"I never thought I'd end up here either, but that's how history goes—it pushes humanity forward, even if it hesitates along the way."
"We're all carried along by history. Many times we act unwillingly. But I've always refused to follow the rules."
"Those who think—believe—I'll just go with the flow are bound to be crushed by me."
Saitama's gaze fell upon his former companion.
The other had tightly closed eyes, most of his face covered in blood. His chest bore several fatal wounds. He'd already lost all signs of life.
Constantly shifting lights and shadows flickered deep within his eyes. Many past events surfaced in his mind, playing out like scenes from a movie.
Included were warm memories in Konoha, and moments of lonely darkness...
But at this moment, those images turned gray, losing their colors of life, becoming the past.
Since ancient times, greatness has often walked alone.
This doesn't mean they were truly alone, but rather that no companions stood beside them as true friends.
Take Saitama for instance—he had collaborators like Nagato, but someone like Shisui, a friend with whom he once shared his heart, was no longer by his side.
Before coming here, he actually had foreseen this possibility.
Today, perhaps only he would walk out of this place.
Therefore, his inner lake merely rippled slightly.
Between himself and Shisui—or between himself and his former comrades in Konoha—it was time to put a full stop.
Saitama's fundamental nature was completely different from Obito's in memory.
Everything he did was an active personal choice, while Obito had become passive due to some deception.
Therefore, certain bonds or emotions needed cutting long ago.
And if he failed to achieve his goal eventually,
There could be only one reason—
That he had died.
There would be no redemption, no last-minute change of heart.
Just as people often say: Once you take on what's called darkness, you should've already let go of your past.
"You won't be disappointed, Shisui. Watch how this world changes. I'll fulfill every word I've said, and prove it wasn't just empty talk."
Looking again at his now-lifeless friend, Saitama let his gaze linger on the peaceful face, lips gently moving.
Even when killed by Saitama himself, not a trace of resentment showed on Shisui's face.
Although he might not agree with everything Saitama did, he forgave the killing blow aimed at him.
It was a difference in ideology, yet that close bond still made him choose forgiveness toward Saitama—the one committing wrongdoings.
After standing still for a few seconds, dazed, Saitama raised his hand toward the body below him.
It was time to leave this place.
White Zetsu and Nagato should also be starting soon. Now would come the true battle.
Though confident in Nagato's strength, the enemy wasn't simple either.
Moreover, 'Heaven's Mandate' seemed to stand behind the opposition. Caution was necessary.
Without Black Zetsu or Madara Uchiha currently, the biggest threat came from the Sage of Six Paths hidden within the Shinobi World.
The enemy was highly likely to make a move, casting a heavy pall over the few who knew the truth.
At least before securing the Ten-Tails, none of them felt confident facing that Sage capable of manipulating yin and yang with every motion.
This was also Saitama's and Nagato's greatest concern.
Would the enemy intervene in reality before the Ten-Tails fully formed?
No one could say for certain.
In past memories, the Six Paths Sage had not personally interfered while watching Obito and others act because by then, the new generation of Indra and Asura had already matured.
But now, Naruto and Sasuke were barely seven or eight years old—nearly powerless.
That meant the risk of the enemy stepping in directly had suddenly spiked, and one mistake could spell total disaster.
Wood Release extended from Saitama's arms and quickly wrapped around the corpse on the ground, forming something like a cocoon.
Seeing that Shisui had been properly sealed inside,
he pressed his palm against the wooden surface.
Chakra flowed from his hand into the wood, slowly forming sigils that ultimately shaped the kanji for "Seal."
It was a simple sealing technique passed down by the Uzumaki Clan.
To prevent any unexpected incidents, he decided to store Shisui's body carefully.
A body was an invaluable asset to a ninja.
Without going into distant examples, take the Impure World Reincarnation technique—Saitama had no intention of leaving Shisui's corpse behind for someone else.
Crack!
With a clap of his hands, the wooden cocoon vanished in a puff of white smoke, summoned back to Ryuchi Cave through Reverse Summoning.
There, snakes would handle it.
After wrapping things up, he turned his gaze toward the horizon.
So far, developments were proceeding smoothly—certainly not as complicated or volatile as anticipated.
The Allied Ninja Forces had misjudged Akatsuki's strength. Despite thorough preparations, they still struggled to respond effectively within a short time frame.
During this chaotic period, there was much they could accomplish.
Due to the presence of the Impure World Army, the main forces across various fronts had stalled, dragged into attrition battles.
Among all fronts, Konoha's situation could arguably be considered the most favorable.
The Third Hokage and Danzo had already fallen into a sealing formation. Might Duy showed signs of collapse.
Dan Kato's secret arts were extremely difficult to counter.
However, against the entire Konoha army, they could only gain a limited initial advantage before being countered by tactical joint techniques used by coordinated units.
Such a development surprised Orochimaru somewhat.
And warfare centered around organized battalions had never existed—or at least had never been taken seriously—before.
After all, in the eyes of older generations of ninja, the greatest threat lay in mobility and concealment.
As a result, it was rare to see large groups of ninja working together—even on the frontlines, battles were typically conducted in small squads.
Thus, when Konoha's forces shifted tactics after brief chaos, Orochimaru—who controlled the Impure World bodies—furrowed his brow from the shadows.
Though powerful, the Impure World bodies were plagued by numerous flaws.
Also, with so many Impure World bodies under his control at once, he couldn't focus on just one—mistakes were bound to happen.
"But the pieces in my hands aren't limited to these Impure World bodies! Akatsuki should be making their move soon too, right?"
Inside that hidden valley, Orochimaru gazed intently at the Go board before him.
Besides Konoha having already found effective ways to counter the Impure World bodies, all other fronts had fallen into a difficult situation.
In those people's minds, when facing strong enemies, only someone of the same level could provide an effective response.
So when encountering enemies revived through the Impure World, they withdrew their regular forces and deployed elite fighters instead.
While this approach wasn't completely ineffective, it posed an enormous test for their strength.
Orochimaru slowly picked up several white pieces, directing his gaze toward the Go board.
Behind the Konoha frontlines, the white side had already taken control of key positions, forming a clear pincer movement against the frontline Impure World Legion.
"Then let's start together!"
Knowing about the White Zetsu army, he decided to unleash both his Cursed Seal legion and Clone Legion as soon as the White Zetsu army launched its attack.
Although their numbers were no match for the White Zetsu army, they clearly had superior strength.
[Morning Peacock!]
When Guy opened the Sixth Gate and unleashed his ultimate technique, Might Duy seemed like a lonely boat caught in stormy waves, constantly drifting and swaying.
The high-speed punches rubbing against the air generated intense flames.
These flames engulfed his opponent, locking down every possible escape route, before piercing straight through his body.
Guy exhaled deeply.
Guy looked at his father now riddled with wounds. His face showed no joy.
"You really have grown, Guy. Making Jonin of Konoha—you've gone way past me."
This time, the Impure World body's regeneration was extremely slow, leaving Duy unable to move.
Looking at Guy ahead, he wore a satisfied expression, a big smile on his lips.
With this strike, his fate had already been sealed.
After many years, being able to fight against his own son was something he found joyful.
Seeing Duy's condition, the Sealing Team waiting nearby began their actions.
Though powerful, the Impure World technique would cause the body to enter a state of immobility while recovering from severe injuries—and this was the best moment for sealing.
Several ninja surrounded Duy, activating the jutsu stored within scrolls long prepared.
Following this, dense tadpole characters (ancient mystic seals) crawled across the target's body.
"I'm proud of you too, Father! You'll always be my hero. I will find the one who desecrated your soul and make him pay dearly."
The excruciating pain couldn't prevent Guy from solemnly addressing Might Duy.
Meeting his father again after so many years should have been a happy occasion.
But not like this—being controlled by enemies and stripped of free will.
That's why he felt furious, directing his anger toward the mastermind behind it all: Orochimaru.
"Now then, Guy, keep running forward! Forge your own Ninja Way!"
Day's body was already wrapped in bandages, yet he remained calm. Deep within his dark eyes, faint tears glistened.
Being surpassed by one's own son… is truly something to be proud of!
As he finished speaking, darkness enveloped him, and his consciousness drifted into nothingness.
So far, three out of the four Impure World reincarnated shinobi Konoha had faced had already fallen into [Sealing Technique].
Only Dan Kato remained, now restricted by the main force and unable to cause further destruction.
Dan's personal strength always hovered between elite jonin and Kage-level. Although the Impure World body gave him greater margin for error,
he never actually wanted to fight for the now-corrupted Orochimaru, constantly resisting through sheer willpower.
He noticed how the other shinobi who had been reincarnated with him were gradually being sealed away, so he understood his time was limited too.
Returning to a state of "death" again brought no complaints from him, as he was already someone who had died once.
"Hokage-sama, our rear is under an unexpected attack! The enemies are eerie pale-skinned creatures, and their numbers are terrifying in scale."
A Yamanaka ninja slowly approached Minato, his tone heavy with concern.
They had maintained contact with the rear forces, but just now those units reported a sudden alarming development.
It wasn't only happening on Konoha's front—units from other battlefields also reported similar enemy movements.
Minato felt a headache coming on. His gaze first rested on Dan before shifting to the nearby ninja.
"Send word to all units, begin combat! Have the vanguard forces gradually shift toward the rear."
"Understood!"
Receiving Minato's response, the ninja quickly disappeared from sight.
Then Minato turned his gaze back toward Dan Kato.
They needed to finish this quickly and free up forces to deal with the attack from behind.
Akatsuki's methods were clearly more complex than anticipated. They had indeed underestimated things before.
Based on the earlier description, the emerging enemies seemed to resemble Zetsu, the mysterious Akatsuki member they previously encountered.
Was it that splitting ability mentioned in intelligence reports? Actually forming an entire squad?
Minato's mind considered possibilities briefly before his right hand slowly gripped a kunai aimed at Dan.
Suddenly, transparent barriers appeared around Dan's body. Countless tadpole characters vibrated along this film-like membrane suspended in empty space.
This was a barrier capable of restricting the Spirit Transformation Technique, preventing Dan's soul from passing through here to strike directly on the spiritual plane.
Swoosh—
A kunai flew through the air, and its faint whistling sound didn't escape Dan's hearing.
Without turning around, he simply bent his legs and leapt sideways to evade.
His speed was tremendous—surrounding ninjas could barely see more than a lingering afterimage.
But against Minato, such speed was completely insufficient.
The kunai flashed yellow light across space as he immediately appeared at that location.
In the very next moment, another kunai shot from his hand, instantly multiplying into many that chased Dan—who had evaded again.
Dan's eyes narrowed as a kunai appeared in his hand. One hand clutched the weapon against his chest while the other formed hand seals.
"Senior, I hope you don't mind!"
Minato's gaze followed the kunai's trajectory, finally lowering his body just as the weapon reached Dan's position.
"Please be careful. Don't let me catch you easily, or else…"
Kato Dan dodged the kunai and warned Minato as he moved.
A faint blue glow spread across his body—that was the precursor to his Spirit Transformation Technique.
"Got it!"
Minato vanished. At the same time, the airborne kunai were swept away by a golden flash, immediately altering their original trajectories, scattering wildly with a swishing sound.
The golden light was none other than Minato himself.
First, he used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport beside one of the kunai, then kicked the others into positions he needed. He continued bouncing between the various kunai midair.
Supported by those kunai, his figure completely disappeared from Dan's field of vision.
Meanwhile, Kato Dan kept shifting positions trying to track him down.
"So *this* is the Flying Thunder God Technique?"
His gaze remained calm.
Although he was fighting Minato, every move he made wasn't under his own conscious control, so he didn't feel any real pressure.
It was no surprise, really—the village was lucky to have such a powerful young ninja.
Clang—
He raised his right hand; the kunai in it struck another kunai aimed at his face, producing a crisp metallic noise.
In the next second, he hastily turned his body around.
Because Minato had appeared behind him.
Recently, for a long time, the people he had fought were all considered strong even among Kage-level fighters.
Thus, many people seemed to think that Minato's strength wasn't particularly impressive—his battles never gave anyone a feeling of overwhelming dominance.
But here against Dan, the difference in power became apparent the moment they clashed.
Against Space-Time Ninjutsu, the Spirit Transformation Technique was like a tiger without teeth: intimidating, but unable to cause actual damage.
Because he couldn't keep up with the speed of the Flying Thunder God Technique, he couldn't land any hits.
Therefore, Kato Dan could only defend passively.
[Rasengan]!
Minato abruptly reappeared, instantly slamming his right palm onto Dan's body.
The huge Rasengan unleashed immense power, distorting the surrounding air.
Before Kato Dan could twist his body away, he was hit instantly—a gaping hole torn through his back as paper scraps exploded into the air.
Even after taking such an attack, his hands didn't stop moving—the kunai sliced through the air, continuing its strike backward.
Then, in the next second, Minato vanished from within Dan's striking range once again, reappearing in another direction and catching Dan's flying body with one hand.
"So fast… It seems like this is over!"
[Secret Arts – Chain Bind]!
Chakra surged from that hand, transforming into numerous chakra chains that wrapped tightly around Dan's body.
Dan's counterattack movements stiffened, then Minato pulled and slammed him downward into the ground, creating a deep crater.
"This is the moment!"
The Sealing Team seized the opportunity again, swiftly moving into formation.
As Minato immobilized the enemy, they unfurled the Sealing Scroll and initiated their move.
The scene repeated itself once more—Dan's resistance crumbled beneath the crushing weight of the Sealing Technique.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing? This is a restricted storage unit—entry requires clearance from the officer!"
The small town behind Konoha's Main Force had gone unusually quiet in the absence of its garrison.
Yet it still functioned as a secret base—an extremely vital one—so a team of elite ninja had been stationed there to protect it.
It was a Konoha chunin who had spotted another Konoha ninja acting suspiciously near the warehouse and decided to issue a warning.
"Ahh? Haha, I'm just taking a walk. It got too boring after the main force left!"
The addressed ninja laughed while scratching his head but kept moving forward without stopping.
"You shouldn't be wandering around just because you're bored. Patrol Units will come through soon—who wants a disciplinary report?"
Maybe it was the Forehead Protector that convinced him—the mark of a true ally—or maybe it was just because enemies rarely showed up this far behind the lines.
So he believed the other ninja's words and continued his well-meaning warnings.
"Patrol Team? They probably won't show up again..."
The approaching ninja's voice grew lower, and the distance between them had already closed to less than two meters.
"What did you say?"
The guard sensed something amiss and frowned toward the supposed "comrade."
Since he hadn't heard the last part clearly, he prepared to ask for clarification.
At the same time, his hand slowly drifted down toward the gear bag strapped to his waist.
However, the other man's face revealed an eerie smile, and a patch of pale skin flickered briefly beneath his chin.
In a blink, roots exploded upward from the earth below.
A tree root pierced through the ninja's chest in an instant, sending blood spraying against the grayish-white wall.
"You were the final guard standing between me and the base..."
This time, his voice had changed—hoarse, laced with mockery.
Simultaneously, similar scenes unfolded across different parts of the town.
[Operation Initiated]. It brings back memories… a feeling I've missed for far too long.
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