Kakashi and Namikaze Minato stood frozen, their expressions heavy with frustration and regret.
In Kamui space, they had both seen the chance, one clear moment where they could have ended Obito.
But neither could bring themselves to strike the final blow.
Especially Minato.
Facing his own student, a boy he had once trusted and cherished, his hands simply wouldn't follow through.
That brief hesitation was all Obito needed.
Guts's mind spun as he watched events unfold.
Do I change the plan now? Go straight for Obito, rip the tailed beasts out of him and finish it?
Or… do I let Kaguya resurrect and crush everything at the source?
Even now, the situation wasn't fully out of control, but the next move would decide everything.
A deep cracking sound broke his thoughts.
The massive sphere cocooning Obito splintered like fractured glass.
Within seconds, it shattered completely
And Uchiha Obito emerged in a form none of them had seen before.
His skin and hair were pale, almost spectral, like the depictions of Ōtsutsuki Hamura.
Jagged barbs and faintly scaled ridges jutted from his back, wreathed in light-colored flames that drifted without heat.
Behind him floated several Truth-Seeking Balls, swirling with the pure essence of Yin-Yang chakra, the origin of all ninjutsu.
"O… Obito?"
Kakashi's voice cracked slightly.
"…Obito?"
Six Paths Obito turned his head slowly, his eyes blank and cold, as if the name meant nothing to him anymore.
A heartbeat later, he vanished.
Minato's instincts screamed. He moved before he could think, shoving Kakashi aside.
"Be careful—!"
A Truth-Seeking Ball grazed his side.
Shhh!
Minato staggered, eyes wide. A chunk of his right waist, flesh and blood the size of half a fist was just… gone.
No wound. No burn.
Simply erased.
"Ugh!"
Dropping to one knee, Minato pressed the spot in a cold sweat.
"What… kind of jutsu… is that?"
"Dad!"
Naruto's Sage Mode eyes flared with panic.
"Don't come, Naruto! Don't fight him at close range!" Minato said loudly, forcing himself to stand.
He pressed his fingers together.
Shadow Clone Jutsu!
Bang! Bang!
Two clones appeared, rushing to engage.
Allies like Shisui, Konan, and Jiraiya quickly followed suit, sending paper clones and other remote attacks forward.
None of them dared close in.
Even the smallest mistake could mean instant, permanent death.
Step…
A single footstep echoed behind Madara.
He turned and saw Guts.
The usual easy grin was gone.
His expression was serious. Focused.
"You still choose to deal with me?" Madara said with a cold smile, rising to full battle stance.
"Do you really believe your companions can handle Obito?"
"I deal with the biggest problem first." Guts's voice was calm, almost casual.
"Once you're gone, Obito is… a warm-up."
"You're arrogant," Madara admitted.
"But I have to say… it's a wise move. I should have killed you the moment I first saw your potential."
He paused, then asked, almost as if testing him:
"Do you want to know the origin of the ninja… and the true meaning of the Moon's Eye Plan?"
Guts tilted his head with a faint smirk.
"Old man's lonely and wants to chat before he dies?"
"…Call it that if you wish," Madara said smoothly.
"But I think your strength has earned you the right to know. This is the coming of a new world."
"In the real world, I already have everything I want," Guts said, rolling his shoulders.
"Why would I need Infinite Tsukuyomi? I don't need fake love, fake land, or fake wealth. All of that's easy. You… you just want to bring back the ones you lost, right?"
Madara's eyes sharpened, his hand tightening on his Gunbai.
"I only want to create a peaceful world."
Guts laughed wildly.
"Peace? Hah. If the ones you cared for weren't dead… would you still chase this dream?"
Madara didn't answer.
He swung his Gunbai to block Guts's incoming punch
WHAM!
The impact rattled his entire arm. Numbness shot through his wrist.
But worse than the pain… was the sting of that question.
"I'm done talking," Madara said coldly.
"Let's finish this."
He wouldn't fall to Guts's Talk No Jutsu. He wasn't Nagato and neither Obito who had been persuaded by Naruto's Talk No Jutsu in the anime.
Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!
In an instant, a forest erupted across the battlefield, a tidal wave of trees clawing toward the sky.
Madara's intent was clear... stall, buy time, and Although Obito now stood in a posture reminiscent of the Sage of Six Paths,
the boy's strength was still limited.
Even if the Allied Shinobi Forces couldn't kill him outright, they could at least wear him down enough for Madara to seize the Ten Tails from him once more.
What Madara didn't realize, however,
was that Guts had already begun to smile.
He had made his decision... a choice that would determine the future of the entire ninja world.
---
"Only natural energy and Taijutsu will work against him!"
Namikaze Minato had finally uncovered the weakness of the Sage of Six Paths power.
Ordinary ninjutsu couldn't even scratch him
only Sage Mode techniques or raw Taijutsu could inflict any damage.
But Taijutsu meant close combat, and that was far too dangerous.
At such a range, the Truth-Seeking Balls could strike in an instant, and a single hit meant certain death.
Upon hearing Minato's words, Jiraiya and Naruto immediately activated Sage Mode.
Meanwhile, the Taijutsu specialists, Might Guy, Might Duy, and Rock Lee opened the Inner Gates beyond the Sixth, launching long-range Taijutsu assaults that could reach their target without direct contact.
Yet, there was one more method a technique even more effective against the power of the Six Paths: Yin–Yang Release.
It was a technique mastered by Hinata and Hanabi.
But to Minato, this possibility didn't exist.
In his understanding, such a method was beyond his knowledge.
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