Uchiha Sasuke could only agree to Uchiha Obito.
In truth, Sasuke had no interest in the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan's power, nor in the Eye of the Moon Plan. He agreed to Obito's proposal in a daze, simply going along with it.
Obito didn't try to lure Sasuke into attacking Konoha either—he knew that the real threat no longer lay in the Hidden Leaf, but in Uchiha Madara and Shigen.
Konoha and the other great villages had already been crushed time and time again by Akatsuki. They were no longer real threats. Obito believed that even Akatsuki itself would cease to be an obstacle once the Ten Tails was revived.
Still…
More power was never a bad thing.
Especially since Sasuke was someone both Madara and Shigen had once placed hope in. Luring Sasuke away gave Obito a twisted sense of satisfaction.
Now, there was only one question left:
When to begin reviving the Ten Tails?
The Gedo Statue already held chakra from eight tailed beasts. Orochimaru possessed the Nine Tails' chakra harvested from Kinkaku and Ginkaku. The revival could begin at any time.
Once the Ten Tails was revived…
The earth-shattering phenomenon would inevitably draw Akatsuki's attention.
"The Ten Tails may go out of control… it could give Akatsuki an opening."
Back when Shigen hadn't yet been reincarnated, Obito had received intel from Black Zetsu about the risks. He knew the Ten Tails' power caused irreversible transformation.
His desire to become its Jinchūriki had once earned Black Zetsu's ridicule.
Because Black Zetsu had always believed only Madara could subdue the Ten Tails.
But…
Obito was ready to bet everything.
Only by becoming the Ten Tails' Jinchūriki could he defeat Madara and Shigen, who would inevitably try to stop him. Then, he could activate the Infinite Tsukuyomi without interference.
"Sure, getting the Nine Tails from Naruto would be ideal—but at this point, it doesn't matter anymore. I can't give Madara and Shigen any more chances to turn things around…"
"Then let's begin."
Orochimaru gave a quiet smile.
He, too, was almost ready for his harvest.
As they began preparations to revive the Ten Tails, while Akatsuki watched and waited, the Five Great Shinobi Nations quickly established a united front.
In the past, these nations had fought many wars, and even recently clashed while investigating Akatsuki in the Rain Country.
But now…
The threat was too close to ignore.
The Five Kage convened a summit—and to Tsunade's surprise, the Fifth Kazekage Gaara miraculously returned from death.
At the summit…
All pride seemed to have faded.
Each Kage now understood the terrifying power of Akatsuki—forces that could destroy an entire great nation at will. They had no choice but to accept their weakness.
More importantly…
Before the summit began, Tsunade, the Fourth Raikage, and Gaara had already reached an unspoken agreement: they would make the same decisions during the meeting, and push for a unified front and intelligence sharing.
Under those conditions…
The summit proceeded smoothly.
The Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki noticed the collusion, but couldn't object. At this point, unity was the only option against Akatsuki.
After all…
Akatsuki had already devastated Iwagakure directly.
The Fifth Mizukage, Mei Terumi, had long favored openness and quickly agreed to the formation of a joint Shinobi Alliance.
"Then…"
"Let's confirm our enemies."
"First: Uchiha Obito. He has a strange ability to enter a ghost-like state, and may become the Ten Tails' Jinchūriki. His power is said to even make Shigen wary. He must be dealt with urgently."
"According to intelligence…"
"Obito had secretly manipulated the Eye of the Moon Plan left by Shigen and Madara. The three are no longer aligned, but Obito may become the final victor."
"If he succeeds, the entire ninja world will fall under the Infinite Tsukuyomi. We don't know if that dream world can ever be broken—maybe it never will be."
"Because Shigen has always claimed he wishes to create 'eternal peace,' we may be trapped forever in that illusion."
"Is such a technique even real?"
Mei Terumi voiced her doubts.
"I hope everyone here will believe it is…"
Tsunade's brow furrowed as she recalled Shigen's ancient deeds:
"If this technique couldn't bring peace, Shigen would have no problem killing all shinobi. In ancient times, he nearly did."
"He foresaw the future of chakra and destroyed the Sage of Six Paths' entire sect."
"According to our information, only the intervention of a great ninja named Asura stopped Shigen from killing all chakra users. Otherwise, we wouldn't exist today…"
"You've got to be kidding…"
Mei's pupils widened.
But…
Though shocked, the other Kage didn't deny Tsunade's claims. Their silence was agreement.
"So…"
"We assume the Infinite Tsukuyomi is real."
Tsunade sighed deeply.
"That's a far more comforting belief than hoping it's fake."
Yes.
They needed to believe it was real.
Because if it wasn't, Shigen's alternative path to peace—genocide—was even worse.
"Then…"
"Even if we stop Obito…"
"Can this alliance really take on that man?"
Mei spoke again.
"After all, he destroyed the Sage of Six Paths' sect. You've all seen his power firsthand more than I have…"
"So what, do we just sit and wait to die?"
Gaara suddenly asked her.
"Kazekage, that's rather rude…"
Mei smiled, covering her mouth, realizing her words might've been ill-timed.
"Sorry, I just thought…"
"It's fine."
Tsunade understood completely. Her voice dropped:
"Anyone who has felt Shigen's overwhelming power… knows that fearing him is the most normal thing in this world."
"And Madara…"
Ōnoki added, hoping they wouldn't forget about him.
"Yeah…"
The Fourth Raikage's face darkened.
Unlike the others, he had faced Madara in his prime—and been utterly powerless.
Even a Shinobi Alliance couldn't stand against Madara alone.
With full-body Susanoo, he could cleave mountains in half with a single swing. To him, an army of flesh and blood was nothing but weeds in a field.
But…
That wasn't for him to figure out.
The alliance would surely have smarter tacticians.
"Let's look on the bright side…"
Tsunade cracked a bleak joke, though no one laughed:
"At least Madara is weaker than Shigen. We have to face them eventually, right?"
"I'm honestly curious…"
Mei played along, chuckling lightly.
"They're the stuff of legend. Even we Five Kage are afraid of them…"
"If you truly saw them…"
"You might regret saying that."
Tsunade hoped the Mizukage would stay sober-minded.
She had experienced that despair more clearly than anyone.
Moving on, she formally announced the summit's conclusion:
"Then… the Five Kage have reached a preliminary decision."
"Let's all act quickly—because once Obito revives the Ten Tails, this war might end before we can even respond. I'm sure none of us wants to wake up and find our fates already sealed…"
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Powerstones?
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