At the moon passage in the Land of Fire, Kabuto sat there in boredom, feeling especially depressed.
"Honestly, why did they stick me in a place like this? I could obviously be doing much more."
Kabuto felt that his growth had been pretty solid lately. Especially after Ren's "heavy-handed guidance," he had already learned Sage Mode.
But Ren had said that Kabuto now held an important position in Konoha and shouldn't casually go charging into battle.
And then, without the slightest hesitation, Ren had dumped him here to wait for the people coming down from the moon.
"What 'important position'? Give me a break…"
Kabuto muttered under his breath, though he didn't dare complain too much.
He knew perfectly well that Ren was probably trying to protect him. The problem was, that was not what he wanted.
"Sigh… who knows how much longer I'll have to wait."
Kabuto stretched lazily, but just then he froze.
The passage had reacted.
Turning his head, he saw chakra light beginning to flare, and that instantly lifted his spirits.
Before long, as the chakra light blazed, several figures appeared in front of him.
"So they're finally back. I'm finally free…"
Kabuto muttered inwardly. He was truly sick of staying in this damn place.
With that thought, he strolled over.
"Alright! We're finally back!"
The moment the pillar of light vanished, Naruto couldn't help shouting at the top of his lungs.
It was obvious that he had been holding himself in for far too long.
"Vice Minister."
"Kabuto-bro."
Sasuke and Karin noticed him right away. The two immediately gave slight bows.
"So you were waiting here for us."
Shisui smiled when he saw Kabuto. They had worked together for so long that their relationship was naturally very good.
"No choice. Orders from our Minister and Hokage's aide."
Kabuto smiled casually. All the Root shinobi who had come down with them immediately saluted as well. Kabuto was quite well known within Root.
He waved his hand dismissively, telling them not to bother with the formalities, then glanced over at the Fourth Hokage and Kushina, Jiraiya, and the others before continuing,
"But your trip to the moon was basically just a vacation. I imagine you've already heard by now—Kumogakure and Iwagakure have joined forces with the Akatsuki and declared war on us."
"The war has already started, and it's been raging for several days. I'd say all of you are about to get very busy."
"Yes, we already know."
Minato stepped forward. He quietly sized up this young man in front of him. He really hadn't had much contact with Root people before.
But he knew that this was someone Ren had arranged to be here, which meant he was someone Ren trusted. Naturally, Minato treated him with courtesy.
"If the village has any assignments for us, we'll carry them out to the letter."
"Then I'll be counting on you."
Kabuto nodded and smiled.
"Though the trouble ahead probably won't be small. Every battlefield needs reinforcements."
"Fourth Hokage-sama, you may have to work especially hard. Not only will you need to fight, but you'll also have to handle battlefield deployment."
"After all, the Flying Thunder God Technique can play an extremely important role."
"That won't be a problem."
Minato nodded. To him, that kind of thing was no trouble at all.
In fact, he was already feeling impatient to get moving. If doing this well could earn him more time with Naruto, then he was determined to give it everything he had.
"Um… Kabuto-bro…"
Just then, Naruto suddenly spoke up a little urgently.
He wasn't all that close to Kabuto, but he had decided to call him that anyway.
"Ren-bro… no, Lord Ren… has he gone out yet?"
Naruto's question immediately caught everyone's attention. It was something they were all curious about.
Because everyone knew that once Ren entered the battlefield personally, there likely wouldn't be much left for anyone else to do.
"Relax. Not yet."
Kabuto shrugged and smiled.
"The enemy hasn't deployed their truly dangerous people on a large scale yet. Right now things are still in a holding phase."
"But all of you had better give it your all. Nobody knows when Ren might decide to move…"
Battles were erupting all across the shinobi world, and as time passed, the intensity only kept rising.
Even though it still wasn't time for Ren to make his move, everyone else was already fighting with everything they had.
On one battlefield, gold dust spread around Rasa.
He stared indifferently at the shinobi before him, because he had noticed that they wore different headbands and even different uniforms.
It was clearly a joint force.
And more importantly, he saw a large number of Sunagakure shinobi among them.
"Any Water Release users here? Use water to deal with this gold dust!"
"Any Lightning Release users? That might work even better!"
But the Suna shinobi showed him not the slightest respect. The moment he moved, they immediately started calling out ideas for how to counter his Magnet Release.
At first, that had nearly made Rasa furious to death.
Were these really Suna shinobi?
Wasn't he their former Fourth Kazekage?
But as time passed, he gradually stopped dwelling on it.
Since these people had no respect for him at all, then he had nothing more to say!
"You think the likes of you can actually deal with me?"
Rasa roared. In an instant, violent chakra surged, and the boundless sand and dust rose like a sea, crashing toward the shinobi in front of him like a tidal wave.
"Damn it, get out of the way!"
"Watch out for the sand!"
"Damn it, that Kazekage was Suna's disgrace! He made the village suffer while he was alive, and even in death he won't leave anyone in peace!"
"…!"
The flood of insults only made Rasa hit harder.
He was genuinely enraged.
"Hmm?"
But just as he was about to really lay into them, a violent surge of sand suddenly rushed toward him from the front. His expression shifted.
"Hmph."
He reacted instantly. His chakra moved again, and another great wave of sand rose under his control.
Boom!
The two tidal waves of sand slammed into one another, colliding, intertwining, and gradually weakening until they settled back into stillness.
Rasa turned toward the source.
There, not far away, floated a red-haired boy standing atop a bed of sand.
"Gaara?"
Seeing him, Rasa raised a brow, then shook his head.
"Hmph. So it's you."
"Why are you here? Where's your Kazekage? Send Pakura out!"
"You're not worth her time."
Gaara looked at the man who had once been his father with nothing but cold disdain.
And the anger in his eyes only seemed to deepen as more sand spilled from the gourd behind his back.
He had never had a good impression of Rasa. He could never forget what this man had done to him when he was a child.
And after being taken captive by Konoha, after later seeing the changes in Sunagakure, his disgust toward his father—the former Kazekage—had only grown worse.
Now that they had finally met face-to-face, he wanted to see for himself just what kind of man this father of his, who had once tried to have him killed, really was.
"Oh?"
Hearing that answer, Rasa's gaze turned cold as well.
Of course he knew the hatred in Gaara's heart.
But the person he had really wanted to face was the current Fourth Kazekage, Pakura.
The moment he had died at Ren's hands three years ago, he had already known that Pakura would inevitably become Kazekage.
And now the one standing before him wasn't Pakura, but Gaara.
That was something he couldn't accept—even if the boy was his own son.
Still, he shook his head in the end, his voice dropping colder and colder.
"So they trained you well. Have you even forgotten who I am?"
"In that case, I'll make you remember exactly who I am!"
As he spoke, the sand around him surged violently, then shot straight at Gaara in the next instant.
Gaara did not hold back in the slightest. He moved almost at the exact same moment, and the father and son crashed into battle.
"Hey, hey, hey—sure, I was the Mizukage, but I was also a genjutsu-type shinobi! My summon is the Clam, the Clam!"
On another battlefield, the Second Mizukage's little moustache twitched with annoyance as he glared at the Mist shinobi before him.
"Idiots, I already told you, I specialize in genjutsu! My summon is the Clam! You have to find my real body. Only then can you beat me!"
"But… even if you tell us that, there's nothing we can do!"
The Mist shinobi looked miserable.
This Second Mizukage was from the Hozuki clan and a living legend.
It was he who had laid the foundation for the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. He had also established the Mist ANBU—even if he'd copied the idea from Konoha. During his reign, the village had flourished.
It was just that he had eventually died alongside the Second Tsuchikage, both perishing in mutual destruction.
And now he had suddenly returned. There was no way they could deal with him easily.
"Hey, Suigetsu, think of something."
Since they had no way to handle the Second Mizukage, then the only option was to throw a member of the Hozuki clan at him.
"Oh? You're from our clan too, kid?"
The Second Mizukage raised a brow and looked at Suigetsu, who had clearly been trying to pretend he wasn't there until he was called out.
"In that case, let me test your quality."
"Whoa, wait—"
Suigetsu's expression changed, but the Second Mizukage had already moved.
His chakra rippled outward, and in an instant, droplets of water appeared all across the battlefield.
The next moment, those water droplets shot out in every direction. Blood exploded everywhere, and row after row of shinobi collapsed into pools of it.
"Hurry up, hurry up."
The Second Mizukage seemed entertained now as he grinned at the bewildered Suigetsu.
"Even if your current Mizukage isn't here yet, I heard the acting Mizukage is that brat Genjiro. Though at his age he probably can't move anymore."
"Well, whoever the current Mizukage is, they should be on their way. So before that, give me a bit of fun, will you?"
"Hey, hey, hey, I—"
Before Suigetsu could finish, the Second Mizukage waved again, and another wave of water droplets formed.
"Remember this—first dodge my attacks, then find my real body as fast as possible. Got it?"
"…."
Suigetsu's face turned black.
He had noticed that every time he left Kirigakure, disaster followed.
It had been like that three years ago, and now somehow it was happening again.
But just then, space rippled slightly.
In the next instant, Naruto suddenly appeared on the battlefield!
The moment Suigetsu saw him, his gloomy face lit up.
He might actually be saved.
"Hmph. Is that all you've got?"
On another battlefield, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression had also turned grim as he faced the Gold and Silver Brothers.
Kinkaku and Ginkaku clearly looked down on the Third Hokage. Kinkaku even sneered openly.
"Well, it's only natural. Back then, you were just some brat in his twenties. Now you're almost seventy, right? Being this strong at your age isn't too bad."
Hiruzen said nothing, but he really was breathing harder now.
This kind of battle felt terrible.
Facing enemies like these was incredibly difficult, and right now he really was the best person to hold them back.
"Ren should be almost finished preparing in the rear. Once he moves, everything will be much easier…"
Hiruzen took a deep breath, but soon shook his head with a bitter smile.
Since when had he started hoping someone else would handle things for him?
Looking at the two men before him, Hiruzen slowly tightened his fists.
These were the men who had killed his teacher.
Even if that teacher had since been revived through Edo Tensei, he was still in enemy hands.
That score—and that grudge—could not go unpaid.
"Maybe I wasn't the strongest Hokage… but at the very least, I was once known as the Professor…"
Hiruzen's eyes grew firm. He stared at the two men ahead, and his fighting spirit began to rise once more.
"Third Hokage-sama."
At that moment, a warm, steady voice suddenly sounded out.
When Hiruzen turned, delight flashed across his face.
"Minato? You're back?"
"Yes."
Minato smiled and nodded, then turned his gaze toward Kinkaku and Ginkaku.
"Third Hokage-sama, let me assist you."
"Another brat who knows Flying Thunder God?"
Seeing the way Minato had appeared, Kinkaku and Ginkaku were instantly reminded of a certain someone.
"Good. Last time, the one who used Flying Thunder God was protecting that little Sarutobi brat. Now another one shows up?"
"Then let's kill them both together!"
The two of them charged at once, and Hiruzen and Minato immediately assumed battle stances.
But Hiruzen's expression turned oddly complicated, and he couldn't help glancing sideways at Minato.
"…Wait. Did they get the generations mixed up?"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
On yet another battlefield, Kakashi, Guy, and Zabuza all looked tired.
Wave after wave of Edo Tensei shinobi kept surging at them, fearless and unrelenting. It was a deeply exhausting battle.
Then there was the issue of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. Though only six were here, since Juzo Biwa was still alive—
Even so, not one of these men was easy to deal with.
"These Edo Tensei are such a pain…"
Kakashi couldn't help muttering.
Guy, on the other hand, was still fired up as ever, while Zabuza's face had gone dark.
He wasn't afraid of them.
The real problem was that they just wouldn't stay dead. That made everything endlessly irritating.
"Looks like the only way is to seal them."
That thought crossed all their minds.
But in the next moment, those Edo Tensei shinobi launched another assault.
That tide of fearless attackers crashing toward them made even Guy's eyelid twitch.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Yet just before they could collide head-on with the main Edo Tensei force, an enormous surge of chakra erupted behind them.
Turning around, they saw a squad of shinobi in dark ANBU-style uniforms.
Their chakra was powerful, their aura overwhelming, and sharp-eyed Kakashi even caught a glimpse of crimson behind some of their masks.
"Reinforcements?"
Guy sounded surprised.
Zabuza, on the other hand, snorted. He would've preferred settling things with the Seven Swordsmen himself.
"Yes. Reinforcements."
Kakashi nodded, and inwardly he let out a small breath of relief.
Because he understood something immediately.
"These are Root shinobi. If they've come down, then that means Teacher, Naruto, and the others… they're back."
"Sasori, don't keep going down this path!"
"Hmph."
On another battlefield, Chiyo and Sasori were already locked in combat, puppet after puppet smashing into one another.
Faced with Chiyo's earnest attempts to persuade him, Sasori only found it irritating.
Things had already come this far. Could he still turn back?
Even if he could, would he?
Obviously not.
He had his own thoughts, his own path, and his own pursuit.
"Perhaps… I should never have taught you puppet mastery…"
Chiyo sighed as she saw the determination in Sasori's eyes.
"You've truly fallen too far. Then I'll deal with you myself!"
"I surpassed you long ago, Granny."
Sasori shook his head. He manipulated his countless puppets without pause as he spoke coldly.
"And besides, don't you know why I left the village?"
"And even if I went back, what for? To stand trial?"
Sasori's words left Chiyo momentarily silent.
The truth was, she bore a great deal of responsibility for Sasori leaving.
It wasn't just that his love of puppetry had reached an extreme and driven him toward forbidden arts. A great part of it also stemmed from his parents.
Back then, in order to protect him, Chiyo had hidden the truth about his parents' deaths. That had caused him to lose trust in the Sand.
On top of that, the suffocating political atmosphere inside Sunagakure had pushed him even further toward leaving.
"But that still does not excuse the sins you've committed!"
"And who decides what justice is? What sin is? Isn't that all defined by people anyway?"
Sasori shook his head indifferently, his gaze unwavering.
"There's no chance I'm going back. Let's settle everything today."
As he said it, his attacks became fiercer and fiercer, pressing Chiyo harder and harder.
The current Sasori had no intention of holding back.
He attacked relentlessly, not allowing Chiyo even a second to breathe.
"It's quite lively over here…"
Yet just as the battle reached its fiercest point and Chiyo was beginning to lose ground, a voice suddenly rang out.
That voice made Sasori's eyes sharpen instantly.
He turned.
In his sight, a masked figure in black ANBU clothing slowly approached.
With each step, his aura grew stronger and stronger, and as Sasori felt that familiar, devouring presence, his expression finally changed.
"It's you… Shisui Uchiha?"
"Yes. Long time no see, Sasori of the Red Sand."
"I absolutely cannot lose to this bastard!"
"I definitely can't lose—or things will be bad later…"
Asuma and Kitsuchi's battle had already begun. The forces of Earth Release and Wind Release kept exploding across the sky.
Both men's gazes were especially fierce, because they shared one particular identity.
The sons of Third Kage.
Though Onoki was a little older than Hiruzen Sarutobi, both were Third Kage. Asuma and Kitsuchi had naturally been compared ever since childhood.
This was their direct clash.
Whoever lost would never be able to bear it.
And up in the sky, Deidara had a headache, because he didn't know whether he should move or not.
That bastard Sasori was already fighting his grandmother, and Kitsuchi had also started fighting Asuma. If he just stood around doing nothing, it would look a little bad, wouldn't it?
"Brother Deidara, what do we do now?"
Kurotsuchi was also troubled. She still hadn't moved yet, and in her head her father's warning kept echoing.
She had never met Ren personally, but she knew how terrifying he was.
Still…
Was she really supposed to run?
"No idea. Let's watch for now. Or we can just go attack some other ninja and call that doing our job."
Deidara answered carelessly, already thinking about where best to display his art.
Bzzzzzt—
But at that moment, he suddenly heard the sharp crackle of lightning, like countless birds shrieking all at once.
"Brother Deidara, look out!"
Kitsuchi's voice rang out at the same instant.
Deidara turned his gaze.
And there he saw a red-eyed figure leaping from a giant bird straight at him through the air.
Lightning danced in that man's hand, and Deidara recognized him at once.
"Sasuke Uchiha?"
At Orochimaru's base in the Land of Rice Fields, the place had already been reduced to complete wreckage.
Nagato lay in a pool of blood, his empty eye sockets proving that his eyes had been taken.
But Obito Uchiha paid none of that any mind. Looking at the dark-faced Madara Uchiha, he suddenly laughed.
"Didn't see this coming, did you?"
"Hmph."
Madara only snorted, his cold gaze full of killing intent.
At that moment, he truly wanted to kill Obito.
This clown was baring his teeth in front of him like this, and Madara hated it with all his heart.
Especially since, in order to keep up appearances, he had even had to join Hashirama in attacking Nagato.
To stand there and watch them gouge out Nagato's eyes, then flaunt them right in front of him—
Madara felt like his temper and self-restraint had improved tremendously. In the past, he would've exploded long ago.
"Fine. Send them to the battlefield now. Keeping them here serves no purpose."
Obito felt utterly refreshed.
Madara had always treated him like a pawn. But now the tables had turned, and how could he not be thrilled?
And on top of that, the Rinnegan was already in his hands. He was convinced he would succeed.
Still…
Watching Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju fight Nagato just now had also stirred something inside him.
He was best at Kamui. He couldn't fight the way those two did.
But once he had the Rinnegan, once he became the Ten-Tails' jinchuriki, then he would become master of the world.
"Send them to the battlefield now?"
Orochimaru tilted his head and asked with a strange amusement.
"You don't want to send them to Konoha and use them to draw out Ren?"
"No."
"I'll deal with that man myself!"
Obito's gaze darkened further. He hated Ren to the bone.
If not for Ren, his identity would never have been exposed.
If not for Ren, he would never have become the target of everyone's hatred.
If not for Ren, his plan should have advanced far more smoothly.
And if not for Ren, Madara Uchiha would never have suddenly lost his mind like this.
Though, looking at things now, it was also true that Ren had forced everything to accelerate dramatically.
Even so, that hatred was something he would never forget.
"As you like."
Orochimaru glanced subtly at Madara. Seeing the man give the tiniest of nods, he acted without hesitation.
With a rapid string of hand seals, Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju instantly lost consciousness. The next moment, they were sealed inside coffins that rose from the ground.
Only after they were taken away did Orochimaru ask,
"You don't mind if I take Nagato's body, do you? I'd like to study the effects of Edo Tensei a little more."
"Do what you want. But the pressure on the battlefield needs to increase."
Obito didn't care in the slightest what happened to Nagato anymore.
Nagato was already a useless cripple in his eyes.
Everything that mattered now was in the Rinnegan he held in his hands.
Then he turned toward the ground and asked in a low voice, and Black Zetsu slowly rose up.
"Still not coming out?"
"I had no choice. Even if our wills differ, the source of our power is still the same. If I had appeared there, he would've killed me immediately."
"And if that happened, who would guide you then?"
"Hmph."
Obito couldn't really find any flaw in that explanation, and in the end all he could do was nod.
"Then what now?"
"Now, of course, you transplant the Rinnegan."
Black Zetsu answered with complete seriousness, and he was clearly excited as well.
"After transplanting the Rinnegan, you'll take control of the current Demonic Statue and seal it into yourself, becoming its jinchuriki."
"Once that's done, all you'll need is time to adapt to the Ten-Tails' power. Then you'll be able to unleash limitless might."
"No one will be your opponent. Not even Ren will be able to reach your level."
"And once that happens, you can continue the Eye of the Moon Plan and finally obtain everything you've dreamed of…"
Black Zetsu's words stirred Obito deeply.
This was everything he wanted.
Everything he had been chasing.
The eyes were already in his hands.
The Demonic Statue was restrained nearby.
There was indeed no reason left to delay.
"Let's begin."
Obito said it in a low voice.
His eyes remained fixed on the pair of Rinnegan in his hands. After a long moment, he finally spoke again.
"I'm transplanting both."
"I'm not keeping the Sharingan."
"Hm?"
Black Zetsu froze for a moment, then asked in surprise,
"If you do that, you'll lose Kamui."
"I severed myself from the old me a long time ago. There's no reason to keep Kamui now."
Obito's eyes grew colder and colder. It seemed he had made a difficult decision.
"And besides, there was nothing in my past."
"I don't care what my past looked like anymore."
"What I want is the future."
"I want the future and the world that contains everything I ever wished for."
"To completely sever the past—that is both my will and my conviction."
"I will create a world that belongs to me."
"..."
Looking at Obito in that moment, Black Zetsu suddenly felt a trace of pity.
This stupid child…
He was far too easy to fool.
Still, that also made him incredibly useful.
Even if Black Zetsu himself was no longer certain how the future would unfold, with Obito here he could at least breathe a little easier.
"As you wish, Obito."
"Hey. Things on the battlefield are looking rough."
Back in Konoha, inside the Hokage's office, Tsunade had never gone to the front herself, but she had been monitoring the flow of battle the entire time.
Orochimaru's Edo Tensei were simply too troublesome.
Even though Konoha's side still had strong fighters, the undead, unkillable nature of Edo Tensei had disgusted them all.
Sealing jutsu wasn't something everyone knew. A proper sealing squad was a treasured resource in every village.
There were too many targets to seal. That alone created enormous strain.
"And on top of that, those white creatures are disguising themselves as wounded shinobi and infiltrating our ranks. It's caused serious damage to our medical corps."
The trouble facing the sealing squads was already bad enough, but the White Zetsu were making things even worse.
Their near-perfect disguise ability was something even the Byakugan and sensory ninja couldn't reliably expose.
As a result, panic had spread through the medical support lines.
If things kept going like this, it would be bad for everyone on their side.
"The White Zetsu aren't something to worry too much about."
Ren smiled slightly, clearly prepared for this.
"Kabuto already reported back. The Fourth Hokage and the others have returned from the moon."
"And from the looks of it, Naruto has already mastered the Nine-Tails' power. That means his sensory ability will have improved dramatically."
"Even his shadow clones should be able to detect abnormalities through the Nine-Tails' chakra now."
"He's already entered the battlefield. Things will get better."
"So you were prepared for this too?"
Tsunade raised a brow, stroked her chin thoughtfully, then asked,
"By the way, when are we moving?"
"I heard that Terumi Mei from the Mist has already reached the front, and that Pakura has gone out too."
"Are we just going to sit here and do nothing the whole time, or do you have something else in mind?"
"We're definitely moving."
"But even if they've reached the front, they probably won't attack immediately."
Ren tapped the table lightly and thought for a moment before replying.
"This war is basically going to determine the future structure of the entire shinobi world."
"Nobody dares to move rashly."
"Have you noticed? Aside from the Edo Tensei, Onoki and the Fourth Raikage still haven't shown themselves."
"They're waiting too."
"Infantry against infantry. Generals against generals. That's the usual pattern."
"Tch."
Tsunade knew he had a point, but waiting like this still wasn't a good thing for them.
She was about to say more when she suddenly noticed Ren standing up and stretching lazily.
Then he smiled lightly and said,
"Still, I don't think I'm all that constrained by those rules."
"And Obito Uchiha's side probably still needs more time."
"And our current front is stretched too wide. That's not a good thing for us."
"It's time to shorten the line a bit."
"Better to pull it into one or maybe two main regions. That would make it easier for us to move, wouldn't it?"
"So you're planning to make a move?"
How could Tsunade fail to understand what he meant? He was being so obvious that guessing it was hardly difficult.
Still, she had her concerns. After thinking for a while, she finally said,
"You keep saying Obito still needs time, but Hashirama and Madara still haven't appeared. Neither have the other truly dangerous Edo Tensei."
"Aren't you worried that the moment you move, they'll immediately drop their forces straight into the Land of Fire?"
"Even if you have Flying Thunder God, going back and forth like that would be too much of a burden. It would divide your strength too much."
"And besides, even if Orochimaru is temporarily cooperating now—"
Tsunade's concerns weren't unreasonable.
But Ren had his own answers.
"Don't worry. Orochimaru is a man who understands reality."
"He knows what it means to bend when the wind shifts."
"Even if he sways left and right for a little while, it won't matter."
"As long as he's shown enough force, he'll behave."
"Actually, shouldn't you know him better than anyone?"
Tsunade rolled her eyes.
She did know Orochimaru. And she knew very well what kind of person he was.
She naturally understood what choice he would make in a situation like this.
"Then how far are you planning to go?"
Shaking her head, Tsunade dropped the Orochimaru issue. What she really wanted to know was Ren's concrete intention.
"Teach them a lesson. Make them see the gap clearly. At the same time, give them a way to step down."
Ren smiled as he spoke. He hadn't forgotten that the "Second Pot-Bearer," Obito Uchiha, still needed to carry the blame obediently.
"At the same time, I also intend to warm up a little."
"After all, this time things are rather different."
As he spoke, Ren slowly lifted his head.
His gaze seemed to pierce the heavens themselves and travel all the way into the starry void.
And out there, it seemed that several figures were drawing closer and closer.
"Oh. Looks like we've found it."
Out in the cosmos, Momoshiki Otsutsuki, Kinshiki Otsutsuki, and Urashiki Otsutsuki floated silently in space.
Their eyes were fixed on two celestial bodies in the distance—one large, one small.
They had clearly reached the vicinity of the shinobi world.
And all of them could sense that the larger world was brimming with planetary energy.
Though it had clearly suffered some loss, it was also recovering constantly.
As for the smaller one, however…
Something about it was strange.
"That seems to be the sealing power of the Rinnegan."
Momoshiki tilted his head, a strange look appearing on his face.
"The one sealed there is powerful. It seems like someone who consumed a divine tree fruit."
"But I can't quite see through it."
"And there's another thing I can't figure out…"
"You mean whether it was this person who consumed the fruit and was then sealed?"
Urashiki smiled faintly, his gaze also fixed on the two celestial bodies.
"Or whether a planet that had already produced a fruit could still have thriving life on it and such abundant energy that it's continuing to recover?"
"Both."
Momoshiki raised a brow, and a complicated emotion surfaced in his eyes.
"That planet in particular… is truly extraordinary."
"It is…"
Urashiki glanced sideways at Momoshiki, and in that moment he saw in the man's eyes the same thing present in his own.
Greed.
And desire.
A fruit had already formed there.
And yet the planet had not died.
It had even recovered.
That alone proved one thing.
The planet's energy far exceeded what anyone would normally imagine.
Such overwhelming vitality would grant an enormous leap in power to whoever consumed it.
Even in the vastness of the universe, a world like that was rare.
Naturally, their hearts were full of hunger for it.
Naturally, they wanted to claim that power for themselves.
"Your expression seems a bit off."
But at that moment, Momoshiki suddenly turned toward Urashiki, the smile on his face turning colder.
"You've set your sights on that planet too?"
"And haven't you done the same, senior?"
Urashiki answered with a smile that wasn't quite a smile.
The two stared at one another.
Slowly, silence fell.
For a brief moment, the atmosphere between them became heavy.
"My lord, perhaps we should first confirm the identity of the one who's sealed."
At that point, Kinshiki suddenly spoke up.
"Once we know who that person is, we'll know more."
"And then we can decide our next move more clearly."
"Yes. That makes sense."
Momoshiki remained silent as he stared at Urashiki for a while, then smiled.
"Shall we go have a look together? We can deal with the rest afterward."
"Of course, senior."
Urashiki smiled as well, the tension in his heart easing a little.
That was true.
Before anything else, they needed to understand what exactly was going on.
After all, anyone capable of sealing an Otsutsuki who had consumed a fruit was clearly no simple existence.
"See for yourselves. Konoha, the Mist, and the Sand all have high morale. Ren and Tsunade still haven't moved, but we still can't break through."
Inside a towering structure hidden within the Land of Iron, Onoki handed a report to the men who had once watched over him—his grandfather and his teacher—as well as to the Fourth Raikage and the others.
The Land of Iron was a nation buried under snow and wind all year round, but in earlier times it had been one of the most unique places in the entire shinobi world.
Before ninja came to dominate the world, samurai had once been the mainstream power.
And though the spread of chakra had gradually pushed samurai out of the center of history, that didn't mean they had vanished.
Some had embraced chakra themselves and slowly adapted their combat styles and techniques.
Most of them remained in the Land of Iron and continued to rule it.
In past shinobi wars, they had always maintained absolute neutrality and kept developing quietly.
And because the Land of Iron didn't border two great nations directly, it had avoided becoming a buffer zone or a battlefield.
But this time, even they had not escaped fate.
Because this was a war that would decide the future ownership of the shinobi world itself.
Onoki and the Fourth Raikage, together with the Kage of previous generations, had claimed the place without hesitation.
And it had now become their headquarters.
"So what are you saying? That we strike personally?"
The Fourth Raikage frowned, and the Raikage of previous generations behind him also raised their brows.
Not many Edo Tensei Kage had been sent out yet. Most of the ones currently in the field were people they disliked anyway—such as the Second Mizukage and the former Fourth Kazekage.
But even with large numbers of revived ordinary ninja, plus White Zetsu and the armies of the two great villages, they still hadn't been able to push the line forward.
That was something none of them had expected.
Especially considering that the truly terrifying people still hadn't moved.
Like Ren.
"Yes. That's exactly what I'm saying."
Onoki shook his head, clearly frustrated.
"The Akatsuki hasn't committed much yet either. I don't know what they're preparing, but they were the ones who started this war!"
"And yet here we are pushing first and getting nowhere."
"If this keeps up, morale on our side will suffer."
"So we have to hit harder."
"That's the only way to force the Akatsuki to accelerate their side of things, and force Konoha to make a move too."
Onoki truly did not want to remain stuck in a stalemate.
That helped no one.
Taking the initiative might be the only good option left.
"No problem. I've wanted to move for a while now."
The Raikage line snorted coldly. Sitting around in headquarters had never been their style.
"I also think I should move."
"And I can observe the battlefield while I do."
The Second Tsuchikage spoke as well.
Onoki was his student, and everything Onoki knew, he knew too.
As someone capable of flight, he was the most suitable choice for field observation.
And besides, these older Kage had all died in battle.
They were not men built to sit inside offices.
But just as they were about to wrap up their discussion, a sensory ninja inside the headquarters suddenly cried out in shock.
"Damn it… that chakra… what is that chakra?!"
"Hm?"
His voice immediately drew the attention of all the Kage.
Turning, they saw that several sensory ninja had all reacted at once.
Their faces had turned pale, cold sweat pouring from their foreheads.
Clearly, they had sensed something terrifying.
"What is it? Speak clearly!"
Onoki shouted at once.
One of the sensory ninja, visibly trembling, removed the amplification device from his head.
He looked at the Kage before swallowing hard, then finally said,
"We've detected a terrifying chakra on the Third Division battlefield…"
"And the owner of that chakra…"
"It is extremely likely…"
"…Ren!"
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