"Everyone already knows your identity, so why are you still wearing a mask?"
Itsuki asked, his face full of curiosity.
Veins bulged on Obito's forehead. He was furious.
How dare he say that?
Damn it.
If it weren't for Itsuki, his identity wouldn't have been exposed!
As for why he's still wearing a mask... honestly, even Obito wasn't sure. He just felt more comfortable with it on.
Maybe it's because he's worn it for decades and can't break the habit.
Or maybe it's for another reason entirely.
Either way, he was going to keep wearing his mask!
He liked it!
It made him happy!
Who cares what anyone else thought?!
"Fine, don't tell me if you don't want to."
Itsuki waved his hand dismissively. "But wearing that mask feels like you're showing off. Don't blame me if I break it."
"Just try it!"
Obito's eyes widened, his gaze sharp. His eyes unleashed an incredible amount of ocular power.
One Rinnegan.
One Mangekyō Sharingan.
Itsuki's eyes, too, revealed a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan.
Of course, Obito didn't notice the killing intent hidden in Itsuki's gaze at that moment.
Itsuki had been holding back all this time!
Against every enemy, he had never fought at full strength.
Whether it was Danzo, the Third Hokage, or even Obito and Madara later on, he had always reserved some of his power. Deep within the shinobi world, there was still one powerful figure lurking in the shadows—someone called the Sage of Six Paths.
He claimed to be a sage but kept the entire shinobi world under his control.
Itsuki had always been cautious of him.
But now, as the final battle approached and Kaguya Ōtsutsuki was about to emerge, was there any need for Uchiha Itsuki to continue hiding?
No more hiding!
How about he just beat Obito down for a change?
Itsuki chuckled softly, his ocular power surging even stronger.
Though he hadn't quite reached the level of the Rinnegan, he was very close.
It showed that while Itsuki wasn't holding back as much anymore, he still wanted to keep some cards up his sleeve.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Obito clapped his hands together, using a summoning jutsu.
But!
It wasn't a summon. Instead, a few people stepped forward.
Leading them was none other than Nagato!
Aside from him, the others surprised Itsuki as well.
The Third Mizukage, Yagura!
Rōshi, the Four-Tails Jinchūriki!
Han, the Five-Tails Jinchūriki!
Utakata, the Six-Tails Jinchūriki!
And finally, one person wearing a mask, with an unfamiliar yet incredibly dangerous aura.
Even Itsuki could feel the threat.
Did Obito dig this guy up from somewhere, too?
Itsuki complained to himself.
Damn it, ever since Orochimaru had used the Edo Tensei, Obito seemed to have unlocked some sort of switch, constantly digging people up from the ground.
That masked man was probably just another one of Obito's finds.
"Sigh, what a headache!"
Itsuki muttered, though his expression remained calm.
"Attack!"
Obito's deep voice commanded. "Kill Uchiha Itsuki!"
As his voice rose with barely-contained excitement, Yagura, the Third Mizukage, launched the first attack.
Using his strange weapon, he flickered, and then there was a second Yagura.
Both Yaguras simultaneously used Water Release jutsu.
Swoosh!
Unfortunately, such jutsu were powerless against Itsuki.
He immediately used Flying Thunder God, flashing in front of Yagura, and effortlessly destroyed one clone. Then, he cut the real Yagura in half.
As he prepared to seal Yagura, countless bubbles flew towards Itsuki.
"Hmph!"
With a snort, Itsuki once again used Flying Thunder God.
Boom, boom, boom!
Explosions erupted.
Yagura and the others were caught in the blast, but they didn't fear death.
They were already dead, so these attacks meant nothing to them.
When Itsuki reappeared, he was already behind Nagato. This guy was the most dangerous, so Itsuki aimed to seal him first.
"Shinra Tensei!"
Nagato unleashed a massive repulsive force, centered on himself.
Luckily, Itsuki reacted quickly, retreating just in time.
"Difficult!"
Itsuki muttered under his breath.
At this moment, he truly felt the pressure.
He was facing Jinchūriki, a Rinnegan wielder, and that masked man with a dangerous aura.
Not to mention Obito, who was always ready to strike him down.
Even if Itsuki used his perfect Susanoo, these madmen would likely shatter it.
"Impressive!"
Itsuki sighed, his eyes glowing once more. His ocular power surged even higher. If necessary, he would directly activate his Rinnegan.
He had always wanted to test the full extent of his Rinnegan's power.
...
Meanwhile, at the Shinobi Alliance headquarters.
"A battle has started!"
Inoichi Yamanaka's voice trembled with shock. "They've already begun fighting, and the chakra levels are insane! And those people... those people..."
"Who are they?"
Shikaku Nara asked urgently.
He needed to know who they were fighting so he could check the intel and send it to Uchiha Itsuki. Maybe even send backup if necessary.
Inoichi swallowed hard. "The Third Mizukage, Yagura... the Four-Tails Jinchūriki, Rōshi... the Five-Tails Jinchūriki, Han... the Six-Tails Jinchūriki, Utakata... and a member of the Akatsuki, Pain. The last one is unknown, but his chakra is almost as powerful as Madara's."
"This is..."
Shikaku was stunned.
He was about to lose his mind.
It was never-ending!
One powerful figure after another kept appearing. Any one of these people could shake the shinobi world.
But now?
They were lined up in a row, waiting for their turn!
This was insane!
And Itsuki's opponents were all of them?
Could he win?
Even though Shikaku had confidence in Itsuki, he couldn't help but feel overwhelmed.
It wasn't that their side was too weak—it was that the enemy was too strong!
"Our commander is at a disadvantage!"
"At a disadvantage?"
Shikaku perked up. "Is that all?"
Mabui shot Shikaku an annoyed look.
Why was he so happy that their commander was at a disadvantage? Was he planning to dance if the commander got killed?
"Don't look at me like that!"
Shikaku waved her off. "I have my reasons for saying that. Don't forget, we have two other commanders fighting Madara's clones. Even though they're clones, they're still draining our commander's strength. He's practically fighting multiple battles in different places, and the fact that he's still holding on is impressive."
Mabui fell silent.
"We can't help him somehow? He's under so much pressure right now," Mabui said softly, a hint of worry in her voice.
"How could we help?"
Shikaku chuckled bitterly, "We've already deployed all the forces we can. Maybe only the Supreme Commander has some hidden power left, but clearly, he has other plans for that."
Shikaku had noticed that there were still some people missing from the battlefield.
For instance, Jiraiya!
And Uchiha Shisui!
Perhaps Uchiha Itsuki had hidden them, preparing to use them at a critical moment.
But!
If they can't get through this crisis, what's the point of planning for the future?
Shikaku couldn't understand, but he couldn't question the Supreme Commander's intentions either.
All he could do was sigh repeatedly.
"Transmit all the intelligence we have on the Third Mizukage and the others to the Supreme Commander!" Shikaku said after thinking for a moment, his voice deep. "The Supreme Commander might already have their intel, but we still have to do this."
"Shikaku, no need, something unexpected happened!" Yamanaka Inoichi suddenly said. "These people, how...?"
"What happened?" Shikaku asked urgently.
"Konoha's Jiraiya, Uchiha Shisui of the Uchiha clan, and Sand Village's Chiyo—they've shown up!" Inoichi said excitedly. "They're up against Uchiha Obito's Six Paths of Pain. They're helping the Supreme Commander!"
"Is that so?" Shikaku exhaled a long breath, smiling, "As expected, the Supreme Commander still had a trump card!"
"Transmit all our intel to them to help them defeat the enemy as quickly as possible."
"Yes, sir!"
…
Boom!
Accompanied by a puff of white smoke, Jiraiya and the others appeared.
Obito's eyebrows furrowed.
"Everyone, you should all have intel on these individuals, right?" Itsuki said loudly with a smile. "Don't hesitate, eliminate them all."
"Understood!"
The three of them, Jiraiya, Shisui, and Chiyo, each faced off against an opponent.
Meanwhile, more people showed up...
Guren!
And Nii Yugito!
No one gets to rest!
With that, Itsuki's opponents were reduced to just two: Nagato and Obito.
"Hey, Obito, looks like your helpers are all gone!" Itsuki sneered, "It's just you and an immobile Nagato left. Do you really think you can take me on? Watch out, I might beat the crap out of you."
"Hmph!" Obito snorted coldly, saying, "Even without Nagato, I alone can still kill you."
"Great!" Itsuki laughed heartily. "I admire your shameless confidence."
"Let's see if your mouth stays this tough in a bit!"
Crack!
Itsuki's hand made a series of cracking sounds.
Meow!
While they were talking, Yugito had already unleashed her power.
She transformed into a Tailed Beast and fired a Tailed Beast Bomb directly at the masked man.
She didn't know who he was, but it was obvious he was very dangerous.
"Heh!"
Seeing that Yugito was taking on the masked man, Obito couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Hahaha, you sent a jinchūriki to fight her?"
"Itsuki, since when did you become this foolish?"
"Do you even know what sending her to her death means?"
"I remember that Yugito was your woman, right? What? You don't like her anymore and want to get rid of her?"
Itsuki's face flashed with confusion at Obito's words, then quickly turned to shock.
He murmured, "Obito, you… you didn't resurrect her, did you?"
"Heh!" Obito laughed again. "I don't know who you're talking about, but I won't bother hiding it anymore."
Itsuki suddenly turned his head and shouted at Yugito, "Yugito, be careful! That masked man might be Uzumaki Mito! Uzumaki Mito, from the Uzumaki clan, the former Nine-Tails jinchūriki!"
"What?!"
At the mention of that name, everyone froze.
Especially Jiraiya, who couldn't hide the shock on his face.
He whipped his head around and stared at the masked figure, as if trying to see through her.
Jiraiya knew Uzumaki Mito well!
The wife of the First Hokage, the one who had supported the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, in securing his position.
Tsunade's grandmother!
He had met her once as a child when he accompanied Tsunade.
Did Obito really dig her out of the grave?
If so, he deserved to die!
Zzzzzz!
Chains appeared, not only sealing the Tailed Beast Bomb but also binding Yugito.
It all happened in an instant!
"How… how is this possible?"
Jiraiya was dumbfounded at the sight.
Adamantine Sealing Chains?
That was a signature ability of the Uzumaki clan!
Could it really be Uzumaki Mito?
Obito looked at Itsuki with some surprise and asked, "How did you figure it out?"
Itsuki glanced at him and didn't bother answering.
Was he supposed to tell him that the top-tier warriors from the major villages were either dead or few in number?
Besides, he could feel the massive amount of chakra within that body.
How many people could possess such power?
Obito's words had just completed the final piece of the puzzle.
"Universal Pull!"
Just as Itsuki was about to help Yugito, Nagato suddenly attacked him.
With a single Universal Pull, Itsuki was yanked toward him.
"Almighty Push!"
"Get lost!"
Itsuki roared, and in an instant, his massive Susano'o appeared, raising its giant sword and swinging it at Nagato.
Boom!
At the last moment before the sword struck, Itsuki saw Nagato raise his hand to meet it.
Dust and debris flew everywhere.
Obscuring everyone's vision.
But Itsuki didn't stop.
He controlled Susano'o and shot an arrow at Uzumaki Mito.
The giant crossbow bolt tore through the air with a sharp whistle.
Uzumaki Mito raised her hand again, summoning countless chains to block the arrow.
However!
This time, she miscalculated.
The arrow shredded the chains and hit her squarely.
Boom!
Another loud explosion echoed.
"It worked!" Yugito shouted, breaking free from the chains.
"This person's sealing technique restrains me! Can someone switch opponents with me?" Yugito called out.
Itsuki snorted, "Don't even dream about it. The Uzumaki clan, with their most powerful sealing techniques, restrains everyone. She's not just bad news for you; she's tough for everyone."
"This…" Yugito was stunned, not expecting that result.
Itsuki turned his attention to Nagato.
The dust had cleared, and Nagato was crawling out from the ground.
Though he had successfully absorbed the sword attack from Susano'o, the sheer force had nearly shattered his body.
Had Obito not been nearby, Nagato would have already been sealed.
"Obito, it's your turn now!" Itsuki said coldly, glaring at Obito. "This game ends here!"
As he spoke, Susano'o began to grow exponentially, transforming into a colossal giant several hundred meters tall.
The fully formed Susano'o!