Border of the Land of Lightning.
The wind and sand swept across, and the land was barren, with only rocks standing tall amidst the dust.
Beneath the yellow sand, black dots suddenly appeared in the distance, kicking up a trail of dust as they sped across the desert.
"Report! An extremely terrifying chakra has been detected ahead!"
A hidden sensory ninja in the distance suddenly sensed this overwhelming chakra, exclaiming in shock and firing a signal flare.
As the dust swirled in the desert, five figures appeared on the battlefield.
"Tch, how infuriating. I didn't expect there were still such deadly jutsu in the ninja world."
"Although it's frustrating, it seems there's nothing we can do right now."
The five figures were: Third Raikage A, Second Mizukage Gengetsu Hōzuki, Fourth Kazekage Rasa, Second Tsuchikage Mu, and Hanzo the Salamander.
"There are people ahead!"
At that moment, the five stopped, squinting into the distance as the sandstorm cleared to reveal silhouettes.
"Is this… the same uniform as the despicable person manipulating us?"
"No, based on previous intel, it should be a certain organization. The one manipulating us betrayed that organization…"
As the five discussed, the sandstorm faded, revealing five Akatsuki members clad in black cloaks with red clouds.
They were: the leader Rinnegan Nagato, the immortal duo Kakuzu and Hidan, and the art duo Deidara and Sasori.
"Heh heh, can't believe I get to see the Fourth Kazekage. Third Kazekage versus Fourth Kazekage—now that's going to be interesting."
Sasori's raspy voice sounded as he summoned the Third Kazekage puppet.
Meanwhile, Deidara shouted excitedly:
"Art is an explosion! Today, I'll show the Allied Ninja Forces my moment of artistic transcendence!"
Deidara saw the densely packed ninjas beyond the desert—cloud ninjas from Kumogakure, alongside hordes of White Zetsu.
Behind them, the Allied Shinobi Forces from all over the ninja world gathered.
"I wonder if reanimated corpses can be exchanged for money."
Kakuzu's olive-green eyes glinted greedily at the five highly-bountied figures in the distance.
"Lord Jashin…"
Hidan cheered, thrilled to finally offer up sacrifices to Lord Jashin again.
As the Akatsuki members revealed their twisted natures, leader Nagato slowly raised his head, exposing his Rinnegan, and stared coldly at the distant enemy, saying,
"Feel the pain of the world!"
The Akatsuki is going all-out—this time, leader Nagato himself is leading.
At the border, the vanguard ninja armies of both sides had already begun clashing.
At the same time, battles erupted on the distant sea as well.
Countless White Zetsu clones were landing on the coast.
The fuse of the Fourth Great Ninja War had been lit.
As friction broke out at the border, three falcons soared swiftly over the vast ocean.
"When is this going to end? It's been ages—nothing but ocean everywhere."
In the sea breeze, Suigetsu gulped from his water bottle before launching into another round of bored chatter.
Along the way, Naruto and Sasuke were both speechless—tired of Suigetsu's endless rambling.
"Suigetsu, shut up!"
In unison, Sasuke and Naruto rubbed their temples and helplessly stopped Suigetsu from complaining again.
"Turtle Island is a constantly moving island, and the intel we got was already a month old. That's why we've been searching this vast sea."
Sasuke explained the situation, a bit helpless—not because they weren't fast, but because the target kept moving.
"Sasuke, the frontlines are already at war, and we're stuck searching for this Turtle Island out in the endless ocean."
Suigetsu started complaining again, and Naruto couldn't help but sigh—they'd been circling the sea for days.
"Sasuke!"
Suddenly, Naruto seemed to spot something and shouted in surprise. At the same time, Sasuke also saw it, a smile appearing on his face.
"Looks like we've finally found our target!"
"Where? Where is it!?"
Suigetsu leaped up from the bird's back, excitedly scanning the horizon.
On the distant ocean, a massive island was now clearly visible.
The island was slowly moving deeper into the sea, protected by hidden barrier ninjutsu and numerous guards.
"Haha, those bastards, I've finally found you!"
Suigetsu grinned bloodthirstily, eager to start a massacre.
"But we must still be careful. Even though most forces have been drawn to the front lines, this place is still the hiding place for the cowardly feudal lords."
"These people think that even if they lose, they can still enjoy their high status here, hoping for a chance to make a comeback in the future."
Sasuke and Naruto understood the thoughts of these noble lords well.
The two exchanged glances, both revealing killing intent.
"Sasuke!"
"Naruto!"
"For revolution, bloodshed is inevitable. Let's work together to sweep away the remnants of the old era once and for all."
Sasuke and Naruto exchanged looks, while Suigetsu, once again ignored, twitched at the corner of his eye.
"Damn it! There's something wrong with you two!"
Suigetsu shouted, but as the three falcons flew above Turtle Island, his ninja instincts made him calm down.
"Let's sneak in first."
"No need. The frontlines are already at war—no one has time to save these people abandoned by the times."
The three exchanged glances and jumped down from the sky.
On Turtle Island, two samurai were on guard outside. Sensing something, they nervously looked up.
"Not good! Sound the alarm! We're under attack!"
Moments later, a piercing alarm echoed across Turtle Island, shocking the drunken, pleasure-seeking lords and nobles in the underground palace awake.
"What's going on!?"
"Enemy attack! We're under attack!"
"Quick, kill the intruders! Make the island flee into the deep ocean at full speed. I don't believe those ninja can find us!"
"Yes, yes, we'll just hide far away and wait for the mainland to decide the outcome!"
"Damn it! We're noble lords!"
"I don't want to die, wuwu…"
The hereditary, high-and-mighty nobles and lords were thrown into chaos.
Some panicked; others wept, unwilling to leave their decadent lives; some stubbornly held to their last bit of dignity, preparing for a final stand.
Some, in the confusion, secretly instructed guards to prepare their escape—believing as long as they survived, their noble lineage would live on, and revenge would come one day.
The loyal guards fought to protect them, never seeing the ugly faces of those they served.
Outside the underground palace gate, after a fierce clash, all fell silent.
As the huge stone door was pushed open, a bloodied hand appeared on its surface.
"N-No… For the will of the samurai, I cannot let you—"
A loyal guard, covered in blood and mortally wounded, still blocked the final defense line.
"Sasuke!"
Naruto looked at the loyal samurai with admiration—the man's pupils were dilated, consciousness gone, only sheer will keeping him upright.
"Let's go. This is his way of the ninja. We can respect it, but we must stick to our path."
Sasuke nodded firmly, holding an Adamantine Staff—a transformation of Enma—directly smashing through the last stone door.
Only the samurai's dying body remained outside, standing guard even in death as if still protecting the important ones inside.
The Adamantine Staff—after the Sarutobi clan defected in this world, the Enma were taken in by Konoha and became the Uchiha clan's summoning beast.
Especially this world's Sasuke, being the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, possessed not only immense chakra but also incredible physical strength, wielding the staff with great skill.
Inside the underground palace, all was in ruins. Only terrified servants and maids remained—the lords and nobles had already disappeared.
In the great hall, as Naruto and Sasuke entered, some determined nobles had chosen to commit seppuku.
This was their chosen dignified death, while most others escaped through secret passages.
"Tch, how foolish—trying to escape by sea."
After searching the area, Sasuke snorted in disdain, Naruto smiling and nodding beside him.
"The sea is Suigetsu's domain anyway. Our mission is done."
"Yeah, let the big turtle take them back to Konoha."
After leaving the palace, Sasuke's Mangekyō Sharingan appeared. The giant turtle's pupils shrank as it fell under a genjutsu.
The next moment, Turtle Island changed course, heading toward the Land of Fire.
Meanwhile, the boats fleeing from Turtle Island were met with violent waves.
"Damn it, what's going on? The sky's clear, so why are the waves so strong?"
"Not good, there's a leak!"
"Ninja! There's a ninja under the sea!"
"Where are our men? Quick, get them all to kill that ninja—"
The boats rocked violently as, underwater, Suigetsu grinned shark-like and, controlling a school of sharks, devoured the enemy ninjas.
The terrifying waves lasted for over half an hour before the sea gradually calmed under the clear sky—only fragments of broken planks floated on the surface; nothing else remained.
...
Meanwhile, on the ninja world battlefield, both sides were locked in fierce combat.
"Haha, sacrifices! All are offerings for Lord Jashin!"
In the yellow sand, Hidan of Akatsuki wore a manic grin, standing on a stone slab, feet planted within a bizarre ritual circle of circles and triangles.
"Hidan!"
Other ninjas occasionally threw bloody kunai at him from afar, keeping his twisted smile plastered on his face.
Stab, stab—!
Each time a kunai pierced his body, Hidan grew more excited, pulling them out to lick the blood, then frantically harming himself again.
Watching this, Kakashi was speechless—these Akatsuki members together were just outrageous.
In the distance, Kakuzu killed eagerly, collecting hearts and targeting bounty-laden ninjas.
Above, Deidara rode a white clay bird, yelling excitedly as explosions echoed across the battlefield—his art on display before the entire ninja world.
Sasori's hundred-puppet technique left the puppet-masters of Sunagakure both ashamed and envious.
"Akatsuki is terrifying, but all their jutsu's flaws are being exposed too."
Kakashi nodded to himself, watching as many kumogakure jonin suddenly spat blood and died mysteriously on the battlefield.
His Mangekyō Sharingan saw everything clearly—some ninjas narrowly escaped Hidan's deadly technique.
"So if you're far enough away, this bizarre jutsu fails!"
Kakashi nodded secretly, noticing that after Hidan licked a bloody kunai, the distant ninja only grimaced in pain, but was otherwise unharmed.
"As expected, all jutsu have flaws. There's no perfect jutsu. That ninja had a sealing bandage—sealing techniques are also a counter to Hidan's jutsu."
Worthy of his reputation as a master analyst, Kakashi quickly deduced much about both friend and foe.
Hidan's curse technique seemed deadly but was easily countered: if Hidan wasn't within his ritual circle, or if the opponent retreated far enough, the effect broke; sealing jutsu and overwhelming chakra could also nullify it.
Still, many Kumogakure ninjas died unexplainably in the chaos, unable to guard against Hidan's sinister jutsu.
Their terror grew as more comrades fell without knowing why.
Amidst the screams, Hidan's neck was slick with blood—he'd cut it many times. His initial mad laughter had given way to numbness.
"Damn it, at this rate my neck will be sliced off! Kakuzu, get over here, damn you!"
Hidan complained loudly. Suddenly, a gleam flashed by.
One of the Seven Swords of the Mist—Nuibari the Sewing Needle—stitched up his neck wound.
Hidan laughed excitedly again, ready to stab himself in the heart with a kunai.
The Fourth Ninja World War had begun. From the very start, terrifying battles broke out, with more than ten Kage-level fighters joining the fray.
Especially Rinnegan Nagato—his power was overwhelming.
Never before in the previous three ninja wars had such a scene occurred.
Once-rare Kage-level fighters were now thrown onto the battlefield as if they were nothing, especially with the terrifying power of Edo Tensei—a forbidden jutsu that inspired dread.