The sudden arrival of Namikaze Minato and his team turned the already lively atmosphere into complete chaos.
Minato, ever perceptive, noticed the commotion and gave an awkward smile.
"It looks like I'm causing quite a scene."
Just as he was about to explain himself to Naruto and Sasuke, the ground beneath them suddenly trembled violently.
The earthquake was so intense that even the most skilled shinobi present found it difficult to maintain their balance.
A moment later, a thunderous explosion echoed through the village, followed by thick black smoke rising into the sky.
"What's going on?!"
Kakashi immediately reacted, leaping onto the roof of the Academy to assess the situation.
Minato, standing below, looked up at him. "What do you see, Kakashi?"
Kakashi narrowed his visible eye, peering through the black smoke. His expression turned grim. "There's a battle happening in the village."
Without hesitation, he turned to his former sensei. "Sorry, Minato-sensei, but I need to go check it out."
Minato nodded. "Go. The village comes first."
As soon as those words left his lips, Kakashi vanished in a blur.
Minato turned to Obito. "I need you to stay here and protect them."
Obito grinned, clenching his fist. "You got it, Sensei. Leave it to me!"
With that, Minato disappeared as well.
This left Kushina alone with Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata.
Sasuke's sharp gaze shifted to Obito. He had overheard Minato calling him by name.
"Uchiha Obito?"
The thought nagged at him. This guy doesn't look anything like the Obito I know.
Finally, Sasuke couldn't hold back anymore.
"Are you really Uchiha Obito?"
Obito blinked in surprise before nodding. "Yeah. Why?"
Sasuke was at a loss for words.
"So this is the same guy who later became the masked man that nearly destroyed the world?"
Before he could dwell on it further, the ground trembled again, this time even more violently.
A deafening explosion sent shockwaves through the air.
Sasuke's eyes darted toward the direction of the blast. "Something serious is happening."
Obito, on instinct, muttered, "Could it be... Payne attacking?"
Sasuke's eyes snapped to him. "You know Payne?"
Obito immediately waved his hands. "I mean, uh, I just heard rumors!"
Sasuke narrowed his eyes but didn't push further.
"There's no way I'm sitting this one out."*
With that, he bolted toward the scene of the battle.
Seeing Sasuke take off, Naruto's competitive spirit flared. He turned to Kushina with pleading eyes.
"Sis, I gotta go too!"
Kushina frowned. "No way, Naruto! It's too dangerous!"
Naruto clenched his fists. "I don't care! If Sasuke's going, then I'm going! I won't let him surpass me!"
His determination was clear.
Kushina sighed, watching him break free from her grasp and run after Sasuke.
"Sasuke! Wait for me!"
As she watched him go, she couldn't help but smile. "He really is just like you, Minato."
Meanwhile, Obito turned to Rin and smirked. "Wanna go see what's happening?"
Before she could answer, he activated Kamui, and the three of them vanished.
---
The Battlefield
The village was in chaos. The constant barrage of explosions rocked the earth, sending plumes of smoke into the sky.
Amid the devastation, two figures stood—one slightly hunched, the other standing firm.
"Brother, are you okay?" Senju Tobirama asked, concern etched on his face.
Senju Hashirama waved weakly. "I'm fine… just a little drained."
This entire ordeal had been an eye-opener for the First Hokage.
It all started when he and Tobirama confronted Danzo about his role in the Uchiha massacre.
Initially, Danzo had been utterly dumbfounded at the sight of Hashirama and Tobirama standing before him.
However, once he realized the First Hokage was indeed alive, his mind immediately concocted a scheme.
Danzo had attempted to use Kotoamatsukami, the ultimate genjutsu of Uchiha Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan, to bend Hashirama's will to his own.
He had been a fool.
Kotoamatsukami was an overwhelmingly powerful genjutsu, but it was based on Yin Release.
Hashirama, as the reincarnation of Asura and the master of Yang Release, was immune to it.
The backlash from the failed attempt had left him mentally shaken, but it had also sealed Danzo's fate.
Tobirama had been furious.
Without hesitation, he had unleashed his most devastating technique—Tandem Paper Bombs.
Danzo, caught completely off guard, had been obliterated in an instant.
Or so it seemed.
A second later, he had reappeared, completely unharmed.
"Izanagi..." Tobirama had spat in disgust.
The forbidden Uchiha technique allowed its user to rewrite reality itself, turning mortal injuries into illusions.
Realizing this, Tobirama had taken no chances. He had extended his Tandem Paper Bombs assault for a full five minutes, ensuring that Danzo would have no time to react.
Now, as the dust settled, Tobirama exhaled sharply.
"That should have finished him."
But Hashirama frowned.
"No, something's not right."
At that moment, another figure appeared nearby.
It was Shinomiya Uzumaki.
He landed lightly on the rubble, surveying the battlefield with curiosity.
"Whoa. I leave for a little while, and this happens?"
Tobirama turned to him. "Shinomiya, we were just—"
Shinomiya held up a hand. "I already figured it out."
His expression turned grim as he glanced toward the explosion site.
"Izanagi doesn't last long for a non-Uchiha. You should've finished him by now… unless…"
Tobirama's eyes narrowed. "Unless what?"
Shinomiya exhaled. "Danzo didn't just have one Sharingan. He had an entire arm full of them. Eleven in total, including Shisui's eye."
Tobirama stiffened. "What?!"
"And to handle the rejection effects, he used your brother's cells to keep them functioning."
Tobirama clenched his fists, rage bubbling beneath the surface.
"That damn fool. Using Hashirama's body for his twisted experiments…"
Shinomiya's gaze shifted to the center of the battlefield.
"The explosions have stopped. Let's see if Danzo really survived this."
As they watched, the smoke finally cleared—
And standing in the center of the devastation…
Was Danzo.
Though battered and bloodied, he was very much alive.
Tobirama's face darkened.
"That's impossible."
Shinomiya sighed. "No, it's not. He's been cycling through Izanagi this whole time."
Danzo staggered forward, breathing heavily.
"Damn… that brat was right. I should have prepared more eyes…"
Hashirama raised an eyebrow. "Who is he talking about?"
Danzo suddenly smirked, his one remaining eye gleaming with malice.
"Did you really think I came here alone?"
Tobirama's body tensed.
Before he could react—
A second presence emerged from the shadows.
And with it, a chillingly familiar chakra.
Shinomiya's eyes narrowed.
"Oh. Now this just got interesting."
------------------
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