Obito's eyes narrowed.
"That fast?"
He had anticipated that Orochimaru might find a way to defeat Nagato—but he hadn't expected it to happen so quickly.
Even if Nagato couldn't fully wield the power of the Rinnegan, those supreme ocular techniques alone should have been enough to hold Orochimaru off for a while.
From the shadows, Zetsu spoke slowly.
"Yes. Orochimaru was even trickier than he was at Takigakure."
As someone who had observed both battles, Zetsu was genuinely surprised by Orochimaru's rapid growth. But even if his body remained hidden, destroying a few of his clones was hardly enough to stop him.
Obito fell silent for a moment, then glanced toward the Konoha shinobi—who were now smiling in relief.
"Tch. Consider yourselves lucky this time."
With those words, he vanished into the swirling space-time distortion.
"Wait—!"
Kazekage Rasa immediately launched a wave of gold dust to intercept him—but it was too late. Obito was already gone.
"Damn it!" Rasa clenched his fists in frustration.
No matter where they met—whether in Sunagakure or here—he had never been able to truly fight back against that masked man. Defense was all he could manage.
Just then, Uchiha Shinsuke approached and bowed politely.
"Thank you, Kazekage, for your assistance."
"I was entrusted with the task, nothing more." Rasa shook his head. "If not for Orochimaru's intervention, I wouldn't have lasted much longer either."
Suddenly, a scream rang out.
"He's still here!" cried Uzumaki Aoi.
In that instant, a hand emerged from thin air and reached for Naruto.
Everyone reacted too slowly—Rasa, Shinsuke, even Aoi, who wasn't a combat ninja, could only issue a warning.
But just as Obito tried to grab Naruto, a surge of crimson chakra burst forth from the boy's body. A fiery, protective cloak of Nine-Tails chakra surrounded him.
The moment Obito's hand made contact, he activated Kamui—but instead of teleporting Naruto away, he only managed to tear away a fragment of the cloak.
"The Nine-Tails…?"
In a dim corner of the shelter, Obito reappeared, his expression dark with surprise.
Naruto—just five or six years old—was already channeling the Nine-Tails' power?
That wasn't part of the plan.
Still, the opportunity was gone.
"You won't be so lucky next time."
With those words, he vanished again into the void.
Kazekage Rasa didn't take any chances. He immediately unleashed a net of gold needles, saturating the area to prevent another ambush.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Shinsuke rushed to Naruto and examined him.
"Are you alright? Any discomfort?"
"No… I'm fine," Naruto said, looking at his hand in wonder. "Was that... the fox's power?"
"Hmph."
The Nine-Tails' sneer echoed in Naruto's mind before the chakra cloak faded like a receding tide.
Though it had decided to help Naruto after hearing Orochimaru's warning about Obito's intentions, that didn't mean it accepted Naruto as its host—not yet.
Shinsuke noticed the sudden change in Naruto's chakra and asked again,
"Can you still call on that power?"
Naruto shut his eyes and took a stance, trying to summon the chakra again—but nothing happened. His face flushed with effort.
"Nope… nothing."
"It's fine," Shinsuke said reassuringly. "Just being able to manifest it once is a huge step."
After all, in the previous generation, even adult Jinchūriki couldn't easily access the Nine-Tails' power. For Naruto to do so at his age was incredible.
"Konoha really is full of talent."
Kazekage Rasa looked on with a trace of envy.
Between the keen senses of Uzumaki Aoi and Naruto's flawless compatibility as a Jinchūriki, it was clear why Konoha stood at the top. In contrast, the younger generation of Suna was growing weaker, and the gap between them was only widening.
"But maybe that's why Konoha attracts enemies like this in the first place."
It was a bitter truth, but one he had to accept.
---
Elsewhere, among Konoha's ruins...
Obito appeared in silence, glancing down at Zetsu, who was emerging from the earth.
"Has everyone pulled out?"
"Nagato realized he couldn't win once Orochimaru found him, so he retreated. The Kusanagi forces are still engaged with Konoha's shinobi," Zetsu replied.
"Hiruzen and the others have already defeated the Preta Path and several giant summons. Once they reach the battlefield, Kusanagi's people won't last long."
After the Kusanagi leader Naoyan recalled the entity known as 'Satori ', they had temporarily gained the upper hand. But now, with Konoha's jonin reinforcements, their position was deteriorating rapidly.
"Should we support them?" Zetsu asked. "Whether it's Kakuzu, Sasori, or Naoyan, their presence is important to the organization."
With Nagato defeated, Akatsuki's strength was waning compared to Konoha. Zetsu feared that without help, even the long-term plan of capturing the Tailed Beasts would suffer.
If Obito let this rift with Nagato deepen further, it could be disastrous.
Obito gave a curt nod.
"I'll go. Tell Kakuzu and Sasori to retreat. I'll hold off the Third Hokage."
Zetsu was a little surprised.
"You're going to reveal more of your strength?"
"There's no other choice."
Zetsu pointed to the approximate location of the Hokage's unit.
"They're here. I'll buy time. You get the others out."
With that, Zetsu sank back into the earth. Obito tilted his head skyward and vanished into the air.
---
Forest near the battlefield…
Whoosh… whoosh…
The Third Hokage led a squad of elite shinobi through the treetops, the wind rushing past them.
Suddenly, Hyūga Hiashi's expression changed.
"Enemy attack!"
Hiruzen raised a hand, signaling the group to halt. Everyone landed on high branches, ready.
Obito appeared on a thick tree limb.
"Lord Hokage. We meet at last."
Hiruzen's gaze sharpened.
"That eye... So, you are a descendant of Madara Uchiha."
In the squad, Uchiha Fugaku caught the implication immediately—Hiruzen was distancing this rogue from the village Uchiha, softening public perception.
"A descendant of Madara? How clever."
Obito's voice was mocking, edged with venom.
"Last time I met a Hokage, I received news of his death that same night. Wonder if history will repeat itself."
"You bastard!"
The Konoha ninjas leapt into action, unleashing jutsu and weapons—but every attack passed harmlessly through Obito's intangible form.
"Pathetic."
He suddenly appeared in the midst of their formation and formed hand signs.
"Wood Style: Hell's Rebellion."
Thorned trees erupted from beneath him, intercepting kunai and snaring nearby shinobi. The thorns pierced their bodies, trying to invade their organs.
Despite being elite, they were overwhelmed. Their bodies hardened—lignified by Orochimaru's experimental body modifications—and they began slicing off the thorns to escape.
Obito watched with cold fascination.
"They survived that?"
When he had used this jutsu on Kirigakure's ANBU, it had devastated them. But these Konoha shinobi had endured, even with holes in their bodies.
For the first time, Obito felt a flicker of unease—just as he had when facing Nagato.
"So Orochimaru gave them those enhancements too… Damn him."
He remembered the night of the Nine-Tails' attack. Even the Rasengan from the Fourth Hokage hadn't stopped him—but now these shinobi could resist his attacks?
"If all of Konoha's forces are like this, conquering the shinobi world won't be so simple."
---
Elsewhere on the battlefield…
Loud explosions echoed through the forest. The entity called 'Satori' soared overhead, diving low like a hawk to strike.
Though Konoha had the advantage in numbers and power, they couldn't fully commit while it remained loose. Any slip-up could be fatal.
"We can't keep this up. It needs to be sealed immediately."
Kakashi's eyes darted from the creature to Sasori, who was battling Shisui.
"Shisui's Susanoo won't hold much longer."
Kakashi had seen a lot, but even he was stunned by the power of this reanimated Kaguya-clan corpse puppet. Its bone blades could pierce even Susanoo—and worse, they were laced with toxins that ignored even enhanced bodies.
Sasori used to be the weakest Akatsuki member in Kakashi's eyes—more dangerous for his numbers than his power. But now?
Now he was terrifying.
Suddenly, Zetsu emerged from the ground, pitcher plant leaves peeling open.
"Kakuzu, Sasori. Pain has been defeated by Orochimaru. Madara's buying time—retreat now."
The battlefield fell silent. Both Konoha and Kusanagi forces were shocked.
Even the mighty Shinra Tensei hadn't broken Konoha's spirit. But Orochimaru had managed what none expected—defeating Pain.
"Tch. That coward. If I were leader, I'd make them all into puppets."
Sasori sneered from within Hiruko.
The puppet he controlled now—the corpse of a Kaguya clansman—was stronger than anything he'd had before. If Susanoo dropped, he truly believed he could wipe out the Konoha forces here.
"Such confidence," Zetsu murmured, eyeing the bone puppet.
"But I understand why."
Zetsu had studied the Kaguya clan long ago. Their so-called kekkei genkai, Shikotsumyaku, wasn't just a bloodline limit—it was a curse. The stronger they became, the faster their bodies decayed. Only the weak survived long.
But as puppets, that curse meant nothing. In Sasori's hands, it was a deadly tool.
With enough time… he could truly annihilate them.
But time… Zetsu frowned.
…was not on their side.
_____________________
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