In a dim underground passage, Orochimaru led Senju Tobirama and the Second Tsuchikage to a towering stone wall. The Second Tsuchikage stepped forward, spreading his palms toward it. A cluster of white crystalline light rapidly condensed in his hands, forming a perfectly shaped cube.
Boom!
With a flash of light, a two-meter-tall opening appeared in the wall. Beyond it lay a spacious hidden chamber, with several braziers burning quietly around the perimeter.
"It looks like we're a step too late," Orochimaru said as he entered the chamber, his gaze sweeping the room. "Black Zetsu already took Madara's body. Still…"
His eyes stopped at one wall.
Embedded in the stone were rows upon rows of delicate glass cases. Each one held a crimson Sharingan, glowing faintly in the firelight.
"Interesting," Orochimaru murmured. "Aside from the one Obito consumed with Izanagi, not a single eye is missing."
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed another corner of the chamber. A rack of weapons hung there, and among them, a gourd-shaped war fan stood out conspicuously.
Orochimaru turned back to the wall of Sharingan.
"Taking them one by one would be far too inefficient."
As his words fell, the Second Tsuchikage formed seals.
"Earth Style: Earth Flow Severing!"
The chamber trembled lightly. The entire wall holding the Sharingan slid outward like a massive drawer.
He then pressed his palm against it once more.
"Light-Weight Rock Technique!"
In the Land of Spring, inside a brightly lit cultivation facility, Orochimaru had just finished securing Obito's corpse, which Minato Namikaze had delivered not long ago. Suddenly, his vision blurred.
Ten meters away, a massive stone wall appeared out of thin air at the entrance of the dissection room.
Before Orochimaru could react, another himself stepped out from behind the wall.
He immediately straightened, his expression respectful.
"Naruto-kun. The cloning experiment on Uchiha Obito has begun. With prior data, this eye should be fully replicated within ten days."
Poof!
Smoke dispersed, and the "Orochimaru" transformed into Naruto.
Naruto ignored him and strode toward a row of massive nutrient tanks. Orochimaru hurried after him.
When they reached the tanks, Naruto flicked his finger. Chakra threads shot out, dragging a White Zetsu clone forward. Naruto slammed his palms together.
A shrill scream echoed.
Moments later, Uchiha Obito knelt on the ground.
Naruto grabbed his head and asked calmly,
"When will Uchiha Itachi's eyes finish cloning?"
Congratulations!
You have successfully harvested a soul from another world: Uchiha Obito.
Orochimaru lowered his head.
"Sasuke handed over Itachi's eyes a bit later. It will take a few more days."
"Good."
Naruto nodded lightly. A coffin appeared out of thin air, swallowing Obito whole.
"Now," Naruto continued, "help me send one more letter—to that so-called god."
The Land of Rain
Under the relentless downpour, two Amegakure ninja knelt outside a sealed door. Moments later, countless white paper butterflies fluttered down, coalescing into Konan.
"Lady Angel," one ninja said respectfully, holding up a glass bottle. "Someone appeared at the southern docks and left this behind."
"I see."
Konan waved her hand. Sheets of paper wrapped around the bottle and floated into her grasp.
"You may leave."
She glanced at the bottle's contents. Paper wings unfurled from her back, and with a single beat, she shot into the sky—taking the bottle with her.
After passing dozens of towers, she landed beneath a wide eave.
"The bottle from last time appeared again," she said. "This time, it contains more than just a letter."
Footsteps echoed.
Tendo Pain stepped forward.
"The sender is Orochimaru. This time, he didn't even bother concealing his chakra."
"Only he could pull something like this," Konan replied, handing him the contents. "A letter, and a miniature scroll. It feels like a provocation."
"Zetsu just reported the confirmed locations of the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails," Pain said. "Orochimaru's sudden move can't be a coincidence."
Pain unfolded the letter. His eyes narrowed. Then he crushed the miniature scroll in his hand.
Poof!
Smoke burst outward.
Two objects fell to the ground.
An orange, single-eye spiral mask.
And a tattered black cloak patterned with red clouds.
Konan froze.
"This is…?"
The Land of Spring – Uchiha Compound
Inside a laboratory, Naruto extracted the souls of Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto from Edo Tensei bodies and used Soul Descent to reincarnate them into cloned vessels—right in front of Sasuke.
"Thank you."
After the revived Uchiha clan members escorted Fugaku and Mikoto away, Sasuke bowed deeply to Naruto, his voice trembling.
"It's too early to thank me," Naruto said calmly. "What are you planning to do next?"
Sasuke's expression hardened instantly.
"I'm going after the one responsible for the Nine-Tails incident."
"You don't need to," Naruto replied, shaking his head. "I already killed him."
"What?! Who was he? When did this happen?"
Sasuke fired off questions in rapid succession.
"Today. More precisely—while you were implanting the Sharingan into Danzo. Since he was our shared enemy, I'll let you see his true face."
Naruto clapped his hands. A coffin rose from the laboratory floor.
The lid slid open.
Sasuke stared at the body inside.
"He is…?"
"Uchiha Obito."
Sasuke frowned, searching his memory.
"Uchiha Obito…?"
After a moment, he was certain he had never heard the name.
Boom.
The coffin sank back into the ground.
"You can ask your parents," Naruto said. "Several of the revived clan members knew him as well."
Sasuke nodded slowly, then spoke with unmistakable solemnity.
"Then tonight, the Uchiha clan will officially be reborn."
"I want your family to serve as witnesses to the rebirth of the Uchiha."
Naruto smiled.
"Don't worry. We wouldn't miss it. That said—are we the only ones you plan to invite?"
Sasuke shook his head, excitement blazing in his eyes.
"The Hyūga clan. Yukiko. My students as well. Everyone will witness a brand-new Uchiha!"
Naruto's smile deepened.
"I look forward to witnessing that historic moment in person."
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/FinalArcHero789