On Kage Rock in Konoha, a figure in a black robe silently watched everything before him.
In the distance, the cries of children came and went. The enormous Nine-Tails had vanished, leaving behind only two bodies growing cold in the bleak wind.
Flames still spread through Konoha, but during the time the Nine-Tails had been away from the village, some shinobi had recovered enough to begin fighting the fires. Masked shinobi hurried back and forth, searching for villagers who had survived in the battle zone.
Some of them belonged to the Anbu, while others were part of Root.
Amid the ruins, children's cries, the crash of falling debris, barking dogs, and hurried shouts blended into a cacophony. Even with the Nine-Tails gone from the village, chaos still reigned.
Shin stood high above, unnoticed by anyone. Like an eternal god, he looked down on the village he had once helped build.
After watching for a while, he suddenly sighed. When the Third Hokage returned to the village and restored order, Shin's figure gradually disappeared.
The Nine-Tails Incident was over, but some things had only just begun...
A secret underground base somewhere in the Land of Fire.
Space rippled faintly, and a figure materialized. A patterned mask appeared as Obito Uchiha made his way inside, one step at a time. He kept clutching his arm, blood still spilling from the wound.
"Obito, you're back!" The White Zetsu with two leaflike protrusions beside his head appeared underground. Seeing Obito's condition, he asked quietly, "Are you hurt?"
Obito nodded. "I was careless. I didn't expect Minato-sensei to be so strong. He even countered my Space-Time Ninjutsu. I failed to get the Nine-Tails, but it doesn't matter. Next time, I'll put together a more meticulous plan."
As he spoke, he entered the cave with White