There was no doubt about it.
They were truly frightened.
No one had expected the mighty First Raikage to attack once and never return.
He had been erased by the enormous screen in the sky.
And when everyone remembered that even his soul had been destroyed, many people felt chills run down their backs.
This was far more terrifying than they had imagined.
"How is this possible?"
"Is the First Raikage really dead?"
"Dead beyond recovery…"
"Why did we lose a top-tier combatant before even reaching Konoha?"
The ones hit hardest were the Second Raikage, Third Raikage, Fourth Raikage A, and the shinobi of Kumogakure.
Their faces turned grim.
Some even looked dazed.
This was the First Raikage.
The founder of Kumogakure.
In the village, his status had always been extraordinary.
And now?
He was gone.
Body and soul erased.
Just thinking about it made them feel a bone-deep chill.
"Uchiha Madara."
Suddenly, the Second Raikage seemed to realize something.
His eyes turned cold.
"Why weren't you erased?"
"Don't tell me this is all your doing."
"That's right."
The Third Raikage took a deep breath.
"We may have been revived through your Edo Tensei, but that doesn't mean we'll let you use us like fools."
"You owe us an explanation."
The Fourth Raikage A stepped forward, his expression ugly.
"Why did nothing happen when you attacked the screen, but the First Raikage was erased when he did?"
"Heh…"
Madara showed no panic.
In fact, he almost laughed.
"Who do you think you are?"
"Do I need to explain myself to you?"
"When I attacked, I was warned. The First Raikage insisted on charging in anyway. How was I supposed to stop him?"
After saying that, Madara shrugged casually, looking as if the matter had nothing to do with him.
In truth, he secretly felt relieved.
Fortunately, he had held back.
If he had launched a second attack, his fate might not have been much better than the First Raikage's.
The Second Raikage, Third Raikage, Fourth Raikage A, and the Kumogakure shinobi all looked furious, but no one could refute him.
A opened his mouth, but in the end, he said nothing.
As for the revived Second and Third Raikage, they had even less room to argue.
They had been summoned through Edo Tensei.
If Madara wished it, he could control them at any time.
After this incident, the atmosphere within the allied forces became much heavier.
"Why did this happen?"
The First Tsuchikage sighed helplessly.
"How many hidden tricks does this Fifth Hokage still have?"
"Ōnoki," the Second Tsuchikage muttered, "how can Uchiha Ren possess such strange methods?"
"His strength alone is already ridiculous. Now he has something like this too?"
The First and Second Tsuchikage both felt as if they could no longer keep up with the era.
"I don't know."
Ōnoki shook his head helplessly.
A trace of fear flashed through his eyes.
Without realizing it, he remembered the terror of being dominated by Uchiha Ren.
"Are we still moving?"
Obito, who had been silent until now, glanced at Madara.
"Are we just going to stay frozen here?"
"For now, we rest."
Madara took a deep breath and looked at the screen in the sky.
"This giant screen did not appear for no reason."
"We wait and see what happens."
"Fine."
Obito opened his mouth, then finally nodded.
In truth, there was something he did not say.
For some reason, every time he looked at the enormous screen, he felt an ominous chill.
It was as if something terrible was about to happen.
"This is unexpected…"
Black Zetsu shook his head inwardly.
Damn it.
A problem had appeared at the most critical moment of the plan.
What exactly was Uchiha Ren trying to do by placing this bizarre giant screen in the sky?
It was completely incomprehensible.
"We get to watch a show again."
"Exactly. The Fifth Hokage really does have endless strange tricks."
"I want to see what this giant screen is actually for."
Hearing Madara order everyone to rest in place, the resurrected Kazekage and Mizukage exchanged glances.
Unlike the others, they looked interested.
The closer they came to Konoha, the more curious they became about the Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Ren.
And the more curious they became—
the more they admired him.
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 60 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/StrawHatStudios