"Obito Uchiha."
Adult Obito paused.
"To be precise, it's the Obito Uchiha from another world."
These words undoubtedly made Pain realize that the Obito Uchiha in this world was someone entirely different…
It also seemed to confirm the shocking theory that had been running through Pain's mind.
After a short break, Nagato's chakra had recovered somewhat. He immediately reassembled the other members of the Six Paths outside Konoha: the Asura Path, the Naraka Path, the Preta Path, the Human Path, the Animal Path, and... Deva Path.
All the Pain bodies that Kakashi and Jiraiya had sacrificed their lives to destroy were now revived. They stood before Konoha's ninja, as if mocking their helplessness.
Unable to bear it any longer, Tsunade prepared to break the seal and face the Six Paths of Pain.
"Wait, Grandma..." Naruto Uzumaki suddenly reached out to stop Tsunade. His voice, normally bright, was now low and filled with suppressed rage. It was as if he was holding all his fury inside.
"Leave this fight to me."
The sixteen-year-old boy's voice carried a firm, unshakable resolve that left no room for argument.
"Grandma, tell the others... tell them all to stand down."
On one hand, he needed to understand something about Pain. On the other... He could no longer stand the thought of anyone else disappearing from his life!! Absolutely not! Not a single person... would leave again.
At this moment, Naruto Uzumaki knew that if anyone else were to disappear, it might just be the final straw that broke him.
"Hmph, perfect timing."
Pain had originally intended to figure out what Obito Uchiha meant, but now that the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki had come straight to him...
Whoosh—
The Akatsuki-style Pain charged straight at Naruto Uzumaki!!
Boom!!
At a speed so fast it was almost invisible! Naruto Uzumaki instantly formed a massive Rasengan, smashing the Akatsuki-style Pain into the ground!!
"!!!!"
The display of power left everyone in the vicinity utterly stunned! Even the developer of the Rasengan himself, the Fourth Hokage, stood frozen, staring at the 16-year-old in a dark crimson divine robe, already having mastered Senjutsu. A slight smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. Naruto's brilliance stirred excitement and pride within him!
Bunta and Fukasaku seemed to see echoes of Jiraiya and Minato Namikaze in Naruto. As they glanced over at the Fourth Hokage standing across from them, both toads silently hoped that, after defeating Pain, this father-son duo—who had transcended time and space—could finally have a proper conversation.
Naruto Uzumaki glared at Pain.
"Change the battlefield."
This was Konoha—he couldn't fight freely here. But Deva Path Pain showed no intention of moving, which only fueled Naruto's rage. To Pain, the great Shinobi nations had chosen battlefields without ever asking Amegakure's opinion.
"Care to bet on it?"
At that moment, Adult Obito Uchiha suddenly pulled out the long-unused orange-yellow swirl mask from his Kamui space. His entire being plunged into darkness, and his voice suddenly shifted to that of Madara Uchiha!
"Bet Konan's life. Then see if I'll go after her after you're dead?"
Boom—!!
In an instant, Pain's chakra surged toward the "Masked Man" with devastating force and aggression! The three Edo Tensei Hokage swiftly dodged! The Masked Man used his Intangibility to completely nullify this attack! Young Obito Uchiha, standing next to him, did the same, activating his Mangekyō Sharingan. Facing the powerful Deva Path Pain's attack, he remained completely unaffected?!
The moment Adult Obito Uchiha donned the mask, Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, Kiba Inuzuka, Hyūga Hinata, Sai, and the others froze in shock!
This person…
This mask…
It was the very member of Akatsuki who had called himself 'Tobi' when they had encountered him during their return mission to Konoha!!
"Hey!! What the hell is going on?!" Naruto Uzumaki bellowed.
Tsunade stared at adult Obito Uchiha. "Did you kill Root and Danzō?"
Adult Obito seemed like a completely different person after putting on his mask. "That's right. Didn't he deserve it? I told you before—I'm Konoha's most special spy planted within Akatsuki."
Pain sucked in a sharp breath, his mind reeling in shock. What position did Tobi—or rather, 'Madara'—hold within Akatsuki?! He was the mastermind behind the scenes, for crying out loud!!! This was like a corporate spy in a company not being an intern, not a janitor, not even a senior employee—but skipping right over the general manager to become the chairman?! How was this supposed to work?! What kind of joke was this?!!
Naruto: "What the hell is going on?! I'm completely lost."
"Just know that the enemy is Pain. He killed Kakashi. He killed many in Konoha. Just now, he nearly reduced the entire village to ruins. That's all you need to know," Adult Obito said. "I have things to attend to. This battle is yours, Naruto."
"Things to do... meaning..."
Before Naruto Uzumaki could finish his question, the masked man vanished into an Uzumaki.
Pain stood frozen in place. Things had come to this. Yet, at the critical moment, it was Madara Uchiha who betrayed them?! No—earlier, the Fifth Hokage had called him Obito Uchiha! His voice was low.
"Where did that guy go?"
The younger Obito didn't know where his future self had gone either. What was this charade? And now, possessing the same Mangekyō Sharingan, he felt incredibly awkward, okay?!
The Edo Tensei Fourth Hokage, Minato: "Nine times out of ten, he went to find this world's Obito."
Of course, there was also Black Zetsu.
The three Edo Tensei Hokage, young Obito Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, and seated atop his scroll, Shima and Fukasaku, several giant toads, and the surviving Konoha ninjas all watched Naruto and Pain. The current situation held no peaceful resolution for either Konoha or Pain.
Even if the First protected Konoha in the end, the village had already suffered catastrophic losses—countless casualties, including vital ninjas like Kakashi Hatake and Shizune. Add to that Jiraiya's earlier sacrifice and Akatsuki's irreversible damage to the entire ninja world...
For Pain, this plan to "make the world feel pain" had been plotted and executed for far too long. He had already lost too much, with no path to retreat. He dared not waver even slightly on this chosen road.
"Summoning Jutsu!!" The Animal Path Pain suddenly launched his attack! Simultaneously, it signaled his final choice....
Battle erupted once more!! The armored rhinoceros summoned by Animal Path Pain charged toward Naruto Uzumaki!!
Just as the Edo Tensei versions of Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju were about to intervene, the Edo Tensei Fourth Hokage, also resurrected, stopped them.
"Leave this battle to Naruto."
The others looked at him. "I believe he can do it. And there are certain things... like Jiraiya-sensei's death, like Kakashi's death," he continued. "Things that must be settled by Naruto's own hands."
Gripping the rhinoceros's horns, Naruto hurled the beast—dozens of times his own size—high into the air. He looked toward the Fourth Hokage, who spoke for him, deeply moved by the man's understanding. Their conversation on that park bench had given him immense strength.
"Thanks, Fourth Hokage," he said. "There's not much time for chatting now. Once I defeat Pain... there's still so much I want to talk to you about."
Though unspoken, the Edo Tensei version of Minato Namikaze understood the meaning behind his son's words in this world.
"Yeah, we'll have a proper talk later."
Seeing that his words hadn't even been spoken yet, but the other had already grasped his meaning, Naruto felt an indescribable sensation welling up inside him.
But the most crucial thing now was this battle!
Facing Pain, Naruto's expression hardened.
Just as the Fourth Hokage had said, in this fight, he must settle things with Pain once and for all!
The First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, declared: "Right here, right now—it doesn't matter! Fight freely! I won't let your actions harm Konoha in the slightest!!"
With that, he once again manifested his Senjutsu form. A few simple hand seals, then his palms clashed together.
"Sage Art! Wood Release: Advent of a World of Flowering Trees!!"
"Sage Art! Wood Release: Laughing Buddha Jutsu!!"
Beyond the Advent of a World of Flowering Trees, which shielded Konoha with layers of steel-hard timber, another formidable Wood Release ability—the Laughing Buddha Jutsu—manifested, creating massive wooden arms that encircled the village.
"No matter the attack! Even Madara's Susanoo from back then could be intercepted by this technique!" Hashirama Senju flashed his signature smile. "So, young ones! Fight without worry! Leave the task of protecting Konoha to us Hokage."
"Thank you! First Hokage Uncle, Second Hokage Bro!" Naruto Uzumaki gazed at his teacher Kakashi lying quietly in the coffin, his anger toward Pain growing ever more pure.