At the moment, inside the command building of the military base, only three Kage were present: Hokage Natsuro, Tsuchikage Ōnoki, and Raikage A.
Kazekage Gaara, of course, had already led the five combat divisions to the frontlines, while Mizukage Mei Terumi had gone to safeguard the feudal lords at their hidden location.
However, Natsuro had sent along several of the Fourth Hokage's former guards to accompany her. Although they hadn't mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique, they had learned to form the Flying Thunder Formation. That way, if Mei's presence was urgently needed on the battlefield, she could still teleport over instantly.
Currently, the Raikage stood anxiously by the window, staring into the distance, visibly worried about how the war would unfold.
Ōnoki wasn't as overtly agitated, but the concern on his face was just as clear.
Natsuro, however, the Supreme Commander of this war, sat calmly... Sipping tea as he tried to reassure the others.
"Heh, still so composed at your age, Hokage-dono. You've got quite the temperament," Ōnoki remarked.
"It's not that. I just have more faith in our allied forces than you do," Natsuro replied.
Just then, intel arrived from the Intelligence Division: the Allied Forces' Ambush Unit had engaged the enemy's own ambush force.
And the shocking report? The enemy forces consisted of dead shinobi, resurrected through a forbidden jutsu known as Edo Tensei, and they were now fighting as enemies of the Allied Forces.
"Edo Tensei! That vile jutsu?" Ōnoki's voice rose sharply. He had lived through the era of the Second Hokage and understood better than anyone how abominable the technique was.
"Yes, that one," Natsuro confirmed with a nod.
Ōnoki gave him a look. In the past, he would've taken the opportunity to jab at Konoha, but now wasn't the time. What mattered now was how to deal with the Edo Tensei threat.
"Hokage-dono, since this jutsu was created by the Second Hokage of Konoha, do you know if it has any weaknesses?" Ōnoki asked.
To his disappointment, Natsuro shook his head.
"This jutsu has no true weakness. There's a loophole, but not one we can exploit. The only real way to stop it is to have the caster willingly cancel the technique," Natsuro explained.
"Not even by killing them?" the Raikage asked, scowling.
"Afraid not."
"Damn it! Why even invent such a twisted, disgusting technique?!" the Raikage roared.
"I won't deny its inhuman nature," Natsuro replied. "But you know the real reason it was created, don't you?"
The Raikage fell silent. He knew. It had been during a time when the Cloud and the Leaf were at war, and it was the Cloud who had provoked that conflict. He wasn't exactly in the right here.
Still, unwilling to lose the upper hand, he glared at Natsuro. "Well? You're the Supreme Commander. What do we do about it?"
Natsuro thought for a moment, then spoke.
"The revived shinobi typically don't retain their full power from when they were alive. The real problem is that as long as the caster doesn't release the jutsu, even if they're destroyed in battle, they'll just regenerate infinitely."
What he didn't say was that these Edo Tensei corpses were especially terrifying, because they were created using White Zetsu bodies, giving them nearly limitless chakra. That made them stronger than any previous iteration of Edo Tensei.
Some of the revived ninja—those who had weakened with age before dying—were now even stronger than they had been in their prime, thanks to these enhanced bodies.
Of course, Natsuro didn't reveal any of that, he couldn't risk demoralizing their side, nor could he explain how he knew.
"But regeneration takes time," Natsuro continued. "So if we use sealing techniques during that window, we can stop them from continuing to fight."
Ōnoki nodded. He hadn't known this method was viable. Back in the Second Hokage's era, Edo Tensei had never been used this way. That man had weaponized the regeneration, he'd turn revived shinobi into walking bombs covered in explosive tags. No one had time to test sealing methods back then.
Now, if he said it would work, it was worth trusting.
"When Orochimaru invaded Konoha, he used Edo Tensei to summon the First and Second Hokage. They're both currently sealed within Konoha," Natsuro added.
"What did you say?" Ōnoki's eyes widened.
Natsuro sighed and repeated the statement.
Ōnoki burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! That bastard got summoned by his own jutsu? Poetic justice!" he said. Clearly, the Second Hokage was not fondly remembered.
"Since we have a method, inform the Intel Division immediately," the Raikage urged.
"No need. While I was explaining it to you, I already had the message sent," Natsuro said, glancing at him. There was no way he'd waste time just chatting.
Both Ōnoki and the Raikage nodded in approval.
Suddenly, Ōnoki's expression shifted. "Hokage… are you saying Orochimaru has mastered Edo Tensei?"
"Yes," Natsuro replied.
"Then… is it possible Orochimaru is the one casting the jutsu, not Madara Uchiha?" Ōnoki asked. "As I recall, when Madara left the village, the Second Hokage hadn't created this technique yet."
"Probably," Natsuro agreed. "But knowing Orochimaru, tracking him down won't be easy."
Even him, without Orochimaru's mental imprint anymore, had no way to locate him now.
"That damn Orochimaru!" the Raikage growled, though he didn't blame Natsuro.
Everyone knew Orochimaru had attacked Konoha, he was Konoha's top rogue ninja.
Ōnoki's face didn't look great either, Orochimaru had destroyed much of his own life's work, after all...
Time passed minute by minute. Now, only Natsuro and the Raikage remained in the command hall. Even Ōnoki had gone to help on the front lines.
The Raikage was clearly upset. Too many wounded had been brought back from the front already, and those were only the ones with severe injuries.
They had completely lost their combat ability. Being brought here meant they were effectively out of the war, even if they survived.
As for the lightly wounded, they didn't need to be sent back. Which meant… this war was even more intense than the Raikage had anticipated.
It was just one organization, yet it could still mount this level of resistance against a coalition of Five Kage.
Natsuro remained silent. While the Raikage could only see the aftermath, he saw much more.
The Natsuro currently in the command base was the real one, he had returned from the Dragon Vein the moment the war began. And as for his training progress… let's just say it lived up to expectations.
With the original body sitting here, Natsuro's Spiritual Clone had gone with the main army. The clone had not made a move, it simply floated above the clouds, watching the battles unfold.
Because all the clone's perceptions were linked in real time with his true self, he could sit calmly here while still witnessing the war's full brutality.
Even though he had previously told Orochimaru to "go easy," once the fighting began… who cared about restraint?
Let's just say, Orochimaru did go easy… but definitely not too easy.
Of course, Natsuro's Spiritual Clone wasn't just passively watching the battle, it was also carefully observing the five elemental chakra natures being used across the battlefield, using the chaos to absorb and accumulate experience for the next step in his power evolution.
Natsuro let out a quiet sigh. The sheer brutality of the war had exceeded even his expectations. Despite having powerhouses like Naruto and Sasuke fighting on the front lines, the death toll was still staggeringly high.
He couldn't imagine how many soldiers were actually left alive by the end of the war in the original series...
However, a large part of this was because Naruto and Sasuke had become such key threats that they were specifically targeted. The masked man had sent all nine Tailed Beasts to confront and delay them.
Yes, all nine Tailed Beasts, including the Nine-Tails. Using chakra from the Nine-Tails that he had previously (deliberately) discarded, as well as additional chakra likely taken from Kinkaku and Ginkaku, the masked man had created a version of the Nine-Tails with no consciousness but a terrifying amount of chakra.
Without Naruto and Sasuke holding them off, the Tailed Beasts alone would have likely torn the battlefield apart.
As for the infamous infiltration by White Zetsu impersonating Allied Shinobi... That didn't happen.
In the original timeline, White Zetsu impersonated Allied soldiers to force Naruto into joining the war. His ability to mimic others so perfectly that not even the Byakugan could see through it meant that only Naruto, using the Nine-Tails' ability to sense malice, could detect them.
Natsuro recalled that he had once tried to develop a similar ability, to sense malice through chakra perception, but he'd failed.
That attempt was one of his few personal failures, despite all the research he'd put into it.
But there was another major change from the original timeline, Neji Hyūga.
Since Yamato hadn't been captured and was instead serving as the Allied Forces' master builder, the artificial "Tobi" Zetsu hadn't become as powerful. Consequently, he didn't pose as much of a threat to the Allied Shinobi Forces.
In the original story, Neji's death had felt like a forced plot device. But here, with a clear mission and an upgraded Byakugan with no blind spot, Neji's strength had only grown, and there was no reason he would die in the same place again.
Natsuro had even been keeping a special eye on Neji, just in case. Fortunately, there had been no surprises so far.
Looking out over the chaotic battlefield, he reminded himself, this was only the first day. The masked man clearly hadn't revealed all his trump cards, and Orochimaru hadn't summoned all his heaviest hitters with Edo Tensei either.
If those cards were all played at once… the battlefield would likely be even more tragic than it already was.
Natsuro found himself wondering, what if he had intervened? Would things be different if he hadn't been so lazy earlier?
After a long moment, he shook his head. It was pointless to think about. If he wanted to achieve what he had in mind, then gathering the chakra of all nine Tailed Beasts was essential.
Even if this particular battle hadn't happened, things wouldn't have gone any better. In fact, if he had been the one capturing the Tailed Beasts instead of the Akatsuki, then Konoha itself might've been cast as the villain.
In that version of events, the other four great villages would have united to fight Konoha, and the Akatsuki might've even joined them, since they also wanted the Tailed Beasts.
Besides, if it came to that, who's to say he would still even be Hokage? The village might've ousted him to wash their hands of his actions.
So why do something so thankless?
And even if things had gone down that path, would there really have been fewer casualties?
As an enemy, he wasn't someone who knew the meaning of mercy. And if Orochimaru had become his ally in that version of events, the final result wouldn't have been any different.
Only the process would change.
As Natsuro mused, his expression shifted. He paused and looked off into the distance, he had sensed the emergence of several immense chakra presences.
"…Trouble," he muttered, frowning. Naruto and Sasuke would likely still be pinned down on the second day by Tobi's schemes. Which meant the task of facing these opponents would fall to the Allied Forces.
Or perhaps to Gaara and Ōnoki?
Or maybe… Natsuro stretched lazily. Was it finally time for him to make a move? His fingers itched a little for battle.
Well, even if his main body didn't act, surely having his Spiritual Clone step in wouldn't be a problem?
Natsuro's eyes lit up with anticipation. He found himself looking forward to tomorrow's opponents. Hopefully, they wouldn't disappoint him.
—
The Next Day
In the eyes of everyone on the battlefield, those enormous chakra presences that he had sensed finally appeared before the Allied Forces.
And the moment they appeared, everyone froze in shock.
Because standing before them were… their Kage!
Second Tsuchikage
Second Mizukage
Third Raikage
Fourth Kazekage!
Resurrected by Edo Tensei, they were now enemies of the very villages they once led.
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Currently on Chapter 395 - The Path of Natural Energy