Such examples like fishermen by the sea and old soldiers still exist in many places across the ninja world.
They were either already pushed by cruel reality into a corner where, no matter how things turned out, they could not become worse.
So they raised their right hands.
Or else, there are always some people whose hearts harbor unwillingness under the oppression of power and want to resist.
On a planet permeated by chakra, even if ordinary people unite, they would easily be suppressed by powerful shinobi.
In the day, bandits turned outlaws, vicious desperate fugitives. Those dangers fatal to ordinary people were, for shinobi, nothing more than sharpening stones for children fresh out of the ninja academy.
Despairing reality left ordinary people no choice but to suppress all their inner unwillingness and live resignedly.
But… as long as there is a chance to resist, even if it means falling into hell, even if it means being shattered to pieces, they will struggle to the end.
So, they also raised their right hands.
Of course, beyond those two types, many other kinds of people also joined.
In some dream world, under a scorching sun, by a certain farm field, a young man dressed in coarse linen wiped the sweat from his brow and set the hoe aside.
He murmured, "Could this still be a dream? No wonder that I'm not in the sleeping palace now but laboring under the scorching sun."
As the son of a daimyo, he had become numb from daily luxurious yet monotonous life, lost interest in that reality where he could see its end at one glance. Maybe only in dreams could he get some thrill.
After thinking, he raised his right hand.
In another dream world, a woman sat in violation of physical laws on the edge of a small floating island in the sky, yet hanging upside down from the cliff.
She looked at the massive building on the ground pointing straight down into the earth and murmured, "For me, this is the real."
The woman had suffered from a mental illness since childhood; she always felt everything in reality was fake.
Conversely, in the dream world she felt real.
So no matter what, she wanted to live here.
Thinking this, the woman also raised her right hand.
As countless people raised their right hands, in the space of consciousness, the number of people behind Old Obito grew more and more, increasingly more.
In contrast, on Naruto's side, the number of appearing people grew ever more slowly, more and more slowly.
Naruto looked in disbelief at this scene and could not help but say, "Why?"
Young Obito looked at the crowd behind Old Obito and merely said, "Because the information grasped is unequal."
"Naruto, many of those behind you, they knew what happened early, they were mentally prepared, so at the first moment, they could raise their left hands to support you."
"But…the majority of the ninja world, many people, did not have such strong information sources. They knew nothing. They could only realize what changes had occurred in this world after things occurred."
"Therefore… they are always one step slower."
"However, in this world, those who are one step slower are in the vast majority. Naruto, what gives you the illusion that you must win is only that you cannot see those silent vast majority of people?"
As Young Obito's words fell, the number of people on Old Obito's side had already increased to the point of being able to equal Naruto's side, and even, bit by bit, overtake.
Of course, this did not mean that people on Naruto's side did not increase; it was just that the growth was not as fast.
Among them, some peculiar people even mixed in.
In Konoha, the Nohara family.
While eating, Nohara Haruki and Mrs. Nohara simultaneously stopped mid-bite and looked at each other.
Nohara Haruki, somewhat uncertain, looked at Mrs. Nohara and asked, "Darling, are we… dreaming?"
Mrs. Nohara replied unpleasantly, "Don't ask me, how would I know? I just feel we were just having a normal meal at home."
Nohara Haruki considered, "It seems this dream world can connect mutually, rather than each dreaming separately."
"But isn't it said that a dream would be a beautiful dream? Why does it feel like no change at all? Obito's skill doesn't seem sufficient."
Mrs. Nohara rolled her eyes at Nohara Haruki, "Perhaps, having seen our daughter, we already ask for nothing more."
"Whether in the dream or in reality, isn't it enough to peacefully spend the rest of life like this? What else could there be?"
Nohara Haruki quietly mumbled, "Who says there isn't? The daughter in this world… we haven't even met her."
He paused, then continued, "Unexpectedly, Obito actually made such a big thing. What do you think, should we raise our right hand to support him?"
However, he felt this was somewhat inappropriate, so after thinking a while he said, "No, we must raise our left hand."
Mrs. Nohara, confused, asked, "Why? After all these decades, are you still afraid the village would target us?"
Nohara Haruki shook his head, "I fear that if we show ourselves supporting him, maybe the Allied Forces will use us to threaten Obito. After all, those now doing things are a few people against the whole world, they should have no attachments or weaknesses."
Mrs. Nohara looked at Nohara Haruki impatiently, "If you're cowardly, just say it. Don't find so many excuses and reasons."
But after thinking, she said, "What you said also makes sense. If the Allied Forces discover we are affiliated with Obito and firmly stand on his side, they might exploit us to threaten him."
"In that case, we should raise our left hand."
Nohara Haruki nodded, then he and his wife both raised their left hands.
Behind Naruto, thus, added a pair of undercover supporters.
But, this after all was the unexpected among the unexpected. With more and more people behind Old Obito, finally, in numbers, they completely surpassed Naruto's side.
Compared to Naruto's side, where every person's gaze was clear and determined, behind Obito, more people's eyes remained numb and ignorant, only amid numbness and ignorance, there was still a flicker of light.
Old Obito, sensing the countless ordinary civilians standing behind him, quietly spoke to Naruto, "Naruto, actually I am not lonely. If this world is so hopeless that so many people would rather live in a dream than wake, why should I hold onto this plan?"
"In truth, the truly small minority group is you and yours. Naruto, you have lost."
Naruto stood stunned in place. Facing the many civilians, now he felt even breathing was a mistake.
Why had things become like this? Why, he stubbornly felt he had united many to defeat the aloof Great Demon King Obito, yet the result was more people stood behind Obito.
At this moment, inexplicably, he recalled a certain line from Young Obito a while ago, ("Many people does not equate truth.")
[T/N: Of course, ONLY NOW you will remember that.]
Now, he suddenly wanted to accept that sentence once again.
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