Konohagakure.
Upon the ruins stood a solitary figure. The dying flames illuminated his form, causing the crimson glow of his Sharingan to flicker intermittently.
At his feet lay the utterly limp body of Sarutobi Sasuke, devoid of breath. Enma, having dissolved into white smoke due to the death of its summoning contract holder, had completely vanished.
"Hikaku?" Hashirama's expression turned grave, his eyes blazing with towering rage. "Why would you do this?"
Kamihane scratched his head with feigned distress. "Ah, how should I answer this? It could be said to be a momentary impulse, or perhaps a long-standing scheme. In any case... I simply acted on desire."
"Brother, this isn't Uchiha Hikaku." Tobirama stepped forward, his countenance severe.
The Hikaku they remembered, though of the Uchiha clan, had been modest and amiable. He had always flawlessly executed Konoha's directives and coordinated affairs perfectly - precisely why the village supported his rise as clan leader.
But the eyes of this being before them... were too sinister, too malevolent, utterly different from the warm and humble Hikaku of old.
"I am... Uchiha Kamihane. The blade of Uchiha Madara."
Kamihane declared through Hikaku's stolen vocal cords.
"What!"
This proclamation sent shockwaves through the assembly. The Kage of the Four Great Nations exchanged glances, each seeing trepidation reflected in the others' eyes.
The Second Tsuchikage Mu narrowed his sharp gaze, preparing to advance when he suddenly noticed Gengetsu Hōzuki had stealthily retreated behind the group.
Hashirama immediately stepped forward, his eyes blazing. "Is Madara alive?"
Kamihane revealed a cunning smile. "Care to guess?"
"Am I a child? Guessing games?" Hashirama's eyes widened impatiently. "Where is he now? Was the Nine-Tails incident his doing? Are these attacks on Konoha under his orders?"
"Lord Hashirama, you ask too many questions. Fortunately, I know all the answers here." Kamihane raised a finger to tap his temple. "But I refuse to answer."
Tobirama's piercing stare locked onto Hikaku's face, his mind racing through possibilities.
'Both visual confirmation and chakra sensing confirm this is undoubtedly Uchiha Hikaku's body. But what could transform him into another's puppet?'
'A Mangekyō Sharingan genjutsu? Impossible! No illusion can manipulate a puppet with such precision, replicating even micro-expressions. That leaves only one possibility.'
"The forbidden technique stolen by Kamihane eleven years ago... Reika no Jutsu (Soul Possession)!"
'But there's more. The principle of Reika no Jutsu involves separating spirit from body to possess others. While superior spiritual energy can dominate the host, the original soul remains present, creating constant interference. No controller could maintain such flawless manipulation unless...'
'Unless the Reika no Jutsu interacts uniquely with Uchiha spiritual energy, granting the caster absolute authority over the target's soul...'
As his deductions deepened, Tobirama's brows knitted tighter, his face darkening ominously.
"If this is indeed Reika no Jutsu..." He covertly signaled behind his back.
Barrier Team ANBU members immediately understood, slipping away under night's cover.
"Enough reminiscing." Kamihane clapped sharply. "I come to declare war - upon all Five Great Nations and their Five Kage simultaneously!"
"Hmph, such arrogance."
Raikage A slowly removed his jacket, revealing obsidian-hued musculature. "Lord Hashirama, allow me to eliminate this vermin."
All Kage except Gengetsu tensed for action.
"Wait!" Hashirama raised a restraining palm. "If declaring war, why hide in another's flesh? Did Madara teach you such cowardice?"
"You overstep your lecturing privileges, Hashirama." Kamihane's gaze swept across the leaders, each word dripping with menace. "I wish you all good luck in the coming battles. Now... let the war commence."
Releasing his grip, several Nekoya-made smoke bombs instantly detonated. An overwhelming white cloud engulfed the battlefield.
Hashirama's eyes narrowed as he swung his arm downward.
"Brother!" Tobirama shouted.
"Wind Release: Turbulent Current!" The Second Tsuchikage's jutsu dispersed the smoke, revealing the scene within.
Gigantic vines had sprouted from ruins, binding Hikaku's body. Dozens of wooden spikes hovered above his head as the possessed Uchiha lay unconscious.
"Such ease?" Raikage cracked his knuckles disappointedly. "This is Madara's famed blade?"
"Don't lower your guard," Tobirama warned grimly. "This rat's cunning."
As the words hung in air, a shrill cry erupted behind them.
"Boil Release: Skilling Mirage!"
Tobirama whirled around in horror, pupils contracting to pinpoints.
The central plaza erupted in cataclysmic explosion. Superheated steam flattened the already ruined Konoha Academy. Every Kage except Hashirama was hurled airborne by the blast.
"GEN! GET! SU!"
Mu's roar of fury shook the battlefield. He'd sensed the anomaly milliseconds before detonation, instinctively leaping clear - but Ōnoki lay unconscious amidst debris.
"Tsuchikage-sama! The Mizukage's being controlled!" Tobirama's urgent shout went unheeded.
Before Mu's hands, a perfectly proportioned translucent cylinder materialized - humming with annihilation energy.
"Compose yourself!"
A colossal wooden dragon erupted from earth, snapping at the airborne Mu.
"Tch." The Tsuchikage abandoned his technique, flipping gracefully away.
Amidst the chaos, Gengetsu's hands flashed through seals. His giant clam materialized with thunderous crash as the clown doppelganger coalesced from cooling vapors.
Darkness absolute swallowed the battlefield.
"Demonic Illusion: Darkness Genjutsu!" Hashirama moved unerringly through blackness, grasping at illusory mirage to seize the true Gengetsu.
"Kamihane! This farce ends now!" The Shodai's palm glowed with sealing kanji. "Wood Release: Tranquilizing Palm Technique!"
Gengetsu's head liquefied into bifurcating streams, evading the strike. "What madness?!" The Mizukage scrambled back, hyperventilating.
"Spiritual possession," Hashirama explained tersely. "Dispel your summons."
As Gengetsu raised trembling hands for release seals, blinding light erupted above.
"Particle Style: Atomic Dismantling Jutsu!"
Mu hovered like wrathful deity, the glowing annihilation cube completing its formation.