Hinata: Byakurenden
Sasuke vs Tobirama
In the blink of an eye—no, less than even that—Sasuke was no longer inside the Village Hidden in the Sand. The blistering heat of the false sun gave way to the cool stillness of the desert night. He landed on loose sand, the grains shifting beneath his sandals as he quickly scanned his surroundings. The horizon stretched infinitely in every direction, with no sign of the village except for a faint glow far behind him. The oppressive light of the false sun was reduced here, the sky a muted purple, caught in an eerie limbo between dawn and dusk. The unnatural color deepened the sensation of isolation.
He took a moment to gather himself, his visible Sharingan spinning warily as he raised his head toward the dark figure across from him. The Second Hokage stood with his arms crossed, his white hair stark against the twilight backdrop. His posture was regal, but his sharp gaze carried the weight of cold calculation.
"I see," Sasuke muttered, breaking the silence. "Your goal is to ensure that even if I win this fight, I don't make it back in time to make any difference." His tone was calm, but a flicker of annoyance passed through his expression. He turned briefly toward the distant glow of the village, then back to Tobirama. He kept his Rinnegan hidden beneath his bangs, unwilling to reveal his full power until necessary. If the enemy didn't know the scope of his abilities, he had no intention of enlightening them.
The corners of Tobirama's mouth twitched, as if amused. "Hmm… you're an interesting one," he said, his voice smooth but tinged with something colder. He took a measured step forward, his arms still folded as he studied Sasuke like a curious experiment. "You must have some confidence in yourself if you can speak so easily about defeating me. Then again, you Uchiha always were cocky to a fault."
At those words, Sasuke's eyes narrowed, irritation flickering beneath his stoic mask. The Second Hokage's dismissive tone, coupled with the deliberate emphasis on his clan, was not lost on him. This wasn't the first time Tobirama had drawn attention to his lineage.
"You got something against the Uchiha?" Sasuke asked sharply, his tone carrying the edge of a blade. His mind flickered back to Iruka-sensei's lectures at the academy, recalling the accounts of Tobirama's policies. Even as a child, Sasuke had sensed the veiled animosity in the way his clan was discussed. He'd been too focused on vengeance at the time to delve deeply into the village's history, but now, as he stared at the man responsible for laying the foundation of their discrimination, he felt his anger stir.
Tobirama's expression remained impassive. "I won't deny that I had my… reservations about your clan," he replied. "But those reservations were born of experience, not prejudice. The Uchiha possess great power, but that power is tied to their emotions—particularly love and hate. When an Uchiha experiences loss, their feelings can fester into something destructive. I sought to create safeguards to ensure that this destructive potential would not endanger the village."
"Safeguards?" Sasuke repeated, his voice laced with disdain. "You mean segregation. Isolation. You feared what my clan could do, so you tried to control us."
Tobirama met his glare evenly, his eyes unwavering. "My decisions were made with the good of the village in mind. My brother believed in cooperation, but he was blind to the realities of human nature. I acted where he could not. And yet…" He gestured toward Sasuke with a slight nod. "It seems one of your kind rose to the rank of Hokage. Should I take that as evidence that my efforts were at least partially successful?"
Sasuke's fists clenched at his sides. He thought of Itachi—the sacrifices his brother had made, the impossible choices he'd been forced to endure. Itachi's rise to Hokage had nothing to do with Tobirama's policies. It was the culmination of years of suffering, of carrying the burden of their clan's destruction.
"My brother, Itachi, became Hokage on his own merits," Sasuke said firmly. "It had nothing to do with you or anything you think you accomplished. That's all I'll say about that."
Tobirama's gaze sharpened slightly, but he didn't press the matter. Instead, he tilted his head, his expression contemplative. "And yet here you stand, defending your brother and your clan. It seems the Uchiha's capacity for loyalty runs deep."
Sasuke ignored the comment, his attention shifting back to the situation at hand. "Is it okay for you to just stand here talking to me like this?" he asked pointedly. "Didn't that traitor summon you to fight me?"
Tobirama frowned slightly, his gaze flickering to the glowing seals etched into his arms. "I thought the same at first," he admitted. "But it seems the one controlling me is… preoccupied. My brother's power is not so easily constrained."
At that, Sasuke's eyes widened fractionally, the implications sending ripples through his mind. If even Amaterasu's power struggled to control Hashirama, it spoke volumes not just about the First Hokage's strength, but the very nature of what he represented. Hashirama had always been a figure of legend—praised as a god among shinobi—but now Sasuke saw him as something more, something tethered to the threads of fate itself. Sasuke's thoughts turned inevitably to Naruto, the latest inheritor of the will of Asura.
"Is that because the Shodai is also a reincarnation of Asura?" Sasuke wondered aloud, the words slipping from his lips before he could stop them. His tone was quieter now, almost musing, but the weight of the question hung in the air.
Tobirama's sharp hearing caught it instantly, and his expression shifted to one of confusion. "Asura?" he repeated, his brow furrowing. "Who is that?"
Sasuke cursed inwardly. The question revealed a dangerous gap in knowledge, one that could only lead to more questions if he wasn't careful. He had grown so accustomed to the awareness granted to him by Indra's memories that he had momentarily forgotten how little even the greatest shinobi of the past truly understood about their world. The concept of reincarnation, while intrinsic to Sasuke now, was as foreign to Tobirama as the Rinnegan had once been to himself.
"Just someone… not from your time," Sasuke said evasively, keeping his voice calm and measured. He knew Tobirama's analytical mind would immediately latch onto the wrong conclusion—assuming the individual in question to be from a time after his own, rather than someone born a thousand years before.
It was a calculated misdirection, subtle yet effective. Sasuke had no intention of revealing the truth—not to Tobirama, and certainly not now, when the weight of the battle demanded his focus. If the Second Hokage wanted to chase shadows, so be it. Sasuke would use those assumptions to his advantage, letting Tobirama underestimate the depths of the knowledge and power Sasuke now wielded.
Tobirama regarded him for a long moment, his silver eyes scrutinizing every detail of Sasuke's expression. There was no hostility in his gaze—only curiosity. "I see," Tobirama finally said, nodding slowly. "Then I'll take it as such." His tone was neutral, but the glint of curiosity in his eyes remained, like a scholar confronted with a puzzle he could not solve.
Sasuke exhaled slowly, but his mind was far from at ease. The conversation had reopened old questions he'd been grappling with since learning the truth from Indra. The cycle of reincarnation was not some abstract spiritual concept but a tangible force that shaped the destiny of the shinobi world. Through Indra's communion, Sasuke had come to understand the weight of it all.
Asura and Indra, the two sons of Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo, the Sage of Six Paths, had been locked in an endless cycle of conflict for over a millennium. Each generation saw their spirits reborn into new vessels, their legacies shaping the course of history itself. Sasuke, as Indra's latest incarnation, carried the burden of his ancestor's will—a will that had sown discord and destruction across countless lives.
Indra had been unusually persistent in uncovering what fragments of history remained of Uchiha Madara. Yet, Sasuke found the records surprisingly sparse, as if the world itself had tried to erase his predecessor's legacy. It wasn't until much later that Sasuke pieced together the truth—that Madara had cheated death, retreating into the shadows and living in isolation until his plans resurfaced through Uchiha Obito.
But even Madara's machinations had unraveled in the end. Obito, manipulated and molded into a pawn, had eventually glimpsed something deeper—something far more terrifying than Madara's ambitions. That revelation had led Obito to summon Ōhirume Amaterasu into their world, a decision that had set the stage for the catastrophe they now faced.
And yet, it was also Madara's defiance of fate that had distorted the reincarnation cycle, delaying it so drastically that Kali had lived an entire additional life between their cycles. That disruption, however unnatural, had become the catalyst for everything Sasuke and Naruto were now capable of.
Sasuke wouldn't call it gratitude—he could never bring himself to thank Madara, even if their fates were bound by the same blood and legacy. But he could acknowledge it. Madara's refusal to die had left ripples that reshaped the world, ripples that had carried Sasuke to this moment, standing at the precipice of godhood and ruin. And for that alone, Sasuke was willing to grant him a grudging acknowledgment—if only as the shadow that made his own light burn brighter.
He forced himself to push those thoughts aside. They were an unwelcome distraction in the face of the task before him. He had gleaned valuable insight into Tobirama's mindset during their exchange, but the clock was ticking. Every second he spent here was one less he could use to return to the village and aid his comrades. Whatever grudges or revelations the past held, they could wait. His focus had to remain on the battle ahead.
"We should be discussing how to deal with you while we have the chance," Sasuke said, his tone measured but firm. His crimson Sharingan spun lazily, tracking Tobirama's every movement.
The Second Hokage raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Practical. I can respect that," he replied, his voice carrying a grudging note of approval. "If you can capture the caster alive, the Edo Tensei can be undone. Killing him, however, will only ensure the jutsu persists indefinitely. You'll need to—"
His words faltered. Tobirama's body stiffened unnaturally, his mouth falling silent mid-sentence. Sasuke's eyes narrowed as the Nidaime's pupils dilated—a clear sign that Kabuto had reasserted control. The fleeting moment of understanding between them vanished, replaced by an oppressive tension that hung in the air like a storm about to break.
Tobirama's lips curled into a smirk, but it was no longer his own. The mockery in it was unmistakable. "I suppose we've wasted enough time," he said, though it was Kabuto's voice behind the words now, dripping with sardonic amusement. His movements lost their organic fluidity, becoming deliberate and controlled, like a puppet dancing on invisible strings. "Shall we begin?"
Sasuke didn't reply immediately. He let the weight of Kabuto's challenge hang in the air. His Sharingan spun faster, analyzing every subtle shift in Tobirama's stance. The man had been an unparalleled tactician in his time, and even as a reanimated pawn, he posed a formidable threat.
"I suppose we shall," Sasuke finally muttered, his tone cold and resolute. He shifted into his battle stance, the fabric of his cloak billowing faintly in the desert wind.
Before Sasuke could even finish settling into his stance, Tobirama moved. It wasn't just speed—it was precision, calculated to strike before Sasuke could react. In a single fluid motion, the Nidaime appeared within arm's reach, his kunai already poised. Sasuke's Sharingan barely had time to register the attack before the blade found its mark.
Sasuke's gut clenched as the searing pain in his abdomen flared. He staggered, coughing violently as blood spattered onto Tobirama's shoulder. The kunai lodged in his stomach glinted cruelly in the dim light, and Sasuke realized too late what had happened. With a snarl of effort, he disengaged, forcing himself to leap back, clutching at the wound as he fought to suppress the pain.
Tobirama was already closing in again, his speed blinding. Sasuke barely managed to sidestep the follow-up attack, but the moment he pivoted to counterstrike, the Nidaime vanished, appearing once more behind him. His movements were precise, relentless, and completely controlled.
It clicked then. The moment Tobirama had first touched him, he had placed a mark—a space-time jutsu unique to the Second Hokage. Sasuke's mind raced as he analyzed the situation. This mark… it was what allowed Tobirama to teleport directly to him. If he didn't get rid of it, Tobirama would have the advantage no matter where Sasuke went.
His hand flew to his left shoulder, where the mark had been placed—on his mechanical arm. Relief mingled with urgency as he pressed a hidden panel on the arm. With a hiss of releasing mechanisms, the metal limb detached, clattering to the sand below. He leapt backward, creating as much distance as possible between himself and the mark. Without direct contact, Tobirama wouldn't be able to place another mark immediately. A lucky break. The Nidaime didn't fully understand Sasuke's abilities yet.
Tobirama paused, his sharp eyes flickering toward the detached arm, taking in the details with unnerving speed. A faint shift in his expression signaled something had changed. When he spoke, his tone carried an edge of authority distinct from before. "A mechanical replacement? Fascinating. Your techniques merge chakra and technology in ways I could only theorize. But don't mistake this moment for weakness." His voice, free of Kabuto's influence, rang with clarity. "Even without the mark, I still control the battlefield."
Sasuke's eyes darted toward the surrounding terrain. The faint imprints in the sand where their battle began revealed something critical—Tobirama had teleported them to this location, likely to an area pre-marked long ago. He had places prepared all over the Land of Wind. There was no telling where else he could appear. The realization deepened Sasuke's resolve. He couldn't afford another mistake.
It was fortunate he had gathered natural energy before detaching his arm, as Sage Mode had automatically begun healing the wound. But without the arm, he could no longer draw in any more natural energy, and the strain of the battle had already caused his Sage Mode to expire. Sasuke scowled inwardly. He wasn't as adept at maintaining it as Naruto, and now the battle felt even more precarious.
Tobirama raised his hands, forming seals with fluid precision. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
Ten identical clones materialized around Sasuke in an instant, forming a tight circle. Each one moved with the same lethal intent as the original, their kunai gleaming. Sasuke's mind flashed back to Iruka-sensei's lectures, recalling the Second Hokage's legendary contributions to ninjutsu. Of course he'd use clones. He invented this jutsu.
The clones advanced in unison, their movements seamless and coordinated. Each attack came from a different angle, forcing Sasuke to defend against a barrage of strikes. His Sharingan tracked their muscle movements, predicting their attacks, but the sheer number of them left no room for error. Every strike was a trap—a feint leading into another attack designed to create an opening.
One clone lunged low, feinting with a kunai aimed at Sasuke's leg. As Sasuke dodged, another clone closed in from behind, its kunai poised to stab. He twisted just in time, his hand snapping forward to dispel the clone with a precise burst of chakra. Two more clones rushed in, one angling for his blind spot. Sasuke gritted his teeth, weaving through the flurry of attacks, his movements sharp and deliberate, relying on his agility and precision to counter each strike.
Tobirama's clones weren't just attacking randomly; they were probing. Testing. Learning. Sasuke realized too late that each dodge, every counter, was feeding the Nidaime information about his abilities. He was using the clones to study his weaknesses.
Sasuke's eyes flicked to Tobirama, standing calmly outside the fray, observing the battle with analytical precision. The clones were a tool—a way to force Sasuke to reveal more of his Rinnegan's limitations. Sasuke clenched his jaw. He had to end this now before Tobirama found something he could exploit.
Sasuke focused his Rinnegan, activating the Tendo path. "Shinra Tensei!"
A powerful wave of repulsive force exploded outward, obliterating the clones in a single, devastating burst. The sand rippled and churned violently as the force pushed everything away, leaving a wide radius of devastation around Sasuke. He exhaled sharply, sweat dripping down his face, his Rinnegan pulsing faintly with residual energy. The attack had bought him precious seconds, but Sasuke kept his guard up. He couldn't afford to underestimate Tobirama, who stood unshaken amid the swirling sandstorm.
The Second Hokage tilted his head slightly, his sharp eyes narrowing as he observed Sasuke. "So, this is the power of your eyes," Tobirama remarked, his voice neutral but laced with intrigue. "A forceful technique. But let's see how well you adapt to something more fluid."
With a quick set of hand seals, Tobirama thrust his hands forward. "Suiton: Water Severing Wave!" From seemingly nowhere, a thin, high-pressure blade of water shot toward Sasuke, slicing through the desert air. Sasuke leaped to the side, the blade skimming past him and carving a deep trench into the sand.
Where did he pull that water from? Sasuke thought, his Sharingan tracing the subtle flicker of Tobirama's chakra. His answer came a moment later as he noticed faint wisps of vapor condensing from the air around the Second Hokage. Tobirama's mastery over elemental techniques was allowing him to manipulate even the sparse moisture in the desert air.
Tobirama didn't let up. A new series of hand seals followed, and Sasuke braced himself. "Suiton: Water Dragon Bullet!" Despite the dry terrain, a massive water dragon surged forth, twisting and roaring as it barreled toward Sasuke. The sheer size of the technique was overwhelming, the sand beneath the dragon's form turning to slick mud in its wake.
Sasuke reacted quickly, jumping to the side and planting his foot firmly in the sand, his right hand glowing faintly with chakra. "Gakidō!" The water dragon roared as it descended toward him, its twisting form a perfect manifestation of Tobirama's chakra. The moment the jutsu made contact, the Rinnegan pulsed.
The dragon unraveled.
Its water collapsed inward, devoured by the invisible pull of Gakidō's power. What had been a roaring, destructive force was reduced to faint ripples of moisture that dissipated into the arid desert air. Sasuke didn't just block the attack—he erased it, consuming the chakra that had shaped it and leaving only emptiness behind.
Sasuke's left eye gleamed ominously, the six tomoe spinning within his Rinnegan like the slow turning of celestial gears. Each tomoe represented a distinct power—a facet of the god-like abilities he had unlocked upon awakening this eye.
But power didn't equate to mastery.
When Sasuke first activated the Rinnegan during his fateful battle with Naruto, he had only been able to tap into three of those abilities. They were the simplest, the most instinctive to wield—Tendō, the power to control gravity; Shuradō, the art of mechanical creation, which had forged his artificial arm; and Amenotejikara, the manipulation of space-time that allowed him to teleport in an instant.
Even then, those three abilities had nearly made him unstoppable.
But time had sharpened him. Years of battle and refinement had transformed what was once raw potential into precision. Now, he wielded all six paths—not as fragments of power but as extensions of himself.
And this?
This was the Gakidō, the Path of Preta.
The first of his remaining powers, and the one he now revealed.
The process was seamless, the chakra drawn into his palm like a whirlpool. For a brief moment, he could feel it—the strength Tobirama had poured into the jutsu.
Limitless chakra.
It was the key advantage of the Edo Tensei. Those resurrected were bound to their master's will, but they were not bound by mortal limits. They could endlessly mold and expend chakra, compensating for deficiencies in the natural environment. It was how Tobirama had called forth the water dragon even in the parched wasteland of the desert.
But even infinite chakra could be countered.
Sasuke's Rinnegan burned as the last remnants of the jutsu vanished, his arm returning to his side as if the effort had cost him nothing. In truth, it hadn't.
This was the power of the Preta Path—the ability to absorb and nullify chakra itself.
Tobirama's crimson eyes narrowed, but he didn't falter. His analytical mind was already piecing together what had just happened, calculating Sasuke's next move. He was still testing him, Sasuke realized as he straightened. He wanted to gauge how he countered his elemental jutsu.
Without pausing, Tobirama summoned another wave of water, this time transforming it into a series of thin, slicing streams that crisscrossed the battlefield. The attack wasn't meant to overwhelm—it was meant to control. Each stream forced Sasuke to move, redirecting him into less advantageous positions. The sand beneath his feet grew increasingly unstable, becoming a treacherous mixture of mud and grit.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes, frustration bubbling beneath his calm exterior. Tobirama was systematically using the terrain against him, shifting it from dry and firm to wet and unstable. If Sasuke couldn't adapt quickly, the Second Hokage would soon gain the upper hand. With a burst of chakra, he dashed sideways, aiming to put more distance between them and regain control of the battle.
Tobirama's smirk sharpened, his crimson eyes glinting like blades. "Running already?" he taunted, his voice cold and cutting. "I thought the Uchiha prided themselves on their stubbornness."
His hands snapped into motion, weaving through seals faster than the eye could follow. Water surged upward in response, twisting into a barrage of tridents that rained down toward Sasuke in a relentless cascade. At the same time, the sand beneath Sasuke's feet churned and softened, turning into a slick, unstable mire meant to drag him down.
But Sasuke didn't falter.
Even as the sand threatened to pull him under and the tridents speared through the air, he remained perfectly still, eyes blazing—one with the sharp precision of the Sharingan, the other glowing with the eerie intensity of the Rinnegan.
His vision dissected the battlefield, stripping Tobirama's tactics bare. The water wasn't just an attack; it was control. Each strike was meant to corner him, to narrow his options until he had nowhere left to stand. Tobirama wasn't just fighting Sasuke—he was shaping the field around him, forcing the Uchiha to play his game.
But he was too focused on control, Sasuke thought, his mind working as quickly as his eyes. And control had limits.
As the next trident loomed, Sasuke's right hand rose, fingers splayed outward. His Rinnegan pulsed.
"Shinra Tensei!"
The wave of repulsive force erupted outward, tearing through the watery assault and scattering the spears into droplets. The shockwave struck the soaked sand as well, sending ripples through the terrain and forcing Tobirama to momentarily adjust his stance.
Tobirama's eyes narrowed, his sharp gaze analyzing the battlefield. The wet sand covering him and beneath his feet was an unavoidable consequence of his own water-style jutsu, and Sasuke was exploiting it. The faintest flicker of realization crossed Tobirama's face just as Sasuke moved.
"Chidori Nagashi!" He thrust his hand into the ground, unleashing a torrent of lightning chakra. The electrical surge raced through the dampened terrain, turning it into a web of deadly lightning that converged toward Tobirama's position with incredible speed.
The Second Hokage's expression tightened as the lightning reached him, crackling around his body and disrupting his movements. The wet sand amplified the attack, forcing Tobirama to stumble slightly as the electricity coursed through his Edo Tensei form. Though the damage wasn't permanent due to the regenerative nature of his body, the disruption was enough to slow him down, giving Sasuke a critical moment to act.
Channeling the Asura Path, he focused his Rinnegan's power into his left shoulder. The remnants of his severed mechanical arm shimmered as metal components reshaped and extended, the appendage reforming into a sleek blade.
"Amenotejikara!" Without hesitation, Sasuke swapped places with a rock behind the Nidaime, his blade-arm slicing cleanly through Tobirama's midsection. The motion was fluid and devastating, splitting the Edo Tensei body in two. Tobirama's top half fell away from his lower body, the disconnection exposing the patchwork, paper-like structure of his Edo Tensei form. However, Sasuke's eyes immediately caught the intricate inscriptions on the exposed material, his Sharingan analyzing them in an instant. Each segment of the paper-like body was inscribed with seals—exploding tags.
"Too late," Tobirama remarked, his voice carrying a grim satisfaction as the tags began to glow ominously.
A deafening series of explosions erupted at point-blank range, the initial shockwave threatening to engulf Sasuke entirely. His Sharingan spun furiously, tracking every fragment of debris and chakra surge as the blasts closed in. With no time to fully retreat, Sasuke instinctively activated the Gakidō Path, his right arm glowing faintly as it absorbed the chakra fueling the initial wave of explosions.
The effort was monumental. The sheer force of the detonations pressed against him like a tidal wave. While his absorption mitigated much of the energy, it wasn't enough to block everything. Shrapnel and searing heat broke through, striking his body with devastating force. A jagged fragment tore into his left side, drawing a deep gash that began to soak his cloak in blood. Another piece grazed his forehead, leaving a line of crimson dripping down the side of his face. The sheer intensity of the blast sent him skidding across the sand, his body battered and scorched as the heat and concussive force overwhelmed his defenses.
Despite the injuries, Sasuke gritted his teeth, forcing himself to push back against the tide of destruction. His mechanical arm sparked violently, the panel deflecting the shrapnel while his right arm continued to absorb the chakra of the explosions. With a final, desperate burst of effort, he leapt backward, twisting midair to avoid a chunk of debris hurtling toward his head.
The subsequent shockwaves threw him farther, and he tumbled across the sand like a broken doll. When he finally came to a stop, he groaned, his body trembling as he rose to one knee. His left side burned fiercely where the shrapnel had cut deep, and his breathing was ragged from the sheer physical toll. His cloak hung in tatters, its scorched remnants fluttering faintly in the desert wind. His mechanical arm emitted faint wisps of smoke, the panel that had absorbed the chakra glowing faintly as it redirected energy back into his reserves, keeping him standing despite the growing strain.
The battlefield was scorched, patches of sand turned to glass by the sheer heat of the explosions. Sasuke clenched his fists, his mind racing. Tobirama had weaponized his own body as a trap… and Sasuke fell for it.
As the smoke and dust began to settle, the battlefield revealed a grim sight. Tobirama's body was scattered across the sand in fragments, blown apart by his own explosive tags. Slowly, unnervingly, the detached pieces began pulling themselves back together. Limbs and shards of his form dragged across the ground, paper-like tendrils reassembling into a humanoid shape. His torso reformed first, then his legs, followed by his arms and head. The process was deliberate, each piece clicking into place with a cold, methodical precision.
Despite his incomplete state, Tobirama's smirk remained intact. His voice cut through the air, calm and calculating. "You didn't use that swapping technique to escape the explosion," he observed. "Interesting." His eyes glinted with triumph, even as the final fragments of his body slid back into place. "That hesitation just told me something valuable." His smirk deepened, his regenerated form straightening as the last piece of his arm clicked into position. "There's a delay between uses, isn't there?"
Sasuke's expression darkened, his thoughts racing. Tobirama's deduction was accurate, and the Second Hokage wasn't the type to let such an advantage go to waste.
Blood trickled from small cuts on his face and arm from the explosion. He pressed a hand to his injured side, his blood-slicked fingers glowing faintly with healing energy as he worked to stop the bleeding. With a subtle movement, Sasuke's blade-arm shifted, the metallic edges folding and retracting seamlessly until it returned to its usual shape, a functional, humanoid replacement. The dull, metallic sheen of the arm caught the dim light as a small panel on his shoulder slid open with a faint hiss as the arm began to absorb natural energy from the environment.
Sasuke's breathing steadied as he crouched low, his sharp eyes never leaving Tobirama's slowly regenerating form. The Second Hokage's fragmented body was pulling itself back together, the scattered paper-like fragments floating through the air as if drawn by an invisible force. Sasuke used the brief respite to evaluate the situation, his mind racing as he calculated his next move.
Tobirama wasn't forcing him into a corner yet, but every new technique Sasuke revealed—or even withheld—fed the enemy more critical information. That information didn't stop with Tobirama; it would inevitably reach Kabuto, and eventually Amaterasu herself. Each delay increased the risk of exposing his abilities further, a risk he could not afford.
He glanced briefly at his left shoulder, where the mechanical panel glowed faintly, steadily drawing in natural energy to replenish his reserves. The energy worked to heal his lingering injuries, but the process wasn't without its flaws. Unlike Naruto, Sasuke's mastery of Sage Mode was incomplete. While the natural energy aided his recovery, maintaining the balance for an extended period strained his body, a fragile edge he could already feel pressing against him.
Time itself loomed as the greatest obstacle. Even if the fight ended now, the distance to the Sand Village remained a significant barrier. Sasuke's focus shifted momentarily to the thought of Hinata and her battle against Kabuto. Her rage, uncharacteristic of the gentle and composed teammate he had known, was a dangerous wildcard. If she killed Kabuto before he returned, the Edo Tensei would remain active, an outcome Tobirama himself had confirmed.
Naruto's battle with Hashirama was another factor. While Sasuke trusted Naruto's strength and adaptability, the endless regeneration of the Edo Tensei posed an unparalleled challenge. The potential destruction from that fight alone could extend beyond the Sand Village and consume the entire desert. Resolving this quickly wasn't just a goal—it was a necessity.
Tobirama's body was nearly whole again, the torn pieces of his Edo Tensei form pulling themselves back together with unsettling precision. He flexed his fingers experimentally, his sharp gaze settling on Sasuke, who stood a short distance away, his Rinnegan and Sharingan eyes glowing faintly as natural energy continued to heal his wounds. "Do you have some kind of plan?" Tobirama asked, his voice calm, though his posture betrayed a readiness to strike at any moment.
Sasuke didn't respond immediately, his mind racing. The truth was, he had options—powerful ones—but they came with risks. His remaining Rinnegan abilities were perfectly suited for this situation, yet the slightest mistake could allow Tobirama to mark him again, and the battle would spiral out of his control. The idea of asking for help grated against his pride, especially from someone who had openly belittled his clan. But this wasn't the time to let his ego dictate his actions. His allies were counting on him to return with the means to end this jutsu, and that goal outweighed any personal misgivings.
"I do," Sasuke finally said, his tone steady but cold. After a moment of hesitation, he added, "Are you able to regain control of your body? Just for even a second."
Tobirama's eyebrows raised slightly at the question, but his expression didn't shift into derision or mockery as Sasuke had half-expected. "You're surprisingly pragmatic," the Second Hokage remarked, his tone neutral but carrying a faint note of approval. "It seems the one fighting my brother shares some of his traits. Men like that always needed someone like us to keep them grounded."
Sasuke narrowed his eyes, unsure if the comparison was meant as a compliment or an insult, but he let it slide. "What do I need to do to help you break his control?" he asked, in spite of the discomfort of relying on someone he viewed as a relic of a flawed past.
Tobirama paused, the faintest flicker of surprise crossing his features before he answered. "The only way for me to regain even a fraction of control is to flare my chakra. That would disrupt the caster's influence temporarily, but it really would only be for a second. You'll need to push me into a situation where I have no choice but to release my chakra," he said, his tone calm but tinged with urgency. "Force me into a moment of extreme pressure—either physically or through your jutsu. If you manage that, I can do the rest."
The Second Hokage's voice carried no mockery or disdain, only focus. Whatever lingering animosity he might have felt toward the Uchiha seemed to be set aside in the face of the shared goal. Sasuke's jaw tightened, and he gave a slight nod in return, his resolve hardening.
Before anything else could be done, Tobirama vanished, reappearing just in front of Sasuke with a speed that nearly caught him off guard. The faint glow of a marking on the sand betrayed the teleportation's source—a place Tobirama had marked during their earlier exchanges. Sasuke's Sharingan flared, his body reacting before his thoughts could fully catch up. "Shinra Tensei!"
A devastating wave of force erupted outward, slamming into Tobirama and hurling him back through the air. The impact tore through the sand, scattering it in all directions and obliterating the marked area entirely. Tobirama hit the ground hard, skidding to a stop some distance away, but his composed expression never wavered. His sharp eyes briefly flicked to the cleared ground where his marking had once been, noting its absence.
As Tobirama stood, dusting himself off with deliberate calm, he spoke again. "Then let's see if you're capable of creating such an opportunity," he said, his voice laced with quiet challenge.
Sasuke lowered his hand, his breaths steady but controlled. The weight of the situation pressed heavily on him—there was no room for error now. The path to victory demanded nothing less than perfection, and he couldn't afford to overlook a single detail.
Sasuke activated the mechanisms in his left arm again, the smooth, metallic appendage shifting with a series of mechanical whirs and clicks. The arm unfolded and elongated, its sleek design morphing into something alien to their time—an advanced railgun.
The barrel extended outward, segmented plates locking into place with precision, while glowing conduits of chakra spiraled along its surface. The faint hum of magnetic energy built steadily, resonating with an intensity that vibrated through the air. As the transformation completed, the railgun's energy core pulsed, emitting a brilliant, ominous blue light that bathed the surrounding sand in its glow.
His Rinnegan flared as he aimed the weapon, his vision narrowing on Tobirama's position. The Second Hokage's sharp gaze was unwavering despite the looming threat. Sasuke's right hand gripped the cannon as he steadied his stance. The hum of the railgun reached a crescendo, the power contained within it threatening to spill over.
"Chodenjiho!" Sasuke shouted, the railgun firing with a deafening crack, unleashing a projectile of raw, concentrated energy. The shot traveled at blinding speed, leaving a streak of searing light in its wake. The sand around it erupted into a storm of displaced particles, the force of the magnetic surge distorting the air and creating a wave of rippling heat. The projectile tore through the battlefield like a meteor, its trajectory unwavering as it hurtled toward its target.
Tobirama's smirk deepened as his hands blurred through a rapid sequence of seals. "Doton: Mud Wall!" he declared, slamming his hands to the ground. A towering wall of mud erupted before him, solidifying instantly under the influence of his chakra. The first impact was explosive, the railgun projectile ripping through the initial barrier with ease, sending chunks of mud flying in every direction. But Tobirama wasn't finished. As the projectile barreled forward, more mud walls rose in its path, each one thicker and more resilient than the last.
The walls weren't ordinary. Earlier in their battle, Tobirama had saturated the sand with his water techniques, transforming the loose grains into dense, cohesive mud. This elementally-infused mud carried the strength of his chakra, each wall acting as a fortified bulwark against Sasuke's attack. The projectile punched through the second wall, then the third, but its momentum began to falter. The railgun's energy beam dimmed fractionally, the streaking light losing some of its ferocity.
At the final wall, Tobirama poured an immense amount of chakra into his defense, his hands glowing faintly from the sheer output. The wall shimmered, its surface pulsing with energy as the projectile struck. For a moment, the two forces clashed in a brilliant explosion of light and sound. The wall trembled violently, cracks spiderwebbing across its surface as it threatened to give way. The railgun's power pressed relentlessly, carving deeper and deeper into the mud, which Tobirama continued to reinforce.
Sasuke gritted his teeth, his grip on the railgun tightening as he funneled more chakra into the attack. The barrel glowed white-hot, the conduits along his arm crackling with unstable energy. Yet, the projectile's advance slowed further, the force of Tobirama's defense proving insurmountable. The mud wall groaned under the strain but held firm, the shimmering glow of Tobirama's chakra stabilizing the cracks just as they began to widen.
As the light of Sasuke's railgun finally sputtered out, the final mud wall stood battered but unbroken, an immovable testament to Tobirama's defensive mastery. The air was thick with heat and tension, the battlefield falling eerily silent in the aftermath. Sasuke's arm shifted back to its standard form, the energy conduits dimming as the cannon's mechanisms retracted. The railgun had failed to break through, but Sasuke's narrowed gaze revealed no frustration—only cold calculation. The attack wasn't meant to win outright. Its true purpose had been achieved.
Tobirama's mud wall flickered with chakra as it began to crumble under its own weight. The Second Hokage remained steady, but his body emitted an involuntary surge of chakra—an instinctive response to the sheer strain of maintaining his defenses. That surge was exactly what Sasuke had been waiting for.
"Now!" Tobirama's voice boomed across the field, his momentary control over his body asserted through the flare of his chakra. It wasn't enough for full autonomy—he couldn't move or act freely—but it allowed him to halt Kabuto's influence for a single heartbeat. His posture froze, his sharp eyes glinting with resolve. It was all Sasuke needed.
Sasuke's Rinnegan spun, locking onto the opportunity with surgical precision. "Amenotejikara!" In a flash, the space between them warped. Sasuke swapped places with the crumbling mud wall, appearing directly above the crouching Tobirama. His right hand extended, the faint hum of his chakra intensifying as he reached for the Second Hokage's head.
Tobirama's eyes flicked upward, his expression calm despite the inevitability of what was coming. Sasuke's fingers touched the crown of his head, and in that instant, the fifth path of the Rinnegan activated. "Ningendo!"
A pulse of energy rippled through Tobirama's body as Sasuke invoked the Path of Humanity, the domain of the soul. The Second Hokage's paper-like form went rigid, his glowing eyes dimming as Sasuke's power took hold. Slowly, with a deliberate motion, Sasuke pulled upward. The air grew heavy as an ethereal glow emerged, the shape of Tobirama's very soul being wrenched free from the confines of his Edo Tensei body. The spiritual form flickered, its edges shimmering like ripples on a pond as it resisted for a brief moment—before yielding completely.
The remnants of Tobirama's body collapsed to the sand, turning dull and lifeless, the vibrant energy that had animated it now reduced to inert paper scraps. Sasuke stood tall, holding the shimmering soul aloft in his grasp. His expression was grim, his breathing labored from the effort of the fight.
But Sasuke wasn't finished. His Rinnegan glowed with renewed intensity as he activated its sixth and final path. "Jigokudō!" he intoned, his voice resolute. The ground behind him split open, and a towering figure emerged—a grotesque, otherworldly head surrounded by swirling, dark purple flames. The King of Hell loomed over the battlefield, its monstrous mouth opening wide to reveal an abyss of darkness within.
Sasuke turned, holding Tobirama's soul aloft before casting it into the gaping maw of the King of Hell. The spirit disappeared into the void, swallowed whole by the entity's unrelenting hunger. For a moment, the battlefield was silent once more.
The oppressive tension lifted, and Sasuke allowed himself a brief sigh of relief. The gamble had paid off. Had Tobirama's soul resisted even slightly, the struggle would have left Sasuke vulnerable, and the battle could have ended in disaster. But the Second Hokage's cooperation, however fleeting, had tipped the scales in Sasuke's favor.
"Now then," Sasuke began, his voice steady but tinged with urgency. "You said you can teach me how to undo the Edo Tensei?" He directed his question toward the looming figure of the King of Hell. Despite the monstrous appearance of the entity, it was Tobirama's voice that answered, his tone calm but laced with curiosity.
"…Now this is a most interesting ability," Tobirama remarked, his words slow and deliberate, as though he were analyzing every detail of the situation. "Just who exactly are you? No mere Uchiha like I had expected. I doubt even Madara had an ability such as this, though it feels like something he would have sought to master."
Sasuke's patience thinned as he glanced toward the faint glow of the false sun in the distance, the weight of the situation pressing down on him. "We can talk about those things later," he snapped, cutting off the Hokage's musings. "Your brother is still running rampant, and we need to stop him before the caster gets himself killed."
There was a pause, and then Tobirama let out a faint sigh, his voice carrying a note of reluctant acknowledgment. "…You're right. My apologies," he said, a rare tone of repentance coloring his words. For a moment, it seemed the Second Hokage was caught off guard by the dynamic reversal of roles. Tobirama wasn't accustomed to being the one scolded, let alone agreeing with the reprimand.
"Understand this," Tobirama continued, his voice firm and solemn now. "My brother is not someone you can take lightly, even in your current state. Hashirama's strength is… unparalleled. If the caster is even partially losing control of him, then you're dealing with a force that could reduce the entire battlefield to ashes without a moment's thought. And if the caster dies before you reach him, all of this will have been for nothing."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed as Tobirama's words sank in. The description was dire, but it only steeled his resolve. "Then you'd better explain how to stop this," he said sharply. "Now."
Tobirama hesitated briefly before responding, his tone shifting to something almost conspiratorial. "To undo the Edo Tensei, you must force the caster to release the technique willingly. Their death will only cement the jutsu's permanence. You'll have to subdue him without killing him—and quickly. It'll be a whole lot worse if his final command to my brother is to run wild. The consequences would be catastrophic."
Sasuke's jaw tightened, the weight of Tobirama's words settling heavily on his shoulders. Hinata. He didn't know what state she was in, but the image of her rage during their last encounter flashed in his mind. If she killed Kabuto out of anger—or desperation—everything they had fought for would unravel.
He turned on his heel, the faint glow of his Rinnegan reflecting his urgency. "That's all I needed," he muttered, more to himself than to Tobirama.
"You're racing against the clock, Uchiha," Tobirama added, his voice solemn. "Do not underestimate what my brother is capable of—or the desperation of your allies."
Sasuke didn't answer. He didn't need to. The tension in the air was palpable as he began his sprint back toward the village, the false sun glowing like an ominous beacon on the horizon. Every second counted now, and the stakes had never felt higher.
Chapter End
AN: Only translation note is Chodenjiho (超電磁砲), the Kanji is actually usually just read as "Railgun" from the anime series A Certain Scientific Railgun, but I went with a different reading of the Kanji for an attack name.
That aside, I decided to not give Sasuke the power of the animal path (Pain's summoning technique), the in-world logic being that Amenotejikara was his unique ability that replaced it. The meta reason is I don't really want Nagato and Sasuke both having access to the same summoning pool, cause that creates other problems for me. There are a few other ways I could get around that, but just not giving him the ability at all was the least headache inducing.