As Second Tsuchikage

"Sage Mode!" Mū's voice rang out as his eyes turned pitch black in an instant. Almost immediately, he formed a second clone and sent it to hide in the shadows, silently gathering sage chakra as a safeguard. Mū was the kind of man who never acted without a contingency.

Even when victory felt inevitable, he stayed vigilant for the unexpected. Preparing sage chakra in advance wasn't just strategy to him, it was common sense. Splitting his chakra did weaken his main body slightly, but in return, it guaranteed a fallback. If the main body were to fall in battle, the clone could immediately take over.

"Sage Art: Dust Style, Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"

With a smooth motion, Mū formed Black Dust Style in his hands and unleashed it in a horizontal arc aimed at the Nine-Tails' tail. A high-pitched whoosh cut through the air, followed by a sharp buzzing sound as one of the beast's colossal tails was severed cleanly.

"ARRRHHHOOO!!!" the Nine-Tails howled in pain, the scream echoing through the battlefield like a monstrous, exaggerated Tom scream. Mū, calm and expressionless as ever, immediately sealed the severed tail into a scroll, securing it just in case.

Wasting no time, he clapped his hands.

"Sage Art: Earth Style, Stone Platform Technique!"

A massive stone platform erupted from beneath the Nine-Tails, throwing its balance into disarray. The Iwagakure ANBU, already synchronized with Mū-sama, jumped into action without hesitation.

"Earth Style: Great Fissure Technique!"

"Earth Style: Elevation Platform Technique!"

 They launched a coordinated barrage of Earth Style attacks, pounding the beast with relentless force. But the Nine-Tails responded with a sudden pulse of violent, malicious chakra, sending shockwaves that deflected several of the attacks.

"Sage Art: Earth Style, Steel Binding Form Technique!"

Mū's next command triggered a seismic reaction underground.

A stone giant, nearly as large as the Nine-Tails itself, burst forth from the ground. This was no ordinary construct. It was marked with dark black stripes across its body, emanating potent sage chakra. Unlike the earlier earth-toned golems, this one bore a strong resemblance to the rock ape summoned by Momoshiki, and its presence was nothing short of overwhelming.

BOOM! BOOM!

The giant gripped the Nine-Tails by the throat with both hands and slammed the struggling beast into the earth, sending tremors rippling through the landscape. Without letting up, the stone titan delivered two brutal follow-up punches, slamming its fists into the fox's face.

BAM! BAM!

"Get smashed, you damn beast!" someone shouted amid the chaos.

Snarling in fury, the Nine-Tails retaliated with a compressed Tailed Beast Bomb, launching the condensed sphere of destruction at the stone giant. But before it could even get far, the giant snatched it out of the air with its massive hand.

"Swallow it," came Mū's steady command. Obeying instantly, the stone giant rammed the bomb straight into the Nine-Tails' face.

BOOM!!!

The resulting explosion lit up the battlefield in a blinding flash. A towering mushroom cloud tore through the sky as the Tailed Beast Bomb detonated. The force of the blast was devastating, nearby trees were ripped from their roots, hills were flattened into dust, and over thirty elite Iwagakure shinobi were sent flying in all directions.

"Earth Style: Earth Wall Technique!"

Ōnoki reacted in the nick of time, raising a thick stone barrier to shield his comrades from the shockwave's fury.

Far in the distance, the towering plume of smoke and the massive blast drew attention. A lone figure, watching the scene unfold, tilted his head slightly.

"Oh? Looks like someone beat me to attacking the Nine-Tails…" he muttered with interest. "Well, saves me the trouble."

That man was none other than Uchiha Madara, who had long since defected from the village. He had planned to train alone in the shadows and test his strength against the mightiest Tailed Beast in existence. If the opportunity presented itself, he intended to make the Nine-Tails his personal summon. With that power in his hands, he just might stand a chance against Hashirama.

"Hmph. That chakra feels familiar. Let me see who's bold enough to take on the Nine-Tails," Madara muttered as his eyes narrowed with interest. Without hesitation, he vanished using Body Flicker, dashing toward the source of the explosion.

Back at the heart of the battlefield, thick smoke filled the air, swirling in violent spirals as the aftermath of the Tailed Beast Bomb continued to distort the terrain.

Dust choked the skies and rolled over the hills, obscuring visibility across a massive radius. When the haze finally began to settle, two towering figures emerged from within the murk, locked in brutal combat.

Mū's stone giant had the Nine-Tails pinned down, one massive hand tugging violently on the fox's oversized ear while the other hammered relentless punches into its face.

"Hey! We're fighting, yeah, but at least let me breathe, damn it!" the Nine-Tails howled, voice filled with both fury and disbelief.

In answer, the stone giant only pressed harder. Two more heavy fists slammed down into the beast's snout with brutal precision.

"Hah! You call that pain?" the Nine-Tails sneered through gritted teeth. "We Tailed Beasts are built for this. Your pathetic punches don't even hurt!"

Hearing that, Mū let out a quiet chuckle beneath his bandages. No pain, huh? Then you're just a big punching bag.

Without a word, he shifted tactics. The stone giant stopped striking the Nine-Tails' face and, instead, raised its massive fist and drove it straight down into the beast's groin.

"Wait, HEY! No! Stop! STOP!!!"

The Nine-Tails screamed in genuine panic as it realized what was happening. But it was too late. The stone giant's punch landed with full force. Not even an Ultraman could've stood up after taking that kind of hit.

"ARRRHHHOOO!!!"

The Nine-Tails howled, not once but three times over, each more pitiful than the last. Its pained shrieks echoed across the landscape, mixing agony with humiliation.

Each thunderous punch was followed by another tortured wail, and the ANBU nearby stood frozen, caught between awe and discomfort.

"Damn... does Mū-sama have some personal grudge against that fox?" one of them muttered.

"That one definitely hit something important," another said, wincing.

"Is he... abusing a Tailed Beast?" asked a third.

"Absolutely," replied an ANBU member.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

The stone giant didn't let up. The Nine-Tails bared its fangs, flailing in desperation as its body convulsed under the relentless assault. Each strike sent another jolt of pain through its body, its pride and chakra both steadily crumbling. But even a technique as powerful as this had its limits. Sage Mode was beginning to drain Mū's energy, and he could feel the fatigue creeping in.

"What are you all standing around for?!" he barked, shooting a fierce glare at the group of ANBU still frozen in place.

Snapping out of their stunned trance, the ANBU sprang into action.

"Summoning Technique!"

Several of them slapped their hands to the ground, summoning thick wooden stakes crafted using fragments of Hashirama's legendary Wood Style. With practiced coordination, they drove the stakes into the Nine-Tails' limbs, tails and paws first.

At first, the Nine-Tails scoffed, thinking the wood posed no real threat. But the moment it pierced his flesh, his smirk vanished. A wave of suppressive energy surged through his body. His chakra instantly began to waver and then settle under the natural pressure of the Wood Style.

Realizing the stakes were draining his strength, the Nine-Tails thrashed violently. But the ANBU weren't done. Earth Style bindings rose from the ground, reinforced with layers of iron restraints that latched onto his frame with a series of loud clanks. Despite his roars and wild movements, the beast was rapidly losing control over his own power.

"Hah..." Mū finally exhaled, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

His Sage Mode had almost completely faded, but the battle was won. The Nine-Tails was subdued, pinned beneath earth, steel, and sage craftsmanship.

He slowly floated down to the ground, taking long, measured breaths to calm his body. Even before his feet fully touched the ground, he was already thinking ahead, mapping out the next steps.

"Congratulations, Sensei! We've done it! We actually captured the Nine-Tails!" Ōnoki ran over, grinning from ear to ear with visible pride and excitement.

Mū gave him a small nod and a faint smile in return, then quietly resumed refining his chakra, knowing the real war was far from over.

Just as the tension on the battlefield began to ease, a slow, mocking clap echoed through the air.

Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap.

A voice, steeped in arrogance, followed.

"How amusing~! From a bug beneath my feet to someone actually worthy of my attention... Bandaged man, I must admit, you've exceeded my expectations!"

Madara Uchiha had arrived.

He stood atop a nearby ridge, eyes filled with disdain as he gazed down at Mū. His presence was overwhelming, a suffocating aura of dominance radiating from every inch of his body.

Mū's expression tightened instantly as his head snapped toward the voice. That presence, how had he not sensed it earlier? He had been so focused on the Nine-Tails that he hadn't even noticed Madara approaching. It was a rare lapse, and it made his gut twist.

Ōnoki, standing nearby, froze in shock. That face, that armor, there was no mistaking it.

"Madara Uchiha...! What is he doing here? Wasn't he supposed to be in Konoha?"

Before anyone could react further, there was a sharp whoosh of air. The Iwagakure ANBU responded immediately, drawing their weapons in synchronized motion.

"Who goes there?!"

They shouted in unison, chakra flaring as they positioned themselves between their Tsuchikage and the intruder.

Madara's eyes swept over them lazily, unimpressed. "Tch. Out of my way."

A sudden wave of immense chakra, no- a Susano hand, erupted from him like a bomb, rippling outward in all directions. The force was overwhelming. The ANBU didn't even have time to react, those already weakened from the battle with the Nine-Tails were flung through the air like dolls, crashing into the ground in all directions.

Without wasting a second, Mū's hands blurred through a rapid series of seals.

"Earth Style: Giant Stone Hands!" he called out, slamming his palms together. Two massive stone hands erupted from the ground, catching several airborne ANBU just before they hit the ground.

"Get out of here! Now!" Mū shouted, his voice low but urgent, eyes still locked onto Madara's figure. "Don't stay in this area!"

The message was clear. This wasn't a battle they could be part of. Not anymore.