"Alright. Since we're all in agreement—
Senju Tobirama spoke slowly: "Then the first step is to develop the grand formation I mentioned. It must be capable of linking and carrying a massive amount of chakra. For this, Mito will take the lead, and all other shinobi experienced in sealing techniques must participate."
"And along the way, we need to make contact with Asura and Indra."
A sharp glint flashed in Tobirama's eyes.
"Between those two mixed-blood Ōtsutsuki, I believe Indra will be easier to win over… His philosophy is about using power to create peace, which naturally aligns with our plan."
"Uchiha Madara—you, as his reincarnation, will debate with him about paths to peace. Slowly, subtly, steer his mindset in the right direction. You understand what I mean, don't you?"
Uchiha Madara gave a thoughtful nod.
This kind of task—he was actually pretty familiar with it! Wasn't this basically the same as converting a 'darkened' Obito?
Granted, in this timeline, his attempt to manipulate Obito hadn't gone all that well—but still, he had learned from his failures.
And truthfully, Indra didn't seem all that much smarter than Obito.
"Got it. Leave him to me…" Madara said in a low voice.
"Brother—you'll handle Asura. In the memories Kazuki left me, I saw how Asura once defeated Indra…"
Tobirama turned to Senju Hashirama and instructed: "At the time, the Sage of Six Paths blatantly favored Asura—giving him not only the support of the Shinobi Sect, but also a portion of his own chakra, and even the chakra of the Nine-Tails…"
"What you need to do is question that decision—lead Asura to believe that centralizing power into a single point was, in fact, the right approach."
"That way, when we present our plan to both Asura and Indra, Asura will see it as the same tactic used back then—linking chakra to confront the enemy…"
"While Indra will see it as using strength to achieve peace. In the face of the incoming Ōtsutsuki threat, both will be inclined to support our plan."
"And once Asura and Indra are working together… then the Sage of Six Paths—who, as their father, has always wanted to see them reconcile, and who calls himself the protector of the shinobi world—will find it hard to refuse."
Tobirama's voice turned chilling.
"If the Sage of Six Paths joins us, then the Three Great Sage Regions won't be able to stand aside either… And as for the last piece—Ōtsutsuki Hamura—we'll leave that to Hyūga Hizashi."
"Hizashi, according to intel Kazuki received from Kaguya, the Hyūga clan on the moon perished because they turned on each other…"
"Understand what I mean? You need to leverage the fact that the Hyūga clan changed because of Kazuki—use that to get Ōtsutsuki Hamura to recognize and approve of Kazuki. Take advantage of your identity as his descendant to probe the rift that's already formed between Hamura and his brother Hagoromo, and use that to plant a subtle suggestion that he, too, should join our plan…"
"Can you handle that?"
Hyūga Hizashi snapped to attention, abruptly standing up and shouting, "Second Hokage! You can count on me!"
Senju Tobirama nodded in satisfaction.
"Tobirama, what about me… What should I do?"
Senju Hashirama raised his hand hesitantly. "It's not that I disagree with your plan… It's just… talking with Asura about all this—I don't really know how to do that…"
"You know how I am, Tobirama. I've always been clumsy with words. I mean, back at the first Five Kage Summit, I didn't want to kowtow to them, but what could I do…"
Hashirama rambled on awkwardly.
Tobirama rolled his eyes hard.
Seriously? Uchiha Madara, Kazuki's subordinates, the other shinobi in Konoha—they all got things done without fuss. Even those brats who once believed in Mount Myōboku's teachings were now on board with his plan…
And yet his own big brother—the First Hokage of Konoha!
Dull as a brick. Didn't even know how to talk someone into something. It was honestly frustrating.
"Hmph, Hashirama… you really underestimate yourself."
Uchiha Madara cut in with biting sarcasm. "Let me guess—are you wondering why Asura, who supposedly defeated Indra, still needed the Nine-Tails and chakra from the Shinobi Sect to do it?"
"After all, I am Indra's reincarnation—and even with the Nine-Tails, all I could do was fight you to a draw…"
Hashirama scratched his head sheepishly. "Madara… how did you know that? But it wasn't really a draw. I still think I beat you…"
Uchiha Madara clenched his fists in silence, forcing a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Right. Just say that to Asura…"
"Oh! That's all I have to do? Just talk like normal?"
Hashirama's eyes lit up as if he'd suddenly found enlightenment. He snapped out of his slump, brimming with confidence once more.
"Haha! Just wait for the good news! Honestly, I'm really curious—why would he need the Nine-Tails to fight Indra? Didn't he know how to use Sage Arts?"
Hashirama said this with genuine wonder.
The gathered shinobi fell into a collective silence.
Asura might not have gone full rage mode yet, but people like Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina—the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki and his family—were already on the verge of breaking.
Could you not talk about the Nine-Tails like it's some weakling you can crush in one hand?!
Bastard!
"Alright, then—the general plan is set... What's next is execution."
Senju Tobirama rubbed his brow and finally spoke, breaking the deathly silence: "As for Ōnoki, the Third Raikage, and the Third Kazekage—I'll handle that. Right now, our top priority is building a proper great formation."
"Kazuki has already done everything he possibly could for the shinobi world… It's time we did something too!"
A weary look appeared on Tobirama's face.
"Stop fixating on useless moral concerns. I've already said it—this is a time for expedience. I'll take the blame."
At that moment—
The shinobi of Konoha, watching Tobirama wear himself down for their sake, all felt a pang in their hearts.
Perhaps they really had misunderstood the Second Hokage all this time…
...
Deep beneath the ocean.
"As expected of space-time energy… Even such a massive amount of natural energy, once transformed into the nature of space-time, only yields this pitiful amount?"
Kazuki worked with the space-time energy, carefully wrapping it around the skeletal remains of the Ōtsutsuki God.
As the energy coiled around it, the withered bones—existing between this world and another—finally ceased exuding their seductive lure toward Ōtsutsuki bloodlines...
"Huh? Tobirama's plan is that well thought-out?"
In that moment, Kazuki sensed Tobirama's grand scheme against the entire Sage lineage through the imprint in his soul—and smiled with satisfaction.
"Tobirama... how could I let you shoulder the blame? Everything you've done is absolutely right."
"My heart and actions are clear as a mirror; all that I do is for justice. You and I have never stood on the side of evil. You and I—we are the true embodiment of the Will of Fire."
With that thought, Kazuki continued using his space-time power to seal the skeletal remains.
...
Meanwhile, in another space-time dimension—
Ōtsutsuki Isshiki clutched his head, his eyes burning with rage.
It had been so long—and he still hadn't managed to devour Uchiha Obito!
This wretched mortal's will was far more tenacious than Isshiki had ever anticipated…
If this dragged on any longer, Isshiki feared—he might actually die!
Where the hell are the reinforcements?!
"I'll see Rin again… I will see her again…"
From within a vessel that no longer knew whether it was Uchiha Obito or Ōtsutsuki Isshiki, one miserable, unconscious howl after another rang out: "Kazuki will come save me! He will come, he will!"
"You bastard! Once Kazuki shows up, you're dead meat—just you wait!"
Hearing the constant howling, Ōtsutsuki Isshiki pressed his fingers hard against his brow, muttering under his breath, "Damn it… what the hell even is this thing…"
"How is it this tenacious—like a cockroach crawling through a pile of shit? Even after being eroded this deeply by my Kāma, it's still yapping like a rabid dog!"
Isshiki was starting to lose his composure.
Having already entered the Kāma Rebirth state, he had, fortunately, escaped death at the last moment thanks to Urashiki and Momoshiki, obtaining Uchiha Obito's body—an ideal vessel.
But unfortunately—
Obito was displaying terrifying resistance. Even the Ōtsutsuki Clan's pride—his Kāma—couldn't fully suppress him. In this internal battle for control of the body, Obito's firepower showed no signs of diminishing.
Even now, Isshiki still couldn't properly control his new body. Occasionally, during a simple walk or mid-sentence, Obito would abruptly seize control and go berserk, trying to kill Urashiki and Momoshiki on the spot…
It gave Isshiki a massive headache.
He simply couldn't understand—why was a mere mortal, even one infused with Ōtsutsuki chakra from Kaguya's creation, this difficult to deal with?
At this rate…
Isshiki was beginning to worry that he might be the one being invaded.
Meanwhile, Urashiki and Momoshiki stood by watching with concern, helpless to intervene.
They absolutely could not afford for Isshiki to fall apart.
After all, as outsiders from another timeline, they still needed this local native—Isshiki—to mediate with the high command that would soon arrive, and avoid severe punishment.
But the problem was, neither Urashiki's Red Light Fish Basket nor Momoshiki's dōjutsu had any effect. Even pouring chakra into Isshiki was useless against the Obito lurking inside.
Obito was like an immortal cockroach, bouncing around Isshiki's consciousness, raving madly, hurling insults, and from time to time breaking down and crying out for Kazuki and Rin.
What was even more terrifying was that every time Obito mentioned Kazuki or Rin, it was as if his body was flooded with massive chakra—his vitality and spirit would instantly recover, and he'd start wreaking havoc all over again…
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