The Sage of Six Paths, who had lingered in the world for nearly a thousand years, had finally departed for the Pure Land in peace.
Natsuro glanced at the place where the Sage had disappeared, silently hoping he could tidy things up over there, after all, the rules of this world were far too chaotic. There were Shinigami, evil gods… and even Yama, the King of Hell himself. After all, the King of Hell summoned by the Rinne Rebirth wasn't a joke.
The system needed reform. The dead shouldn't be allowed to return so easily. Techniques like Edo Tensei shouldn't exist at all.
As for the Rinne Rebirth, he thought it was acceptable, it traded one life for another. The cost was high enough.
Still, he wasn't particularly interested in fixing these issues himself. He'd leave that to the Sage of Six Paths, or perhaps to someone else who would come later.
Now, there were a few things left to be done.
After using Infinite Kotoamatsukami, he had implanted the concept of global unification into the minds of all sentient beings. What followed next was the release of Infinite Tsukuyomi.
Natsuro paused in thought… and realized that the Sage of Six Paths hadn't actually told him how to release it.
But that wasn't too big of a problem.
He looked at the blood-red moon in the sky, recalling that in the original story, it was Naruto and Sasuke who joined hands to form a particular seal.
He couldn't remember which seal exactly, but he could probably deduce and recreate it using his vague memory.
After thinking for a moment, he nodded to himself. It seemed that the simplest method involved someone with all nine Tailed Beasts' chakra and another with the Rinnegan forming a "Tiger" hand seal together.
Natsuro had all nine Tailed Beasts' chakra, since he hadn't released them yet.
But the Rinnegan... was he supposed to make one on the spot?
That felt more troublesome than simply inventing a new way to release it.
Suddenly, he paused and looked down at Umbreon perched on his shoulder.
"Gura?" Umbreon noticed his gaze and tilted its head in curiosity.
"Hold out your paw," said Natsuro.
Surprisingly, Umbreon extended a small front paw, which he took into his hand.
His Yin Release flared to life, and the vertical slit on Umbreon's forehead slowly opened, revealing the blood-red Rinne Sharingan with nine tomoe.
Natsuro looked at the tiny paw in his hand. Although small, it would suffice. Hand seals were just symbolic; what really mattered was the power behind them.
So—
"Infinite Tsukuyomi: Release!"
With the command spoken, the countless divine trees that had spread across the world gently extended their tendrils and slowly lowered the white pods containing captured people to the ground.
However, since he hadn't yet returned the chakra—or, more accurately, the life energy, to those people, none of them woke up just yet.
Natsuro gave it some thought and decided to imitate the Sage of Six Paths. He summoned nine Truth-Seeking Orbs and let them float beneath him as he sat cross-legged, gazing down at the world below.
Time passed.
Eventually, the red moon began to set, and the sky took on the faint hue of dawn.
Finally, people across the world began to awaken.
They stood slowly, shakily, as if recovering from a near-death illness.
At this point, they understood: if they were awake now, that meant Natsuro had won, he had defeated the enemy and released them from Infinite Tsukuyomi.
But none of them looked overjoyed.
In fact, many of their expressions were grave.
Because in their minds, they all recalled those "memories" that had been forcibly planted while they were unconscious—And that being, the one they had entrusted all their hopes to, had told them directly that he intended to unify the entire world.
Everyone looked around at one another.
"That can't be real, right?"
"It must be a lingering illusion from Infinite Tsukuyomi…"
"Otherwise, how could he say such a thing?"
Some even wondered if they were still trapped in Infinite Tsukuyomi, and that Natsuro had actually lost… and now they were trapped in a perfect dreamworld forever.
Regardless, the uncertainty led them to instinctively distance themselves from Konoha's shinobi.
On Konoha's side, clan heads like Hiashi Hyuga and the Ino-Shika-Cho trio exchanged glances. They knew the time had come, and so, they stepped forward and issued orders to their clans.
Leading the way, they marched toward Natsuro.
Seeing this, those clan members who were unsure what to do fell into line.
Even the clanless shinobi, those from humble or civilian backgrounds, watched in disbelief.
But when they thought back on all that had happened, and on the overwhelming strength he had shown during the Fourth Shinobi World War…
They began to think...
If it's him, if it's our Hokage, maybe he really can do it.
And so they followed, joining the growing tide of Konoha shinobi walking toward Natsuro.
Even if it meant making enemies of the entire world…
As long as Natsuro stood at their side, not a single one of them felt fear.
In fact, they felt… excited.
Because if they succeeded, they would have made history and achieve something no one else in the ninja world had ever done.
And they themselves would be part of that history. Maybe not the center of it—but still, part of it. And that was thrilling.
The other Great Ninja Villages and the samurai of the Land of Iron were stunned as they watched the Konoha forces move.
It was becoming clear... Perhaps this had been Konoha's plan all along.
But it wasn't just the other nations who had been left in the dark. Even Tsunade and Jiraiya hadn't known of his plan.
At first, they didn't want to believe it.
They thought maybe it was just Infinite Tsukuyomi messing with people's minds, planting illusions to sow discord between Konoha and the rest of the world.
But then… they saw how all of Konoha's shinobi were marching forward without hesitation.
Tsunade's and Jiraiya's eyes filled with doubt and confusion.
Tsunade, though surprised, understood better. After all, she had once been Hokage, and she'd interacted with Natsuro more than anyone else.
To her, this outcome, while shocking, also… somehow made sense.
She knew that he only seemed interested in getting stronger. This war had shown her that he also loved battle, something he'd previously hidden only because he hadn't had worthy opponents.
As for unifying the world?
Tsunade's gaze grew complicated.
To Natsuro, that was probably just another… "interesting challenge."
And if he found it interestingk then of course he'd do it.
That fit perfectly with Tsunade's understanding of who he was.
Jiraiya, on the other hand, couldn't accept it.
When the war began, he had realized the calamity foretold by the Great Toad Sage had to be referring to this very war.
And the events that had unfolded seemed to confirm it, Infinite Tsukuyomi, god-tier enemies, the fate of the world hanging in the balance.
But now?
The enemy was gone…
And yet a new war was about to begin, one that would engulf the world, and the one who had sparked it was none other than his own student.
"…This has to be a lie, right?" Jiraiya whispered to himself.
He had thought everything was finally over. He had even managed to use his Flaming Rasengan to "defeat" his lifelong rival, Orochimaru.
It should have been a perfect ending.
He should've been able to live the rest of his life in peace.
But reality had punched him in the gut.
As an idealist, Jiraiya struggled to accept it. He hesitated… unsure what to do.
In the end, it was Tsunade who pulled him away.
Even if she didn't like his plan, there was no turning back now. Natsuro had already declared war to the entire world, inside their minds.
The only choice left… was to support him.
Tsunade understood Jiraiya too well. She knew he might not be able to accept this, and she couldn't risk him defecting or opposing them. So she dragged him away, because even if he wouldn't help, he must not become the enemy.
Very soon, on the battlefield of the Fourth Great Ninja War, two clear camps formed...
On one side, Konoha.
On the other, everyone else.
The Fourth Raikage stared at Natsuro, who was now sitting calmly atop his nine Truth-Seeking Orbs, gently playing with a strange black creature in his lap.
The Raikage could feel that he was watching all of them from above.
And then...
He shouted in fury, "Sixth Hokage! What's the meaning of this?! Are those memories really true?!"
Even though the Fourth Raikage was still incredibly weak, his physical constitution allowed him to muster such an earth-shaking roar.
And the moment he finished shouting, everyone's eyes turned to Natsuro, waiting to hear his response.
Natsuro had, of course, heard the Raikage's voice. He had been watching everyone's reactions closely, sure enough, most were filled with shock, including many of Konoha's own shinobi.
But he wasn't worried. He had already coordinated with Konoha ahead of time and trusted that none of them would turn against him, not even Jiraiya or Tsunade.
Looking at the current outcome, things were unfolding more or less as he had expected.
If he had discussed this with Tsunade and Jiraiya beforehand, they would undoubtedly have opposed him. So rather than wasting time negotiating, it was easier to force reality upon them.
Natsuro also understood that his actions would create a rift between him and those two…
But it didn't matter. Once he had made a decision, he wouldn't change it for anyone.
At that moment, he snapped his fingers.
Behind him, the God Tree began to stir, and not just the one at the battlefield. Every God Tree around the world suddenly started to shift.
At the battlefield, nothing changed.
But in other regions across the world, the branches of the God Trees began projecting real-time images of this scene, transmitting the battlefield live to every corner of the world.
Natsuro was using the God Trees, now covering the entire world, as a broadcast network.
Then, his voice rang out clearly in everyone's ears.
"That's right. I'm the one who forcefully planted that knowledge in your minds just now. I'm the one you now know and understand.
"And as the Sixth Hokage of Konohagakure, I declare to you all, this is a declaration of war. The unification of the world starts now."
His tone was casual, as if it were no more than a weather report.
As soon as his voice fell, a shadow swept over everyone who wasn't from Konoha.
The savior who had rescued them from the illusionary world of Infinite Tsukuyomi had now revealed himself to be… its greatest puppeteer.
It was too much to take in.
And worse yet, they all knew exactly how powerful he was.
If he truly intended to unify the world, was there anyone who could stop him?
As those thoughts raced through their minds, Natsuro's voice echoed once again.
"I have no interest in using the Fourth Great Ninja War as an excuse to do anything underhanded.
"Starting today, you're free to resist. You can oppose me as independent nations. You can unite against me, just like you did against Infinite Tsukuyomi." He paused briefly, then continued,
"...And yes… I could have done more. If I could inject knowledge directly into your minds, I could just as easily reshape your thoughts, and force you to obey me. But I didn't... Because I have no interest in ruling over a world of thoughtless puppets."
"In the end… I just don't want needless slaughter. So I gave you a head start."
That's when it happened.
All around the world, people began to shout and curse, furious and indignant.
And then...
"Boom!"
The entire world froze.
One of those people who had just been cursing suddenly exploded, vanishing in a spray of blood and flesh.
Terrified, the world stared at the grisly aftermath.
And across the various God Tree projections, Natsuro's smiling face appeared, his eyes gleaming with a devilish glint as he calmly said:
"Now now… insulting me at a time like this really isn't very wise~"
He continued, casually:
"All I did was give you some knowledge. Whether you accept it or not is your decision. But if you do… then don't resist in the coming war, and you can survive."
Then came a chilling smile.
"But if you don't accept it… Then you will die~"
As he said that, Natsuro raised a hand and pointed toward the sky.
Everyone instinctively looked up.
And what they saw shattered their sanity.
Above them loomed a massive meteor, blotting out the sky.
And it wasn't just one, across the entire world, multiple meteors hovered, each large enough to wipe out a city if it fell.
Panic erupted.
Some people began gathering their belongings.
Others dropped everything and simply fled, desperate to escape the potential impact zone.
In the face of this looming destruction, the world plunged into chaos.
Then, Natsuro's voice rang out again, calm and cold, "Relax. The meteors won't fall. I just wanted to give you all a little demonstration of my power."
His smile, sharp and wicked, was that of a true demon, sending chills down every spine.
As his voice faded, all the meteors vanished, dissolving into thin air.
And with that act, Natsuro had done what no one else had ever achieved:
He threatened the entire world with nothing but his own power.
If anyone had doubted him before, no one dared to anymore.
And the words he had spoken earlier… were now being considered with deadly seriousness.
Among those reflecting on it were not just ordinary civilians—but nobles, lords, and even the daimyō of every major nation.
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