Sasuke finally chose to lie down.
He had realized something critical—Obito had been using him from the beginning and had no intention of ever cooperating.
His mistake had been underestimating Obito. He hadn't expected that Obito would go as far as planting a jutsu formula inside his body.
After awakening the Rinnegan, Sasuke discovered—through the power of the Six Paths—that Obito had left behind a portion of White Zetsu inside him. At the time, Sasuke had even scoffed.
Hmph. So even Obito thought he could control me?
He killed the White Zetsu clone within himself immediately but left behind a trace of its chakra, allowing Obito to mistakenly believe Sasuke was still under his control.
What Sasuke didn't know was that Obito had already anticipated this move. After all, Madara had given him the Rinnegan, and Obito had personally transplanted it into Nagato. How could he possibly be unfamiliar with its powers?
Obito had allowed Sasuke to discover the decoy—just so he would overlook the real seal embedded within him.
Sasuke had fallen right into the trap.
At the same time, Orochimaru and Kabuto were performing a surgical eye transplant on Sasuke. This Sharingan had been retrieved by Naruto from Danzo's corpse, kept specifically for Sasuke in case he ever needed it. Originally, Naruto thought Itachi would use Izanami to awaken Kabuto's true self during their encounter, but Itachi instead used Kotoamatsukami—Shisui Uchiha's powerful genjutsu—to break Kabuto's delusion.
Because of that, the Sharingan Naruto had saved was never used by Itachi, and now it was Sasuke's.
With Kabuto now an ally, the operation was executed rapidly. Orochimaru worked swiftly.
In less than a minute, the new eye was implanted.
Only the Uchiha clan could undergo eye transplants this quickly.
Of course, Orochimaru, being meticulous, wore gloves and used chakra threads to seamlessly connect the optic nerves.
After a quick suture, Sakura stepped forward. "Let me help Sasuke recover using my healing jutsu."
Kabuto shook his head. "No need, Sakura. My Sage Mode Medical Ninjutsu is far more efficient than standard medical chakra techniques."
Orochimaru glanced at Kabuto, smiling. "Kabuto… I'm proud of you."
Receiving praise from Orochimaru himself, Kabuto looked deeply satisfied.
Standing before Sasuke, Kabuto entered Sage Mode, absorbing vast amounts of natural energy. He converted it into healing chakra and directed it into Sasuke's body.
A surge of warmth coursed through Sasuke, startling him. "Kabuto… you've really come a long way over the years."
Kabuto licked the corner of his mouth. "To be praised by Orochimaru-sama and by you, Sasuke-kun... it's a great honor."
Itachi stepped forward and said, "Sasuke, focus on stabilizing your chakra. Recover quickly—the battlefield situation is deteriorating."
As he finished speaking, a thunderous crash echoed from the distant crater.
The Ten Tails had risen from the ground again. The Five Kage, Hashirama, and others were all blown away, debris flying in every direction.
The shinobi forces were in chaos.
"What's happening? Wasn't the Ten Tails under control?!"
"Damn it! It broke through the containment!"
"No wonder Lord Shikaku ordered a retreat… Did he predict this would happen?"
"Looks like we misjudged him. Maybe he anticipated the seal wouldn't last, so he prioritized shadow-level reinforcements to avoid mass casualties!"
"Damn it, that thing again…!"
Orochimaru chuckled softly. "As expected. Naruto-kun never does anything without a reason."
Jiraiya exhaled. "He really takes after his father. Naruto's strategic foresight… just like Minato."
Sakura's eyes widened. "Father? What do you mean?"
Shikamaru sighed. "Sakura… you didn't know? Naruto is the son of the Fourth Hokage. That's why the Nine Tails was sealed in him. That's why he had to suffer all those years."
Upon hearing the word "fate," Neji furrowed his brow, gazing at Naruto as he hovered above the battlefield. He clenched his fists.
Chōji frowned. "Naruto… his life was never easy."
Hinata's eyes welled up. "Naruto-kun…"
Sakura turned to look at Naruto. It stunned her to realize that the orphaned boy she had once pitied was actually the son of a great hero.
At the command center…
The sensory water sphere, used to detect chakra fluctuations, suddenly split into two orbs.
"What the hell…? This level of chakra is unimaginable!"
"Damn it!"
Shikaku opened his eyes, lifting his head from Inoichi's palm and looking at Naruto's shadow clone. "As you predicted, Naruto—the Ten Tails broke through our seal."
Naruto's clone nodded calmly. "I never really expected it to be fully contained… But even with Lord Hashirama's Wood Style, it still wasn't enough to suppress it?"
Shikaku turned to the pulsating sensory orb. "From the chakra bursting out… it seems the Ten Tails was conserving its strength all along. It's evolving… preparing for another transformation."
Naruto's clone remained silent but did not disagree.
Inoichi's face was pale. "How do we stop something like this? That chakra is… monstrous!"
Shikaku turned back to Naruto's clone. "Naruto… what's your next move?"
Naruto crossed his arms, watching the water sphere glow violently, deep in thought.
On the battlefield, the Ten Tails now looked like a grotesque colossus, a massive stalk protruding from its back like a bamboo shoot. Its ten tails had morphed into enormous tendrils, flailing like whip-like arms through the air.
"Aaaah!"
It roared as it staggered, its movements wild and unstable.
Obito struggled to control it. "Its consciousness is becoming more active… It's harder and harder to suppress!"
Madara agreed. "We'll need more Hashirama cells to strengthen the control! Or… do you want to try syncing with the Ten Tails like this, Obito?"
Obito smirked. "Of course I do."
Then he turned toward the shinobi forces below, eyes cold and fierce. "Let's show them what true despair feels like."
From both Obito and Madara's bodies, root-like white tendrils—extensions of Hashirama's cells—sprouted and burrowed into the Ten Tails, reinforcing the link.
In the distance, Hashirama, who had just crashed into the ground, narrowed his eyes.
"That damned Madara…!"
A deep hum followed as Obito clapped his hands together, focusing to reinforce the connection.
The Ten Tails' maw began forming a Tailed Beast Bomb—but this one was different. It didn't look spherical. Instead, it took on a twisted, triple-barreled spiral shape—like a monstrous spear.
Inoichi gasped. "Shikaku!"
Shikaku leaned in. "What incredible chakra…!"
Seeing the bomb about to fire, Ōnoki reacted instantly. He slammed his palms on the ground, creating a massive earthen barrier.
With a shriek, the Ten Tails fired.
A blinding explosion erupted, a column of fire shooting 100 meters into the sky.
Kakashi was stunned. "That wasn't like a regular Bijūdama… That was something else entirely!"
Madara scowled. "Its control is unstable… We're still not synchronizing perfectly."
Obito, undeterred, clenched his fists. "Let's try again."
Once more, chakra swirled in the Ten Tails' mouth.
Another shot.
Another city obliterated in the blink of an eye.p
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