The shinobi of Takigakure were sprinting through the battlefield, hurling kunai, shuriken, and every kind of weapon at Obito.
Obito—formerly Yamato Arata, now inhabiting Uchiha Obito's body—ignored the rain of projectiles. He stepped straight through the storm of metal like a phantom, swiftly closing in on the front line of the enemy formation.
He leapt into the air.
With a sickening crack, his knee slammed into the chest of the Takigakure ninja at the forefront. Bones shattered instantly. His ribs caved in like twigs, and the impact turned his internal organs into paste.
"Ahhh!!"
The ninja's eyes rolled back white as death claimed him in a blink.
Boom!!
His body was launched backward like a cannonball, crashing into the ranks behind him, knocking several comrades off balance. Those behind, too far into their charge to stop, trampled him underfoot.
To die not by the enemy's hands but under the boots of allies—this was the brutality of war. A battlefield with over a thousand fighters didn't allow for dignity in death.
Takigakure had enjoyed peace for decades, its isolation sparing it from large-scale conflict since the Warring States era. But they were still shinobi—and shinobi fight. They gritted their teeth and pressed forward, stepping over the corpses of their own.
Obito's eyes flicked over them.
A wave of bodies collapsed mid-charge.
Some froze in place, their limbs seizing up. They trembled for a moment, then toppled like puppets with their strings cut.
This wasn't Conqueror's Haki or any supernatural pressure—it was simply the power of the Sharingan. A simple genjutsu cast at the moment of eye contact. And the weak, unable to resist, lost all control.
Out of the dozens who tried to push through, only three managed to close the distance.
For them, the battle-hardened Uchiha Obito would offer a fitting death—a warrior's end.
Wind Release: Wind Cutter Technique!
Whoosh!
A gleaming wind blade tore through the air.
Two heads flew from their bodies before they hit the ground.
The third shinobi, faster than the others, raised his ninja blade in defense—only for the wind to cleave through both the weapon and his neck.
In less than a breath, fifty shinobi lay dead. Among them were several jōnin.
For the five great nations, such a loss might be bearable. But for a smaller village like Takigakure, this was devastating.
Their entire army of over a thousand faltered.
Hands trembled. Ninja tools slipped from sweaty fingers.
Obito took a single step forward.
Shff!
As one, a thousand shinobi took a step back.
If someone had witnessed this from afar, they might have laughed in disbelief. But for those on the field, the fear was very real.
Atop a raised platform, the elderly village leader of Takigakure, Shibuki, tapped his cane hard against the stone beneath him. His voice rang out across the field.
"Hold your ground! He's just one man! Don't be swayed by rumors! He's been injured before—he's even lost an arm!"
Those words rallied the panicked troops. A few regained their resolve.
From beside him, Kakuzu spoke coldly. "Shibuki, you've always been good at riling people up. But surely you remember what happened to those who did injure him. Even the Raikage paid with his arm."
Shibuki's gaze hardened. "We've come too far to retreat now. No matter the cost, we must protect Takigakure!"
He raised his cane again and shouted, "Don't charge blindly. Use ninjutsu! We outnumber him by hundreds. Use coordinated attacks. Bombard him with group techniques!"
"Y-yeah!" someone shouted. "There are thousands of us! Why rush him one by one? Drown him in ninjutsu!"
Dozens of water-style shinobi stepped forward, forming hand seals in unison.
Water Release: River Surge Technique!
Boom!
Jets of water shot from their mouths, merging into a massive torrent that surged toward Obito like a flooding dam.
Obito could've phased through it, but he didn't bother.
Instead, he raised one hand into a familiar seal—Tiger.
"Huh?" whispered Maoyue Xiyan, watching from the sidelines. "That's a fire-style seal... Even Obito can't burn through that much water."
Her analysis was based on Obito's previous fire-style showings. But next to her, Tobi (the masked man known to some as Afei) chuckled.
"Things are different now."
Fire Release: Majestic Destroyer Flame!
Fwoooosh!
Obito opened his mouth and unleashed a narrow stream of fire—but as it stretched a few meters out, it exploded into a massive sea of flames.
Once, his "Majestic Flame" was already overwhelming. But compared to this, the old technique looked like a mere spark.
BOOM!!!
The firestorm collided with the raging river.
The water boiled instantly. Steam erupted in all directions, flooding the field and reducing visibility to zero.
Within the white mist...
Bear! Bear! Bear!
Dozens—hundreds—of fireballs lit up the fog like suns. They shrieked toward the enemy lines, exploding like meteors.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
"AHHHHH!!!"
With each explosion, clusters of Takigakure ninjas were shredded. Limbs flew. Screams echoed.
One might've compared the scene to Madara Uchiha's infamous battle against the Allied Shinobi Forces. But this—this was worse.
Because Obito now wielded not only Madara's might but also the power of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju.
The enemy he faced was far weaker than the shinobi coalition of old.
Panic swept through Takigakure.
"Our combined water technique was overpowered by a single man's fire technique... How—how is that even possible?!"
"What are we supposed to do against that?!"
"Village Chief! Orders?!"
From within the burning mist, a titanic shape began to emerge...
It was Obito—encased in his Crow Tengu Susanoo, black and monstrous, wings spread wide. He stepped out of the flames like a demon from myth.
He raised his voice, calm and terrifying:
"People of Takigakure, I ask you again. Will you surrender?"
Shibuki's knuckles whitened around his cane. He wanted to believe they still had a chance.
"Takigakure will never surrender!!" he bellowed.
Obito sighed. "Foolish."
The Susanoo raised its enormous blade—and brought it crashing down.
BOOM!!
A cleaving wave of destruction tore through the earth, splitting the battlefield down the middle. The impact launched dozens of shinobi skyward. The air itself exploded from the force.
"Don't panic!" Shibuki shouted. "Earth-style users! Change the terrain—restrict its movement!"
Nearly a hundred earth-style shinobi dropped into crouches, slamming their palms to the ground.
Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!!
BOOM!
A wide stretch of land turned to deep, sucking mud. The Susanoo sank chest-deep into the mire.
"Water-style shinobi—bind its arms! Especially the sword!!"
Streams of water twisted through the air like serpents.
Water Release: Water Whip Technique!
Swish! Swish!
Water tendrils snapped around the Susanoo's limbs and weapon, locking it down.
"Lightning-style shinobi, support the water-style users! Overload its armor!"
Lightning Release: Electromagnetic Murder!!
Crackle! Crackle!
Bolts of lightning surged along the water whips, slamming into the Susanoo's armor.
Crack! Crack!
Hairline fractures appeared on its massive chestplate and shoulders.
This wasn't surprising. The combined ninjutsu of hundreds—even genin—could rival a Kage-level strike.
"Now!!" Shibuki roared. "All units—use your strongest attacks! Don't conserve chakra! Annihilate him!!"
A barrage of fire, water, earth, wind, and lightning burst from all directions.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Thousands of jutsu poured down upon the trapped Susanoo. The earth quaked. The sky lit up with explosions. Shockwaves rippled outward in every direction.
Shibuki's voice echoed above the noise.
"Do you see now, Uchiha? This is why we will never surrender!"
But from within the storm of fire and dust, a voice thundered back—calm, resolute:
"This pride of yours... is nothing but blind, pointless defiance."
Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!!
A booming rumble.
And then—trees. Hundreds of them burst from the ground in every direction, towering over the battlefield, growing even amidst the ongoing explosions.
"What...!?" Shibuki gasped, his eyes wide.
A shadow from the past had returned—something far worse than they ever imagined.