Hokage:madara level start

Time passed slowly.

Due to Uchiha Madara's growing concerns over Uchiha Izuna's fragile condition, several days drifted by uneventfully.

Until, finally—on the seventh day:

In the Hidden Leaf Village…

With Princess Tsunade now fully cooperating, over 1,500 elite Konoha ninjas had been assembled and deployed.

This figure didn't even include the Root Ninjas mobilized from the shadows.

When counted together, the number of active ninjas in Konoha had surpassed two thousand—a scale unseen since the founding of the village.

At this point,

Even the civilians of Konoha had come to realize that the "Fourth Great Ninja War" was inevitable. Its scale, intensity, and consequences were expected to be unlike anything the ninja world had ever witnessed.

Because this time, the war wasn't just between two rival nations…

It involved the entire world.

From the Five Great Nations—Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, and Lightning—to even the smaller shinobi countries, every corner of the ninja world was being drawn into the vortex of conflict.

And at the center of it all stood the instigators:

The Hidden Leaf Village.

More specifically… Uchiha Madara's return.

Rumors spread like wildfire throughout the lands.

It was said that Uchiha Madara had mastered a mysterious, terrifying power—one that allowed him to split himself into two.

As a result, there were now two Uchiha Madaras in the world.

That single revelation plunged the entire ninja world into panic.

One Madara was already a nightmare.

Two? That was a disaster.

Some nations even considered surrendering preemptively. Others—knowing resistance was their only option—chose to unite under a single cause.

The Allied Shinobi Forces were formed.

Meanwhile…

On top of Konoha's colossal front gate wall stood three legendary figures: Leo, Uchiha Madara, and Uchiha Izuna.

All three stood tall, arms crossed, their cloaks billowing slightly in the early morning wind. Their eyes were fixed below.

Beneath them, countless Konoha ninjas and White Zetsu soldiers marched out in unison through the main gate. The stream of troops extended as far as the eye could see, forming a seemingly endless column that flowed toward the battlefield.

Leo stood silently beside the Uchiha brothers, observing the departing troops.

"The unification of the ninja world begins today," Uchiha Madara declared with pride, his gaze never wavering.

"Let them witness the strength of me and my two brothers!" added Izuna, his voice calm but firm.

Leo's lips curled into a faint smile.

"I heard the other four nations have begun forming an alliance to oppose us," he said lightly. "Do either of you think they'll actually stand a chance?"

Both Madara and Izuna remained silent, but the arrogance in Leo's tone was unmistakable.

Izuna scoffed and stepped forward. "You two don't need to lift a finger. I alone can crush this so-called Ninja Alliance."

Suddenly—

Zing—

His eyes flickered crimson.

A pair of Mangekyō Sharingan appeared, glowing with power and clarity.

Madara turned to him in slight surprise. "Izuna… your eyes…"

"Yes," Leo murmured, also impressed. "You've reawakened your Mangekyō Sharingan."

Izuna smiled confidently. "Of course. I am Uchiha Izuna!"

Then—

Boom!

A massive surge of blue chakra erupted around him. Within moments, a gigantic Susanoo formed—towering over the Konoha gate wall.

Its armor shimmered, and its towering figure cast a shadow across the departing army.

The soldiers below gasped in awe and fear.

The last time they had seen a Susanoo of this scale, it was Leo's Shadow Clone version wreaking havoc. The psychological imprint remained, and many White Zetsu soldiers instinctively backed away.

The orderly line broke into confusion and hesitation.

To this, Izuna thundered, "Don't be afraid! Keep moving forward. From this point on, I'll be supervising in place of my two older brothers!"

Inside the enormous blue Susanoo, Izuna's eyes shone scarlet with authority.

His thunderous voice echoed over the plains.

"Yes… y-yes!!"

The shinobi and Zetsu soldiers responded hesitantly, but they obeyed.

With Izuna's colossal Susanoo walking alongside them, each step shaking the earth, the army began moving forward once again—pressured, but also inspired.

Having someone as strong as Izuna on their side gave them hope.

It made them believe the coming war, however terrible, might be survivable.

"Who is he? That's definitely Madara-sama's Susanoo… but the aura feels different."

"I heard he's Madara-sama's younger brother—Uchiha Izuna."

"Is that true? He seems insanely strong!"

"Yeah, with Madara-sama, Leo-sama, and now Izuna-sama… we're unstoppable!"

"I even heard they're the ones who summoned the meteor over Konoha last time!"

"Whoa!!"

"No one in the ninja world can defeat them now. This war might be over before it begins!"

"I heard both Madara-sama and Leo-sama possess the Rinnegan—the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths!"

"What?! No way!"

As whispers and speculations traveled through the marching troops, Izuna, standing tall in his Susanoo, suddenly raised his voice.

"Stop whispering!"

"Y-yes, Lord Izuna!"

The shinobi immediately stood straighter, their expressions growing more serious.

Far behind them, Leo and the two Madaras stood watching from the top of the city wall.

"Heh…" Madara chuckled.

Just then—

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Multiple figures landed beside them on the wall.

It was the Akatsuki.

Nagato. Konan. Hoshigaki Kisame. Kakuzu. Hidan. Sasori…

They had arrived.

"Lord Madara," the members of Akatsuki greeted in unison, bowing respectfully.

Leo and Madara nodded calmly.

Finally, the war machine was in motion.

"Hehehe… Finally!" Hidan cackled, his eyes wild with excitement. "It's been too long since I offered someone's blood to my god!"

"Leader Madara wants to unify the world, not fuel your blood rituals," Sasori muttered coldly.

"Hmph. It's also a chance to make money." Kakuzu smirked. "Konoha's vault was satisfying. I wonder what treasures other nations hold?"

"We will follow Lord Madara's command," said Konan, her expression unreadable.

Nagato nodded silently beside her.

"Same here," Kisame added, his shark-like grin widening as he tightened his grip on Samehada.

Leo and Madara exchanged glances—silent understanding passing between them.

Then Leo grinned and raised his arm forward.

"Let's go."

With that—

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The Akatsuki members all jumped from the wall and landed on the ground.

Waiting for them below were the remaining elite Konoha forces:

Princess Tsunade, Hatake Kakashi, Nara Shikaku, Akimichi Chōji, Tenten, Yuhi Kurenai, Mitarashi Anko…

And more.

Tsunade stepped forward. "Can we set off now?"

Madara gave no reply—only turned and began walking.

Leo simply pointed ahead and smiled. "Move out!"

At that same moment…

Far across the continent, deep in the desert near the Wind Country's border…

The united shinobi armies of the Five Great Nations had gathered, forming the largest Ninja Alliance in history.

Their goal: resist the twin Uchiha Madaras.

Thus…

The Fourth Great Ninja War… had begun.

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