Chapter 305 – Ōtsutsuki Shibai
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"
A searing white light detonated above the desert.
Deidara instantly twisted his body, riding his clay bird to dodge at full speed.
The beam struck the ground—
and the desert exploded.
A massive crater, bottomless and smoking, opened where the light hit.
"Che… Dust Release really is insane. What destructive power… hm."
Cold sweat slid down Deidara's forehead as he looked at the yawning pit beneath him.
But immediately after, he turned an annoyed glare toward the Second Tsuchikage floating in the sky.
"Hey, old man! A little warning would be nice! If I blow up, you'll be short one Fourth Tsuchikage! Hm!"
"You idiot…"
The Second Tsuchikage's temple throbbed violently.
He genuinely could not understand how Ōnoki ever chose this fool to be Tsuchikage.
Had Iwagakure run out of qualified people?
Sure—Deidara's talent was unquestionable.
He had even mastered Dust Release; that alone placed him among prodigies rare in any era.
But his brain… was this kid trying to die?
"Damn it… I'm Edo Tensei. Most of my attacks are pure instinct. How am I supposed to warn you in advance?!"
"That means it's your problem, hm."
Deidara's mouth had somehow grown sharper over the years—no idea where he picked it up.
"You can't even resist Edo Tensei properly. And you call yourself a Tsuchikage, hmm?"
"…"
"And even if you can't resist Edo Tensei, at least fly a bit slower so I can hit you! Hm!"
"…"
"I said SLOW DOWN! You annoying old man!"
Deidara scowled furiously.
The Second Tsuchikage moved too quickly—Deidara could barely keep up, let alone land a hit.
Every time he got close, the old man's jutsu blasted him back.
And a single misstep meant being erased by Dust Release.
Fortunately, Deidara's control over his clay had reached an art-level finesse; aerial dodging was still manageable.
"Tsk, tsk… Mū-san, looks like your future Tsuchikage isn't very competent."
Below them, the Second Mizukage's mustache twitched with amusement as he snickered loudly.
"Want me to help clean up? If I kill him, I get a free Tsuchikage on my record. You can make Ōnoki pick someone better."
"SHUT YOUR MOUTH!"
The Second Tsuchikage snapped, veins bulging.
But for Deidara—his eyes suddenly lit up.
"Now! Hm!"
Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World!
Without hesitation, Deidara fired off his own Dust Release.
"You idiot! I told you—my attacks fire by INSTINCT! I CAN'T CONTROL IT!"
The Second Tsuchikage roared in pure frustration.
Though he didn't even look at Deidara, his hands were already forming seals on their own.
A flash—
and Dust Release blazed to life once again.
Two pillars of blinding white light collided in midair.
BOOOOOOM!!
Shockwaves tore through the desert, sweeping across the battlefield.
Shinobi on the ground were thrown off balance by the roaring energy.
"What a fool…"
The Second Mizukage didn't move at all. He stood right inside the shockwave's range, laughing like he was watching fireworks.
"Should I lend a hand? One good Water Release, and poof—no more Tsuchikage. That way you can make Ōnoki choose someone who isn't brain-damaged."
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"
A massive water dragon surged across the field—Mei Terumī's attack.
But as the dragon crashed down, the Second Mizukage's smile vanished.
"Hey! Fifth Mizukage! What are you DOING?! I told you where I was! How have you STILL not found me?!"
"S-Sorry, I—"
Mei felt her scalp tingle.
This was the legendary Second Mizukage—
a chaotic genius who reshaped the entire Mist Village.
He modeled Kirigakure's ninja academy on Tobirama's system, created the basis for ANBU and the Seven Swordsmen, and structured the entire military foundation of the village.
Even after Obito manipulated the Mist into near ruin, the village was able to recover—largely thanks to systems this man created.
Facing such a predecessor, Mei felt both admiration… and dread.
Because the man was also ridiculously strong.
"Tch. Don't apologize—you're Mizukage too. Now hurry up."
The Second Mizukage rubbed his brow, clearly irritated.
"In war, you take out the strongest enemy FIRST. Don't embarrass me by dying slower than that rotten zombie over there—that'd be YOUR failure!"
"…"
Mei was speechless.
This man was… truly a character.
But she inhaled deeply.
She would not shame her village in front of its past leader.
"Sand Tsunami Burial!"
Elsewhere, Gaara floated above a rolling sea of sand.
He swept his right hand forward, and a vortex of sand spiraled beneath Rasa's feet.
The sand surged upward into a towering tornado, swallowing the former Kazekage whole.
"Hmph."
A moment later, the sand cyclone shattered.
Rasa stepped out, eyes cold, hands forming seals.
"Gaara… where is Shukaku?"
Even while weaving signs, Rasa kept observing his son.
He sensed Gaara's cold detachment—but ignored it for now.
What he cared about was the One-Tail.
"Don't tell me… Konoha took it?"
"No. Konoha wouldn't waste their time on Shukaku."
Gaara replied flatly, eyes sharp.
Gaara watched the gold-laced sand bullets closing in from several directions.
He merely shook his head.
In the blink of an eye, the attack was swallowed up by the yellow sand flowing from his gourd.
"That is… the Akatsuki?"
Rasa's expression hardened, but his hands continued to weave signs.
Under his control, the gold dust suspended in the air suddenly surged together, forming a massive tidal wave that crashed down toward Gaara.
"None of that matters anymore."
Gaara's face remained unreadable—cold, distant, and unwavering.
The sand beneath his feet lifted him backward in a swift retreat.
At the same time, with a single flick of his hand—
HUM—
A column of yellow sand erupted in front of Rasa, swallowing him whole in an instant.
"What?!"
Rasa's eyes widened in disbelief.
"This entire area has been saturated with my gold dust… How could sand reach me without making a sound?"
"Because your limits define your failure. They always have."
Gaara's voice remained emotionless.
Around him, the gold dust in the air quietly separated out—
leaving only his yellow sand swirling at his command.
"I know everything now. About Mother. About Yashamaru."
"You…"
Rasa opened his mouth, but no words came out.
"I became Kazekage to put an end to all of it."
Gaara continued, tone flat as stone.
Behind him, the sands swelled—
slowly shaping into the outline of a woman.
"Mother loved me. She always did.
But you lied to me."
"You made Yashamaru—my uncle, the person I trusted most—attack me under the guise of a 'test.'
Even at the moment of his death, he still followed your orders and lied to me."
"That darkness…
That despair…
You created all of it."
As Gaara spoke, the figure behind him finished forming—
a silhouette of sand, yet radiating a faint, warm chakra.
"…Karura?"
Rasa stared at the figure, dazed, speechless.
He had always known that his wife never resented Gaara, not even in death.
He simply couldn't accept it.
But he never expected Karura to manifest even now.
"Even in death… you still chose to protect Gaara…"
"That's why I became Kazekage," Gaara said coolly.
"To uncover the truth. To shoulder the village."
"But I will never forgive you."
"Not in this lifetime."
"…"
Rasa's mind went blank.
The cold rejection, the unshakable resolve in Gaara's eyes—
it hollowed something inside him.
He opened his mouth again, but nothing would come out.
"Tch. Boring family drama. Boring Sunagakure."
The Second Mizukage scoffed, rolling his eyes.
He was about to continue mocking them when he suddenly froze.
At that same moment—
Deidara, the Second Tsuchikage, Mei Terumī, Gaara, and Rasa—
all stopped moving.
Their eyes rose as one, staring into the distance.
"What… is that?"
"Hashirama!!"
"Madara!!"
Elsewhere, across a desolate plain—
Two roars shook the battlefield.
Uchiha Madara hovered in the sky, unleashing a storm of fireballs like falling meteors.
His towering Susanoo swung twin azure blades downward in a sweeping arc.
Hashirama's wooden giant leapt high into the air, meeting Susanoo's assault head-on with a massive punch.
"Tch… what a pain."
On the ground, Naruto—shrouded in a cloak of golden chakra—gritted his teeth.
Compared to the colossal Susanoo he was tiny, but he stretched out Kurama's arms, smashing meteors one after another.
Sasuke's enormous Susanoo drew its bow taut, locking onto Madara's in the heavens, ready to fire at any moment.
Meanwhile, Tobirama and Minato lurked at the edges of the battlefield—waiting for openings.
Neither of them were built for slugfests like this.
Minato didn't have Kurama anymore, but Edo Tensei granted him chakra to maintain Sage Mode indefinitely.
A surprising advantage.
"Troublesome…"
Tobirama exhaled sharply.
His arsenal felt painfully limited for this type of brawl.
Still, he could support from the sidelines—especially when the opponent was Madara.
"Hmph. Fire Release is nothing I can't handle."
Tobirama released a massive surge of chakra.
A roaring sea materialized out of thin air, tidal waves surging upward into spiraling whirlpools.
They shot toward the sky, clashing against Madara's blazing inferno.
BOOM—
Mist exploded across the battlefield, draping everything in a thick veil.
"Now."
Sasuke seized the opening.
His Susanoo loosed an arrow that tore through the air with devastating force.
Combined with Hashirama's wooden giant and the obscuring mist, the arrow smashed squarely into Madara's Susanoo—
BOOOOOM—
The impact sent Susanoo crashing down, shaking the earth violently.
"Hmph. That's all?"
Despite the blow shattering most of Susanoo's armor, Madara didn't look fazed.
He could regenerate it at any moment.
But he was annoyed.
Facing five Kage-level opponents at once was… inconvenient.
"Time to use the Rinnegan. If I don't, this could get messy."
Madara muttered, eyes narrowing.
"You're an amusing bunch… but you're getting in the way of my fight with Hashirama."
"Your fight with Hashirama?"
Tobirama's expression twisted in irritation.
"Don't delude yourself! You're nothing but a failure who defied the Sage of Six Paths and tried to destroy the shinobi world!"
"…"
Madara blinked.
Destroy the world?
He wanted peace—didn't he?
But after everything he'd heard…
Even he wasn't so sure anymore.
"How pointless."
Madara didn't bother arguing.
"What I choose to do is beyond your comprehension.
And I don't need you to understand."
"But now I'll show you my true intent.
Try not to disappoint me—"
He stopped abruptly.
Everyone did.
Hashirama. Madara. Naruto. Sasuke. Tobirama. Minato.
Every shinobi on every battlefield.
A surge of chakra—
unlike anything they had ever felt—
washed across the entire world.
Even the bijū trembled.
Naruto clutched his stomach.
"Kurama…? What's happening?"
Kurama was shaking—
genuinely afraid.
Black Zetsu went pale.
"This… this can't be… What IS this power?!"
Across the world, shinobi froze, uneasy and breathless.
"What's going on…?"
Elsewhere, Guy grimaced, staring toward the Whirlpool Country.
"Over there… something insane is happening."
Kakashi shook his head slowly.
"No… something moving toward Whirlpool Country is happening."
On another front, the Akatsuki members felt the pull.
Even the Edo Tensei bodies began sinking into the ground, drawn away.
"This chakra… fascinating…"
Deep within a cavern, Orochimaru's smile twisted with excitement.
"Time to gather. Perhaps Kabuto really did acquire something interesting."
Even Tsunade felt her heart tighten.
"We're leaving. Now."
"Yeah…"
Jiraiya nodded grimly.
He could feel a powerful summoning tug from Mount Myōboku.
Whatever was happening—
it was beyond dangerous.
---
Meanwhile—
Deep within Ōtsutsuki Isshiki's sealed dimension, Gen chuckled to himself.
Through his God Tree avatar, he already knew everything occurring outside.
"So the ten-tails devouring each other caused that much of a ripple…?
And it even spread through my clone?"
For a moment, he wondered if his clone was even a "clone" anymore.
More like a fully realized God-Tree human.
But that was good—
it meant he could rely on it.
"Still under my control. As expected of a system reward…"
He nodded to himself—and then, his chakra surged.
At last—
he found the node he'd been searching for.
Beyond that spatial seam appeared—
A man seated in stillness.
Long white hair.
Black ceremonial cloak.
Twin horns like a crown.
A faint seam on his forehead—the mark of his third eye.
Even separated by dimensions, Gen could feel it:
A presence so overwhelming that even Ōtsutsuki would tremble.
Silent.
Dormant.
Yet godlike.
A corpse…
but also not a corpse.
Gen's heart pounded, but a smile curved his lips.
"At last…
I've found you—
Ōtsutsuki Shibai."
--