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Chapter 257 - Chapter 257: The Fourth Great Ninja War

"Kamui Shuriken!"

Shuriken whizzed through the air before vanishing, appearing unpredictably and leaving no room for defense.

"Yomotsu Hirasaka!"

Kakuzu slightly raised his hand, and all around him, black voids tore through the fabric of space. A desert, an ocean, an oasis—he had access to countless dimensions. If Obito wanted to go anywhere, he simply had to say the word.

"Obito, you think the Mangekyō Sharingan is laughable? But don't you realize that the same logic applies when using it against the Rinnegan?" The crushing power of superior dōjutsu couldn't be countered by mere ninjutsu. Even if Kakuzu conjured an entire ocean, Obito had no chance of winning.

"Alright, judging by your expression, you're running out of options. Now it's my turn!"

Crossing his arms over his chest, Kakuzu slowly released his chakra, unlocking his body's pressure points one by one.

"Eight Gates—First Gate, Gate of Opening—Open!"

"Eight Gates—Third Gate, Gate of Life—Open!"

"Eight Gates—Fifth Gate, Gate of Pain—Open!"

By the time the Fifth Gate ignited his body with green steam, Obito's composure began to crack.

"Kamui Shuriken!"

Another flurry of shuriken, vanishing into space, was hurled toward him.

"I already told you—that won't work on me!"

In the blink of an eye, Kakuzu's figure flashed like lightning. A mere instant later, he was right in front of Obito with overwhelming force.

"Seventh Gate, Gate of Shock—Open!"

With the activation of the Seventh Gate, Kakuzu launched a thunderous kick straight at the crystalline structure of Susanoo. Kamui allowed Obito to phase through attacks, but Susanoo itself remained tangible.

"Obito, I already told you—you're not worthy to be my opponent!"

Cracks spread like a spiderweb across Susanoo's surface as the sound of shattering echoed through the battlefield. Obito clenched his teeth, his Sharingan wide with disbelief.

"Don't underestimate me!"

Summoning two more shuriken, he hurled them at Kakuzu with all his might. They struck his leg, and in the process of phasing, the limb disappeared completely.

"Kakuzu, your leg has been transported to another dimension. Even with your immortality and ability to stitch yourself back together, you can't retrieve it. Can you still fight like this?" Obito roared, a mix of excitement and desperation in his voice. After all this time, he had finally landed a decisive hit.

But Kakuzu's response was calm.

"A mere grain of sand means nothing to me."

With a slight flex of his remaining muscles, his severed leg began regenerating—piece by piece.

"What?!" Obito's mind reeled. No matter how much he attacked, Kakuzu simply wouldn't die. He hadn't even recovered from the shock when Susanoo crumbled completely. Kakuzu reached through the collapsing armor, grabbing Obito and ripping him out. Then, with a brutal punch, he struck Obito's face.

With the combined force of his Steel Release and the power of the Seventh Gate, the impact was devastating. Obito's mask shattered instantly, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. His body was sent crashing to the ground like a discarded rag doll. Gasping for air, he barely managed to push himself up.

"I... I can't lose like this..."

Driven by sheer willpower, he clung to his resolve. Images of his goddess-like ideal flickered in his mind, spurring him onward. His body began to blur, shifting into intangibility. Kakuzu simply watched from above, making no move to stop him.

Seconds later, Obito successfully vanished.

As Kakuzu descended from the sky, he exhaled slightly. A hint of regret flickered in his eyes.

"Shame Black Zetsu wasn't here. Otherwise, this would've been the end of it."

"Kakuzu-sama, why did you let him go? He's the one orchestrating this war!" The Fourth Raikage, along with Gyūki, arrived at the scene, confusion written all over his face.

"He's just a puppet. Killing him would be pointless."

The answer left the Raikage and Gyūki baffled. Was the masked man nothing more than a pawn?

Kakuzu didn't bother explaining further. Instead, he turned to Gyūki.

"Now that you understand his plan to resurrect the Ten-Tails, how much of your chakra has he taken?"

Gyūki scratched his head awkwardly. "To be honest, he managed to sever six of my eight tails."

"My tails can regenerate over time, but my horns can't. They contain my chakra, meaning that as long as he has them, he can still summon the Ten-Tails."

Kakuzu nodded. "Prepare yourselves. The Fourth Great Ninja War is about to begin."

His words were spoken with such casual indifference, yet they carried a weight that rippled across the entire ninja world.

...

News of the battle spread like wildfire. In particular, when Konoha learned that the masked man was none other than Obito, disbelief filled the air.

The masked figure had appeared numerous times before. Many, including Kakashi and Minato, had their suspicions. But when it was finally confirmed, the truth still sent shockwaves through them. They were left stunned, horrified.

Nobody could have predicted that the once innocent and optimistic boy would become a harbinger of war. But there was no turning back now. Obito had declared war, and war was inevitable.

What gave him the confidence to start this war?

The answer was simple: the Jinchūriki. He had captured the chakra of the One-Tail, Two-Tails, Three-Tails, Four-Tails, Five-Tails, Six-Tails, and even part of the Eight-Tails. If all that power erupted at once, the devastation would be unimaginable. Every village was now on high alert.

...

Inside Kamui's dimension.

Obito lay sprawled on the ground, screaming in agony.

"Damn it!!! Why did it turn out like this?!"

Rage, unwillingness, and frustration twisted his expression. He had both Mangekyō Sharingan abilities, yet he still couldn't defeat Kakuzu. A single punch had shattered his mask, broken his nose, and left him incapable of fighting. One more strike, and he would've died.

He had once again been reminded of the vast gap between himself and a true powerhouse.

Slamming his fist against the ground, he seethed with fury and despair.

Black Zetsu, watching from the side, let out a heavy sigh.

"Obito, don't be reckless. When necessary, we must rely on greater power. Use that technique."

Obito's breath hitched. He didn't answer immediately, taking a moment to steady himself before speaking.

"I'll consider it."

"Sigh..." Black Zetsu sighed again. He knew Obito wasn't willing to blindly follow Madara's will—or his own. So he left it at that, placing some medicine beside him before having Obito send him away.

Once outside, Black Zetsu gazed into the distance. A sinister smile crept across his lips.

"Madara, Obito is unreliable. Sometimes, I have to take matters into my own hands."

He turned his gaze far beyond the horizon.

"Kakuzu, you're the most unusual person I've encountered in a thousand years. You seem to know the future, as if you've foreseen everything that will happen. But do you really think I'll let you trap me with a Chibaku Tensei? I won't fall for it."

Black Zetsu chuckled darkly.

"Maybe I should stay hidden for another hundred years... No, I've found an even better opportunity. Just wait."

...

A year passed in relative peace.

Tension in the ninja world gradually eased. Many began to believe that Obito's declaration of war had been an empty threat. After all, he was just another former Konoha ninja from the Third Great Ninja War—nothing more than a delusional clown.

As people let their guard down, changes were already in motion.

Kirigakure had officially selected Mei Terumi as the Fifth Mizukage.

The Fifth Kazekage of Sunagakure, Pakura, had firmly established her position. Meanwhile, Deidara had returned to Iwagakure, though he continued to wear the forehead protector of a rogue ninja. This infuriated Onoki, who glared at him furiously, his beard trembling with rage. However, there was little he could do—Deidara merely lifted his chin defiantly and gave him two choices: either kill him on the spot or pass down the title of Fourth Tsuchikage.

Things in Konoha remained peaceful, aside from some stirrings from the two so-called "Children of Prophecy." Naruto had apparently gone off to train in senjutsu, while Sasuke had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. As for how Sasuke attained his Mangekyō? The reason was simple—Uchiha Itachi had returned to the village and, in front of his dear otōto, demonstrated Tsukuyomi. Shortly after, Sasuke awakened his new eyes.

Everything seemed unnaturally calm. Even Kakuzu began to suspect that Obito had given up on his grand scheme. If it was just Obito backing down, that wouldn't be much of a problem. However, if Black Zetsu had changed plans, then things would become much trickier. Kakuzu had already prepared for both possibilities. If Black Zetsu abandoned the revival of his so-called "mother," then Kakuzu would have to adjust his own strategies accordingly.

From Kakuzu's perspective, Obito's plan to resurrect the Ten-Tails was practically impossible. Two of the tailed beasts were entirely out of his reach. The first was the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, Uzumaki Kushina. She was under the protection of multiple Kage-level powerhouses, including Namikaze Minato, Hatake Sakumo, and Sarutobi Hiruzen. Not to mention, she had already given birth. What opportunity did Obito have left to capture the Nine-Tails now?

The second was the Seven-Tails, which was even more difficult to obtain—especially with Kakuzu standing in the way.

...

Give Obito ten times the courage—would he dare to make a move?

Just as Kakuzu was beginning to believe that the so-called "Eye of the Moon Plan" had fallen apart, the shinobi world was suddenly thrown into turmoil. In the southern region of the Land of Fire, ten border towns erupted into chaos. The ones inciting the riots, however, were not ordinary shinobi—they were White Zetsu clones.

In the end, Obito had unleashed his army of 100,000 White Zetsu. This was no small force, especially considering that each clone possessed the combat strength of a Chūnin. Meanwhile, the total number of available shinobi across all the villages barely reached 20,000. The sheer scale of the White Zetsu army forced every major village to take immediate action.

It was under these dire circumstances that a new Five Kage Summit was convened. This time, however, there was one additional attendee beyond the five Kage. That individual was none other than Kakuzu. Unlike previous summits, which had been held around a five-sided table, this meeting was centered around a long rectangular table. Kakuzu sat at the head, with the five Kage on either side, along with Mifune, the leader of the samurai.

Gazing at the gathered Kage, Kakuzu's instructions were simple.

"Return to your villages and make your preparations. Some battles cannot be avoided. I ask that none of you shrink from the coming war. When this is over, I will do my best to create a world truly free from conflict."

With those words, the course of action was set. The five great hidden villages and the samurai began their full mobilization. The overall commander of the Five Great Nations' forces was Hatake Sakumo. The 80,000-strong Allied Shinobi Forces were divided into five battalions, each with approximately 10,000 shinobi, assigned to different battlefronts to engage the 100,000 White Zetsu army.

...

In the skies above the battlefield, Tsuchikage Onoki hovered, looking down at the enemy horde. Without hesitation, he gathered pale-white chakra into his hands.

"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"

A single strike obliterated the White Zetsu at the front lines, reducing them to nothing but dust. It was a powerful opening attack, one that immediately bolstered the morale of the Allied Shinobi Forces. Inspired, the shinobi surged forward, launching their own assaults against the White Zetsu. Though the sheer number of enemies was terrifying, as long as they fought with unity, the enemy forces could eventually be worn down.

If Obito truly wished to win this war, he would need something more.

...

Boom!

A coffin suddenly burst from the ground. With a loud crack, the lid shattered, and from within the rising smoke, a figure clad in crimson armor stepped out.

Uchiha Madara.

Onoki's pupils shrank in shock.

"If I'm not mistaken... this is Edo Tensei!"

Namikaze Minato appeared beside him, his expression serious.

"The last time Konoha's Scroll of Seals were disturbed, it was left open on the Edo Tensei page."

Onoki shot him a sideways glance, his tone irritated.

"Troublesome. Once again, it's Konoha's internal issues stirring up chaos for the entire shinobi world."

Minato let out an awkward chuckle.

"Apologies, apologies. Though Madara was once a Konoha shinobi, that was a long time ago. Besides, even if he's been resurrected, I doubt he can stir up much trouble now."

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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