Meanwhile, Madara's henchman, Obito, took advantage of the chaos to capture Roshi, the Four-Tails Jinchuriki.
As he was about to leave, he suddenly noticed a small white snake at his feet.
Obito frowned.
A small white snake? Is it that damned Orochimaru?
No, didn't he die a long time ago?
"Obito-san."
Obito looked up, following the voice, and saw a robed figure slowly approaching.
"Who?"
The person removed his hood, revealing a familiar face.
Obito recognized him: Yakushi Kabuto.
"You were actually able to track my movements."
Kabuto pushed up his glasses. "After all, I was once a member of Akatsuki. Don't underestimate my intelligence network."
Obito stored Roshi in the Kamui dimension.
A former member of Akatsuki was now a traitor to Akatsuki.
Obito didn't mind taking the opportunity to finish off Orochimaru's former subordinate.
He frowned, his not-so-bright mind beginning to ponder.
Kabuto approaching him shouldn't be to declare war, right?
Indeed, Kabuto slowly spoke, "I want to cooperate with you."
Obito asked, "Cooperate? What's in it for me if I cooperate with you? Every movement in the Ninja World is within my plan."
A barely noticeable arc, tinged with a hint of mockery, formed at the corner of Kabuto's lips in the shadows.
Bragging, aren't you?
Still claiming to control the movements of the Ninja World.
Didn't you lose your composure in Amegakure?
"I know you're very interested in the Tailed Beast Jinchuriki. I can help you capture them."
To make Obito believe him, Kabuto displayed a part of his body, and a chillingly powerful aura subtly emanated from him.
"I have already inherited the Senjutsu of Ryūchi Cave and have long surpassed Orochimaru-sama."
Ryūchi Cave?
Obito did know of this place.
One of the three legendary Sage Regions, where one could gain immense power by passing the trials of the snakes.
But the price...
The more perfect the Sage Mode from Ryūchi Cave, the less human one would become.
Obito looked at Kabuto. "What do you want?"
Kabuto said, "Satoshi, that young body, I need him to complete my final research."
Hearing this, Obito scoffed.
Experiments, experiments. You're just like that madman Orochimaru. Sooner or later, you'll sacrifice yourself for your experiments.
Even so, Obito agreed.
Don't look at the current war. Judging by the current situation, the Fourth Great Ninja War won't last much longer. At that point, it would be difficult for them to take advantage of the chaos.
They needed to seize the opportunity to launch the Fifth Great Ninja War and then gather the Tailed Beasts.
As for Kabuto, he was merely a sacrifice for the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
More importantly, that Uchiha brat was truly troublesome. He still needed to retrieve the Rinnegan from him.
In this matter, Kabuto might have some value.
"Alright."
Obito pointed at Kabuto. "But if I find anything even slightly amiss with you, I will kill you."
Kabuto put his hood back on and turned to leave.
Heh, foolish Obito.
An unreliable partnership was thus formed.
Kabuto and Obito both harbored ulterior motives, each using the other as a tool to achieve their goals.
—
On the battlefield.
Ōnoki was steadily retreating, clutching his aching back in pain.
Susanoo had drained too much of his Chakra, and at this moment, even maintaining flight became extremely difficult.
Kitsuchi waved his hand. "Charge! Buy Tsuchikage-sama time to recover his Chakra!"
Inside Susanoo, Satoshi looked down at them from above. "Now, who survives depends on your luck."
"What?"
The Iwa ninjas were confused, raising their heads in surprise.
However, they quickly understood what Satoshi meant.
The lake beneath Susanoo's feet began to spread, soon covering every corner of the battlefield. Then, countless tiny water droplets on the surface slowly floated up as if alive.
An Iwa ninja, slightly closer, instinctively leaned forward, trying to get a clear look at the crystal-clear water droplets.
However, the moment he approached, that water droplet trembled violently. It instantly transformed into a water dragon as thin as a toothpick but as swift as lightning.
With a 'pffft' sound, it easily pierced through his throat.
"Ah!"
He only managed to let out a wail before collapsing into the knee-deep water.
"All units, defend!"
"Stay away from the water! Beware of every single water droplet!"
The Iwa ninjas got back to their senses, forming hand seals one after another.
The ground rumbled and rose, forming island-like earth platforms, and thick earth walls shot up, attempting to isolate the deadly liquid.
Satoshi looked down at the rising water level, slowly bringing his hands together.
"Let's try this Ninjutsu."
Water Release: Thousand Dragon Bullet Jutsu.
Above the battlefield, the number of floating water droplets suddenly surged. Each one, as if endowed with a soul, transformed into miniature yet ferocious water dragons. They accurately sensed the Chakra signatures, shooting towards every nearby Iwa ninja in an overwhelming torrent.
An Iwa ninja quickly formed hand seals. "Are you kidding? This level of Ninjutsu..."
Whoosh... Whoosh... Whoosh...
Several water dragons instantly pierced through his hastily condensed earth armor, leaving several bloody holes in his body.
He widened his eyes, a look of disbelief on his face and fell with a 'thud'.
Satoshi's Susanoo clutched Five-Tails, drawing its immense Chakra continuously, using it as its own power source.
More and more tiny water dragon bullets appeared, and the entire Iwagakure descended into chaos.
Under the fierce assault, Iwa ninjas were forced to halt their advance. They could only hide behind their rock giants or use other Ninjutsu to fend off these annoying small water dragons.
However, it wasn't over yet. Each water dragon that struck the rock wall, at the moment of its shattering, emitted a dazzling light.
Then, there was an endless series of explosions.
Continuous, violent explosions bloomed wildly on the Iwa ninjas' defensive structures.
The sturdy rock walls rapidly disintegrated under the repeated, microscopic yet high-frequency impacts.
Screams, explosions, and the sound of shattering rock intertwined into a doomsday symphony.
"Hmph!"
Intense explosions constantly rang out, seemingly endless.
Every time they painstakingly resisted the first wave of attacks, the next wave would immediately follow. They simply had no strength to cope.
Even more terrifyingly, this water area was already close to spreading into the village.
Once the next offensive began, all the civilians in the entire village would die.
Ōnoki's face was filled with despair. He knew he had lost.
Decades ago, he lost to the spirited Madara.
Decades later, he lost to a descendant of Madara.
Trembling, he used his last ounce of strength to pull out the already written scroll from a pocket close to his body.
"Iwagakure, to Konoha, unconditional surrender!"
Ōnoki shouted, "Please do not harm the civilians of Iwagakure! We agree to unconditionally surrender to Konoha!"
It wasn't a peace talk, it was a surrender.
This sound was like the final death knell, crushing the fighting spirit of all Iwa ninjas. They all ceased their futile resistance and dropped their weapons, their faces filled with confusion and pain.
"We lost."
After speaking, Ōnoki's vision went black, and he fell heavily.
At the same time, the Konoha ninja army was still rushing towards Iwagakure.
"Faster! We need to go support the clan head!"
"Hokage-sama is too impulsive, how could he charge in alone?"
"Stop the Suna ninjas, prevent them from supporting Iwagakure!"
"Huh? Suna ninjas aren't here?"
"Then we still need to charge faster!"
When they arrived at the battlefield, they only found a scene of devastation.
Satoshi was sitting cross-legged on the ground, his body covered in blood.
"Hokage-sama!"
"Kill all these Iwa ninjas! Don't let those Byakugan users steal our credit!"
"Charge! We Hyuga are still the strongest!"
"Woof! Woof!"
Satoshi scratched his head. "Perfect timing. Let's go into the village and take a look."