The earth was shaking; and his entire world trembled and crumbled with it.

When his best friend confirmed his dark assumtion his heart sank like a bird shot from the skies, accelerating like a meteor before hitting the ground... Squadron four, the Sentouenkyori Butai, was squashed by Madara's meteor this instant, Inoichi told them.

His son was part of squadron four. His only little lazy genius son-...

No.

There was no time to stop, no time to feel, no time to breathe. This was war! His cold logical mind was taking over in less than the blink of an eye; the chief strategist to the Alliance and Jonin captain of Konoha overshadowed the father to a teenage son. He had to strategize, and he would.

When he instantly turned to the Hokage, Tsunade had already decided. But he wouldn't stand in her way; he would make anything possible if he could get her down there in time for the end game, and the Raikage, too. In fact, it felt like he was letting the wrath of the beast loose at the guy who aimed at destroying his son's future.

Tsunade might be a gamble, but he certainly was not. This was war, indeed; and he was a master at the game of generals, the game of war. He was the thought and Inoichi was the voice. So he had his message relaid to Genma and his squad, orchestrated the Mizukage towards the Kazekage's and Tsuchikage's place while the Hokage and Raikage were leaving headquarters to be dropped on the board: he had all his powerful pieces in play and ready to strike! Learning that Shikamaru was still alive and kicking didn't alter his determination or strategies, though. While the five Kages were fighting the resurrected Uchiha, he called the remaining squadrons to join forces against their enemy.

Madara was going to pay.

But that man was a formidable opponent as well...with the difference in age between them came the gap in experience, with the gap in experience came the abbyss in power. It had been a long time since he last was in the position of 'Jewel General', but Madara was almost imbatable through brute force. He raked his ingenious brain, his moves got fiercer so he could hopefully turn the tide and outwit the foe, always one tiny step behind - but he was catching up fast!

Move after move, strategy after strategy, pieces were dropped, pieces broke through enemy lines, pieces were taken, pieces evolved...

When the Juubi appeared on the board, the Shinobi-Alliance-no-Jutsu was his last trump. He used everything and everyone he had to foil Madara's and Obito's plans. The odds they would succeed weren't high, but they weren't zero either. And yet the Juubi recovered even faster. And the destructive power and range of its Bijuu Damas was devastating! And when he finally realized its true aim it was already to late...

He could neither change the course of this blast nor evacuate headquaters in time of the impact. It was time to face the truth and accept it.

Checkmate.

But he wouldn't go without completing his last job of setting his final strategy into motion. So he used Inoichi one last time and reached out to everyone... and especially to his dear son Shikamaru. It was time to pass the baton to the next generation. It was time to activate idle pieces for the endgame.