"Father."
Following behind Fugaku, Itachi gripped his kunai tightly.
It was the first time he had ever seen his father so fierce. That stern man—his father—was, for the first time, showing himself not merely as the head of the Uchiha, but as a true part of Konoha.
Now, leading the Uchiha Clan into battle with such conviction, Fugaku's presence deeply moved him.
Ken-san… what exactly did you say to Father?
Now I'm even more curious.
The entire Uchiha Clan—everyone except the children and the elderly sent to the shelters—had mobilized!
Such unity, without a single voice of dissent.
He was witnessing it for the first time.
Ken-san... the new sprouts of Konoha are bursting with life.
I can see it clearly now.
Ever since Ken-san shouted the words "First Shinobi Village" in the plaza, the slumbering Konoha has awakened.
Not just the Uchiha, but the Hyūga, the Ino–Shika–Chō, and even the smaller clans had already formed their own squads and rushed beyond the village walls.
Behind them were the things they had to protect.
This Konoha.
This village.
This battle!
Breathing heavily, Itachi followed in his father's footsteps, charging forward without hesitation.
Ken-san...
I have always chased the light—never stopping.
Until the day I become the shadow of that light.
…
Outside Konoha Hospital.
Outside the special delivery room, Minato was consumed with anxiety. But Hakken's words had given him unshakable confidence.
He had said that his trust would give rise to a new Konoha.
Minato believed that if Hakken said it, he would make it happen.
Time passed slowly, minute by minute, as the anxious Minato paced before the delivery room.
Until at last, the cry of a newborn rang out—clear and bright. The tension on his face melted into shock and joy.
He pushed open the door and stood in the doorway.
Inside, the weakened Kushina was gazing lovingly at the baby in her arms.
I'm a father now!
Every young father must experience this moment.
Overwhelmed, he wanted to rush to Kushina's side, to see with his own eyes the new life they had brought into the world.
But suddenly, a shadow appeared behind him in an instant.
Obito Uchiha.
He had come.
Carrying hatred and despair, he appeared at last. The birth of new life could not erase the pain that festered in his heart. This false world had never earned his acceptance.
He would have his revenge.
Revenge against the world that had brought him such agony.
In a single instant, Minato and Kushina met the gaze of the masked man.
His Sharingan flared to life.
Within one breath, Kushina's eyes went unfocused, and she collapsed unconscious.
The genjutsu of the Mangekyō struck without warning.
Obito's intangible form allowed him to slip effortlessly past Minato's guard at the door, reaching for the infant still wrapped in swaddling clothes.
Biwako Sarutobi tried to intervene—but it was too late.
She didn't have the strength.
Swish!
At that critical moment, a flash of blades and kunai forced Obito to phase through the attack again.
"Been waiting for you…"
A figure dropped from above, sword in hand, striking at Obito. He had never left.
He had been waiting for this one chance—to kill Obito instantly.
But Obito reacted in time, activating Kamui.
"Who are you?"
Catching his wife and child safely, Minato watched the intruder with caution.
"You don't recognize me?"
Obito's voice was cold.
Minato frowned, staring at the Sharingan before realization struck. "You're… Madara Uchiha?"
As expected. Even standing before you, you still don't recognize me.
Of course not. I'm standing here, but I'm no longer the boy I once was.
Obito laughed—a chilling, twisted sound.
"Yes! My name is Madara Uchiha!"
In that instant, the last trace of hope in his heart vanished.
This world was so false, it made him sick.
Ah!
A flash of steel.
"Is that all you've got?"
With a cold smile, Obito turned toward Hakken Yoru.
The Zanpakutō's strike missed once more. Though surprised Hakken was still here, Obito had no time to analyze further.
Destroy it.
Destroy Konoha!
He raised his hand and rapidly formed hand seals.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
"Roar!"
A thunderous roar shook the entire village as a massive form appeared out of thin air.
The Nine-Tails had broken free from its seal.
Under Obito's control, the beast let out a feral scream and charged toward the crowded heart of the village.
A Tailed Beast couldn't resist the Mangekyō's genjutsu, and Hakken had no means to counter illusions.
After all, he didn't have Aizen's template—he couldn't just say, "Shatter, Kyōka Suigetsu."
Hakken knew that well, which was why he had already visited the Nine-Tails earlier—to offer a friendly warning about what should and shouldn't be done.
The Nine-Tails was now under control, and they were still some distance from the village center.
His goal was clear: when the Nine-Tails reached Konoha's heart and began its rampage, he would break Obito's illusion.
That part wouldn't be difficult.
He had been preparing for this moment all along.
If possible, he would end Obito's life right here.
What does your pain have to do with this world?!
His original plan had been to strike when Obito was distracted, reaching for Naruto.
Now that chance was gone—so it was time for Plan B.
Turning his head, Hakken's aura grew unstable.
Even his voice had changed slightly.
Those bloodshot eyes made Minato's heart clench with worry.
"Sensei, take Kushina and Naruto away."
"As far away as possible."
"And don't rush to deal with the Nine-Tails."
"Also, take this talisman and place it on Kushina the moment you return."
Hakken's breath came fast. His hand shook around the hilt of his blade. A dark void slowly formed in his chest.
At the same time, a white mask began spreading across his face, extending outward from within his body.
In that instant, a terrifying surge of spiritual pressure burst upward into the sky.
Black and gold light intertwined, swirling with destructive chakra.
The beam split the heavens, making every villager in Konoha look up in awe.
Their hearts were filled with shock.
What is this?
Why does it make my heart tremble?
Hakken...
Minato caught the talisman Hakken had thrown to him and glanced down at it.
The intricate patterns were unclear, but one character stood out boldly—仙.
A Sage's Talisman.
A miraculous item capable of restoring life to the dying, replenishing lost vitality.
System Shop Price: 1500 flat-rate points.
Before Kushina entered the delivery room, Hakken had already prepared it—just in case.
What is this…?
Minato opened his mouth to ask, but then remembered what Hakken had once told him.
You can always trust Konoha's Kenpachi.
Glancing toward the rampaging Nine-Tails in the distance, Minato grit his teeth and vanished from sight. The village was in peril.
"…I don't know what you're doing, but light alone won't be enough to touch me."
Obito's voice was calm, but wary.
Though the aura pouring off the boy before him was terrifying, he wasn't afraid.
He had Kamui. What could possibly hurt him?
Still, that eerie mask and the gaping hole in Hakken's chest... what were they?
"Hey."
Hakken's aura stabilized.
But the air around Konoha Hospital had become unbearably heavy.
Thankfully, the villagers had been evacuated earlier—any ordinary person would've been crushed by the sheer pressure filling the air.
He spoke softly.
A massive skeletal form began to take shape from his Zanpakutō, pointing its blade toward Obito.
"What?"
Obito frowned, a sense of unease creeping up his spine. He tried using Kamui—only to realize it no longer worked.
The surrounding space trembled violently.
"Nothing much."
"Just wanted you to feel it."
"My slash after Hollowfication."
Buzz—
Space itself quaked.
Hakken's strike, infused with all his spiritual pressure, unleashed a black-and-red beam of light that tore through the air.
In that instant—
The surrounding space collapsed.
Annihilation descended.
The Gran Rey Cero, unleashed at fifteen percent of the White Hollow Template, had arrived in a world where it was never meant to exist.