"You… you have a point, Tobirama." Kazuki spoke slowly. "Those so-called 'high and mighty' sages acted strangely humble when they saw me. That in itself is unnatural."
"Jiraiya once said that he believed in the prophecy of the Great Toad Sage because he had been close to the Sage of the Six Paths"
"Maybe… to the Three Great Sage Regions, I'm already seen as the future Sage of the Six Paths."
Tobirama nodded grimly. "That means, Kazuki, we have more enemies than we thought..."
"These sages who are friendly toward us now—once they realize we're working against the Sage of the Six Paths, they will inevitably turn against us."
"A mere human against a god—there's no question whose side they'll choose."
Kazuki's expression grew heavier, but he still smiled. "I've occasionally thought about it… Maybe I should start calling myself the Jinchūriki of Tobirama. But now, it seems I'm about to become the Jinchūriki of the Sage of the Six Paths instead..."
Tobirama fell silent. That wasn't funny.
Kazuki slowly let his smile fade. The two of them stared at each other, just like they had when they first met, silently measuring the other.
"Tobirama… I might regret saying this." Kazuki spoke softly. "I've thought about it many times—why did I summon you from the Pure Land? Whether it was because your chakra was attached to me, as Mito suggested, or simply a coincidence… Whatever the reason, I believe it was fate."
"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have come this far."
His Sharingan activated, the signature red eyes gleaming with a fierce ambition that replaced his usual calm smile.
"You know, Tobirama… Let me be honest with you."
"I used to avoid standing out, hiding away in the Ninja Academy. I knew that while my talent was exceptional, it wasn't enough to stand at the pinnacle of history. So I thought—why not live a quiet life instead?"
"But then you came along, and I started to believe… Maybe I really do have a destiny beyond the ordinary. Maybe I was meant for something greater."
Kazuki looked down at his hands, as if questioning his own existence.
"A nobody… or a legend?"
"Either way, thanks to you, my life has become extraordinary. Don't you think so?"
"I've enjoyed our time together, Tobirama. I hope you've felt the same."
Tobirama took a deep breath, forcing a big smile. "Yes. You, an evil-born Uchiha kid, have twisted me so much that I now have to call myself Uchiha Tobirama! And yet, I am very happy!"
Kazuki burst into laughter. "Well then, old ghost, it's time for us to set off together!"
Kazuki stood up abruptly, staring at the Nine-Tomoe Rinne Sharingan within him, his voice steady and firm.
"I promised I'd bring you back to life… But at this point, there's no time."
"Besides, I need your power to seal him away."
Tobirama's eyes flashed with understanding. A grin—one eerily similar to an Uchiha's—formed on his lips.
He already knew what Kazuki was about to do.
With an encouraging nod, he urged him to continue.
"In these final moments, I plan to meet with my closest allies one last time, put Konoha in order, secure control over Kirigakure and the Root, and then wipe out the invading shinobi alliance in one decisive strike—to buy the village twenty years of peace."
"And after that… it'll be time to deal with the Sage of the Six Paths."
Kazuki gave a faint smile. "His plan was meticulous, but he didn't account for the two of us…"
"He thinks he's possessing me, but in reality, he's trapped inside my body as well. I'll turn myself into an unbreakable prison, bind my chakra with sealing techniques, and finally… sink into the deepest ocean, sealing myself away forever."
"So, Tobirama…"
Kazuki patted Senju Tobirama on the shoulder. "Are you willing to help me drag a god down from his throne?"
Tobirama, uncharacteristically, let out a low curse. "To hell with him, Kazuki." His crimson Sharingan gleamed with a fierce light. "Who does he think he is? Didn't the Sage of the Six Paths himself say it? That when the power of the Senju and Uchiha combine, can they grasp divinity itself? Then let's show him what we can do!"
Kazuki smirked. "That's more like it, Tobirama."
He extended his fist toward Tobirama, his gaze deep and resolute. "Let's become the unsung saviors of this world… together."
Their fists met with force, sealing their unspoken pact.
Without hesitation, Kazuki turned and rushed toward the battlefield.
As he disappeared from sight, Tobirama's expression darkened—his usual sharpness giving way to something heavier.
This… was the only way.
The Sage of the Six Paths was already in the process of taking over Kazuki. At this rate, before they could find another solution, Kazuki might cease to be himself.
The most reliable, the most efficient, and also the cruelest method… was to seal himself away, cutting off the chakra the Sage needed to fully awaken.
Just as Kazuki had said—he would become a living cage, locking the Sage away forever.
Tobirama closed his eyes for a moment, murmuring softly, "It's been an honor saving this world alongside you, Kazuki."
At that moment, the Will of Fire burned fiercely in Senju Tobirama's heart.
...
Meanwhile, on the other side of the ninja world, as Tobirama steeled himself for sacrifice…
Uchiha Madara finally made his decision. He let out a slow, deep breath.
It was time.
He would bring Uchiha Izuna back.
"Come back to me, my brother."
Madara Uchiha had hesitated for a long time about reviving Izuna.
Should he trouble his most devoted and self-sacrificing younger brother once again?
If not for Kazuki…
Madara would have never even considered it—not even if the Infinite Tsukuyomi plan failed.
He simply couldn't bear the thought of reviving the brother who had entrusted him with the Uchiha Clan's future, only for Izuna to see their people being crushed under the Hokage's faction, built by none other than Tobirama.
That was unacceptable. It would mean he had failed to uphold his brother's dying wish.
But Kazuki had changed the Uchiha Clan. He had restored their rightful status within the village.
Even if Madara himself hadn't been the one to do it, at least the clan had regained some dignity. It wasn't as humiliating as before…
Especially now that Kazuki was in danger because of Tobirama.
As Obito and Black Zetsu had pointed out, if Tobirama managed to take over Kazuki's body, the chances of the Infinite Tsukuyomi succeeding would be next to zero.
If Tobirama were to gain control of Kazuki's accumulated power, natural talent, and influence, he would become the most terrifying enemy the Uchiha Clan had ever produced, and for Madara, he would be even more troublesome than Hashirama!
And deep down…
Madara longed to see his beloved younger brother again.
With external threats pressing in and his own internal desires growing, the moment Izuna's image surfaced in Madara's mind, his decision was already made. He was just pretending to hesitate.
Madara slowly stood up and walked into an inner chamber. Moments later, he returned, holding a withered lock of hair.
Opening his palm, his Rinnegan flashed with a purple glow—"Banshō Ten'in!"
From deep underground, a hidden White Zetsu was yanked out by an overwhelming force, its head firmly grasped by Madara.
White Zetsu's face twisted in terror. Just as it opened its mouth to scream, Madara slammed it into the ground, knocking it unconscious.
Madara placed the black hair onto the limp body, closing his eyes slightly as he let out a cold snort. "That despicable man's jutsu has its uses sometimes…"
"Impure World Reincarnation!"
Madara's fingers trembled slightly with excitement, but his hand seals remained precise and steady. With a forceful slap on the ground, he activated the forbidden technique.
A web of intricate black markings spread from his palm, encircling the unconscious White Zetsu.
Moments later— A blue spectral essence descended from the sky, merging into White Zetsu's body. The dark seals on the ground pulsed ominously, as if alive, sinking into the vessel.
Obito watched the scene, his frown deepening.
One of the most crucial lessons he had learned from Uchiha Setsuna was understanding Tobirama…
And the Impure World Reincarnation was at the center of it all.
Yet, witnessing it firsthand, Obito finally grasped just how vile this technique truly was—using a living human as a sacrificial vessel to summon the dead.
Obito shook his head.
He worried for Kazuki. Now, he understood how even someone as powerful as Kazuki could fall into Tobirama's trap…
A Hokage corrupt enough to create a jutsu as monstrous as Impure World Reincarnation surely had other insidious forbidden techniques up his sleeve.
After all, Kazuki was just a late-blooming ninja who had only graduated from the Academy at twelve…
There were times when even he would be vulnerable.
At that moment, Obito's resolve to carry out the Eye of the Moon Plan became even firmer.
Fire Will? What a joke…
A village that allowed something as abhorrent as Impure World Reincarnation to exist—a village whose leader plotted to steal Kazuki's body—had been rotten from the very beginning!
'Konoha is truly an evil place,' Obito thought. 'Kazuki and Rin merely clouded my vision for a time…'
Even Black Zetsu hadn't anticipated this.
The manipulative rhetoric that Setsuna had instilled in Obito—words meant to mold him into a pawn—had once again taken root, reinforced by Tobirama's own sinister legacy.
Perhaps… This was the fate clash between the Uchiha and the Senju.
Across every era, their conflict never failed to ignite the flames of war.
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