In the timeline where Soji was, outside Konoha, time rewound to just after Urashiki Otsutsuki had been defeated.
At that moment, a teenage boy with long white hair, red eyes, and an oversized high-collared coat stood gazing in Konoha's direction.
Beneath that enormous coat, his entire body was wrapped in white bandages. Even the lower half of his face was concealed by them.
He gave off an air of mystery.
"What kind of power was that?"
Watching the battle come to an end, the mysterious man could not help muttering to himself.
When he saw that thousand-meter-long oarfish, he had been completely stunned.
Yet such terrifying power had ultimately been overwhelmed by another, even more horrifying force. It had shaken the mysterious man to his core.
That level of battle was not something he even dared approach. He could only watch from afar.
To be honest, the mysterious man had originally come near Konoha to see whether he could find an opportunity to abduct an Uchiha with at least a Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
But the sudden turn of events had completely disrupted his plans.
He could clearly tell that the first force belonged to Konoha's enemy.
The second force, meanwhile, had been protecting Konoha.
Yet no matter how thoroughly he searched through everything he knew about Konoha, he still could not figure out who possessed that second power.
Because he had been too far from the battlefield, the mysterious man did not know who the combatants were.
And after realizing just how terrifying that second force protecting Konoha was, he no longer dared act rashly.
For all he knew, the moment he made a move, someone would catch up and kill him.
Thus, he was stuck, unsure how to proceed with his plan.
But his plan had already reached its final