Three days later.
The entire shinobi world received shocking news.
The Eight-Tails Jinchūriki and the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki were being relocated.
For security reasons, their destination remained classified.
However, rumors spread faster than wildfire.
Every village.
Every black market.
Every underground information broker.
Everyone seemed to know something.
Or at least claimed they did.
Some said the two Jinchūriki were being hidden on a remote island.
Others claimed they were being moved to an underground fortress.
A few even insisted they were being transferred to the Land of Iron.
No one knew the truth.
Which was exactly what Naruto wanted.
Because mixed among the countless rumors was one carefully planted piece of information.
A specific route.
A specific date.
A specific convoy.
The bait had been cast.
Now all that remained was waiting for the fish to bite.
At the edge of the Land of Fire.
A heavily guarded convoy moved through a mountain pass.
Dozens of shinobi surrounded it.
Elite ninja from multiple villages.
ANBU.
Sensor teams.
Barrier specialists.
Medical units.
Everything appeared completely legitimate.
At the center of the convoy stood two armored transport carriages.
One supposedly carrying Killer B.
The other supposedly carrying Naruto.
The security was so excessive that it almost looked ridiculous.
Almost.
Hidden among the surrounding cliffs were even more shinobi.
Thousands.
The Five Great Nations had secretly mobilized an unprecedented force.
The Raikage personally led one flank.
Gaara commanded another.
Ōnoki floated high above the battlefield.
The Mizukage remained concealed near a river crossing.
Tsunade stood at the center.
And Naruto?
Naruto wasn't inside either carriage.
He sat comfortably atop a cliff, eating skewered grilled squid.
Beside him sat Killer B.
The real Killer B.
The two of them looked less like bait and more like spectators.
"Yo!"
B pointed toward the convoy.
"You sure this plan's gonna work, fool?"
Naruto swallowed a bite of squid.
"Probably."
The Raikage's eyebrow twitched from a distance.
Probably?
That wasn't a reassuring answer.
At all.
Several kilometers away.
Space twisted.
A spiral distortion appeared among the trees.
Obito stepped out.
His single visible eye scanned the area.
The convoy.
The guards.
The terrain.
Everything matched the intelligence report.
Too perfectly.
He remained silent.
Something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
Years of experience warned him that this smelled like a trap.
The problem was...
He couldn't ignore it.
The Eight-Tails.
The Nine-Tails.
Both targets were supposedly here.
Without them, the Moon's Eye Plan could never be completed.
Black Zetsu emerged beside him.
"What do you think?"
Obito remained quiet.
After several moments, he spoke.
"It's a trap."
Black Zetsu nodded.
"Most likely."
Neither sounded surprised.
The convoy practically screamed trap.
The problem was that Obito lacked alternatives.
His options were disappearing.
Every passing day strengthened the alliance against him.
Nagato was gone.
Konan was gone.
The Akatsuki was shattered.
Time no longer favored him.
Black Zetsu spoke again.
"We may not get a better opportunity."
Obito clenched his fist.
He hated admitting it.
But Zetsu was right.
Eventually, he made his decision.
"We move."
Far away.
Naruto suddenly stopped eating.
His smile disappeared.
The joking expression vanished.
His eyes became serious.
Sage Mode.
Sensory abilities expanded.
A familiar chakra signature had entered the area.
Cold.
Dark.
Distorted.
Naruto slowly stood.
"He's here."
Instantly, every hidden shinobi became alert.
The atmosphere transformed.
Thousands of ninja prepared for battle.
The Raikage cracked his knuckles.
Gaara's sand began to rise.
Ōnoki floated higher.
Tsunade tightened her gloves.
The trap was closing.
Obito moved through the forest like a ghost.
Intangible.
Untouchable.
Invisible.
His plan was simple.
Approach.
Verify the targets.
Capture them.
Retreat.
Fast and efficient.
Then he stopped.
Because someone was standing directly in his path.
A young blond-haired ninja.
Hands in his pockets.
Smiling casually.
As though he had been waiting all day.
Naruto.
Neither spoke for several seconds.
Wind rustled through the trees.
Finally, Naruto grinned.
"Took you long enough."
Obito's eye narrowed.
"You knew I'd come."
Naruto shrugged.
"You didn't really have a choice."
A brief silence followed.
Then Obito asked a question that had been bothering him for months.
"Who are you?"
Naruto blinked.
"What?"
"Not your name."
Obito stared directly at him.
"How do you know so much?"
The question hung in the air.
Too many coincidences.
Too many disruptions.
Too many impossible predictions.
Naruto seemed to know things he shouldn't know.
And Obito wanted answers.
Naruto smiled.
Then he gave the most Naruto-like response imaginable.
"I'm Naruto Uzumaki."
Obito's eye twitched.
That wasn't an answer.
And both of them knew it.
Naruto laughed.
"Sorry."
"But if I told you everything, you'd probably have a heart attack."
For some reason, Obito believed him.
Which only made things more irritating.
Then Naruto slowly raised a hand.
A golden cloak of chakra erupted around his body.
The forest illuminated instantly.
The ground trembled.
The air itself seemed to vibrate.
Naruto's blue eyes locked onto Obito.
His smile remained.
But now there was something dangerous behind it.
"Anyway."
"I've been wanting to meet you properly for a while."
The moment those words left his mouth—
The earth exploded.
Gaara's sand surged upward like a tidal wave.
Lava erupted from hidden seals.
Barrier formations activated across the battlefield.
Hundreds of elite shinobi appeared simultaneously.
The sky darkened.
And above everything else floated Ōnoki.
Already preparing a massive Particle Style technique.
Obito looked around.
Thousands.
There were thousands of shinobi.
Waiting.
Watching.
Ready.
The trap had closed.
Naruto folded his arms and grinned.
"Welcome to the party."
For the first time in a very long time...
Obito genuinely felt surrounded.
-----------------------------------------
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