At the same time, on the border of the Land of Fire, the Third Raikage was fleeing toward the Land of Lightning with fewer than a hundred battered survivors trailing behind him.
His face was grim. The operation had ended in complete failure. He had been played by a shadow clone.
"It was my own carelessness," he muttered. "If not for that, Takayama Haru wouldn't have had the chance to strike."
Yao was still in Konoha.
"Konoha, I will return. Next time, I will tear Takayama Haru to pieces!"
The Third Raikage growled, fury shaking his body.
Suddenly, a gasp came from one of the Cloud shinobi behind him. "Lord Raikage!"
"Hmm?"
He looked up—standing ahead was a familiar figure. His eyes widened. It was Takayama Haru!
"Haru!"
Crackling with rage, the Raikage exploded with lightning chakra, his body sparking and hair standing on end. The surrounding shinobi retreated, giving him room.
Haru smiled, calm as ever.
"Lightning Style: Black Lightning!"
This was the Raikage's own jutsu. Black, leopard-pattern lightning erupted from his body, focused toward Haru. But Haru vanished with Flying Thunder God, reappearing behind him.
"Lightning Style: Hell Stab—Four-Finger Variant!"
The Raikage turned immediately, thrusting with a jutsu renowned for its terrifying penetration power. Concentrating chakra into four fingers, he launched a piercing strike.
"Wood Style: Wood Pillar Wall!"
A row of curved wooden pillars burst from the ground—but were torn apart by the Raikage's attack.
"Thunder Chidori!"
Haru retaliated with his most powerful single-target lightning technique. Wood Style was suited for crowd control or large-scale targets, but for pinpoint power, Lightning Style was superior.
A massive burst of chakra cracked the ground beneath their feet, hurling rubble into the air. Nearby shinobi shielded themselves.
"That's his real body, right?"
"He's actually holding his own against the fastest Raikage ever?!"
The Third Raikage sneered. "You're strong. Come again!"
Lightning cloaked his body. Haru responded by channeling the Water Style: Great Water Arm—drawing upon a secret technique of the Hozuki Clan, concentrating moisture into one arm to produce immense destructive force.
The Raikage reappeared instantly before Haru, performing the Hell Stab again. His golden-armored arm cut through the air at blinding speed.
Haru was struck—his body cracked and shattered in an explosive burst of lightning chakra.
The Cloud shinobi erupted into cheers, believing the battle was won.
But Haru vanished in a puff of smoke. Another clone.
The Third Raikage stood unmoved. Blood dripped from his mouth. His right hand trembled.
He had struck a clone using a powerful jutsu—and still injured himself.
His unease deepened. This young man was terrifying.
"Move! We need to get out before more clones come."
Meanwhile, the information the clone gathered flowed back to Haru's mind. His Thunder Shield: Chidori was now Level 5. The fight had pushed his power up another tier.
Battlefield experience—especially against strong opponents—was the fastest way to level up jutsu.
"Found the Third Raikage," Haru noted.
"Where?" Minato asked instantly, eager to test his Flying Thunder God technique again. Haru had stolen all the spotlight lately.
Before Haru could respond, a deafening roar echoed from Konoha.
Kushina and Mikoto turned pale. Haru sealed his chakra, expanding his perception. Three massive and terrifying chakra signatures had appeared in the village—each more dreadful than the last.
Minato's expression shifted. "What's happening in the village?!"
Then the system voice chimed in Haru's mind.
\[Ding! Based on current conditions, you have three choices:]
\[Option 1: Ignore Konoha and pursue Cloud Village. Reward: S-rank Character Card - Second Raikage A.]
\[Option 2: Conquer Mist Village while they're absent. Reward: S-rank Character Card - Mifune.]
\[Option 3: Rush back to Konoha to rescue Uzumaki Mito. Reward: S-rank Character Card - Uchiha Itachi (Dark Ops).]
Uchiha Itachi (Dark Ops)? A special designation?
If this option appeared, it meant real danger.
Most important of all—Uzumaki Mito was in danger.
"Let's go!" Haru ordered, speeding toward Konoha.
"Wait for me, sensei!" Obito cried, dragging a fallen shinobi's body.
"No rush. Catch up when you can," Haru said without looking back.
Obito scowled. Was Haru making him train on purpose?
Haru ran at full speed, skimming through the newly acquired S-rank character card: Uchiha Itachi (Dark Ops).
Itachi awakened his Sharingan at age eight after countless personal tragedies. His ninjutsu and genjutsu were equally formidable.
"Everyone relies on their knowledge and beliefs, calling it reality."
On the back of the card: Collect Uchiha Itachi \[Night Slayer] and Uchiha Itachi \[Akatsuki] to fuse into an SSS-rank Human Card: Uchiha Itachi \[Susano'o Form].
"Holy—upgradeable character cards? If I collect three S-rank Itachis, I get SSS? This is insane."
As Haru raced from the Forest of Death, Konoha came into view.
At its center, the Gedo Statue had reduced everything to ruins.
The massive statue towered over the village walls.
Two-Tails and Nine-Tails had been bound in chakra chains and dragged toward the statue.
Haru's eyes narrowed. Only one person could do this.
Uchiha Madara.
"Even the Nine-Tails has been extracted? Then Mito..."
His face paled. Kushina behind him looked even worse.
"Mito-sama will be okay!"
Konoha was in flames. Civilians had evacuated. The clans dared not intervene—anyone close to the Uchiha was already dead.
Except for the strongest, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
But even Hiruzen was near collapse—both arms broken, body covered in burns. Yet he fought on.
"Wood Style: Great Bullet Barrage!"
"Useless!"
Madara sneered, unleashing a Tailed Beast Bomb.
Having absorbed the Eight-Tails, the Gedo Statue was nearing Ten-Tails form. Its power grew.
The Tailed Beast Bomb tore through Hiruzen's strongest Wood Style jutsu.
Explosive thunder rained from the statue, engulfing Hiruzen.
He screamed, thrown backward, body charred. Medic-nin rushed to help.
Madara looked down. "Today's Hokage doesn't even compare to the First. That man had the power to destroy everything."
Even the Uchiha clan members were stunned.
Was this truly Madara Uchiha?
The clan head stepped forward. "Are you really... Madara-sama?"
Madara glanced at him. "Just a brat from the Uchiha? Name?"
"I... I'm Uchiha Juna."
"Didn't you hear? You're clan head now. Want to be Hokage?"
Juna froze. His heart raced.
"Kill that old man. The title's yours."
He hesitated.
Madara raised his hand. In a flash, Juna was reduced to pulp.
"Instant promotion!"
The Uchiha panicked, retreating en masse.
Madara scoffed. The clan was still hopeless.
Now Haru entered the village.
Madara, atop the Gedo Statue, saw him.
"That aura—it's him. Senju Hashirama's descendant."
Haru ignored Madara, rushing to Mito's side. Her breathing was faint. Tsunade, red-eyed, was healing her—without success.
"I'm here."
Tsunade stepped aside.
"Palm Sage Jutsu!"
Haru's healing chakra entered Mito's body—nothing. No reaction.
He looked to the Nine-Tails being pulled into the Gedo Statue. Without a Tailed Beast, a Jinchuriki would die.
But Naruto and Killer Bee had survived extraction in the anime—because of re-injected chakra.
"It's the Tailed Beast's chakra."
\[Ding! Host is correct. Three options:]
\[Option 1: Increase Palm Sage Jutsu output. Reward: Mito lives, becomes comatose.]
\[Option 2: Use enhanced jutsu from your blood. Reward: Mito lives, has 1 day to live.]
\[Option 3: Steal Nine-Tails chakra and use healing. Reward: Mito lives with full lifespan.]
"Do I even need to think?!"
Haru formed seals. No more words—just action.
A massive wooden dragon shot skyward, biting the Nine-Tails.
Madara thought he was under attack. "Finally making a move? Too late!"
The Gedo Statue continued to absorb the Tails and charge another Tailed Beast Bomb.
But the dragon wasn't targeting the statue. It bit one of the Nine-Tails' tails—ripping it off!
"Roar!"
The Nine-Tails screamed as the statue absorbed the rest of him.
A Tailed Beast Bomb launched—but Haru summoned the Tree Wall to intercept it.
Boom!
The wall cracked—but held.
The shinobi around cheered.
"Lord Haru is back!"
"We're saved!"
Madara frowned, displeased at the hope Haru inspired.
"Why did Konoha trust Hashirama—but not me?!"
In the mist, the Gedo Statue completed its absorption of the Two-Tails and Nine-Tails.
Madara stood atop it, preparing for the next phase...