around us will also become his targets."

The moment Sasuke finished, the newly freed Tailed Beasts flashed dangerous glares. They had no desire to be sealed inside the Gedo Statue again.

"Everyone, let’s take him down together. We can’t give him the chance to transplant the Rinnegan. Otherwise, we’ll all end up back in that dark, endless void," the Four-Tails growled, its hatred for Aizen evident.

With a thunderous roar, the seven Tailed Beasts began charging their Tailed Beast Bombs in unison.

"Wait, Four-Tails!" Kurama shouted, alarmed. He knew just how dangerous this human was.

Gyuki, the Eight-Tails, also joined in. "This guy is no ordinary human—be careful!"

"Ha!" Shukaku, the One-Tail, sneered disdainfully while charging its attack. "The mighty Nine-Tails, scared of a mere human? And you, Eight-Tails—if you’re so afraid, go hide in a jar of octopus soup!"

Without further delay, seven massive, dark purple spheres shot toward Aizen, cutting through the air like streaks of lightning.

"Tailed Beast Bombs!" ×7

Seven spheres, each several meters in diameter, collided toward Aizen with incredible speed.

Aizen smirked, muttering under his breath, "Bakudō No. 81: Dankū!"

Boom!

The Tailed Beast Bombs exploded violently, releasing blinding light and searing heat. Seven intersecting spheres lit up the sky like miniature suns, temporarily blinding the Allied Shinobi Forces. Many instinctively shielded their eyes with their hands, but even so, the resulting shockwaves sent countless ninjas flying.

"Aizen!" Naruto screamed, knowing there would be no response under these circumstances.

He quickly used Kurama's chakra-imbued Susanoo to catch several flying shinobi and yelled, "Hold onto the chakra ropes we used earlier! A storm is coming!"

Kurama's nine tails, wrapped in Susanoo's armor, gathered to form a massive shield, protecting the Allied Forces from the blast. Gyuki followed suit, providing additional cover.

Meanwhile, the other seven Tailed Beasts looked toward the explosion with eager anticipation, unconcerned about the shinobi's fate.

As the light and smoke cleared, a massive crater, hundreds of meters wide, was revealed between Aizen and the Tailed Beasts. It was clear the destruction would’ve been worse had the blast not been directed into the sky.

Standing unscathed at the center of it all was Aizen, still holding Obito. In front of him was a giant translucent wall, still steaming from the explosion’s remnants.

Crack!

The wall shattered into fragments, and Aizen stepped forward without a single scratch on him.

"No way! He withstood seven Tailed Beast Bombs at once?" someone from the Allied Forces exclaimed.

Even Sasuke and the Tailed Beasts were visibly stunned. Sasuke’s brows furrowed in frustration, his sharp features showing disbelief.

"This guy’s tricks are endless!"

Aizen smirked. "I was planning to let Madara deal with you lot, but since you dared to attack me, I guess I’ll just put collars on you early."

With a casual wave of his hand, the ground erupted as nine massive wooden dragons burst forth. They spiraled toward the Tailed Beasts, their enormous bodies exuding overwhelming force.

"Be careful! That’s the First Hokage’s Wood Dragon Jutsu! It can absorb chakra and bind Tailed Beasts!" Kurama shouted, his tone grave.

Sasuke didn’t wait for instructions. Grabbing control of the Susanoo from Naruto, he charged forward with Susanoo’s blade, slashing at the incoming wood dragons.

Clang!

A shocking scene unfolded as the blade, which had previously sliced through Obito’s weapons with ease, collided with the Wood Dragon. Instead of cutting through, the blade screeched against it, sparks flying.

The clash sent both the dragon and Susanoo reeling back hundreds of meters. The shockwave alone knocked nearby shinobi off their feet, leaving them disoriented.

While Kurama’s Susanoo-armed defense held firm, the other Tailed Beasts weren’t so lucky. One by one, the massive Wood Dragons wrapped around them, absorbing their chakra and weakening their immense forms.

"This isn’t good, Naruto. These Wood Dragons are even stronger than those used by Madara or the First Hokage," Kurama warned.

Naruto lowered his head in despair. "Does it have to end like this? Fighting Aizen... the one I admire the most?"

"Snap out of it, Naruto!" Kurama roared, but his voice couldn’t seem to reach him.

Naruto’s heart sank as he realized the inevitable confrontation against the one he respected most.

"If that’s the case, leave it to me," Sasuke said, his eternal Mangekyo Sharingan gleaming with excitement as he stared at Aizen, now standing atop a Wood Dragon. "Just watch, Naruto. I’ll handle this."

"You’re fired up, Sasuke," Aizen said with a chuckle. "Looks like you think mastering the armored Susanoo makes you invincible. But your Susanoo isn’t at its perfect form, and Naruto’s Kurama only has half its strength."

"Back then, Madara and the First Hokage clashed with Sage Art: True Several Thousand Hands. Let’s recreate that scene, shall we?"

---

(End of Chapter)  

*Chapter 392: Naruto's Death*

"Wood Release, True Thousand Hands."

Aizen clapped his hands together, and the wood dragon beneath him exploded with a loud crash, sending dust flying into the air.

From the dust, a massive hand, surpassing even Madara’s perfect Susanoo in size, suddenly reached out, seemingly grabbing the armored Susanoo as if it were a small chick.

“This is bad. Kurama, lend me a hand!” Sasuke was taken aback. With such a huge size difference and speed, there was no way to avoid it.

Reluctantly, Sasuke had to mimic Madara and use the Susanoo blade to stab into the Tailed Beast Ball, enhancing his attack power.

“Leave it to me.” Kurama was also unwilling to give in, and in a moment of desperation, it gathered a Tailed Beast Ball that was several times larger than its own head. After Sasuke inserted his Susanoo blade, it spun rapidly and fired toward the massive hand that was coming to grab them.

However, the hand was not behaving according to normal rules—it was surprisingly dexterous, swatting away the combined Susanoo blade and Tailed Beast Ball like a fly.

They both exploded when they hit a distant mountain range.

At that moment, the Allied Forces finally saw the owner of the giant hand.

As the dust settled, a giant statue of a Buddha, several hundred times larger than Madara's perfect Susanoo, appeared before everyone’s eyes.

The giant hand that swatted away Sasuke’s Susanoo was part of one of the thousand hands of the Buddha statue.

The giant tree that had looked so imposing before now seemed like a sapling in comparison.

"Sasuke, Naruto, it’s over," Aizen said, controlling the Buddha statue’s nine arms, each reaching for one of the nine Tailed Beasts.

He paid special attention to Sasuke's Susanoo, using the Buddha statue’s main hand to grab it.

"Has the gap between us always been this big?" Sasuke fell to his knees with a thud, his eyes blank, sinking into a mood even worse than Naruto’s.

He allowed himself to be grabbed without resistance.

“Naruto, please snap out of it,” Kurama shouted, unwilling to be captured by Aizen. It struggled fiercely, calling for Naruto, but everything seemed futile.

Both of them were helpless in the Buddha statue’s grasp, unable to move.

Naruto still had the same lost expression, giving up on resisting—he simply couldn’t.

“Don’t worry, Naruto. You’re my adopted son. Unlike Sasuke, who wants to kill me, you truly see me as a father. I won’t kill you. Once everything is over, I will revive you,” Aizen said, raising his right hand.

A chakra ghost hand shot out like the Reaper’s hand from the “Corpse Sealing Jutsu,” ignoring the obstacles of Sasuke’s Susanoo and Kurama’s body, and reached straight for Naruto’s abdomen.

This was a jutsu Aizen developed while traveling through the timelines of the ninja world. It was a specialized technique for unsealing the Tailed Beast seals, based on the Uzumaki clan’s sealing techniques.

As long as the chakra amount was less than his own, even a Jinchuriki of the Ten-Tails could be forcibly extracted.

At the same time, Aizen could also use this technique to steal chakra from ordinary ninjas.

It was an all-purpose jutsu with unsealing, sealing, and chakra plundering capabilities.

Naruto screamed in agony as a fiery red chakra was forcibly pulled out of him by Aizen.

Sasuke’s Susanoo faded, and Naruto’s pupils trembled before he completely lost consciousness.

The fiery red chakra turned into Kurama’s body, which was tightly grabbed by one of the Buddha statue’s hands and could not move.

It’s worth noting that just as Kurama was pulled out of Naruto’s body, it did the same thing as in the original, asking Sasuke for help.

However, to prevent Aizen from eavesdropping, it used chakra-based telepathy for communication.

Through Kurama, Obito, who was on the verge of death, sent a message. Due to the Outer Path Statue still being inside him, and because Kurama had once entered his mental space, they were able to communicate.

Obito told Sasuke to make sure to get some chakra from the One-Tail and Eight-Tails, as these were the ones missing from Naruto. Only then would there be hope to defeat Aizen.

Aizen naturally knew about these little moves. In fact, he welcomed them, hoping to provoke the Six Paths sage who might be pulling strings behind the scenes.

Thus, he let Sasuke, carrying Naruto, jump down from the Buddha statue’s hand, rushing toward the Fourth Hokage.

"This technique really uses up a lot of chakra. Even I might not be able to keep it up for long," Aizen muttered to himself.

“Fortunately, I left shadow clones around the ninja world to collect senjutsu chakra, so I don’t have to worry about running out of chakra.”

“But having so many hands is cumbersome. I’ll just retract the extra ones,” Aizen thought, withdrawing the unnecessary hands from the statue, allowing it to stand tall, nearly two thousand meters tall, looking over the land.

“Fourth, is there no way to save Naruto?” The Second Hokage asked, looking at the colossal Buddha statue.

“It’s no use. The Flying Thunder God technique is hidden within Naruto’s sealing technique. Once the seal is broken, the technique disappears,” the Fourth Hokage replied, equally anxious. He stared at the towering statue, worried but also puzzled—what was Aizen trying to accomplish? Why was he helping the enemy?

At that moment, Sasuke, holding Naruto, jumped down from the Buddha statue.

“Quick, Fourth, transfer Kurama’s other half from your body to Naruto!” Sasuke said urgently as he reached them.

“I know.” The Fourth Hokage had already known for seventeen years that if a Tailed Beast was removed but the Jinchuriki was still alive, they could be revived by re-sealing the Tailed Beast in them.

Without needing Sasuke to say anything, the Fourth began forming hand signs.

With all nine Tailed Beasts now captured by Aizen, and with Obito and the Rinnegan also in his possession, Black Zetsu’s full attention was on Aizen. It couldn’t take advantage of the moment when the Tailed Beast transfer happened, unlike in the original.

The other half of Kurama was successfully transferred into Naruto’s body.

But Naruto did not awaken.

“What’s going on?” the Fourth Hokage said, his forehead drenched in sweat. He didn’t know that, at that moment, Naruto’s consciousness had already gone to meet the Sage of the Six Paths.

Sasuke recalled Obito’s instructions. “We still need two more things.”

As he spoke, he relayed Obito’s message.

The Second Hokage spoke urgently, “There’s no time. The One-Tail and Eight-Tails are in Aizen hands. This is our last chance. If that guy becomes the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, he’ll be even more dangerous than Obito. It’ll be the end for us.”

“Uchiha boy, Eiji. Come with me.”

Just as the Second Hokage was about to leave, voices rang out from behind: “We’re going too.”

“Kakashi? Gaara? Raikage? Tsuchikage?” The Second Hokage, Fourth Hokage, and Sasuke turned in surprise.

*(End of Chapter)*

*Chapter 393: The Death of Sasuke*

Gaara walked over, accompanied by Kakashi, who now only had one eye, the Raikage, and the Tsuchikage, who had been left on the brink of death by Aizen. Shizune handed the life-saving senzu bean Tsunade had entrusted to her to Ōnoki.

“Although we can’t save the Tailed Beasts, I was once the Jinchūriki of the One-Tail. I’ll take responsibility for its chakra,” Gaara said resolutely.

“I’ll handle my brother. With his octopus tentacle clones, I can use my Lightning Release to sever one of his tails,” the Raikage added.

Ōnoki also stepped forward. “I’ll go too. Shizune used the secret medicine left by the Hokage to save me, even though it should’ve been used for Naruto. I can’t let that sacrifice go to waste. I’ll distract Fujiwara Aizen, even if it costs me my life.”

As for Kakashi, he didn’t say much. He silently knelt beside Naruto, his face full of guilt and remorse. Kamui had already been taken by Aizen. Without it, Kakashi lacked the ability to threaten Aizen and would only be a burden if he joined the fight.

Aizen, meanwhile, was growing impatient. He had delayed meeting Madara just to wait for Sasuke and take him down with a single strike, sending him to meet the Sage of Six Paths alongside Naruto. It was all part of his plan, though originally, it was supposed to be Madara’s task.

Now, however, the plan had changed. This war had dragged on for too long, and Aizen could no longer wait.

“Come out, Black Zetsu,” Aizen said coldly, sitting atop Obito.

“So, it seems you’ve handled everything on your side,” Black Zetsu remarked, emerging from the head of the wooden Gedo Statue. His Mayfly Technique allowed him to merge with the earth and plants seamlessly.

“How’s Madara doing? Don’t tell me he can’t defeat a weakened First Hokage despite awakening the Rinnegan,” Aizen said with a sneer.

“Ah... it seems there’s been some trouble. Since Madara is also an Edo Tensei body, he can’t exert the full power he had in life. It’s currently a stalemate,” Black Zetsu replied awkwardly.

“Then take care of Obito. The Gedo Statue is still inside him. If you don’t want all of Madara’s efforts to go to waste…”

“Leave it to me,” Black Zetsu replied eagerly.

Aizen turned his focus to the approaching figures of the Second Hokage and his group. As expected, Tobirama launched a sudden attack with the Flying Thunder God Slash.

“I’ve been waiting for you,” Aizen murmured. Without any visible movement, a surge of energy blasted Tobirama backward. He then created a black rod in his right hand.

Sensing danger, Tobirama teleported to one of his Flying Thunder God kunai. However, as he reappeared, the black rod pierced his chest, pinning him to the ground.

“Even without transplanting the Rinnegan, how have you mastered the Six Paths’ black rods?” Tobirama asked, immobilized but unaffected by pain due to his Edo Tensei body.

“Black rods aren’t exclusive to the Rinnegan,” Aizen explained. “With mastery over Yin-Yang Release, they can be created without the Rinnegan.”

“You’ve always relied on the same underhanded tactics, Tobirama,” Aizen continued. “Using others to charge in first while you wait for the perfect moment to strike—did you think I wouldn’t notice?”

Aizen effortlessly intercepted Ōnoki’s Dust Release attack, striking him down mid-air with a precise blast of lightning, leaving a trail of blood in the sky.

Seeing this, Tobirama smirked coldly. “You’re no better, Aizen. Didn’t you send Obito to fight on your behalf? Aren’t we the same?”

Tobirama’s attack was a diversion. As Aizen’s energy dissipated momentarily, Sasuke leaped from his summon, the ninja hawk, wielding the Kusanagi Sword.

Clang!

The sword flew from his grasp, embedding itself behind Aizen.

“Bakudō No. 61: Six Rods Light Prison,” Aizen intoned, trapping Sasuke mid-air.

“Second Brother, I’ve given you countless chances. But unlike Naruto, you’ve never seen me as your father.”

Turning to the immobilized figure, Aizen summoned the Kusanagi Sword, aiming it at Sasuke’s heart.

“I’ll tell your mother that Madara killed you. After my plan succeeds, I’ll deal with Madara and avenge you. Time will heal all wounds,” Aizen said coldly.

“Stop, Aizen!” Tobirama yelled desperately.

In the shadows, Gaara and the others, who had been biding their time, could no longer wait. “Move!” the Fourth Raikage commanded. Gaara and Ōnoki charged toward the One-Tail and Eight-Tails.

(Chapter Ends)

*Chapter 394: A Painful Price*

Gaara hovered on his sand, extending a tendril of sand toward Shukaku in the distance. “Shukaku, I’m counting on you.”

“Bee, my little brother, I’m coming to save you! Lightning Style: Horizontal Millennial Dance!”

Using Gaara's sand as leverage, the Raikage activated his Lightning Teleportation and lunged at one of the Eight-Tails’ exposed octopus tails.

As the two launched their coordinated attack, the Fourth Hokage had already placed Flying Thunder God seals on them and Sasuke beforehand.

Their strategy was clear—use distraction tactics to rescue Sasuke while Gaara and the Raikage diverted Aizen’s attention. They planned to extract Sasuke and retreat with the two Kage.

Unfortunately, they had miscalculated.

“Sasuke, you’ve only got yourself to blame for being so ungrateful. I’ve completely run out of patience with you.” Aizen ignored Gaara and the Raikage entirely, wielding Sasuke’s Kusanagi blade as he pointed it directly at Sasuke’s heart.

“No! Aizen, don’t!” Second Hokage Tobirama’s horrified voice echoed as his expression froze in disbelief.

With a chilling squelch, Aizen plunged the blade straight into Sasuke’s chest.

Sasuke’s eyes widened in shock, blood gushing from his mouth. His gaze, filled with disbelief and unwillingness, began to fade.

He could never have imagined that the man who had always toyed with him but never truly harmed him would now strike to kill.

Aizen spared Sasuke no further attention. After confirming the deed, he casually withdrew the Kusanagi sword and kicked Sasuke off the massive statue, sending him plummeting down.

Tobirama followed, treated like discarded trash, also kicked off the giant Buddha statue.

The enormous Buddha, towering over mountains, seemed close yet was actually far away.

“What is that?” Orochimaru, rushing toward the Buddha, suddenly noticed something falling from above. Tilting his head to get a clearer view, he saw two dark figures descending rapidly.

As the two figures passed overhead, Orochimaru finally recognized them—it was Sasuke and the Second Hokage.

Tobirama, riddled with black rods like a pincushion, was still intact due to his Edo Tensei form.

But Sasuke was a different story. Orochimaru treated Sasuke like a deity, someone he revered above all.

“This is bad!” Orochimaru exclaimed. Sasuke, is this the end of your path?  

Seeing Sasuke unconscious, blood staining his chest, Orochimaru didn’t hesitate. He changed course, rushing to intercept Sasuke’s fall.

Yet no matter how fast he moved, he couldn’t outpace Sasuke’s plummeting speed.

From such a height, even if Sasuke were unharmed before, the fall alone would turn him into a bloody pulp.

Just as Orochimaru thought Sasuke was doomed, there was a sudden boom. A cloud of smoke erupted, and a massive tongue extended out to catch the unconscious Sasuke.

As the smoke cleared, a giant snake, larger than Manda, with forelimbs resembling a lizard’s, came into view.

On the snake’s head stood two cloaked figures—one male, one female.

“You... Who are you?” Orochimaru stopped in his tracks, shock evident on his face.

“Orochimaru-sama, long time no see.” The two figures removed their hoods, revealing faces Orochimaru knew all too well.

“Indeed, it’s been a while. Kabuto, Nono Yakushi.” A faint smile appeared on Orochimaru’s lips.

As he approached, he glanced at Tobirama, who had crashed into the ground, leaving a massive crater. Smirking in schadenfreude, Orochimaru mocked, “Oh my, isn’t this our esteemed Second Hokage? Looks like your ambush failed.”

“Don’t be so sure,” Tobirama retorted coldly, his gaze shifting toward the Buddha statue.

---

*Chapter 395: Reviving the Tool—Madara*

The battlefield between the First Hokage and Madara remained locked in a stalemate.

Madara was bound by the First Hokage's wooden dragon, unable to gather chakra.

The First Hokage, pierced with black rods on his back, knelt on the ground, immobilized.

“Madara, face it—you’ve already lost!” the First Hokage shouted at him.

Crack. With Madara's chakra being absorbed by the wooden dragon, his Edo Tensei body began to deteriorate, specks of dust falling from his face. Yet he sneered in response. “That’s not necessarily true.”

Despite his words, Madara felt a deep unease in his heart.

According to the original plan, Black Zetsu was supposed to remain hidden, waiting for the right moment to possess Obito when he was weakened and revive Madara.

With his counterfeit Rinnegan, Madara could sense that the Divine Tree had already slipped out of Obito’s control.

This meant Obito had failed.

So why hadn’t he been revived yet?

Could it be that Black Zetsu really had betrayed him, just as Aizen had suggested?

As Madara’s thoughts wandered, Black Zetsu, still attached to Obito, emerged from the ground before him.

“Lord Madara, Obito has failed. Aizen stole the Rinnegan from him and captured all seven tailed beasts that Naruto extracted from Obito, including the Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails. He told me to bring Obito, who still has the Gedo Statue sealed within him, to you.”

These were Black Zetsu's first words upon meeting Madara.

Just when the plan was on the verge of success, Aizen's interference derailed everything. Missing this opportunity could mean waiting countless years for another chance.

Even Black Zetsu, usually calm after scheming for millennia, felt anxious and restless.

“To think it would come to this,” Black Zetsu murmured.

Hearing this, Madara oddly felt more at ease. During his battle with the First Hokage, their exchanges had revealed that Aizen had traversed the history of the ninja world.

Madara now understood why Aizen had seemed familiar when they first met.

It turned out they had met long ago.

No wonder Aizen knew everything about him so thoroughly.

While Madara pondered, a deafening boom erupted from the direction of the Divine Tree, sending a towering column of dust a thousand meters high into the air.

A colossal shadow with eleven arms descended from the sky, wielding the Divine Tree and all nine tailed beasts.

The figure landed before Madara, Black Zetsu, and the First Hokage. The ground trembled violently, sending the three of them and the surrounding debris into the air, only to be caught in the massive hand of the giant.

“What… is this?”

Madara and the First Hokage exchanged a glance, both wide-eyed with shock. They never imagined someone in the world could perform such a jutsu.

Even the First Hokage, revived through Edo Tensei, couldn't accomplish this.

“It seems things aren’t going smoothly for you, Madara,” Aizen said, leaping down from the giant statue and landing in front of Madara.

“You could say that,” Madara replied, forcing himself to stand as he gazed at Aizen. “What’s your next move? Are you planning to become the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki yourself?”

The earlier impact had sent the wooden dragon binding Madara flying, freeing him. However, his chakra hadn't fully recovered yet.

Even so, if Aizen intended to become the jinchūriki, Madara would do whatever it took to stop him.

After all, only he, Uchiha Madara, could be the true "savior."

Hashirama couldn’t.

Obito couldn’t.

And Aizen certainly couldn’t.

Sensing Madara’s hostility, Aizen smirked faintly and said calmly, “No, I have no interest in gouging out my own eyes or becoming a jinchūriki. That grotesque, inhuman form is far too disgusting.”

“Come here. I’ll revive you, transplant the Rinnegan, and you can cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi,” Aizen said, motioning for Madara to approach.

Madara hesitated for a moment, then asked, “Are you serious?”

Aizen chuckled. “Of course. Didn’t I say I’d give Obito a chance? I’ll give you one as well. Since Obito has failed, it’s your turn.”

“But let me make one thing clear: if you fail as well, I won’t hold back.”

Aizen’s face darkened as he cast a glance at Obito, who was still possessed by Black Zetsu. “You’ll end up just like Obito—losing everything and waiting for death.”

“I am not a failure like Obito,” Madara said, his expression momentarily frozen before he glanced at Obito and smirked. Stepping forward confidently, he added, “Now, how exactly do you plan to revive me?”

“Just stand there,” Aizen said. “But first, let me deal with this big guy. Maintaining this form burns through chakra far too quickly.”

Aizen formed a symbolic hand seal, and the giant statue’s massive hand, as fluid as liquid, flowed back into his body.

The colossal statue visibly withered away, leaving Aizen, Madara, the First Hokage, Black Zetsu, and Obito standing on the ground.

Only the nine massive wooden dragons holding the tailed beasts remained, binding them further.

“Such terrifying chakra and Wood Release. It seems your mastery of it surpasses not just mine but even Hashirama’s,” Madara remarked in awe as he observed the scene.

“It’s just a petty trick. Relying on size to boost power is nothing special,” Aizen replied dismissively, placing a hand on Madara’s shoulder.

A burst of vibrant green energy, brimming with life, enveloped Madara’s body. The cracks on his Edo Tensei form disappeared, and his life force visibly surged.

“This… this incredible life force!” Madara exclaimed, unable to suppress his excitement.

“Aizen, stop! Don’t aid Madara any further!”

Not far away, the First Hokage shouted in desperation, aghast that Aizen was truly reviving Madara.

Aizen glanced at the First Hokage, smiled faintly, and ignored him.

Though Aizen had a favorable impression of Hashirama, he saw no need to waste words on a dead man.

The same went for Madara. While reviving him, Aizen had already planted his fail-safe within Madara’s body.

As Aizen worked to revive Madara, chaos erupted on the Allied Forces’ side.

“Where’s Sasuke? Why didn’t he return with you?” Jūgo asked anxiously, rushing over when he didn’t see Sasuke.

Suigetsu, following closely behind, couldn’t shake a growing sense of dread.

“Sasuke…”

The Fourth Hokage and Gaara exchanged glances before lowering their heads in silence.

After a long sigh, the Fourth Hokage walked up to Naruto.

While sealing the One-Tail and Eight-Tails’ chakra into Naruto, he said with a pained expression, “Sasuke was stabbed through the heart by Aizen. The Flying Thunder God seal on his back was destroyed, and I couldn’t save him. We don’t know where Aizen discarded his body… but he’s likely…”

Jūgo clenched his teeth, muttered under his breath, and leaped out of the massive crater to search for Sasuke.

Suigetsu scratched his head awkwardly before following.

(End of Chapter)