Chapter 480: A Brief Meeting, Naruto's Shining Moment
As soon as the words left Shikaku Nara's mouth, a collective intake of breath swept through the command tent.
Every commander and elite shinobi present knew Naruto Uzumaki had grown stronger. But his opponent was the Yellow Flash. It was the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, the legendary figure who had once turned the tide of entire wars single-handedly.
For Naruto to actually defeat his own father in a head-on confrontation... the sheer magnitude of that achievement hung heavy in the air.
"Finally..."
Shikaku closed the battle report. The sound of the thick parchment folding shut drew the room's attention. He turned his gaze toward the head of the long tactical table, where Uchiha Akira sat in absolute silence.
"The enemy's Edo Tensei pawn, Uchiha Itachi, has been personally suppressed by Hokage-sama."
Shikaku's voice grew firmer, echoing against the canvas walls. "also, in the face of Hokage-sama's Perfect Susanoo, the combined forces of Iwagakure and Kumogakure have completely collapsed. The Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, has fled the battlefield in a total panic with his remaining troops."
He paused, letting the weight of the victory settle over the gathered officers. "In this battle, Kumogakure's main offensive force has been entirely wiped out. Iwagakure's military strength has been severely depleted. The so-called Ninja World Alliance now exists in name only!"
Thwack.
Shikaku slammed the heavy battle report down onto the wooden table.
"That is all. That concludes the periodic summary of this campaign."
A brief, stunned silence fell over the tent. The sheer scale of their triumph was difficult to process.
Then, someone started to clap.
Within seconds, thunderous applause erupted, shaking the very foundations of the command tent.
"Well done."
Uchiha Akira nodded. His voice was not loud, yet it effortlessly cut through the deafening cheers. The applause ceased instantly, replaced by absolute, reverent attention.
His dark, calculating gaze swept over the gathered crowd before landing on the blonde youth near the front.
"Naruto."
Naruto instinctively snapped to attention, his spine rigid, his hands glued to his sides.
"Being able to defeat Minato shows that you are no longer just relying on the power of the Nine-Tails to fight," Akira stated, his tone measured but carrying a rare weight of approval. "Whether it was formulating battlefield tactics or judging the flow of combat, you executed your role perfectly. The current you is no longer that loud brat who only knew how to play pranks to get attention."
Akira leaned forward slightly, his eyes locking onto Naruto's. "Your strength is now enough for you to hold your own in this world."
Naruto froze.
He stared blankly at the man seated at the head of the table. His throat bobbed. A hot, stinging sensation pricked at the corners of his eyes, and his vision gradually blurred.
Growing up, the words etched into his very soul had been 'Dead Last,''monster,' and'idiot.' He had fought tooth and nail for every scrap of acknowledgment. While the village's attitude toward him had shifted over the years, receiving this direct, unfiltered recognition from Uchiha Akira... the man he viewed as an impossible peak, his ultimate goal, and his most respected master...
The feeling was entirely different. It felt like a massive weight had finally been lifted from his shoulders.
"Hehe..."
Naruto quickly raised a hand, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly as he flashed his signature, wide grin to hide the moisture in his eyes. "Actually... Dad probably went easy on me. And that grumpy fox inside me helped out a whole lot, too."
"A win is a win."
Gaara, sitting beside Naruto with his arms crossed over his chest, spoke up. His expression remained as stoic as ever, but his tone carried a deep, unshakeable certainty.
"Naruto. I have seen everything you have endured to reach where you stand today." Gaara turned his head, his pale green eyes meeting Naruto's blue ones. "There is no need to be humble. Today's success was earned through every drop of your blood and sweat."
Gaara was a young man of few words, but each syllable he spoke was laced with absolute sincerity. Once upon a time, they had both been outcasts, Jinchuriki rejected and feared by the very people they lived among. Now, they both stood in the light, recognized as heroes who protected their homes.
Amidst the warm, harmonious atmosphere filling the tent...
A cold, derisive snort suddenly shattered the mood.
Every head turned toward the source of the sound.
In the dim shadows of the tent's far corner sat Sasuke. His face was a mask of icy resentment. He slowly lifted his chin, his dark eyes locking onto Naruto, who stood bathed in the admiration of the crowd. The jealousy rolling off the young Uchiha was suffocating.
"Do not think you are the only one getting stronger," Sasuke muttered, his voice dripping with venom. "I also..."
The tomoe in Sasuke's eyes spun wildly, bleeding together into a complex, complex pattern. A freezing, oppressive wave of Visual Prowess instantly flooded the tent, making the air feel heavy and suffocating.
"I have awakened these eyes!" Sasuke declared, his voice rising in volume. "The current me is no longer the same as you!"
Mangekyo Sharingan.
The ultimate power of the Uchiha Clan. He had finally obtained the legendary dojutsu. With these eyes, he believed he possessed the absolute capital to catch up to everything he had lost, to crush anyone who stood above him.
"Sasuke..." Naruto looked at his rival, his mouth opening slightly, but the words died in his throat. He did not know how to bridge the sudden, hostile gap between them.
"Enough."
Two syllables.
Uchiha Akira slowly turned his head and fixed his gaze upon Sasuke.
With just a single, indifferent look...
The overwhelming delusion of invincibility that Sasuke had been riding since awakening his Mangekyo vanished into thin air. The oppressive pressure in the tent evaporated, replaced by a terrifying, suffocating dread that emanated solely from the man at the head of the table.
"Ho... Hokage-sama..." Sasuke gritted his teeth, the muscles in his jaw bulging as he fought a desperate, losing battle against the instinct to lower his head.
"Feeling proud?" Akira's voice was smooth, devoid of anger, yet it cut deeper than any blade. "You think you are untouchable just because you managed to awaken the Mangekyo? You think you have earned the right to act high and mighty in my presence?"
Sasuke's face flushed a deep, humiliating shade of red. "I didn't..."
"You did."
Akira cut him off mercilessly. He rose from his chair, his footsteps silent against the floorboards as he closed the distance. He stopped right in front of Sasuke, looking down at the clan junior from an impossible height.
"Sasuke, your biggest flaw has never been a lack of talent or effort." Akira's eyes narrowed, cold and calculating. "Your fatal flaw is your mindset. A true powerhouse never flaunts their arrogance just because they stumbled into a fraction of new power."
Akira leaned in slightly, his presence completely engulfing the younger Uchiha. "If you were truly as strong as you believe, why were you so utterly powerless when you faced Itachi?"
Sasuke flinched as if struck.
"The Mangekyo Sharingan is indeed a stepping stone to becoming a true powerhouse," Akira continued, his tone turning dismissive. "But it is not an excuse for your blind arrogance."
Akira paused, letting the silence stretch until it became unbearable.
"If you continue forward with this pathetic mindset..."
Akira leaned closer, his lips hovering just inches from Sasuke's ear, his voice dropping to a deadly, chilling whisper.
"Next time, you really will die. And you will die a meaningless, pathetic death."
Sasuke's entire body trembled violently. His hands gripped his knees until his knuckles turned white. He wanted to scream, to activate his new eyes and prove the man wrong, but the suffocating aura pressing down on him forced him to swallow his pride. He had to admit the terrifying truth: Uchiha Akira was right.
"Sit down."
The command left no room for debate.
Sasuke lowered his head, his bangs shadowing his eyes, and sank back into his chair in absolute silence.
With the disruption handled, Uchiha Akira turned his back on the trembling youth and returned to his seat. He settled into the chair, his dark gaze sweeping across the silent commanders.
"Today's victory is merely the beginning," Akira stated, his voice projecting authority. "Although the Raikage has been captured, true peace cannot be begged for. It must be thoroughly established with the blades in our hands."
He raised a hand, his fingers tapping a slow, rhythmic beat against the wooden table.
"Pass down the orders. The men are to rest for exactly three hours. In three hours, we will launch a general offensive against the remnants of the alliance."
Akira waved his hand dismissively. "Meeting adjourned."
The commanders offered crisp salutes before filing out of the tent, moving with urgent purpose to return to their respective units and maximize their brief window of rest.
In the blink of an eye, the massive command tent emptied, leaving only Uchiha Akira and a small detail of attending Anbu operatives hidden in the shadows.
"Lead the way," Akira ordered, rising smoothly to his feet. "Let us go to the Sealing Squad and deal with those Edo Tensei remnants."
At the rear of the sprawling encampment sat a temporary holding facility, heavily reinforced and wrapped in multiple layers of glowing barrier ninjutsu.
Minato Namikaze. Hyuga Hizashi. Hatake Sakumo. Kato Dan. The Gold and Silver Brothers.
A collection of the most terrifying powerhouses from eras past, all bound by the impure world reincarnation.
Akira stepped slowly through the shimmering barrier, his cold gaze sweeping over the immobilized, cracking figures of the once-mighty shinobi.
"Leaving them out here is an unnecessary risk," Akira muttered to himself.
He slowly raised his right hand. Deep within his palm, the complex, rippling pattern of the Rinnegan faintly manifested, pulsing with a dark, otherworldly chakra.
"It is far more reassuring to lock them away completely."
Voom!
The very fabric of space trembled violently. Akira spread his fingers wide, aiming his palm directly at the bound prisoners.
"Bansho Ten'in!"
A terrifying, inescapable gravitational force erupted from his hand. The surrounding air warped and screamed under the pressure. The Edo Tensei bodies were instantly ripped from their restraints, dragged through the air, and plunged straight into a pitch-black spatial rift that tore open behind Akira.
Then, the scene shifted.
Deep within the core area of the Tianyu Space.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The reanimated bodies of the legendary shinobi slammed heavily onto the desolate ground of the alternate dimension.
Before any of them could even attempt to recover from the disorienting spatial transfer, the earth beneath them shattered. Several massive, pristine crystal pillars violently erupted from the ground, surging upward and completely swallowing the Edo Tensei bodies within their impenetrable depths.
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