As the two strongest combatants on the field, Madara and Hashirama, were intercepted by the two youths, the battle ground to a stalemate.
Standing before Allen, only Tobirama remained.
As for Obito, who was fully committed to his "Best Actor" performance, he had long since engaged in a chaotic fray with the other Reanimated shinobi.
Watching Kabuto, who was now fully immersed in the process of merging with the Ten-Tails, the Second Hokage finally couldn't resist probing: "What exactly are you trying to do? Or rather, what is your true objective? Don't tell me you revived the Ten-Tails just to let someone else become its Jinchuriki."
"Hehe, don't you always think of yourself as the smartest man in the room? Guess!" Allen teased him with a cynical, playful tone.
If one had to pick the two most loathsome figures among the historical Hokage, the "double-standard dog" Hiruzen Sarutobi would undoubtedly rank first, followed closely by the man standing right here.
It was precisely Tobirama's series of reforms that forced the Great Shinobi Villages into a state akin to an arms race, allowing various militaristic ideologies to flourish.
To avoid defeat, every village did everything in its power to bolster its military strength while ruthlessly weakening its rivals. They ceased to view ordinary people as human beings, frequently massacring civilians under the guise of "maintaining secrecy."
They only got away with it because the Land of Fire's economy was significantly stronger than the other four nations. Otherwise, with such relentless warmongering, Konoha would have been the first to collapse.
Thus, Allen had always detested Tobirama, finding himself in complete agreement with Madara's assessment of the man.
Tobirama clearly sensed this animosity and immediately questioned, "You hate me?"
"Correct!" Allen nodded without the slightest concealment. "In my view, if you hadn't played those despicable little tricks to prevent Madara from becoming the First Hokage, perhaps the Shinobi World wouldn't be as dark, twisted, and pathological as it is now. Unification is always better than division, even an idiot understands that, yet you cut off that possibility for your own selfish interests. Shouldn't I hate you?"
"For my own selfish interests?" Tobirama frowned instinctively.
"Indeed. If it weren't for your stubborn prejudice against the Uchiha clan, things would never have escalated to this point. You could say that the decades of turmoil, darkness, and bloodshed that followed Konoha were seeds planted by you. You are a sinner! A sinner who, once the truth is revealed, will be forever nailed to the pillar of historical shame, just like your disciples, the Third Hokage and Danzo."
As he spoke, a malicious smile spread across Allen's face.
Because that was exactly what he was doing.
In almost all territories held by the Resistance, various "black materials" and scandals regarding the Second, Third, and Danzo were being circulated.
Once the Resistance seized power and established a nation, these accounts would surely be written into the history textbooks. By then, even if these three old schemers jumped into the ocean, they wouldn't be able to wash away the stain on their names.
"You intend to make my name a stench for ten thousand years?!"
Tobirama's expression shifted instantly upon hearing this. With his intellect, it was impossible not to sense the sheer toxicity contained within such a plan.
"Congratulations, you guessed right. Not only that, but I will frame all your reforms as preparations for some evil purpose, and describe the actions of the Third and Danzo as being done under your direct orders and influence. After all... history is written by the victors, isn't it?" Allen said meaningfully.
However, before Tobirama could recover from the wave of intense malice, Kabuto finally succeeded in merging with the Ten-Tails. Two sharp horns sprouted from his forehead, and a shakujo (monk's staff) appeared in his hand.
Without a doubt, by harnessing the power of the Ten-Tails, he had successfully fused all nature transformations, finally awakening the Six Paths Power.
After all, the "perfect body" Orochimaru had prepared for himself contained a massive amount of Hashirama's cells. Combined with the Rinnegan belonging to Madara, Kabuto had finally crossed that threshold to obtain ultimate power.
In particular, the Nine-Tomoe Rinne Sharingan on his forehead, the symbol of supreme might, slowly opened.
"This feeling... it's absolutely wonderful!"
Kabuto gripped the shakujo tightly, his mouth curling into an expression of ecstatic joy.
Powerful!
Omnipotent!
At this moment, he believed himself to be a god walking the earth.
"There's an enemy right here; care to give it a try?" Allen suggested with a smile, pointing toward the Second Hokage.
"Of course! Have your people step back. Next, I will let everyone know that from this day forward, I am the second Sage of the Six Paths."
As the final word left his lips, Kabuto lunged at Tobirama, swinging the shakujo.
Though the latter dodged in time, one of his arms was instantly shattered into dust, and it showed no sign of regenerating.
"This is...?!"
Tobirama clearly sensed something was wrong. Reanimation was a forbidden jutsu he had invented; he knew exactly what kind of power could strip away his ability to recover in this state.
"This is the shakujo once used by the legendary Sage of the Six Paths! Unless one possesses power of the same level, everything is as fragile as paper before it," Kabuto answered nonchalantly.
In reality, the shakujo was a weapon forged from Truth-Seeking Balls, possessing the same properties. Even those under the Reanimation jutsu would not have their injuries repaired after being struck. If the Second Hokage's reflexes hadn't been fast enough, that single blow would have sent him straight back to the Pure Land.
While Tobirama was reeling from the incredible power of the staff, Karin and Neji finally ceased their battles and retreated of their own accord.
Karin, noticing the changes in Kabuto after becoming the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, whispered, "It worked?"
"Mm. It looks like the fusion went quite well," Allen replied, rubbing his chin with a playful look.
It was common knowledge that since consuming the Chakra Fruit, Kaguya had become one with the Ten-Tails. In other words, the Ten-Tails was essentially Kaguya herself. However, her consciousness was currently sealed inside the Moon; it would require the casting of the Infinite Tsukuyomi to awaken her.
Thus, the current Kabuto was merely using Kaguya's authority, not his own strength.
Unfortunately, this poor fool, kept entirely in the dark, knew nothing. He remained lost in his delusions of grandeur, even launching attacks at Madara and Hashirama, impatient to show off his newly acquired power.
"When do you plan to make your move?" Neji's eyes flashed with a deep blue light.
"Don't be in such a hurry. The show has only just begun; let Kabuto enjoy himself for a while. Besides, Sasuke, Naruto, Nagato, and the core members of the Akatsuki haven't arrived yet."
Having said that, Allen used Wood Release to create a chair and sat down, intending to slowly enjoy the farce before the true final battle commenced.
The expressions on the faces of Madara and Black Zetsu at this moment were, quite frankly, exquisite.