The air trembled.
Not from Naruto.
Not from Nagato.
But from something else entirely.
Space itself began to twist behind the shattered tree line.
A spiral ripple formed in midair, distorting the battlefield like broken glass.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed instantly.
Hinata's breathing stopped.
Killer B clicked his tongue.
"Yo… that feeling again."
Naruto didn't turn around.
But his smile faded slightly.
"So he finally shows up properly."
With a sharp whoosh, Obito stepped out of the distortion.
His orange mask reflected the chaos of the battlefield.
Golden chakra.
Broken earth.
Burned forest.
Nagato standing opposite Naruto.
It was a scene that should not have existed.
At least not according to Obito's expectations.
Silence fell across the battlefield.
Even the wind seemed to hesitate.
Naruto finally turned his head.
"Obito Uchiha."
He said it casually.
Like he had been waiting to confirm it in person.
Obito's single visible eye narrowed.
"You knew my identity."
It was not a question anymore.
It was confirmation of a pattern.
Too many things pointed toward the same impossible conclusion.
Naruto smiled lightly.
"I know a lot of things."
"That's starting to sound annoying," Obito replied coldly.
Nagato took a step forward.
The Rinnegan rotated slowly.
"So you're the one pulling the strings behind Akatsuki."
Obito glanced at him.
"And you're supposed to be the 'god' of this world."
A faint mocking tone.
Nagato did not respond immediately.
Instead, he simply said,
"I was mistaken."
The words landed heavier than any attack.
Naruto glanced between them.
"Well, this is awkward."
Obito ignored him and looked around.
Thousands of chakra signatures.
Hidden, layered, compressed.
Every direction was sealed.
Every escape route was watched.
A trap of unimaginable scale.
He exhaled slowly.
"So this is your plan."
Naruto shrugged.
"More or less."
Obito tilted his head slightly.
"You used yourself as bait."
"And him," he added, glancing at Nagato.
Nagato did not deny it.
Naruto raised a finger.
"Correction."
"I used you as bait."
A brief silence.
Then Obito laughed.
A low, dry sound.
"Confident."
Naruto nodded.
"Always."
The Raikage's voice suddenly echoed from the distance.
"Stop talking and fight already!"
Lightning chakra erupted around him as he prepared to move.
Gaara's sand surged higher.
Ōnoki floated above, already forming dust particles between his hands.
Tsunade cracked her knuckles.
The entire battlefield was on the edge of collapse.
Obito's gaze swept once more.
Then he spoke quietly.
"You really think this will stop me?"
Naruto answered without hesitation.
"Yes."
That single word triggered the explosion.
Obito vanished into his own distortion.
Naruto moved at the same time.
Golden chakra erupted like a sun.
BOOM!!!
The ground beneath them collapsed instantly.
Naruto's fist struck empty air as Obito phased through the attack.
But Naruto was already expecting it.
"Got you."
A chain of chakra erupted from Naruto's arm, twisting midair like a serpent.
Obito's body flickered into intangibility again.
But the chakra chain passed through the timing gap perfectly.
For a fraction of a second—
It connected.
Obito's eye widened slightly.
"Tch…"
He warped backward instantly.
Reappearing atop a broken cliff.
Naruto landed lightly on the ground below.
He stretched his shoulder.
"Still annoying as ever."
Obito did not reply.
Instead, he raised his hand.
Black rods emerged from space.
Nagato's eyes sharpened immediately.
"Those are…"
The battlefield tension spiked.
Naruto sighed.
"Yeah."
"This is where it gets serious."
Suddenly—
Nagato moved.
Not away from Naruto.
But toward Obito.
The ground exploded beneath his feet as he launched forward.
"I will end this here!"
Six chakra arms reformed instantly, each one coated in dense Rinnegan energy.
Obito turned slightly.
"You think you can—"
Nagato interrupted him with a single word.
"Shut up."
BOOOOM!!!
The two forces collided midair.
Space rippled.
The shockwave spread across the entire battlefield.
Even the Five Kage were forced to brace themselves.
Naruto watched quietly.
Then he exhaled.
"Alright."
"Now everyone's here."
He slowly raised his hand.
Golden chakra surged again.
But this time…
It was different.
Deeper.
Heavier.
More controlled.
Nagato, Obito, and every observer felt it at the same time.
This wasn't just power.
It was authority.
Naruto smiled faintly.
"Let's finish this war."
The sky above the battlefield cracked with light.
-----------------------------------------
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