Swish! Swish! Swish!
The ethereal green lights spread across the landscape like falling stars, each one carrying the miraculous power to restore what death had claimed. The beams moved with purpose and intelligence, seeking out their destined targets with unerring precision.
The closest light descended near Minato's group, illuminating a scene that perfectly captured the war's devastating toll. Itachi, Shisui, and several other Konoha shinobi had just awakened from the Infinite Tsukuyomi's artificial dreams, their consciousness returning to a world that felt both familiar and fundamentally changed.
Their eyes immediately focused on a still form lying nearby—Gaara, the Fifth Kazekage, whose life had been extinguished when Madara forcibly extracted Shukaku from his body. The young leader's face was peaceful in death, but his absence left a visible wound in the hearts of those who had fought alongside him.
Buzz!
The green light approached Gaara's motionless form without hesitation, sinking into his body as if drawn by an irresistible force. The energy spread throughout his physical form like liquid illumination, reconnecting severed pathways between soul and flesh that death had torn asunder.
For a moment that stretched into eternity, nothing seemed to change. Then, suddenly, Gaara's eyes snapped open with startling intensity. He sat up abruptly, his movements sharp and disoriented as consciousness flooded back into a body that remembered the cold finality of death.
"Hah... hah..." Gaara's breathing was labored and desperate, his chest rising and falling rapidly as his mind struggled to process what had occurred.
The sensation of dying was still vivid in his memory—the feeling of his life force being torn away along with Shukaku's chakra, the gradual dimming of awareness, the final moment when everything had simply... stopped. Yet here he was, breathing and conscious and undeniably alive.
"What?!" Itachi's normally composed expression cracked with shock as he witnessed the impossible.
The Uchiha prodigy's Sharingan spun instinctively, analyzing what his eyes were telling him while his mind rejected the evidence. Death was supposed to be absolute, final—the one boundary that even the most powerful shinobi couldn't cross.
Shisui and Uchiha Yoruki shared his stunned disbelief, their pupils contracting as they tried to process what they had just witnessed. Around them, other awakening shinobi were experiencing similar shock as they discovered that comrades they had watched die were now stirring back to life.
Their gazes naturally followed the source of the miraculous lights to where Minato, Naruto, Sasuke, and their companions stood. The withered remains of the Divine Tree's branches scattered around them told a story of victory, while the impossible resurrections unfolding across the battlefield spoke to powers that transcended normal understanding.
"It looks like the battle is over," Itachi murmured to Shisui, his voice carrying both relief and amazement.
The evidence was overwhelming—the faded Infinite Tsukuyomi, the withered Divine Tree, the miraculous resurrections, and most importantly, the fact that they were all conscious and free. Whatever conflict had raged while they were trapped in dreams, it had ended in complete victory for their side.
"Indeed," Uchiha Yoruki agreed with a nod, though his expression remained tense with the lingering trauma of their recent experiences.
After taking one more look at the newly revived Gaara, both Shisui and Yoruki began moving toward Minato's group, their desire for answers overriding their shock at the supernatural events unfolding around them.
"I was clearly dead just now..." Gaara's voice was filled with wonder and confusion as he fully grasped what had occurred.
The absence he felt within himself confirmed the reality of his experience—Shukaku's presence was completely gone from his consciousness, no longer providing the constant background sensation that had defined most of his life. Yet despite losing his tailed beast, he was somehow alive and breathing.
Meanwhile, near the source of these miracles, Obito's condition was rapidly deteriorating. Green light continued to pour from the mouth of the King of Hell statue behind him, but each stream that carried life to distant battlefields drained more of his own life force.
His face had gone deathly pale, sweat beading on his forehead as the massive chakra expenditure pushed him beyond his physical limits. The Rinne Rebirth technique demanded nothing less than the complete sacrifice of the user's life force, and even with the borrowed power from his allies, the strain was becoming unbearable.
The scope of what he was attempting was staggering—over ten thousand shinobi and samurai had died during the Fourth Great Ninja World War. Reviving such an enormous number of people was pushing the technique far beyond anything it had been designed to accomplish.
Just as Obito felt his strength failing completely, several hands landed simultaneously on his shoulders. Powerful chakra surged through the contact points, flooding his depleted reserves with fresh energy.
Minato and Kushina's chakra reserves were nearly exhausted from their own contributions to the war effort, but Naruto and Sasuke still possessed tremendous amounts of energy. Their Six Paths-enhanced power flowed into Obito's technique, sustaining the impossible resurrection process across vast distances.
As the Rinne Rebirth continued its miraculous work, reports began filtering back from across all the major battlefields. Allied shinobi who had been mourning fallen comrades suddenly found themselves embracing those same individuals as life returned to bodies that had been claimed by war.
The psychological impact was immense. Grief and despair gave way to joy and wonder as the seemingly impossible became reality before their eyes.
"It must have been Dad and the others who accomplished this!" Chiharu declared with absolute conviction, watching allied ninja throughout her area beginning to stir back to life.
Her voice carried unwavering certainty despite the fact that she couldn't see the source of the miraculous resurrections. Even the coalition's commanding officers were still trying to process what was happening, but her blood connection to Minato provided instinctive understanding.
"We've won this war!" she continued, her young voice ringing with triumph and relief.
Swish!
Without waiting for confirmation or orders, her form transformed into a golden streak of light as she launched herself toward the coalition headquarters. Her intuition told her that the answers she sought—and the father she had been separated from—would be found there.
Back at the resurrection site, observers were beginning to understand what they were witnessing.
"The Rinne Rebirth..." Konan whispered, her knowledge of the Rinnegan's abilities allowing her to identify the technique before even the seasoned Kage present.
Her eyes shifted to Obito with an expression of profound disbelief. The masked man she remembered had been driven by obsession and hatred, willing to sacrifice countless lives for his twisted vision of peace. Yet here he was, literally giving his life to restore what the war had taken.
The contradiction was so stark that it challenged everything she thought she understood about human nature and the possibility of redemption.
When Itachi and the others reached Minato's group, the green lights streaming from the King of Hell's mouth were already beginning to diminish. The technique was approaching its natural conclusion as the last of the war's victims were touched by its healing power.
BOOM!
With a final tremor that echoed across the landscape, the massive statue sank back into the earth, its purpose fulfilled. The King of Hell disappeared as if it had never existed, leaving only ordinary ground where divine power had briefly manifested.
Obito swayed on his feet, his eyelids growing impossibly heavy as his life force reached its absolute limit. His will, which had sustained him through years of conflict and manipulation, was finally beginning to dissipate irreversibly.
But instead of fear or regret, a peaceful smile crossed his features. He had accomplished something meaningful with his final act—something that honored the memory of the person he had lost rather than betraying it.
"Sorry..." he murmured, the word carrying the weight of years of guilt and self-recrimination.
The apology wasn't directed at anyone present—it was meant for all those he had wronged over the years, all the innocent lives his choices had destroyed. But more than anything, it was meant for a young medical ninja whose death had shattered his faith in the world.
Just as Obito prepared to surrender to the darkness that beckoned, he felt an unexpected surge of energy flow through him. Minato's right hand, still resting on his shoulder, blazed with Yang release power that fought against the inevitable pull of death.
The energy wasn't enough to save him—the price of the Rinne Rebirth was absolute—but it provided a temporary reprieve, a few more moments of consciousness before the final transition.
Obito's body went limp, and he collapsed against Naruto, who caught him with gentle care. With tremendous effort, he raised his eyes to meet Minato's gaze.
"Sensei," he whispered, his voice barely audible, "you don't have to do this for me."
In what he believed were his final moments, Obito's mind drifted back across the years of his life. So much of it had been filled with mistakes and poor choices, decisions that had caused immeasurable suffering for people who had never deserved such treatment.
Yet beneath all the pain and regret, one memory remained pure and untainted—the image of a young girl with short brown hair and kind eyes, always ready with a smile and gentle words when he needed them most.
No matter how badly he had failed at anything else, no matter how many people he had disappointed or hurt, Rin had always been there to patch up his wounds and restore his confidence. Her belief in him had made him feel capable of accomplishing anything.
"Rin..." Emotion flooded his voice as he spoke her name.
If the Rinne Rebirth could have reached back far enough, he would have given anything to bring her back as well. The technique had no specific time limit—Madara's resurrection had proven that death could be reversed even after extended periods. But Rin had been gone for so many years that her physical form had long since returned to dust, unable to serve as a vessel for her returning soul.
So instead of trying to change the past, Obito was choosing to join her in whatever realm awaited beyond death.
"I know you're prepared to die," Minato said softly, his voice carrying both sorrow and understanding.
The Yang release power flowing from his hand was sustaining Obito's life temporarily, but even divine energy couldn't indefinitely postpone the price demanded by the Rinne Rebirth. "With my current abilities, I can preserve the lives of those on the brink of death, even prevent the certain fatality that comes from opening the Eight Gates of Death. But I cannot save you from the cost of what you've accomplished."
His expression grew pained as he continued. "After you've resurrected everyone who died in the Fourth Great Ninja World War, that technique demands your life in return."
The strain of maintaining Obito's life was visible on Minato's face, his chakra reserves depleting rapidly despite the continuous support he was receiving from Naruto. "If you went to see Rin after accomplishing something this meaningful, I think I could face her memory with pride. But as your teacher, I needed to give you these last few moments to say what needed to be said."
At that moment, other figures began arriving at their location. The Third Tsuchikage Onoki moved with the careful dignity of someone who had witnessed too much conflict over his long life. Beside him walked the newly revived Gaara, whose eyes reflected both gratitude and confusion at his own resurrection.
"Brother," Sasuke said, his normally cold features warming with genuine affection as he spotted Itachi among the approaching group.
Itachi returned the smile with visible relief, nodding to acknowledge both their survival and their victory. While the details of what had occurred during the Infinite Tsukuyomi remained unclear to him, the evidence of success was overwhelming.
In addition to the Konoha forces, several members of the former Akatsuki organization had also arrived—Sasori, Deidara, and Konan among them. They hung back from the main group, uncertain of their welcome but clearly concerned about Obito's condition.
Their presence highlighted the complex nature of the alliances that had formed during the crisis. Former enemies had fought side by side against the greater threat, and now they were witnessing the redemption of someone who had once led them down a dark path.
Minato's gaze swept across the assembled Kage, his expression growing solemn as he prepared to address a delicate situation.
"Mizukage, Tsuchikage, and Kazekage," he said formally, his voice carrying the weight of official diplomacy, "I have a favor to ask of all of you."
"Please speak freely, Hokage-sama," Mei Terumi responded immediately, her intuition already suggesting what Minato intended to discuss.
The other Kage nodded their agreement, recognizing that whatever request was coming carried enormous significance given the circumstances.
Minato looked down at Obito, his expression reflecting the complex emotions of a teacher who had watched a promising student lose their way, only to find redemption in their final moments.
"This student of mine was deceived and manipulated by forces beyond his understanding, leading him to commit terrible crimes that resulted in countless deaths," he began, his voice steady despite the emotional weight of his words.
Both Onoki and Gaara listened intently, understanding that they were witnessing something unprecedented in the diplomatic relations between villages.
"However," Minato continued, "he has just used a forbidden technique to resurrect every person who died on the battlefields of this war, knowing that it would cost him his own life."
Gaara's eyes filled with profound gratitude as he looked at Obito. The masked man had once been responsible for his capture and suffering, but now that same person had literally given his life to restore Gaara's own.
"He will not live much longer," Minato stated with finality. "So I want to ensure that his last wish can be fulfilled without complications."
The atmosphere grew heavy with anticipation as everyone present understood that they were about to witness something that would reshape the relationships between the great villages.
Minato suddenly bowed deeply to the three Kage, his gesture carrying the full weight of his position and reputation.
"If your villages demand accountability for his past crimes," he said with unwavering resolve, "I, as his teacher, will accept full responsibility!"
"If your village wants to hold him accountable, I, as a teacher, will shoulder the responsibility!"