Sarutobi Hiruzen's body flew through the air, crashing down in front of Shinnosuke and the Konoha ninjas.

The light in his eyes began to fade.

In his final moment, he looked toward Shinnosuke… and the shinobi of Konoha.

The scene before him blurred. The sounds of the battlefield grew faint, then vanished into silence.

Memories flashed like lightning in his mind.

This old man's life...

Had he been… a worthy Hokage?

Hashirama-sama… Tobirama-sensei… Minato...

I'm coming.

"Oh!"

The next moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen's body struck the ground with a thud.

It rolled several times before landing ten meters in front of Shinnosuke.

"Bang..."

The ninja blade in Shinnosuke's hand slipped free and clattered to the ground.

"Father!!!"

Tears streamed uncontrollably down his cheeks as he dashed toward Hiruzen's unmoving form.

"Monkey!"

"Lord Third!"

...

The war was over.

But none of the Konoha shinobi wore smiles.

There was no joy in this "victory."

The cost had been far too high.

More than two thousand shinobi lost their lives… and the Third Hokage had fallen.

Yet behind it all, there lurked a shadow—a manipulator who had orchestrated this from the start.

Sarutobi Shinnosuke clutched his father's body in silence.

Around him, every shinobi lowered their heads, gathering wordlessly around the fallen Hokage.

And then—

"Do you feel it now, Konoha shinobi?"

A hoarse male voice echoed from across the battlefield.

Every head turned east.

In the spot where moments ago there had been nothing, space began to twist and ripple.

From within the spiraling vortex stepped a man in a white mask, adorned with the red clouds of the Akatsuki.

The mask revealed only his eyes.

A scarlet three-tomoe Sharingan gleamed in each socket, the pattern like a spinning shuriken.

Maruboshi Kosuke and Nara Yuito instinctively moved to the front line.

"Sharingan...?"

"Who the hell are you?"

"There's no Uchiha like you in this village!"

With calm precision, Bai Yun unsheathed his blade and leveled it toward the masked man.

The stranger chuckled darkly.

"Hehehe~"

"Me?"

"I'm just a dead Uchiha… crawling back from the grave."

"So—do you understand pain now?"

"Everything so far was just a warm-up. The real show's about to begin!"

Obito clapped his hands together.

Inside the white Zetsu body worn by him, the chakra of Wood Release surged to life.

"Wood Style: Wood Golem Jutsu!"

A tremendous wave of chakra burst forth, merging Obito's power with the Wood Release coursing through the Zetsu body.

With a rumble, the ground beneath him writhed.

And from its depths, a colossal wooden giant tore its way free.

The Konoha shinobi scattered in every direction.

Those skilled in Fire Style began forming hand seals.

Wind Style users followed suit, prepping to support the flames.

Others hurled explosive kunai toward the masked man.

But every kunai passed clean through his body.

For a brief second, many thought they were seeing things.

"No... that's not it!"

"The kunai passed through him!"

"Don't aim for his body—go for the wooden giant!"

Maruboshi Kosuke, a veteran of countless battles, was the first to see through the technique.

The others followed his lead.

But Obito's Sharingan only glinted with mockery.

"Futile."

Even as the Fire and Wind Ninjutsu struck the wooden giant, the flames were quickly snuffed out.

Worse still, the golem seemed to grow even larger.

"How pitiful."

"You call yourselves Konoha shinobi."

"And yet you don't even recognize the Wood Release used by your own First Hokage?"

"Unless you destroy it instantly, Wood Release will continue to absorb chakra from your attacks."

The monstrous golem now stood in full view.

Its size rivaled a Tailed Beast—taller even than the Three-Tails they had just faced.

Obito stood atop the giant's head, one foot planted with cruel confidence.

Beneath the mask, his face twisted with deranged pleasure.

"You managed to deal with the Three-Tails... so what will you do now?"

"How will you survive against my Wood Golem?"

Orochimaru was unconscious.

The Sandaime was gone.

Their strongest were missing...

They had believed the worst had passed.

And then this—another towering monster, this time born of the very Wood Release once used by their beloved Shodai Hokage.

At last… despair began to settle over the crowd.

"…"

Many younger Genin collapsed to the ground in horror.

Their eyes were wide, blank, empty.

"No way…"

"That's the First Hokage's Wood Golem Technique..."

"We… we can't win against this…"

"That jutsu subdued the Nine-Tails like it was nothing!"

Even the older veterans clenched their teeth in bitter anguish.

Nara Yanshui's face contorted, rage burning behind his eyes.

His fists were clenched so tight, his nails had pierced his palms—blood dripping to the ground.

"Damn it…"

"I hate this…!"

"But what can we even do against this kind of power…?"

"Unless Lord Uchiha Hikaru arrives..."

"But he's still two and a half days away—traveling from the capital of the Land of Fire."

"Is this… really the end?"

Obito looked down at the hopeless shinobi with a twisted sense of satisfaction.

Yes. That's it. That look.

The same despair he had felt… the day Rin died.

No—this is nothing. Their pain doesn't even compare.

Their suffering is shallow. His was absolute.

"Despair!"

"This is the curse your village has unleashed upon the world!"

"Everything… everything that's happened is your doing!"

"Konoha is the source of this darkness!"

"All of it... was part of my plan!"

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

Obito threw back his head and laughed to the heavens.

The Konoha army remained silent.

And then—

From behind the ranks of the Konoha forces, a voice rang out.

A voice that made Obito's blood run cold.

A voice that made fury flicker behind his mask.

"Oh~?"

"I didn't quite catch that. Mind repeating yourself?"

-------

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