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"Don't apologize to me."
The words came from behind him.
Kakure had appeared without a sound. He looked at Obito, whose face was growing paler by the second. "I was one of the ones tasked with watching you, after all."
Obito managed a weak smile. "Is that so? But I'm still sorry…"
He and Kakure had walked this long road together. There had been suspicion, trust, companionship…
In truth, the place in his life that had once belonged to Rin had long since been filled by Kakure. Rin was the light that had once guided him, but the one who had walked beside him through the darkness was Kakure.
Kakure watched him silently. A sphere of golden light materialized in his palm. He pressed it gently against Obito's chest.
The light sank in.
A faint, sputtering ember of life began to glow within Obito's heart. The heart, on the verge of stillness, began to beat again.
Meanwhile.
Now restored to a body of flesh and blood, Madara Uchiha felt his power surge once more. On Kakure's silent command, the colossal Fa Tian Xiang Di turned from the sky and stomped toward the Tailed Beasts.
The golden cage descended again, trapping all seven of them with contemptuous ease. Their roars and struggles meant nothing. It was futile.
To revive Kaguya, Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails were essential.
"!"
Naruto suddenly froze, his entire body locking up.
A hand clamped down on his shoulder.
"Kakure… nee-chan…?" Naruto murmured, confusion in his eyes.
"Gah—!"
The confusion vanished, replaced by agony.
Kakure's hand glowed. The massive chakra presence of the Yang half of Kurama was torn from Naruto's body, unable to resist. At the same time, a shadow clone of Kakure appeared beside Minato Namikaze and performed the same extraction on the Yin half.
"Bee!"
The same was happening to Killer Bee.
The Fourth Raikage transformed into a bolt of lightning. But he was not fast enough. Not nearly fast enough.
With all nine Tailed Beasts gathered, the golden cage slammed shut around them. A satisfied Madara landed beside Kakure's true body.
"Good."
The nine beasts surged into Madara, one after another, absorbed into his form.
Madara began to change. His jet-black hair turned snow-white. His red armor dissolved, replaced by the regal, black-and-white robes of the Six Paths. Truth-Seeking Orbs materialized behind him. A black staff formed in his grasp.
He stood there, clenching and unclenching his fist, savoring the immense power flooding his veins. A slow, triumphant smile spread across his face.
Without Kakure holding back, the simultaneous extraction of the full Nine-Tails and Eight-Tails was instantly fatal to their Jinchūriki. The heart of the vessel stopped. It was an iron law.
"Naruto!" Sakura screamed, eyes wide with horror as she lunged toward him.
Sasuke just stood there, staring, as if unable to process that Naruto—that idiot—was just… gone.
Minato, as an Edo Tensei, felt no physical effect. But watching his son die in front of him was a pain that transcended the physical, a torture no father should endure.
"Bee…!" The Fourth Raikage's massive hands trembled.
Kakure, observing calmly, figured the delivery service should be arriving right about now.
He was right.
A soft, otherworldly light began to diffuse across the battlefield. A spectral figure gradually coalesced. He too wore the Six Paths Sage robes, with white hair floating weightlessly and Truth-Seeking Orbs at his back. His eyes were Rinnegan, similar to Madara's.
"You are…" Kakashi's visible eye widened in disbelief.
"The Sage of Six Paths…" Obito rasped, struggling to push himself up from the ground.
Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki's gaze swept the battlefield, settling first on Kakure and the towering Fa Tian Xiang Di, then on the lone figure currently dueling Madara—Neji Hyuga.
"It seems the shinobi world has undergone a great upheaval…" he sighed.
His eyes focused on Neji. "A familiar chakra…" A faint, nostalgic smile touched his lips. "My brother Hamura's chakra."
"Come."
Hagoromo waved a hand. A gentle but irresistible force enveloped Naruto and Sasuke's bodies, drawing them through the air to float before him.
High above, seated in the palm of the Fa Tian Xiang Di, Kakure watched the scene unfold below.
"Stop them!" Madara roared, momentarily disengaging from Neji to shout at Kakure.
The appearance of the Sage triggered a primal alarm in him. A true threat.
The Fa Tian Xiang Di took a single, earth-shaking step, crossing the distance to loom over the Sage.
In response, Hagoromo channeled the Edo Tensei. Spectral figures shimmered into existence around him—the First Kage of each village.
"Please, hold them back for a time," Hagoromo requested.
"To think an era would produce shinobi of such power…" the First Kazekage, Retto, murmured in awe.
"Liger Bomb!" A streak of lightning shot past Retto. The First Raikage, A, was already moving, a human bolt aimed straight for Kakure.
"That Raikage's temper never changes!" the First Tsuchikage, Ishikawa, remarked.
"We should assist," the First Mizukage, Byakuren, stated calmly.
A barrage of legendary techniques—each a village's founding secret—erupted toward Kakure and his construct.
The golden light pillar of the Fa Tian Xiang Di absorbed it all. Then, amplified, it fired the concentrated energy back.
From the giant's back, countless golden arms sprouted. Fiery lotus blossoms shot out like cannon fire. A massive blade of light cleaved the earth beneath the Kage.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Mushroom clouds of dust and energy bloomed in the air. The bodies of the First Kage were blasted apart.
And Edo Tensei bodies damaged by Kakure's power did not regenerate.
Neji was locked in combat with Madara. The First Kage were gone. Someone needed to buy time for Naruto and Sasuke.
But there was no one left.
"Now is the time for Konoha's Blue Beast to take the stage!"
Might Guy stepped forward.
He looked up at Kakure, flashing a brilliant, thumbs-up grin. "I've always used you as motivation, Kakure! My father said you were a shinobi worthy of respect! That you acknowledged his Eight Gates!"
"Today, I'll prove your judgment was right with my own Eight Gates!"
Kakure: "…"
That really wasn't necessary. He had no desire for such proof.
"The Eighth Gate…"
"Gate of Death…"
"OPEN!"
Crimson steam exploded from every pore of Guy's body. His eyes shone like lightning. Muscles swelled, covered in the aura of burning life.
"Evening Elephant!"
The ground beneath Guy's feet shattered into dust. Powerful air cannons, visible shockwaves of pure force, blasted from his limbs.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The earth cratered. The massive body of the Fa Tian Xiang Di was pierced through with holes.
"So strong!" The shinobi alliance held its breath.
Golden light flowed from the construct's body, instantly sealing the wounds.
"What kind of monstrous technique is this?!" someone gritted out.
The crimson steam intensified, twisting and coiling… forming the shape of a dragon.
"Space… is distorting?" Kakashi stared, his sharingan eye wide with shock. The air around Guy warped and bent.
"Guy… you've already surpassed me…" He remembered the past. The bowl-cut boy who always vowed to beat him. Somewhere along the way, without anyone noticing, he already had.
"NIGHT GUY!"
The attack that burned all remaining life.
A crimson dragon that seemed to pierce through space and time itself.
It arrived before Kakure in an instant.
A golden barrier unfolded from Kakure's palm.
CRACK!
The sound was sharp, final.
The barrier shattered like thin ice, fragmenting into glittering pieces that vanished in the air.
The crimson dragon's maw engulfed Kakure entirely.
On the ground, where the attack landed, a charred, blackened body lay. The spark of life within it guttered and went out.
Everyone looked to the side.
As the white smoke cleared, Kakure stood there. Unharmed. Not a scratch.
He addressed the alliance, his voice calm. "I told you. Defeating me is not a possibility. It only leads to pointless sacrifice." His gaze fell to Guy's fallen form. The meaning was clear.
"That's not true!"
The voice, full of defiant energy, exploded right beside Kakure's ear.
Naruto was there. In an instant.
CLANG!
A streak of light from Kakure's hand met a black Truth-Seeking Orb Naruto summoned, deflecting it.
Naruto kicked out. A golden barrier flashed, throwing him back.
"Naruto!" Sasuke was there, catching him.
Kakure noted the change in Sasuke too. One of his eyes was now a Rinnegan.
In the distance, Neji's body smashed through a cliff face, sent flying by a blow from Madara.
"Cough!" Neji stumbled from the rubble, vomiting blood.
"Neji!" Tenten cried out, desperate to run to him but afraid of becoming a burden.
"Sasuke!" Naruto yelled.
Sasuke nodded. He flashed away, appearing opposite Madara.
Kakure leapt high, settling back into the palm of his golden giant.
"Wha… what's going on?" Naruto blinked, confused as Kakure seemed to withdraw from the fight.
"Idiot, get over here!" Sasuke barked, as if he understood something Naruto didn't.
"Oh? … Right!" Naruto appeared beside him in a flicker.
Madara looked down at them, a sneer on his face. "Even with your new power, you're still nothing before me!"
From his high vantage point, Kakure could see it clearly now.
"Ah…"
"It's blooming."
The bud of the Ten-Tails God Tree was slowly, majestically, unfurling.
Within, a blood-red Rinnegan with nine tomoe stared directly at the moon.
"Infinite Tsukuyomi…"
"It's begun."
As his words faded, the moon in the sky turned blood red. The nine tomoe began to rotate across its surface.
"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted.
Sasuke understood immediately. A deep purple Susano'o erupted from the ground, encasing them.
"Get inside the Susano'o! It will block the light!" he yelled to the remaining alliance.
But they were too slow. As Kakashi and the others scrambled inside, the light washed over the rest. Their eyes turned Rinnegan-patterned. They stared blankly at the moon as white bandages erupted from the God Tree, wrapping them tightly before hoisting them up to dangle like chrysalises.
Now, on the battlefield, only a handful remained unaffected: Kakure, Madara, Naruto, Sasuke, Obito, Kakashi, Sakura, and Neji.
"This… is Infinite Tsukuyomi?" Naruto frowned, looking at the forest of cocoons.
"What's the difference between this dream and death?"
"Exactly," Sasuke said, his voice low. "A dream like this is worse than death."
Obito watched the scene—the cocoons, Madara, Kakure—and let out a sigh so faint it was almost inaudible.
"Once I dispose of you, the truly perfect world will finally arrive!" Madara's voice boomed. He floated in the air, looking down on them with fanatical eyes. His ultimate goal was within reach. No one could stay calm now.
"You are mistaken."
"Madara."
The voice came from behind Madara.
A black, shadowy hand plunged straight through his chest.
"Guh…!"
Madara's eyes widened in shock and pain. He looked down. A hand protruded from his torso.
Black Zetsu?
The being that claimed to be the manifestation of his own will!
"What's happening? What's going on?" Naruto sputtered, his brain struggling to keep up with the twists.
"Wasn't that thing his will? Why would it attack him?" Sasuke's brow was furrowed in intense concentration.
Feeling the immense power draining from him, Madara's gaze shot to Kakure, who was still calmly observing from the sidelines.
"Kakure…!"
Kakure appeared beside Black Zetsu in an instant.
"Hurry up," he said, not to Madara, but to Zetsu.
Madara's eyes went wider.
"You…"
"Both of you!"
"Madara," Kakure said slowly, his voice carrying a strange weight. "Never trust anyone. That's a lesson you, of all people, should have learned better than me."
"Awaken!"
"My mother!" Black Zetsu's voice was thick with fanatical devotion.
Kakure took two discreet steps to the side, putting a little distance between himself and the… whatever was happening.
Long, white hair flowed down, pooling on the ground. A new, terrifyingly serene presence materialized before them all.
Kaguya Ōtsutsuki opened her eyes.
A pressure so profound it crushed sound itself descended upon the battlefield, leaving it in dead silence.
"Mother!" Black Zetsu trembled with emotion.
Kakure stood beside him, tilting his head. "So this is Kaguya Ōtsutsuki?"
"Indeed! Kaguya Ōtsutsuki! The Progenitor of Chakra! The Rabbit Goddess! The world's one true ruler!" Black Zetsu's adoring gaze was glued to her form.
When Kaguya's blank, pupil-less eyes turned toward them, Zetsu quickly added, "Mother, this one is your loyal servant! He yearns for the world to return to your embrace! We worked together to free you from your seal!"
Kakure glanced at Zetsu. Not bad. The guy had some loyalty. Knew to put in a good word for his business partner.
[Ding! Affection of character Kaguya Ōtsutsuki has reached 60!]
"Hello, hello!" Kakure extended both hands with enthusiastic warmth. "The name Kaguya-hime is legendary! To meet you in person is truly awe-inspiring! Honestly, only someone of your stature can bring proper order to this world. It's a relief, really!"
He looked at her with what appeared to be utmost sincerity.
[Ding! Affection of character Kaguya Ōtsutsuki has reached 80!]
Kakure's eye twitched.
Just as he suspected.
The so-called Progenitor of Chakra, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, was… kind of a ditz. A being of god-like power with zero combat instincts or tactical sense. Who apparently also had a thing for handsome faces? She'd been fooled by Naruto's Reverse Harem Jutsu, for kami's sake.
"Seeing you here puts my mind at ease!" Kakure continued, beaming. "Once we deal with these… troublesome individuals…" he gestured vaguely at Naruto and the others, "…peace will finally return!"
He held out his hand expectantly.
Kaguya, though she seemed vaguely reluctant, reached out and took it. This person had, after all, aided in her release.
A tiny, almost imperceptible spark of golden light passed from Kakure's hand into hers. A flicker of gold shone deep within her Byakugan for a split second.
"Good brother!" Kakure said heartily, slinging a friendly arm around Black Zetsu's shadowy shoulders. "From today, we're brothers!"
Another tiny golden spark transferred from Kakure's hand into Zetsu's form. A small, golden flame ignited in Zetsu's beady eyes.
"Yes! Brothers!" Zetsu agreed, his voice oddly fervent.
Kakure clapped his hands together. "And it's a wrap!"
"Finally, no more loose ends to worry about!"
He stretched his arms above his head, taking a deep, satisfied breath of the chaotic, chakra-tinged air. From this day forward, nothing in this world could stop him from doing… whatever he wanted.
If you could solve things with a few well-chosen words, why bother with all the fighting?
He'd already established his dominance over the shinobi alliance. There was no need for a grand, destructive battle against Kaguya to prove a point they already understood.
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