"Zetsu, go notify Senba and the others that a large enemy force will arrive in five hours. Tell them to set up delaying traps to slow the enemy advance. If they really can't hold them back, they are authorized to retreat!" Uchiha Tensei instructed White Zetsu.
"Understood, I'm going now!" White Zetsu immediately merged into the ground to deliver the message.
Uchiha Tensei sat down cross-legged and began recovering his Chakra. As the gears of fate turned, his Chakra continued to leak away little by little. All he could do now was preserve as much power as possible so that, when the moment came, he could unleash enough strength to buy the children time to escape.
Meanwhile, after receiving the order, Senba and the others on the front lines immediately began setting up all kinds of traps, using every explosive tag they had while waiting for the enemy to arrive.
Boom!
Four and a half hours later, an explosion signaled the arrival of the Iwagakure forces, and Uchiha Tensei slowly opened his eyes.
"They arrived half an hour earlier than expected. The Iwagakure Ninjas have really gone mad this time!" Glancing toward the direction of the explosion, Uchiha Tensei closed his eyes once more and continued making his final adjustments.
As for Senba, he wasn't particularly worried. Senba already possessed Kage-level strength and had more than enough power to protect himself. If he truly wanted to retreat, very few people in the Ninja World could stop him.
It had to be said that Senba, who inherited Uchiha Tensei's Sage Body, was truly terrifying. After more than half a year of nonstop warfare, he had transformed completely. By himself, he managed to hold back five hundred Iwagakure elites, including the five Quasi-Kage members of the Shadow Guard Squad.
But even so, one person's power had limits. Facing five Quasi-Kage opponents and hundreds of elite Ninjas, Senba gradually began to fall into a disadvantage. Wounds of all sizes soon covered his body.
Watching more and more of his comrades fall, Senba clenched his teeth and released all his power.
"Damn Iwagakure Ninjas! Let me show you the true ultimate technique of someone who inherited the Senju power!"
His hands rapidly formed seals.
"Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique!!!"
The earth trembled violently as a massive hundred-meter-long Wood Dragon burst from the ground. Senba leapt onto the dragon's head and commanded it to rampage across the battlefield.
The Wood Dragon's power was overwhelming. With its appearance alone, Senba attracted the attention of more than a thousand enemy Ninjas, instantly reducing the pressure on the Konoha forces by over half.
Far away, Uchiha Tensei, who was still meditating, also felt the tremors.
"That's Senba's Wood Dragon Technique. Looks like the enemy pressure is heavier than expected if he's already forced to use it. I wonder how long I can hold them off once I enter my full-power state…" Uchiha Tensei murmured softly as he sensed Senba's enormous Chakra.
Relying on the Wood Dragon Technique, Senba managed to stall the Iwagakure vanguard for four entire hours. But despite his strength, he was still only at the Kage level. Unlike the legendary Uchiha Tensei of the past, he did not possess the monstrous power needed to suppress an entire army alone.
Eventually, Senba could no longer endure.
"Everyone retreat! We can't hold them back anymore!" Senba shouted.
Hearing this, the Konoha Ninjas immediately abandoned their opponents and began retreating without hesitation.
"Trying to run, Konoha brats? Chase them down!" the Shadow Guard Squad members roared as they ordered pursuit.
The Konoha Ninjas fled ahead while the Iwagakure army pursued relentlessly behind them.
"So they've finally started retreating…" Uchiha Tensei slowly stood up from his meditative state as he sensed the approaching Chakra signatures. "You managed to delay them for four hours, Senba. You've truly grown strong."
At that moment, six White Zetsu emerged from the ground and lined up beside him.
Looking at the three White Zetsu on his left and the three on his right, Uchiha Tensei smiled faintly. It turned out he had never truly been alone.
"Zetsu, the coming battle is a suicide mission. Are you afraid? If you are, you can leave now. I won't stop you."
"What nonsense are you talking about?" one White Zetsu replied with a grin. "We White Zetsu don't even understand what fear is. Lord Madara ordered us to follow you, so we obey. Unlike fickle humans, we are loyal servants. If you told us to die right now, we wouldn't hesitate."
Despite the seriousness of the words, the White Zetsu spoke casually, almost cheerfully.
"No." Uchiha Tensei shook his head. "You are not servants. Not mine, and not Lord Madara's. You are my family. My brothers. I, Uchiha Tensei, will remember everything you've done for my family forever."
The White Zetsu fell silent for a moment before shaking their heads.
"Family? Brothers? Hehe… unfortunately, we aren't human. We're merely lifeforms without emotions. Enough talking, Uchiha Tensei. Let's begin."
"Thank you, Zetsu." Uchiha Tensei spread his arms wide. "Lend me your power. Let us leave behind our final mark upon this Ninja World!"
The six White Zetsu immediately transformed, their bodies shrinking into white spheres before merging into Uchiha Tensei's body.
As the fusion completed, Uchiha Tensei's Chakra exploded upward.
His body rapidly expanded.
His clothes tore apart under the overwhelming surge of power.
Originally standing at 1.8 meters tall, he grew to nearly three meters in height. His strength skyrocketed from Elite Jonin straight into the realm of late Kage-level power. Every aspect of his body underwent a complete transformation.
Hoooo—
The towering three-meter-tall Uchiha Tensei exhaled a stream of white vapor. Looking down at his enlarged body and shredded clothing, he slowly clenched his fists.
"So this is true White Zetsu fusion…" he muttered. "A fusion that cannot be undone, traded in exchange for overwhelming power. In this world, every gain truly comes with a price."
At that moment, the voices of the White Zetsu echoed within his mind.
"Uchiha Tensei, we can feel your power continuously slipping away. What's happening?"
"I already know," Uchiha Tensei replied calmly. "The Shinigami is calling for me. That's why I said this was a suicide mission. Help stabilize the rate of power loss, and don't interfere in the battle ahead."
"Leave it to us. We'll do our best to stop your strength from fading too quickly."
"Good. Then I'll leave everything to you."
After settling everything, Uchiha Tensei raised his head and stared firmly into the distance.
Rather than fear fate, he chose to face it head-on.
Even if he died, he would die while charging forward.
Cowardice was never part of who he was.