Ren Asakura observed the battlefield.
He seemed like a spectator watching a grand performance unfold.
"Minato… when you didn't know the masked man's true identity, you could fight without hesitation. But now? You're still too soft-hearted."
Ren Asakura tilted his head slightly.
It was as if he could see beyond the surface of things.
"As expected, when it comes to scheming and manipulation, the old ones always have the upper hand."
"Should I step in?"
He thought about it for a moment, then smiled.
"Let's wait a little longer. No matter how bad things get, I can always turn the tide. Even if the world were to end, I could bring it back. Besides, after this experience, Minato will surely grow stronger."
—-—
"Fourth Hokage, your opponent is me!"
Uchiha Obito's voice was filled with killing intent.
Minato Namikaze took a deep breath, trying to steady himself.
"It's been a long time, Obito. You've grown even more impressive."
Obito's body stiffened for a moment.
"You've got the wrong person. I am Uchiha Madara!"
But Minato's voice was firm.
"No. You are Uchiha Obito."
He had been recognized.
And with such certainty.
Obito began to wonder—had someone leaked his identity?
The air grew tense.
Even Obito himself hesitated on whether to attack or not.
But then, he thought of Rin's death.
He thought of Infinite Tsukuyomi, the only way to bring true peace.
He had to create a world where Rin existed. This world was fake.
"Uchiha Obito is dead. He died a long time ago!"
With a furious roar, he charged at Minato.
Maybe only battle could mask the fear within him.
Minato looked at his student, his eyes filled with sorrow.
But that tragedy had not yet happened.
Minato made up his mind—he would defeat Obito first, then try to talk to him.
If even his son could reach him, then surely he could as well.
The battle began.
Both of them had reasons why they could not afford to stop fighting.
Meanwhile, in Konoha Village…
A massive toad suddenly appeared, gripping a short blade in its hand.
It was at least 30 meters tall.
Standing atop the toad's head was Jiraiya.
"The Toad Sage, Jiraiya, has arrived!"
Minato had already anticipated that October 10th would be a chaotic night.
So he had called in as many powerful allies as possible—including the Three Legendary Sannin.
Since the Third Great Ninja War had just ended, there were no major missions keeping them away.
At the Hokage's summons, the Sannin had returned to the village.
On another side of the battlefield, a giant slug was summoned.
Tsunade stood on its head.
"I'm counting on you!"
The massive slug nodded before splitting into countless tiny slugs, rushing to aid the injured.
No great battle could be fought without a healer.
With the support system in place, the odds of victory tipped in their favor.
At the same time, Orochimaru summoned a horde of snakes.
The Formation of Ten Thousand Snakes.
With the Three Sannin joining the fight, the battle in Konoha began to shift.
The White Zetsu army was nearly wiped out.
As for the ones disguised as Konoha shinobi—they were easily exposed through careful observation.
Or simply by testing their knowledge of Konoha.
Jiraiya activated Sage Mode, systematically eliminating the disguised White Zetsu.
The invasion of Konoha was nearing its end.
Minato could sense that the battlefield in the village was finally calming down.
With that worry off his shoulders, he focused entirely on the battle before him.
"Obito, I am your teacher. Even if you've lost your way, I will pull you back."
Minato Namikaze's eyes were filled with determination.
Uchiha Obito said nothing. Instead, he reached out his hand and charged straight at Minato.
If Obito touched him, he would be sucked into Kamui's dimension.
Minato swung his three-pronged kunai, aiming directly at Obito's body—but it passed right through him.
And in that brief moment after passing through, Obito's hand suddenly grabbed Minato's wrist.
"You let your guard down, sensei!"
The spiral pattern of Kamui appeared, and Minato's body began twisting into the vortex.
But in the very next instant—Minato vanished.
Flying Thunder God!
"He didn't disappear—he teleported!"
The very next moment, Minato's three-pronged kunai fell from the sky.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Countless kunai and shuriken rained down like a storm, covering Obito completely.
However, Obito's phasing ability was too broken—too overpowered.
Even a barrage this dense was utterly useless.
Then, Minato reappeared behind Obito, his right hand forming a Rasengan, slamming it toward his back.
But once again, it phased through.
Yet the moment Obito fully solidified, his hand lunged toward Minato.
At that moment, the edges of Minato's eyes turned red—Sage Mode!
During his time in the chat group, Minato hadn't wasted a single second.
Especially after learning that he was destined to die soon, he had pushed himself harder than ever.
Just as Obito's hand was about to touch Minato, he suddenly threw a kunai with his left hand.
It flew straight through Obito's body—but Minato had already vanished before Obito could react.
Minato knew that in the original timeline, Minato had defeated him with Flying Thunder God: Level Two.
So he was likely going to use it again.
As Obito closed in, he suddenly felt a sense of danger.
Using his own body as bait, then striking right when he became tangible—this technique felt so familiar.
And sure enough—just as Obito was about to grab Minato, he vanished again.
This time, he reappeared right where the kunai had landed.
In his hand, a Rasengan infused with Sage Chakra was already formed.
And with unstoppable force, he slammed it straight into Obito's back.
In the next moment—a terrifying spiral of energy erupted.
The sheer force of the impact shattered the ground beneath them.
"Got him!"
As the Rasengan's energy faded, Minato touched Obito, marking him with both a Flying Thunder God seal and another special technique.
A gust of wind blew away the rising dust.
Even with Hashirama's cells, Obito was seriously injured.
Half of his body was oozing white fluid, his wounds refusing to close.
"As expected… you're strong, sensei."
Obito struggled to his feet, barely holding himself together.
Meanwhile, Minato had already teleported away, appearing at a safe distance.
"This is enough. Obito—turn back! Nothing has happened yet. I can help you!"
"No. It's already too late."
Obito's eyes burned with rage.
The moment Rin died, it had already been too late.
"Rin's death… was not your fault. It was mine. I failed to protect you both."
Minato finally voiced the regret in his heart.
Obito slowly removed his mask, revealing his scarred and twisted face.
"No, sensei. The one at fault is this world… this fake world, filled only with endless fighting. I will create a world of true peace."
°°°
Hungry for more chaps? Then check out our pătreon!
Link: Påtreon.com/BaphometFiction
I post 20 advanced chapters of this fanfic there.