The night blazed as brightly as day.
Beneath Natsuhiko's apocalyptic blade, the Three-Tails offered no resistance whatsoever.
Sound itself became strange in that instant—at once deafening, yet eerily silent, as though the world had lost its sense of reality.
The massive Three-Tails opened its jaws wide, its silent scream twisting through the air as its enormous body writhed violently. The sight was so pitiful, so wretched, that it was almost impossible to believe this creature stood among the most powerful beings in the world—a tailed beast at the very pinnacle of existence.
Natsuhiko's expression remained calm.
He had already anticipated the power of this strike.
He had tested this technique before, and he understood well what it was capable of—even though, at that time, he hadn't combined it with the Nine-Tails' power. Still, as a jinchūriki himself, he had a solid grasp of his own limits. He could roughly predict how devastating his self-created Kekkei Tota—Konohanasakuya-hime—would become when augmented by the Nine-Tails.
Now, seeing it unfold before his eyes, he realized something.
It had met his expectations—
No, it had far surpassed them.
Within the interwoven blade of gold and white, the Three-Tails' body twisted relentlessly. As it warped and contorted, visible cracks began to spread across its form, fissures deepening and multiplying until they reached their breaking point.
And then—
The Three-Tails shattered completely.
The radiant blade, streaked with gold and white, did not stop after cleaving the beast clean in two. It continued forward, stretching outward as if it had no end, as though nothing in this world could halt its advance.
Then—
BOOM!
It was as if sound, which had vanished, suddenly returned all at once. A thunderous roar erupted across the battlefield.
In the distance, a towering mountain peak split cleanly in half before everyone's eyes.
The earth itself parted like tofu, opening into a long, bottomless chasm that stretched endlessly across the land.
The surviving shinobi of the Mist stood frozen, staring blankly at the devastation.
They were utterly terrified.
No matter how brave they had been, no matter how willing they were to stand and fight for their homeland, what they faced now was something else entirely. Faced with a force that resembled a god—or more accurately, a terrifying asura—fear took hold of their hearts, and despair followed close behind.
This was not an enemy they could resist.
This was not an existence they could even begin to confront.
Silently, Natsuhiko watched as Yagura Karatachi fell from the sky and crashed onto the ground. His gaze then shifted, sweeping over the Mist shinobi.
To his surprise, every single one of them looked utterly shaken. Panic and disarray were written plainly across their faces. Some even instinctively stepped backward, unable to hold their ground.
The battle between him and Yagura had completely shattered their courage.
"How insignificant," Natsuhiko murmured softly, his tone edged with faint mockery.
His voice wasn't loud, yet carried by chakra, it reached every ear present with perfect clarity.
At once, the Mist shinobi stiffened. Shame and anger flickered through them, emotions stirring beneath their fear—but none of them dared to act. Not one of them even had the courage to meet his eyes.
Seeing this, Natsuhiko gave a slight shake of his head and turned his attention away from them entirely.
They no longer mattered.
He walked forward at an unhurried pace, approaching Yagura's fallen body. Extending his sensory abilities, he quickly assessed the man's condition.
It was dire.
After taking that strike, Yagura was barely clinging to life. The fact that he had survived at all was only because most of the damage had been borne by the Three-Tails—and because, as its jinchūriki, he had benefited from its resilience.
Even so…
He was only half a step away from death.
At this point, it was entirely possible that Natsuhiko had already sent him to the Pure Land.
"Still… that strike has at least severed his connection to Obito for now, and the chakra within him is in complete disarray."
After quietly probing with his senses, Natsuhiko gained a clear understanding of Yagura Karatachi's condition.
The Three-Tails' chakra was in utter chaos—disordered to a degree that even he found astonishing. It was hard to imagine how anyone could survive with such turmoil raging inside their body.
And yet… a jinchūriki was still a jinchūriki.
Natsuhiko let out a silent sigh of admiration before shifting his focus. His perception locked onto one of his shadow clones, which he had sent to gather the scattered chakra of the Three-Tails.
After his earlier experiences with White Zetsu's body and the cells of Hashirama Senju, he had grown extremely cautious when it came to cultivating chakra.
He still wasn't sure whether the issue lay in quantity or quality, so his approach now was simple—cover every possible angle.
His purpose in confronting the Three-Tails had always been its chakra.
As for the shadow clone, its role was to collect the fragments of chakra that had dispersed during the battle.
Both sources would be "planted," and through comparison, he would determine what truly worked.
Only by doing this could he avoid the embarrassment of gathering rare materials in the future, only to discover—like a fool—that nothing came of it.
He had already been burned once by Hashirama's cells and White Zetsu's body. That mistake would not be repeated.
"Honestly… you've disappointed me."
Though the thought lingered in his mind, Natsuhiko spoke aloud once more, his tone calm but cutting.
"A jinchūriki like you, yet you can't even properly wield the power of your tailed beast… how utterly dull."
As he spoke, he came to a stop and extended his hand, pressing it directly against Yagura's abdomen.
With the Nine-Tails' assistance, the chakra of the Three-Tails began to flow steadily into his body, drawn out like an endless current.
At that moment, the surviving Mist shinobi cautiously began to approach.
This time, however, none of them dared to attack. Though they stood ready, weapons in hand, the fear on their faces was impossible to conceal.
"Relax. I have no intention of killing him."
Natsuhiko shook his head slightly, his voice even and composed.
"If I truly wanted him dead, he would have been gone long ago. Whether you were here or not wouldn't change a thing… because you simply can't stop me."
His words were delivered without arrogance, yet carried an undeniable truth.
Perhaps it was the overwhelming power he had displayed, but the Mist shinobi accepted his statement almost instantly.
At this level of strength, there was no need for deception.
To someone like him, they likely weren't even worth the effort of being lied to.
Unaware that his presence had already crushed their will and reshaped their perception of him, Natsuhiko paid them no further mind. He had no time to indulge them.
Once he had extracted a sufficient amount of chakra, he retrieved a sealing scroll and carefully stored the Three-Tails' chakra within it.
After securing the scroll, he straightened up—but even this simple motion caused the surrounding Mist shinobi to instinctively tense, slipping into defensive stances.
Seeing this, Natsuhiko could only shake his head helplessly.
Without another word, his hands moved rapidly through a series of seals.
In the next instant, a massive, gaping maw suddenly opened beneath his feet.
Before anyone could comprehend what they were seeing, Natsuhiko leapt into it—and vanished without a trace.
The scene felt almost surreal, like a fleeting illusion.
The man who had seemed like an asura incarnate… was simply gone.
And yet, the abyss-like chasm carved into the earth, the lingering aura of destruction in the air, and the Fourth Mizukage lying motionless on the ground—
All of it told the same undeniable truth.
What they had just faced was something akin to a god… or perhaps a demon of slaughter itself.
...
"…What a terrifying man."
Obito stood there in a daze, his mind still replaying that world-shattering strike.
Among the tailed beasts, the Three-Tails was known for having some of the strongest defenses. Especially after entering its "armored" state, its hardened shell could block attacks from nearly every direction.
And yet—even so—that damned man had cleaved through it with a single slash, scattering its chakra as if it were nothing.
Of course, Obito knew that his own control had limited the Three-Tails' chakra output. Even then… this was not something an ordinary person could possibly contend with.
"He really is terrifying," Black Zetsu murmured, letting out a faint sigh. On that point, there was no denying it.
Through a White Zetsu clone, he had witnessed the entire battle from beginning to end. And now, his thoughts were in complete turmoil—because there was one image he simply could not forget.
The moment that man swung his blade…
Behind him appeared a woman.
Cold. Proud to the extreme. Her presence carried an indescribable authority—one that felt eerily identical to his mother's.
Who… was she?
Black Zetsu was certain of one thing: she was not his mother. And yet, the resemblance was so striking that it unsettled him to his core.
Just who were these mysterious individuals?
Could it really be as he had once suspected?
His thoughts spiraled uncontrollably. Though he had long harbored certain guesses, they had remained nothing more than speculation—until now.
After seeing that woman, manifested through chakra, he was almost certain of it.
These mysterious figures likely had an Ōtsutsuki behind them.
The power they wielded must have originated from her… and even the tailed beasts within them might be tied to that woman's Ten-Tails.
Is she my mother's master? Is she looking for her? Friend or foe?
Questions flooded his mind one after another, yet he didn't dare reveal even the slightest hint of suspicion. The truth was, he knew almost nothing about his mother's actual circumstances.
From the moment he had been created, he had been given only one purpose—to free his mother from the seal imposed by her two unfilial sons.
Beyond that, he knew nothing at all.
And because of that, he dared not take risks.
If he made the wrong move… it could endanger her.
"By the way, how's that guy doing now?"
Obito Uchiha let out a helpless sigh as he turned to look at Black Zetsu, only to frown when he noticed his distracted expression.
"What's with you? You look completely out of it."
"It's nothing. Just thinking about something… Two Nine-Tails existing at the same time is too strange, don't you think?"
Snapping back to himself, Black Zetsu casually brushed it off with an excuse.
Obito simply nodded in acknowledgment.
Indeed… two Nine-Tails was something deeply unsettling.
At one point, he had even wondered if that man might be his former teacher—but now, he dismissed the idea entirely. He knew his teacher's fighting style too well, and more importantly… his teacher was nothing like that man—so arrogant, so cold.
Black Zetsu cast him a glance, then began using his connection to probe for Natsuhiko's location. He was curious—where exactly had that man gone?
But in the next instant, his expression changed drastically.
"Watch out—"
Shnk!
Before he could finish his warning, a sharp blade cut clean through him, splitting him in two.
His black and white halves fell to either side, an eerie and grotesque sight.
Obito immediately turned intangible. Only then did he notice a figure silently appear beside them.
It was him.
The mysterious man.
Natsuhiko stepped forward, placing his foot firmly on the white half of the body as his gaze swept calmly over Obito and Black Zetsu.
"You really thought I wouldn't notice?" he said, slightly raising his chin, his voice indifferent and cold. "You two rats, hiding in the shadows and manipulating the Three-Tails' jinchūriki."
In truth, even Natsuhiko found it a little surprising. From what he remembered, Black Zetsu's sensory abilities were supposed to be exceptional.
So how had he been caught off guard so easily this time?
Still, there was no point dwelling on it now. What had happened had already happened.
"I think you're the real rat here." Obito Uchiha glared fiercely at Natsuhiko, the pattern of his Mangekyō Sharingan spinning rapidly within his eyes.
"So mysterious, and yet you're using Konoha's power… what a clever trick."
"Who told you that the Nine-Tails' power belongs to Konoha?" Natsuhiko raised an eyebrow, then let out a soft laugh.
"Ignorance has always been a person's greatest flaw. The second is arrogance—thinking you understand everything. Unfortunately, you possess both. Truly, a man both ignorant and fearless."
As he spoke, Natsuhiko paused slightly, his gaze drifting down to the half of the White Zetsu body beneath his foot. At the same time, he kept a careful watch on Obito's partially altered form.
He could practically feel a trace of greed stirring within himself.
And honestly, that was only natural. Faced with such a valuable resource, it would be strange if he felt nothing at all.
With that thought, Natsuhiko casually took out a kunai and drove it straight through the White Zetsu half, pinning it firmly to the ground.
A chill flickered in his eyes as the chakra within him surged violently.
Both Obito and Black Zetsu's expressions shifted instantly. They were well aware of just how terrifying this man's strength truly was.
Even though Obito could slip into intangibility at will, Natsuhiko's speed and power were beyond reason. If Obito failed to react in time—even for a split second—the consequences would be fatal.
Without hesitation, Black Zetsu began sinking into the ground, abandoning the White Zetsu body entirely.
He had to be cautious. If he were caught by this man, death would be inevitable.
Obito, meanwhile, said nothing. He tried to maintain his composure, to face everything calmly—but the memory of controlling the Fourth Mizukage only to have him beaten into that miserable state still left a faint unease in his heart.
Shing!
Without a word, a cold flash of steel sliced across Obito's neck in an instant.
Quick as a ghost, Natsuhiko had passed by Obito.
As an ANBU operative, no matter how strong Natsuhiko became, many habits remained.
His timing was suffocating. If the enemy hesitated even for a moment, he would strike without mercy.
But luck was not on his side. His blade had passed through Obito's neck—no feeling of hitting something solid.
"Oh? Physical attacks don't work?"
Natsuhiko stepped back in a blur, feigning mild curiosity.
"Genjutsu? No… if it were, I'd have sensed it. Seems you've got some interesting little secrets of your own."
"Hmph!"
Obito snorted coldly, his gaze burning with restrained anger.
"A rat like you could never understand the true power of the Uchiha. I'll send you somewhere you truly belong."
His anger was not without reason.
It wasn't simply because Natsuhiko had beaten him through Yagura Karatachi.
It was because Natsuhiko had turned their own plan against them, forcing Yagura into an utterly humiliating position. Just when Obito had finally managed to regain control of the situation, Natsuhiko had reduced Yagura to a half-dead state.
If Yagura survived but was too injured to recover, he would lose his position as the Fourth Mizukage—and Obito would no longer be able to use that identity to continue sabotaging Kirigakure from within.
And if Yagura died…
That outcome would be no better.
Even though Black Zetsu had warned him beforehand, it was now clear that Natsuhiko hadn't come for the Three-Tails at all. In that case, Yagura's death would mean a complete loss for Obito—his means of revenge against the Mist Village would be gone entirely.
Under such circumstances, how could he not hate Natsuhiko?
Still, this was not yet the Obito who would one day become cold and composed. He had only inherited Madara Uchiha's legacy for a couple of years—far from enough to fully temper his emotions.
"Go to the Pure Land!"
This time, Obito made the first move.
The moment those words left his mouth, he was already at Natsuhiko's side. A kunai appeared silently in his hand, and he thrust it straight toward Natsuhiko's throat.
"Not bad… pretty fast," Natsuhiko remarked lightly.
Natsuhiko raised an eyebrow slightly, then swung his blade without the slightest hesitation.
As expected, the strike passed straight through Obito Uchiha's body.
But just as Natsuhiko withdrew his sword and prepared to pull back, Obito seized the opening. With his left hand, he swiftly slapped an explosive tag onto Natsuhiko's wrist.
"Oh?" Natsuhiko let out a soft chuckle, his tone almost amused. "So this time you're tangible… finally willing to crawl out of your hole, little rat?"
"Instead of worrying about whether I'm tangible, you'd better worry about—"
Obito gritted his teeth as he spoke, but before he could finish, his expression abruptly changed.
Something was wrong.
The chakra in front of him didn't feel right at all.
In that instant, realization struck—
This was a shadow clone.
"When—?" Obito hadn't noticed it at all, but his body instinctively phased, slipping into the Kamui dimension once more.
POOF.
What he hadn't expected was that the shadow clone's chakra suddenly surged violently, and in the next moment, it detonated itself.
Combined with the explosive tag Obito had just placed, the resulting blast was far more powerful than either alone.
Even so, such an explosion meant nothing to Obito in his intangible state.
But the feeling of being so thoroughly toyed with—
That was unbearable.
"So that's how it works…" Natsuhiko's voice rang out again.
Obito looked up sharply, only to see him standing atop a tree, gazing down with a calm, almost arrogant composure.
That expression alone was enough to make Obito grind his teeth in fury.
"Your mask exposes one eye but not the other," Natsuhiko said leisurely. "So I wondered… do you only have one Sharingan?"
He paused briefly, then continued with a faint smile.
"As it turns out, a simple test confirmed it. Your reactions matched exactly what I expected. And the pattern in your eye… that should be a Mangekyō Sharingan, right?"
"Your ability is quite interesting. Most likely, it's tied to that eye. As for what it does—I've already figured it out."
Natsuhiko tilted his head slightly, his tone almost casual.
"You can make your body intangible… or perhaps transfer it into a separate space altogether. A very impressive ability—perfect for avoiding fatal attacks."
Then he paused deliberately, his gaze sharpening with interest.
"But if you want to attack… your body has to become solid, doesn't it?"
Silence fell.
Obito's outward expression remained steady, but inside, shock surged like a tidal wave.
How long had they even been fighting?
At most—less than a minute.
And yet, in that brief span of time, this man had already seen through him completely?
Only now did Obito understand why Natsuhiko had suddenly switched to using a shadow clone.
He had been testing him—exploiting the blind spot in his vision, using that single uncovered eye against him.
A chill crept down Obito's spine.
What kind of monster was this?
He had already gained immense power, yet why was it that he still kept losing—to so many people?
First, his former teacher.
Then, his old classmate.
And now… this man, who had appeared out of nowhere, wielding the Nine-Tails' overwhelming force alongside an almost absurd level of analytical ability.
Taking a deep breath, Obito forced himself to calm down.
He had no choice now—he had to face this properly.
"Ready?" Natsuhiko suddenly asked, his voice calm and unhurried. "I'm coming."
The moment his words fell, a flash of pale golden chakra appeared right before Obito, and a blade came slashing toward him once more—
—
"What the hell is happening out there…?"
At the other end of Kirigakure, inside a shattered wooden house, Mei Terumi struggled to climb out from the rubble.
Having been imprisoned in that cursed place for so long, she had no idea what was happening outside.
But one thing was certain—
Something terrible had occurred tonight.
The relentless tremors, the overwhelming chakra laced with destruction… and especially that final, deafening explosion that had reduced the house itself to ruins—none of it boded well.
Still… in a twisted way, she had to be grateful.
If not for that violent upheaval, she had no idea how long she would have remained trapped here.
Closing her eyes briefly, she sensed the chakra within her body.
The seal was still there—
But it was weakening.
From that alone, Mei Terumi could tell that the man who had imprisoned her likely never intended to kill her in the first place.
But gratitude was the last thing on her mind.
She knew very well—if he had spared her, it was only because he had some purpose in mind.
And that man had slaughtered so many shinobi of Kirigakure… he had even killed Ao, her closest friend.
If the opportunity ever came—
She would kill him without hesitation.
Taking a deep breath, Mei Terumi swayed slightly as she pushed herself to her feet. As the seal continued to weaken, her chakra slowly began to return. Though she could only draw upon a small portion of it for now, it was enough to get moving.
With a forceful leap, she sprang onto a nearby tree, intending to get her bearings.
But the moment she reached the tallest tree and looked out into the distance—
She froze.
The thick mist that usually shrouded Kirigakure had thinned considerably, and the Mizukage's building, which once stood proudly at the center of the village…
Was gone.
In its place remained only a blazing mass of fire. And beyond that, more flames flickered across the horizon. Even from afar, she could feel the sheer extent of the destruction that had swept through the village.
"What… happened here…?"
The words slipped from her lips in a daze, but she quickly snapped herself out of it, gritting her teeth as she dashed forward.
The village was vast, and her chakra reserves were still limited—but none of that mattered now.
She ran at full speed.
Even as her body began to protest, even as discomfort spread through her limbs, she refused to slow down.
After who knew how long, she finally reached the village center.
To her slight relief, the damage here was not as severe—but the atmosphere was heavy. The people moving through the streets all wore expressions of deep despair.
Behind them were large groups of injured shinobi, their bodies covered in wounds.
Some lay motionless on stretchers.
Others… lay silently on the ground, draped in white cloth.
At that sight, the unease in Mei Terumi's heart only deepened.
It wasn't until she spotted the elderly Genji, walking with unsteady steps, that she felt even the slightest sense of reassurance.
"Elder!" she called out, suppressing the turmoil within her as she hurried over.
"Mm? Mei? You're alright?"
Genji looked at her in surprise before managing a faint smile.
"That's good… that's good…"
"Elder, what exactly happened here?" Mei asked, her voice tense as she took in his exhausted state. By now, she could already tell—
Whatever had occurred tonight was no small matter.
"…Sigh."
Genji let out a long, weary breath. He glanced at the surrounding shinobi, all of them equally downcast, before giving a helpless, bitter smile.
"This time… Kirigakure is in serious trouble."
—
"Fire Release: Blast Wave Wild Dance!"
Far from the village center, Obito Uchiha had already pulled back to a safe distance. His hands flew through a series of seals, and in the next instant, flames erupted, twisting together with the spatial distortion of Kamui to form a bizarre, spiraling inferno.
Facing such an attack, Natsuhiko showed no concern at all.
Golden chakra flared around him as he leapt forward.
Just as the rotating storm of fire was about to engulf him, a black sphere suddenly formed in his hand—
A Tailed Beast Bomb.
The pitch-black sphere shot forward, colliding directly with the fiery vortex. In an instant, the flames were annihilated, completely erased by the overwhelming purity of Natsuhiko's chakra.
And as the flames vanished, the Tailed Beast Bomb surged straight toward Obito.
Yet Obito neither dodged nor flinched.
Natsuhiko's attack passed straight through him once more.
"Wood Release: Cutting Technique!"
The moment Natsuhiko phased through him, Obito spun around. Countless wooden branches sprouted from his arm, stabbing viciously toward Natsuhiko's back.
"Oh? Taking the initiative now?"
Natsuhiko even had the leisure to speak as he reacted. Turning sharply, he brought his blade down toward Obito's arm without hesitation.
But once again, Obito activated Kamui, and the strike passed through empty space.
Natsuhiko didn't seem bothered in the slightest. He leapt lightly to the side, and with his left hand hidden behind his back, he quietly formed a seal before coming to a stop, calmly watching Obito.
"Your limit is five minutes, isn't it?"
The sudden remark made Obito's heart skip a beat, cold sweat instantly forming on his back.
"The first time, you attacked after a little over four minutes. I thought it might have been coincidence."
Natsuhiko's voice remained steady, almost casual.
"But the second time? Still just over four minutes. That tells me your intangibility has a limit of five minutes."
"Baseless nonsense," Obito snapped, though his voice carried a hint of tension he couldn't fully conceal.
Obito Uchiha forced himself to remain composed as he shot back a reply, though the chakra within him continued to surge violently, as if ready to erupt at any moment.
"And who do you think you are? Do you really believe you can see through everything—understand everything?"
"Looks like I guessed right again."
Natsuhiko smiled faintly, utterly unconcerned. He had no doubt in his own judgment—this was not something he would mistake.
"Well then," he continued calmly, "I think this little game has gone on long enough. My objective here has already been achieved. Even if the result was somewhat disappointing, it's about time I head back."
"You think this is a place you can come and go from as you please?"
Obito's gaze turned icy. He didn't fully understand what Natsuhiko meant—could it be that this man had come all this way just to beat the Three-Tails' jinchūriki half to death and leave?
But one thing was certain—he had been suppressed by Natsuhiko's overwhelming presence for far too long.
He would not allow this to continue.
He was the one who had inherited the name of Madara Uchiha—the man destined to change and save this world!
"…Is that so?"
Natsuhiko stood there with his arms crossed, his tone carrying a faint trace of amusement, yet remaining as arrogant and detached as ever.
"In that case—"
Before he even finished speaking, he burst forward.
His blade had already been sheathed, and in his right hand, a pitch-black Tailed Beast Bomb condensed into existence.
The moment Obito saw it, something in his memory stirred—
And that memory struck him like a blade, igniting his fury.
With a roar, he rushed forward as well.
Though there was some distance between them, for shinobi of their caliber, it vanished in an instant.
Natsuhiko fixed his gaze on Obito, pushing the Tailed Beast Bomb straight toward his head without hesitation.
But Obito was prepared.
His body remained in the state of Kamui's intangibility.
I've already failed once in a situation like this… I won't fail a second time!
The thought roared through his mind as he thrust his kunai toward Natsuhiko's abdomen.
And then—
At that very moment, another figure suddenly appeared beside him.
A flash of steel cut through the air.
Obito's eyes widened in shock as he realized—
His right arm had been severed.
Meanwhile, Natsuhiko had already landed lightly atop a nearby tree branch. What remained beside Obito was nothing more than a shadow clone.
Calmly observing Obito's still-intangible form, Natsuhiko dispelled the clone without a word. Then, with an indifferent gaze, he looked down at him and spoke:
"So now—"
"Do you agree… or do you oppose?"
...
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