Kumogakure, the once towering village reaching into the clouds, had turned into complete chaos.
Obito chose the tallest mountain peak as a base and settled the remaining few Akatsuki members.
The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path sat cross-legged in meditation within a plaza, its hands pressed together.
Obito leaned beside the statue, one Sharingan eye and one Rinnegan eye quietly observing the mountain mist drifting among the peaks of Kumogakure.
At the center of the field, Team Taka formed a small circle around Sasuke. Karin stared at Sasuke's handsome face with infatuation, as if she might start drooling at any moment.
Kisame stood to the side stroking Samehada, as though caressing the skin of his wife.
Suigetsu was practically salivating, wishing he could immediately seize Kisame's sword for himself.
Kisame naturally sensed Suigetsu's covetous gaze and revealed a cold-blooded smile.
"My Samehada isn't something you can control. It… eats people!"
Kisame showed his terrifying teeth, like a monster.
But Suigetsu was not frightened. Instead, he revealed a confident smile.
"I already obtained the Executioner's Blade. Samehada won't be an exception. The other ninja swords will be the same."
"Hmph!"
Kisame snorted, unclear whether he disdained Suigetsu's arrogance or felt uncomfortable with the young man's rebelliousness.
Kisame had seen through the truth of the world, yet that truth did not drive him to change anything.
Suigetsu's vitality caused Kisame to feel a trace of doubt. Could the illusion Obito wove truly be the answer to tragedy?
"Mm…" Sasuke suddenly murmured softly, his eyes fixed on a Crow in the distance.
Karin seized the chance to speak.
"Sasuke, what are you looking at?"
Following Sasuke's gaze, she saw only an ordinary crow. She couldn't understand why it attracted Sasuke's attention.
Sasuke shook his head.
"Maybe I'm overthinking it."
Perhaps it was a pull of bloodline resonance, or perhaps simply a dull angle.
Instinctively, Sasuke felt a familiar presence coming from that crow, as if it represented someone or something very important to him.
Karin smiled and moved closer to Sasuke, as if trying to merge into him entirely.
"Just an unlucky black crow. Nothing worth looking at."
With such a beautiful woman beside you and you ignore me for a crow—Uchiha really have no taste… Karin complained wildly in her heart.
Jūgo's attention was drawn by their conversation, and he looked into the distance.
"Eh!"
Jūgo let out a surprised sound.
"What is it?" Sasuke asked.
Jūgo possessed a Sage Body capable of communicating with nature. His eyes could perceive things ordinary people could not, much like a dog's senses.
Jūgo replied,
"That crow… it's very black."
"Haha…"
Karin laughed twice, treating it as Jūgo's awkward joke.
Jūgo continued,
"It has extremely strong humanity. It seems to be observing us."
"Humanity?!" Sasuke turned his gaze back again.
Their unusual behavior also caught Obito's attention. His cold Rinnegan instantly locked onto the Crow.
The Crow transformed into a phantom and slowly disappeared into the air.
Obito revealed a faint ambiguous expression.
"Interesting. There's actually an Uchiha power within it."
"Who could it be?"
"Uchiha Itachi's backup plan?" Obito guessed.
A black-and-white pitcher plant emerged from the ground, emitting a hoarse voice.
"Obito, Moku Kairen's army is approaching the Land of Iron."
Below Obito stood Kabuto, hidden beneath his hood, snake-like eyes watching Obito with faint concealed greed.
"Obito, what should we do next? Abandon this place?"
"Hmph!"
Obito snorted.
"Leave? Retreat before battle? I'm not that cowardly."
Black Zetsu narrowed his soybean-sized eyes.
"Obito, what do you intend to do?"
Obito opened his god-like Rinnegan and said coldly,
"I'll meet him."
...
The territories of the great nations were not directly connected—first for buffering, second because of dull angles.
The Land of Iron served as the buffer state between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning. This nation of samurai remained permanently neutral and had always been the alliance zone of the Five Great Nations.
Kairen's endless army crossed the plains of the Land of Fire and, without slowing, trampled onto the icy plains of the Land of Iron.
The samurai, famous for their martial culture, did not even assemble soldiers at the border, allowing Kairen's army to tread freely across the mountains and rivers of the Land of Iron.
The general of the Land of Iron, Mifune, stood atop a high mountain, accompanied by several fully armed modern samurai.
Mifune's gaze remained fixed on Kairen's cavalry units.
"Ancient cavalry… a fallen military branch from ancient times."
The general beside him responded,
"Lord Mifune knows about them?!"
Mifune nodded.
"In the distant past, before ninja became mainstream, samurai mounted on warhorses were unstoppable on the battlefield, invincible wherever they went."
The general frowned at the iron-blooded army in the distance.
"Lord Mifune… has the world changed?"
Mifune's gaze aligned with the general's, as though watching the red curtain of a new era being drawn open.
"It has changed. During the Warring States Era, Senju Hashirama appeared, but he merely provided a buffer to that chaotic age. Moku Kairen is different—he aims to unify the ninja world."
"And his combat strength is terrifying. He has already annexed the Lands of Wind and Earth and begun dominating the ninja world."
The general could not help feeling worried.
"Lord Mifune, then what path should our Land of Iron take?"
The Land of Iron claimed absolute neutrality—but where did true neutrality exist in this world?
Under the rolling wheels of history, any fence-sitter was always the first weed to be cut down.
The Land of Iron needed to choose a side.
Would they join the allied forces led by Kairen… or a group of collapsing puppet armies?
Mifune fell silent. Three great ninja nations had already been destroyed. The shifting tides of the world were unfolding today—no avoidance could escape them.
This general of the Land of Iron, who had never bowed his head, sighed.
"Very well. We shall go meet Moku Kairen… and meet the future master of the earth."
...
The fast-moving army halted. It was time to rotate formations.
The cavalry dismounted; horses transformed into humans; positions were exchanged.
During the rotation interval, the troops began preparing meals.
A group of young chefs rolled up the sleeves of master chefs and began cooking.
Mifune and the general approached to pay a visit. Only upon getting closer did they realize that the iron-blooded impression of this army earlier… had all been an illusion.
----------------
Fanfic is finished on Patreon (415 chapters in total.)
Patreon(.)com/Jixo (for only $4.50, read this entire fanfic)