"Either way... you won this game..."
Hearing Madara Uchiha's heavy words, everyone present fell silent. They were all witnessing the end of a mighty tyrant, their feelings a mix of neither sorrow nor joy.
"My dream... is shattered..."
Lying helplessly on the ground, he looked up at the sky. The drifting clouds seemed to shift into the forms of Hashirama Senju, of Izuna Uchiha, and of the world he had dreamed of.
His deep voice faded gradually with the breeze blowing across the battlefield. "But the world still goes on... I will never see what the future holds..."
"Madara Uchiha... you truly were a worthy opponent..."
Kaoru spoke up, hearing the regret and unwillingness deep within Madara's heart. "But in the end... your vision was still confined within the limits of this world's order..."
"No matter what the future brings... it no longer concerns you..."
Kaoru looked down at Madara, whose era had come to an end. His scarlet eyes shimmered faintly, their depths revealing neither sorrow nor pity.
"Beaten into such a state by Kaguya Ōtsutsuki... I'm afraid you haven't long to live..."
"To die quietly like this... for someone like you, who fought from the Sengoku Era, from birth until death... it must feel like a tragedy..."
Kaoru spoke softly, gently swinging the dark and profound Sage Staff — Nunoboko in his hand, his scarlet eyes holding unfathomable meaning.
"Heh... thank you. To die by your hand... is actually quite an honorable end..."
A soft, relieved chuckle escaped him. At this moment, both Madara and Kaoru understood exactly what lay in each other's hearts. A faint, weary smile touched the corner of Madara's mouth.
"If only we hadn't been enemies... perhaps we could have been friends... just like Hashirama and I were..."
Friends... perhaps...
A faint smile touched Kaoru's lips as he shook his head silently. With his scarlet eyes, he bid a silent farewell to this once-great hero, now a stranger to him.
He slightly raised the dark Sage Staff in his hand. Before the astonished eyes of Naruto and Sasuke behind him, Kaoru gently touched the tip of the staff against Madara's chest.
Instantly, Madara's entire form—once lying on the ground at death's door—gradually dissolved into thin air.
Not even the smallest particle remained, as if he had never existed in this world at all.
"Madara Uchiha... he... vanished..." Naruto murmured blankly, staring at the spot where Madara had disappeared right before his eyes.
"Did he erase Madara's very existence...?" Only Sasuke remained calm, his eyes locked firmly on the dark staff in Kaoru's hand.
A deep flash of horror crossed the purple Rinnegan in his left eye. "What a terrifying weapon... The Sage of Six Paths spoke the truth... Kaoru is already the strongest person in this world..."
"Very well... the matter regarding Madara Uchiha is now concluded..." Kaoru slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.
He lifted his head slightly, his scarlet Mangekyō Sharingan gaze piercing through the clouds and sky covering the entire battlefield.
"Do not forget... I am now the Sixth Hokage, and you are all shinobi of Konoha. So... are you willing to swear allegiance to me?"
"Of course! Since you are willing to protect the peace of the entire shinobi world... I will naturally obey your commands!"
Naruto nodded vigorously, patting his chest. He truly loved this world with all his heart.
"Good..." Kaoru nodded lightly, then turned his gaze toward Sasuke. "And you...?"
"My views are nothing like this loser's..." Sasuke took a deep breath and spoke slowly. "I want to destroy this world first... and then rebuild it anew!!!"
"A village burdened by such a dark history... along with this entire shinobi world... everything must be cleansed..."
"What I stand for... is..."
"REVOLUTION!!!"
"Sasuke, what on earth are you saying?! We finally managed to bring peace, and yet you still want to destroy the world?!"
Naruto clenched his fists, his orange eyes fixed sharply on Sasuke as he shouted loudly.
"How pointless..." Kaoru shook his head softly, watching Sasuke speak with utmost seriousness. It seems he's acting exactly like he did in the original story...
"Enough... I don't have the patience to waste words with you two brats..." Hearing Sasuke's grand ambitions, Kaoru waved his hand dismissively, completely unconcerned.
Even though Sasuke now wielded the Sage's Yin Power and had awakened the Rinnegan—someone only Naruto could stand against in the original story—right now, before Kaoru, both Sasuke and Naruto were nothing more than ants.
With the strength those two possess... they won't change anything anyway...
"Sasuke still wants to start a revolution... huh..." A faint smirk appeared on Kaoru's lips as he turned back to Naruto.
"Very well then... Naruto, I'll leave Sasuke to you. I'm sure you can tame him and make him behave himself properly."
"Leave it to me! I'll do it!!!" Naruto looked at Sasuke with determination, tightening his fists.
"Hmph..." Sasuke gritted his teeth. Right now, he barely stood a chance even against Naruto, let alone against Kaoru.
"Alright then... there's still one little problem I need to take care of. You two... keep yourselves busy..."
As Kaoru's words faded, before the wide, stunned eyes of Naruto and Sasuke, his entire figure vanished instantly from the spot, departing toward an unknown destination.
Left alone amidst the rubble and debris of the battlefield, Sasuke and Naruto exchanged glances, both feeling a vague sense of unease and anxiety growing within their hearts.
Where exactly did Kaoru go...? What does he intend to do...? Everything about him has become a mystery to them...
...
The entire army of the dead has disappeared...
Looking at the piles of bodies used as sacrifices for the Edo Tensei jutsu, Wan'er, Hinata, and the others all wore expressions of shock.
"The Edo Tensei has been dispelled... That means Kaoru must have defeated the strongest enemy on their side just now!!!"
Wan'er clenched her small hands, beaming with joy, then turned toward Hinata. "Hinata, can you look around now and tell me where my brother is?"
"Okay." Hinata nodded gently and immediately activated her Byakugan!
"Kaoru... doesn't seem to be over there... Only Naruto and Sasuke are in that area..." Hinata scanned the surroundings as she spoke.
"Wait a minute!!!" Hinata suddenly cried out in shock. "There is an extremely powerful chakra fluctuation coming from the forest ahead... and it looks like there are people hiding there too!"
"Is that so?" Hearing Hinata's report, Wan'er also frowned. "Right now, all our shinobi should be fighting on the main battlefield... Who would hide in such a secluded place...?"
"In that case, let's go take a look!" Kurotsuchi patted Wan'er on the shoulder and suggested.
"Alright!" Wan'er nodded with a determined smile.
...
Deep inside a heavily concealed mountain forest...
____________________
For more advance chapters visit my patreon
patreon.com/kane45
Tier: 10$ Casual Reader - +20 Advance Chapter
20$ Intermediate Reader - +40 Advance Chapter
40$ Expert Reader - +80 Advance Chapter
Update: "Monday to Friday - Update 3 Chapters a Day"
"Saturday and Sunday - Off"