Chapter 92: The Tides of War and the Blaze God's Return
Faced with the existential threat, the Hyūga and Uchiha clans moved with unprecedented unity and force. Even the main family members of the Hyūga, usually kept safe within the village, took to the battlefield without reservation. Everyone understood this was a fight for survival.
Led by these two powerhouse clans, every other major and minor clan in Konoha rallied, pooling their remaining strength to form a new, elite battalion. While its numbers were modest—around two thousand strong—its quality was terrifying. The lowest-ranked members were Chūnin, and it was filled with elite Jōnin and specialists wielding their clans' secret techniques. This force was a concentrated embodiment of Konoha's hidden might.
The Hyūga and Uchiha, longtime rivals, fought in seamless synergy. The Hyūga handled reconnaissance and close-quarters combat, their Byakugan seeing through every deception, while the Uchiha provided tactical command and devastating long-range ninjutsu. The other clans filled the gaps, creating a versatile and powerful unit. They marched out of Konoha in a formidable wave, heading straight for the Land of Hot Springs.
Thanks to the many sensory and reconnaissance experts in the group, they located the Cloud ninja vanguard after only half a day's travel. Meanwhile, though severely wounded, Danzō knew that Konoha's destruction would shatter his dream of becoming Hokage. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he had masterfully directed his remaining forces in a desperate holding action against the Cloud advance.
It was Danzō's stubborn, effective defense that bought enough time for the Hyūga-Uchiha relief force to arrive. Seeing the village's reinforcements, a surge of relief washed over Danzō. Without hesitation, he assumed overall command and launched a fierce counter-offensive against the Cloud ninja.
Bolstered by this influx of elite fighters, the Konoha line solidified and then pushed forward, slowly but surely driving the stunned Cloud forces all the way back to the border.
During the close-quarters combat, the Cloud ninja were shocked by the Hyūga's prowess. Their 360-degree vision left no blind spots, and their Gentle Fist strikes could seal an opponent's chakra with terrifying efficiency. When combined with the Uchiha's long-range firepower, it was a devastating combination. The Cloud ninja were forced to acknowledge the sheer power of Konoha's noble clans, and a covetous desire for the Hyūga's bloodline limit began to take root in their minds. If the Hyūga had known their bravery would paint such a target on their backs, they might have reconsidered their fervor.
As the Cloud ninja were gradually beaten back and contained, Danzō finally allowed himself a moment to breathe. The situation was critical, but perhaps not yet irreversible.
Thoughts of internal politicking were the furthest thing from his mind. When faced with the threat of national annihilation, such schemes were the height of folly. Danzō was many things, but he was not an idiot.
"Where is Akatsurugi?" Danzō growled, his patience worn thin by the immense pressure. "Why is he still not here?" The Cloud Village's Jinchuriki were returning to the fray. While Danzō's Wind Release was at the Kage-level, it was insufficient to contend with the raw power of a Tailed Beast.
"We still cannot establish contact, sir," an intelligence ninja reported.
Danzō nearly swore aloud. "Is that man even a Konoha shinobi?!" he fumed, his voice a low roar. "To be unreachable at a time like this is beyond absurd!"
"Lord Danzō!" another ninja yelled, bursting into the tent. "The Fourth Raikage himself has taken the field! He's leading the Eight-Tails and Two-Tails Jinchuriki!"
Danzō shot to his feet and rushed out, barking an order over his shoulder as he went. "Send a message to Hiruzen! Tell him I cannot hold this line any longer! I cannot stop Kumogakure's Tailed Beasts!"
The intelligence team scrambled to record and transmit the desperate message.
On the battlefield in the Land of Rain, Sarutobi Hiruzen was also feeling the strain. The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, was a formidable opponent. His ability to fly made him elusive, and Hiruzen found himself constantly on the defensive. If not for his powerful summon, Enma, who had managed to surprise Ōnoki with a well-aimed blow, Hiruzen would likely have been completely overwhelmed. The bitter truth was that fighting a war on four fronts had stretched Konoha's strength to the absolute limit. Against any single village, Konoha could have emerged victorious, forcing them to cry for mercy.
In the sealed solitude of the Land of Demons, Akatsurugi's spiritual pressure had swelled to a terrifying crescendo. After months of relentless cultivation, he had fully assimilated the soul power of the demon Mōryō. More importantly, he had conquered the fiery spirit within his soul and achieved his goal.
The pressure radiating from him intensified until, finally, he rose to his feet.
"All things of this world, turn to ashes," he murmured. "Ryūjin Jakka."
The ancient zanpakutō in his hand ignited, a conflagration erupting along the blade as if starving to consume the world itself. The flames were blindingly bright and impossibly hot, radiating pure, destructive majesty. A violent wave of heat exploded outwards, scorching the very air around him. In that moment, Akatsurugi was a living sun, an entity no mortal could dare approach.
"Bankai..."
A profound silence fell as the raging inferno did not expand, but instead collapsed inward, compressing with unimaginable force. The blazing sword transformed, its flames vanishing to reveal a blackened, charred-looking blade, from which tendrils of green smoke lazily rose.
"...Zanka no Tachi."
This was the true power of his Bankai. It sealed Ryūjin Jakka's apocalyptic flames entirely into the edge of the sword. No heat radiated, no fire burned—it was all contained within the blade, granting it the power to annihilate anything it touched with the concentrated heat of a sun.
A faint, shimmering haze began to rise from the ground around Akatsurugi's feet as his Bankai passively evaporated every last molecule of moisture in the vicinity.
He took a deep, satisfied breath. He had done it. He had achieved Bankai. In this ninja world, he finally possessed the absolute power to safeguard his own destiny. Now, no matter who came—be it Madara or even the Otsutsuki clan—he had the means to fight back.
Releasing his Bankai, Akatsurugi's senses expanded, stretching across the nations. He didn't need to see the battlefields to know the war had reached a fever pitch. The air was thick with the presence of lingering souls, spirits too full of regret and hatred to pass on to the Pure Land. He could feel the Shinigami itself, drifting over the sites of carnage, reaping a bitter harvest.
"It's time," he muttered to himself. "I felt that reverse summoning attempt earlier. That must have been Hiruzen's doing. I should see what the situation is."
In an instant, he shot into the sky, a streak of crimson light hurtling towards the heart of the conflict. He was unaware that Hiruzen was personally on the front lines, but it wouldn't have changed his actions. As he had always believed, some people needed to carry the rice themselves to understand its weight.
As he passed over the Land of Rain, he frowned. The fighting here was particularly fierce; the concentration of lost souls was immense. Altering his course, he flew towards the densest gathering of the dead.
Before he even reached the epicenter, his sharp eyes caught sight of a massive salamander summon below. He halted mid-air, his gaze sharpening as he looked down.
There, he saw them.
Kato Dan lay motionless on the ground. A short distance away, the legendary Sannin—Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru—were all on their knees, their bodies trembling. Their faces were a sickly pallor, contorted in pain.
They had been poisoned.