"Obito."
"I'm sorry, Sensei... but I have my reasons for doing this."
The Mangekyō Sharingan spun, and the space-warping power of Kamui activated once again. This time, it wasn't to phase through an attack—but to escape, taking Kushina with him into the Kamui dimension.
"Obito!" Minato Namikaze called out once more, but by then, Obito had already vanished—along with Kushina Uzumaki.
The scene stunned everyone present. The shinobi of the Allied Shinobi Forces recognized the masked man for who he truly was. After all, they had witnessed with their own eyes how Danzō Shimura had once covertly extracted Obito Uchiha from Konoha's maximum security prison.
Although letting the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki fall into enemy hands was not the worst-case scenario, it was far from ideal.
A shinobi took a deep breath and said, "There's no point staying here. Konoha is still in chaos—this is our only chance to withdraw."
The allied shinobi turned and prepared to retreat—but escape? That was wishful thinking.
They had forgotten where they were: Konoha.
And worse, standing before them now was the Yellow Flash of the Leaf—Minato Namikaze—furious and unrelenting. His wrath demanded release, and these intruders were the perfect outlet.
Before the allied ninja could scatter, they found themselves surrounded. Anbu Black Ops had arrived in force, sealing all exits. The message was clear: there would be no escape.
Had it been a one-on-one confrontation, the Anbu might have faced casualties. But with Minato here, they simply needed to stall. The rest would be over in seconds.
"Lord Hokage," came a voice through Minato's earpiece, "Danzō Shimura has fled the village. Shall we proceed with the sweep?"
Minato's expression turned icy cold.
"Proceed with the cleanup operation."
At once, Konoha's true might was unveiled. The Anbu, the Military Police Force—now led by the Uchiha Clan—and the restructured Konoha Internal Security Division moved in unison, executing a precision strike with intelligence support from the Surveillance Unit.
Their target: the remnants of Root and the prison escapees whom Danzō had manipulated before his flight.
Some of the Root operatives had received conditional pardons earlier, a chance to reintegrate into the village. But those who had again followed Danzō had made their choice—and this time, there would be no second chance.
With Danzō gone and the plot collapsing, the insurrection within the village was swiftly crushed.
---
Meanwhile, inside Kamui's pocket dimension...
Kushina Uzumaki looked at Obito, her heart heavy. There was so much she wanted to say.
Among Minato's disciples, she had always felt the closest to Obito. His reckless and carefree nature once made her worry, but she had also seen in him the greatest heart.
His disappearance during the Third Shinobi War had been a devastating blow. As Minato's wife, she had comforted him through those hard days, never suspecting that Obito had survived… only to walk such a dark path.
Now, seeing him like this, changed and scarred, her mind was overwhelmed. Words failed her.
But it was Obito who broke the silence.
"Sensei's wife, Kushina... I met with Clan Head Fugaku. He said I should follow the plan and wait for you to tell me the next step."
Kushina's eyes widened slightly. So Fugaku was involved too? That wasn't part of the original plan.
Still, hearing Obito speak with such clarity—without hatred or defiance—she felt a glimmer of relief.
Thank goodness… at least Obito hadn't fallen completely into darkness.
Minato could protect him once. Maybe not twice. If forced, Minato would have made the Hokage's call—even if it meant sacrificing his student for the village.
"What you have to do now," Kushina said calmly, "is follow through with Danzō's plan. Summon the Nine-Tails from me... and let their side complete the operation. Do not resist. Do not interfere. That's the village's strategy."
She could sense Obito's growth. The old Obito would have questioned everything—he would've raged, demanded answers, argued.
Now, he only nodded, silent and burdened.
Another pause stretched between them.
"Sigh…" Kushina finally said, voice softening. "I'll start releasing the seal on the Nine-Tails. Summon him and go. But listen... be careful. Kawaki Aoba has promised that after this final turmoil, peace will come to the shinobi world."
She looked him in the eye.
"Don't fall just before the dawn. Rin... Rin will be waiting for you. Back in Konoha."
Obito's lone eye trembled.
A faint glimmer of life returned to it.
He managed a bitter smile and said, "Sensei's wife... tell Rin, please… that I'm sorry. Tell her this useless guy let her down. I couldn't become the hero of Konoha—instead, I became its curse."
He raised his hand, palm flat on the ground.
"Summoning Technique."
Outside the Hidden Leaf Village, a massive column of smoke rose into the sky. From within it emerged the mightiest of the nine Tailed Beasts—Kurama, the Nine-Tails.
The moment it appeared, Kurama's malevolent eyes swept over the area.
"I'm free… you damned humans. Damn Konoha. Damn Mito Uzumaki. Damn Kushina Uzumaki… I'll make you all pay."
It had been sealed for decades. The only reprieve was the moment it was transferred from Mito Uzumaki to Kushina Uzumaki. Kurama's hatred festered through the ages. Now, finally freed, it was ready to raze everything to the ground. But as it surveyed the area…
Where was Konoha?
Where was Kushina?
Suddenly, a chilling voice came from behind.
"Kurama."
The beast turned. A man with a spiral mask and a cold, detached aura stood there—Uchiha Obito.
Due to Kushina's expert sealing technique, Kurama had no awareness of the outside world while inside her. It knew nothing of the brewing conspiracies.
Now, seeing this unknown human, Kurama bared its fangs.
"You're the one who released me, aren't you? In that case… let me repay the favor—with your life!"
With a snarl, Kurama's enormous claw swiped down at Obito.
But Obito didn't flinch. With a flicker, he vanished, avoiding the fatal blow.
His Sharingan activated—one single Mangekyō in his right eye. A searing power welled up.
Kurama narrowed its eyes. This wasn't a reckless act. This man had a plan.
The crimson tomoe spun violently. Kurama's instincts screamed. It recognized the Mangekyō Sharingan—a nightmare for any Tailed Beast. Its will surged to resist, but the moment its gaze locked with Obito's, it was too late.
Obito's Mangekyō pattern expanded across Kurama's vision… and then appeared in its own eyes.
"Ugh…" Obito grunted, clutching his eye. Even with a single Mangekyō, controlling the Nine-Tails pushed his limits—but it worked.
Obito leapt atop Kurama's head.
'Time to move. The meeting point with Danzō is ahead.'
Kurama stomped forward. Each step shook the ground like thunder.
Before they reached the rendezvous, a figure appeared—Danzō Shimura.
Obito had Kurama halt, and Danzō jumped onto its head, gazing down at the world beneath his feet. Standing atop what was once Konoha's greatest weapon filled him with dark pride.
"Why did you release the Nine-Tails so openly?" Danzō demanded. "Its size makes it impossible to hide. And where's the Jinchūriki?"
Obito replied coolly, "Kushina resisted me. She tried to kill herself to prevent the Nine-Tails from falling into enemy hands. I had no choice but to extract Kurama by force."
Danzō nodded, then sneered.
"You really are a disgrace to your former teacher. So heartless toward his wife… typical Uchiha filth."
Obito said nothing. His face was blank.
Without delay, he turned Kurama toward their next destination—where the Allied Shinobi Forces awaited. These forces, made up of shinobi from other villages, had allied themselves with Danzō in a secret attempt to steal the Nine-Tails from Konoha.
Among them was Ōnoki, the Third Tsuchikage. He scowled as Kurama thundered closer.
"So… Danzō actually succeeded." Ōnoki's expression grew grave.
Kurama was undeniably the strongest of the Tailed Beasts. Its chakra dwarfed all others.
"Danzō!" Ōnoki called, flying into the air. "Why cause such a scene? Kurama's presence is impossible to conceal!"
He wanted to ask more—like where the other members of Danzō's Konoha faction were—but held back. The answer was obvious.
Danzō raised his hand dismissively.
"No time to explain. We're heading to the Land of the Moon. Get your villages' Tailed Beasts ready. We move now."
"If we delay, and that brat Kawaki Aoba returns to Konoha, everything will fall apart."
Just as he spoke, a brilliant light pierced the sky. A colossal Susanoo, silver-armored and tengu-faced, flew toward them.
Danzō's eyes narrowed.
"Damn. Konoha's forces are already on us."
He turned to the allied forces.
"Stop that Uchiha before he stalls us! We can't let Kawaki Aoba catch up!"
Danzō's true nature showed—throwing his allies to the wolves to buy himself time.
Obito glanced at him.
No words were needed.
Obito directed Kurama to leap high over the group, clearing them all with a thunderous bound. Moments later—poof!—Kurama vanished in a massive cloud of smoke.
Gone.
This was the smart play. Kurama was a weapon, not a shield. Fighting Konoha head-on would be idiocy.
The squabbling had ended.
The war had begun.
"Now then…" said a voice behind the scene.
"We can begin, Nagato."
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