In the outside world.
Kanon gazed down at the Allied Shinobi Forces. With a gentle wave of her small hand, the Ten-Tails behind her instantly unleashed a Tailed Beast Bomb, sending it hurtling toward the distant shinobi army.
The members of the Allied Shinobi Forces quickly began spinning through hand signs before slamming both palms against the ground in unison.
"Earth Release: Mud Wall!" they shouted as one, with Naruto contributing his own chakra to the effort.
In an instant, thousands of towering stone walls materialized across the battlefield. Meanwhile, on the other side, the Eight-Tails shouted at Killer B.
"It's coming, B! We have to use our Tailed Beast Bomb to deflect the Ten-Tails' attack!"
The Eight-Tails immediately fired a barrage of Tailed Beast Bombs toward the underside of the massive oncoming sphere. Yet, it was like throwing eggs against a stone; they failed to alter its trajectory even a fraction of an inch.
"The power isn't even on the same level! B, we're going to have to block it with our own bodies!"
"Whew! Let's go!" Killer B shouted back.
The Eight-Tails instantly threw itself in front of the Allied Shinobi Forces, watching as the thousands of stone walls shattered instantly, utterly incapable of withstanding the impact. The Tailed Beast Bomb was far more devastating than the Alliance had anticipated, obliterating the thousands of barriers in the blink of an eye.
"This is the disparity in our strength, you rabid mob," Kanon remarked, crossing her legs as she casually adjusted her mask.
As the final wall was breached, the pupils of Shikamaru and the others constricted in horror. The Eight-Tails stood alone, shielding everyone with its body.
"B-sama!"
Right at that exact hyper-critical moment, the massive Tailed Beast Bomb vanished into thin air. In its place, a specialized kunai engraved with the formula for the Sword of Shinobi Love thudded into the ground.
A silhouette flashed onto the scene. Minato Namikaze gripped the kunai and scanned the crowd. A gentle smile played upon his lips.
"Am I late?"
Naruto shook his head, a light grin breaking across his face. "No, you're right on time, Dad!"
"Is that the Fourth Hokage?" Kanon murmured, nodding slightly. He truly was fast.
Sakura looked at Minato's back in sheer bewilderment. "Who? Whose dad?"
On the other side of the battlefield, the Ten-Tails' Tailed Beast Bomb suddenly reappeared far out over the ocean, plunging into the water.
Minato turned back around, speaking softly to the stunned crowd. "I am Minato Namikaze. Brace yourselves for the blast."
A blinding flash of light erupted from the distant horizon behind them, followed by a terrifying explosion and a ferocious shockwave that swept over the Allied Shinobi Forces. Yet, many knew that even with the violent wind buffeting them, they had been incredibly fortunate.
Minato looked toward Naruto and Sakura. Sakura stared back at him, her eyes widening as she noticed the distinct, dark irises of the Reanimation Jutsu.
"You... You are..."
"Don't worry, I am on your side. Thank you for healing Naruto," Minato reassured her with a smile. "You must be... a friend of Naruto's."
Naruto nodded. "Yeah, something like that."
"Naruto, what's going on with Kanon?" Minato inquired.
"Dad! Why are you asking about Kanon the moment you get here?"
"Well, you've always liked her, and she used to take good care of you," Minato said.
Naruto scratched the back of his head, his face turning a shade of light crimson. "Yeah, you're right about that!"
The father and son actually shared a shameless laugh right there on the battlefield.
Naruto then pointed across the clearing. Minato followed his gaze and spotted the young girl clad in a crimson trench coat standing right beside Madara.
Minato was visibly taken aback. Kanon's appearance was stunning, surpassing even the memory of Mikoto Uchiha from years ago, with a noticeably more refined stature. However, Kanon's expression remained perfectly serene, looking upon his arrival with utter indifference.
Kanon had no intention of striking up a conversation. She held no personal hatred toward the man, but she had never shared any meaningful intersection with Minato either. Beyond knowing that he was Naruto's father, they were complete strangers.
Watching the exchange, Sakura turned to Naruto. "You seemed to know he was coming."
"Yeah, I picked up his chakra signature while I was in Nine-Tails Chakra Mode."
"The others noticed it too..."
Sure enough, Kanon and Madara were already looking toward a single direction. They had perceived the approaching presence long ago.
At that exact moment, Kanon's expression darkened precipitously. She had spotted someone who incited the exact same burning fury within her as Danzo had.
Ino picked up the signal as well. "Something else is coming!"
Slamming down right next to Minato, Hiruzen made his landing. "You're as fast as ever, Minato."
"Lord Third."
Boom!
A violent concussive shockwave swept past.
Sitting atop the head of the Ten-Tails, Kanon extended her hand, and Madara pulled her to her feet. She locked her gaze onto the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, her voice trembling slightly with pure, unadulterated rage.
"Old… man… Third! I've been waiting for you for a very long time!"
Minato frowned as he witnessed Kanon's volatile, frenzied aura.
Meanwhile, the moment Hashirama and Tobirama stuck their landing on the opposite side, Hashirama picked up on the situation immediately. He turned to Minato and remarked, "Fourth, your Body Flicker Technique is even faster than mine..."
"Tobirama!" Hashirama suddenly roared.
"Anija!"
Before Tobirama could fully react, the space around his neck distorted violently. In a fraction of a heartbeat, his head severed from his shoulders and fell to the dirt, his neck cleanly twisted apart by Kanon utilizing her Flower Realm. Simultaneously, Hiruzen's neck was snapped by the exact same invisible force.
The two heads thudded against the earth, a direct manifestation of Kanon's absolute desire to slaughter them both where they stood.
"Inherent evil? You treacherous, reanimated corpses of the Senju clan, I will destroy you with my own two hands," Kanon stated coldly to Tobirama.
However, possessing immortal reanimated bodies, their heads rapidly dissolved into paper-like debris and reconstructed themselves. Even so, having two of the legendary Hokage decapitated the very second they arrived on the battlefield dealt a psychological blow to the army's morale. Kanon knew full well that such a basic maneuver wouldn't eliminate them permanently; it was merely a declaration of absolute hostility.
Reforming his head, Tobirama glared at Kanon, his brow furrowing deeply.
Hashirama landed firmly on the ground, his gaze shifting to the massive beast. "Alright... let's begin."
Several of the veteran shinobi from Konoha recognized the identities of the four newcomers, breaking out into ecstatic cheers.
"No way!"
"I can't believe it!"
"Lord First! Lord Second! And Lord Third! Even Lord Fourth, Minato, is here..."
"I see, so the ones who neutralized that massive attack just now were the Hokage!"
"But who could have cast the Reanimation Jutsu to bring them back?"
The Third Hokage stepped forward to clear up their confusion. "Orochimaru summoned us. We must bring this war to an end as quickly as possible."
"Bring it to an end? Old man Third, have you completely lost your mind in your old age?" Kanon asked, her hand resting deliberately on the hilt of her Kusanagi Sword.
Hiruzen looked at the volatile girl before him, a deep sense of guilt gnawing at his conscience. Yet, as a former Hokage, there were actions he had been forced to take for the sake of the village. For a fleeting moment, a shred of regret crossed his mind, perhaps if he hadn't stopped Danzo back then, and let him eliminate Kanon, it might have been a better outcome for Konoha.
Sakura asked in utter confusion, "Wait, isn't Orochimaru dead? Good grief, I can't keep track of any of this..."
Naruto grinned. "There are more reinforcements on the way. They're just running a little late."
Right then, Madara leaped down from his perch, landing atop a distant rock formation. A small explosion erupted upon his impact, and as the smoke cleared, he raised his Uchiha war fan, shouting aggressively toward Hashirama.
"I've been waiting for you, Hashirama!"
Hashirama pointed back at Madara and yelled at the top of his lungs. "I'll deal with you later! Our primary objective right now is to stop the Ten-Tails!"
Madara let out a cold snort, crossing his arms as he sat down on the rock edge. "The guy never changes. I really can't stand him."
Hashirama let out a helpless sigh, turning his focus toward the Ten-Tails as it began charging toward their position. "It's heading straight for us."
Minato turned to Naruto. "Naruto, you've done an incredible job. Take a moment to rest. Your friend is about to arrive. He's on our side now."
Naruto understood instantly. He knew his father was referring to Sasuke. But if even Sasuke was going to stand against Kanon... He didn't dare pursue that line of thought. What Naruto didn't know was that Kanon had already cut ties with everyone from her past long ago, including her own biological older brother, Sasuke Uchiha.
In that instant, a terrifying surge of murderous intent erupted from Minato's eyes as he tapped into the chakra of the Yin Half of the Nine-Tails.
Hashirama barked an order to the three men beside him. "Hokage, let's move!"
Suddenly, a golden shroud of Nine-Tails chakra identical to Naruto's enveloped Minato, sending shockwaves of disbelief through the surrounding shinobi.
"Second, Third, gather close." Minato placed his hands on the backs of Tobirama and Hiruzen.
"Have you already placed the markers?" the Third asked.
"Yes."
"Striking first to gain the upper hand... you really are exceptionally fast," Hashirama noted quietly.
Kanon glanced around the perimeter. Sure enough, three specialized kunai had materialized at strategic coordinates encircling the Ten-Tails.
"The Flying Raijin markers? I see," Kanon muttered. She had no desire to move just yet; she was waiting for Obito's situation to resolve.
With a collective flash, Minato, Tobirama, and Hiruzen vanished from the spot. Instantly, the four Hokage began weaving an intricate sequence of hand signs.
"The Four Crimson Ray Formation, huh," Konin's voice echoed within Kanon's inner consciousness.
"Is it that powerful?" Kanon asked internally.
"I could shatter it with a flick of my finger; it's nothing impressive. Do you need me to take over?"
"No need, just sit back and relax," Kanon replied, sticking her tongue out playfully at Konin. Unleashing Konin was out of the question; she had no desire to watch the entire planet get blown to pieces.
In the distance, Hashirama roared to the group. "Now, let's begin! Ninja Art!"
"Four Crimson Ray Formation!"
The immense barrier, a technique requiring four Hokage-level powerhouses to manifest, instantly locked into place, trapping the Ten-Tails and Kanon completely within its red walls.
"And to secure it!" Hashirama bellowed, clapping his hands together. "Sage Art: Gracious Deity Gates: Ten-Tails Seal!"
As Hashirama's voice echoed across the plains, ten massive torii gates crashed down from the heavens, pinning the ten tails of the beast firmly to the earth.
A single torii gate infused with senjutsu descended straight toward Kanon's head, but she shattered it completely with a single, brutal punch.
Inside the towering crimson barrier, the Ten-Tails found its movements utterly bound.
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NOTE: This fic has been completely translated. If you want to read the whole story head over to my p-atre-on: p-atre-on.c-om/Overgod [Just remove the hyphen to access normally]