"Don't worry! In my current state, I'm not that easy to kill!"
As he spoke, Tobirama Senju's body was already more than halfway restored, his eyes narrowing with caution. He had never imagined he would lose to another person in a contest of pure speed.
"Lord Second! Be careful! He has the complete Nine-Tails sealed within him!" Minato Namikaze warned in a low voice.
"What?!"
Tobirama felt a wave of dread wash over him. Dealing with a berserk Eight-Tails Jinchuriki was bad enough, but adding the Nine-Tails into the mix meant that even he was powerless to turn the tide.
In a situation like this, only his elder brother, Hashirama, could resolve the crisis. Unfortunately, Hashirama was currently locked in a fierce battle with his old rival, Madara Uchiha, on another battlefield and couldn't be spared.
"Second Hokage Tobirama Senju... Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze... To think both of them were brought back via Edo Tensei," the immortal veteran Kakuzu muttered, squinting his eyes.
The benefit of living a long life was having extensive experience; he knew exactly who he could provoke and who he absolutely could not. Clearly, these two fell into the latter category.
"Senpai, should we go in and help?" Deidara asked, peeking his head out.
"Idiot! If you're tired of living, be my guest! I still want to live a few more years, so I won't be joining you in a suicide mission," Kakuzu snapped, rolling his eyes.
Go up against two Hokages proficient in the Flying Raijin Technique? Did Deidara think he was the God of Shinobi, Hashirama, or the Ghost of the Uchiha, Madara? During the Third Great Ninja War, the "Yellow Flash" Minato Namikaze had killed fifty enemies in a single instant. In the face of such speed, unless one possessed equal reaction time, no amount of powerful Ninjutsu mattered.
"Are they really that scary?"
As the saying goes, fools rush in where angels fear to tread. Deidara was a stubborn brat with a few screws loose; he lacked respect even for his own teacher, the Third Tsuchikage, so he naturally felt no awe toward two of Konoha's Hokages. In his mind, no matter who the opponent was, they should first get a taste of his "Ultimate Art."
"Yes. Against that kind of elusive spatial ability, a single moment of error means you'll lose your head," Itachi explained nonchalantly.
"You guys retreat first! Leave this to me!"
At the critical moment, Nagato stepped forward. To successfully capture the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, they had to stall these two enemies who could traverse the battlefield at will. Otherwise, even Allen would find it difficult to shake off Tobirama and Minato without revealing his hidden cards.
Soon, under Nagato's control, the Six Paths of Pain abandoned Jiraiya and cut directly into the fray.
"Universal Pull!"
"Planetary Devastation!"
Without a hint of hesitation, Nagato unleashed the strongest abilities of the Rinnegan the moment he entered the field. Caught off guard, the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, was instantly sealed within the center of the rising sphere of earth.
"Tsunade!" Jiraiya and Tobirama shouted in unison, charging forward frantically. Tobirama immediately prepared his Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags, attempting to blast a hole through the massive satellite of rock.
"Thanks!"
Allen gave Nagato a brief nod, then flickered in front of the rampaging Eight-Tails. Without hesitation, he extracted the second-strongest Tailed Beast and absorbed it into his own body. Although Minato used Flying Raijin to try and interfere, his lack of offensive power, exacerbated by having lost half of the Nine-Tails' Chakra, was glaringly apparent. His strikes failed to penetrate the Lightning Release Armor, forcing him to retreat in frustration.
With the task complete, Allen tossed Killer B onto the ground and announced loudly to everyone left alive: "It is finished! The Akatsuki has gathered all nine Tailed Beasts! Next, you shall witness a miracle. In ten days, we will resurrect the legendary Ten-Tails. If you still have the courage to resist, then let the Fourth Great Ninja War decide the future of this world!"
Having said his piece, he utilized spatial Ninjutsu and vanished without a trace.
For most, ten days was a short window. But for Allen, by utilizing the ten-to-one time dilation of his dungeon instances, he had more than enough time to fully harvest the essence of the Eight and Nine-Tails.
Seeing the final two Tailed Beasts captured, Nagato didn't linger. He withdrew with the Six Paths of Pain and the other Akatsuki members. Shortly after they left, the massive meteor of Planetary Devastation exploded, and a nearly-dead Tsunade was rescued.
Surveying the ruined battlefield and the hundreds of corpses, Jiraiya sighed with a sense of helplessness. "Sigh... we failed again. I truly don't know who can stop these guys once the Ten-Tails is resurrected."
"Don't lose heart! At least we have the help of Granduncle and the Fourth now!" Tsunade encouraged, shaking the dirt and rubble from her clothes.
"You can count my elder brother in as well! He is currently dueling Madara Uchiha; I believe he will join us shortly. No matter what ulterior, evil plans this Akatsuki has, they will not succeed," Tobirama declared. His authoritative voice injected a flicker of life back into the demoralized Allied Shinobi Forces.
After all, the title "God of Shinobi" carried immense weight. In the eyes of most, Hashirama Senju was synonymous with invincibility. With him present, there was always a glimmer of hope, no matter the enemy.
Unfortunately, they did not realize that in the coming final battle, only those who mastered Yin-Yang Release and the Power of the Six Paths would be eligible to step into the ring. Regrettably, the former God of Shinobi did not have a ticket to that final stage.
…
Meanwhile, on a nearby battlefield, Madara and Hashirama, that pair of eternal rivals, had been fighting for a full half-hour, exhausting their respective repertoires.
Under normal circumstances, Hashirama's Sage Body would have worn Madara down long ago. However, curiously, because both were in the Edo Tensei state, the advantages of the Sage Body were significantly diminished, resulting in a stalemate.
As a battle maniac, Madara was clearly enjoying this long-awaited, all-out struggle. He grinned widely and said, "You're just like before, still as troublesome as ever."
"You too! Tell me, what exactly are you plotting? And why are you helping an organization like the Akatsuki?" Hashirama questioned bluntly.
"Why? To realize my long-held dream, of course! You don't know yet, do you? The Akatsuki is merely a pawn in my hand. Now that the nine Tailed Beasts are gathered, it is time to end this. Watch closely, Hashirama. I will bring permanent peace to the entire world in my own way."
With those words, Madara turned and vanished into the depths of the dense forest. The First Hokage did not give chase; instead, he hurried toward the location of the Allied Forces.