The moment Kakashi stepped onto the battlefield, every eye converged on him. Uchiha Obito, in particular, locked his gaze onto him with a deathly intensity.
Obito knew exactly what Kakashi had gone to do: kill Black Zetsu.
Yet, he hadn't lifted a finger to stop him. Now that everything had been laid bare, Black Zetsu no longer held any value.
"Is it over?" Hashirama Senju murmured.
The First Hokage had been holding back his strength. Even at ninety percent of his peak power, it would have been difficult, but he was entirely capable of manifesting the Veritable 1,000-Armed Kan'on. However, the destructive range of that technique was simply too vast. Once unleashed, it wouldn't just be the small Hozuki Castle beneath their feet; the entire sea for hundreds of meters around would be caught in the strike zone.
If Black Zetsu had managed to escape because of the chaos of the Veritable 1,000-Armed Kan'on, it would have been a massive headache.
"It seems my duty ends here," a voice said. With those final words, the Kakashi clone standing beside Hashirama vanished with a sharp pop.
"Kakashi, I've been waiting for you," Obito Uchiha said, his voice echoing from within his Susanoo.
With the appearance of Kakashi's true body, Tobirama Senju and Minato Namikaze—who had been facing off against the White Snake Sage and the Great Toad Sage—retreated in unison, flanking Kakashi.
"Things have come to this. What else do you have to say?" Kakashi's gaze was frigid, his voice devoid of emotion.
"You said I was a pawn used by Madara Uchiha. I cannot refute that," Obito began. "You said Madara was deceived by Black Zetsu. I have nothing to say to that, either. But what was the cause of all this?"
The blue Susanoo dissipated, and Obito drifted slowly to the ground. His cold Mangekyō Sharingan stared intently at Kakashi. Kakashi met that gaze silently, watching the man before him.
"The world," Obito spat. "It is this cruel world! This world is too pitiless, so I wanted to create a dream-world utopia... But then, this cruel world deceived me once again, so..."
Obito's face twisted into a mask of madness, as if he were about to vent the full depth of his despair regarding existence. But then—
"Why don't you just die?"
A voice cut Obito off mid-sentence.
Minato Namikaze looked at the speaker in shock. It was Kakashi. In Minato's memory, Kakashi and Obito were comrades with a deep, powerful bond. He didn't know exactly what they had endured to cause such a radical shift in their personalities—or what had turned them into bitter enemies.
However, Obito's current ideology was far too dangerous; it was something Minato could never condone. He felt a pang of self-reproach. If I had recognized Obito that night years ago, perhaps none of this would have happened...
"What did you say?!" Obito's eyes turned icy as he glared at Kakashi.
"I said, why don't you just die?" Kakashi repeated, his gaze indifferent. "You feel despair for this world? You feel sadness? You feel fear? If that's the case, why are you still living?"
Kakashi's words ignited a spark of fury in Obito. Gritting his teeth against the rising anger, Obito growled, "You certainly sound high and mighty, don't you?"
"You, who have a wife, children, and the whole world in your hand—what could you possibly understand?! You, who failed Rin's heart... what right do you have to speak to me like this, Your Majesty?!"
Obito practically spat out those final words through clenched teeth. At this accusation, everyone's attention shifted to Kakashi.
"You're like a child who refuses to grow up," Kakashi said. "You always think the world owes you something. The world doesn't revolve around any one person. When you encounter setbacks, you blame the world instead of looking for the cause within yourself."
He took a breath, his words cutting like a blade to the heart. "I might not have the right to speak, but Hatake Kakashi does. This body lost its father. It lost Obito Uchiha. It killed Rin with its own hands. It lost its teacher, and its teacher's wife. I believe I have every right to say this."
Kakashi took a step forward. For the first time, those dark eyes—which usually seemed so unshakeable—flickered with a hint of pity. Simultaneously, the entirety of Hozuki Castle seemed to fall under the weight of an inexplicable power.
"Not dragging others down with you—that is the most basic, simplest principle of human conduct. Obito Uchiha..."
A white short sword appeared in Kakashi's hand. With a flick of his wrist, the blade dropped and pierced the stone floor, standing upright before everyone.
"I don't understand how a few words from Madara Uchiha could make you betray your comrades, your teacher, and the Hidden Leaf. But now is the time to set everything right."
Obito's eyes were bloodshot, his chest heaving as he stared at Kakashi. What did he mean? Was he calling him an ungrateful dog? The arrogance!
But Kakashi had said enough. Speaking to Obito to this extent was the final courtesy he would show for their former friendship.
"Obito Uchiha, you will die here today, once and for all. Including your soul."
As the words fell, the short sword at his feet began to emit a faint, shimmering white light. An invisible wave of energy swept across Hozuki Castle, extending for a thousand meters in every direction.
Tobirama and Minato sensed the shift instantly, their eyes narrowing.
"It's a spatial anchoring technique," Tobirama noted. As masters of Space-Time Ninjutsu, they recognized the change immediately.
"An incredibly powerful spatial seal," Minato added, clenching his fist in awe. "It looks like Kakashi specifically researched this as a countermeasure against Space-Time users."
The Flying Raijin Technique, which usually allowed for instantaneous travel, was now completely blocked. Minato couldn't even sense the Flying Raijin mark he had placed on Obito.
"You... did you develop this just because of me?!" Obito's face went pale. It wasn't just the Flying Raijin; even his Kamui was completely sealed by the power of that short sword.
"No, not quite," Kakashi shook his head. He had developed this method to deal with the Ōtsutsuki Clan. After all, nearly every Ōtsutsuki possessed the Yomotsu Hirasaka, which was a massive nuisance that had to be guarded against.
"You bastard!" Kakashi's dismissal only made Obito angrier. Such an obvious counter-measure, and he claimed it wasn't for him!
But Kakashi didn't respond. The white-haired man took a single step, and his figure instantly reappeared right in front of Obito.
Obito's pupils dilated. So fast! Even with the dynamic vision of the Mangekyō Sharingan, he could barely track the movement.
"See? This is the consequence of over-relying on the Sharingan," Kakashi said. "When Kamui is unavailable, what else do you have?"
Before Obito could react, Kakashi's finger was already pressed against his chest. A thin beam of white lightning, no thicker than a finger, erupted and pierced through Obito's Reanimated body.
"Kakashi..." In the distance, Minato felt a pang of sorrow. Watching his students tear each other apart filled him with agonizing pain.
The white lightning surged through Obito, leaving his eyes wide with shock. Even with dual Mangekyō, Obito was no match for Kakashi—especially now that space was locked down. Without Kamui, what could he do?
Under the strike of the pure white lightning, Obito felt an excruciating pain. He instinctively doubled over and collapsed, a sensation like ten thousand ants devouring his heart. He wanted to scream, but he couldn't make a sound.
Kakashi looked down at the fallen man with cold indifference. This was a technique similar to the one used to slay the soul of Mōryō. If the demon lord from a thousand years ago couldn't withstand it, how could Obito?
It looked like lightning piercing the body, but it was a strike on the level of the soul. Once hit, the soul would be shredded in a very short time. Obito's life was now on a countdown.
Kakashi felt no pity. This man should have died back during the Third Shinobi World War.
Ignoring the struggling Obito, Kakashi turned his gaze toward the silent White Snake Sage and the Great Toad Sage. His stare was that of a tiger eyeing a rabbit, or a lion hunting a zebra. The two so-called "Sages" felt their scalps go numb.
The Battle of Hozuki Castle ended.
Obito Uchiha was dead. Kagura was dead. Hiruko was dead. Ichikishima-hime, Tagitsu-hime, and Tagorihime were all dead. The White Snake Sage was dead, the Great Toad Sage was dead, and Black Zetsu was dead. Orochimaru was taken prisoner, as was Nagato.
It looked like a hard-won victory, but from the moment Kakashi set foot in Hozuki Castle, the outcome had been decided. In fact, it had been decided three years ago, the moment the Shinobi World was unified.
The entire world provided Kakashi with chakra. Hundreds of millions of living beings fueled him. Even Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki was no exception.
Under the bright sun of a clear day...
A man with disheveled hair was led onto the Imperial execution grounds. A crowd of citizens gathered, staring at the man in prisoner's robes. On the high platform, an executioner read out the list of Orochimaru's crimes in a booming voice.
"The criminal, Orochimaru."
"Formerly one of the Sannin of the Hidden Leaf. He became obsessed with forbidden jutsu and pursued immortality by any means necessary."
"He conspired with Danzō Shimura to conduct human experimentation, even using innocent children. Four hundred and sixty-seven innocent people died because of him."
"When his crimes were exposed, he fled the Hidden Leaf and continued his experiments, leading to countless more deaths."
"During his exile, he conspired with foreign enemies to invade the Hidden Leaf and attempted to assassinate His Majesty."
"Now, justice is served."
"His crimes are unforgivable. The sentence is death!"
"By means of bisection!"
The crowd erupted into a roar of chatter and shouting. Orochimaru looked blankly at the bustling masses. He wanted to laugh, but he found he couldn't.
So, this is my end? How... ironic.
Meanwhile, Kakashi sat by a lake, fishing rod in hand, as if nothing had happened. However, instead of being alone, he was now surrounded by several others.
Hashirama Senju, Tobirama Senju, Minato Namikaze, and the retired Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The five of them sat in a neat row by the water, all holding fishing rods.
"It looks like we'll have a good period of peace ahead of us," Hashirama said, sighing as he looked at the shimmering lake.
"I didn't expect Orochimaru's end to be like that..." Hiruzen sighed. As a teacher, he felt responsible for the path Orochimaru had taken.
"Lord Third, don't blame yourself too much. If I had survived back then..." Minato started, his voice full of regret. "It's all my fault."
"I have to disagree with that," Tobirama said, glancing at the seemingly nonchalant Kakashi. "If you had lived, we might not have reached the world we have today."
"Ah, well, I suppose that's true..." Minato scratched his head awkwardly and gave a sheepish laugh.
"Counting the days, Naruto, Sakura, and Shion should be returning soon," Kakashi said, pulling up his rod. A large, lively fish flopped on the hook. "Sensei, you can go see your son—and meet your future daughter-in-law."
"Eh? Daughter-in-law?!" Minato's face lit up with surprise and joy.
"Yes. She's a girl with extraordinary talent," Kakashi nodded. "Her personality is quite similar to Kushina's."
"Hehe..." Hearing that his future daughter-in-law was like Kushina, Minato rubbed his head and grinned foolishly.
"As for the coming days, Lord First and Tenzo can continue planting trees in the Earth Province," Kakashi added. "Since you're free anyway."
Hashirama was more than happy with the suggestion. He and Tenzo had been planting trees in the Wind Province before; now that he was Reanimated again, he wanted to make the most of his time. He figured he might even get around to the Lightning Province if he worked fast.
"And what about me?" Tobirama asked, looking at his brother and Minato before turning to Kakashi.
"Research the third stage of the Sage Seal," Kakashi listed off. "Research the second generation of the Ancor Vantian, simplify the first version of the Sage Seal, and find ways to apply chakra technology to civilian life."
"Tsk. That's all for now. If you run out of time, I'll just Reanimate you again later."
As Kakashi reeled off the list, Tobirama's face darkened. This brat... he's really milking me for all I'm worth!
"Well, the more capable one is, the more work they get!" Hashirama laughed, slapping his brother's shoulder.
"And you?!" Tobirama snapped, looking at Kakashi, who seemed to be delegating every single task.
"I have a family," Kakashi said matter-of-factly. "I haven't been home in a while. My children will miss me."
He looked at Tobirama with total justification. He wasn't like Tobirama, the bachelor.
In fact, of the five Hokages present, Tobirama was the only one without a partner.
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