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After several rounds of "experience farming," Kabuto's chakra finally ran dry. The day's work as a very exhausted tool man was over.
Every "gold-tier legend" he had rolled with [Edo Tensei] was sealed and stored by Neji. Not a single top-tier summon was left in Kabuto's hands.
With a few brief instructions for Kabuto, Neji slipped back to the Wave Country, stowing the sealed assets in storage.
As the heavy doors shut, Izumi frowned.
"Neji, why release those defectives into the world? Doesn't that give the enemy time to study them?"
Neji's shoulders relaxed; a faint smile touched beneath the mask. "That's the point. I'm building the future I want a peace that actually lasts."
"The world's had more than a decade of calm since the Third Great War. Most people have adapted to peace… but a large cohort of veterans is still alive. They can't forget what they lived through."
He opened the inner door. They entered a quiet room. Neji motioned for Izumi to sit; puppets delivered food and drinks and withdrew.
"Those veterans," he continued, "are the real obstacles to a stable peace. Not out of malice but because they're anchored to a different era."
"Time moves forward. People who refuse to move with it slow everything down even if they mean well."
Neji drummed his fingers on the armrest, reclining, one arm loosely around Izumi's shoulders as he stared at the ceiling.
"The Edo army isn't meant to fight them to the death. It's meant to pull the scattered world together."
"The 'defectives' serve two purposes: first, they hand over the counters to our enemies; second, they sap morale."
"When former comrades' fathers, mentors, lovers stand before them, the dead's regret rubs off on the living."
"And when you compare that grief with your present life, you remember how precious this peace actually is."
Neji's fingers traced her cheek; she nuzzled back, voice soft.
"The pain of old wars gets buried under quiet days. If those memories are stirred again, people might finally cherish what they have."
"Exactly." Neji drew in her scent, eyes glinting.
"I told Kabuto to order defeat, not kill. By now, every village will have noticed."
---
Just as Neji predicted, each of the Five Great Villages faced the same closing line from every sealed Edo:
"A new day is coming. The world will be reformed. All obstacles will be purged. The Eye of the Full Moon watches you."
Analysts cracked the message quickly: war is imminent and the next full moon marks the likely strike.
Counting the days, that left half a month at most.
Faces hardened across the shinobi world. Given the hidden strength already displayed, no single village could face this alone.
As preparations ramped up, Konoha pushed the latest field intel.
From Jiraiya's report, investigative teams traced the cataclysm from the Land of Rain all the way toward the Land of Wind a colossal abyssal rift carved through the earth.
Rain Country's perpetual run-off no longer flowed to the sea; it poured into the chasm instead.
From that depth came an eerie roar, water howling through a black throat, the scouts called the Abyssal Passage.
Sunagakure knew nearly as much as the Leaf; both had first-hand intel, and together, during their current honeymoon alliance, they pushed the other villages for an emergency summit.
Iwagakure, bordering Rain, confirmed the threat next.
Old man Ōnoki, who had seen the worst of the previous era, including Uchiha Madara's arrogance, felt a crisis prick his bones. He slammed the table hard enough to tweak his back, then committed to attending.
Kumogakure and Kirigakure followed. The Fourth Raikage approved on the spot; Mei Terumi agreed as well.
Decision: a Five Kage Summit, held in the Land of Iron in three days.
The Land of Iron scrambled to ready the hall, startled by the whirlwind decree.
There was no time to hesitate. If the enemy perfected Edo Tensei and started reviving the truly strong, the window would slam shut.
---
Elsewhere, atop the Gedo Statue, Obito stared at Rin's photo glowing on his phone while Black Zetsu delivered updates.
His mask no longer hid a single eye; the screen's pale light revealed his other ringed in violet a fully adapted Rinnegan.
The phone dimmed; darkness crept back over the cavern, lit only by the statue's sickly glow.
"Hnh. He's really pushing it," Obito muttered. "That man's in a hurry."
In the last stretch, he had already fed the Three-Tails into the Gedo Statue.
Only Eight and Nine-Tails remained deliverables their "ally" had promised.
Given Ally's sheer power, even Black Zetsu felt urgency. Yet the creature's millennium of patience held. It counseled restraint.
"No need to panic. Since the pact remains intact, test his stance reach out first."
Obito exhaled, irritation settling. "You're right. But we won't rely on him. Make secondary plans. Keep eyes on both remaining Jinchūriki. The moment there's an opening alert me."
"Already watching," Black Zetsu replied.
Obito nodded, satisfied. With the Rinnegan, he felt ready.
Even Killer B would fall; as for the Nine-Tails, he had taken it once he would take it again.
For the Moon's Eye Plan, there could be no hesitation. He typed a short message, hit send, and stared at Rin's smile in the background photo.
Soon. I'll see you soon, Rin.
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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