Adult Obito had seen Susanoo countless times in Madara Uchiha's memories.
But with one of his eyes still in Kakashi's possession, he'd never once been able to activate that kind of ultimate technique himself.
The instant he summoned Susanoo, his blood boiled.
Almost without thinking, he realized that as long as he stayed close to Kakashi—who held his other eye—and the two of them fought side by side, he might be able to bring out Susanoo even while alive. Maybe he and Kakashi really were the most perfectly matched partners.
And so his Susanoo was a pale blue.
It was a shame he could only sense the chakra around him, not the actual form of the Susanoo standing right in front of him. He'd have to return to their own parallel world, coordinate with Kakashi one more time, and have his younger self take a photo.
Because the Young Obito had gone through a different mission at the Kannabi Bridge, Kakashi hadn't lost an eye trying to save him. Both of Obito's eyes were still safely in their sockets.
That odd sensation—something he hadn't learned as ninjutsu, but had already experienced by existing within another person's consciousness—made the knack for activating Susanoo imprint itself on Young Obito instantly.
He couldn't wait to go back and test it.
Just imagining Rin praising him made him grin. He could already picture clumsy Kakashi getting so jealous his teeth ached. That feeling of accomplishment was impossible to describe—just thinking about it was enough to make Young Obito feel like he was floating.
As for the rebellious Obito in this parallel world, poised on the eve of the Uchiha clan's annihilation, he couldn't even put his feelings into words.
So he had Susanoo too.
He and Kakashi really were...
Just like Naruto and Sasuke.
They pushed each other as rivals, but in the end, neither of them could truly let the other go.
...
The Uchiha on the other side—people who'd gone their entire lives without ever seeing Susanoo—had been getting a front-row seat to Susanoo in every color lately...
'But… why does that Kakashi have Susanoo?!'
'Didn't he lose his Sharingan?!'
'Don't tell me he's actually one of us, and his bloodline just never awakened?!'
Most of the Uchiha were furious, but Fugaku Uchiha had already guessed it.
'It's that kid, Obito!'
Shisui: It must be Obito Uchiha. Even at the moment of death, he never left Kakashi's body, using his last bit of chakra to help him.
Itachi: So chakra can be used like this… Death really isn't the end for humans. As long as chakra and will remain, you can be reborn again and again, existing forever in this world—or across multiple worlds.
A pair of philosophical soulmates: one pondering human nature, the other pondering life itself.
A Susanoo powered by Obito Uchiha's Mangekyō Sharingan was basically a ridiculous cheat.
Even the All-Killing Ash Bones that had killed Obito before couldn't harm him at all. With a single intangibility, he could go anywhere—he'd even phased through Kaguya's All-Killing Ash Bones?!
"Kamui Shuriken!"
Seeing Kakashi use those two techniques, the Uchiha finally understood why he could wield Susanoo.
It wasn't because he was "Kakashi Uchiha." It was because Obito—damn it—even in death, still couldn't let go of this friend he'd always been at odds with!!
The pale blue Susanoo's shuriken lopped off both arms of Kaguya's massive rabbit form. More precisely, the instant it reached her, the space around it twisted and warped, tearing part of Kaguya away into another dimension.
The Kamui dimension that belonged to Obito Uchiha—a place even Kaguya couldn't enter or leave at will!!
!!!!
Previously, Kamui had torn open the defense of Six Paths Madara Uchiha's Truth-Seeking Ball. Now it was intercepting Kaguya's body as well!
Using a space-time ability that wasn't inherently offensive as an attack—this was a technique born from Obito's power combined with Kakashi's analytical skill!!
Naruto: "That was awesome! Kakashi-sensei!!!"
The Uchiha felt exactly the same way. Whatever they thought of Obito Uchiha as a person, the power of his Mangekyō Sharingan was the real deal...
Absolutely incredible!!
In some ways, it was even beyond Sasuke's Kagutsuchi...
"It's even more powerful than Sasuke's!! Kakashi-sensei's Susanoo!!!"
Uh...
Naruto Uzumaki had said it out loud.
Child Sasuke instantly bristled, cheeks puffing up like a steamed bun, his little head practically bursting with defiance. Once they got out of this illusion, he was going to make that bottom-of-the-class idiot understand who was really stronger!!
Turns out, sometimes...
Being too blunt isn't a good thing.
Adults have to learn tact.
Mikoto had already guessed how her youngest son would react, and she gave Naruto a smile that was pure aunt energy.
Special Domain: Starting Pitch Space.
Kekkei Mōra: Expansive Truth-Seeking Ball.
And it was still expanding...
Kakashi: "Everyone, regroup. I'm issuing battle orders."
It was true—across the entire Ninja World, the only ones left were Konoha's current generation of Team 7.
Kakashi Hatake, Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno.
As Kakashi relayed the plan, the Uchiha residing within Naruto Uzumaki's consciousness unexpectedly remembered what Team 7 had been like when they first assembled.
Naruto pulling pranks, Sakura pretending to be mature, Sasuke acting like none of it concerned him.
"Kamui Raikiri!!"
A strike when she least expected it!
Kakashi's Raikiri, fused with Obito Uchiha's Kamui.
For the first time, Kaguya actually bled. Her right shoulder was severed, and her entire right side lost both offense and defense.
Seizing that opening, Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha launched their layered feints exactly as planned—coming within one centimeter of catching Kaguya and sealing her away!
Inside Naruto, the Uchiha were so tense they couldn't think about anything else.
It all came down to this!
Kaguya tried to escape upward.
But that, too, was already accounted for in Kakashi's battle plan.
Sakura Haruno drove a single punch upward, cutting off Kaguya's route from above.
"Mother!!!!"
"Six Paths! Chibaku Tensei!!!"
Finally...
Kaguya was out of tricks now, right?!
They'd finally beaten her. So they could free everyone trapped in Infinite Tsukuyomi now?!
The Uchiha finally let out the breath they'd been holding.
The nine tailed beasts had already been pulled from Kaguya's body. Even if she wanted to keep fighting, she no longer had the chakra for it.
"Kurama! Your Jinchūriki is pretty impressive!"
"Hmph. Like you needed to tell me that."
Uchiha: ...
'It's almost over, isn't it...?'
'Even if I'm stuck inside Naruto Uzumaki's consciousness, the Fourth Shinobi World War has still worn me down, body and soul.'
'It's finally over… I just want to sleep.'
'Honestly, by the time I get back, I'll probably have forgotten all about being ostracized by Konoha and wanting the Captain to seize power.'
Shisui: Wait! It's not over yet!! Black Zetsu is still here!!
Young Itachi: Naruto! Seal Black Zetsu too! Otherwise, a thousand years from now, the Ninja World will suffer this same catastrophic disaster again!
They were frantic inside Naruto's mind. Thankfully, Naruto hadn't forgotten Black Zetsu either—the thing that had been pulling shady little moves in the background this whole time.
"Since you're so unwilling to leave your mother and be independent, how about I let you stay with her forever?"
Shisui, Itachi: Yes! Naruto noticed Black Zetsu!!
"You're nothing! Just a tiny part of the ninja history I created—an insignificant character, that's all!!"
For some reason, the moment Black Zetsu said that, the Uchiha inside Naruto Uzumaki's consciousness all went silent.
The pain of awakening their eyes, the grief of loss, the bitterness of being pushed aside, the shock of learning the truth, the helpless confusion brought on by the monstrous sins of Madara Uchiha and Obito Uchiha...
In Black Zetsu's mouth, it all became a meaningless story.
"History…? A character…?"
In the dead quiet, Naruto Uzumaki spoke, his voice lower than usual.
"The history of ninjas..."
It was like he'd voiced everyone's thoughts.
"...is forged from the lives and deaths of countless ninja!"
Naruto Uzumaki and the Uchiha alike saw the faces of former enemies, friends, and family rise in their minds.
Comrade or foe, each of them had their own story—an unshakable conviction that forced them down the path they'd chosen.
"The pain of war, the grief of losing someone you can't bear to lose, every life that exists in this world! Their happiness! Their anger! Their sorrow! Their joy!! The people they loved! The people who loved them!!"
"Those aren't characters you created!!"
The Uchiha swallowed hard, their throats dry, sharing the rage and grief surging in Naruto's heart.
The moments that had forced their eyes open… and the moments before that, when they'd trusted their comrades and carried out missions together.
Those days.
Those smiles, burned into memory.
How could any of that be reduced to "characters" and "history"?
Even if their world really was a story, and they really were nothing more than roles inside it...
Then to them, that world...
...was still real.
Every single person was real—living, breathing, thinking—each with their own will.
"Everyone taught me that! They acknowledged me, accepted me, and entrusted the future to me!! And you, a little brat who can't even leave your parents—don't you dare spout nonsense!!"
The Uchiha felt all of Naruto's life pressing against their hearts. If this truly were a story, then ending it here would've been perfect.
But...
"The problem is, how are we supposed to get out of here?!!!"