Night had fallen.

Obito Uchiha stood alone on the outer wall of the Hidden Leaf Village. The night wind tugged at the edge of his black cloak.

Though the Sharingan didn't rival the Byakugan in night vision, it was still powerful enough. From here, he could see the outline of the entire village.

This place he could still call it his home.

"Konoha's changed again," he muttered, his voice quickly lost in the breeze.

Compared to his last visit, the village looked even more modern. Concrete buildings dominated the skyline, and bright neon signs blinked along the streets. The cold, artificial glow of this progress made Obito uneasy.

His gaze swept across unfamiliar structures, and he felt as if the Konoha he remembered was being devoured bit by bit by these soulless machines.

"A disgusting kind of progress," he sneered, though his eyes betrayed a more conflicted emotion.

The better things got here, the more outdated his dream seemed. He couldn't help but think back.

If only Minato-sensei had lived... would things be different?

If

No.

They wouldn't.

Peace born from compromise is just poison in disguise. As long as time marches forward, war will always return.

Only the Eye of the Moon could bring true and lasting change. Only when Rin opens her eyes again and sees a perfect world only then would it all be worth it.

"You're right, Obito," came a familiar voice.

Black Zetsu emerged from the ground beside him, offering support like a devil whispering into a broken man's ear.

"These mechanical abominations lack warmth. Real peace requires mutual understanding between people. And that's something only the Eye of the Moon can give us. That's the real dream."

Then he changed the subject, voice quick and eager.

"Obito, listen I've been thinking. Why don't we focus on the Reanimation Jutsu first?"

Obito ignored him.

His eyes moved to the Hokage Rock, where the statues of the village's past leaders were illuminated by floodlights. Even at night, the faces were clear.

He stared at the fourth stone face the Fourth Hokage.

Minato's gaze seemed to meet his.

It was as if the cold, stone-carved eyes were saying, "Obito, you ruined everything."

You're wrong.

"I'm right," Obito whispered.

His expression grew darker, and Black Zetsu got nervous. Uchiha were unstable at the best of times and Obito was no exception.

Was he about to throw in the towel?

What would happen to the plan? What about Mother?

"You're definitely right, Obito!" Black Zetsu said quickly. "Once the Fourth is revived in the dream world, he'll thank you. Praise you."

Seeing Obito's expression still stuck somewhere between brooding poet and emotional wreck, Black Zetsu pressed harder.

"Think about it if the Hokage were really right, you wouldn't have suffered. If you hadn't suffered, Rin wouldn't have died. If Rin hadn't died, Kakashi wouldn't have spent all these years drowning in guilt."

Obito didn't flinch.

Black Zetsu brought out the big guns.

"You can't quit now. If you do, everything you've sacrificed will be for nothing."

Sunk cost.

"Shut up, Zetsu," Obito said flatly. "My will isn't that fragile."

Relieved, Black Zetsu exhaled.

"Great. Okay, hear me out Hashirama's Reanimation Jutsu can seriously turn the tide. We can use White Zetsu clones to bring back all kinds of powerful shinobi!"

He rambled on quickly.

"Now that Nagato's completely broken ties with us even if we take him out those loyal to him won't follow you. Let's be honest… your current disguise isn't exactly awe-inspiring. Nobody's lining up to pledge loyalty to the 'masked man.'"

Truth be told, Black Zetsu missed Madara. That man didn't mess around with all this drama.

"White Zetsu can only fill in the middle and low-tier ranks. We need real power players."

Obito didn't answer. He just kept staring at Minato's stone face.

He had to prove he was right.

He was listening to Zetsu there was some logic in his words but his own plan to unleash the Nine Tails still seemed promising.

Why not do both?

And besides… he was the one leading the Eye of the Moon Plan. Not some fragment of Madara's will.

"Fine. You go gather intel on the Reanimation Jutsu," Obito said coldly.

"I'll go release the Nine Tails."

Wait, me?

"Uh, Obito, I was actually thinking you should go grab Orochimaru's assista—"

Before he could finish, space rippled around Obito as he disappeared into a swirling vortex.

Black Zetsu sighed.

"Madara, please come back already…"

His idea had been to snatch Orochimaru's assistant, Kabuto. Targeting Orochimaru directly was way too risky the snake was slippery and unpredictable, and Black Zetsu couldn't fully see through his techniques.

Worse, poking the hornet's nest might blow the whole operation.

And releasing the Nine Tails? What good would that even do? Level a few streets in Konoha?

Big deal.

Obito only succeeded last time because of dumb luck and a Hokage willing to die for the village. If Minato had made a different choice, Obito would've been eating Rasengans for breakfast every day since.

With his recent bad luck? No way it would go that smoothly again.

But Obito never listened.

Black Zetsu had plans. Strategy. Tactics.

And he was stuck with a damn wrecking ball.

"I'm Sasuke Uchiha here to greet the strongest man in the world!"

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki! I came to meet you too, Grandpa Whitebeard!"

The Konoha Recovery Ward had buildings and furniture completely unlike the rest of the shinobi world everything custom-built for a single man.

It was Whitebeard's house, in all but name.

Originally, the Hokage had wanted to assign a team of ANBU to guard him. He declined. He didn't need them.

Thanks to Tsunade's frankly miraculous medical skills, even the old wounds from decades past had begun to heal. If things kept improving, Whitebeard planned to return home soon.

Konoha was nice but it wasn't home.

Right now, he sat in his enormous room, guzzling alcohol from a bowl the size of a washbasin. His massive blade, Cloud-Cutter, stood planted in the floor.

He looked up at the foreign moon, missing the sons of the sea.

Drinking without family nearby? The wine had no flavor.

He was thinking about the future how he'd lead his crew across the seas once more when the door creaked open with a low groan.

Uchiha?

A familiar name caught Whitebeard's attention.

He grinned.

"Gurararara! Come in, boys."

The specially built door to the recovery ward swung open.

Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki stood at the threshold, looking up in awe at the giant who sat upon a custom-built chair, towering at 6.66 meters.

Whitebeard lowered his oversized drinking bowl and looked down at the two teenagers.

Moonlight washed over his broad shoulders, tracing his massive silhouette in silver.

"Gurarara… You kids lookin' for me?" His deep voice echoed through the vast chamber.

Naruto stared, eyes wide, taking a nervous step back.

"He's huge! The strongest man in the world is a giant?!"

Sasuke's gaze was calm, sharp. He studied the man whom even the Hokage had named "the strongest in the world."

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