"Damn it! How could this happen? We were only one step away! How did he steal the final harvest?!"
Seeing Six Paths Kabuto effortlessly shatter Madara's Susanoo with the Sage's shakujo, Black Zetsu finally couldn't restrain himself and began to curse.
If he could, he would have loved to rush forward, take control of Kabuto, and release the Infinite Tsukuyomi upon the moon above.
Regrettably, he couldn't.
Unlike Obito, who had directly consumed White Zetsu to repair his body, the Hashirama cells in Kabuto's body had been cultivated in a lab by Orochimaru and transformed via Nen. As a result, Black Zetsu had no way to exert control over them.
Even more terrifying was the fact that becoming the Ten-Tails' Jinchuriki essentially granted immortality.
Kabuto was already wary of him, meaning he couldn't be easily manipulated. This meant the plan to break the seal on his Mother would be postponed indefinitely; it was now a contest of longevity between two near-immortal bastards.
The thought of spending the next tens of thousands of years in agony and frustration made Black Zetsu want to rush out and strangle Kabuto on the spot.
As he racked his brain for a way to reverse the situation, a large number of shinobi began appearing on the outskirts of the battlefield.
A moment later, the Shinobi Allied Forces, led by the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, finally arrived.
But before they could even get close to the center of the battlefield, their attention was instantly seized by the earth-shattering battle raging in the distance.
One Chunin scout attempted to move forward to ask the First and Second Hokage about the current situation. However, he was accidentally caught in the wake of a swinging shakujo. In an instant, the man was pulverized, vanishing into the air as microscopic particles.
This sudden turn of events made Tsunade realize immediately that this was not a war ordinary shinobi could participate in. She promptly ordered the army to halt.
But while the Allied Forces stopped, the powerful warriors under the control of Reanimation did not.
At Kabuto's command, these figures who had made names for themselves in past Great Shinobi Wars unleashed their most powerful jutsu. Like tigers among sheep, they charged into the Allied Forces, who were caught completely off guard.
In the blink of an eye, casualties reached the hundreds.
"This is bad! It's Reanimation! Barrier Team! Prepare immediately! We must seal their souls!" Tsunade shouted, her body trembling with rage.
The number of shinobi in the Allied Forces was already limited. If they suffered too many losses here, they wouldn't even need to confront the Resistance later; they could just disband on the spot.
However, saying it was one thing; doing it was another.
Despite the various flaws of the Reanimation forbidden jutsu, when backed by immense power and vast combat experience, the current strength of the villages made defeating, or even temporarily restraining, these foes feel like trying to reach the heavens in a single bound.
"Forgive us, Hokage-sama. There are too many enemies, and they possess immortal bodies. With our current high-end combat power, taking them down is nearly impossible. Forget winning; even holding our ground is a struggle," a Mist shinobi reported helplessly.
At that moment, Mei Terumi, who had only recently been granted the title of Mizukage, was already on the front lines, forced into a desperate struggle against the Second and Fourth Mizukage.
On another side, the Reanimated Third Raikage had already torn through the Cloud Shinobi's defensive line. The once-mighty village that could go toe-to-toe with Konoha was now reduced to Killer B, a Jinchuriki who had lost his Eight-Tails, barely holding things together.
As for the weakest, the Sand Shinobi, they were being repeatedly ravaged by their former hero, Pakura, and her Scorch Release. Even Gaara, the Kazekage, was nearly taken out by one of her massive techniques.
Ever since shinobi replaced samurai as the world's strongest military force, this was the first time they felt so profoundly weak.
"Damn it! If only Jiraiya and Minato were here," Tsunade muttered, her fists clenched tight, her eyes filled with frustration and helplessness.
As if the gods had heard her plea at this critical juncture, several familiar figures suddenly burst onto the battlefield from the other side.
Leading the group was the man famed for his speed, the "Yellow Flash," Minato Namikaze.
The moment he appeared, he instantaneously neutralized seven or eight renowned Jonin. Kakashi, Jiraiya, Naruto, Sakura, and Hinata all joined the fray, immediately turning the tide of the passive struggle.
Undoubtedly, this was all thanks to Minato's Flying Raijin Technique. Otherwise, this rescue party could never have returned so quickly.
In contrast to the Konoha shinobi who rushed in to help, Sasuke chose to remain a cold observer.
After witnessing the terrifying power of Six Paths Kabuto, he walked straight toward Allen and demanded, "What's going on? You revived the Ten-Tails only to hand it over to Kabuto?"
"Mm, that's right. Quite interesting, isn't it?" Allen replied with a half-smile.
Possessing Six Paths power himself, Allen could clearly sense that the chakra within both Sasuke in front of him and Naruto, who was fighting alongside his father nearby, was becoming restless, growing exponentially at an incredible speed.
If Hagoromo wasn't hiding in the shadows helping them, Allen wouldn't believe it for a second. Clearly, the Sage of the Six Paths had realized things were spiraling out of control and was preparing to enter the field himself.
"Interesting? I don't see it that way. Tell me, what does the Ten-Tails actually represent? Why would someone like you, who craves power, choose to give it to someone else instead of keeping it for yourself?"
It had to be said that while Sasuke had his share of flaws—pride, arrogance, and impulsiveness—his mind was far sharper than Naruto's. When he calmed down to think, he could often spot inconsistencies immediately.
To Sasuke's question, Allen replied in a meaningful tone: "Because I am only interested in things that can be converted into my own power. As for borrowing someone else's strength... sorry, that's not what I'm looking for."
"Are you implying... the Ten-Tails is someone else's power?" An unusual light flickered in Sasuke's eyes.
"Yes. But now isn't the time to reveal the answer. Come, sit down and rest for a bit. Before long, an even more spectacular show will begin."
With that, Allen handed him a drink and raised his own glass in a mock toast.
However, Sasuke seemed to notice Itachi on the battlefield, revived by Reanimation. His expression instantly twisted into one of sheer fury. He drew his sword and asked through gritted teeth, "Are you on Kabuto's side this time?"
Allen smiled and shook his head. "No, of course not. Don't misunderstand; I'm just a neutral party. Whether you want to kill Kabuto or destroy the Shinobi Allied Forces, it has nothing to do with me."
"You're sure? You won't turn on me if I kill him?" Sasuke squinted, testing him.
"I won't. Please, feel free to proceed." Allen shrugged nonchalantly.
After confirming this, Sasuke took a deep breath. He immediately activated the Perfect Susanoo of his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan and charged straight toward Kabuto.
His goal was simple: kill Kabuto and restore Itachi's freedom.