Meanwhile…..In the quiet, empty halls of Kakashi's estate, the silence was deceptive.
The large house, once filled with warmth, laughter from Mei, quiet tea conversations with Kurenai, Anko's loud sarcasm, and Tsunade's booming voice, now felt like a shell. Only two figures remained in the spacious living room.
Two shadow clones sat around the table, maps and papers spread before them.
Beside them, nearly a dozen spore clones stood silently, their pale gray bodies humanoid but root-like, created from the ability Kakashi had devoured from White Zetsu a long time ago. They pulsed faintly, connected by his chakra network.
"This one will target the Daimyō of the Land of Water." One shadow clone tapped a finger on a marked seal paper.
The other nodded. "And this batch goes for Lightning and Earth. We've already infiltrated the surroundings. The mayfly technique will allow us to move beneath their sensors."
The real Kakashi had given them exact orders: replace the four Daimyō of the great nations, along with key ministers who held the reins of policy. It was surgical. Cold and quiet.
But necessary.
Kakashi believed the current world order was outdated. Weak leaders, afraid to act, are buried behind courtiers and ancient systems. Konoha's reconstruction under his leadership and Tsunade's had already shown the results of bold reform. Now, it was time to reshape the world.
The shadow clones remembered the night he laid out the plan, how Mei, Tsunade, Anko, Konan, and Kurenai had agreed without hesitation. They knew this was Kakashi's way to stop all wars and unite for the greater threats.
Even Sasuke, after learning of it, had simply said, "It's necessary." He fully supported Kakashi, whom he treated as family since he had become his disciple a long time ago.
Only Naruto had been kept out of the loop.
Not because they didn't trust him. But because Naruto, in his pure heart, would hesitate. And hesitation, in war, was weakness.
The clones nodded once more, sealed their intel within body seals, and sank into the floor using Mayfly, vanishing into the roots of the world.
…
North of Konoha, Nara Shikaku's sharp eyes stared at the horizon as dust rose in thick clouds. Beside him, Shikamaru kept pace, hands in his pockets, a bitter frown on his face.
Behind them marched the Shinobi Forces of Konoha.
Team 10, Team 8, Team Guy, and dozens of chūnin and jōnin marched in silence. The younger ones, Ino, Sakura, Kiba, and Lee, talked among themselves in hushed tones. The older veterans remained grim.
"Still think Kakashi doesn't need us?" Shikamaru asked his father quietly.
"He doesn't want us to fight. He wants us to see."Shikaku exhaled.
"To see what?"
"The end of this age," Shikaku said as he looked ahead.
Ahead of them, far in the distance, a thunderous roar tore through the sky.
The clouds trembled. The earth rumbled.
Eyes widened as the horizon rippled with monstrous chakra. Even seasoned jōnin like Genma and Raidō paused.
"What… what the hell is that?" Kiba whispered.
"That's not just a summon…" Ino's face went pale.
"It's not," Sakura murmured, fists trembling.
Even from afar, the massive figure of the Ten-Tails towered in the distance. Its chakra alone pressed on their bones like gravity.
"It's enormous… there's so much… chakra."Behind them, Hinata activated her Byakugan.
Neji stood beside her, also using his Byakugan. "I see it too. The terrain is scorched. Nothing lives near it. Even the Earth itself rejects it."
"Is that… what we're fighting?"Choji had stopped chewing, his lips parted.
Shikamaru exhaled sharply. "We're not fighting it. We're going to witness what kind of monster Kakashi-sensei is up against."
"Kakashi-sensei…" Lee, unusually quiet, gripped his bandaged fists tighter.
Beside them, Might Guy, usually a beacon of youthful enthusiasm, was solemn. "My eternal rival is facing this alone?" he whispered.
But only for a moment.
Guy then turned, suddenly full of fire.
"Yosh! Youths! Now is the time to steel your hearts! Let not fear root you! Let it fuel your desire to protect your comrades!"
Some looked reassured. Others not so much. But Guy's passion always burned brightly.
"We're not alone."Shikaku looked ahead.
From the east, a dust trail cut across the plains. Mist shinobi, clad in gray armor, bearing the Kirigakure insignia, marched under Ao's command. The tall man walked ahead, a blade on his back, his single Byakugan scanning ahead.
Behind him strode Mei Terumi's forces, their expressions grim. They'd fought tough battles before. They knew what devastation looked like.
"Such chakra…" Ao whispered, adjusting his sensor band. "This isn't like before. This… feels like the end."
Closer to the western ridge, another formation appeared: the forces of Sunagakure.
Gaara led the charge, his gourd heavy behind him. Beside him walked Temari and a unit of elite Suna shinobi. Temari's fan was already open, her eyes narrowed at the sky ahead.
"The reports weren't exaggerated," Gaara said, calm but firm. "That thing is very much alive… and wrong."
When they caught up with Konoha's forces, the two armies merged. Ao greeted Shikaku briefly, then turned his gaze forward. Gaara, with a nod, acknowledged the assembled shinobi.
"The final confrontation has begun," Gaara said to Temari. "Let's not be late."
"Kakashi sure knows how to make an entrance."Temari's eyes were on the mountain ahead.
Back in the Konoha column, many of the younger shinobi finally saw all three armies unite. Tenten pointed. "Look, it's Gaara!"
"I see Ao-san too," Shino noted, adjusting his glasses. "The Mist is here."
"It's really happening," Sakura whispered, watching the three armies move forward together.
"I'll fight too."Hinata's hands trembled, but she steeled herself.
Lee nodded. "We will protect our comrades. That is the will of the leaf."
Up front, Shikaku issued new orders. "Steady march. Maintain formation. Our goal is proximity, not direct engagement."
The massive chakra of the Ten-Tails loomed closer with each step.
The wind howled unnaturally.
Trees had long ceased growing near its presence. Animals had fled or died. Even the insects refused to enter its radius.
"We'll be in range soon."Neji turned to Shikamaru.
Shikamaru nodded.
As they crested the final ridge, they saw it fully.
The Ten-Tails, massive, grotesque, with a gaping mouth and a malformed, multiple eyes on its face, towered like a god over the scorched battlefield.
Even the sky looked darker above it.
The soldiers froze. For a second, everything stopped.
Every shinobi, whether Konoha, Suna, or Kiri, felt the same crushing weight of chakra.
And yet…
From the center of that battlefield, a glowing figure stood calmly.
Kakashi.
Unshaken.
Flanked by Madara clones, Orochimaru's clone, Sasuke, Itachi, and Tobirama.
Behind them, rising from a golden teleportation flash, Naruto appeared.