On the battlefield below, Naruto bellowed as the Nine-Tails roared out to the other Tailed Beasts, "You guys feel the same way, don't you?!"
"Naruto is the old man's..."
All five Tailed Beasts responded to the Nine-Tails' words!
At that moment, Naruto deactivated his Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, reverting to his base form. Smiling broadly alongside Kakashi and Might Guy, he looked toward the front.
Even Kanon, who was locked in a tense standoff with the Eight-Tails, allowed the corners of her mouth to curve slightly. Though Naruto remained a massive obstacle to her goals, seeing how much he had grown brought her a faint sense of gratification.
"The brat who used to need constant looking after has finally become a Yellow Flash who protects others."
"But... you aren't the only one who knows how to grow," Kanon murmured softly.
Standing atop the Gedo Statue, the masked man gazed down at Naruto, a hint of surprise in his voice. "To think he could fully control the Nine-Tails... but it seems it can't be sustained for long."
"Then we shall proceed just as before."
Sure enough, five massive chakra chains erupted from the mouth of the Gedo Statue, instantly dragging the five Tailed Beasts back inside its maw.
Naruto looked up at the masked man, a confident smirk playing on his lips.
"How could it possibly be the same as before?"
"Someone just went out of their way to teach me a bunch of hard-to-remember names!"
Hearing this, the masked man shifted his gaze toward Naruto, Kakashi, and the others.
"In that case, I will handle this personally."
With those words, the Gedo Statue behind him lunged forward, charging directly at Guy, Kakashi, and Naruto.
The Eight-Tails rushed over to support Naruto. Seeing this, Kanon chose not to intercept the Eight-Tails and instead leaped back, landing right beside the masked man.
"Look at that. What a magnificent sight," the masked man said, gesturing toward the rampaging Gedo Statue in the distance.
"Personally, I think it's more show than substance," Kanon replied softly.
"Is that so? Then sit back and witness the power of the Gedo Statue."
As the two conversed in hushed tones, the Gedo Statue had already seized all five Reanimated Jinchuriki in its massive hands.
Right at that moment, a brilliant white light began to emanate from the Jinchuriki, the distinct signature of the Reanimation Jutsu being released.
Killer B and the others immediately noticed the phenomenon.
"Naruto, the Jinchuriki are disappearing!"
"Looks like Itachi pulled it off," B shouted.
Naruto stared at the Gedo Statue, his gaze hardening with fierce determination as he locked eyes with the masked man across the field.
"We're still going to be tangled up here for a while," B called out to Naruto.
"Stop complaining, we need to wrap this up fast too!" Naruto replied, his thoughts immediately flashing to Tsunade and the others.
"Granny and the other old-timer Kage are out there fighting right now. We're racing against the clock! They're definitely going to win!"
Observing the situation, the masked man muttered quietly to Kanon beside him, "Has the Reanimation Jutsu been released?"
"Yeah. Without proper control, they're just a bunch of slackers who won't put in any real effort. There's no point in keeping them around," Kanon said indifferently.
"True enough," the masked man nodded.
The Gedo Statue lunged fiercely toward Naruto, but Kakashi was the first to intercept it. Charging ahead, he severed the Statue's arm using Lightning Transmission, while Guy unleashed a powerful kick directly against the Statue's toes from the opposite side.
As the Gedo Statue stumbled, Naruto and the Eight-Tails threw synchronized punches, driving their fists forward and sending the massive colossus flying backward.
The masked man and Kanon watched the Gedo Statue crash heavily beside them, remaining utterly unfazed.
At that moment, Naruto, shrouded once again in a golden aura, confronted the masked man. "You look like you're in agonizing pain over there."
"What is that supposed to mean?" the masked man countered.
"Because you're hiding your face, I can imagine whatever I want!"
"If you don't like it, take off that mask and show me how calm you really are, you idiot!" Naruto taunted, pointing a finger directly at him.
"Well said, Naruto!" Guy gave him a thumbs-up.
"Didn't I tell you not to provoke the enemy..." Kakashi sighed, completely exasperated.
"Can't be helped then. Shall I take the lead?" Kanon took a step forward, her eyes scanning Naruto, Kakashi, and the rest.
The moment Kanon stepped out, the expressions on Guy, Kakashi, and even Naruto's faces shifted instantly. If there was one person Naruto absolutely dreaded facing in this war, it was Kanon.
Even though this was merely a Shadow Clone, Naruto's expression grew profoundly complex.
"No need," the masked man said, stretching out an arm to stop Kanon.
"Are you going to use that?" Kanon asked, looking at him with a trace of surprise.
"Yes. There's no other choice. It's time to act!"
"Aren't you going to wait for my main body?" Kanon questioned.
"There's no time left." With that, the masked man summoned the Six Paths tools, the Amber Purifying Pot and the Benihisa gourd containing the octopus tentacle.
"Those are...!" Kakashi recognized them instantly.
"I originally intended to revive it in its complete form..." the masked man spoke as the Gedo Statue opened its mouth and swallowed both the tentacle and the Amber Purifying Pot whole.
"However, even with just a fraction, its power will not be compromised."
Indeed, the masked man had resolved to initiate the revival of the Ten-Tails immediately.
"It's already too late. The appointed hour has arrived, the revival of the Ten-Tails, and the beginning of the end of this world!"
Countless boulders began to hover and churn violently around the Gedo Statue. The masked man brought his hands together into a hand seal, while Kanon stood with her arms crossed, calmly observing Kakashi and the others.
"I see. So the Gedo Statue is actually the vessel for the Ten-Tails."
"What even is the Ten-Tails?!" Naruto demanded, thoroughly confused.
Kakashi, however, fell deep into thought.
'What on earth is going on? If we go by what he declared when he started this war during the Five Kage Summit, wasn't this entire conflict fought to seize the Nine-Tails' chakra required for the Ten-Tails' revival?'
'He hasn't finished capturing the Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails. Could this all be a bluff?'
As if sensing Kakashi's profound anxiety, Kanon spoke up to clear his doubts.
"Didn't he just say it? Even with just fragments, its power won't be compromised. The octopus tentacle that Sasuke brought back and the Nine-Tails' chakra sealed inside the Gold and Silver Brothers are more than enough."
Hearing Kanon's explanation, Kakashi's heart sank in sheer horror. "Does that mean... all it takes is a mere portion of a Tailed Beast's chakra?!"
Inside Naruto, the Nine-Tails easily deduced the deeper strategic play of this war. The lingering question of why the masked man and Kanon had targeted the First Company's battlefield in the first place was finally answered.
Their sole objective there had been to retrieve the chakra of the Gold and Silver Brothers.
The masked man now glared at Kakashi, his expression dark and ominous.
"You talk quite lightly for someone in your position, Kakashi."
"A life entirely consumed by regret suits you perfectly."
Guy stepped forward, his expression solemn as he demanded, "Who exactly are you?!"
"What is the point of telling someone who can't even remember another person's face!"
Kanon turned her head slightly to look at the masked man, suddenly uttering two words in a soft, quiet tone.
"Obito, right?"
Her voice carried an eerie resonance, almost mirroring the way Rin used to call out his name. The masked man froze entirely. For a fleeting moment, the image of Rin in his memory overlapped perfectly with Kanon's face.
"Rin..." his voice trembled slightly.
"So that really is your identity."
The masked man quickly shook his head, regaining his composure. "Call me whatever you like. I have absolutely no interest in that name anymore."
"If we're going to strike, it has to be right now before the Ten-Tails revives!" the Nine-Tails barked to everyone from within Naruto.
"The Sage of Six Paths once said that the day the Ten-Tails is fully resurrected will mark the end of the world."
The Nine-Tails then proceeded to explain to the group exactly what kind of existential terror the Ten-Tails truly was. Hearing the Nine-Tails' explanation, the others were left utterly paralyzed with shock.
"To be completely honest, relying on my power alone isn't enough to stand against it."
"But my chakra and the Eight-Tails' chakra are inherently immense. Since it currently possesses only a tiny fraction of our power, it might just be worth a shot," the Nine-Tails concluded, offering a grim glimmer of hope.
"You are all entirely mistaken. To Kanon and myself, there is absolutely no need for the Ten-Tails to be revived in its perfect form!" the masked man stated coldly.
Naruto and the others stared in shock at the masked man and Kanon standing beside him.
"My ultimate objective is nothing short of the great genjutsu, the Infinite Tsukuyomi!"
"To cast a single, unified genjutsu over every living human on this planet, creating a world where all individual consciousness merges into one."
"A perfect world devoid of war and conflict! Truth exists only within a singular, shared consciousness that has discarded the flaws of individuality."
"This miserable world no longer has any need for hope, a future, or self-proclaimed heroes!"
"Even if the Ten-Tails is resurrected in an incomplete state, I can still unleash the Infinite Tsukuyomi. And when I do, reality itself will come to an end."
"All that remains will be a vast, eternal, and unbroken dream!"
Hearing those words, Naruto once again swapped consciousness with the Nine-Tails.
Staring at the silent Kanon and the masked man who stood with his arms raised high, Naruto spoke in a cold, steady tone:
"I... have a dad, a mom, Pervy Sage, and even you, Kanon!"
"Kids naturally look up to heroes. That's exactly why I've been able to charge straight ahead without a single doubt in my mind. I'm going to become a Hokage who surpasses every single generation before me!"
"You understand that better than anyone, Kanon! That is my dream!"
Listening to Naruto's impassioned declaration, Kanon merely looked down at him with an icy, detached expression. "Who asked you?"
With that single sentence, Naruto was instantly choked up, his words catching in his throat. However, the others present had already been deeply inspired by his speech.
"Though I'm not particularly eager to see the end of my youth, dreams must eventually come to an end when you wake up," Guy said.
"Yeah. Dreams are meant to be turned into reality," Kakashi added, nodding firmly.
Listening to Kakashi and Guy's words, Kanon's expression darkened precipitously.
"Talking about waking up from dreams, claiming that dreams are meant to be realized... that is nothing more than your own pathetic, wishful thinking."
"Those who lack the courage to rebel against those stronger than them, those who are incapable of becoming stronger themselves, what right do they have to talk about dreams?"
"In the end, you'll do nothing but get beaten down, left to kneel on the ground and weep in your own helplessness."
"Your so-called dreams are nothing but empty, fragile illusions. Without real strength, you can't protect anything at all."
The masked man nodded in agreement. "Individual perspective only serves to blur the truth. Therefore, only my words represent the ultimate truth born from the reality of this world."
Without another word, Naruto instantly erupted into his Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, raising a massive Rasengan as he charged violently toward the Gedo Statue.
But in the next instant, an identical Rasengan slammed directly into his path. It was Kanon. With a single Rasengan, she completely neutralized Naruto's attack, the sheer force of the collision blasting him backward through the air.
With a graceful backflip, Kanon landed smoothly atop the head of the Gedo Statue.
"Kanon! Get out of my way!"
"Then kill me." Kanon drew her Kusanagi Sword, her eyes fixing onto Naruto with absolute frigidity.
"And me," the masked man added, warping into existence right beside her.
Naruto's gaze hardened as he stared up at them. "I think I'll start by shattering that mask of yours first."
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NOTE: This fic has been completely translated. If you want to read the whole story head over to my p-atre-on: p-atre-on.c-om/Overgod [Just remove the hyphen to access normally]