The moment the mask slowly fell away, the wind over Rōran Plaza seemed to freeze.
Across the desolate ruins, the Nine-Tails' savage winds swept over the earth, sending rubble and dust whirling through the air, yet everyone's eyes were on Minato.
Minato's body abruptly stiffened.
"Obito... how could it be you?"
Minato's voice trembled unmistakably, filled with disbelief and piercing heartache.
He had imagined the identity of the man before him countless times.
But never in his wildest dreams had he thought it would be his own student.
The staggering revelation struck Minato hard, leaving his chest tight and his emotions tangled.
"Why?"
Minato stared fixedly at Obito and pressed him in a low voice, his tone full of anguish and confusion.
"Why would you go this far? Taking hostages, unsealing the Nine-Tails, plotting to seize the Tailed Beasts' power... what do you actually want?!"
Faced with Minato's questions, Obito stood atop the Nine-Tails' head, his face blank with indifference and numbness. Not a trace of his old warmth remained in his eyes, only utter disgust for this Shinobi World.
"What do I want?"
Obito repeated the question quietly, his voice steeped in endless sorrow.
"Minato-sensei, can't you see how rotten this Shinobi World is?"
"All the suffering, slaughter, hatred, and sacrifice in this Shinobi World have only one root-chakra."
He looked across the crowd, his voice cold and clear as it carried throughout Rōran Ancient City.
"The Akatsuki's ultimate goal has never been to rule the Shinobi World."
"We will gather the Nine Tailed Beasts scattered across the Shinobi World, collect every bit of chakra that drifts, resides, or circulates in this world, bring all the Shinobi World's chakra together, then erase it completely. Destroy it utterly."
"Ending chakra means ending the root of every war."
Minato reeled, his