Things had already gone far beyond Ōnoki's expectations.
If he had known this would be so difficult, he never would have cooperated with Madara.
Now he was trapped between retreat and disaster.
It was unbearable.
But no matter how miserable he felt, the Third Tsuchikage could only grit his teeth and keep going.
There was no turning back.
As for what the giant screens in the sky were meant to do, he could only wait and see.
Because of this, the allied forces of Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Otogakure were forced to stop and rest in place.
Many Kumo, Iwa, and Oto shinobi looked stunned.
Some even seemed frustrated.
What else could they say?
They had been about to march on Konoha.
Then these screens suddenly appeared and frightened everyone into stopping.
Now they could only wait.
At this moment, it was not only the allied army.
The entire shinobi world was in an uproar.
Countless people looked up at the enormous screens that had appeared in the sky, unable to stop themselves from crying out in shock.
"What is that?"
"Why did a giant screen suddenly appear in the sky?"
"Unbelievable… is it going to show something?"
Shocked voices echoed everywhere.
Across the shinobi world, countless people stared at the screens with uncertainty.
No one understood why such things had appeared in the sky.
Meanwhile, inside the mysterious alternate space—
silence fell.
Complete silence.
Hamura and Hagoromo stared at the countless screens that had appeared throughout the shinobi world.
They were utterly baffled.
What was this supposed to be?
Why had so many broadcast screens appeared across the shinobi world?
This was simply unbelievable.
For a moment, even Hamura and Hagoromo were stunned.
They had been waiting for the allied forces to invade Konoha.
But now?
The army had not even reached Konoha yet, and the Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Ren, had already made the first move.
"What exactly is Uchiha Ren trying to do?"
After a long silence, Hamura finally snapped.
"How many hidden tricks does he still have?"
He was furious.
Utterly furious.
As a member of the Ōtsutsuki Clan and Kaguya's second son, Hamura had never felt this powerless before.
More importantly, he had tried to sense the giant screens floating across the shinobi world—
only to be forced back by an energy that made his heart tremble.
Yes.
Forced back.
"Wait."
Hagoromo took a deep breath, his tone calm.
"At this point, waiting is our only choice."
But the next instant—
the air exploded.
Hagoromo's fist had struck the space in front of him, unleashing a terrifying shockwave.
Clearly, despite his calm appearance, his heart was not calm at all.
After those giant screens appeared across the shinobi world, Hagoromo felt his control over the world weakening again.
That terrified him.
Back then, he had betrayed his own mother, Kaguya, precisely to gain control over the shinobi world and turn it into his own domain.
But now?
Ever since Uchiha Ren appeared, Hagoromo's control over the shinobi world had continued to weaken.
With the screens now appearing everywhere, that control had nearly reached a breaking point.
In other words—
the shinobi world had almost slipped out of his hands.
And the new owner was most likely the Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Ren.
That was why Hagoromo was so certain Ren was behind everything.
"Brother, should we act now?"
Killing intent flashed across Hamura's face.
"If this continues, we may be slowly strangled to death."
"No."
Hagoromo's expression turned cold as he refused decisively.
"Now is not the best time."
"The Ōtsutsuki main family's experts are almost at Earth."
"Our mother has revived as well."
"The real battle has not even begun."
After saying that, Hagoromo's eyes grew colder.
There was nothing else to say.
He had to endure.
Even if it became unbearable, he still had to endure.
He, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo, would be the final winner.
Looking at Hagoromo, who was becoming more and more cautious, Hamura opened his mouth.
But no words came out.
He had always admired his elder brother.
Especially back then, after Hagoromo saved him, they had joined forces and plotted against their mother, Kaguya.
In the end, when Kaguya let her guard down, they successfully sealed her away.
Naturally, the shinobi world then fell into their hands.
But now?
The elder brother who had once been decisive and ruthless had become hesitant.
He was cautious in everything he did.
He had lost the courage and sharpness of his youth.
In truth, when Uchiha Ren had first risen to power, Hamura had wanted to eliminate him before he matured.
But Hagoromo had refused.
And now—
that refusal had become the beginning of their nightmare.
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