Less than five minutes after Natsuhiko vanished, Hiruzen Sarutobi mobilized, leading hundreds—no, thousands—of Konoha shinobi into action.
He had already left behind sufficient reserve forces to assist with rescue efforts in the village. And with the Nine-Tails no longer rampaging within Konoha, even those previously forbidden from joining the battle had now been released.
Those who followed him now were all still capable of fighting. Even so, their numbers were not particularly large by Konoha's standards.
Though the majority of Konoha's regular forces remained stationed along the borders, this was still the wealthiest village in the shinobi world—the one with the most complete system for training ninja. Even after the losses of war, their overall numbers might not rival Kumogakure, but they were certainly not a force the other villages could afford to underestimate.
"Boom—!"
The earth trembled violently beneath their feet. The roar of the Nine-Tails grew ever more deafening, its fury palpable, its resistance fierce beyond measure.
Hiruzen steadied himself, glancing back at the many shinobi who had been knocked to the ground by the relentless shaking. He shook his head helplessly.
"Hiashi, take a look at what's happening ahead."
Drawing in a slow breath, he turned to Hiashi Hyuga beside him.
"The descendant of the Senju clan… is fighting the Nine-Tails."
Hiashi activated his Byakugan instantly. Even without it, the chaos ahead was faintly visible—but if they wanted accurate, detailed information, there was no substitute.
Besides… he, too, was deeply curious about what exactly was unfolding.
But the moment he saw it clearly, he froze.
After a brief pause, he spoke again, his voice tinged with disbelief.
"If I'm not mistaken… that child of the Senju clan is using the Wood Dragon Technique. A wooden dragon has wrapped itself around the Nine-Tails and is continuously absorbing its chakra.
"As for the earlier quake… it was caused when he blocked the Tailed Beast Bomb head-on."
Blocking a Tailed Beast Bomb… alone?
And summoning the Wood Dragon Technique on top of that?
Hiruzen fell silent.
Earlier, Natsuhiko had indeed managed to stop a Tailed Beast Bomb—but he had done so with Earth Release, supported by his summoned beast.
Now, that summon was still back in Konoha, assisting with rescue operations.
This meant that what he was doing now… he was doing alone.
No—more than that.
Not only was he capable of defending against the Nine-Tails' attacks, he was actively threatening it.
The Wood Dragon Technique…
As someone who had lived through that era, Hiruzen knew this technique all too well. It had been one of Hashirama Senju's most commonly used—and most powerful—Wood Release techniques.
But that was Hashirama.
For anyone else, Wood Release itself was already beyond reach. Even those experimental subjects tacitly permitted under Hiruzen's watch—people who had long since lost their sense of self, their bodies grotesquely sprouting wood—could barely muster something as basic as a Wood Locking Wall.
A high-level jutsu like the Wood Dragon… was unthinkable.
Has Natsuhiko… really grown this far?
Hiruzen inhaled deeply.
Everything this young man had revealed tonight had shaken him again and again. And more than his strength, it was the boy's composure—his mindset—that stirred an unease deep within Hiruzen's heart.
"Right now, the Fourth Hokage and that child of the Senju clan have the Nine-Tails under control. They should be preparing to seal it—hm?"
At that moment, Hiashi spoke again, his expression shifting—something between confusion and concern.
"Someone else has appeared. This person… seems to be able to use space-time ninjutsu as well. And now—he's fighting Natsuhiko."
Hiashi's gaze sharpened, tracking the movement.
"They're coming this way."
Someone else had joined the battle—and was even heading straight toward them?
The moment Hiruzen Sarutobi heard this, he forcefully pushed aside all his earlier thoughts. No matter how terrifying Natsuhiko's strength had become, he was still, in the end, a shinobi of Konoha.
An outsider, however, was a different matter entirely—by definition, an enemy of the village.
Along the way, Hiruzen had already exchanged information with several members of the ANBU, especially those like Weasel, who had previously been assigned to guard the Fourth Hokage. From them, he had learned that the one who attacked the Fourth was an outsider from the Uchiha clan—someone who also possessed space-time ninjutsu.
"We move out!" Hiruzen shouted sharply. "Eliminate the enemy and assist the Fourth Hokage in sealing the Nine-Tails!"
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
The Konoha shinobi responded in unison, their voices ringing out as they surged forward, following closely behind him.
But they had barely advanced far when a massive surge of chakra suddenly spread out before them. In the next instant, a roaring torrent came crashing toward them like a raging flood!
"All Earth Release users, step forward!"
Hiruzen reacted immediately, issuing his command as his hands flew into seals. His immense chakra surged forth in response.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
The shinobi skilled in Earth Release rushed forward as one, forming seals in unison.
The sheer scale of the oncoming torrent was beyond anything they had imagined. To unleash such a powerful Water Release technique in the middle of a forest—this level of strength was truly terrifying.
And yet… this was only the beginning.
Before the surging flood could even crash against the walls they had erected, the ground began to tremble violently once more.
Then—
A towering tree erupted from the earth ahead of them, bursting upward with overwhelming force.
Every one of them had fought the Nine-Tails before. Every one of them had witnessed Natsuhiko's power with their own eyes.
They knew exactly what this was.
And more importantly—they knew just how frightening it was.
Because this was one of the signature techniques of Wood Release—
Deep Forest Emergence.
Even the Nine-Tails itself had shown caution toward this jutsu.
Just what kind of opponent was Natsuhiko facing…? What kind of monster could force the only person since Hashirama Senju to wield Wood Release to this extent?
No one had an answer.
In fact, none of them could even move.
The raging flood and the colossal forest before them were forces far beyond anything they could hope to contend with. And now, the massive vines from that towering tree were already lashing out in their direction. They could easily imagine what would happen once those vines struck the earthen walls they had just created.
"All units—fall back immediately!"
Hiruzen had clearly reached the same conclusion. Gritting his teeth as he stared at the overwhelming scene, he could only issue the order to retreat.
For the first time, he truly began to understand the helplessness—the bitterness—that the leaders of other villages must have felt decades ago when facing the First Hokage.
Natsuhiko was still far from reaching the level of Hashirama Senju in his prime.
And yet, even now, the techniques he wielded were already enough to leave them with a deep sense of powerlessness.
Just how terrifying… must Hashirama have been back then?
...
"Damn it…!"
Deep within a cave in the Land of Fire, Obito Uchiha stumbled out of a space-time distortion, clutching his chest as he collapsed heavily onto the ground.
Blood quickly spread beneath him, staining the earth crimson.
But he paid it no mind.
Instead, he cursed Natsuhiko bitterly, his voice filled with rage as he spat out insults, condemning just how despicable that man was.
He had already considered the possibility that he might lose.
After all, just like his teacher Minato Namikaze, Natsuhiko seemed capable of seeing through his technique. With Minato's example as a warning, Obito had long since abandoned any overconfidence. Even if he lost, he had believed that as long as he remained cautious, he could at least withdraw without too much disgrace.
But now…
His defeat was absolute.
Crushing.
And utterly devoid of dignity.
In truth, Obito Uchiha had long since uncovered the secret behind Natsuhiko's use of the Flying Thunder God Technique.
As someone who also possessed Wood Release, he had noticed early on that beneath the ground lay countless hidden "seeds" of Wood Release chakra. From that, he deduced that Natsuhiko was likely using these seeds as markers—turning them into coordinates that allowed him to freely teleport within a specific area.
It was a method both subtle and highly efficient.
Of course, it wasn't without its limitations. No matter how cleverly those seeds were placed, there had to be a maximum range to their coverage.
Obito didn't know exactly how that range was determined—but that didn't matter. As long as he could escape beyond it, he was certain Natsuhiko would no longer be able to reach him so easily.
After all, without any coordinates… how could he possibly appear right beside him and launch an attack?
And yet—
Even in his wildest dreams, Obito had never imagined that Natsuhiko would strike him without relying on those markers at all.
The moment that chakra-infused blade, glowing with a deep azure light, pierced straight through his chest, a realization flashed through his mind.
Once… hadn't Minato Namikaze also left a Flying Thunder God seal on him?
"Can… those seals be shared…?" he muttered, struggling to breathe.
But as his breaths gradually steadied, so too did his condition. Beneath his black cloak, the wound in his chest slowly began to close. Rising unsteadily to his feet, he found that the blood loss had already lessened. With half of his body composed of White Zetsu, his recovery speed was far from ordinary.
"Looks like you took quite a beating."
At that moment, the ground beneath him rippled, and a figure split evenly between black and white emerged. After giving Obito a brief once-over, it shook its head slightly.
"That Senju brat… he's stronger than expected."
"Hmph. He's strong, sure—but nothing more than that," Obito replied through gritted teeth. "If I hadn't been careless—"
"That boy possesses sage chakra."
Before he could finish, Black Zetsu cut him off calmly.
"And he's already figured out your abilities. On top of that, he has both Wood Release and the Flying Thunder God Technique. You should be grateful that he's already been fighting for so long and doesn't have enough chakra left to deal with you properly… otherwise, you wouldn't have made it back."
At that, Black Zetsu paused briefly, a rare trace of unease flickering within him.
Natsuhiko's power had not yet reached the level of Tobirama Senju, but the combat strength he displayed now was already formidable.
More importantly, the gap between Obito and Madara Uchiha was anything but small.
Even at his peak, Madara—wielding the Nine-Tails—had failed to defeat Hashirama Senju. Now, Obito's abilities had been exposed, and his opponent possessed techniques that rivaled his own.
Black Zetsu simply couldn't see how Obito could possibly win.
He had been secretly observing the entire battle. When Natsuhiko suddenly appeared and drove his blade through Obito's chest, he had nearly intervened himself.
Fortunately, Obito still had enough sense to retreat in time—and it seemed that Natsuhiko's sage chakra was running low as well.
Otherwise…
There might already have been a bright red "danger" looming over Obito's head.
"Sage Mode, huh…"
Feeling his strength gradually returning, Obito reached up and tore off his mask, revealing a pale, bloodless face.
"So that bastard has that up his sleeve too… what a surprise."
"He's never revealed it to anyone before. Even I had no intelligence on it," Black Zetsu replied, shaking his head before fixing Obito with a serious look. "Even if he's weakened now, I don't think you're in any condition to keep fighting either. So—what's your plan?"
"My plan?" Obito glanced at him, then quickly looked away. "There's nothing left to plan. Let's go. We've already done everything we came here to do."
And in a sense, that was true.
From Obito's perspective, tonight's operation could be called a failure—but it was also, in its own way, a qualified success.
He had intended to seize the Nine-Tails. Though he failed, it had been protected—and more importantly, he had forced out the power of Wood Release.
That alone… could already be considered a kind of victory.
After all, this operation had never been solely about capturing the Nine-Tails. More than anything, Obito Uchiha had intended to display his strength—to make people like Nagato, who were never entirely obedient, truly understand what he was capable of.
In that regard, he had succeeded almost perfectly.
Especially earlier, when he had sensed that chilling, ominous chakra… he couldn't help but suspect that Minato Namikaze had resorted to some forbidden technique—perhaps even the Reaper Death Seal.
If that were truly the case, then Konoha's Fourth Hokage was as good as dead.
The thought of having brought about his own teacher's end left Obito with a strange, hollow ache. It wasn't a pleasant feeling—far from it.
And yet… he did not regret it.
He had already chosen this path. There was no turning back now.
There had been a fleeting moment, however—a single instant—when he had desperately wished that Minato would recognize him, see through everything, and realize that he was the same Uchiha Obito from the past.
But that moment never came.
Minato hadn't recognized him. In fact, he had mistaken him for Madara Uchiha.
"…So, I really have become Madara, haven't I?"
A bitter smile tugged at Obito's lips, though that bitterness only hardened his resolve further.
If you couldn't recognize me… then from this moment on, we are strangers.
And now, you likely won't even survive what comes next.
In that case—
From now on, I am Madara Uchiha.
And I will create a brand-new world.
A world where you are there… where Rin is there… where Kakashi is there… a world where everything is as it should be.
A perfect world.
"And Natsuhiko… this time, you truly gave me a surprise. Perhaps 'Madara Uchiha' is destined to face 'Hashirama Senju.'"
"If I am Madara now… then you must be Hashirama."
"In that case, it seems the two of us will have plenty to 'discuss.'"
As that thought settled in his mind, the Sharingan in Obito's right eye began to spin slowly.
In the next instant, his body twisted and warped, dissolving into space itself until he vanished without a trace—as if he had never been there at all.
...
Back in Konoha, within the Uzumaki Clan's Mask Storage Temple, Natsuhiko stood calmly, watching as Tsutani Hiro gradually regained his strength.
Though he remained alert, he made no sudden moves.
Even as a shadow clone, he possessed all of Natsuhiko's memories, and he understood clearly that this moment was critical. His vigilance wasn't directed at Tsutani Hiro's strength—but at his intentions. If the man showed even the slightest sign of wavering, the real Natsuhiko would have no choice but to intervene personally.
The drawback of being a shadow clone was obvious: he had no way of knowing what the original body was doing at this exact moment.
All he could do… was wait.
"I wonder how things are going over there… Hopefully nothing's gone wrong."
The clone pondered silently, but just then, the ground beside him trembled faintly. A small lizard suddenly burrowed up through the soil.
At the sight of it, Natsuhiko's clone let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Since direct communication wasn't possible, they had to rely on other means—and these small lizards were their most reliable messengers.
After emerging, the lizard glanced around cautiously before leaping onto the clone's shoulder. Flicking its tongue, it quickly transmitted its message through chakra.
In that instant, the clone grasped the entire situation—and nodded in satisfaction.
It seemed everything on the original body's side had gone smoothly.
Though he was somewhat surprised that Obito had actually returned to confront him again—after all, he certainly didn't recall hiring Obito to do something like that—there was no point dwelling on it now.
What mattered was what came next.
"Alright," Natsuhiko said, turning his gaze toward Tsutani Hiro, his voice calm and steady. "You've had plenty of time to prepare. I trust you've recovered by now."
"In that case… please, begin."
"So it's finally happening?"
Tsutani Hiro had long since noticed the lizard's arrival. He had also witnessed, from afar, the sight of that colossal lizard battling against the Nine-Tails outside.
He had also noticed that towering tree—rising skyward—and how it coordinated with that enormous lizard to assault the Nine-Tails.
And now, a small lizard had appeared here.
Connecting all the pieces—the man standing before him, the Flying Thunder God Technique, the Spirit Transformation Technique—an unsettling realization dawned on him.
Could it be… that the Wood Release outside had been cast by this very person's true body?
And if so… did that mean the man in front of him was a member of the Senju clan?
"You're from the Senju clan… aren't you?"
"Yes."
Natsuhiko answered without hesitation, giving a simple nod. His gaze remained calm, almost indifferent, as he looked at Tsutani Hiro.
"I am a member of the Senju clan. The one outside using Wood Release is my original body. Do you have any other questions?"
"What you're doing is probably not something Konoha wants you to do, right?"
Tsutani Hiro licked his lips, as if he had confirmed something.
"Which means… even if I help you finish this, I probably won't be allowed to leave alive, will I?"
He let out a low chuckle.
"A descendant of the Senju clan, doing things Konoha doesn't permit… doesn't that amount to the Hokage himself betraying the village?"
Behind the mask, Natsuhiko's expression turned utterly blank—as though he were staring at a fool.
Was there something wrong with this man's head?
After a brief moment of thought, he decided there was no point engaging further. Trying to reason with someone like this was meaningless—just like with Obito Uchiha. Natsuhiko had never bothered trying to explain the truth behind Rin's death; without evidence, and against someone trapped in their own delusions, words were useless.
Shaking his head lightly, his voice turned cold.
"You'll do as you're told."
"If you don't… then I'll have my real body come here and do it for you."
"You don't have a choice. Obey, and you might survive."
His tone grew even colder, carrying a faint, chilling edge.
"Don't make things difficult for me. After all… I haven't yet tried using a human corpse to nourish my Wood Release."
As his words fell, Natsuhiko's shadow clone formed a single-handed seal.
Tsutani Hiro glanced at it—and fell silent.
He didn't recognize the seal, but he wasn't stupid. He could guess what it meant.
This was likely the seal used to dispel a shadow clone.
If he cooperated, he might still be eliminated afterward—there was no reason to trust a Konoha ANBU.
But if he refused… he would be forced to comply anyway, and afterward, he would likely suffer an even worse fate at Natsuhiko's hands.
The mere thought of being crushed and merged into Wood Release made his body tremble uncontrollably.
In that state… would he even still be alive?
Would he retain any consciousness at all?
The more he thought about it, the colder his heart became.
Finally, Tsutani Hiro let out a long, helpless sigh. Slowly, he picked up the mask of the Shinigami and fixed his gaze on Natsuhiko.
"I hope you remember your promise," he said quietly. "I'll cooperate."
With that, he raised the Shinigami mask and placed it over his face. His hands immediately began forming seals at high speed.
Natsuhiko's shadow clone watched everything carefully.
In truth, the method for releasing the Reaper Death Seal wasn't particularly complicated. As long as one knew the sequence of hand seals and supplied the necessary chakra, the technique could be carried out.
Simple in theory.
But there was a reason this jutsu was forbidden.
When used to seal, it claimed the user's life.
And when undone… it claimed another.
Worse still, the process required the user to endure the agony of being disemboweled—a price few could even imagine bearing.
As Tsutani Hiro completed the sequence, an eerie chakra enveloped him—something that felt utterly out of place in the world of the living.
Cold.
Hopeless.
Like the presence of a god of death itself.
A low, guttural growl escaped his throat as his body trembled, wracked by unbearable pain.
Tsutani Hiro did his best to maintain control over his movements. Standing upright, he stretched both arms outward, his entire body trembling faintly as his hair was blown wildly upward by the surging chakra.
Behind him, a pale, indistinct figure began to take shape.
It was the vague silhouette of a Shinigami.
Formless, almost invisible—yet unmistakably present.
Even so, Natsuhiko could clearly sense it… and more than that, he felt as though the entity held a short blade clenched between its teeth.
Narrowing his eyes slightly, Natsuhiko's shadow clone activated his sensory perception to its fullest.
In an instant, the world seemed to shift.
What he "saw" was no longer something visible to ordinary sight, but something far more primal—an existence with horns growing from its head, like a demon straight out of the depths of hell.
The temperature in the room plummeted abruptly.
Natsuhiko had already anticipated that this process wouldn't be simple—but witnessing it unfold firsthand made him realize he had still underestimated the terror of the Reaper Death Seal.
Fortunately, he was no stranger to dangerous situations. He kept his composure, maintaining only the necessary level of vigilance.
After all, he was merely a shadow clone.
And more importantly—he had never taught Tsutani Hiro the actual sealing method of the technique.
"…Hmm?"
Suddenly, Natsuhiko frowned.
Within his perception, he noticed something deeply unsettling—the soul of that demonic entity seemed to be binding itself to Tsutani Hiro.
This wasn't just a connection of chakra.
It was a direct fusion between souls.
Even more disturbingly… Natsuhiko could sense that the entity harbored a clear sense of disgust toward Tsutani Hiro.
"What… is going on here?"
He couldn't make sense of it.
Once souls became intertwined at this level, escaping would no longer be simple. In the original story, Orochimaru had never displayed anything like this—the connection had never gone this far.
So why… was this happening now?
"Is there something wrong with the technique? Or… is it something else?"
The method had come from Senju Shoma. If the technique itself were flawed, that would be a chilling thought indeed.
But if it was something else…
For example—something inexplicable, like Tsutani Hiro's rumored devotion to a so-called Jashin, the very belief that had granted him a form of immortality…
If that belief had somehow provoked the Shinigami's revulsion, then the situation was entirely different.
"…Most likely the latter."
Natsuhiko reached a quiet conclusion.
Senju Shoma wouldn't dare deceive him—and that intense feeling of disgust he sensed was all too real.
While Natsuhiko analyzed the situation, Tsutani Hiro remained completely unaware of what was happening to him, continuing the ritual without hesitation.
He picked up a short blade.
At the same moment, the demonic Shinigami behind him mirrored the action, removing the blade from its mouth.
Then—
Without the slightest pause, Tsutani Hiro drove the blade into his own abdomen.
Like a ritualistic seppuku, he twisted the blade violently within his body before dragging it across in a brutal slash.
A muffled groan escaped his lips.
He yanked the blade free, and a massive wound split open across his stomach. Blood and fragments of his internal organs spilled out uncontrollably, painting the ground beneath him.
Behind him, the Shinigami performed the exact same motion.
Its abdomen was silently sliced open.
From within that wound—
A glowing blue sphere suddenly emerged.
In the next instant, as if sensing something, the sphere shot outward at incredible speed.
Natsuhiko's eyes narrowed slightly.
It was too fast.
Far too fast for him to react.
But he didn't move.
After all… this was only a shadow clone.
Still, he noticed something important—
The direction the sphere was flying…
Was exactly where his original body was.
"…I see."
At that moment, understanding dawned on him, and he finally relaxed.
Just as described—the moment the seal was undone, the soul would instinctively seek out its original body. And if no body remained, it would wander briefly in the world of the living… before eventually returning to the Pure Land.
That meant he no longer needed to prepare any reincarnation techniques.
Nor did he need to trouble someone like Chiyo for assistance.
Everything… was proceeding exactly as he had hoped.
Even though Natsuhiko didn't expect any trouble from dealing with Chiyo, performing true "Reanimation" was never something simple. Especially now—he had already lost a proper test subject.
"Save me!"
His gaze shifted toward Tsutani Hiro, who moaned weakly, barely audible, his voice breaking in intermittent gasps.
Natsuhiko's shadow clone let out a quiet sigh. He could sense that Tsutani Hiro's life force was draining away at an alarming rate. It was as if the very vitality that had once seemed locked within him had been shattered, flowing out along with the blood from his gaping abdominal wound. His life was quietly slipping into nothingness.
The clone paused for a moment, then crouched swiftly, tying up the damaged intestines and carefully returning them into Tsutani Hiro's abdomen.
"Wait a moment, I—" Natsuhiko began to speak, lifting his head slightly, but he stopped mid-sentence.
Tsutani Hiro was already gone.
His life force had vanished entirely. His eyes, wide and unseeing, stared like copper bells, the pupils completely unfocused. His face had twisted into something grotesque, resembling a demon more than a man.
Seeing this, Natsuhiko let his hands drop. There was no saving him now. His senses confirmed it: Tsutani Hiro had lost all traces of life.
"Truly terrifying…"
He murmured under his breath, letting his perception sweep frantically over Tsutani Hiro's body. In just a few moments, he detected a flood of details. The cursed, evil mark that had once clung to him had vanished—completely, unnaturally, as if it had never existed.
Natsuhiko surmised that it wasn't a problem with the jutsu. This must have been the Shinigami itself, enraged by Tsutani Hiro's actions.
After all, death is ultimately a cycle. Even if that cycle can be temporarily avoided, one cannot escape it through methods deemed "evil."
"Well… this world really is strange and unpredictable," Natsuhiko said to himself as he straightened up, glancing at Tsutani Hiro's body with a touch of wry resignation.
"I'm probably the first person to kill one of those Jashin-worshipping immortals, aren't I?"
...
In the forest of Konoha, Natsuhiko landed steadily beside Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki.
Naruto's cries echoed loudly through the trees. Sensing something, the boy wailed in grief.
Natsuhiko walked to his side, inspecting his stomach carefully. Relief washed over him—there was no seal on Naruto.
Turning his attention to Minato, however, he detected a seal. There was no trace of the Nine-Tails' chakra, though.
Immediately, Natsuhiko realized this was the effect of the Reaper Death Seal. The technique seals the enemy along with the user, centering on the soul itself.
"Too bad," he murmured, shaking his head lightly. "Otherwise, I might have been able to harvest some of the tailed beast's chakra as well."
His gaze then fell on Kushina. She had completely lost consciousness, likely from overwhelming grief. She had lost the love of her life in a single night.
"Fortunately… my actions haven't pushed them into total despair. They've both survived this night."
A faint smile touched Natsuhiko's lips as he crouched before Minato. Closing his eyes briefly, his perception began to spread wildly.
At that moment, Minato had no heartbeat and no conscious awareness. By most standards, he would be considered dead.
Yet Natsuhiko never made judgments lightly—especially about a ninja.
"Found it!"
Suddenly, his eyes snapped open. He had sensed the almost-vanished spark—the faint, flickering "flame" within Minato's body.
That flame was crucial. It was the key to whether someone could truly survive.
"Hm?"
Just then, a blue sphere of light shot forward and merged seamlessly into Minato's body.
Natsuhiko blinked in surprise, then a faint smile spread across his lips.
Everything was proceeding exactly as he had hoped.
...
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