At this point, those revived through Edo Tensei had no real choice left.
Once the two armies clashed, their bodies would no longer be fully under their control. The most they could do was warn Konoha with their voices.
In the end, everything depended on how strong the Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Ren, truly was.
If he endured this storm, everyone would be happy.
Konoha would unify the shinobi world without much effort, and the powers that had already sided with Ren—Sunagakure, Kirigakure, Takigakure, the Hidden Rain Village, and the others—would benefit greatly.
But if he failed, the result would be much worse.
Kumogakure and Iwagakure would become the final winners.
More accurately, Uchiha Madara would surpass both the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, and the Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Ren, becoming the true ruler of the shinobi world.
At least, that was what most people believed.
Even now, everyone assumed Madara was the mastermind behind everything.
The one who planned it all.
Even masked Uchiha Obito was merely a piece in his hand.
What none of them knew was that. Madara thought he saw the whole board.
Black Zetsu had already planned one step beyond him.
No—
several steps beyond him.
In the end, Madara himself was only a slightly larger chess piece.
"Enough. If there's nothing else, everyone may leave."
Seeing that the time was about right, masked Uchiha Obito stepped forward and spoke coldly.
"I don't care what you're thinking inside. Tomorrow, all of you had better focus."
"Otherwise, you'll bear the consequences yourself."
After throwing out that warning, Obito prepared to activate Kamui and leave the meeting room.
But just as he was about to disappear—
"Uchiha Obito, you ungrateful dog."
The Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, turned his gaze toward Obito's spiral mask.
His voice was cold.
"I could not stop you from falling into darkness."
"But I always believed I treated you, Kakashi, and Nohara Rin well."
"Yet you created the Nine-Tails' attack and indirectly caused the deaths of Kushina and me."
"What did you say?"
Obito froze in place.
Then he spoke in a low voice.
"Minato-sensei, you really are too naive."
"My actions are not something you can understand."
"If you want to blame someone, blame Kushina for being the Nine-Tails jinchūriki."
"And blame yourself for being the Fourth Hokage."
As soon as he finished speaking, space twisted around him.
Obito vanished from the room through a spiral-shaped ripple.
To him, there was nothing to regret.
Killing his teacher, Minato, and his teacher's wife, Kushina, might seem unforgivable to others.
But to Obito, it was simply what had to be done to achieve his goal.
If anyone was to blame, it was Minato for being the Fourth Hokage and Kushina for being the Nine-Tails jinchūriki.
After he fell into darkness, they were already standing on opposite sides.
"Damn it…"
Minato's fists trembled.
"Damn it!"
Facing Obito's complete indifference, Minato nearly broke down.
He could not understand it.
Why had things become like this?
Whether it was Hiruzen Sarutobi or his former student Uchiha Obito, both had become strangers to him.
Strangers without even the slightest trace of humanity.
What had happened to the shinobi world?
"Minato, just watch for now."
Hashirama sighed.
"There are differences between people. You've already died once. Why are you still unable to see through that?"
"That's right."
Tobirama also sighed.
"The world has changed. We dead men no longer belong to this era."
Of course, neither Hashirama nor Tobirama said the rest aloud.
Minato's Will of Fire was too idealistic.
Just as Hiruzen had said, facing the corrupting chaos of the shinobi world, Minato had never truly been able to grasp it.
"Alright…"
Minato lowered his head slightly.
"I understand."
As Hashirama and Tobirama said, he was already dead.
No matter how angry he became, there were things he could no longer change.
Even when it became unbearable, he still had to endure.
"Hmph."
Hiruzen only snorted coldly and walked aside.
Different paths could not be walked together.
Even if his reputation was already ruined, he would return to Konoha one more time.
The First, Second, and Fourth Hokage ignored him completely.
"Forget it. Let's rest."
"The real show begins tomorrow."
"After tomorrow, the shinobi world will have a new order."
Seeing the Hokage fall silent, the revived Kazekage, Raikage, Tsuchikage, and Mizukage also stopped speaking.
At this point, words no longer mattered.
"Heh…"
Orochimaru watched everything coldly, a faint glint flashing through his snake-like eyes.
Then he turned and left without another word.
Things had already gone far beyond his expectations.
Using the Edo Tensei he had improved, Madara had revived so many Kage.
That was terrifying.
But Orochimaru was still one of the legendary Sannin.
He would not submit so easily.
After all, Edo Tensei had been refined by him.
And only he knew about the hidden safeguards he had left inside it.
"Let's rest too."
The Fourth Raikage, A, took a deep breath.
"They don't need sleep, but we do."
"Agreed."
Ōnoki stretched his old body and nodded decisively.
He was already old.
Unlike the revived Tsuchikage, he could not remain energetic without eating or sleeping.
If tomorrow was truly the decisive battle, then he had to rest properly tonight.
The storm was about to break.
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