Hiruzen persuaded me to die

In the Kamui dimension…

Uchiha Obito lay sprawled on the ground, his body torn, bloodless, and broken—only barely held together by the time-warping illusion of Izanagi.

The pain, however, was real.

Grinding his teeth, he hissed between gasps."The second time...!"

Hatred festered in his heart like an open wound.

Twice now—twice!—he had been killed by Hyūga Naraku.

Each time, just as he attempted to retreat into Kamui with his target, Naraku had read his timing and sliced him in half like a butcher with a script.

It was humiliating.

The same man. The same way.As if Obito were predictable.

Were it not for the illusion of Izanagi, he'd be dead—again. And with his death, his dream of the Infinite Tsukuyomi, of a world where he could finally live with Rin—would vanish like ash in the wind.

Behind him, a deep, mocking chuckle echoed.

"Well, well… The great Madara… reduced to half a man," Kisame said with a shark-toothed grin, arms crossed. "Not so divine now, are you?"

Obito winced, dragging his ruined body upright as he leaned against the wall of the void.

This damn shark... he's enjoying this too much.

"You still think you're the 'Savior of the World?' Because I'm struggling to see it. I mean—getting sliced like sushi by the same guy twice?"

Obito narrowed his lone remaining eye."If you doubt me… why don't you try something?"

His voice was cold, dangerous.

But Kisame didn't move.

He wasn't a fool. Izanagi was still active. No matter what he did to Obito, it would be undone. And besides, he needed this man… at least for now.

"Tch. Relax. I'm not suicidal," Kisame muttered. "I already betrayed Yagura. I don't plan on betraying my ticket out of this weird space."

He looked around the shifting, surreal void of Kamui's inner dimension.

Whatever else Obito was, he was a way out. And Kisame liked exits more than principles.

"Hmph," Obito scoffed, not trusting him for a second. A man born in the Blood Mist Village preaching loyalty? Please.

But then… finally.

Flick.

Obito's severed lower body shimmered back into existence, restored by the conclusion of Izanagi's time limit. The wounds vanished as if they had never been. He stood, whole again.

"...Haaah…"

He exhaled, steadying his breath. The agony of being halved still lingered in his bones, like a phantom limb screaming.

A new shadow projected from the Kamui portal. Obito's voice echoed from within.

"Impressive, Fifth Hokage," he said coldly, his eye landing on Hyūga Naraku through the distortion.

Obito's gaze then shifted to the small-framed figure nearby—Yagura, the former Fourth Mizukage.

The control he once held over the Three-Tails had crumbled when he was killed. The Genjutsu had snapped. Yagura was free—but he looked exhausted, spiritually gutted.

Obito sneered."What a shame. My little puppet got away."

He spoke as if the man was an old toy discarded in a box.

"I had such plans for you, Yagura," he continued venomously. "Watching Kirigakure rot under your rule… while you screamed silently in your mind. That would've been justice."

Yagura's young-looking face twisted with fury.

"You bastard…! Are you really Uchiha Madara?!"

He had heard it while under illusion—this masked man calling himself Madara.

But was it true?

From the edge of the battlefield, the reanimated Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, narrowed his eyes.

"That voice… it's the same one from decades ago," he muttered.

He hated Madara—but that voice was unmistakable. Even if the chakra was unrecognizable, the tone struck like a memory soaked in blood.

Beside him, First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, furrowed his brow.

"Are you… really Madara?"

The figure in the distortion was indistinct. No chakra, no form to sense—just a voice from the past.

Obito smirked beneath the mask. He couldn't afford to lie outright—not in front of them.

"Who knows?" he said cryptically. "Does it matter? Whether it's Madara or someone else, I will be the one to reshape this world."

His voice grew colder, deeper, as it echoed across reality and illusion.

"The Tailed Beasts… the villages… Konoha… Mist… They will all fall."

"You can stop me a thousand times. I only need to succeed once."

"I have many ways."

"We'll meet again."

And with that, the Kamui vortex spiraled shut, swallowing his image whole.

Silence returned—until Tobirama clicked his tongue.

"Destroying Konoha? He's got a death wish," he muttered.

"But that was Madara's voice," he added, eyes narrowing. "Either he's Madara, or a disciple… steeped in the same madness."

Hashirama shook his head.

"No… His chakra, his presence—completely different. That man… isn't Madara."

"But his intentions are the same," Tobirama said darkly.

"True," Hashirama nodded. "But now… the village has a Hokage who can protect it."

Tobirama turned toward the calm figure standing at the center of the field—Hyūga Naraku.

"Even if that masked man returns, are you sure this 'Fifth Hokage' can stand against Madara himself?"

Hashirama smiled.

"His Wood Style… is already stronger than mine."

Tobirama's eyes widened. "What?!"

"He can use True Several Thousand Hands without Sage Mode," Hashirama said proudly. "His chakra… surpasses even mine at my peak."

Tobirama stepped back, stunned. He focused his sensory perception—and felt it.

The power radiating from Naraku… was bottomless.

The surrounding Konoha shinobi were murmuring as well:

"Did you hear that? The First Hokage said it himself!""Fifth Hokage-sama… stronger than the God of Shinobi?""He even defeated Hiruzen!""Killed him, more like. Good riddance to that traitor."

Naraku raised a hand, drawing attention.

"Sarutobi Hiruzen has been executed," he announced flatly.

With a wave of his hand, he summoned the fallen body of the Third Hokage using gravitational force.

The Konoha shinobi looked on with cold satisfaction.

"He deserved it!""Traitor! He sided with enemies and tried to seize power from Hokage-sama!""He let the Fourth die! He nearly destroyed the village!"

Tobirama's expression darkened.

"...My student, reduced to this," he muttered bitterly. "He's lost the heart of the people."

Hashirama, however, smiled faintly as he watched the gathered shinobi rally around Naraku.

"And yet… the village endures."

He turned to the Fifth Hokage and nodded.

"We entrust it to you now."

With that, he performed a hand seal, releasing the jutsu binding him to the mortal world.

His reanimated body scattered into ash and light. His soul returned to the Pure Land.

"Farewell," he whispered.

Tobirama sighed. "There's no one left I know in this era, anyway."

He too formed a seal—and vanished into the light, leaving only memories behind.

Naraku stood silent, watching the ashes drift away.

He didn't bow. He didn't speak.

But his eyes told everything.

He would carry the will of fire—and blaze his own path through destiny.

Nearby…

Naraku turned toward the remaining Mist shinobi.

"Fourth Mizukage," he said, voice like ice. "You were under Genjutsu. What now?"

Yagura glanced at Terumi Mei, then at his own weakened form.

He sighed.

"We… the Mist… surrender."