Under the oppressive, steel-gray sky, heavy snow fell like silver phantoms, blanketing the silent forest in a haunting stillness.
Above, the low-hanging clouds were torn apart by an invisible force, sliced into drifting tatters by a blade unseen.
The once-pristine mountaintop within the forest was now a scene of chaos and destruction.
Boulders lay scattered, trees had been torn from their roots, and the snow was no longer white—it was trampled and muddied beyond recognition. Amid the swirling wind and snow, the colossal figures of two giants were barely visible. Only their blazing eyes and thunderous movements could be made out through the storm.
The air itself felt frozen. Silence reigned, broken only by the howling wind, the crash of falling debris, and the guttural roars of the giants locked in battle.
What had once been a peaceful, untouched sanctuary of nature had become a desolate battlefield—scarred, broken, and haunted by the memory of this clash.
This forest would never forget.
This battle had become its nightmare.
Bang!
A cloud of white smoke erupted. When it cleared, only a battered and breathless Nagato remained.
"So the summoning's over..."
Toshiro's voice held a tinge of disappointment as he gazed at his fallen opponent.
Still... he had to admit, for Nagato to have lasted this long, it was nothing short of remarkable.
Boom... Boom... Boom...
The ground quaked with every step as the crimson Susanoo approached.
Though it was a construct of chakra, the force behind its movements felt entirely real. With each heavy step, stone crumbled into powder beneath its feet. The massive chakra-forged sword rose high in its hand—gleaming, merciless.
There was no pity in Toshiro's eyes, despite the pitiful state Nagato was in.
Yes, Nagato was a man burdened with sorrow. But so were millions of others in this world.
If one showed mercy to all the broken souls, who would be left to bring justice?
"Die!"
With that, Susanoo brought its blade down. A surge of red energy tore through the air, slicing through the storm like a divine executioner's strike.
The blow descended toward Nagato like the hand of fate.
If nothing interfered, he would not survive.
A thunderous roar split the silence. In the wake of the slash, a deep chasm scarred the earth—carving through the heart of the forest like a crimson wound, dividing it in two.
"...So, it's a memory from the Yin Release clone," Toshiro muttered, just as he began to dismiss the Susanoo.
A strange surge of chakra had flickered in his consciousness, a message transmitted directly into his mind from a source he didn't fully comprehend.
"Obito... you're really betting it all, aren't you?"
An unexpected twist—Obito had used Kamui at the last second to drag Nagato into his pocket dimension... and had followed him in.
"Revealing that ability to Nagato... this guy really is desperate."
But it made sense.
Obito had no other choice. If he hadn't acted, it wouldn't just be Nagato who died—he might've perished as well.
Revealing his trump card was a gamble... but what value did secrecy hold if your allies were dead?
"He ran far, huh?"
Toshiro smirked, sensing that the Flying Thunder God seal he had placed within the Kamui space had moved far from his current location.
"But does he really think this will stop me from killing Nagato?"
Childish tricks.
Obito had hoped that by bringing Nagato into Kamui, he could use Nagato's help to eliminate the remaining clone Toshiro had left inside. But he underestimated everything.
Naive.
If not for the Yin clone's voluntary dissolution—triggered when it realized a short-term victory wasn't possible—Obito and Nagato wouldn't have stood a chance.
"Should I just finish them off now?"
Standing atop Susanoo's head, Toshiro gazed into the distance—the direction Obito had fled.
A single thought was all it would take for him to teleport into Kamui's space.
Even if Nagato possessed the Uzumaki's famed resilience, he could barely contend with a clone. Against Toshiro's true self, he would crumble instantly.
But then...
"The tailed beasts... the Fourth Ninja War... the Tsuki no me plan... and the treaty we just signed..."
Toshiro furrowed his brow, deep in thought.
Perhaps there was no need to kill them now.
Because the truth was, he needed villains.
If he wanted to force peace onto the ninja world, he needed enemies—real threats. Words alone wouldn't be enough. No treaty could erase generations of bloodshed and mistrust.
The five great nations would never truly unite unless they faced a danger greater than themselves.
Just like in the past.
Naruto's generation only knew peace because Obito launched the Fourth Great Ninja War. Because Madara enacted the Tsuki no Me plan.
Because their enemies were mad enough—powerful enough—to hang humanity from the Divine Tree like slaughtered animals.
That was enough to make even the most stubborn ninja reconsider everything.
The ninja world was never short of geniuses or lunatics.
If the cycle of hatred continued, who was to say another Madara wouldn't rise?
Someone who could gather all the tailed beasts again... someone who might even summon Kaguya.
And next time, there might be no hero left to stop it.
"Don't disappoint me, you two..."
That, more than anything, was why he had let Obito escape so many times.
Not out of mercy...
But because peace sometimes needed villains.
"I just don't know…"
Toshiro stared up at the darkening sky, his voice quiet.
"With this butterfly effect I've triggered—and that so-called peace agreement—whether the next Great Ninja War or the Moon's Eye Plan will truly lead to lasting peace."
—
"Madara, let me out. I have to save Konan and Yahiko!"
Inside the Kamui dimension, the ground was littered with broken traps, spent scrolls, and remnants of a hastily abandoned battle.
Nagato, his red hair tousled and face gaunt, paced restlessly across the shattered terrain with White Zetsu attached to him.
He owed Obito his life—rescued in a moment of certain death.
But some things mattered more than survival.
Konan and Yahiko—his comrades, his heart—were left behind in Toshiro's hands.
How could he sit idly in this dimension while their fates hung in the balance?
"No. If you go out now, you'll die."
Obito's rejection came instantly, flat and emotionless.
Nagato may have recovered a fraction of his strength, but compared to Uchiha Toshiro, he was still a candle flickering before a storm.
A few exchanges. That's all it would take.
"Then I'll die with them!"
Nagato's voice was resolute. He knew he couldn't win, but he'd rather perish at their side than cower in safety.
"You..."
Obito clenched his jaw. After all he'd done to save Nagato, the fool wanted to throw it all away again.
But he understood.
Because once... he had been the same.
Then an idea struck him.
"You might not be able to save Konan by rushing out there... but—if you live, there's still hope for her."
Obito's voice softened as he tried to reason with him.
"I know Toshiro. He's... softhearted. He won't kill Konan right away."
Truthfully, Obito was tempted to say that Toshiro was a lustful man who might spare Konan for the wrong reasons.
But one glance at Nagato's strained face, and he swallowed the comment.
No need to provoke him further.
"You and I both know—we can't take Toshiro in a direct fight. But rescuing a prisoner from Konoha? That's still within our power."
He leaned in, voice low and persuasive.
"With Zetsu feeding us intel, your remaining strength, and my Kamui, we can get in, grab her, and get out."
Nagato faltered. He wasn't convinced—but he was listening.
Obito pressed on.
"You're in no shape to fight right now. Rest. Let Zetsu find out what happened to Konan. When we know more... we move."
That was as much as Obito could say. If Nagato refused even now, he'd have no choice but to throw up his hands and let him go die on his own.
"This... might work," Nagato finally said, though skepticism lingered in his voice.
"But how can you be sure Toshiro won't kill her the moment he returns to Konoha?"
A valid concern. Words were cheap, and Nagato wasn't about to gamble Konan's life on a guess.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk..."
High above the world, Toshiro stood atop a floating stone sphere, Susanoo still active beneath him.
He let out a sigh of admiration.
"Chakra really is amazing... To make something this massive float unsupported—it's almost beautiful."
The stone sphere wasn't the only marvel. The very moon itself had been created through jutsu.
Human hands had done this. It was awe-inspiring... and deeply unsettling.
"So these three are inside."
Toshiro narrowed his eyes. His sensory sweep confirmed it—Orochimaru, Sasori, and Deidara were trapped within the sphere.
"Not a bad haul. Three at once..."
And that wasn't all. He'd also captured Konan and Pakura. With nearly half of the Akatsuki under his control now, it felt surreal—proof of how unpredictable life could be.
But a new problem presented itself.
"No way I'm hauling this thing back to Konoha."
He frowned at the enormous stone orb. Several kilometers wide—it would be nearly impossible to move.
If he unleashed Susanoo's full power, he might be able to split it open.
But then what?
Those three weren't going to obediently follow him home. Especially not Orochimaru. That man was a snake in every sense. Even sealed, he always found a way to slither free.
If he could somehow control Orochimaru... maybe even enlist him... now that would be something.
"Ugh, this is such a headache."
Toshiro rubbed his temples.
He didn't even know where to start. Madara's puppet jutsu hadn't worked on Orochimaru. The man had simply shed his body and wriggled out of it, like changing coats.
"Maybe something from the soul?"
But that was Orochimaru's domain. If anyone in the ninja world understood the soul, it was him.
No matter how Toshiro tried to spin it, he couldn't see a way forward.
Killing Orochimaru was an option... but far from ideal.
He needed a better plan. Something bold.
And fast.
--------------------------------
AN: Check out my P@treon For +70 extra chapters.
Thank You For your Support!!
[email protected]/noviceauthor777