Chapter 70: Ten Tails · Divine Tree · Bud · Sage Mode!!

Aooooohhhhhh——!!

A thunderous and chilling roar erupted across the battlefield.

The [Gedo Statue] had now opened all its monstrous eyes. From its gaping mouth came a wail so shrill, so terrifying, that it echoed like the cries of a demon from the deepest depths of hell.

All who heard it felt an indescribable fear grip their hearts.

And then—

The transformation began.

The Gedo Statue started to evolve, its form shifting, expanding, and mutating at a rapid pace. Its grotesque body was twisting into something new… something ancient and incomprehensibly powerful.

The original form of the Ten Tails, or more precisely, the Divine Tree—was beginning to take shape.

"Ha… It's finally starting."

Both Leo and Uchiha Madara stood side by side, watching the transformation with matching expressions of satisfaction and excitement.

They had waited a long time for this moment.

Then—

ROAR!!

The haze of smoke and chakra cleared slightly, revealing a monstrous beast standing amidst the carnage—its terrifying form finally revealed.

It had ten massive tails, each one swaying like a whip, radiating dreadful chakra.

"T-that's…!!"

"Ten Tails?! It's real?!"

The entire battlefield fell silent for a moment.

Whether it was Tsunade, Kakashi, Onoki, Raikage, Gaara, or any of the thousands of ninja present, everyone stared at the monstrous beast in awe and terror.

The chakra rolling off its body…

It was oppressive.

Impossible.

Limitless.

"This chakra... it's not something a human should even feel…"

Countless elite shinobi stood frozen, drenched in cold sweat.

It was like standing before a god.

At that moment—

"Yeah!"

Two identical voices spoke in unison.

Leo and Uchiha Madara looked at each other and nodded silently.

Whoosh——!!

They leapt into the air and landed together on the massive head of the Ten Tails.

Zheng———!!

In that instant, their Rinnegan eyes lit up, surging with power.

Vines—like hollow wooden tubes—emerged from the Ten Tails' back and connected to Leo and Madara.

The beast let out a guttural groan, its will being overridden—

—It had been completely subdued.

Now, the Ten Tails was under the complete control of two monsters: Leo and Uchiha Madara.

"Nii-san…!"

In the rear lines, Uchiha Izuna looked up at the two Madaras with admiration and anticipation. His brothers had transcended the battlefield—they were no longer ordinary shinobi.

"What are they going to do next?"

Tsunade, Kakashi, and the other leaders stared helplessly at the top of the beast's head.

At this point…

No one had the will to continue fighting.

Let alone two Madaras controlling the Ten Tails—even one Madara had been more than they could handle.

The Raikage clenched his fists.

He remembered how confidently he had declared just days earlier:

> "Even if ten Madaras show up, we won't be afraid!"

Thinking of that now, his face turned red with shame and frustration.

"Damn it…!"

His rage was still burning over the deaths of Killer Bee, Yugito, and countless comrades—but what could he do?

The enemy was beyond anything they could fight.

It wasn't just him.

Gaara, Temari, Kurotsuchi—all felt the same bitter helplessness.

They wanted revenge.

But even taking a single step forward felt impossible.

The monstrous beast with ten tails was waving its appendages lazily… as if daring the world to challenge it.

As the crowd watched in horror—

RUMBLE——!!

From the Ten Tails' back, something began to rise.

A massive tree trunk shot upward, bursting from its spine like a sprouting seed.

It grew taller and taller, reaching toward the heavens.

And then, from the top of the trunk—

A gigantic flower bud bloomed slowly in the air!

Although the petals had not yet opened, just the presence of the bud was enough to shake the souls of everyone on the battlefield.

"What… is that…?"

Onoki's eyes widened in disbelief.

His voice trembled—not from age, but from sheer horror.

Anxiety gripped every heart.

An ominous sense of doom blanketed the entire battlefield.

No one knew what was coming next.

Except Leo and Madara.

And that was the most terrifying part.

The chakra radiating from the flower bud was overwhelming.

Leo narrowed his eyes.

"The bud hasn't bloomed completely… Looks like the incomplete Nine Tails was a problem after all."

"Hmph. That's your fault," Madara muttered, throwing a sharp glance at Leo.

Any chance to needle his "other self" was one he wouldn't miss.

Especially since Leo had the Six-Tomoe Rinnegan—a power Madara himself coveted.

"Tch." Madara clicked his tongue as he glared at Leo's glowing eyes.

Leo chuckled. "But it's just a matter of time."

"It'll bloom eventually. These so-called ninja armies can't stop us."

His words oozed with disdain as his gaze swept across the terrified coalition below.

Madara nodded.

"But if we want to speed it up, we can use our power to feed it directly!"

"Our power?" Leo paused. Then his eyes lit up. "Wait, you don't mean… natural energy?"

Madara smirked in response.

"Sage Mode!!"

Zheng———!!

Without hesitation, Madara clasped his hands together.

His face was instantly marked with golden patterns.

He had entered Sage Mode—and his body began drawing in vast amounts of natural energy from the world around him.

That energy flowed through the tubes connecting him to the Ten Tails.

Leo grinned. "As expected of you."

Then—

"Sage Mode!!"

He activated Sage Mode as well. The two glowing patterns on his face were different from Madara's—more balanced, more refined.

Now, the two Madaras stood in perfect harmony atop the Divine Tree.

Like gods.

Together, they absorbed natural energy from the earth, the air, and the environment around them.

That energy was continuously transferred into the Ten Tails…

…And into the flower bud.

The Divine Tree was blooming.

Slowly.

Surely.

The Moon Eye Plan—

—had officially begun.

And the most terrifying part?

They weren't even using their own chakra.

They were feeding Ten Tails pure natural energy, allowing it to grow and evolve without limit.

"This can't be happening…"

Gaara watched in stunned silence.

"Their chakra… no, their nature energy is infinite…"

Even Terumi Mei was left speechless. This was power that made the title "Kage" feel like a joke.

"Everyone!" Onoki shouted with what little strength he had left. "We must stop them!"

"We can't let them bloom that flower. Who knows what it'll do!"

But—

Swish——!!

A figure flashed across the battlefield.

Uchiha Izuna reappeared, now standing between the Ten Tails and the ninja army.

He activated his Mangekyō Sharingan, the deadly [Blood Qifei] rippling around his body.

"Don't even think about interrupting my two Nii-sans!"

"Do you think you can stop a hundred thousand ninja by yourself?" Raikage growled, his fists crackling with electricity.

Only—

Swish. Swish. Swish.

Multiple figures leapt forward and landed beside Uchiha Izuna.

Tsunade, Kakashi, Kurenai, Anko, Nagato, Konan, Deidara—one after another, powerful allies from Konoha and Akatsuki stepped forward.

Their eyes burned with resolve.

"If you want to disturb the two bosses, you'll have to get past us first," Deidara said with a smirk, forming a bird from explosive clay in his palm. "Let's see if your will is as tough as your talk!"

"You little brat…!!"

Onoki glared at Deidara, his old student, with fury and heartbreak.

But it was no use.

The line had been drawn.

Before them stood a terrifying alliance, loyal to Leo and Madara.

Behind them loomed the ever-growing Divine Tree, whose flower bud was about to bloom…

And soon—

The Moon Eye Plan would become a reality.

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