Outside the gates of Amegakure.
The Konoha ninja, who had been moving in small squads, arrived one after another. Seeing the main force stationed here, they questioned in confusion, "What's going on? Wasn't this supposed to be a joint military exercise with Iwagakure??"
Just then, at the entrance to Amegakure, Shikaku and Konan walked out together!
A member of the Aburame clan exclaimed in shock, "That woman—she's a member of the Akatsuki! She attacked alongside Pain back then! How can Mr. Shikaku be standing with her?!"
Shikaku stepped forward before the assembled Konoha ninja, his voice grave and steady. "Everyone, please quiet down. I need to announce the 'truth' about this exercise!"
Nara Shikaku spoke in his calm yet serious tone.
About Indra, the Ten-Tails, the Divine Tree, and... the Infinite Tsukuyomi!
"Uzumaki Naruto—he's a missing-nin! How can we believe anything he says?!"
"This is a conspiracy! It's Amegakure's plot—they must want to attack our village while our defenses are down!"
"Mr. Shikaku, you've always been brilliant. Don't be fooled by such an obvious trick!"
Those ninja who harbored deep misunderstandings about Naruto grew increasingly agitated.
"Where's the Sixth? Where did Kakashi go? Why isn't he here at a time like this?!"
"Haa..." Nara Shikaku took a deep breath. "Kakashi has already gone to the battlefield!"
The entire crowd fell silent instantly!
At that moment, Uzuki Yugao stepped forward, cradling Hana. "On his way here, Lord Hokage responded to a certain great ninja's call and headed to the Land of Lightning to face the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki together!"
The Konoha ninja exchanged bewildered glances. "How is that possible... Could this actually be true?"
"If Lord Hokage has already gone to battle, is it really okay for us to be stationed in a place like this?"
"That's right—we should be on the battlefield!"
But discordant voices rose again. "I still don't believe it! Lord Hokage must have been deceived!"
"Where is Uzumaki Naruto? Bring him out!"
"Exactly! Unless Naruto comes out to face us directly, we won't believe it!"
As the Konoha ninja argued among themselves, the Kumogakure main force arrived, their faces equally puzzled.
"Weren't we supposed to attack Iwagakure? Why are Konoha's ninja here too..."
Dodai and Shikaku, these two strategic minds, exchanged a knowing smile—helpless yet filled with mutual respect.
Forces from Iwagakure, Sunagakure, and Kirigakure arrived in succession!
Many were bitter enemies, their eyes blazing with hatred upon meeting.
Outside Amegakure, the atmosphere was charged with tension... but inside the village, the mood was equally grim!
Hinata Hyuga sat beneath a massive device, closely monitoring the situation on the Land of Lightning battlefield through the Tenseigan satellite!
"The Divine Tree is about to bloom! At this rate, Infinite Tsukuyomi will activate any moment!"
Sakura Haruno: "Naruto still hasn't returned?"
Just then, Murasaki brought good news. "He's back! Lord Naruto and Lord Sasuke have both returned!"
"Excellent!"
With their cornerstone back in place, all the ninja present breathed sighs of relief!
Beneath the Amegakure tower—
Asura and Minato stood guard beside Obito!
Obito's soul, wounded by Indra, had been restored. His Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation body had stopped deteriorating, but he still hadn't awakened!
The Fourth Hokage and Mito Uzumaki also gathered around, waiting anxiously.
"Sorry to keep everyone waiting!"
Whoosh! At that moment, Naruto, having reached a wager agreement with the Sage of Six Paths, returned with Sasuke using Flying Thunder God!
Everyone looked over.
Seeing Sasuke obediently following behind Naruto, Tobirama teased, "Oh... The proud little Uchiha finally learned to bow his head. You really know how to cause trouble at critical moments. If it weren't for you, our deployment would've started long ago!"
"Hmph." Sasuke snorted coldly, retorting, "Second Hokage, you really are a naturally evil Hokage...!"
"What did you say??" Tobirama was stunned, then about to explode.
Hashirama warned, "Tobirama, stop it. You provoked him first!"
Tobirama grumbled, "I was just stating facts. If it weren't for this Uchiha brat causing trouble, we would've already..."
At that moment, Sasuke unexpectedly said, "I admit I was wrong. After this battle ends, I'll make amends in my own way. So can we discuss business first? Time is running short!"
Tobirama's expression finally softened slightly. "Now that sounds more human..."
Just like that, the reunion atmosphere eased.
"..." Naruto approached Obito, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Minato blamed himself. "It was to protect me that Obito got hurt..."
Asura had dispersed part of his soul, but using the same method as Indra, he readjusted his body to fit his soul, now appearing as a slightly older child.
He stared intently at Naruto, speaking in a childish yet mature voice. "You're my reincarnation in this generation, right? I have many things I want to discuss with you, but the urgent matter is stopping my brother!"
"I will, but I'll do it my way..."
Naruto glanced at Asura, then turned to face everyone.
"Infinite Tsukuyomi is about to activate. We need to avoid being caught in that technique."
Hashirama said, "According to intelligence, those under Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation aren't affected by Infinite Tsukuyomi. Also... those who've awakened the Six Tomoe Rinnegan can use Susanoo as protection, blocking the light of Infinite Tsukuyomi!"
Hiruzen added, "We have Naruto and Sasuke here—two pairs of Six Tomoe Rinnegan, two Susanoo. But that might not be enough to cover all the ninja!"
Mito Uzumaki said, "That's indeed a problem."
Tobirama suddenly had a wild idea. "How about this... All participating ninja commit suicide, then use those White Zetsu for Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation. That way they'd have bodies naturally immune to Infinite Tsukuyomi, and they'd be better suited for the upcoming battle, right?"
You're definitely a devil... was everyone's unanimous thought!
Tobirama said, "I'm just sharing my perspective. Whether to adopt it or not is up to you. Fourth, you haven't expressed an opinion yet. Say something..."
"Obito!!!"
Minato let out a startled cry.
Everyone looked over to see Uchiha Obito slowly sitting up.
Naruto smiled with an "as expected" expression.
Obito's eyes were now blazing with—Six Tomoe Rinnegan!
Tobirama was shocked. "He actually evolved his eyes under Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation??"
Obito covered his eyes. "Ah... I find it incredible myself. I guess this is what they call blessings and calamities intertwined!"
Asura said admiringly, "Using your dying soul to resist the backlash, perfectly controlling parts of my and my brother's souls and making them part of your own soul—Obito, your willpower is truly strong..."
"..." Obito remained silent. The fierce struggle and torment in his spiritual world—only Naruto, with his Buto no Mitama eyes, had witnessed it!
But in any case, he'd endured it. His soul had been elevated, and he'd awakened these eyes that theoretically should have been impossible to obtain!
Tobirama worried, "Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation isn't advanced enough to perfectly preserve the Rinnegan. Even Madara's ordinary Rinnegan couldn't be perfectly restored, let alone higher-level ocular power. How much can actually be utilized is still unknown..."
But Obito said casually, "It's fine. I've already rewritten the 'cause and effect' of this Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation."
Tobirama was shocked. "You said... cause and effect?"
Obito made an astonishing statement. "Yes, severing the original cause and effect, bestowing new cause and effect—this eye's dōjutsu is called 'Danmetsu Shanti'!"
"This Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation body will no longer be my 'limiter.' While retaining the 'immortality' and 'regeneration' characteristics of Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation, whether it's perfect restoration of this eye's ocular power or future chakra training and enhancement, everything can be balanced!"
After the shock of the pattering rain—
Hashirama was delighted. "In any case, we now have three pairs of eyes capable of resisting Infinite Tsukuyomi!"
"No, perhaps... it's four pairs!"
Whoosh!
From the vortex released by Obito's eye, Uchiha Madara appeared before them!
The face belonging to Hashirama on his chest had disappeared!
But the life force stripped away by Mokuhanoshiryu had fully recovered!
More importantly... above the three ripple patterns of his Rinnegan eyes, tomoe were now embedded!
Hashirama was amazed. "Madara, you..."
Uchiha Madara said proudly, "Hashirama, whether you acknowledge it or not, this time I really have crossed over to the other side..."
Whoosh!
Hashirama rushed forward in one stride, embracing Madara. "Idiot... I'm not talking about such trivial matters. You're safe—really, truly safe!"
Madara, helpless yet moved, softened his gaze. "You really are impossible..."
Watching this scene, Naruto and Sasuke exchanged smiles.
This is me and my brother in this generation, and the previous me and previous brother from the past generation. So enviable. If only my brother and I could truly return to childhood...
Asura felt a mix of emotions, standing up solemnly. "I heard everything you just discussed. I have a technique that might solve your urgent problem..."
...
Land of Lightning, on the plains.
With no interference, fifteen minutes passed in the blink of an eye.
Rustle, rustle, rustle, rustle...!
The Divine Tree's flower was about to bloom completely.
Indra watched with complete focus.
Black Zetsu clenched his fists unwillingly.
Then, Hatake Kakashi, who had been lying on the ground, quietly got up.
The undercover White Zetsu beside him quickly said, "Hey, you should stay down. After that flower blooms, Infinite Tsukuyomi will activate immediately. When you're hanging on the tree, at least your life will be preserved!"
But Kakashi completely failed to grasp the White Zetsu's intentions.
He muttered in a low, somber voice, "So as long as that flower is gone, Infinite Tsukuyomi can be stopped, right..."
White Zetsu said, "Well, you can't say it's completely stopped—just temporarily prevented. It can't be activated through the flower blooming method..."
"It seems heaven meant for me to wake up at this moment..."
Whether Kakashi hadn't heard or had heard but chose to selectively ignore the White Zetsu's words—buzz! His left eye instantly transformed into an Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, focusing on the Divine Tree's flower about to bloom a hundred meters above!
"Infinite Tsukuyomi—I'll stop you!"
—Kamui!
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
Read up to (80+ ) advanced chapters on Patre\on
Visit us here: patreon.com/DarkGolds
Happy reading, everyone!