"Haa… Haa…"
Obito knelt on one knee, coughing up blood as he slowly lifted his head.
Beads of cold sweat formed on his brow.
"This… this fight… even if you win…"
"You still owe me my eyes."
As soon as he finished speaking, Obito's right eye flared with Kamui's power.
Kakashi was frozen in place, unable to move.
All he could do was watch as Obito vanished.
But before he could even catch his breath, Obito returned.
And this time—he attacked without hesitation.
Kakashi was caught off guard, sent flying by a heavy punch.
No restraint.
Obito reclaimed his eye without mercy.
"Heh… You've outlived your usefulness."
Kakashi clutched the empty socket, head lowered in silence.
Obito then removed his own left eye, ruined after using Izanagi, and slotted in the stolen Sharingan.
Double Kamui.
Kakashi inhaled deeply, slowly gathering chakra.
Once he regained a sliver of strength, he stood up.
"I gave it back to you… I've washed my hands clean now."
"No! You'll never be clean."
Kakashi shook his head.
"Do you know how I got in here?"
Only then did Obito's eyes narrow in realization.
"Don't worry. You'll understand soon enough. Besides—"
"You will come back to Konoha."
"Rin and I… we'll be waiting."
A swirling vortex appeared behind Kakashi, space twisting with Kamui's power.
Whoosh—
Kakashi vanished.
Obito stood there in a daze.
"Rin… Rin?!"
"Damn it!"
"Did you resurrect her?!"
His heart, already cracking, began to break apart completely.
The wall he'd erected was shattered—by Kakashi's hand.
"All lies… fake… everything's fake!"
He grabbed his head, falling to his knees.
His mind, a storm of chaos.
Failure. Total failure.
Madara had still returned.
The Tailed Beasts—gone.
The Rinnegan—taken back by Madara.
And now, Madara had no need for him.
He was no longer part of the Eye of the Moon Plan.
No base to return to.
Even when he went back to retrieve his Sharingan, he'd nearly been caught by White Zetsu and handed over to Naruto.
Only now did Obito realize how naive he had been.
One hundred thousand White Zetsu?
Two hundred thousand? A million?
Didn't matter.
The moment they saw Naruto, they all turned on him.
Meanwhile – Real World
Kakashi reappeared in the underground base that once belonged to Uchiha Madara.
Naruto's clone sat calmly, the glow of his Eternal Mangekyō fading.
"You're going back?"
Kakashi nodded silently.
"You still want your eye?"
"Please, Naruto."
"Well…" Naruto scratched his head. "Kurama says each eye costs five million, so no free chakra allowance this month."
Ahem. "Kyūbi already emptied your bank account," the clone added helpfully.
Kakashi's weary back finally gave out.
"…Whatever. I don't even care anymore."
He collapsed onto the floor, a single tear of blood tracing down his cheek.
Naruto chuckled. "By the way, Gai's on his way too."
Whoosh—
Kakashi shot upright like a spring.
"Hurry! Naruto, please—I need my eye back!"
Without another word, Naruto pressed his hand to Kakashi's empty socket, sending in healing chakra.
Within minutes, the eye was restored.
A second-stage White Zetsu clone stepped forward and wrapped it in fresh bandages.
"In three days, it'll be fully functional."
After all, it was a clone doing the work—still not quite the same as the original.
"Thank you."
With that, Kakashi activated Kyūbi Chakra Mode and shot out of the base like a bullet.
"GAI!!!"
At the Same Time – Outside Iwagakure
Uchiha Madara's clone gave Senju Tobirama no opening.
He instantly activated Susanoo, intercepting Tobirama's Flying Thunder God Slash.
With a swift counter, he caught Tobirama mid-step.
Bang!
But what he crushed was just a shadow clone.
"Hmph."
Madara snorted coldly—but when he turned, Senju Hashirama was already behind him.
"Stop this, Madara."
He didn't attack. Just looked past him at the yellow-haired figure standing between them.
Naruto.
"Nonsense!"
Madara's clone dismissed the confrontation and dissipated on his own.
Even the Wood Golem collapsed to the ground.
Naruto stepped forward, placing a hand over Yugito's abdomen.
In an instant, he entered her sealed space.
It was glowing with hues of blue and pink—ethereal and warm.
"Uzumaki Naruto. I know you."
Matatabi, the Two-Tails, stood before him—her body cloaked in cerulean chakra flames, eyes wise and graceful.
Her voice was soft. Feminine.
"A pleasure."
Naruto smiled and extended a hand.
"Lend me your chakra?"
Matatabi looked at him, then down at his outstretched hand.
"A ninja of trust… Seems even the Kyūbi believes in you."
She bumped her paw against his fist.
As Matatabi prepared to enter the Tailed Beast meeting space to consult Kurama, she was surprised.
Instead of the Nine-Tails… a woman's body sat in his place.
"…Another trip?"
"Wait, Naruto's in the Hidden Cloud? Then who—"
The "Kyūbi" was counting something—paper slips?
Matatabi blinked.
"Just wanted to see what the arrogant Nine-Tails had become but… how are you—"
Before she could finish, Kurama—clearly annoyed—rolled her eyes and waved her off.
"We'll talk later. I've got accounting to finish."
She vanished.
Matatabi stood frozen.
"…Kyūbi, what happened to you?"
And why… why did you seem more charming than Yugito herself?
By the time Yugito Nii regained consciousness, Naruto had already absorbed the chakra of the Two-Tails into his own as nutrients.
The tailed beast chakras currently sealed within his Baihui acupoint included the Nine-Tails, One-Tail, Two-Tails, and Eight-Tails.
Just a few more to go.
Once the chakra from all nine tailed beasts is gathered, the eyes of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path will fully light up.
When that happens, the Ten-Tails can be summoned—even if incomplete—and the resurrection of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki becomes possible.
The preparation wasn't just about summoning her—it was to prevent the worst-case scenario: reaching the Moon's core only to find that Kaguya had perished due to chakra starvation.
"This trip... just in time to collect the Four-Tails and Five-Tails," Naruto muttered.
After loosening his shoulders, he brought the unconscious Yugito back to the Hidden Cloud Village.
"Yugito?!"
Mabui and Samui were stunned.
It wasn't just the state of Yugito that shocked them—it was also Naruto's ability to appear and disappear like a ghost.
"He might be even stronger than the Fourth Hokage, judging from the reports..."
Samui recovered first and bowed politely.
"Thank you, Naruto-sama!"
Ah, breaking protocol, huh?
Mabui quickly followed and bowed as well.
Naruto waved a hand casually. "She just overused her chakra. She'll likely wake up by tonight. I've got business to handle."
Before they could speak again, Naruto vanished using the Flying Thunder God Technique.
By the time he arrived at Iwagakure, Hashirama and Tobirama were no longer waiting.
Instead, not far away stood the Jinchūriki of the Four-Tails and Five-Tails, each clad in a faint Tailed Beast Chakra Cloak—worn down, exhausted, but not yet defeated.
Beside them stood Tobirama Senju, who couldn't intervene in the clash unfolding nearby.
In the distance, the battle between Uchiha Madara and Hashirama had escalated once more.
Complete-Body Susanoo vs. True Several Thousand Hands.
The earth trembled under the clash of titanic forces.
Roots of trees burst from the ground, tearing into the sky as the Thousand-Armed Buddha unleashed a flurry of devastating strikes.
Boom. Boom. BOOM.
Each punch like a thunderclap, shaking heaven and earth.
In the end, even the Complete-Body Susanoo couldn't match the overwhelming power of the True Several Thousand Hands.
Madara, however, showed no sign of frustration.
He relished the clash, basking in the thrill of combat against his eternal rival.
Just as the Buddha's massive hands were about to subdue Madara, everything stopped.
Even the statue froze.
Hashirama blinked, confused.
"Again?!"
Naruto appeared beside him, rubbing his nose sheepishly.
"Sorry, sorry… Used up a bit too much chakra just now. My bad."
Hashirama sighed. "No need to explain. It's your turn now."
With that, he leapt down from the battlefield.
Madara smirked as he dismissed the Susanoo again, feeling the rush of life coursing through his new body.
"This body… feels alive. My blood's boiling!"
He tore off his chestplate with a single motion, revealing taut muscle and a heart that beat with fierce vitality.
"The interplay of opposites creates all things..."
"Hashi... do you think the inscription on the Uchiha stone tablet refers to the union of opposites? That through Uchiha and Senju working together... true happiness can be achieved?"
A grin spread across his face as he looked at the imprint of Hashirama's face on his chest.
"Uchiha and Senju—those who wield both powers shall attain true peace."
But as he looked around, he realized something.
No one reacted.
No awe. No fear. Not even confusion.
Hashirama sighed and extended his hand. "I'm still in Sage Mode. If you want chakra, just take it."
"...???"
Madara's brain briefly short-circuited.
"Don't mess with me!"
Whoosh—
Madara rushed in, clearly agitated.
But deep down, wasn't this the very moment he had been preparing for?
The Moon's Eye Plan... everything had led to this.
Even now, he wouldn't abandon that dream.
He reached Hashirama and slapped his hand away—only for Hashirama to backhand him across the face.
"Hold the damn hand already!"
Madara leaned back to dodge the slap, clicked his tongue, and finally grabbed Hashirama's hand.
He began to absorb Sage Chakra.
Slowly, a new face formed on Madara's chest—this time, Hashirama's face in Sage Mode.
"So this is Senjutsu chakra…"
"This power… not bad. Not hard to control, either."
Hashirama twitched. "Then why don't you just come back to the village?"
"Tch!"
Madara scoffed, ignored him, and turned back to Naruto.
He bit his thumb, weaved a hand sign, and slammed his hand into the ground.
"Summoning: Demonic Statue of the Outer Path!"
BOOM—
The monstrous form of the Gedo Statue erupted behind him.
"With this, once I defeat you, I can absorb all four remaining tailed beasts at once."
A grin curled on his lips.
"If I fully utilize the Rinnegan's power, this fight will be… divine."
"You haven't fully recovered from our last fight, have you?"
He raised his hand.
"The second round… begins now!"
"Limbo: Border Jail!"
...
TN:
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