The Fourth Ninja World War had erupted.
Tens of thousands of shinobi from the Five Great Ninja Villages assembled, forming an overwhelming army, all converging toward the stronghold of the Akatsuki organization.
High above the battlefield, Uchiha Kiyo hovered midair, gazing down at the colossal force below, his heart brimming with complicated emotions.
Facing a conflict of this magnitude, even someone like him—Uchiha Kiyo—couldn't claim he could withstand the might of even one village's full force alone, let alone when the power of all five had united.
"I'm not on Madara's level... yet."
Of course, that was just for now. Uchiha Kiyo firmly believed in himself—given enough time, he could surpass even Uchiha Madara.
The Fourth Great Ninja War had begun, and the unfolding battle was still in its early stages, dictated by the grand currents of war.
But Uchiha Kiyo knew he could only contribute during this phase. In the later stages, there would be no more 'grand current'—only the crushing might of Uchiha Madara, who single-handedly overwhelmed the entire Shinobi Alliance. When that time came, what could he, Uchiha Kiyo, do?
With his current abilities, what real difference could he make?
He had a realistic view of his own power. Until he fully awakened innate strength, his limit was no more than the Super Kage level—far below legends like Senju Hashirama in his prime.
Still, with the Rinnegan in his possession, perhaps he could tap into greater strength?
"Uchiha Kiyo. I've finally found you."
A familiar voice rang out from behind. Uchiha Kiyo turned as Obito floated toward him, suspended by the gravitational abilities of the Rinnegan.
After a long search, Obito had finally located him.
"So, you're using a Rinnegan now?" Uchiha Kiyo smirked, amused as he noted Obito's new mask and the single Rinnegan visible in his right eye.
"You've replaced your own eye. Aren't you afraid I'll take advantage of this? You do know your Kamui is unusable now."
Indeed, Kiyo had deduced this earlier. The left Rinnegan was with him. For Obito to install the right one, he would've had to remove his Sharingan—effectively disabling his Kamui until it was restored.
Right now, Kiyo could kill him.
And for a moment, he seriously considered it.
But he restrained himself.
Previously, he could act because he understood the future storyline. But now, the timeline had diverged due to his interference. He wasn't sure what Obito's motive was for coming to him directly.
To stay safe—and to avoid altering the future any further—he chose not to act.
It was more important to guide the timeline back as close as possible to its original path. Any further deviation could result in Kaguya's revival going completely unchecked…
And without someone capable of stopping her, the ninja world—and his path back to his original timeline—could be doomed.
The Sage of Six Paths wasn't omnipresent. Kiyo could perhaps manipulate the Dragon Veins in secret, but Kaguya's spatial abilities made her an entirely different threat. If she detected him, she could chase him across space-time.
Not a good situation.
…So, Kiyo stood down.
He was genuinely afraid that the story would collapse entirely.
His strength was still lacking, and that uncertainty gnawed at him.
"Once this is over, I need to go into seclusion and train seriously," Kiyo swore silently.
"Left eye," Obito demanded, pulling Kiyo back to the moment.
But Kiyo was stunned by how casually he said it.
Was this guy… asking for the Rinnegan back?
Still, Uchiha Kiyo had already intended to return it—under specific conditions.
Obito, with both Kamui and the Rinnegan, could play a pivotal role in the war. Giving the eye back had strategic value. But it wouldn't come free.
"Watch your tone. You're asking me a favor," Kiyo replied coolly.
"I'm not saying I won't give you the left eye. But some things aren't free."
Obito said nothing, his expression unreadable behind the mask.
"What do you want?" he finally asked.
Though he didn't show it, Kiyo's words clearly made him uneasy.
From the way Kiyo spoke, Obito could tell something was off. He didn't understand why, but instinct warned him it wasn't good.
Still, if he could secure the eye with a trade, it was worth trying.
"The right eye in your possession was originally mine," Kiyo said. "So that makes us even. But for me to hand over the left one? I want an additional payment—one hundred White Zetsu corpses."
It wasn't a ridiculous demand. Obito had over 100,000 of them. Kiyo's price was modest.
This was Kiyo's way of being sincere. But the more measured and generous he seemed, the more nervous Obito became.
Something was wrong here.
Still, he didn't hesitate—he agreed.
They landed in a nearby clearing and completed the exchange.
Obito extracted the Rinnegan from himself without assistance. Uchiha Kiyo didn't lift a finger. That silence made Obito's unease deepen.
Kiyo, for his part, was quietly satisfied.
Obito hadn't been redeemed or brainwashed yet. He still clung to his own ideals and thoughts. It was strange to imagine this same man would soon "see the light" and join the Allied Shinobi Forces.
For now, Kiyo was just glad the deal was done.
And with that, the war had fully ignited.
Uchiha Kiyo teleported to the battlefield using the Body Flicker Technique. His Sharingan activated, spinning with three tomoe as he searched the chaos.
"Uchiha! Over there!"
The high-ranking shinobi of the Allied Forces immediately took notice of him. Their wariness was evident—they were ready to attack.
Kiyo laughed to himself. Had he even done anything to deserve this?
"I'm one of the good guys!"
He called out his allegiance as he sprinted toward the fray.
"Down with evil! Down with Akatsuki!"
With a roar, he charged into the battle.
Using the Body Flicker Technique again, he reappeared in front of Shukaku.
"Lava Style: Gundam Mode!"
A towering behemoth of over a hundred meters rose behind him—far larger and more refined than the 20-meter lava giant that once threatened Konoha.
This time, the construct was enhanced with nature energy, significantly boosting its power and stability.
"Lava Style: Qi Yuan Slash!"
A searing, flaming disc, a hundred meters wide, ripped through the air, slicing Shukaku clean in two.
But it failed to destroy the core—the sand demon quickly reformed.
Still, it wasn't without effect. Shukaku's chakra signature dimmed. He had been weakened.
"Lava Style: Lava Fireballs!"
Five or six massive fireballs followed, hammering into Shukaku in rapid succession.
Kiyo's chakra reserves seemed endless as he continued bombarding the tailed beast.
"RRAAGH!"
Even under mind control, Shukaku roared in fury, charging a Tailed Beast Bomb in retaliation.
Kiyo frowned.
"Buddha's Fury Fire Lotus!"
Thanks to his intense shadow clone training—thirty clones cultivating nonstop for two weeks—and the integration of natural energy, Kiyo's fire-style techniques had reached new heights. His studies of Amaterasu had further refined his fire ninjutsu.
The Fire Lotus, condensed within Gundam Mode, surged with unimaginable power.
As the tailed beast bomb neared completion, Kiyo hurled the lotus.
It collided with the bomb mid-launch—just as it left Shukaku's mouth—and blasted the raccoon beast across the field.
The damage was tremendous. Shukaku's form lost cohesion. His chakra scattered visibly.
"Let others handle him now," Kiyo muttered, shifting his focus.
"Wood Golem Technique!"
The lava titan dissipated as Kiyo summoned a colossal wooden golem in its place.
"Wood Dragon Jutsu!"
A massive wooden serpent coiled around Isobu, the Three-Tails, restraining the beast.
"Sage Art: Gate of the Great God!"
The technique, developed specifically to seal tailed beasts, had once required Sage Chakra, but Kiyo had long since mastered it in his original timeline. He had even created variants of it.
Now, with full Sage Mode active, he executed it perfectly.
Three massive torii descended, pinning the Four-Tails by the neck, waist, and tail. Layered with suppressive seals, the gates crushed down on the beast's chakra.
And at this moment…