Million Evacuated!

"You brat. You don't have Madara's skills, but you've picked up his bad attitude. That'll get you killed."

Ōnoki forced himself to snap out of it and couldn't help snorting. At that moment, he had only one thought:

Kill the Fifth Hokage at any cost.

Don't give him room to grow!

As for the humiliating incidents from his youth? He'd outlasted time itself. Madara and Hashirama had both died young, so in that regard, he'd won by a landslide.

Besides, his Dust Release was still plenty effective!

Madara had just died too early. Otherwise, he could have turned him and his Susanoo into particles.

With that in mind, Ōnoki straightened up as he looked up at Uchiha Xiu and his group, standing atop the Wood Dragon. But, to his credit, he didn't try to conserve chakra.

"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World!"

In the next instant, a dazzling white barrier flashed three times around the Third Tsuchikage, devouring all the organic matter nearby.

But just before it could reach Uchiha Xiu, ripples spread through space.

Void Great Collapse!

A long-range attack transfer?

Flying Thunder God?

Ōnoki's first thought, after his attack missed, was of the Fourth Hokage's signature jutsu.

He immediately created several convincing Earth Clones to confuse the enemy.

"Konoha has so many people who've mastered Space-Time Ninjutsu. I can't believe they haven't died out. This is trouble."

Wood Release, Mangekyō Sharingan, and some inexplicable space ability.

The situation had turned around in an instant!

Ōnoki had thought he was doing pretty well, but now he suddenly wasn't sure he could keep them here.

Especially with speedsters like Minato Namikaze, who specialized in close combat and space-time abilities. Against a ninja with a constitution like his and no special boost to his defenses, they could easily land a fatal blow.

"Anyway, let's try it first."

The six Earth Clones, each holding an equal share of the original's chakra and indistinguishable from him, formed Hand Seals in unison and summoned enormous Rock Monsters into the sky.

Earth Release: Gōryūka Technique.

Under Uchiha Xiu's oppressive scrutiny, Ōnoki didn't expect much from these clumsy stone puppets.

All he needed was for them to withstand a few attacks from the massive Wood Dragon and the Susanoo that could appear at any moment, buying the original time and an opportunity to act.

The battlefield was in his Iwagakure, after all.

The more damage it suffered, the more it would hurt.

"Idiot. I told you to get your left eye back sooner. Now look at you—your weakness is in someone else's hands!"

Meanwhile.

In an unremarkable corner of Iwagakure, the Pitcher Plant Monster emerged halfway from a tree root, grumbling.

"I don't understand. How did the information about Kamui get leaked?"

Obito, wearing a single-eyed Spiral Mask, leaned against a tree and stared up at the Wood Dragon. "Who's the spy? It's not like I talk in my sleep and leak secrets to myself."

"It definitely wasn't me. You know we're on the same side. Everything we do is for Lord Madara's Eye of the Moon Plan."

Zetsu hurriedly denied it.

That space-warping move just now looked cool?

But that was my eye!

Now the enemy had stolen his signature ocular technique and was using it to show off in front of everyone. Uchiha Obito felt worse than if he'd eaten shit.

The left eye could freely adjust its focal length. By focusing, it could warp space around any target in its field of view and send it into the user's personal Kamui dimension.

The right eye was more focused on defense. It could make the user intangible, shifting his body into the narrow space connecting this world to the Kamui dimension and rendering him immune to all damage.

Their shared ability let the user and nearby objects move back and forth through marked spaces.

They came from the same source, interfered with each other, and were natural counters!

"What should we do? Maybe I can interfere with him when Xiu uses Kamui to warp space."

Obito had an idea and grew eager. "Let him enjoy himself for a while and become completely dependent on my Kamui. Then, at the crucial moment, his ocular technique will fail, and Ōnoki's Dust Release will reduce him to atoms."

"Sacrificing one eye for that wouldn't be a big deal... It's still better than letting it stay in the enemy's hands."

"Fine. Find your chance, and if you can't interfere, retreat immediately," the Pitcher Plant Monster whispered, showing far more intelligence than the other brainless White Zetsu.

In the distant sky.

"Sage Art: Goemon!"

As Uchiha Xiu engaged Ōnoki, Jiraiya began to unleash his power. Chakra-infused oil poured down, instantly coating the cliff faces.

The two Toad sages worked in perfect sync.

Fire Release ignited the oil, while Wind Release fanned the flames. Waves of blazing oil surged forward, bringing temperatures of several thousand degrees.

A new round of slaughter began.

Under the extreme heat, the hard rock softened, cracked, and melted into lava.

The Iwa ninja's specialty, their combined defensive formation, shattered on impact.

A sea of fire swept out. Dozens of veteran Iwa ninja had no time to dodge. Screaming, they were swallowed by the flames.

The entire battlefield once again became a living hell.

"Susanoo!"

The third power dwelling within the Mangekyō Sharingan was unleashed in front of everyone.

Compared to when Shisui had forced it out through one eye, the half-bodied warrior, now a deep green, had gained two more arms. A layer of phantom armor had also appeared around it!

A rapidly spinning spiral sword formed before the giant and came crashing down.

BOOM—

The rocky mountain split apart.

The two giant beasts broke free of their restraints and became even more ferocious.

"ROAR!!!"

"Damn it." Ōnoki was too busy dealing with the threat to do anything else, and Body Flickered away from one wooden spike after another.

The Rock Monsters were bound by Wood Dragons.

Every time he tried to clear the field with Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World and turn the tide, the white light was swallowed by the mysterious space.

After only a few exchanges, he was left wondering why a man his age had to compete with young people in chakra and recovery!

"Tsk, Kamui's mechanics are downright unfair." Black markings covered Uchiha Xiu's face as he temporarily unleashed a level of chakra beyond anything he'd used before. Combined with Wood Release's devouring power, he grew stronger the longer he fought.

"Did I figure out how to make a little chakra-sucking blade?"

Unfortunately, there was a backdoor.

Not long ago, a sudden pang of unease in his heart, along with an abnormal twitch in his optic nerve, had told him that the persistent Obito had found him.

Otherwise, what else about him could resonate with the outside world?

That bastard was definitely up to no good!

In the story, Obito could stop Kakashi from using Kamui to twist away and teleport objects. Kakashi could also freely enter and leave the other dimension, attack Obito while he was intangible, and even interfere with his intangibility.

So Uchiha Xiu stayed on his guard.

The old trick—find an opportunity to distribute his chakra and ocular power, and hand the battlefield over to a high-level Wood Clone in advance.

"Besides... the strategic objective has already been achieved. There's no need to keep showing off."

"Scout, fight, and retreat—all in one. Anyone who can complete all three steps is a true hero."

Steam, lava, and burning oil. From above, much of Iwagakure was ablaze. Even in areas the fighting hadn't reached, the temperature was several degrees higher than usual.

Its wartime potential had plummeted!

It would take at least three to five years of recovery before the village could get back on its feet.

If the Ninja World had a KDA ranking, Uchiha Xiu's name would surely be near the top.

"That Uchiha brat is a handful."

"Added-Weight Rock Technique!"

Ōnoki had no desire to fight, but he had no choice. As he formed Hand Seals, a short, ochre-colored figure flashed out from a boulder that had been shattered during the battle and tried to petrify him.

But Ōnoki had already seen through the trick.

Their figures crossed.

Now!

Obito shouted inwardly. Uchiha Xiu had used a substitution to change places and had just landed on a tree branch when the space behind him warped without warning.

The attack came faster than the nerves could react. Hyuga Tokuma had no time to warn him.

"Uchiha Flame Formation!"

A ring of blazing flames erupted from thin air, encircling him and trapping him in the center.

The fiery barrier radiated scorching heat. Even a Tailed Beast-level life-form wouldn't dare endure its power.

Nearby, the Wood Release vines turned to charcoal as soon as they touched the barrier.

"It's over, idiot who stole my eye."

Obito congratulated himself inwardly and shouted up at the sky.

"Ōnoki, do it!"

Ōnoki didn't understand what was happening, but he wanted Uchiha Xiu dead more than anything.

Whoever helped him kill the Fifth Hokage was an ally!

Without asking for an explanation, the Tsuchikage sensed that the mysterious masked man had restricted Xiu's space-time ability and immediately unleashed Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World.

White light gathered, aimed at Uchiha Xiu, trapped inside the Uchiha Flame Formation. Without the slightest hesitation or windup, Ōnoki fired.

—He could toy with the technique's mechanics, but he absolutely couldn't let it hit him for real.

In the future, Ōnoki had used this attack to destroy the Susanoo of twenty-five of Uchiha Madara's Wood Clones.

Taking the hit head-on was a death sentence.

"Fifth Hokage!"

Jiraiya, who had ended Sage Mode, caught sight of what was happening and sensed disaster.

"Xiu!" Shisui Body Flickered, trying to return to the main battlefield.

Brilliant white light shot into the sky.

A cube covered the Uchiha Flame Formation.

Everything inside was vaporized, reduced to microscopic particles that even the Sharingan couldn't perceive.

"Ha... ha! Killing the Hokage before the war even starts is a win for the Land of Earth." Ōnoki held his back as he slowly descended from the sky, his gaze settling on the masked man, Obito.

Enemy?

Friend?

Another evil Uchiha.

The eye exposed beneath the mask had the same pattern as the Fifth Hokage's left eye!

"..." Intangible, Obito narrowed his eyes and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

It was a shame to lose an original Mangekyō that could no longer attack, but even with only one eye, I was still invincible in the Ninja World!

"Killing a Hokage who was beyond our control was worth the price," Black Zetsu muttered. "Mother, your days of suffering in the Moon Dimension are nearly over. At most fifteen years, and I'll free you."

For a moment, the two Tailed Beasts outside the battle circle, far more eye-catching than anyone else, became irrelevant.

Everyone except the Konoha side thought they were winning.

However—

"An Uchiha would never die to his own clan's inherited jutsu."

The voice that had made Ōnoki's entire life unforgettable rang out again, though only a short night had passed.

Uchiha Xiu crawled out of an inconspicuous tree. "You said it yourself, didn't you, our little Konoha hero, Obito?"

Color returned to Shisui's face.

The immortal clone technique!

That's right. It was the cautious strategy Lord Hokage liked best, the personal style that had driven Sarutobi Hiruzen and Monkey King Enma absolutely mad that night.

Only a shinobi with immense chakra reserves, the ability to use large-scale Wood Release to shape the terrain before battle and create a clever diversion, and exceptional perception could pull it off.

"You bastard, you don't even know how to respect your teacher. You call yourself a Konoha hero? Die!"

Jiraiya gripped a Rasengan and silently pounced.

Intangible.

His identity exposed, his mind shaken, and dependent on his own abilities, Obito instinctively tried to escape.

But just as he had used his right eye as a simple medium and relied on ocular resonance to interfere with Uchiha Xiu, his trump card briefly stopped working.

"Wood Release: Mayfly Technique." Black Zetsu immediately tried to rush over and save him.

"Ocular Technique, Kotoamatsukami!"

With Flying Thunder God unavailable, Body Flicker Shisui was the fastest.

Only the Raikage could compete with him.

Face to face.

Three pairs of eyes met!

In an instant, the four-bladed pattern in Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan began to spin.

Thump, thump...

The moment Shisui activated Kotoamatsukami without asking permission, Uchiha Xiu—using the resonance of his left eye to interfere with Obito in return—seemed to hear the beat of a heart.

But he knew it wasn't a real heartbeat. It was the resonance of wills between Shisui and Obito.

In less than a breath, the connection was complete!

It was true that the Byakugan could detect Kotoamatsukami as it invaded someone's mind and altered their will. Ao, who possessed one Byakugan, had exposed Danzo's attempt to alter Mifune's will at the Five Kage Summit.

But once the change was complete and the ocular power withdrawn, the controlled target would be no different from an ordinary person. No abnormal chakra would remain in their mind.

That was why Kotoamatsukami was hailed as the strongest genjutsu.

It only needed to succeed once. There was no need to maintain it afterward.

Besides, Shisui himself wasn't an outsider like Danzo, who wasn't an Uchiha. He could bring its full power into play.

Bang!

Jiraiya changed tactics mid-strike, subtly adjusting his aim as he slammed the Big Ball Rasengan, powered up with more chakra, toward Black Zetsu, forcing the mysterious Pitcher Plant Monster back.

"Lord Hokage, I've already infiltrated his brain. How do I change his will?"

Looking at Shisui, whose performance had earned him an extra chicken drumstick, Uchiha Xiu weighed his options before giving the order:

"Be loyal to me!"

Xiu = Konoha.

The equation held.

Nothing wrong with that!

Shisui's vision blurred in an instant. His sight grew terribly hazy, and his head throbbed as if it might burst at any moment.

"No, impossible!" Black Zetsu, who had slipped back underground, was going mad.

What in the world was happening? Everything felt so unfamiliar. I've schemed for a thousand years, finally waiting for the moment to close the net.

And now my tool had let me down!

Should I force a recovery?

After Mother created me, she bestowed on me a portion of chakra at the level of Kekkei Mōra, to alter the stone tablet left behind by the Sage of Six Paths, drive Indra and Asura toward conflict, and deceive Uchiha Madara.

The thought flashed through his mind, and Black Zetsu fled.

A thousand years of planning—and the final layer, known only to me, must never be exposed.

I can just replace the pawn.

It only means stretching out the timeline again!

A hundred years, two hundred years—I can wait.

At most, Obito would reveal that I was a fake created by Madara.

Because I deceived Madara too.

"A more foolish tool is easy to replace. Pain, the Rinnegan, Nagato... I have other cards to play. You're the only one I can't afford to discard."

"..." Uchiha Xiu secretly let out a sigh of relief.

Even Six Paths Madara couldn't withstand a son's palm through his heart after being resurrected.

Good thing he ran.

I've got the information advantage, after all. I've seen through not just your underwear, but Kaguya's too.

--Being able to return to the Main God Space and evolve will make snowballing my power even faster!

Ōnoki said nothing, his face dark.

"Kill!"

"Take down the Konoha intruders!"

Outside the village.

Shadowy figures came flying in from all directions.

Another Iwagakure force stationed outside had rushed back to reinforce the village, numbering over a thousand.

Should I imitate the Third Raikage and fight ten thousand Iwagakure Ninja alone, battling for three days and nights before dying of exhaustion?

Not worth it.

The Four-Tails and Five-Tails, who had been wreaking havoc just a moment ago, quickly returned to their Jinchuriki.

Whoosh, whoosh. The two strongest fighters in Iwagakure, their pupils marked with the Mangekyo, came to Uchiha Xiu's side of their own accord.

Left and right guards, in position!

"Iwagakure's Dust Release is a bit more interesting than I expected."

"But this so-called Will of Stone is nothing but a brittle rock, shattered at a touch when faced with true power."

Standing behind Uchiha Xiu, Hyuga Tokuma wore a complicated expression as he realized what was happening.

Shisui and Jiraiya returned, with no energy to deliver any parting words.

Both were utterly exhausted.

And neither had any idea how they were supposed to retreat.

Should they control Obito and use the Kamui Dimension?

Uchiha Xiu, however, was generous enough to give his teammates, whose performances had been quite good, their moment in the spotlight:

"Before us, there are no enemies."

Ōnoki stood in the air, panting like a defeated dog as he secretly gathered chakra.

What was all that gibberish?!

Next would be his final Dust Release: Atomic Dismantling Jutsu.

If three thousand shinobi inside and outside the village weren't enough to wear you down, then five thousand, eight thousand, ten thousand...

Humm!

A beam of golden light came crashing down from the heavens.

"Obito, that idiot who delivered himself to me so I could complete my collection of Kamui eyes. He's got valuable White Zetsu Cells in his body, along with two Tailed Beasts, Son Goku and Kokuō."

"Heh heh, a huge success. A million-mile retreat~"

Centered on Uchiha Xiu, everyone rose into the air.

The item Negacion enveloped them.

"You're too arrogant, Ōnoki."

"No one stands in the heavens from the very beginning."

"Not you, not me—not even the Sage of Six Paths."

"But this intolerable vacancy on the Throne of the Sky must come to an end."

"From now on--

I shall stand in the heavens!"