Hey, I finally got the chapter done. Sorry for the late update.

University has not been kind to me, as assignments had been pilling up even with my mid semester break.

Also, as some of you may know, I promised to write a crossover with Unicorn Gundam and Accel World at the beginning of the story, and yes it is published. So if any of you are interested, please do read it.

Nameless Guest, well, you'll just have to find out who's Choumei got extracted here. And no, it's not a reference to Hollow Fragment. I actually did not finish the game due to it's not-so-friendly gameplay mechanics, at least for me.

And yeah, basically Kirito is a god of swords, he can create, but not forge good swords. It's kind of different. And I'm not American, so no worries, we all know who the clown is. And dude, I know they said the rates for Castoria were good, but 4 in 100 SQs, that's borderline EX rank bro.

Saint Saber Fang, I'm not sure where to start playing that game actually, but I might try. Though it might take a while as I'm a bit busy these days.

So yeah, here's the chapter. Hope yall enjoy.

Note: Whatever happens here in the fourth division happens at the same time as the third division.

XXX

With the Fourth Division, Mifune stood in his tent looking at the map. Like the third division, the 4th Division was in a forested area.

Mifune pondered to himself, "Hmm, so far things have been going pretty well. Our side has not suffered major casualties, and by estimate we've possibly wiped out at least a quarter of the enemy forces..."

"Even so, we shouldn't relax."

Mifune turned and saw Artoria at the tent. The general nodded, "Of course, that goes without saying."

The blonde walked to the center of the tent, looking at the map, "But, something bothers. So far, apart from the reanimated ninja, there isn't really much to enemy's forces."

Mifune nodded silently, 'Well, considering we have roughly more than a dozen Kage level knights on our side, it's not that surprising.'

The general closed his eyes. If the Alliance didn't have the Underworld's human forces with them, then they would have been equal to the Akatsuki, and casualties would be way higher.

But the presence of the Integrity Knights and the normal knights had tipped the scales in their favor. And it was something the general was very much thankful for.

Mifune spoke up, "They have not sent out their Bijuu, and from the reports from the other divisions, they sent our late leaders as well. I assume we can expect something similar soon."

The former king of Wesdarath nodded, "At the very least, we should prepare for the worst."

The general nodded, "That goes without saying."

(Linebreak)

Meanwhile, outside in the campsite, Alice approached Asuna, "Asuna, sorry for interrupting your rest, but there is something I want to talk to you about."

The chestnut haired girl blinked, "Hmm? What is it?"

She noticed the two brunettes behind the Integrity Knight, and Alice spoke, "Actually, it's about Kirito. If both our Kirito's are one and the same, then..."

Asuna sighed, "Let me guess, the three of you all love him, and I assume you agreed to share him."

Ronye blinked, "Umm, how did you know?"

The girl smiled softly, "Because we came to the same decision here."

Sortiliena blinked, "W-what?"

Alice nodded, "Yeah, apparently Kirito is in a polygamous relationship here. That's why I wanted to talk about it..."

She glanced at Asuna, "Sorry if this makes you uncomfortable, I know this isn't a really good time for this, but it's just been bugging me for a while now."

Asuna shook her head, "No, it's fine. I don't know how Kirito-kun was on your side, but, if he's anything like the one we know, then there shouldn't be any problems. But, I don't think this is up to me alone. Of course, I doubt the others will object, it wouldn't be fair to any of you."

Sortiliena considered the idea, "I see..."

Ronye nodded, before she asked, "Umm, about Kirito-senpai, do you mind telling us about him here? I mean, I was his Valet for a year, but I just feel like I don't him that well."

The three older girls looked at the youngest girl among them, causing her to shrink a bit.

But before Asuna could respond, a yell reached their ears, "Enemies incoming! All units get ready!"

Asuna sighed and glanced at Ronye with a smile, "We'll continue this later, and I'll tell you all about Kirito-kun, in exchange, you tell me what you know of him over that side, okay?"

Sortiliena smiled, "Count me in as well."

Alice giggled, "I guess this time we'll be telling you more about him in the Underworld."

Asuna nodded, "I look forward to it."

The girls then headed for their own stations.

(Linebreak)

Soon, while Ronye and Sortiliena went to rejoin their ranks, Alice and Asuna went to the front lines, where Mifune, Artoria, Lancelot and Gawain were standing by.

Soon enough, a few hundred Zetsu clones rose from the trees and the ground, followed by three coffins rising from the ground.

The coffins opened up, revealing Kakuzu, a tall and muscular bearded man and a man wearing a gas mask.

Mifune's eyes widened, "Hanzo the Salamander! And those are the Sandaime Raikage and one of the Akatsuki, Kakuzu!"

"They're not the only ones you have to face."

Mifune's eyes widened as he saw the man that appeared before them, "U-Uchiha Madara!"

The ancient Uchiha smirked, as Zetsu rose from the ground beside him, "The Niibi and the Nanabi, I'll be taking them off your hands."

Asuna narrowed her eyes as Fuu went to stand beside her, "Uchiha... Madara?"

Mifune glanced at the two Jinchurikii, "Yes, I will never forget that figure. That is Uchiha Madara. Do not engage him, as strong as you two are, you'll just end up handing the Bijuu to him."

Artoria nodded, "Leave him to me."

Madara chuckled, "Don't think it'll just be us."

He flashed through a set of seals, "Kuchiyose: Gedo Mazo."

Immediately, behind them, the Gedo Mazo rose from the ground. Mifune's eyes widened further, if possible, "That's... that's the Gedo Mazo!"

Gawain looked at the giant husk of the Juubi, "So, that's the corpse of the Juubi."

Artoria nodded, "Gawain, I'll leave that to you, is that okay?"

Mifune snapped his head at her, "Him alone?! That's suicide!"

The Knight of the Sun smiled, "Don't worry, Mifune-dono, it's high noon."

The general was confused, "What does that mean?"

Alice looked at Mifune, "Gawain is the knight of the sun. His powers grow proportionately to the position of the sun, and right now, it is noon, Gawain's powers are tripled."

Artoria nodded, "He is stronger than me at noon, he can do it."

Mifune furrowed his brows, "I see..."

Hanzo stared at the old samurai, "Mifune, I see you are still alive."

The general stared back, "Hanzo the Salamander."

The Ame ninja glanced at Madara, "Uchiha Madara, I'll be taking on that old samurai. You don't mind, do you?"

The ancient Uchiha huffed, "Do as you wish. All of them are but insects to me."

The Third Raikage huffed, "Arrogance will be your downfall, Uchiha Madara."

The Uchiha spared the former Raikage a glance, "Hmph, if they prove to be strong enough, then I will respond in kind."

The former Ay huffed, "Very well... then who shall I take?"

Madara glanced at the battalion in front of him, "Hmph, whoever you want. But, if you want to have fun, then take on those samurai with the weird armor."

The third Raikage glanced at the Integrity Knights, "Hmm, I suppose their chakra is rather note-worthy."

Kakuzu huffed, "I'm taking that blonde girl. Seeing another blonde makes my blood burn."

The former Ay sighed, "Very well, then I suppose I'll take the man in purple armor."

Madara huffed, "Do as you want."

The Uchiha looked at the Alliance, "Now, entertain me, shinobi of the Alliance."

Artoria drew the Excalibur as she stepped forward, "Very well, come at me with everything you have."

Madara stared at his opponent, "Hmph, prove to me you're worthy, then we can dance."

The Uchiha flicked his wrist, and immediately, the army of White Zetsu clones charged, while the other reanimated ninja engaged the Integrity Knights.

Asuna and Fuu tried to help Gawain with the Gedo Mazo, only to be blocked by Zetsu.

The plant man chuckled, "Your opponent is me, Sanbi, Nanabi."

Asuna frowned as she drew her rapier, while Fuu drew a pair of kunai, "We don't have time for you!"

The pair of Jinchurikii charged the plant, intent on taking him down.

(Linebreak)

With Lancelot, the knight faced the Sandaime Raikage. The Raikage noted the sword in the knight's hands, before he spoke, "Don't take this personal. If possible I wouldn't want to fight against my own village."

Lancelot nodded, "Don't worry. I hold no such sentiments."

The Sandaime Raikage nodded, "Then that is fine. But just to warn you, I excel in lightning based attacks. Your metal armor and sword is a bad match."

The Knight of the Lake smiled, "Don't worry too much."

The knight then took a simple stance, "Lancelot Synthesis Five. Speak your name, former Raikage."

Ay raised an eyebrow, "Is that your bushido? Very well, I am Ay. Lancelot Synthesis Five, here I come!"

The former Raikage dashed forward, swinging his fist at the Integrity Knight.

Lancelot narrowed his eyes, and to the Raikage's surprise, met the punch with his own. The Sandaime Raikage's eyes widened in surprise as he stared at Lancelot's unmoving face, "You can match my power?"

The knight nodded, "That's some impressive strength, I'll admit. But not the worse I've seen."

After all, the older orcs and ogres he had fought all had that strength.

Lancelot then felt his skin tingle and he instantly leaped away just as the former Raikage's body erupted in lightning.

Ay raised an eyebrow, impressed again, "You dodged that? Impressive."

The knight of the lake stared at the Raikage, "An armor of lightning. Quite a frightening technique."

Ay nodded, "This technique gives me speed, power and defense, the only thing that can beat me is wind."

Lancelot raised an eyebrow, "Wind?"

The Sandaime Raikage nodded, "Wind style attacks. It will pierce through my armor."

The knight nodded, "I see."

Ay frowned as he body moved, "Careful. I also have a technique that uses my hands as a spear. No armor can defend against it."

The former Raikage vanished, appearing behind Lancelot, who spun and swung his sword.

Ay managed to land a kick of Lancelot's waist, sending electricity through his armor, while the knight left a shallow cut on the Raikage's chest.

The former Raikage quickly landed on the ground, stabilizing himself in an instant, before he threw a punch at the knight, only for it to be blocked by Lancelot's sword arm before he received a kick to the chest, sending him back.

Ay narrowed his eyes as the ash covered his wound, "How are you not affected by my lightning armor?"

Lancelot smiled slightly as he retook his stance, "A blessing from the lake. I suppose I am somewhat resistant to most attacks."

The Raikage nodded, "I see. Quite a convenient blessing."

The knight nodded and began chanting, "System Call: Generate Aerial Element. Form element: Bird Shape. Burst element. Discharge."

Four birds of wind formed at his finger tips and instantly shot towards the Raikage.

Ay jumped away, only for the birds to turn with him and closed in. As soon as reached him, to the former Raikage's surprise, they exploded in violent bursts of air.

Unfortunately, the attack did nothing more than give him a few bruises.

The Raikage nodded, before he furrowed his brows as his body stabilized itself, "That's right, use wind attacks. But you need stronger ones, at least A ranked Fuuton jutsu, or it won't do much damage."

Lancelot stared at the Raikage and nodded, 'I'm not sure what he means by A-ranked Fuuton jutsu, but at least, the wind birds blew his armor away. That is enough.'

Ay recognized the sudden change in Lancelot's demeanor and commented, "So you have a plan?"

The knight nodded, not bothering to hide it. Instead, he held his sword up, "System Call: Enhance Armament."

Arondight glowed briefly, before dying down. Upon seeing that, Ay narrowed his eyes, 'What is this? It's as if he's a totally different person.'

Lancelot lowered his sword and held it in a relaxed guard stance, before he vanished.

Ay's body instantly moved to a side just in time to dodge a slash from the knight, which left a massive crater on the ground where the former Raikage stood.

Ay's eyes widened as he skidded to a stop, 'He made a crater with a slash?!'

Lancelot took a breath and stared at the former Raikage.

Ay's body tensed and he warned, "Careful! I'm about to use my strongest technique, my Jigokuzuki!"

The knight of the lake merely took a guarding stance, as the Sandaime Raikage raised his palm, revealing three fingers.

In the next instant, Ay vanished, "Here it comes! Sanbon Nukite!"

The former Raikage appeared in front of Lancelot, poised to strike. But the knight swiftly leaned to a side, using the guard of his sword to deflect the Raikage's spear hand.

But before he could, the knight felt a hard punch to his chest, sending him flying backwards.

The knight skidded to a stop, before he heard Ay's voice, "Dodge!"

Lancelot rolled away just in time to avoid a stab to the neck, before he leaped to his feet.

Ay grunted as his body stood up, this time revealing only one finger, "Samurai! This is the strongest stab I will ever make. Ippon Nukite!"

Lancelot nodded as he readied himself, gripping his sword tightly in his right hand, "System Call. Generate Aerial Element."

Five balls of wind energy formed at his finger tips. And the Sandaime Raikage charged.

Ay instantly appeared in front of Lancelot, poised to strike. But again, Lancelot used his sword to redirect the attack, and this time, he didn't stop.

The knight quickly thrust his left hand forward, "Burst Element. Discharge!"

The five balls of wind exploded violently, briefly blowing the lightning armor away, and also staggering the Raikage at the same time.

That was the only opening the knight needed.

"RELEASE RECOLLECTION: ARONDIGHT! OVERLOAD!"

Pulling his left arm back, Lancelot swung his sword down hard. Ay cursed and jumped back, and the sword barely missed him by an inch.

But that was enough.

All of the leaking mana in the sword was released right in front of the sword's path. Right on the Sandaime Raikage's chest.

Ay grunted as the mana exploded, blowing his body to pieces, and he knew no more.

Lancelot let out a breath, "As always, this takes a lot out of me."

He noticed the regenerating form of the former Raikage and turned, "Sealing squad!"

One of the fuinjutsu users immediately rushed over and sealed up the reanimated body of the Sandaime Raikage.

As the Sandaime Raikage's body got wrapped up in the cloth and seals, Lancelot nodded, "Thanks."

The Jounin nodded in response before they headed back to aid the others.

(Meanwhile)

Mifune stared at his old adversary, his hands on his sheathed katana.

Hanzo chuckled as he stalked around the general, "Mifune, eh? How long has it been since I last saw you?"

The samurai's gaze steeled, "More than a few decades."

The Ame ninja chuckled, "Really?"

Mifune narrowed his eyes, "Does it matter?"

Hanzo raised an eyebrow, and shot back, "Does it not?"

The infamous Ame ninja chuckled, "I suppose no. Then let us get started."

Mifune nodded, and his hands rested on his sheathed katana, "Here I come, Hanzo!"

The reanimated ninja smirked and drew his kusarigama, swinging the chain at the old samurai.

Mifune simply crouched, dodging the chained scythe as he dashed forward, "Iagiri!"

The samurai swiftly unsheathed his sword, and Hanzo cursed, swiftly substituting with a log that was cleanly split in half.

Hanzo appeared some distance behind Mifune, and he chuckled, noticing the shallow slash on his stomach, "You've improved, Mifune. But, I see you've huddled up with shinobi."

Mifune narrowed his eyes, knowing full well what he meant, "I am still a samurai. We have not huddled up with the shinobi, no, this is an alliance, not just between us samurai and the Five Shinobi Nations, but with samurai, no, knights from another world!"

Hanzo raised an eyebrow, noticing the knights from the Underworld aiding the shinobi and samurai against the White Zetsu clones, "Hmm, I see. I understand, for I too, have sought peace."

The samurai general nodded, "Then you should understand, we fight for the sake of the world."

The shinobi chuckled, "That may be, but I am dead, and at the same time, I am on the other side."

Mifune narrowed his eyes, "What are you getting at?"

Hanzo vanished, and the samurai raised his sword to block the incoming strike, only for chains to wrap around his blade, forcing it to the ground hilt facing upwards.

The samurai cursed as he noticed the scythe coming from above, and ducked, swiftly pulling so that the blade struck his hilt, effectively blocking the attack.

Hanzo appeared some distance in front of him, revealed by his chains, and he spoke, "Show me your resolve, Mifune, just as you did decades ago."

The shinobi started the handsigns for his summoning jutsu, only to stop at the first seal, opting to grab his scythe and blocked a slash from Mifune, who had managed to shake the chains off his sword.

Hanzo nodded in approval, "Iaijutusu, eh?"

Mifune stared at the ninja in the eye, "You won't be using any ninjutsu, I will not allow it."

The shinobi chuckled, "I suppose not."

The two parted, and Mifune pumped chakra into his feet, "Hanzo-dono, I will end this now."

The shinobi raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure you can back up those words?"

Mifune crouched into a stance, "Yes, I believe I can, against you, at the very least."

Hanzo stared at the samurai, his chains and scythe ready, "Oh, I feel like I'm being underestimated."

The samurai didn't reply. Instead, he dashed forward, and pulled his sword out.

Hanzo followed suit, and swung his scythe at the samurai.

The two passed each other, one of their weapons broken in half, and remnants of a broken mask fell to the ground.

Hanzo blinked, "H-how?!"

Mifune closed his eyes, "Hanzo-dono, do you remember why, and how you died?"

The shinobi's eyes widened, as memories surfaced his mind, and he snapped his head at the samurai, "What do you mean?!"

The samurai stood up straight, "So even now you do not realize it."

Mifune turned to glance at the shinobi, "Hanzo-dono, you have dulled."

Hanzo's eyes widened, "I have...dulled, you say?"

The samurai nodded, "I am loyal to two things. My friends and family, and peace. That is my conviction. Hanzo-dono, what is your conviction?"

The shinobi's eyes widened, if possible, even further, "My...conviction?"

Mifune turned, his body fully facing the legendary ninja, and for a moment, the two ignored the raging battle around them, "Yes. You told me, a person does not dull even with death, as long as they have their resolve, and their conviction. Hanzo-dono, you have dulled. Your blades are soaked with blood, and have rusted and dulled."

The samurai showed the ninja his katana, it's blade sharp and shining, "My katana, I have polished it even after becoming a leader. I have always sought to become better. Hanzo-dono, what happened after you became the leader of Amegakure?"

Hanzo stared at his old acquaintance, before he chuckled and nodded, "I see. I understand, that is why your sword cut me. Very well."

The shinobi approached his broken scythe, "Mifune, you remember what I told you all those years ago, yes? My poison sac."

Mifune's eyes widened, "You don't mean?!"

Hanzo looked at him and nodded, "Yes, watch for an opening and seal me."

The man took off his flak jacket and mesh armor, before kneeling on the ground some distance away from the crowd.

Hanzo held the blade near his left kidney, and he chuckled, 'Me, committing seppuku. I never thought I'd see the day this happened.'

The shinobi then stabbed the blade into his flesh, pulling it across his stomach as poison gas leaked out of his body.

Mifune narrowed his eyes and yelled, "Stay away from him! That gas is poison!"

Everyone instantly placed distance between them and the gas, as Hanzo knelt there unmoving.

One of the samurai gaped at the ninja, "He's committing sepukku?!"

Mifune nodded, "Yeah. Seal him up."

The sealing squad nodded, and let the scroll fly over to wrap up the man, effectively sealing him up.

As the legendary ninja was sealed up, Mifune thought, 'You have shown me, Hanzo-dono. You have not dulled at all.'

(Linebreak)

With Alice, the blonde knight stared at the half naked man.

Kakuzu narrowed his eyes as he stared at the girl, "Hey, that's quite a weird armor. Are you some kind of samurai?"

Alice stared at him, holding her sword tightly, "I am not a samurai. I am an Integrity Knight."

Kakuzu raised an eyebrow, "A knight? I see."

He took a simple stance, "Well, it doesn't matter either way. I'll just take you down."

The blonde narrowed her eyes, "Even if the world will end?"

Kakuzu merely stared at her, "The world can rot to hell for all I care. I'm dead anyway, so there's no point in me doing anything. No benefits, no money. You can't bring money to the afterlife, after all."

Alice narrowed her eyes, "Do you not have pride, as human?"

The nuke nin shrugged, "I threw that away when I became a nuke ninja. Let me teach you one thing, girl, people will never move if there's nothing in it for them."

The Integrity Knight let out a breath, "I see... A simple difference in opinion."

Kakuzu nodded, "Yes."

Alice gripped her sword, "Then there's no need for more words. I am an Integrity Knight, Alice Synthesis Thirty."

The nuke nin raised an eyebrow, "A knight, eh? You're no different than those samurai. Very well, I'll name myself. I am Kakuzu."

The knight nodded, and she charged.

In the next instant, Kakuzu found the girl right in front of him, and he raised his arms just in time to block a slash from Alice at the wrists.

The nuke nin grunted as he pushed against the Integrity Knight, 'Hmm, quite some strength.'

As the girl pushed her sword down, Alice suddenly felt a hard blow at her gut and was sent skidding backwards.

The girl narrowed her eyes as she saw a bunch of tendrils retracting into Kakuzu's chest, "What is that?"

Kakuzu took a simple stance, "You don't need to know, you'll be dead anyways."

The ninja then sped through a set of seals, his fire mask moving to his chest, "Katon: Zukkoku!"

A large fireball shot out from the mask at Alice, who narrowed her eyes and chanted, "System Call: Generate Aqueous Element. Form Element: Ball shape. Discharge!"

A ball of water formed at the girl's fingers, and she immediately thrusted it at the fireball, creating a huge screen of steam.

Not missing a beat, Alice chanted again, "System call: Generate Cryogenic Element: Form Element: Arrow shape. Fly straight. Discharge!"

Five ice arrows shot forward, only to be batted aside by Kakuzu's tendrils.

The nuke ninja raised an eyebrow, "Hyoton? No, or is it something different?"

He wasn't given time to ponder further as he jumped away to dodge a slash from Alice. Kakuzu cursed, "Tch, Raiton: Gian!"

His lightning mask moved forward, and unleashed a thunderbolt from it's mouth at Alice.

The girl narrowed her eyes and chanted quickly, "System Call: Generate Aerial Element: Burst Element. Discharge!"

The Integrity Knight thrust her hands upwards, letting out a burst of wind that distorted the lightning blast away from her.

Kakuzu narrowed his eyes, "Fuuton jutsu. Suiton and Fuuton, as well as Hyoton. Impressive. I wish I had met you when I was alive."

Alice raised an eyebrow, "Why?"

The nuke nin grinned, "Simple, to take your heart."

The girl blinked, "My... heart?"

Alice's gaze hardened, "Sorry, but my heart already belongs to someone."

Kakuzu chuckled, "Oh, I don't mean it that way. I mean it literally. You see my masks?"

The Integrity Knight's eyes widened, "You don't mean?!"

The nuke nin nodded, "Yes, behind these masks, are hearts of other shinobi. By taking their hearts, I can use their main affinities. For example, fire."

The tiger mask spat out a horse sized ball of flames, prompting Alice to dodge by jumping to a side.

"Water."

The mask with cyan highlights shot out a torrent of water, and Alice chanted in response, "System Call: Generate Cryogenic Element: Burst Element: Discharge!"

A wall of ice exploded in front of her, blocking the water from reaching her.

"Earth."

The man flashed through a set of seals, and yelled, "Doton: Dosekiryu!"

A dragon made of rock and mud shot out from the ground, aiming to strike the blonde, only for a metal wall to stop it.

"Air."

The mask with dark blue highlights shot out numerous blades of wind, which Alice narrowly avoided.

"Lightning."

Finally, the mask with yellow highlights shot out bolts of lightning, countered by Alice's own lightning of light which also raised a cloud of smoke.

Kakuzu chuckled as he charged straight into the cloud, swinging his fists at where Alice supposedly was, only to be stopped as a loud clang sounded through the area.

At the same time, that clash also blew away most of the smoke, revealing Alice's forearms pushing against Kakuzu's fists.

The nuke ninja's eyes widened, "How?! With your strength, you can't possibly have withstood this."

Alice's smile strained as she pushed back against the ninja, "I was caught off guard just now, this time is different."

Her smile then turned into a glare, "But, your masks, to use other peoples' hearts. I cannot forgive such a sin!"

Kakuzu stared at the girl, "And what will you do about it, Integrity Knight?"

Alice's glare hardened, "As an Integrity Knight, I will make sure justice is served! System Call: Enhance Armament!"

In an instant, the Fragrant Olive Sword burst into a thousand petals, surprising Kakuzu.

Then the pain came.

Even as an Edo Tensei, having a million bladed petals slash into your skin wasn't something you would ever want to experience.

Each slash was shallow, but Kakuzu felt like he had been slashed by a kunai. Multiply that by more than a thousand, that was the amount of pain he was experiencing.

The man cursed as he stumbled backwards, willing his scarred fire mask to let out a wave of flames to burn the petals away.

But they did not disappear.

Alice huffed as she stared at the Edo Tensei's slowly regenerating wounds, "It's useless. My petals are not so weak to fall to your flames."

Kakuzu let out a breath, "It sure seems that way."

His stare hardened, "Then I will have to take this up a notch."

Four bundles of tendrils shot out from his masks, fully engulfing his body, as it slowly increased in mass, forming a huge figure made purely of Kakuzu's tendrils, with himself at the center.

The tendrils stomped on the ground, moving the body forward, as Kakuzu stared down at the golden knight, "Now, what will you do?"

Alice narrowed her eyes, before she simply raised her hilt, "Release... Recollection."

In an instant, the petals multiplied hundred fold, and what was once a small cloud of petals that danced around Alice, became what was essentially a smoke screen.

The nuke ninja instantly knew the blonde could finish him in a moment, and immediately gathered his masks and fired a stream of all four elements he had at the girl.

"Fukiarero, hana-tachi!"

The countless petals instantly swarmed around Kakuzu, not unlike a massive swarm of bees, and blocked Kakuzu's attack, causing it to explode upon the nuke ninja himself.

But he wasn't even given the chance to scream, as the petals showed no mercy and instantly ripped the man to shreds.

Soon after, the petals reformed around Alice's blade, revealing Kakuzu's body, or rather, the remains of his body, slowly regenerating thanks to the Edo Tensei.

The Integrity Knight glanced at the ninja from the Sealing Corps, "Please seal him up."

The Jounin nodded, obviously freaked out by her performance, before he quickly sealed up the reanimated ninja, making a mental note to tell the Kages to never anger the blonde knight in front of him.

(Linebreak)

With Gawain, the Knight of the Sun stared at the enormous statue in front of him.

He noted as he looked at the eyes of the Gedo Mazo, where some had blue irises, some were blank.

He commented, "So, this is the corpse of the Juubi."

The white knight's eyes widened as the statue roared at him, and broke the cuffs holding it's arms and legs together.

Gawain cursed and jumped up just in time to dodge a kick from the statue.

The knight glanced back, noticing his allies behind him, and thought, 'I have to bring it away.'

He landed on the ground and focused on the Sun above it, drawing power from it.

The graces of the Sun.

Excalibur Galatine glowed a bright blue, and Gawain leapt at the statue, and gave it a hard slash at the head.

The Gedo Mazo raised its arms instantly to block the strike, and as a result, it was blown away by Gawain's brute strength.

The statue crashed on the ground, drawing gasps of awe from the Alliance forces as they fought the White Zetsu clones.

Gawain landed on the ground in an open area, and looked up at the Gedo Mazo's figure, which slowly stood up.

The knight narrowed his eyes and jumped up to give it another slash, only to stop as a dozen chains shot out from statue.

Gawain clicked his teeth as he dodged and batted some of the chains away with his sword, before leaping away.

In doing so, it had allowed the Gedo Mazo the time it needed to stand up, and it seemingly glowered at him. The Gedo Mazo roared, letting out a shockwave that uprooted some of the trees, and even pushed some of the shinobi and Zetsu clones away.

But Gawain stood strong. The man merely braced himself as he stood there unmoving, and he chanted, "System Call: Generate Aerial Element. Burst Element. Discharge!"

A burst of wind shot out from Gawain's body, countering the shockwave that came from the Gedo Mazo.

Seeing that it's attempt to blow the knight away had failed, the Gedo Mazo roared again, this time sending bolts of lightning at the knight.

Gawain simply dodged them with ease, dashing through the trees as he kept his eyes on the giant statue.

The man skidded to a stop, and he jumped up, "System Call: Enhanced Armament!"

Flames enshrouded Excalibur Galatine, letting out more of the miniature sun's powers through the sword.

Gawain grunted, and he gave a hard swing at the statue, this time striking it's shoulder before the Gedo Mazo could react.

The white knight quickly jumped away to avoid the chains that shot out from the statue's chest. And as he landed on the ground, Gawain furrowed his brows, as he noticed that his strike had left burning gash.

It was small, but a gash was evident of it's shoulder.

Gawain stared at the gash, which seemed to anger the Gedo Mazo, and he felt the mana from the statue build up.

He glanced up, the Gedo Mazo's lightning attacks had attracted quite some clouds, yet the sun still shined upon him, though the white knight figured it wouldn't continue for long.

Gawain narrowed his eyes, his lips thinning as he let out a breath through his nose, his eyes sharpening as he gathered mana in his core, which eventually flowed through his arms into his sword.

"This sword is a replica of the sun."

The White Knight threw his sword upwards, and it exploded into a massive flaming sphere, not unlike a mini sun.

"The other Sacred Sword of the planet."

A magic circle formed at his feet, burning away the trees around him, forming a glaring opening.

Yet none of it mattered, for the heat and chakra pouring out of Gawain himself threatened to burn everything away.

A beam shot down from the miniature sun, right into Gawain's waiting hands. And at the same time, the sun began to shrink, as if it was pouring itself into the knight's arms.

Until all that was left, was a glowing sword that stretched for the Sun.

"Flames that burn away all impurity."

The knight of the Sun gripped the beam, and with a grunt, swung the massive sword of the Sun at the Gedo Mazo.

Unsurprisingly, the statue made no move to evade it, and instead, struck it with its arms.

Gawain remained unperturbed, and instead, continued pushing against the statue.

The sword glowed, and the Gedo Mazo was sent stumbling to the ground, causing a loud crash as the surrounding forests got destroyed even more.

The beam of light shrunk, reforming the blade of Excalibur Galatine in Gawain's arms.

The knight wasted not a second, and he leapt into the air, his sword aimed straight at the Gedo Mazo.

"Release... Recollection."

The sword glowed, brighter than it had than before.

"EXCALIBUR..."

He thrusted his sword forward.

"GALATINEEEEEE!"

All of the energy generated by a star condensed into a single beam, and shot towards the statue.

The results were instantaneous, as an massive explosion erupted at the Gedo Mazo.

The white knight landed near the statue, not at all bothered by the fact that his one attack had destroyed the area spanning a few kilometers in radius.

Rather, Gawain was more cautious of the condition the Gedo Mazo was in.

An Enhanced Armament attack had landed a shallow gash on the statue's shoulder. What about his Release Recollection?

Granted, the Enhanced Armament state of the Excalibur Galatine could release only but a fraction of the sword's true power, yet all it had done was put a small graze on the husk.

His answer came, when the cloud of smoke cleared.

Laying on the ground was the Gedo Mazo, it's entired body burned almost to a crisp. But it wasn't destroyed.

"Quite the attack, Integrity Knight."

A voice sounded behind him, and Gawain swung his sword on instinct.

Only to hit nothing.

"I'm honestly impressed. Not even our Susano'o would be able to do so much damage with a single strike."

Gawain looked back at the Gedo Mazo, to see Tobi standing by the statue.

The Integrity Knight narrowed his eyes, "Uchiha Obito."

Obito glanced at the knight, "This will be as far as you'll go at damaging the Gedo Mazo. I'm sure if given enough time, you'll be able to destroy it, but as curious as I am to witness that, I'm afraid I need the husk."

Gawain's eyes narrowed, "As an Integrity Knight, you should know I cannot allow that."

Obito chuckled, "I suppose not. But it's not a question of whether you allow it or not, it's already happening."

As if on cue, Zetsu rose from the ground, "Tobi, the Nanabi."

The plant handed a scroll to the man, who merely accepted it. The masked man glanced at the knight, "Follow me if you can, and witness the rise of a new age."

Before Gawain could do anything, Obito vanished in a swirl, while Zetsu sank into the ground, followed by the damaged Gedo Mazo vanishing in a puff of smoke.

(Linebreak)

With Artoria and Madara, the ancient Uchiha stared at the blonde knight in front of him.

Just by examining her posture told him volumes of his strength.

Madara had fought his fair share of swordsmen, both samurai and shinobi alike. Yet just by looking at her, he knew she was different from all he had ever seen, fought or heard, even Hashirama would probably not compare to her in swordsplay.

That made him rather interested in how he would fair against her.

The Uchiha stared at her, "I'll admit this, you seem fairly strong. Your stance tells me that much."

The fourth Integrity Knight raised an eyebrow, "And? What do you mean?"

Madara chuckled, "In my time, all I've ever fought for, were duty, obligation to my family. The amount of times where I've enjoyed a serious fight could be counted with both my hands. Do you know the reason?"

Artoria narrowed her eyes, her grip tightening around Excalibur, "That is?"

The Uchiha drew his war fan, "Simple. There was no one strong enough to stand against me. Apart from the first Hokage, there was no one else left to stand against me."

The former king of Wesdarath nodded, "I see."

The knight knew exactly what sort of man he was. One that loved fighting above everything else, and she would answer that desire.

Artoria took a simple stance, her shoulders squaring, "Then let me see that strength, in return, I shall answer with my best."

The Uchiha's Sharingan took on a curious glint, and he prepared himself, "Then come, show me how you dance!"

The two charged, and both of them swung their weapons, causing a loud clang to sound the area.

Madara stared at Artoria, both pushing for dominance, "Quite impressive strength."

Artoria stared back with equal ferocity, "The same can be said for you."

The knight unleashed a mana burst, instantly overpowering Madara and pushing him back. She did not waste the chance and pushed on.

What she did expect however, was Madara falling backwards, avoiding her follow-up slash, before flipping back to his feet on his arms.

Artoria narrowed her eyes, before reminding herself she was fighting not a normal shinobi of present time, but one during the blank period where the Underworld and Elemental Nations had little contact.

Madara let a rare smirk appear on his face, "Impressive. I'm getting excited, let me get a bit more serious."

Artoria narrowed her eyes, when Madara's Sharingan changed to the famous Mangekyou Sharingan.

In the next instant, the Integrity Knight found the shinobi in front of her, and she raised her sword to block the fan that was aimed at her neck.

Then, within the next moment, the pair started a vicious dance of death. Strike for strike, kick for kick, slash for slash, and parry for parry.

To anyone watching from a side, it would be something to behold. That is, if their eyes could follow the movements of both the Integrity Knight and the reanimated Uchiha.

As Artoria parried yet another strike from Madara's fan, the woman narrowed her eyes. She had no doubt the man would absolutely slaughter the alliance forces if they were to fight him.

It was taking all of her focus to keep up with him, and Madara obviously had yet to go all out. Granted, she herself was not going all out as well. All she was doing was simply enhancing her body with bursts of mana.

As they traded blows, Madara started laughing, "I take it all back! Even now you keep up with me, let's see how far you can go!"

The knight did not give him a reply. Rather, her silence was the reply, and the two blurred again, parrying each other's blow constantly.

Artoria narrowed her eyes as she redirected a swing from the war fan, considering if she should summon Rhongomyniad.

The woman was brought out of her thoughts when a blue flaming arm appeared in her face.

Artoria swiftly batted it away with her sword and put distance between herself and Madara.

Only then did she notice the ethereal blue flames that danced around Uchiha Madara's body, taking the shape of two skeleton arms wielding a kris on each arm.

There was no need to hold back. That was what Madara was telling her, and the former King would answer that.

In an instant, the silver lance that was said to anchor the world appeared in Artoria's hands. As if in response to the lance's presence, Artoria's appearance changed as well.

To anyone from a side, it was as if the woman had a sudden growth spurt. Her breasts were suddenly more developed, her hair paled to some degree. Even her armor had changed substantially.

If Madara was an average Jounin, he might have paused to admire the blonde woman's change in appearance.

Instead, he merely raised an eyebrow, staring at the silver lance in her hands, before he decided to respond in kind and drew his sickle.

Artoria narrowed her eyes, and charged.

The pair once again blurred to the normal naked eye, and multiple clangs sounded through the area as Artoria and Madara traded blows again.

As they locked blades, Artoria narrowed her eyes at the weapons Madara held. The sickle was a normal one. The problem was his war fan.

Every strike onto the fan felt like there was a rebound, not from Madara's strength. Rather, it was as if her attacks were being reflected, if ever so slightly.

Madara obviously saw her change in demeanor and asked, "What's wrong? Are you sure you can afford to think in this situation?"

He pushed the two holy weapons away, before they were interrupted by a loud crash.

Madara looked away, "Hmm, to push the Gedo Mazo to the ground, that's quite some power."

He glanced at Artoria, who readied herself, "After I deal with you, I'll see how well he can dance."

The fourth Integrity Knight let a small smirk appear on her face, "If you can deal with me, that is."

A loud roar reached their ears, followed by a poweful shockwave. But neither of them moved.

Madara chuckled, "I suppose."

The Uchiha willed his Susano'o arms to strike the knight, only for a blast of chakra to stop him.

"Enhance Armament."

Madara watched with slight interest, not at all bothered as his Susano'o protected his body, as both Excalibur and Rhongomyniad glowed in Artoria's hands.

The Uchiha gripped his weapons, while his Susano'o arms burned strongly around him.

In the next instant, Artoria was in front of Madara, and she thrust her lance forward at the ninja's ethereal armor.

For the first time in years, Madara was caught off guard, as the lance struck his right shoulder.

Quickly realizing what had happened, the legendary shinobi used his fan to push the lance away before jumping out of her range.

Madara stared at the lance in interest, "That spear, what is it?"

Artoria retook her stance, "What?"

The Uchiha let the Edo Tensei reform the hole in his shoulder, "For years, only one person has ever broken through my Susano'o. You are the second. Tell me, is it the spear, or is it your technique?"

The knight narrowed her eyes, "Both."

Madara raised an eyebrow, before he nodded, "I see. Then playtime's over. I'll go all out. Try to survive this."

Before Artoria could react, Madara started to ascend, as the rest of his Susano'o formed.

The fourth knight narrowed her eyes, and mana gathered in her arms.

"Holy Lance. Restraints released."

The lance in her left hand glowed, brighter than before.

Artoria jumped up, such that she was almost at Madara's level, "Let the light be released from the ends of the world, split the heavens and connect the earth!"

Rhongomyniad exploded in a burst if light, almost in a blinding manner.

"This is the anchor of the world. Release Recollection!"

The woman thrust her lance forward, "RHONGOMYNIAD!"

The lance, the manifestation of the pillar that held the worlds, struck onto Madara's Perfect Susano'o, and the Uchiha grunted in disbelief from the amount of power the blow had.

The Susano'o groaned under the pressure, and Madara quickly willed his Susano'o to push the lance away with his katana.

Just in time as the lance pierced right through the Susano'o's ethereal armor, narrowly missing Madara himself.

But that was more than enough to burn away the right part of the Uchiha's body.

Madara narrowed his eyes as his body reformed, "Hmm."

Artoria landed on the ground, narrowing her eyes at the giant avatar before it suddenly vanished, and Madara landed in front of her.

The knight narrowed her eyes as she held up her weapons.

At that moment, Zetsu rose from the ground, and gave the Uchiha a nod.

Madara sighed, "Times up. I hate to stop this, but plans are plans."

Artoria stared at him, "What are you planning?"

The Uchiha stared at her before he huffed, "None of your business. But, you intrigue me. Maybe once this is over, you can show me just how strong you are."

The knight glared at him, "Do you think I'll let you go?"

Madara smirked, before he lifted a finger, causing Artoria to narrow her eyes at him cautiously, before she glanced up, and her eyes widened.

The reason?

A large shadow had been casted on them, and the object was a massive rock falling from the sky. No, rather than a rock, a meteor would be more accurate to describe it.

Taking the chance given, Madara turned, "Survive this, then we'll talk."

Without another word, he vanished via Shunshin before the knight could stop him.

Artoria cursed, and looked back at the meteor. She could feel that Gawain had already unleashed his Release Recollection. In fact, Alice and Lancelot had done so too, just as she had unleashed Rhongomyniad's Full Armament Control Arts.

The fourth Integrity Knight took a breath, and sheathed her lance, instead opting to hold her sword in both hands, it's blade glowing with power.

"This sword gathers the breath of the planet."

Mana gathered around her, pouring straight into her sword.

"A shining torrent of life."

The woman pulled her sword, such that it's tip was facing the ground, and the blade exploded in a burst of light.

"Take this. Ex-"

A single upward slash

"-CALIBURR!"

From the slash, the sword released a massive wave of energy, shooting straight for the meteorite.

For a moment, the strike pushed the meteor away from the battlefield to the mountains, before visible cracks appeared on the meteorite. Then it shattered to pieces.

Artoria took a moment to breathe, before she turned to where Madara and Zetsu previously were. Her lips thinned, before deciding to head back to group up.

(Linebreak)

Meanwhile, with Asuna and Fuu, the two Jinchurikii stared at the plant man.

Black Zetsu stared at them humorlessly, "I'll say this one more time, hand the bijuu over."

Asuna gripped her rapier, "As if we'll hand them over!"

Fuu nodded, holding her kunai tightly.

White Zetsu grinned, "All the better! We'll just beat you up and take em from you!"

The plant charged, sending a kick at Asuna, who blocked it with her forearms, before Fuu charged Zetsu with her pair of kunai.

Black Zetsu turned and blocked her with his own kunai while White Zetsu pushed against Asuna.

The plant then spun, using his venus plant-like appendages to force both Asuna and Fuu away. Not missing the chance, Zetsu made a dash for Asuna, "I'll be taking the Sanbi!"

Before he could even get close to her, however, Zetsu was blasted away by a burst of chakra, and Black Zetsu frowned, "Hmm, using the Bijuu's chakra, hmm?"

Before him, was Asuna in the version one Bijuu chakra cloak, two tails swaying dangerously behind her. At the same time, Zetsu felt another burst of Bijuu chakra behind him, and noticed Fuu in the same version one chakra cloak, only with 4 tails instead of two.

White Zetsu chuckled as he turned so that he could see both Jinchurikii, "Quite a predicament we're in, yeah?"

Black Zetsu huffed, "I didn't know you knew that word."

Both girls charged, swinging their weapons at the plant man. Black Zetsu cursed silently, and two White Zetsu clones sprang out from the ground, taking the hits as Zetsu himself jumped away.

The two clones crumbled from the attacks, but the two Jinchurikii weren't done.

The two girls swiftly chased after the plant. Fuu reached him first thanks to her wings, and gave him a hard slash with her pair of kunai, leaving two gashes on the plant man's arms.

Zetsu grunted, before kicking her away right as Asuna reached him, thrusting her rapier at him.

In response, the man split into two, White Zetsu and Black Zetsu, avoiding the stab before recombining as they landed on the ground.

Black Zetsu muttered, "Oi, we can't afford too much time here."

White Zetsu grinned, "I know. But let's have some fun for now!"

Black Zetsu growled, "Fine."

Not wasting a second, Zetsu stomped on the ground, sending multiple roots at both Jincurikii.

Asuna narrowed her eyes, "Mokuton jutsu?! Fuu-san!"

The rapier user glanced at her fellow Jinchurikii, and they shared a nod.

The two girls quickly flashed through a set of seals, "Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu/Rinpun!"

The horse sized fireball struck the cloud of scale powder, causing a huge explosion that burned away most of the roots.

Black Zetsu narrowed his eyes as the explosion destroyed most of his roots, and he thought, 'Oi, white, we're starting the plan.'

White Zetsu grinned, but whined in his thoughts, 'Already? I wanna play with them more, ya know?'

That sentence earned him a burst of annoyance and ire from Black Zetsu, and White Zetsu sighed, 'I got it... I got it. Play time can be after this.'

Well, if there was anyone left for him to play with. But neither of them commented on that.

Zetsu quickly sunk into the ground to avoid slashes from both Jinchurikii, before rising up some distance away from them.

Asuna and Fuu both stared menacingly at the plant man, aware of the warnings their respective Bijuu were giving them.

Zetsu swiftly stomped on the ground, sending another wave of roots at the two girls, only this time, the roots were twice the size of the previous one.

Fuu glanced at her fellow Jinchurikii as she flashed through a set of seals, "Asuna!"

Asuna nodded, having finished her own set of seals as well, "Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!"

"Rinpun!"

The Nanabi Jinchurikii breathed out a huge cloud of scale powder, and Asuna's horse sized fireball crashed into it, causing a larger explosion.

But unlike before, the roots did not stop, and shot out from the smoke before either Jinchurikii could react.

The roots struck both girls in the chest, and sent them sprawling to the ground.

Asuna groaned groggily as she got to her feet, only to see Zetsu's face in front of her. The rapier user's eyes widened in shock and without another thought, she swung her sword at the man.

Black Zetsu easily dodged the strike, and Asuna felt a hard blow to her gut as she was sent flying away again.

Zetsu huffed as he released his hold on the wood hammer he had created, before sinking into the ground to dodge a kick from Fuu.

The plant rose from the ground behind Fuu, and before she realized it, a set of chains wrapped themselves around Fuu's waist, .

The girl easily recognized them, as Choumei-F spoke in her mind, 'Shit!'

"I would prefer to have gotten both the Nanabi and the Sanbi, but then, it's better to play it safely."

Fuu grunted as she struggled against the chains, which only served to tighten them.

Zetsu chuckled, and kicked the girl in the back of her knees, causing her to fall to her knees, "Let's not waste any more time."

The chains glowed purple, and Fuu immediately started to scream as the chakra of the Nanabi was taken from her once more.

Asuna shot out from where she had crashed, aiming her sword at the chains and Zetsu, only for a wooden wall to stop her as three more wooden walls rose around her.

Zetsu stared at the trapped Sanbi Jinchurikii and tsk, "Be patient, your time will come."

Asuna tried to blast the wooden wall away with Isobu's chakra, only for it to dissipate on contact with the wooden wall, before pieces of wood wrapped around her, sucking the Bijuu chakra out of her.

The girl grunted, "W-what is this?!"

Isobu grunted in her mind, "Mokuton jutsu. The Shodaime Hokage used them to trap us Bijuu, now this guy's doing the same. Don't use my chakra, use that Sage mode of yours."

Asuna nodded, and released her hold on Isobu's chakra, instantly letting it recede into her body, before she focused. In a few minutes, Asuna gathered the senjutsu chakra in her body and shot out of the wooden cage in a burst of strength.

The girl yelled as she dashed forward, "Give her back!"

Only to find Fuu's body in her face.

Asuna's eyes widened as she barely managed to catch the girl, before she heard Zetsu chuckled, "Here, I have no use for her anymore."

Asuna growled and put Fuu down, immediately charging the plant man, only for him to sink into the ground.

Isobu frowned from her seal and spoke, "Asuna, Choumei is gone."

The girl's eyes widened and she immediately rushed back to Fuu, 'It's true... What do we do?'

Asuna couldn't find any defining injuries, nor could she feel Choumei-F's chakra from Fuu. So she did the next thing she could think of, 'Isobu, get Hikari-chan here.'

Isobu nodded, and focused on his link with Kurama.

In less than a minute, Hikari arrived in a flash of yellow thanks to the marker Asuna had on her.

The blonde immediately knelt beside Fuu, "Choumei got taken from her?"

Asuna nodded, "She needs medical attention, now."

Hikari nodded and made a shadow clone, "Take her to the med corps."

The clone nodded and grabbed Fuu before vanishing in a flash of yellow.

In Hikari's seal, Kurama frowned, "So, they managed to extract Choumei..."

The blonde nodded, "We need to get em back. Kurama, can you track where they're headed?"

Kurama nodded, "I can. But bring back up. We'll be up against multiple bijuu and the Gedo Mazo."

Hikari nodded, and looked at Asuna, "Asuna-chan, we'll go get them back."

The chestnut haired girl nodded, before Hikari made another shadow clone to inform their allies.

Then they vanished in a flash.

(Linebreak)

With Vector, an assassin had just relayed the information they had obtained from the scouts.

The god nodded, and he stood up, "Vassago. Tell our forces to move out. It's time we join the war."

The right hand of the god nodded as he bowed, "By your will."

(Linebreak)

With Jiraiya and Orochimaru, the pair found themselves in one of Orochimaru's lairs.

Jiraiya stared at his old teammate in curiosity, "Orochimaru, what are we doing here? I thought we'd be heading back to the frontlines."

The snake sannin chuckled, "Patience, old friend. If we're joining a war, shouldn't we bring more backup?"

The toad sage raised an eyebrow, "More backup? What, more experiments of yours?"

The snake cackled as he fumbled through his shelves, "Of sorts. I suppose you'd be happy to meet your prized student and his wife again, no?"

Orochimaru brought out a mask, and two vials. On them, were the names, Namikaze Minato, and Uzumaki Kushina.

XXX

Done. So yeah, that was a longer chapter than I expected.

If any of you are wondering how it took Zetsu so fast to extract Choumei, he used the Demonic Statue Chains. I'm not sure how it actually is in Canon, but here, the chains can subdue the Bijuu and extract them easily from the hosts, as opposed to the original method where the host's chakra needs to be drained dry before they can take the Bijuu chakra.

I suppose it is similar to how Momoshiki could selectively absorb Kurama's chakra, just with chains.

So yeah, I hope I can post the next chapter soon. And if you're interested, do check out my other new story, Burst of Possibilities.

Review please.

Until then.