The King of Hell, the Naraka Path of Pain, appeared in the heart of Konoha. Streams of chakra shot out of the King of Hell's mouth like shotgun blasts, streaking toward the ninja who were either gravely wounded or already dead.
The Frog of Mount Myoboku.
Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage's attendant, Shizune.
Kakashi Hatake, lying in a frozen coffin, asleep.
The Konoha ninjas who had fallen in this battle, the Edo Tensei versions of Yahiko and Jiraiya. And shockingly, even the three Edo Tensei Hokage from another world?! They were all struck by the emerald-green chakra projectiles.
"What is this..."
Hashirama Senju murmured as he looked at his body, undergoing an astonishing transformation.
"Such an immense chakra reserve."
Tobirama Senju commented, "Not only does it have the overwhelming chakra capacity of the Uzumaki clan, but it also contains Madara Uchiha's Rinnegan. I never imagined these two bloodlines could merge like this."
"Ah..."
Hashirama, seemingly without his usual sense of reason upon being revived, sighed and tapped his cheek, looking regretful. "It's a shame that Madara Uchiha and I only had brothers."
Even Tobirama, who knew his older brother better than anyone, was completely lost at this unexpected remark.
"If Madara Uchiha and I had a sister, don't you think it would've been a good idea for our clans to form an alliance through marriage?"
"....." Oh my god.
Tobirama sighed, rubbing his forehead. He had definitely underestimated his older brother's way of thinking.
"Our two clans have carried deep grudges for centuries! Even if you dared to propose that a woman from the Uchiha clan marry into ours, do you really think any Uchiha would willingly send their women to us?!"
If they had a sister, he wouldn't even dream of letting her marry into the Uchiha! And if Madara Uchiha and Izuna Uchiha had a sister, they would never allow the Sharingan bloodline to mix with the Senju!
"Hahaha, I was just kidding."
The Konoha ninjas: "...."
Lord First, we never thought you'd be like this. He was practically dancing on the nerves of the Second Hokage with all his might.
Though the scene was a bit comical, all of Konoha was immersed in a miraculous, jubilant excitement. They didn't understand what had happened, why everyone who had died in battle was now revived.
"Because of Naruto."
The slugs scattered across the land explained: Naruto Uzumaki had learned Senjutsu, single-handedly defeated all six of the Pain bodies, found the true Pain, and persuaded him.
"He used his own power to resurrect everyone here."
The Konoha ninjas were stunned!
"One person?! Defeated all the Pains?!!"
"Is this real?!"
Someone touched the fatal wound that should have been on their body. "Not a single scratch. It's as if nothing ever happened. This is unbelievable."
"But....."
Suddenly, someone asked, "Is it night already? Why is it so dark?"
"No," Katsuyu replied. "It's still daytime."
"Daytime?"
"The battle between Pain and Naruto reached near-apocalyptic levels. To protect the village from being destroyed, Hashirama-sama used his power to shield it."
"Hashirama-sama..."
The Konoha ninjas were stunned.
Which Hashirama-sama?
As they wondered, the enormous trees that had been shielding the sky above obediently moved back along their original path, retreating into the land surrounding Konoha.
As they shifted, the Konoha ninjas finally understood...
"It's a tree!"
"Could this be the legendary Wood Release?!"
"So, the Katsuyu-sama mentioned earlier is none other than..."
Katsuyu: "Yes, it's the First Hokage of Konohagakure—Hashirama Senju."
"!!!"
Konoha ninjas rushed to the rooftop of the Hokage Tower.
There, standing not only was the First Hokage, but also the Second Hokage, the Fourth Hokage, the recently reported-deceased Jiraiya-sama, and...
"Pain?!!"
"Why is Pain standing there too?!!"
The Konoha ninjas were in complete shock.
Kakashi Hatake sat up from the ice coffin. In his mind, it felt like he'd been talking to his father by that fire for an eternity.
"I... wasn't I... dead?"
He noticed that he seemed to be holding something in his hand. Looking down, he saw a bouquet of white lilies.
"..."
An ice coffin? And lilies in his hand?
A voice, warm like a breeze, reached his ears. "Awake, Kakashi?"
"!!!"
The silver-haired ninja whipped his head toward the source of the voice, then froze completely!
"Minato-sensei."
"Obito?"
Seeing both of them meant...
"Is this the Pure Land? I never imagined it'd be identical to Konoha."
Young Obito Uchiha: "..."
Somehow, Kakashi—whose face seemed to mask all fatigue with effortless ease—looked pitifully pathetic.
"You're alive, and so am I! Though Minato-sensei was previously reincarnated through the Edo Tensei Reincarnation, now he's alive too—because of that Gedo Art: Rinne Rebirth Technique!"
"Revived?" Kakashi mechanically repeated the young Obito Uchiha's words.
Minato Namikaze: "Yes, but we come from elsewhere. We'll return there eventually."
Kakashi's mind raced.
"Another parallel world... is that what you mean?"
Minato Namikaze nodded. "It's a long story, but before we leave, there's a mission only you can undertake."
A mission?
Kakashi Hatake froze for a moment.
But he quickly recovered. "Speak, Minato-sensei."
"Bring back Obito Uchiha from your world to Konoha. Teach him a harsh lesson and oversee his atonement."
"Us... this world's Obito?"
This time, Kakashi Hatake's mind raced through several loops before he could grasp what was happening.
Just then, Yahiko, anxious about Nagato and Konan's condition, blurted out, "Katsuyu-sama, what's happening now?! Is Nagato okay?!"
Stunned by the power of Gedo Art of Rinne Rebirth, Katsuyu had forgotten to provide a live commentary.
"The situation is dire, but not yet fatal."
Though reviving Konoha's ninja had nearly drained Nagato's entire chakra reserve, the fact that the Super God Shinra Tensei technique hadn't resulted in the near-total injury or death of Konoha's ninja meant Nagato's condition upon using the Rinnegan was slightly better than it would have been otherwise.
"Everyone who's died since I arrived in Konoha has been brought back," Nagato said. "Their souls were still temporarily bound to their bodies, not yet dispersed. There was still time."
He had just sensed it.
Jiraiya-sensei and Yahiko's chakra...
"I suppose this is my atonement."
Watching his hair turn white in an instant, Naruto felt a twinge of that same bewilderment Sasuke must have felt when he killed Itachi—especially knowing Nagato was also a rare kinsman he'd finally found.
Though vengeance was achieved, it only seemed to deepen his loneliness.
"War always brings death to both sides. The dead are gone, leaving the living with endless sorrow and the pain of loss."
"Unresolved grief. Over and over, I wonder: if there were no war, if people could truly understand each other's hearts, then the people I cherish wouldn't have to die."
"Naruto, your generation is a rare time of peace. So it's no wonder you don't know the agony of war."
Nagato: "The more I sought peace, the deeper I sank into it. My inner torment found no outlet. I claimed to abandon my emotions, yet in truth, my hatred only grew more profound."
"Life and death intertwine; vengeance and hatred breed each other. A tiny fraction profit enormously from war, fueling its very existence. That is the essence of war. It is also what you, Naruto, must now face..."
"..."
"It all feels predestined. Everyone is willing to believe in you, so I too..."
Nagato fell silent after speaking.
Neither Naruto Uzumaki nor Konan knew what to say in this moment, under this atmosphere.
"Enough. You'll have plenty of time to discuss this later."
"Right now, I have something else I need you to do, Nagato."
Through the Katsuyu Sage's transmission, Kakashi Hatake—recently revived in distant Konoha—heard a hoarse voice.
He felt he'd heard this voice somewhere before...
Thoughts raced through his mind, faces of people he'd seen yet didn't know flashing by. That was the voice I'd heard before...
Finally locking onto—
…
"Ah-ho-ho!! My body is quite flexible, you know!"
"Now it's my turn to strike back!"
"Secret Technique: Frilled Neck Lizard Jutsu!"
"It's that masked man from Akatsuki! The one with the ability to make his body vanish suddenly..."
…
--Uchiha!!!
Wait! What did Minato-sensei just say?!
The Obito Uchiha from my world?!
Kakashi Hatake suddenly remembered! His own Mangekyō Sharingan ability was spatial ninjutsu! And that masked man's ability to make his entire body vanish so suddenly and eerily—if it wasn't genjutsu, then it could only be...
Space-Time Dōjutsu!!!
"Minato-sensei!! Are you saying....."
The young Obito Uchiha pursed his lips. "Yes. That fool is the version of me in this world who abandoned his Hokage dream and even discarded his identity as Obito Uchiha."
"!!!!"
Obito Uchiha...
Is he really still alive?!!