So… execute that plan?
Tch. Sounds real noble when you say it like that.
Easy to talk big when you're not the one being sacrificed, huh?
If killing you was all it took to kick off the plan… I still wouldn't agree to it!
The plan?
Screw the plan. I never agreed to any of that crap in the first place!
What even is the plan?
Use the Rinnegan to resurrect Uchiha Madara. Then, Madara would dominate the world and initiate the Eye of the Moon Plan—casting everyone into an infinite Tsukuyomi dream world.
Originally, the plan was for Nagato to be the one to die and revive Uchiha Madara.
But Nagato's already dead—killed by Obito himself.
Black Zetsu shrank back, not daring to speak, though in his mind, he was silently grumbling.
Back then, it was you who said that once Nagato was killed, you'd take over as the Rinnegan user and personally resurrect Madara when the time came.
That's why they never forced Nagato to perform the Rinne Rebirth Technique.
And now what?
You're backing out?
What about the plan?
What about Uchiha Madara?
Obito's expression darkened.
Sure, he'd said that back then—but he'd never once intended to follow through with it.
According to his plan, he would complete the Eye of the Moon Plan and plunge the world into the Infinite Tsukuyomi. As for Madara…
Who the hell cared who he was?
Uchiha Madara? Do I know you?
Oh, the eyes were yours?
Well then—thanks!
Gotta admit—Obito had been supremely confident back then.
A hundred thousand-strong White Zetsu army.
Thousands of reanimated shinobi under Edo Tensei.
A horde of terrifying kekkei genkai monsters.
Each one with deadly and unique abilities.
And in his hand? The Ten-Tails.
Even if it was only a chakra construct, its combat power was massive, and it suppressed the other tailed beasts.
Obito himself had grown far stronger too.
Especially with the Rinnegan—he'd only implanted one, and the sheer power of it had nearly broken him. In that moment, he'd truly believed he could crush Uchiha Funan.
And Konoha? They'd just fought a huge battle against Iwagakure and Kumogakure. Their strength had to be diminished.
With all that power, what was there to fear?
Just steamroll everything!
…Or so he thought.
Turns out, he'd been way too optimistic.
Konoha countered the White Zetsu army's transformation jutsu with explosive tags, blowing them to bits before they could even get close.
Their Edo Tensei soldiers were systematically neutralized by Konoha's strategists.
Even the bloodline freaks with powerful kekkei genkai were met with a sea of elite shinobi.
Face-to-face clashes? Konoha didn't even blink.
As for the Ten-Tails…
The tailed beasts beat it so badly it could barely function.
If Madara hadn't stepped in to help, the damn thing might've ended up as barbecue.
And Obito's own strength?
Not bad… but then Konoha revived the First Hokage.
If they hadn't summoned Madara to even the field, the war would've ended long ago.
…with him being utterly destroyed.
He never thought it'd come to this.
So what now?
The Allied Shinobi Forces are too strong. Their top fighters can't be beaten.
Should he really go through with reviving Madara?
No!
Absolutely not!
The Eye of the Moon Plan… it has to be his!
Only he can carry it out!
He wants to see Rin brought back to life.
He wants to see that smile that healed his heart.
And Kakashi… even though he hates him…
In the Infinite Tsukuyomi world, he'd be willing to forgive him.
Then the three of them… could live happily together.
Wait… something about that sounds off.
Eh, whatever! Minor detail. Who cares?
The important thing is—what now?
Obito turned his gaze toward the Ten-Tails, still sealed inside the Four Red Yang Formation.
Only one option left.
[Vmm!]
The power of the Mangekyō Sharingan flared to life.
Obito vanished on the spot.
Kakuzu scowled with dissatisfaction, letting out a low grunt.
"Sigh…" Kakashi couldn't help but exhale. "Space-time jutsu… so annoying. We can beat them in a fight but still can't stop them from running away."
"So what do we do now?" Guy frowned. "Are we seriously going to win the war but let the one who started it walk free? He's the real mastermind, Kakashi!"
"I know. Let's wait for Sensei and the Second." Kakashi answered without hesitation. "They know space-time jutsu too. Maybe… they can handle Obito."
Guy finally relaxed a little.
He knew—Obito was practically Kakashi's inner demon.
Now that they'd come face to face, there was no telling what Kakashi might do.
...
[Vmm!]
Space twisted.
A hand reached out from the void, grasping toward Minato from behind.
Minato was still focused, maintaining the Four Red Yang Formation, waiting for the others' attack.
By the time he sensed it, he'd already spun around—kunai slashing through the air in a sharp arc.
The blade sliced through Obito's face—only to have his hand caught instead.
"I've got you."
Obito's Mangekyō Sharingan glinted.
The air rippled with spatial distortion, threatening to pull Minato in.
[Whoosh!]
In a flash of light, Minato vanished on the spot.
When he reappeared, he was already dozens of meters away.
Obito stared at him, tilting his head with a chuckle.
"Got away again, huh? Next time… You won't be so lucky."
Minato stared at Obito with a complicated expression.
"Obito... is it really you?"
That scene just now—
It was exactly like that night more than ten years ago, the night of the Nine-Tails' attack.
It was during that battle that the two of them had fought for the first time.
Back then, Minato hadn't recognized Obito.
Funan always made fun of that fact.
Like, seriously—who the hell could have recognized him?
The guy who used to be a dead-last suddenly showed up with Kage-level power.
A man presumed dead had somehow come back to life.
And their first meeting? That guy didn't even have a two-tomoe Sharingan, let alone a Mangekyō, and he definitely didn't have any space-time ninjutsu.
Then the next time they met, boom—Mangekyō, space-time mastery, and his body filled with Hashirama cells, demeanor cold and ruthless.
That's not a glow-up. That's a resurrection act.
How was anyone supposed to recognize him?
Even the Rinnegan wouldn't be able to tell—
Maybe if you had a Byakugan and could just see through everything!
"Heh… Minato-sensei, long time no see."
Obito let out a strange, almost mocking laugh.
He'd always harbored resentment toward Minato.
Why?
Why had the man known as the Yellow Flash failed to arrive in time to save Rin?
Why, on the night of the Nine-Tails' attack, hadn't he recognized him?
Even Obito had hesitated back then.
After all, the ones he was about to harm were his sensei and Kushina-nee.
What would've happened if Minato had recognized him that night?
Truth was, when Minato failed to recognize him, part of Obito had felt relieved.
Not being recognized—maybe that was better.
He could die and be reborn into a new world.
But then Minato appeared again, standing before him once more.
Obito hadn't planned to come find him—it just… happened.
Driven by instinct, maybe.
Of the four shinobi maintaining the Four Red Yang Formation, Minato wasn't even the best target.
The better choice now would've been Shisui.
Shisui, without his Mangekyō, still had Kage-level strength but clearly wasn't as much of a threat.
But no. He came anyway.
"Obito… why?" Minato asked in anguish. "Why does it have to be you?"
"Why?" Obito chuckled darkly. "Because you failed to save Rin!"
"Sensei… you were called the Yellow Flash, but in the end, you were nothing but a worthless coward."
Minato didn't answer. He just stared at Obito, grief etched across his face.
"Heh, what's with that look now? Who're you trying to impress?"
Obito let out a low, bitter laugh, then roared, "Rin is dead!"
Minato remained silent.
"That's enough. I don't have time to waste here," Obito said coldly. "Once my plan succeeds, I'll bring you all to the new world—a world without chaos, where everyone can be happy."
"…I want to go to a world like that too," Minato finally said, voice heavy with regret. "But such a world doesn't exist."
He looked solemn.
"Obito, give up on that delusion."
"The world of Infinite Tsukuyomi is nothing more than a false dream.
Living in a world built on lies… do you really think you'd be happy?"
"I would."
Obito's voice was firm, resolute.
"As long as Rin is there, that world is happiness."
"You're just lying to yourself."
"You don't understand anything."
"Then I have no choice… but to stop you."
Minato tightened his grip around his custom kunai.
"I failed to stop you last time. But this time—I won't."
Obito broke into another fit of laughter, his body beginning to blur and fade.
"Then come and try, Minato-sensei."
As Obito disappeared, countless explosive tags rained down from above.
Minato's expression darkened instantly.
Seriously?
Even now… he wanted to curse someone.
He wanted to curse Uchiha Funan!
Look at what you started!
You've ruined the very fabric of shinobi culture.
Minato flicked his hand, and several kunai shot out, piercing through the falling tags mid-air.
But more just kept drifting down.
With a sigh, Minato had no choice but to destroy them one by one, all while staying alert—
Obito could strike from anywhere and drag him into his Mangekyō dimension.
Minato couldn't move.
He had to maintain the Four Red Yang Formation.
If he left his position, Obito would easily break through.
But…
Minato wasn't worried.
In terms of numbers, they had the advantage.
All he needed to do was hold on for a few more breaths—
The top fighters from the Allied Shinobi Forces would arrive soon.
Obito's plan never had a chance.
...
"So, do you understand now?"
In Naruto's consciousness, the Sage of the Six Paths was explaining things to him.
The origins of the ninja…
The story of Kaguya and his brother…
He told Naruto everything.
Of course, whether he really told him everything was something only he knew.
Naruto struggled to keep his eyes open.
"Hey, old man, let me ask you something… That Tailed Beast Bomb that hit us—was that you? And what about the earlier attacks? Were those your doing too?"
"What? Of course not!"
The Sage sighed.
"I told you already—you two are the reincarnations of my sons. Why would I ever hurt you?"
"Really?" Naruto eyed him suspiciously. "Then who else could it be?"
Unlike in the original timeline, this Naruto had grown up in a completely different environment.
Naturally, the education he received was different too.
Even though the Sage of Six Paths spoke with absolute conviction, Naruto still harbored doubts.
It was just too convenient.
That attack had relentlessly chased them down.
And the moment it hit, they fell unconscious.
Then, this old man conveniently showed up.
It was like the whole thing had been choreographed.
"I can only say there's a chance it was my mother," the Sage of Six Paths replied. "You know how she is—if anyone poses a threat to her, she'll want to eliminate them first."
"Is that so?"
"Enough, Naruto." The Sage looked at him with gentle eyes. "Now, tell me your choice."
"My choice?" Naruto blinked. "What choice do I even have? I don't know if anything you said is true or not. So, my choice is: once I get out of here, I'll talk it over with Pervy Sage or Funan-aniki."
The Sage of Six Paths twitched at the corners of his mouth.
These two brats… why are they so uncooperative?
Two of them!
Because over in another consciousness space, Sasuke's response wasn't much different.
After listening to everything, he clenched his jaw and said firmly, "I need to go ask my brother."
His brother?
His brother!?
Brother this, brother that—just hearing it gave the Sage of Six Paths a headache.
You damn brother-obsessed gremlin!
"Enough! Now, hold out your hand!" The Sage said with a serious tone. "No matter what choice you make, you still need this power. The ninja world needs it. I'm counting on you both to save it."
Give my mother a good thrashing!
Smack some sense into her, then seal her up!
That way she'll behave, and I can finally focus on my own stuff.
That was the Sage's real plan.
After all, the power he was giving them wasn't enough to kill his mother anyway.
In truth, Kaguya was incredibly difficult to deal with—even for the Sage and Hamura, defeating her had been a massive ordeal.
But then… something unexpected happened.
As the Sage held out his hands, both Naruto and Sasuke—though in separate consciousness spaces—took a synchronized step back, eyeing him with deep suspicion.
The Sage of Six Paths: "…"
What the hell are you two doing?
I'm giving you power! For free!
And not just any power—Six Paths-level power!
Why aren't you rushing to grab it?
Preferably after bowing to me first!
Naruto said seriously, "Pervy Sage told me never to accept things from others so easily—especially not something valuable."
Sasuke: "I'm going to ask my brother first."
The Sage nearly hurled the power right into their faces out of sheer frustration.
Enough already!
Especially you, Sasuke! Aren't you supposed to be the aloof and cold type!?
Since when did you turn into this walking 'onii-san' chant machine!?
Taking a deep breath, the Sage waved his hand.
Naruto and Sasuke were forcibly dragged in front of him.
"Remember, the future of the ninja world is in your hands! And be careful…"
The rest of his words trailed off.
Naturally, he meant: Be careful of Uchiha Funan.
But given how these two had been treating him, he could only sigh in resignation.
Forget it. This power will return to me eventually anyway.
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