The Ten-Tails swung its massive hand forward, only to be deflected and sent flying by the combined Rotation of Hiashi and Neji Hyuga.
Madara gazed down at the insects of the Hyuga clan, his tone utterly indifferent.
"I wanted to attack before they could finish spouting their grand speeches, but I can't control the Ten-Tails perfectly yet."
"Up to this point, this method has sufficed. But moving forward, it seems I won't be able to control the Ten-Tails unless I become its Jinchuriki." Madara glanced at Obito beside him.
"I don't have the Rinnegan. Go talk to Obito," Kanon said, spreading her hands and pointing toward Obito.
Obito looked at Madara and said coldly:
"Reanimated as you are, you've always preferred dragging others down to the grave with you."
"Yet, you didn't launch the Ten-Tails' Tailed Beast Bomb right at your feet into the Allied Shinobi Forces without a care for self-destruction."
"You did that because you were afraid I would be caught in the blast and die. The reason you don't want me to die is that if you truly wish to be revived and become the Jinchuriki, I must be the one to sacrifice my life to cast the Rinne Rebirth Jutsu for you, correct?"
"In other words, your current position is highly delicate. You have no choice but to obey my every word."
Hearing Obito's tone, Madara merely replied apathetically, "The brat from back then has grown much craftier."
"I have never once considered you a comrade," Obito said flatly.
"Heh, that's for the best."
"Then you decide what we do next."
"Kanon, what do you say?" Madara nodded slightly.
Obito ground his teeth. Kanon truly possessed the power to kill him; at the very least, his Kamui was completely useless against her. If Kanon were to eliminate him right now and seize the Rinnegan, he would be completely at the end of his rope.
However, Kanon merely shrugged, showing no interest in intervening.
"I don't care who becomes the Jinchuriki. Can you two just make a decision quickly?" Kanon complained, clearly dissatisfied.
Obito nodded slightly. "Let's proceed. I want to show them precisely what despair means, down to the last detail."
"Fine by me," Kanon agreed. She traded a look with Madara, and a silent understanding passed between the two.
"Wood Release: Cutting Technique!" Obito bellowed. Around them, the hands of the Ten-Tails rose, countless wooden spikes manifesting within its palms.
The sharp thorns rained down furiously from its ten hands. Instantly, the Allied Shinobi Forces suffered catastrophic casualties; many shinobi were pierced through before they could even attempt to evade. Their internal organs were utterly impaled by the Wood Release.
Witnessing this horrific scene, Akatsuchi pressed his hands together. He knew that until the Nine-Tails' chakra recovered, his Earth Release: Sandwiching Technique was their only hope to buy some time.
However, kneading chakra required time. Kakashi was frantically shattering the wooden spikes with his kunai and Lightning Blade, while Sakura unleashed her Monster Strength to tear boulders from the ground to shield against the downpour.
But the sheer volume of spikes was overwhelming. Neji's Rotation could barely keep up, though beneath his cover, Naruto had managed to enter Sage Mode.
A Rasenshuriken detonated violently right on top of the Ten-Tails' head.
"Thanks, Neji! I've entered Sage Mode."
"I can't keep relying on a genius forever. It's time for me to charge in and fight too."
"Rasenshuriken!"
Several more Rasenshuriken exploded, severing the Ten-Tails' hands one by one.
"I'm not done yet!" Two more shadow clones hurled Rasenshuriken. However, because of this massive expenditure, Naruto's Sage Mode was instantly depleted. He fell to his knees, gasping heavily for air.
Just then, a barrage of wooden spikes rained down from the sky, aiming straight for Naruto, only to be deflected away by Hinata's palm strike.
Hiashi leaped in front of the two, blasting away a massive hand with an Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm. However, the deflected hand had already realigned its aim, targeting Naruto and Hinata.
"Oh no! We're targeted!" Hiashi roared.
The sheer number of projectiles was astronomical; relying on Neji and Hinata's Vacuum Palms simply wouldn't be fast enough!
Hinata ground her teeth. Taking a decisive step, she shielded the exhausted Naruto with her own body, spreading her arms wide.
"It's useless, Hinata!" Kanon shouted down from above.
But in the next split second, the sickening sound of flesh being impaled echoed through the clearing.
"Tch, it got blocked?" Kanon clicked her tongue.
Horror washed over Naruto and Hinata. As they looked at Neji, who had been impaled, their pupils shrunk to pinpricks.
"Earth Release: Sandwiching Technique!"
Finally, Akatsuchi unleashed the jutsu.
Taking advantage of the brief respite, Naruto scooped Neji into his arms, screaming frantically for the Medical Corps.
"It's useless, Naruto. His internal organs have already been completely destroyed." Kanon stood entirely unaffected by the Sandwiching Technique, gazing coldly down at Naruto.
As Naruto's desperate cries echoed, blood spilled from Neji's lips.
"No... I'm already..."
"Neji!"
"Nii-san..."
Naruto and Hinata trembled violently as Neji sank to his knees, his blood staining Naruto's clothes a deep crimson. Naruto's mind felt like a raging storm. Another close friend was dying right before his eyes, leaving him staring in absolute shock.
"Naruto... Hinata-sama... was willing to die for you."
"So... your life is no longer just your own."
"It seems my life... was also... one of them." Neji's eyes slowly drifted shut.
Tears streamed down Naruto's face.
"How can you die here?! What about the Hyuga..."
"Why would you sacrifice yourself for me... throwing your life away just to protect me?!"
"Because... you called me a genius..."
At this definitive moment, Neji finally understood the final choice his father had made. The "caged bird" had finally broken free from its bindings, soaring high into the blue sky. He did not pass away in obscurity; he died protecting his comrades, safeguarding everyone.
As Neji went limp in Naruto's arms, Obito yelled out:
"Didn't you say you'd never let your comrades be killed?! Naruto!!!"
But Neji had already lost all signs of life, lying cold before him.
"You and I are utterly powerless against such a reality, Naruto," Kanon said chillingly.
Strictly speaking, Neji hadn't been killed by Kanon's hand, it was Obito who had dealt the fatal blow. Yet, witnessing Naruto's expression of ultimate regret and furious, teeth-grinding agony, Kanon actually let out a laugh.
Crossing her arms, Kanon stood atop the head of the Ten-Tails, looking down at Naruto as she spoke evenly:
"Naruto, I told you that you are far too naive. Stepping onto this battlefield with that kind of mindset means you will only continue to watch the people precious to you leave, one after another."
"The peace and bonds you desire are concepts that simply do not belong to the weak."
"What value is left in a world like this to cling to?"
"A world distorted to its absolute core will only ever be swallowed by the flames of war."
"The peaceful future that Jiraiya and you envisioned simply does not exist."
Naruto's pupils contracted to their absolute limits. He collapsed to his knees, surrounded entirely by corpses.
"Naruto, look around you. Do you still dare to claim that you will never let your comrades be killed?"
"Even a genius of the Hyuga like Neji ultimately has to die within the flames of this war."
"Feel the cold flesh of your comrade as his body loses its warmth, and understand deeply what true despair and death mean!"
Naruto sat on his knees in utter helplessness, while Kanon stood atop the Ten-Tails, slowly closing her eyes.
At this exact moment, memories of her eleven-year-old self being hunted by a hundred Konoha Anbu flashed through her mind, an existence filled only with isolation and agony.
The field of flowers she had once yearned for had long ceased to exist! All that talk about people truly understanding one another, about a world where even the weak could live peacefully, it was nothing but a farce.
No matter how hard you strived for the sake of others, if you didn't become stronger, if you couldn't crush those who stood in your way, if you insisted on living a purely kind life... you would ultimately be forgotten, cast aside, and ruthlessly erased by this world!
Tears slipped from Kanon's eyes, yet her lips curled into a smile. In this moment, her expression formed a twisted mirror to Naruto's utter despair.
The rest of Naruto's peers looked on at Neji's lifeless form on the battlefield, their expressions contorted in extreme agony.
"Death will only continue. Your naivety cannot save anyone. In this cruel world, the weak don't even get to choose the manner of their own death!"
"Since that flower fields doesn't exist, I will create it myself! To achieve that, I am willing to shoulder any sin!"
"Naruto, this is reality! There is absolutely no reason for us to sacrifice ourselves for a world like this, is there?"
Hearing Kanon's words, Naruto's body shuddered violently. Just then, Obito stepped up beside Kanon, shouting down at him as well: "Naruto, what exactly is left in a reality like this?"
"There is no father or mother for you here, nor is there your master, Jiraiya."
"And as long as you continue to oppose us, your comrades will drop dead one by one, just like him!"
"A world where absolutely no one acknowledges you... and what awaits you at the very end of this path is the thing you are most familiar with, and terrifies you the most... loneliness!"
Madara slowly tilted his head up, looking toward Obito and Kanon. At this moment, Obito had become an exact reflection of his past self. Naruto would soon succumb, and it was time to plunge the Allied Forces into absolute despair.
Obito continued, "What need is there left to remain in this reality? Come over to our side, Naruto!"
With those words, Obito extended his hand toward him.