On the desolate plain, a man stared fanatically at the colossal entity before him, murmuring under his breath, "Finally… it's all gathered. The Tailed Beast chakra."
That man was Uchiha Obito, currently wearing a white mask adorned with a magatama pattern and a single tomoe-like mark on the forehead—designed to accommodate the Rinnegan he bore.
Obito clearly understood what awaited him once he became the Ten-Tails' Jinchūriki.
The Ten-Tails' previously rigid form now pulsed with a rapidly expanding aura—vast, violent, and boundless.
The Gedo Statue, having consumed the chakra of all the Tailed Beasts, was beginning to resurrect.
Not far away, an ink-black figure watched with trembling excitement—Black Zetsu. This moment was the closest he had come to his hope in a thousand years. Just a little longer… and his mother would return.
His eyes were filled with fanatical light. He no longer felt the desire to hide. He wanted to let the world know the agony he had endured for millennia, the schemes he had woven, and the bitterness within him—though such truths were not meant for outsiders.
"Even if this isn't the Ten-Tails' complete form… once I become its Jinchūriki, it'll be enough to forcibly extract the remaining Tailed Beasts. Then, I'll show everyone what true peace is."
Obito's breath grew colder, more unhinged.
"Wait for me, Rin. This world without you is too false. I'll create a world where you exist… where Kakashi exists… where no one is missing!"
As his will hardened, the Ten-Tails' resurrection approached completion. Its overwhelming aura surged outward, drawing shinobi from all directions. Obito ignored them. Soon, he believed, the world would be rewritten.
"It's the Masked Man!"
"What is he doing?! Is that… a Tailed Beast? What an insane chakra!"
Although most shinobi had gone to intercept Uchiha Madara, countless others were still engaged in battle against the Edo Tensei across the world.
Among them—Neji and Sasuke.
Both were far stronger than in the original timeline. Sasuke especially had stepped into the realm of the Super Kage. After integrating Itachi's Mangekyō, his eyes had evolved into the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, granting him control over Complete Susanoo—a form attainable only at this stage.
He had even awakened a unique Eternal Mangekyō ocular ability of his own.
In canon, Sasuke had ascended to the Rinnegan too quickly to manifest such an ability. Normally, techniques at the Eternal Mangekyō level were auxiliary but greatly enhanced combat potential.
For example, Madara's ocular ability reduced chakra consumption while amplifying the destructive power of his ninjutsu. This was why even his "casual" techniques far surpassed ordinary shinobi. His chakra reserves were not greater than Hashirama's, yet this ocular trait allowed him to battle the First Hokage to the bitter end
(a self-added system to reasonably scale Super Kage combat, given the vague depiction in canon).
As for Sasuke, the ability he awakened was called Yin–Yang Intergrowth—a power that allowed spiritual energy and chakra to be converted into one another.
At first glance it seemed simple, but its implications were monstrous.
If his spiritual energy ran dry, he could convert chakra into spiritual force to continue casting Genjutsu.
If his chakra was exhausted, he could convert spiritual energy into chakra to continue fighting.
His stamina and fighting endurance skyrocketed. Combine that with the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan's immunity to blindness, plus a drastic boost to Genjutsu potency, and Sasuke had reached a level where only the First Hokage, Uchiha Madara, and Naruto could match his spiritual intensity.
(Six Paths–level beings excluded.)
"Obito."
A figure appeared atop the Ten-Tails' head—Edo Tensei Uchiha Madara.
"It seems the plan has gone through quite a few… adjustments."
Madara's lips curled into a cold, mocking smile.
"But in the end, the result is what matters. The Eye of the Moon Plan will be fulfilled."
Obito looked at Madara calmly. He had foreseen this confrontation the moment he summoned him.
Madara's failure to immediately attack was unexpected, but Obito no longer feared him. He possessed the Rinnegan now, and the "insurance" Madara had implanted in him long ago had already been dealt with.
Not through Kakashi as in the original timeline—Obito had his own method.
Yet what Obito didn't realize was that Madara had already attempted to activate his contingency.
When Madara arrived, he had instantly triggered the control mechanism embedded in Obito, intending to force him to perform the Rinne Rebirth Jutsu—
—but Obito remained completely unaffected.
At that moment, Madara understood.
Obito had completely betrayed him.
"Where is Black Zetsu? Where did he go?" Madara demanded.
"Madara, I'm here."
A pitch-black form emerged from the earth.
Black Zetsu had finally decided to show himself.
Both men turned to look at Black Zetsu, though Obito's gaze carried nothing but disdain. Madara, this fool… does he still not realize what that thing really is?
In truth, it wasn't stupidity—just a lack of information. Madara had only recently been revived and had no idea what Black Zetsu truly was.
Before long, more figures arrived on the battlefield.
Tsunade and the other Allied Shinobi Forces leaders appeared. The moment they laid eyes on the grotesque beast towering before them, an ominous dread rose in their hearts.
Tsunade immediately recognized it.
This was the Ten-Tails—the monster Naruto had warned them about.
But another question struck her:
How did Uchiha Obito manage to gather the Tailed Beasts' chakra?
He had only captured half of them. Yet here stood the Ten-Tails…
Did he use Edo Tensei as a substitute?
Her mind raced, piecing together the situation with practiced precision. She quickly understood the key point—Obito hadn't gathered all of the Tailed Beasts' chakra. That meant they still had a fighting chance.
But when her eyes shifted to the man standing beside Obito—
—Uchiha Madara—
Her heart tightened in dread.
At this moment, she couldn't help but think of Naruto.
Naruto… are you ready yet?
At this stage, you might be the only miracle-worker left who can fight these two.
Right now, their only option was to buy time—stall the enemy long enough for Naruto to arrive.
Across the warfront, shinobi everywhere were receiving the same urgent message and rushing toward the battlefield.
The final confrontation was approaching.
"Masked Man—die!"
Sasuke's rage erupted the instant he saw Obito.
He could no longer contain the killing intent boiling inside him.
The man before him was not only responsible for Naruto's parents' deaths—
He was one of the masterminds behind the Uchiha Clan's downfall, acting together with Danzō.
Danzō was dead.
The Third Hokage was dead.
Only this man remained.
Sasuke didn't call him by name—because, in his heart, the man wearing that mask was not worthy of the Uchiha name.
Whoosh!!
A flicker of movement—Sasuke appeared before Obito in an instant, blade of lightning in hand.
"Chidori!"
"Shinra Tensei."
Obito casually lifted a single hand.
Gravity exploded outward—and Sasuke was blown back like a rag doll.
The Rinnegan he commanded was no weaker than when Nagato used it. If anything, in Obito's hands, its power was even more terrifying.
"Wouldn't it be better to watch history unfold at my side?" Obito said calmly.
"Why insist on fighting a meaningless battle?"
He slowly spread his arms wide, addressing every shinobi present.
"Isn't peace what you all desire? Then stand aside… and witness the arrival of true peace with me."