As Uchiha Obito continued speaking, the color drained from Uzumaki Nagato and Konan's faces.
They had been manupulated from the very beginning.
Everything… had been part of someone else's plan.
All this time, they believed that gathering the Tailed Beasts would allow them to summon the Ten-Tails, crush the world with absolute power, and finally end the endless wars.
But in the end, they had only been pawns.
The Eye of the Moon Plan.
Casting the entire shinobi world into an eternal dream? What kind of twisted madness was that?
"Madara!"
Nagato roared, his Rinnegan blazing with fury.
"Your plan will never succeed!"
"Heh…"
Obito let out a quiet, mocking laugh.
"Of course it will succeed. It simply requires time. Do you really think you understand pain?"
"Ending wars through force? Human conflict won't just disappear overnight. Only when the Eye of the Moon Plan is complete will true peace be born."
"This world is hell. I'm offering you paradise."
"When that day comes, I'll even allow you to live peacefully inside that dream world. You should be grateful."
Unlike Nagato's burning anger, Konan's eyes trembled with disbelief.
Her family… Yahiko… all of them had died because of this man's schemes. And now Nagato would be next.
If everything in their lives had been manipulated from the start, what meaning did their struggles even have?
"Konan! Konan!"
Nagato's urgent voice snapped her back to reality.
"Run!"
His trembling hands began to form seals. He knew he couldn't defeat the masked man—but if he could buy even a moment, Konan might escape.
A sharp sound cut through the air.
Roots and vines burst from Obito's right arm, instantly binding both of them in place.
"If I let either of you leave, the Eye of the Moon Plan might be exposed. Do you really think I'd make such a careless mistake?"
"I told you all this for one reason—to see those expressions on your faces."
He threw his head back and laughed.
"Nagato. Konan. Now you understand what true pain is. What real hell feels like!"
Suddenly, slow applause echoed from the doorway.
All three of them turned at once.
Namikaze Kirito stepped inside, a faint smile on his face.
"Since when did you get so good at speeches?"
"Namikaze Kirito!"
All three spoke his name at the same time.
Shock flashed in Obito's visible eye.
"How did you find this place?"
Kirito shrugged lightly. "Why wouldn't I be able to?"
"I've been here for a while. But your performance was reaching its climax—I didn't want to interrupt."
He tilted his head, studying Obito.
"You've gotten pretty eloquent lately. What happened? Hit your head?"
"Obito…?"
Nagato's gaze snapped toward the masked man. Hearing that name sent a chill through him. He had long suspected this wasn't truly Uchiha Madara—but he'd never known the man's real identity.
"Namikaze Kirito," Obito said coldly, his voice heavy with killing intent. "I told you. I am Uchiha Madara."
"Really?" Kirito's smile widened. "Then how about I revive Rin and let her witness the greatness of the Uchiha ancestor herself?"
The moment Rin's name left his lips, Obito's composure shattered.
"Shut up! I won't let you drag Rin into this!"
"Into what, exactly?" Kirito spread his hands innocently. "I'm just saying—I've developed a new technique. One that can rewrite memories."
"I could make Nohara Rin into the perfect woman. Of course, I'd let her keep her memories of you. Exciting, don't you think?"
"Kirito!"
Obito released Nagato and Konan and charged forward in a blind rage.
Kirito's fist slammed into his stomach.
The blow carried the tremor of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's power, carefully restrained. It didn't tear Obito apart—but the shockwave of pain drove the air from his lungs.
He doubled over, clutching his abdomen and retching.
Kirito stepped past him and approached Nagato.
"Well? Now that you know the truth… how does it feel to face your own helplessness?"
Nagato let out a hollow laugh.
"So you forced him to reveal everything on purpose. We've been manipulated our entire lives… I suppose this ending is only fitting."
Without another word, Kirito placed his palm against Nagato's abdomen.
Konan instinctively moved to intervene—but froze.
Nagato's body was changing.
His white hair gradually returned to its original red. His emaciated frame filled out, life flowing back into his limbs.
The Reincarnation Technique.
A jutsu that transferred vitality itself. Kirito's life force was overwhelming—and he had refined a method to share it without consequence.
In Gensokyo, long lifespans were the norm.
Especially for its leader.
"You… how is this possible?" Nagato asked, staring at his restored hands in disbelief.
"Relax," Kirito replied calmly. "I won't let you die. Even the Shinigami couldn't take you from me now."
That wasn't empty boasting.
He drew upon Armament Haki, gripping the black receivers embedded in Nagato's body and pulling them free one by one, completing his recovery.
"Thank you…"
Konan's eyes glistened as she spoke.
"Don't thank me yet," Kirito said evenly. "I didn't save you out of kindness. Nagato—I need your strength. Come with me."
Nagato lowered his head, silent in thought.
When he looked up again, resolve burned in his eyes.
"You gave me this second life. I'll use it for your cause."
It wasn't just gratitude. Without Kirito's intervention, Konan would likely have died here. And if that happened, he could never face Yahiko in the Pure Land.
Kirito nodded, satisfied. Then his gaze shifted back to Obito.
"Obito… are you afraid?"
"Does that helplessness feel familiar?"
He walked over to the hunched figure and rested his hands on Obito's shoulders.
"I won't kill you. Death would be mercy."
His voice softened into something far more chilling.
"Wait. Endure it. Live long enough to see the day I bring Nohara Rin back…"
A slow smile spread across his face.
"…and make her... hahaha!"
His laughter echoed through the chamber, the unspoken implications far crueler than any words.
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