Uchiha Itachi traveled silently through the dense mountains and forests.
He had committed too many mistakes in the past—most notably, the destruction of the Uchiha clan. His intention was to protect all of Konoha, but his methods had failed. In the end, he realized that everything he had done was in vain. He couldn't protect Konoha. He couldn't save anyone, and he had even failed to arrange a safe future for his younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke.
In contrast, Uchiha Haru had done far better than he ever did.
Haru, in his own way, had succeeded in revitalizing the Uchiha clan and safeguarding Konoha.
This was the very dilemma Itachi had faced before.
He had tried to sacrifice one for the other, but in the end, neither was saved.
When he learned that the masked man was leading an army of Edo Tensei ninja to assault Konoha, Itachi resolved to stand against this catastrophe.
This time, he had to make his life count.
He decided to take a different approach—strike at the root of the masked man's Edo Tensei army.
And that root was the Edo Tensei Technique itself.
From his knowledge, aside from Orochimaru, there must be another master of the Edo Tensei Technique: Kabuto Yakushi, Orochimaru's longtime right-hand.
If he could find Kabuto Yakushi, he might either force him or manipulate him through genjutsu to unlock and control the Edo Tensei Technique.
That way, the entire problem could be resolved.
But he hadn't anticipated how far things had spiraled.
The enemy was no longer the Edo Tensei army's foot soldiers.
The true threat was the legendary ninja, Uchiha Madara.
If it were just an ordinary ninja, a battle might be possible—but Uchiha Madara was a force beyond comparison.
Thankfully, there was Uchiha Haru, the only one who could hope to stop this legendary figure.
Yet, the situation deteriorated rapidly.
Uchiha Madara had activated the Planetary Devastation Technique, the Chibaku Tensei, aiming to annihilate the entire world.
And it was on the verge of succeeding.
Judging by the present circumstances, Madara did not appear to be controlled by Edo Tensei.
Even if Itachi succeeded in finding Kabuto Yakushi, altering the current course seemed nearly impossible.
Moreover, Madara's Chibaku Tensei was fully condensed.
What good would it do to kill Madara now?
If no one could halt the Planetary Devastation, the entire world would inevitably face destruction.
With this realization, Itachi's face darkened deeply.
He had wanted to save Konoha, to save the world—and yet, he was failing once more.
This was his last chance.
Or did he even have this last chance?
Reflecting on his life, he saw nothing but failure and darkness.
What he had tried to protect, what he wished to preserve, had slipped through his fingers.
Itachi felt utterly lifeless inside.
But then, a spark of hope ignited—embodied by the very figure he once despised.
Uchiha Haru.
He had never regarded Haru as his equal.
He couldn't understand why his father, Uchiha Fugaku, and Shisui Uchiha held Haru in such high esteem.
To Itachi, Haru was just an ordinary Uchiha ninja, with no exceptional talent.
But he soon realized how superficial and foolish that judgment was.
As the night of the Uchiha clan's downfall approached, Haru revealed a power beyond expectation.
A power so astonishing it made a prodigy like Itachi tremble.
In their duel, Itachi was defeated.
Afterwards, the gap between them widened at a staggering, unimaginable speed.
It was hard to fathom how a young ninja could advance so rapidly.
Itachi was a recognized genius, renowned within the Uchiha clan and throughout the ninja world.
Yet, compared to Haru, his talent was eclipsed.
What trials and experiences had Haru endured to achieve such phenomenal growth?
Within a few years, he had transformed from a Kage-level shinobi to someone capable of standing against legends like Uchiha Madara.
Haru was truly a legendary ninja—far surpassing ordinary Kage-level fighters, even elite Kage-level warriors, and the likes of Pain, who wielded the Rinnegan.
Itachi had once seen Haru perform countless incredible feats via live broadcasts.
But now… was he still okay?
Itachi didn't know.
What he did know was that he could not abandon his duty.
He had to continue searching for the other person who could unlock the Edo Tensei Technique besides Orochimaru: Kabuto Yakushi.
Because Uchiha Haru is here.
Uchiha Haru may be able to resist or even defeat Uchiha Madara.
He will put an end to the Impure World Reincarnation Technique once he easily overcomes Uchiha Madara.
It can also be seen as a contribution to the entire Hidden Leaf Village and the whole ninja world.
It will make up for the mistakes he made in the past.
With this thought in mind, he continued to delve deeper into the jungle.
...
In the sky above Konoha, Uchiha Haru and Uchiha Madara were locked in battle.
Uchiha Madara looked at Uchiha Haru with a playful, almost taunting expression.
Uchiha Haru couldn't use his clone to block Madara's Planetary Devastation (Chibaku Tensei) Technique.
Madara's plan would eventually succeed, and he would win this battle, after all.
Yet, Uchiha Haru's face remained utterly calm.
Even though the current situation differed somewhat from his original expectation, overall, it was still under his control.
Beneath the massive meteorites hovering below, Uchiha Haru's clone, utilizing the Susanoo Technique, began re-consolidating the ninjutsu.
In a flash, the ninjutsu was completed.
Then, one meteorite vanished into thin air, followed by another.
Uchiha Madara's pupils constricted sharply.
He realized something terrifying.
Uchiha Haru didn't seem to need his own strength to counter the massive meteorites.
Haru knew the Flying Thunder God Technique and could teleport these meteorites elsewhere.
Achieving the same effect without direct confrontation.
Madara's brows furrowed deeply.
If that was the case, wouldn't his ninjutsu be neutralized?
It couldn't be so simple.
"Uchiha Haru, do you really think you can block my ninjutsu like this?" Madara sneered, "Isn't that a bit too naive?"
"Scatter!" he shouted.
Suddenly, the massive meteorites shattered into countless fragments, raining down like hailstones.
These stones were overwhelming. Compared to the huge meteorites, their weight and volume were much smaller, but their destructive power was incomparably greater.
Don't think this is easy to handle.
On the contrary, it was far more difficult.
Previously, Haru could teleport a single massive meteorite with one use of the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Now, with thousands of stones raining down, he would have to perform the technique thousands of times to redirect them.
The chakra consumption and timing gap were unimaginable.
"Hahahaha!" Madara laughed wildly. "Uchiha Haru, I want to see how you'll stop this!"
But just as he finished speaking, towering trees suddenly sprouted from the ground, shooting skyward at dizzying speed.
In no time, the entire Hidden Leaf Village was engulfed in a sea of trees.
Vines twisted and climbed up the trunks, snaring the falling stones, preventing them from reaching the ground.
"This is... Wood Release!" Madara's expression shifted slightly. "Senju Hashirama."
Few people in the world could wield Wood Release.
Aside from Uchiha Haru standing before him, only the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama—the God of Shinobi—could use it to such an extent.
And the outcome was unexpected.
Below them, Senju Hashirama had summoned a sea of trees.
The dense forest enveloped Hidden Leaf Village and its surroundings.
Though countless stones rained down, they couldn't penetrate this lush barrier.
Within the crowd, the Hidden Leaf shinobi cheered uproariously as their legendary First Hokage appeared to protect them.
However, the meteorites were powerful enough to destroy the entire world.
Hashirama's defense could only protect Konoha and some of its surroundings at best.
Protecting the whole ninja world was still an impossible task.
At that moment, Uchiha Madara noticed Uchiha Haru standing before him, chuckling softly.
Suddenly, brilliant multicolored particles flickered in a line across Haru's palm.
From his palm, a tree slowly sprouted.
In moments, it grew into a seedling.
Uchiha Haru gently tossed the seedling.
Mid-air, it grew explosively.
Roots anchored deep into the ground as the towering tree surged upward.
It was hard to fathom what kind of towering tree this was—especially considering it had been just a small seedling mere breaths ago.
The tree rapidly extended twigs and leaves, spreading out in all directions.
Visible to the naked eye, its branches reached every corner within sight.
Not only did it cover Hidden Leaf Village, but its branches extended even into the neighboring ninja villages.
The colossal tree formed a protective barrier around the entire human world.
The falling debris hadn't even fully reached the ground yet.
Yet the branches and leaves already blanketed the earth.
It was almost impossible to imagine how much chakra this required.
Even the First Hokage, holding hands with Hashirama, could barely cover Konoha and its surroundings.
But Uchiha Haru was protecting the entire ninja world.
This scene could only be described as terrifyingly magnificent.
Inside Konoha, people cheered sincerely.
Across other villages, shinobi who survived the catastrophe shouted loudly.
They learned about the battle in the sky from their higher-ups and discovered who had saved them.
Uchiha Haru had already been well-known before.
But previously, people feared and dreaded him.
Now, their hearts were filled with gratitude.
Without Uchiha Haru, they might not have survived.
The entire world could have been destroyed.
But with him around, the ninja world had a bright future ahead.
Yuhi Kurenai and Uzuki Yugao, two women in different locations, stared at the figure in the sky with the same pride and admiration.
This was the person they revered, the one who saved the entire world.
Terumi Mei also watched Uchiha Haru's figure.
The scene reminded her of when she and Haru first met.
Back then, she had worried that Uchiha Haru might plot against Hidden Mist Village.
She feared he might use the chaos to seize control of Kirigakure.
But now, it seemed Kirigakure was just a speck in Uchiha Haru's grand scheme.
For a man like him, what was Kirigakure?
What was the entire ninja world?
If he desired, he could have it all.
And no one could stop him.
Yet he chose to stay by her side, helping her rise to Mizukage and doing countless things for her.
All of this made Terumi Mei feel conflicted.
Though knowing he already had another woman beside him caused a twinge of jealousy.
What a womanizer.
Uchiha Itachi also noticed the sudden growth of branches and trunks.
As a shinobi who had fought alongside Uchiha Haru, he understood the ninjutsu well.
When Haru fought him before, he was far from this level.
Or rather, at that time, he didn't need to unleash such overwhelming ninjutsu.
Now, Uchiha Haru had reached a terrifying power.
Compared to him, it was like heaven and earth.
As it stood, even Uchiha Madara—or the legendary Sage of the Six Paths—would not have a 100% chance of winning against Uchiha Haru.
The situation was truly formidable.
Yet, when thought through carefully, it was a fortunate thing.
After all, Uchiha Haru now stood on the side of peace.
Not darkness.
Thanks to him, the future of the ninja world had changed.
Uchiha Haru's task was done.
The rest was up to others.
Ahead of him lay a dark cave.
At first glance, it appeared ordinary, nothing special.
But this was the last place Uchiha Itachi had been searching with Orochimaru recently.
They had scoured many locations, but found no trace of Kabuto Yakushi.
This last cave was the most likely place for Kabuto.
It was their greatest hope.
Thinking this through, Uchiha Haru stepped into the cave.
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