At the same time, on the battlefield—
Although Kazuki had instantly crushed the Fire Release: Blast Wave Wild Dance, Uchiha Obito hadn't launched that attack to damage him. His true objective had been to rescue Uchiha Itachi, who was still trapped inside a water membrane.
The flames imbued with spatial distortion began to sear the membrane. Slowly, the hardened prison of water started to dissolve under the heat. Itachi seized the moment and unleashed his full ocular power.
Amaterasu!
Black flames from the depths of hell scorched the water membrane until it finally collapsed, setting him free!
Uchiha Itachi gasped for air in heavy, ragged breaths. After several minutes of near-drowning, the famed composure of Konoha's number one genius had shattered—his eyes burned with a mix of terror and rage.
Naruto… just who the hell is he?!
Neither Uchiha Itachi nor Uchiha Obito had heard Shimura Danzō's final words. Imprisoned within the Water Prison and the water membrane, the only thing they could hear was the gurgling of water in their ears.
From their perspective—just like with the Nine-Tails-cloaked Naruto—they assumed this was the result of him awakening the inherited bloodline gifts of both Namikaze Minato and Kushina. Not once did they consider Water Release… or think of Senju Tobirama.
After all, the Second Hokage had lived two generations before them—he wasn't even a common reference point in their minds.
"Father! What… what is going on? Brother—are you okay?!"
In the tense silence of the battlefield, a young voice rang out—clear, but full of confusion and fear. It came from behind Uchiha Fugaku.
Uchiha Sasuke, having heard his brother's coughing, had rushed out from inside the house. He had disobeyed Fugaku's orders to stay hidden.
As soon as Sasuke stepped outside, he was greeted by a scene of carnage—blood staining the ground, the corpses of Uchiha clansmen scattered across the yard, and his older brother, drenched like a drowned rat, his scarlet eyes burning with fury as he panted heavily.
Beside Uchiha Itachi stood another Uchiha, masked, gripping a katana still slick with blood. It was clear that he stood in opposition to Sarutobi Hiruzen and the surrounding Uchiha.
And then there was Naruto—radiating golden light, surrounded by shimmering visual effects that Sasuke simply couldn't ignore, no matter how concerned he was for his brother.
The sheer complexity of the scene made Sasuke's brain feel like it was overheating.
What the hell was going on?
"Sasuke! Didn't I tell you to stay inside the house? Your brother's lost it! He's betrayed the entire clan by conspiring with outsiders—he wants to steal everyone's Sharingan!"
Uchiha Fugaku seized the moment and threw Itachi under the bus without hesitation.
Now that Senju Tobirama had returned, any hope for an Uchiha coup was as good as dead…
And based on the Second Hokage's actions tonight—stopping the Uchiha massacre, executing Shimura Danzō—he was clearly far more decisive and trustworthy than his two students had ever been.
So, why not blame everything on Itachi? Pin tonight's chaos on him and, in the process, clear the Uchiha's name from the Nine-Tails incident.
After all, that masked Uchiha was right there.
He had lured Itachi into attacking his own clan. How could anyone still claim the Nine-Tails attack was the Uchiha's doing?
"What?! My brother would never do something like that!"
Sasuke broke down on the spot. He stared at the blood-soaked sword in Itachi's hand and shouted, "No! That's not true!"
Seeing Sasuke so distraught, a flicker of relief passed through Itachi's heart.
He was still his little brother, after all—someone who instinctively knew that everything Itachi had done had been out of necessity, someone who refused to believe it, unlike the rest of the clan… even Shisui had believed Itachi had done it.
But that moment of comfort was immediately replaced by a wave of intense anxiety.
Sasuke can't be like this.
Even though the massacre had failed, a significant number of Uchiha had still died by his hand. And now, that blood-debt would need an heir…
Would the vengeful survivors turn their hatred toward Sasuke?
Itachi, who had always regarded his clan through a lens free from tribalism—who never hesitated to assign them the darkest malice—was convinced they would.
And their inept clan leader—his own father, Fugaku—might not be capable of protecting Sasuke.
That meant Itachi had no choice. He had to do everything he could to ensure Sasuke's safety—and push him to grow stronger, as quickly as possible.
And at that moment—
Uchiha Obito grabbed Itachi by the arm. His Kamui Mangekyō surged with power, his gaze locked tightly on Naruto.
"We're leaving. The Nine-Tails Jinchūriki's chakra isn't right. We need to regroup."
Obito had made up his mind—it was time to retreat.
He may not have heard Danzō's final words through the water, but he wasn't blind. In Nine-Tails Mode, Naruto's speed was nearly impossible to track. The odds of capturing him were slim to none.
At least, not with just him and Itachi.
They would need the Rinnegan wielder, or the full force of the Akatsuki, in a properly coordinated battle to even stand a chance…
But just then—something happened that Obito never expected.
Uchiha Itachi suddenly ripped his arm free. Two streams of thick black blood spilled from his eyes as his sclera became laced with dense crimson veins—he was burning through his ocular power at a dangerous rate.
Obito's heart clenched. Is he planning to go all out against Naruto?
But… was that really necessary? There were still plenty of ninja around—Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen, several elite ANBU operatives, and a whole group of Uchiha with fully awakened three-tomoe Sharingan.
None of them posed a serious threat individually, but as a collective force, they were a problem.
And if they couldn't even handle Naruto alone…
Kazuki merely cast a glance toward Itachi, sensing the direction of his Mangekyō chakra. He didn't move to block or counter. Instead, a rare trace of tension flickered across his usually unreadable expression.
Itachi wasn't aiming at him.
He was targeting Uchiha Sasuke—still frozen among the crowd, overwhelmed by shock and grief.
Tsukuyomi.
Infused with the full force of Itachi's ocular might, the genjutsu struck like a runaway train. In a flash, Sasuke was mentally sent flying.
"Disgusting clan… Finally, the one I despised most is gone!"
Forcing back the pain surging in his chest, Itachi twisted his face into a manic expression and roared out: "Fugaku! When I come back—I'm going to kill you too!"
Even Obito was struggling to keep it together at this point.
Dude… just how much do you hate your own family?
The Uchiha Massacre was one thing, but now, in this desperate moment when their lives were on the line, you still made sure to take out your little brother?
Didn't you say you wanted to spare Sasuke?
If the entire Uchiha clan had personalities like yours… maybe they really did deserve the hatred they got.
"Let's go!"
Obito clenched Itachi's arm again, pouring all his energy into transferring them into the Kamui dimension as fast as possible.
Right now, they were both extremely vulnerable.
While shifting into the Kamui space, he couldn't maintain his intangibility.
And if Naruto, in his Nine-Tails Mode, caught up with him—he'd be forced to interrupt the transfer and face him head-on.
With so many Konoha shinobi present, if Naruto managed to delay him even briefly, and with Izanagi already used…
Then the five-minute limit on Kamui's intangibility might not be enough to save him.
He might even die here.
And yet—to Uchiha Obito's surprise—Naruto didn't move to strike. He simply cast a calm glance in his direction.
Obito didn't have time to think about why. His only thought was to grab Itachi and escape as fast as possible.
What he didn't know—
Was that in that fleeting glance, Kazuki had already activated his power.
The moisture still clinging to the soaked bodies of Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Obito silently shifted—subtly forming a transparent Flying Thunder God seal that adhered tightly to their skin. Then, it began to sink deeper, embedding itself within their muscle tissue.
As far as Kazuki was concerned, those two were already dead men.
Their only purpose in surviving… was to serve as reminders—tools to keep Naruto's training sharp and his vigilance alive.
...
Amid the wreckage of the Uchiha compound—
Naruto looked around the battlefield, then spoke in a voice tinged with the tone and authority of Senju Tobirama: "You may be confused right now… But I, Senju Tobirama, have indeed returned!"
"Last time, I was betrayed by cowards and forced into the Pure Land during the First Great Ninja War. Because of that, Konoha was left vulnerable, and war robbed it of peace again and again…"
"But now—I've returned, with the power of the Nine-Tails, something Konoha has failed to control for decades!"
"You don't need to listen to my revenge plans. Just remember this: in my rebirth, I will bring a new peace to the shinobi world…"
With that, Naruto leapt into the air—and vanished from the sight of everyone in Konoha.
Sarutobi Hiruzen and the remaining Uchiha looked at each other in silence, unsure of what expressions to wear.
What could they even say?
Senju Tobirama… had returned.
...
"Kazuki-nii, you're seriously amazing!"
Naruto was still riding the adrenaline rush from the fierce battle, excitement surging in his chest as he gushed over the fight.
But the next moment, his cheerful face suddenly fell.
"Naruto… I have to go."
Kazuki gently patted his head, his voice soft.
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