The wind was calm as I stood at the head of the gathering, feeling the weight of a thousand eyes on me. Across the wide open field, the shinobi of every nation—Leaf, Sand, Stone, Mist, and Cloud—stood united, battle-worn but victorious. Their faces bore the marks of war: scars, exhaustion, and grief.
I stood with Obito beside me, shackled but strangely composed. A single Rinnegan pulsed in his right eye—my doing. Necessary for what we plan on doing.
I raised my voice, steady and clear so everyone could hear, even the ones furthest at the edge of the field.
"Today, we close the final chapter of this war."
The murmurs among the crowd hushed immediately, anticipation thick in the air.
"Obito Uchiha," I said, my gaze flickering sideways to him, "has committed crimes that few can ever truly atone for. His actions caused the deaths of thousands. He tore families apart, destroyed homes, and plunged the world into chaos."
I let that sink in. I saw hatred simmer in many faces. Others just looked hollow, as if they couldn't even summon the anger anymore.
"Justice demands his life. And he accepts that."
I could feel the tension ripple through the crowd, but I pressed on, keeping my voice even, factual. Detached.
"But before his execution... he will use the power of the Rinnegan—Rinne Tensei—to restore those we lost. Every man, woman, and child who fell because of this war."
A gasp rolled through the crowd. I saw it—the hope rekindling in their eyes, the disbelief slowly morphing into stunned joy.
"Minato Namikaze. Kakashi Hatake. Kushina Uzumaki. Rin Nohara. Countless others. All will return."
I paused, letting the weight of the announcement settle over them.
"This is the deal. His final act will not be of destruction—but restoration."
"Prepare yourselves," I said to the Allied Shinobi Forces. "In a few moments, you will see the ones you lost again."
A long silence stretched out, broken only by the sound of the breeze stirring the grass.I could feel the emotion simmering—grief, relief, anger, hope—all blending into a single overwhelming wave.
Obito stood still beside me, the lone Rinnegan in his right eye gleaming under the open sky.
He slowly pressed his hands together, forming the final hand sign.His voice was low but clear, ringing out across the silent battlefield.
"Outer Path: Rinne Tensei."
The moment the words left his mouth, I felt it—a deep, primal shift in the air.
The Rinnegan activated to its fullest extent, a surge of overwhelming power erupting from Obito's body, twisting reality itself.A ripple in space connected us to a force beyond mortal comprehension—an invisible gateway between life and death.
I stiffened slightly, instinctively preparing for anything.Even the shinobi around us, battle-hardened as they were, stared in awe, some shielding their eyes as the blinding spiritual force descended.
Above us, the King of Hell—the embodiment of judgment from the Pure Land—manifested.It wasn't visible to the naked eye, not truly.But somehow, we all felt it. A massive presence, ancient and impartial, overshadowing the world like a god surveying the living.
This time, however, the King of Hell wasn't here to punish or consume.
This time, it opened its enormous, unseen mouth—and life flooded out.
Countless souls—shimmering like streams of light, pure and radiant—poured from the abyss and rained down upon the earth.They danced through the air like migratory birds returning to their nests, unerringly finding the bodies they had once belonged to.
I watched, unmoving, as the first soul slammed into its vessel.A sharp gasp echoed across the field.
The first person awakened.Then the second.The third.The tenth.
Like dominos falling in reverse, death itself was undone.
All around us, the ground seemed to tremble—not with fear, but with hope being reborn.Mothers embraced sons. Comrades embraced comrades.Tears and laughter mixed in a chaotic, beautiful roar.
Every fallen shinobi from the war—and even others long past—began to rise, clutching their chests, gasping for breath, looking around in stunned confusion.
I simply stood there and watched.
Stone-faced.
I had expected this. Planned for it.But even I wasn't prepared for the sight of an entire world breathing again.
In the corner of my vision, Naruto had collapsed to his knees, tears pouring down his face as he laughed and cried at once.Jiraiya put a hand on his shoulder, fighting his own tears.Itachi simply closed his eyes, a silent prayer on his lips.
Obito, his body trembling, sank to his knees, the effort nearly killing him.
I didn't move to help him.I had given him one final purpose. And he had fulfilled it.
Around us, the world was waking up again.
And for the first time in a long, long while...there was no enemy left to fight.
There was only life.
The sheer volume of souls raining from the King of Hell was staggering.
Names, faces, and memories all blurred together as streams of light pierced across the open skies.The first awakenings had already begun, but it was far from over.
Obito was struggling.
I turned my head slightly, observing him with cold detachment.He was gasping, his skin pale and cracked like old stone, his chakra leaking from his body in ragged streams.
The Rinne Tensei was devouring him.Piece by piece, it was tearing apart his existence to pay the price for returning so many lives.
He hunched forward, blood dripping from his mouth, his lone Rinnegan flickering weakly.
If he stopped now, the resurrection would fail.Too many souls would be stranded halfway between life and death.
The thought stirred something faint inside me—Cant have that now can we?
I stepped forward.
Extending my left hand, I let the power of my own Rinnegan bloom—its gold-and-black ripple gleaming ominously in the light after the new changes to my body.
Chakra, thick and heavy, poured from me into Obito.He jolted, the sudden influx of power stabilizing his withering frame just enough.
Obito's dull eye widened in shock, but he didn't resist.Grimacing, he refocused, clutching his hands into tighter seals as he pushed the jutsu to its conclusion.
And then it happened—The souls condensed, finding their marks.
One by one, the great names of history, long faded into memory, were reborn.
Nawaki gasped awake, clutching his chest.Dan Kato stumbled to his feet, blinking at the sunlight.Sakumo Hatake, the White Fang, stood tall and proud once more.
In the distance, there was a flash of chakra as Tobirama Senju and Hashirama Senju themselves opened their eyes, their very presence shaking the ground faintly.
From the ruined fields, a laughing figure emerged—Might Duy, youthful and alive, pounding his fists together in joy.
Then came a sight few could have imagined:The entire Uchiha Clan began to rise, hundreds strong—men, women, children—each bearing the crimson Sharingan in their eyes, staring at the world they had been stolen from.
And opposite them—The proud warriors of the Senju Clan, their ancient rivals, rose as well, faces full of awe.
The Uzumaki Clan, too—red-haired, radiant, their chakra potent and fierce, smiled as they embraced one another in rebirth.
A little further, Pakura clutched her chest, her body still glowing faintly.Sasori's parents reached out toward each other, tears streaking their cheeks.
Then—Sasori himself awoke, no longer a puppet, but human once more—alive.
Near the center of it all, two figures materialized in unison—Sasuke Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha.
Sasuke staggered upright, blinking rapidly, his hand instinctively reaching for his sword.Itachi caught him in a quiet embrace.
Their story, it seemed, was not over yet.
Not far from them, a great golden flash erupted.
Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki were reborn together, gasping in tandem, falling into each other's arms.
Kakashi Hatake awoke a few feet away, confusion clouding his expression—until his eye locked onto Minato, and something like boyish relief broke over his face.
And there—Rin Nohara, alive once more, stood shyly behind him, her hand reaching out as if afraid she would vanish again.
On the far side of the battlefield, heavy footsteps rumbled.
Ay, the Fourth Raikage, grunted, flexing his muscles.Beside him, Killer Bee let out a loud laugh, throwing up his arms."We're back, fools, yeah!!"
Finally, from the shattered cliffs, a hunched old figure slowly pulled himself upright.
Ohnoki of the Stone, the stubborn old Tsuchikage, grumbled something about "damn kids" and "lousy paperwork" even as tears streamed freely down his face.
All around me, the world came alive again.
Families reunited.Friends collapsed into each other's arms.Enemies-turned-allies wept openly.
It was enough to make even the most cynical heart stir.
I let out a slow breath.This was the result I had calculated... and yet somehow, it still surprised me how bright the world felt now.
Obito collapsed completely beside me, his breathing shallow, but his part was done.
I turned my head away.
I had no more use for him.
And for the first time in a long time, the wind whispered through the battlefield not with cries of war...but with the sound of a world given a second chance.
I turned away from Obito, assuming he would slip into death now that his task was complete.
But the sound of weak, ragged breathing caught my ear.
I looked down.
Obito was still alive.
Barely—But alive nonetheless.
"...Huh," I muttered under my breath.
Maybe it was the vitality I'd infused him with to ensure the resurrection took place.Maybe sheer stubbornness that Obito was always known for.
I crouched down, observing him more closely.His body was broken—far beyond any normal recovery—and yet, there was a faint pulse, flickering like a candle in the wind.
Most people would probably finish him off now, call it mercy.Still...
I pressed my palm lightly against his chest, channeling a thin, stable flow of chakra to stabilize his breathing.
"You don't get to die just yet," I said quietly.
I'd suddenly decided.
Obito Uchiha would live—for now, although I would be taking away his rinnegan and sharingan.
Around us, the reactions were deafening.
Naruto was sprinting across the field, leaping into the arms of Minato and Kushina.Tears were streaming down his cheeks, but his smile was blinding.
Kakashi knelt down, holding Rin's hand as if afraid she would vanish if he blinked.Minato placed a steadying hand on his shoulder, grounding him.
Sasuke and Itachi stood a few paces apart, both silent, both staring at each other with emotions too tangled to describe.
Itachi smiled faintly.Sasuke just looked away, his hand trembling slightly before he slowly reached back—accepting the gesture without words.
The Uchiha Clan clustered together, confused but alive, many of them recognizing Itachi and murmuring his name with awe—or suspicion.
On the other side, the Senju and Uzumaki clans gathered too, the ancient bloodlines reborn into a new era.
The Raikage was slapping Killer Bee on the back so hard it echoed across the field.Bee laughed it off, throwing a freestyle rap about "second chances" that made several shinobi groan aloud.
Ohnoki was sitting on a rock, muttering about how he'd been looking forward to retirement in the afterlife but would have to live a little longer to "watch these brats fix the world."
Tsunade stood in stunned silence, her hand over her mouth, tears slipping from her eyes unchecked.I caught her looking toward Nawaki and Dan, both alive, both smiling at her with the kind of love only the dead could truly understand.
For a moment, no one fought.No one argued.There was just the overwhelming feeling that maybe—just maybe—the cycle of hatred could be broken.
I stood up slowly, turning my gaze toward the horizon.
The sun was rising over the battlefield, golden and blinding.A new world was beginning.
Today was a victory.
[Timeskip: Several Weeks Later]
The world had changed.
Truly changed.
After the Fourth Great Ninja War—and the mass resurrection of countless souls—the cycle of hatred that had once chained the shinobi world seemed, at last, to loosen its grip.
Villages that once fought and bled against each other now sat at the same table.Old grudges were laid to rest alongside the dead who had been given a second chance at life.
The five Great Nations established a real, working alliance—one not built on shaky truces or whispered suspicion, but something stronger.Trust.Hope.
The resurrected Senju and Uchiha clans, long thought to be ghosts of history, took the lead in guiding the next generation.Naruto, hailed as a hero across the lands, began working closely with the other Kage to create an era where children would no longer have to be soldiers.
It was strange, at first.A world without constant war.A world where strength was not used for conquest, but protection.
It felt fragile.But... it was real.
It was enough.
As for me?
I returned to Sunagakure.
Or rather—my body did.
I stood now in the Kazekage's office, silent, gazing at the familiar village outside my window.
The endless desert stretched out like an old friend, warm and unchanging.
I shaped a single Sand Clone beside me, pouring just enough chakra into it to sustain it indefinitely.It wore my robes, bore my face.
A perfect stand-in.
It bowed its head respectfully."I will handle things here," it said.
I nodded once, fastening the lightweight traveling cloak around my shoulders.
Without another word, I stepped out, the desert winds parting before me as I moved.
The world was healing.
But I had seen too much—Felt too much—to simply sit still and wait for the next storm.
A new threat was already looming.A remnant of the Otsutsuki.
The Moon.
Toneri Otsutsuki.
I didn't know what I would find up there.But if this world was truly to know peace, then I had to confront it before it festered into something worse.
The Mystic Eyes of Death Perception pulsed faintly under my closed eyelid, as if sensing the journey ahead.
I smiled faintly.
Time to begin the next chapter.
Without looking back, I vanished into the desert, leaving only swirling sand in my wake.
The desert stretched out before me, endless and silent.The last place I would see before leaving this world… if only for a little while.
I lifted my right hand calmly.
The golden markings of my Karma Seal immediately began to glow, swirling across my skin like living fire.The air around me vibrated, dense with strange energy—different from chakra, heavier and older.It felt... alien.Otsutsuki.
My body, once purely human, now carried the bloodline of Ninja Aliens.And with it—their forbidden power.
"Open," I commanded quietly.
The Karma Seal pulsed once—then split apart like a blossoming flower.
Before me, the fabric of space shattered, ripping open into a massive swirling portal.On the other side, I glimpsed the pale, barren surface of the Moon...and the hidden palace where Toneri Otsutsuki awaited.
The gravity tugged at my body, but I planted my feet firmly in the sand.I tightened the cloak around my shoulders.
No fear.No hesitation.
I stepped forward without a moment's pause, letting the portal consume me whole.
The moment I emerged, an icy chill bit at my face.Thin, almost nonexistent air.Cracked stone and ancient ruins spread out under a cold, distant Earth hanging in the sky.
I stood alone on the surface of the Moon.
Above me, a colossal palace floated in the sky, bathed in eerie silver light.
I could already sense it—A heartbeat.A presence stirring within those walls.
Toneri.
He knew I was here.
Good.
I narrowed my eyes, feeling the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception faintly flicker to life under my eyelid, even though I kept them suppressed for now.
I flexed my fingers once, feeling power course through my blood like molten fire.
Time to end this before it begins.
Without another word, I shot forward—sand trailing behind me in a streak of gold—toward the floating palace of the Otsutsuki.