Tobi still stood there, completely unharmed. He looked mildly disappointed, like a master whose pet dog had just urinated on the floor. "Was it worth it? You wasted so much chakra and achieved absolutely nothing..."
Before he could finish speaking, however, he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.
"What?"
His insides had inexplicably turned to mush, and his body was paralyzed. What had happened? He had already activated Intangibility and dodged the Rasenshuriken!
"It's time to end this..." Naruto muttered.
[Fire Seal Technique - Release!] His left arm was once again engulfed in black Amaterasu flames. "This time, you won't escape—you'll burn away completely."
You arrogant little brat!
"I won't let you do this!" Tobi screamed desperately, blood pouring from his mouth and nose. Even his right eye began bleeding—clearly injured by Naruto's jutsu. "I've lost so much! I witnessed the darkness of this world! It's not fair! I want a world where Rin exists! I want everything back to the way it was—no more wars! The ninja system is rotten—it's a sick, broken system!"
In Naruto's left hand, a pitch-black Rasengan formed, wreathed in black flames. [Sage Art: Black Star Rasengan.]
"You can't land a hit with that move," Tobi said, struggling to stand.
"Wanna bet?" Naruto shot back, charging forward.
True to his words, Tobi twisted his body to dodge Naruto's attack—only the Rasengan grazing him and consuming his upper body.
But when he solidified again, the flames were gone, leaving only pain from the Rasengan's wound.
"How could this happen!"
He had failed. But he couldn't die—not yet. He had to survive. He had to see the Moon's Eye Plan through—he had to create his perfect world.
Before Naruto could launch another attack, Tobi fled back into his other dimension, attempting to escape using spatial ninjutsu.
"You're done..."
Tobi emerged inside a swirling vortex, arriving at a strange space. This place was an endless void of darkness, dotted with countless floating square platforms of different sizes and heights.
He landed on one platform and immediately collapsed to his knees, vomiting violently. The Amaterasu fire from Naruto had seared his body, and it was now struggling to heal. His right side slowly regenerated, but the injuries remained grave.
"There's no way I lost to him!" Tobi growled, voice trembling with rage. "Damn… damn it all! DAMN IT!!!"
His furious roar was cut short as a Rasengan slammed into the back of his head, sending him flying through the air and crashing into a massive pillar. He lay motionless, blood trickling from under his mask.
Naruto dispersed the Rasengan and looked down at the fallen Tobi. After a long pause, he crouched down and checked for a pulse—but there was none.
Tobi's eyes appeared to let a tear slide down, but it might have just been Naruto's illusion.
"You lost because you underestimated me from the very beginning," Naruto said coolly. "I'll never lose to someone like you who has already lost their fighting spirit and belief."
He extinguished the Amaterasu flames on his left arm and lightly pressed his hand against Tobi's body. The black flames instantly engulfed him, burning fiercely.
To ensure Tobi was completely dead, he couldn't afford to leave any risk behind.
The black flames turned Tobi's body to ash while Naruto transformed into a wisp of smoke and vanished into the air.
Before leaving, he left himself with a lingering question—one that haunted him endlessly: why hadn't Tobi used Izanagi to avoid death at the last moment? True, he would have lost an eye, but at least it would have saved his life and possibly made a comeback someday. Was he really a man who'd completely lost hope in this world?
Tobi's last conscious thought vanished forever along with the black flames.
"Rin…Kakashi…"
***
[Real World]
It was a dual-directional attack—coordinated from within and without. The Shadow Clone Tobi had pulled into another dimension earlier hadn't truly disappeared—it sent its remaining chakra back to Naruto. It had been exploring that space all along, searching for an escape route while gathering as much intel as possible.
When it suddenly saw Tobi reappear right in front of it, it felt something off, but the other's form looked so real it could even be touched.
So it passed this information back to Naruto.
Tobi had grown too confident. He underestimated the strength of Naruto's Shadow Clones, thinking he could toy with them however he pleased.
When the Shadow Clone hidden in another dimension completely destroyed Tobi's soul, Naruto felt as if a thousand-pound burden had finally lifted from his shoulders.
He wanted to let out a laugh—he'd done it! At last, he had killed the one responsible for starting the war—the person who had shattered his family and linked his fate with the Nine-Tails.
He had initially suspected a trap, imagining Tobi would suddenly jump out from another dimension and drag him into hell. But in the end, Tobi truly vanished—gone forever—and Naruto struggled to believe it.
At that moment, there was only one thing he wanted to do.
"Aaaaah!" Naruto roared at the sky. His voice echoed throughout the entire valley, even reaching distant Konoha.
He looked up at the small silhouette bathed in moonlight—a celestial presence above. Even though he couldn't clearly see the face, he knew exactly who it was.
Had he really been under surveillance this whole time? However, it no longer mattered now. Tobi was his top priority to deal with. He hoped they enjoyed the fight.
Yet at the same time, there was still one thing he needed to say.
"Konan!" Naruto shouted toward the sky, knowing full well she could hear him. "Tell Pain—or Nagato, or your so-called 'God'…Tell him…he's next!"
Konan glanced down at him briefly, then dissolved into a wisp of smoke and vanished into the night.
Very well, she would surely deliver the message. He wanted the enemy to know exactly what was coming. He would end this war once and for all.
Now, it was time to rest.
******
The next morning, when the Konoha ninja found Naruto, he was floating on his back across the water's surface. His clothes were in tatters, his Sage Mode had ended, his right hand clutched the Millennium Blade tightly, and a faint smile formed on his face.
"You did well, kid," the Nine-Tails' voice echoed in his mind. Even it needed to rest now. "...I actually gave my all for someone I should despise..."
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