Chapter 74: Chapter 74-The Great Battle I
Chapter 74
AKIHITO SHIRAHOSHI
For as long as he could recall, it had been years since Akihito had truly felt fear grip his heart when facing an opponent. He had always faced any opponent head-on, and his meticulous nature allowed him to plan and plot against any ability and plot.
And yet, as he felt Madara Uchiha's chakra appear on his radar, fear gripped his heart. Despite all the preparations he had done, all the shinobi at his disposal, he felt fear grip his heart as he felt the man's eyes land on him, and yet he persisted.
As the opportunity arrived, he gave the signal, and immediately, the ground beneath the man's feat cracked as four of the chosen ones appeared around the man in an instant, launching their attack on him.
And yet he saw it. Those eyes shifted as the red in them vanished, only to be replaced by a deep purple as a wave rippled through the whole area.
"Almighty Push," he heard the whisper as he let his bijuu chakra cover him, and a massive explosion rocked the area.
BOOOM!
The explosion transformed the whole building into rubble, and yet, as the debris cleared up, he stood there; he reached for his sword and cut across the debris and stones that threatened to cover him.
"Ninpo: Wind Cleaver," he whispered, and his chakra roared forth, cutting across the stone and giving him a path to the surface. He jumped up and found him standing there, his hands still folded over his chest as he raised a brow as others apart from him appeared out of the debris one by one.
None of them were injured too heavily as a Madara raised a brow.
"So, this is what it was. A trap, one set for me," he asked as he looked him in the eye, and Akihito nodded.
"You planned all this," he asked, sounding impressed as the rest of the kage, their guards appeared out of the debris.
"Your time is over Uchiha Madara. You are outnumbered," he said and watched as the guard units began evacuating the other daimyo's and yet the kage's still stood, looking at Madara Uchiha ominously as the man stood in the centre of the crater watching them all impassively.
"You are not the only one who prepared for this, Shogun Akihito," he said as his hair rustled and a massive summoning formula appeared right under his feet.
POOOF.
And then an instant, he watched as several bodies appeared right around the man, all of them pale skinned with cracks in their skins, and he heard many a gasp at that for these were the bodies of previous kage's and other great shinobi.
"Impossible." "Lord Second." "Father"
And so forth, and at the center of them stood Madara Uchiha, his Rinnegan, looking at them like pests as he looked at him.
"You don't seem surprised," he said with a frown.
"I expected nothing less from a shinobi of your calibre, but I am afraid we cannot let go so easily," and with that, he felt Minato appear infront of him, and then he was joined by the other kages, one by one.
"I am ready," he said as he raised his kunai, and Akihito nodded, riling up his own chakra.
Terumi Mei jumped in first, and then the Third Kazekage, and then Ohnoki, and then Ay.
"Leave him to us. Handle these other shinobi while we take care of this relic," Ay snarled as his cahkra cloak roared. Both of them glanced back at him and gave him a nod.
Akihito reciprocated as he felt Matatabi release all the natural chakra she had gathered, and immediately, he felt his senses turn sharp, expanding all over the area as he felt every shinobi's fear, his apprehension, and the sheer wrongness of all the reanimated shinobi.
"Even you!" Ohnoki seemed surprised as he saw his eyes change. A black marking appeared underneath them, and a circle was on his forehead.
"Damn! You are an interesting man, Shogun," the Third Kaze Kage added as his magnetic sand began to coat him.
"Do it," he said and Minato raised his hand and formed a tiger seal as four shinobi appeared around them at marked signals, as he felt the air shuffle.
"NINPO: FOUR PHOENIX FLAME FORMATION!"
And then, four giant walls went up around them as Madara stepped forward.
"Let me show you the difference between our powers," and with that, he cycled through set of hand seals.
"You think these walls protect you. No, they only imprison you. Let me show you what it means to be a true shinobi," and with that, he felt his chakra build up, and it was massive as everyone perked up at
"KATON: MAJESTIC FLAME DESTROYER!" he spewed a massive torrent of flames straight at them, and he watched the eyes of the kage widen as they perked.
"Go, leave this to me," he ordered. As he stepped forward, he took out his blade and began to push his chakra into it.
"B..."
"I said go!" he ordered, looking them all in the eye. And they all vanished as he raised his sword in the air. Suddenly, it began to gleam an ominous red as he raised it and swung it down swiftly as the shinobi around him blurred away.
"Ninpo: World Cleaver!" and then he brought it down in a single swift motion and the massive torrent of fire was cut, cutting a path straight for Madara Uchiha who shielded himself as a blue skeletal figure began to form around him.
And yet the rest of the Kage's engaged him as Tsunade Senju appeared behind him.
"Is this really the only way?" she asked, and he nodded.
"It is. Even while being outnumbered, we truly do not stand a chance against him. The only way to win against Madara Uchiha is to exhaust him, to throw so many bodies at him continuously that we tire him out, because despite the firepower we have ending this battle win one swiping attack is simply not possible," he replied before he turned to look towards the Senju Princess.
"The heaviest toll will be on you, Tsunade-san. Will you be fine?" he asked, and she bumped him on the head and smirked.
"Who do you think you are talking to, you brat," she scolded him as she turned to look forward with a grave expression.
"I am ready, though I think you are wrong," she said as she sat down cross-legged, and a sealing formula expanded from underneath her.
"You are underestimating us quite a bit," she said, murmuring as he felt her chakra roar. He turned to look forward.
"Against him, it would be criminal not to."
"Grand Summoning Jutsu!"
0000
HIRUZEN SARUTOBI
Back in Konoha, Hiruzen sat in the Hokage's office once more tired and impatient as the Jonin commander joined him. They were among the few people totally aware of what was set to happen at the Grand Council Meeting, and if their recent visitor was any indication, their worst fears had indeed come true, and their daimyo's fears had been proven correct.
"Do you really think his plan will work?" Hiruzen asked Shikaku. The man was the smartest shinobi he had ever known, a sentiment echoed by their daimyo, who seemed rather fond of the man and had called him to his own castle to discuss a most secretive plan.
"It is the best bet we have," Shikaku answered as he sighed.
"One would think, that given his achievements, our daimyo would be a rather bold person yet I found him to be rather cautious, one who would much rather play the long game, and the plan he made is a perfect amalgamation of that," and he had noticed it too.
Given that the young boy was set to become the Shogun, he had believed him to be proud and headstrong, and he was anything but that. He was prone to doubt and often made elaborate plans.
"Madara Uchiha, I cannot fathom facing a monster such as him again," he said, for he might have to if things did not go as planned. He was ready, even now with Minato's seal resting around his neck, ready to summon him to the battlefield if necessary.
"Let us hope that it does not come to that," Shikaku sighed, and he could feel the man's apprehension.
"Was it truly wise letting her go though?" questioned Shikaku and he shrugged.
"I couldn't really stop her now, could I," Hirzuen replied. The next generation had long surpassed them all, achieving heights they had not thought possible, and Kushina Uzumaki was one of those very people who had changed the game completely.
To this day, no shinobi had been able to master the Nine-Tails Chakra to become a complete jinchuriki, and yet she had done just that. Mastering the Nine Tails's chakra unlike any of her predecessors, becoming a full jinchuriki, and adding to that her own skills, she was one of Konoha's strongest shinobi, putting her on par with their very best.
"All we can do now is pray for their victory and believe in them," he said as he picked up his pipe and began to smoke to calm his nerves.
"Indeed."
0000
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Back in the Land of Iron, Madara Uchiha stood in within the chakra cage that had been made for him, his armor now showing some marks of wear and tear, a few bruises and cuts across his skin, making it seem that he had come out of a spar.
And yet a huge Bluish hollow covered him, one holding two glimmering blades in its hands as he looked down at the five bruished and battered shinobi infront of him, hailed as the best amongst their villages.
"Didn't I tell you earlier, boy?" the man addressed the so-called Shogun who had yet stayed behind, protecting their so-called healer.
"Even the Five Kage are no match for me," he snarled, thinking it an insult that the boy thought he could defeat him.
The battle had lasted about half a day, and though they were strong, they were no match for him.
"Will you finally join in now?" Madara Uchiha could feel the boy's chakra, feel it in its magnanimity and the bijuu's chakra that had mixed with it. The boy may not be a shinobi, yet he was capable, and of those markings around his eyes were an indication he had mastered Sage jutsu as well.
"I am afraid my time has not yet come," the boy answered, still standing strong in his defiance.
"And I am still not done," he felt it suddenly: the Edo Tensei shinobi, the ones' summoned by that pesky little snake, began to vanish as his own body began to unravel.
Yet not like them. No, he felt it become hard, turn into stone as he felt a foreign chakra invade his own and he realised it for what it was.
"That damned snake," he snarled as the Susanoo vanished, and he looked at his hand and saw the tips of his fingers harden.
"Natural energy, this damned pesky thing," it was a technique he hated from the bottom of his heart. It had brought his defeat when he had faced Hashirama all those years ago, and even now, it troubled him.
And the way the boy was smiling, this was his doing, somehow.
"So, you think this can defeat me," he asked, and then he closed his eyes, locating the damned seal pumping his body full of natural energy, and he found it. And in an instant, he reached for his kunai and cut off his arm, not even flinching at the pain he felt, as his arm fell to the ground.
"I don't need two arms to deal with the likes of you," he added. He saw their eyes widen as the Edo Tensei shinobi vanished. Then he looked towards the limping bodies of the Five Kage and brought up his sole hand, molding his chakra.
"Katon: Majestic Flame Destroyer...."
And none of them had the energy to stop his attack, and yet they did not make a move as suddenly, he felt their chakras vanish, and he heard another whisper.
"Suiton: Great Water Wall!"
00000
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone