Pushing Through the Limit Chapter 81: End of the Line

Growling as yet another one of his bombs disintegrated, Deidara took off into the air, his clay bird narrowly avoiding the Tsuchikage’s attacks that would have turned it and him into a fine red mist. It seemed that the old man still had some fight left in him, despite his age.

Spotting a group of Shinobi standing in front of the main entrance of Iwa as an army consisting of various different minor villages approached, Deidara used his eye scope to get a better view. Spotting the Tsuchikage’s granddaughter, he gave an appreciative hum as she raised a massive stone wall, blocking cut them off.

Stepping forward as she moved back, the Yonbi Jinchuriki clapped his hands together and exhaled a massive stream of lava that poured over the wall, preventing anyone from entering.

“Hm, not bad,” Deidara muttered, appreciating their work. While it wasn’t something he’d personally make, the image did appeal to his artistic sense.

Distracted, the clay bird he was standing on took a glancing blow from one of the Tsuchikage’s beams, clipping its wings.

Grunting as he fell, he quickly formed another bird to carry him, halting his momentum and keeping him from hitting the lava coated ground below.

“Not bad, old man,” Deidara yelled. “You’re starting to catch up. At this rate, it’ll only take you another five years to land a second hit.”

That had actually been pretty close. Ōnoki was still incredibly fast… Too fast to be taken off guard by some of his slower explosives. What he really needed was his micro explosives, but that would take far too long to set up and would be a massive target. Perhaps if he distracted him with a clone, he would be able to buy himself some time.

“Still so quick with your mouth,” Ōnoki muttered, shaking his head. “But not quick with your surroundings.”

Feeling heat on his back, Deidara flew forward, narrowly dodging a wave of lava from the Yonbi Jinchuriki. Looking for the telltale signs of Ōnoki’s Dust Style technique, Deidara’s eyes widened when, instead of fighting from afar, Ōnoki was now right in front of him with his fist reared back.

Unable to avoid it in time, the blow landed and Deidara immediately felt his body’s weight increase several hundred fold… Forcing him to his knees while also dragging his bird down.

Managing to avoid the lava pit, Deidara crashed into the mountain, creating a sizable hole. Reaching into his clay pouch in order to create another explosive, his body responded sluggishly.

The Tsuchikage took his time flying down towards the mad bomber. Ducking under a slow punch, he placed his hands against the Akatsuki member and increased his weight further, immobilizing him.

“Now, Deidara, you’re going to tell me everything you know about the Akatsuki,” Ōnoki said calmly, a slug of all things crawled out from beneath his robes. “And hurry it up, I don’t have all day.”

…PTL…

Kisame wasn’t having a good time. Normally, he’d relish the chance to fight two Jinchuriki at once, after all, the more Chakra his opponent had, the stronger he would become, but things weren’t working out for him this time.

Taken off guard, he’d already lost an arm, limiting the number of techniques he could use while wielding Samehada. He’d taken care of that weakness by hastily merging with his sword and submerging the pair of Jinchuriki in a massive water bubble and they’d countered by fully transforming into their respective Biju.

Ordinarily, that wouldn’t be a problem… In fact, it’d give him the chance to outmaneuver them, allowing him to shave their Chakra away until they had nothing left. If he could get near them, that is.

The moment the expansive water prison locked them in, they’d each taken to employing their own methods to combat it. Staying in the dead center of the technique, the Nibi Jinchuriki heated the water to such a degree that swimming near her would mean being severely burnt. The worst part was that he couldn’t even absorb any Chakra from it because it was simply extremely hot water.

The Hachibi Jinchuriki on the other hand had proven to be extremely illusive, despite his massive size and had managed to evade him this entire time.

Still, all wasn’t lost. Even though they were in their transformed states, they’d eventually run out of air and pass out while Kisame could stay underwater indefinitely. All he needed to do was keep them under while he continued to chase the Hachibi and he’d be victorious.

Feeling the currents begin to shift violently, Kisame turned his sights towards the Nibi Jinchuriki. “A Bijuudama, huh? Sorry, but the only thing that will come from that is your own village being destroyed.”

If he was on dry land, this would have been a problem, but underwater, he’d be able to outmaneuver it before it came close.

The currents took a sudden turn and grew even more chaotic as the Bijuudama grew larger. Evading it as the Jinchuriki launched her Bijuudama, Kisame turned around just in time to see the Bijuudama caught by a stray tentacle that whipped it into him.

In a last ditch effort, Kisame attempted to absorb the Bijuudama’s Chakra before it killed him, only for the thing to detonate, shredding his body as well as shattering the massive water prison.

“You mess with the bull, you get the Bee! That’s Killer Bee! Wee!”

“Bee, do you think you could hold back on your raps a little… At least until after we make sure he’s dead?”

“When inspiration strikes, it strikes,” Bee shrugged, still fully transformed.

…PTL…

As the minutes ticked by, the attempted raid on Konoha was beginning to look more and more like a failure. Konoha had been prepared… Waiting even, for such a moment to unleash hell on its enemies and unfortunately for Kakuzu he was enemy number one at this moment.

Another unfortunate coincidence was the lack of reinforcements. With the Zetsu army, Kakuzu might be able to turn the invasion around through sheer numbers or escape at the very least. In their absence, things were looking progressively grim. If things continue as they were, he’d be lucky to leave with his life.

There was one upside, however. For whatever reason, the Kyuubi Jinchuriki wasn’t present. Only the Nanabi Jinchuriki and while she was far more powerful than when he’d first captured her, she was currently preoccupied with the dwindling army he’d brought to her doorstep.

Now if he could lose that accursed woman with the sword, he might just be able to survive this.

“Aw, what’s the matter?” Anko taunted, leaning on her sword. “Don’t tell me that your whole, ‘I won’t make this easy for you,’ was just an act. I expected better from a member of the Akatsuki. Is this really all that you’re capable of?”

It wasn’t, but he needed to stall until the reinforcements arrived. If he used his hearts now, he’d leave himself vulnerable. No, he needed to save those for when things became desperate.

But… Weren’t they already desperate? The Zetsu army was a no show and it wouldn’t be much longer before his was completely overrun. In which case, death was all but assured. The smart thing to do was to leave. In order to do that, he’d first need to get rid of his adversary.

She was slippery, reminding him a little of how Orochimaru fought, but she wasn’t anything too special. He was fairly confident that he could beat her. He just needed to play it smart and lead her into a trap.

Reaching up, he undid his Akatsuki cloak, allowing it to fall to the ground. “If it’s a fight you want,” Kakuzu muttered, a pair of his Masks removing themselves from his back before disappearing into the trees, leaving him with three extra lives.

“Finally,” Anko smirked.

Coating his arms in Earth Style Chakra, he rushed forward, intent on ending this as quickly as possible. Blocking her blade with his arm, he ignored how it managed to bite through his armored skin and continued forwards.

“Oh.”

Retracting her sword, Anko sliced through his arm, causing a good amount of damage to the threads within. Meeting him head on, she sliced through his chest as they passed one another, leaving a large gash that quickly knitted closed.

Not stopping there, one of the mouths of his Masks snapped open and leaned over his shoulder, unleashing a pressurized jet of water.

Anko, responding in kind, ducked under the initial water jet, before taking to the offensive. Clapping her hands together, she exhaled a stream of white hot fire as her Curse Mark crept down her neck.

A light cloud of steam partially obscured their vision as Anko’s flames managed to evaporate the water before it was able to reach her.

Seeing that she was in position, Kakuzu slammed his hands into the ground, creating an earthen wall that boxed Anko in on the sides while his Water Mask continued to fend off her flames.

Giving the mental order, the pair of Masks he’d situated in the forest appeared some distance behind Anko. Their mouths clicked open as they unleashed a combined stream of Wind and Fire which combined into a massive firestorm that engulfed her form.

Releasing his techniques, he watched as the flames died down. Spotting a charred body, he nodded to himself and turned to leave. This war had been a colossal waste of his time.

Reabsorbing his masks, he offered the Kunoichi’s body one last glance. “It’s a pity. Given a few years, your bounty likely would have been worth something.”

“Aw, isn’t that sweet?” Anko’s voice echoed around the woods. “Do you say that about everyone you try to kill or only the real special ones?”

Turning a critical eye towards the burnt corpse, Kakuzu cursed when he spotted the Oto headband. “You’re far more slippery than I gave you credit for. Killing you now when you’re not worth anything would be unfortunate. I will give you this chance, get out of my way and I will spare your life.”

“Hmmm, no,” Anko hummed. “You see, I’m not exactly the forgiving type… I still haven’t forgotten what happened back in Taki… How I was taken out so easily by your partner… Well, former partner.”

“I see… So this is about revenge,” Kakuzu mused. “In my long life, I have fought thousands of Shinobi, even your Shodaime Hokage at one point. Do you really think you have what it takes to kill me?”

“Yep,” Anko chirped. “It’s just the matter of how. You see, I’ve grown a lot stronger than I was back then, but killing you with strength alone doesn’t seem that satisfying. No, I want you to feel humiliated… As humiliated as I felt when I was taken out so easily by your partner on the other side of Taki.”

She was underestimating him… Good. That would make killing her all the easier.

“And how do you plan to do that?” Kakuzu pressed.

“At first I thought about using poison, but that seemed too easy… And it wasn’t very satisfying. Then it hit me.” Stepping out from behind a tree, Anko smirked as she faced Kakuzu. “Why not use a few explosive tags? By the way, thanks for recalling those Mask things of yours. It made it so much easier to get the explosive tags in your body.”

Commanding his Wind and Fire Masks to leave his body, Kakuzu was too late as they detonated with enough force to destroy his remaining Masks along with a large portion of his other organs.

Eyes wide with shock, Kakuzu took a few steps towards Anko with his hand reaching out, only to collapse on the ground, his body breaking down into loose strands of metallic thread.

“Fought the Shodaime my ass,” Anko muttered. “I’ve seen the kind of shit he’s fought and you just don’t measure up.”

Leaving Kakuzu’s corpse behind with the intent of returning to the battle, she paused when she heard a thunderous crack that seemed to originate near Konoha.

“May as well…” She shrugged, heading towards the source of the sound.

…PTL…

Flung through Obito’s personal dimension by the force of Kurama’s Bijuudama detonating, I made an effort to keep a tight grip on the aforementioned man, only to find my grip slipping.

Well, not necessarily slipping. It was more like the spiral Zetsu that was attached to him was slowly breaking apart, making it far harder to keep a hold of him. It was difficult to keep a hold on him without accidentally ripping off chunks of the Zetsu he wore.

Hitting the ground harshly, my grip slipped for just a moment, but it seemed that was all that he needed. Opening a portal with his Mangekyou, he began to slip back through into our dimension, intending to trapping me here.

“Not happening,” I muttered under my breath.

Grabbing onto him just in time, I tagged along just long enough for us to exit his dimension. Unfortunately, the change in dimension did nothing for our momentum, the familiar walls surrounding Konoha on the other hand did.

Crashing through the massive stone wall, I managed to right myself in the air before touching down on the ground once more where I finally came to a stop.

Turning my attention towards the direction Obito was flung, I was forced to duck as he sailed overhead, using Kokuō’s steam to maneuver himself midair.

Colliding with the wall once more, his fist shattered what was left, bringing the entire section tumbling down. Civilians and Shinobi alike were caught up in his attack. Some, through random change were able to avoid being hurt while others weren’t so lucky.

“He brought you back to Konoha… Not a bad strategy,” Kurama hummed. “Be careful. If he’s smart, he’ll try using the civilians around you to his advantage.”

“Damnit.” He had a point.

Forming several clones, I had them help evacuate the area, escorting anyone that survived to the hospital while I dealt with Obito. This fight had gone on for long enough.

Stepping out of the rubble as the dust cleared, Obito turned his gaze towards me, his mask severely damaged with large chunks of it having been completely destroyed, revealing a third of his face.

“A fitting place if any to end things between us, wouldn’t you say, Naruto?” Obito taunted, steam pouring off his body as a familiar bubbling cloak began to cover his body, healing his wounds. “Since you destroyed my home, I think it’s only fair that I get to do the same to yours.”

Feeling the urge to point out the hypocrisy in how he’d already attacked Konoha twice, using Kurama and the Sky Nation, I decided against it. It would only be a waste of breath at this point. Nothing I could do or say would ever get through to him.

Obito had chosen his path long ago and now it was time to see it to its ultimate conclusion.

“Not going to say anything? I suppose it’s different when it’s your home on the line,” Obito continued. Taking a low stance, his Sharingan glowed ominously beneath the Jinchuriki cloak. “Know this, Naruto. You’ve brought this upon your–“

“Enough,” I interrupted, keeping my cool. “Are you done with all of this?”

“I will be… Soon,” He promised.

Launching himself forward using a burst of steam, Obito’s form blurred.

Narrowing my eyes as I watched his approach, I held my arm out in front of myself, forming my Shakujō. With a thought, my other nine Truth Seeking Orbs shot off my body, each one aimed at a different vital place on Obito’s body, only for him to phase through them once more.

“Kamui, huh? He must be far enough away from your clone in his dimension,” Kurama mused. “I’ll make sure that your clone’s ready for his next attempt.”

‘Thanks.’

Feeling Kokuō’s Chakra release a sudden burst, Obito’s speed increased massively as he neared, except, instead of attacking, he phased through me, continuing onward into the village.

Crap!

Locking onto his Chakra, I took off after him. Unfortunately, there weren’t any nearby markers in the direction he was heading.

Pulling on Kurama’s Chakra, my speed increased dramatically and I began to catch up. Unlike Obito’s singular burst of speed, mine was constantly sustained.

Sending my Truth Seeking Orbs after him, Obito released another burst of Steam and Chakra that shattered the ground, damaging several nearby buildings. Flashing through several Hand seals, he held his hand out, summoning a legion of insects and animals to wreak havoc.

Cursing under my breath, I formed a handful of clones, before sending them off to handle them. Each one, upon reaching creatures, teleported them halfway across the world, neutralizing them before they could do too much damage.

Feeling Kokuō’s Chakra spike once more, a second Chakra signature caught my attention… And it just so happened to be in Obito’s path.

Taking off once more, Obito’s momentum was suddenly halted as a fist collided with what remained of his mask, shattering it as he was sent tumbling back towards the wall he’d demolished earlier.

“Hope you don’t mind me lending a hand,” Anko grinned, landing next to me. “You seemed to be struggling there.”

“Thanks,” I hummed. “I’ve been a little busy keeping him from killing anymore people.” Something that was actually a little difficult. Between the Rinnegan, the Gobi, Steam Release, the civilians he used as a shield and his own Sharingan, Obito was proving difficult to hit.

“Well get busy killing him then.”

Yeah, that sounded like a good idea. My clones had already evacuated the area, so there was no longer any reason to hold back.

Merging my Chakra with Kurama’s own, my body flickered gold and I took off. Blurring down the streets, I found him, steam pouring off his body as he prepared to use Kokuō’s Chakra once more.

Clenching my fist, I flickered towards his location, burying my fist in his gut. Hearing a crack as something broke, steam exploded from his body as was thrown into the wall's debris, shattering it further.

Forming a Rasengan in my hand, I rushed forward, my hand extended towards him, only to hit an invisible barrier that threatened to push me back.

“SHINRA TENSEI.”

The world was pushed on all sides with Obito standing in the epicenter, gritting his teeth, concentrating.

Smirking, I formed several Chakra arms and had them pierce the ground, keeping me from being pushed back.

Clapping my hands together, I raised them above my head, creating another, larger pair of Chakra arms, before slamming them down into Obito… Into the invisible sphere of repulsive force that promised to blow everything away.

One opposing force met the other, unleashing a shockwave of vibrating pressure that threatened to bring down another section of the wall.

Feeling Obito’s technique began to waver, I pressed down harder, forcing the ground he was standing on to sink before finally overwhelming him.

Smashing Obito’s body into the ground with my Chakra arms, a burst of Steam pressed back against me, keeping me from finishing the job in one move.

Retracting my arms, I stepped to the edge of the small crater and stared down at Obito, his body battered and beaten, but ultimately still alive, if somewhat unconscious.

“Damn, when you go all out, you go all out!” Anko whistled. “Remind me not to get on your bad side. So, what’s with the red glow?” She asked, gesturing towards the Jinchuriki cloak that was slowly healing his body.

“The Gobi… He thought becoming a Jinchuriki could help even the odds,” I explained. “It did to some extent, but he obviously doesn’t realize that there’s more to a Biju than their Chakra. It’s the relationship between Human and Biju that makes a Jinchuriki strong.”

Humming, Anko stepped down into the hole and tapped Obito’s face with her sword. “So this is the guy that’s been causing so many problems.” Holding her sword to his throat, she looked up. “You want me to take care of him for you… For old times’ sake?”

“I think I can handle it, thanks for the offer,” I deadpanned.

“Suite yourself. As for me, I–“

“BANSHO TEN’IN!”

Pulling her down with more force than she was able to resist, Obito’s hand caught the top of Anko’s head.

“Back up! Now!” He ordered as he slowly got to his feet. “Or I’ll rip her soul out!”

“Naruto,” Kurama growled. “Outside of you and Tsunade, Anko is one of the few humans that I actually like. If he kills her…”

‘He won’t, I’ll make sure of it. Get one of my clones to prepare the backup plan.’

“Got it,” Kurama growled angrily.

I couldn’t blame him. This was the exact same shit Obito pulled right after I’d just been born. I wasn’t going to let him get away with it a second time.

Raising my hands, I stepped back, giving Obito some space as he slowly climbed out of the hole with Anko in tow.

“Alright,” Obito breathed deeply, blood dripping from his head. “Here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to surrender yourself, drop that Chakra cloak and I’ll let her go… Got it?”

He must still be concussed because that honestly sounded like the worst bargaining I’d ever heard. Even if I did give myself up, there’s no way that he’d let Anko walk away from this.

“Naruto, I swear that if you–“

“GOT IT?” Obito snapped, gripping Anko’s hair tightly.

“Sure,” I said easily, allowing Kurama’s cloak to fade. “I won’t put up a fight.”

“Good.” Forming a Black Chakra rod, he tossed it to my feet. “Stick that in your chest… Just above your heart.”

So he wanted to control me then. Even if I was willing to go along with his demands, that probably wouldn’t go well. My Chakra was simply too powerful and too well suited for the Rinnegan.

Lifting the Chakra rod, I held it up and…

“Hurry up,” Obito urged. “Unless you want to see your friend die. Then maybe you’d see things my wa–“

“Obito? Is that you?” A girl with brown hair, brown eyes and purple rectangles asked, standing next to one of my clones that, upon transporting her here, dispelled. Her sclera black and her skin cracked, revealing that she was an Edo Tensei Summon. “I was told that I needed to help stop you? I’m not really sure what’s going on. I know I died, but… How long has it been?”

“Rin?” Grunting in pain, he covered his Rinnegan with his free hand. “What is this? What have you done? You… You bastards!”

“Edo Tensei,” I answered. “A technique that brings the dead back to life... However temporary that is. And to answer your question Rin, I can’t say the exact number of years it’s been, but Kakashi is nearing his thirties if that means anything to you.”

“Kakashi’s nearly thirty?! Wow, I have been gone for long,” Rin said, chuckling awkwardly. “How’s he doing?”

“Good… Considering all that he’s been through,” I hummed. “If it wasn’t for him killing you, it was Obi–“

“Stop… Stop this right now!” Obito snapped. “This was never supposed to happen. We weren’t supposed to meet like this again. It was supposed to be in the dream.”

“Dream?” Rin asked. “What do you mean by that?”

“Just his insane plan,” I waved her off. “He wants to put the whole world in an eternal slumber using the combined power of each Biju. To do that, he unleashed the Kyuubi on Konoha, getting Minato and Kushina killed, started a civil war in Kiri, attempted to destabilize the Five Nation and even started the Fourth Shinobi War.”

“What?! Obito would never do that. He’s kind and he wants to help people,” Rin said, defending him. “Right, Obito. This is all just some misunderstanding, right? Tell him.”

“I… You were never supposed to see this,” Obito stuttered. “We were supposed to meet again in the dream. The world would have been perfect. No more wars, no more pain, you, alive again.”

“N…No, this can’t be right. You were… You were kind. You’d never,” gasping, Rin covered her mouth. “You’d never kill Sensei and his wife.”

“He wasn’t there when you needed him,” Obito retorted. “He should have been there, he should have saved you. Rin, I’m doing this so the world won’t continue to suffer. This world will be better off sleeping.”

Stepping back, Rin shook her head. “This… It has to be some kind of nightmare. Obito, I… I died in order to protect Konoha, to prevent the Sanbi from being released and you just… You released the Kyuubi. You undid every good thing that came from my death.”

“No, it’s not like that,” Obito muttered, stepping towards her. “Your death… You weren’t someone that was supposed to die. Your death is proof that this world is rotten… And if it’s rotten then… Any action I take towards the Infinite Tsukuyomi is ultimately something that’s good. I–“

Breaking free from Obito’s hold, Anko slipped under him, dragging her blade across his chest, opening a deep, gaping cut that caused him to drop to the floor.

“Bastard,” Anko grunted, kicking him forward. “Think you can just use me as a bargaining chip, well, how about this?” Raising her blade, she prepared to bring it down, only to be stopped by Rin who intervened.

“Please, no. Don’t kill him,” Rin said, getting between the two.

“Sorry to be the one to break it to you, girly, but he doesn’t deserve a second chance,” Anko said, pulling her sword back. “If we let him live, he’ll just cause more problems down the line, trust me, I know what I’m talking about.” She pressed her free hand to the Curse Mark on her neck. “Better to kill him now and be done with it.”

Looking down on Obito who stared up at her, Rin turned towards Anko. “I know, it’s just… I’m afraid. I… I’m dead and if you kill him, he’ll be dead too. I don’t… I don’t want to see him again. Not with everything that he’s done.”

Watching as Obito dropped his head in defeat, Anko glanced between the two. “Damn. Normally I’d have something to say, but… I’m not really sure what to make of that.”

Sighing, I stepped forward. “Rin, assuming that you two even end up in the same place, I doubt you’ll have to deal with him seeing as there’s hundreds, if not thousands of Shinobi that’ll be keeping him occupied. My mom being at the top of that list.”

“Your mom?”

“Uzumaki Kushina,” I answered simply.

“Heh, makes sense,” Rin chuckled weakly. “I only met her a few times, but she did leave an impression on me. You’re a lot like her… But you look more like Sensei.”

“Thanks,” I hummed. “I’m… Sorry that I brought you here and forced you to see all of this. I’ll release the technique now.”

Nodding, Rin smiled grimly. “Thank you. I… I’m. I just don’t know what to say. I didn’t hate being brought back, but… I could have done without seeing ghosts of the past. Please tell Kakashi that I’m sorry for what I made him do… Do that and I’ll forgive you.”

“I will,” I said resolutely, forming the necessary Hand Seals to release Edo Tensei.

“Then all is forgiven.” Smiling a little lighter as her body began to crumble, Rin’s gaze turned towards Obito. “Obito,” she hummed lightly. “You once told me that saving you was the equivalent of saving the world, but you got it wrong. Saving you was me damning the world. I can’t say that I regret helping you when you were younger, but the thing you’ve turned into… As one final favor from the person that you once were, please stay away from me when you die.”

Wincing, Obito remained silent as Rin’s body finished disintegrating. His head bowed in utter defeat.

Taking a slow breath, I watched as Rin passed on. Out of everything I’d done in my life here, that was by far the worst. Rin hadn’t deserved that… But she did deserve to know the truth about Obito… What he’d done while everyone thought that he was dead.

“He deserved worse,” Kurama grunted.

‘He does… But not at the cost of others. What I did was done to hurt him and I don’t regret that. What I do regret is dragging Rin into this. The dead deserve their rest.’

“Why… I don’t understand,” Obito muttered, keeping his head low.

“You wouldn’t,” I sighed. “One thing you failed to realize was that I can be just as vicious and underhanded as you, I just choose not to be. I do regret what I did, but…” Trailing off, I glanced at Anko. “I’d do it again a thousand times if I had to.”

“I guess that makes you just as bad as me,” Obito chuckled softly.

“Yeah, gonna have to call bullshit on that logic,” Anko interrupted. “You single handedly started the Fourth Shinobi World War and are responsible for a fuck ton of death. There’s no one alive that’s as bad as you. If he was alive, I’d say Orochimaru, but you’re really giving him a run for his money.”

“If that’s the case then you may as well get it over with,” He muttered, offering no resistance.

Stepping behind him, I placed my palm on his back and grabbed a hold of Kokuō’s Chakra. “I’d like to say that in another life you might have made different choices, but I’ve already seen where that path leads and it’s mostly the same.” Ripping the Chakra from his body, I released it, allowing the Gobi to reform once more.

“So that’s it, huh?” Anko hummed.

“Pretty much,” I replied. There were, however, a few things left to take care of.

Creating a clone to help Kokuō acclimate, I turned my attention towards Obito’s body. His chest still rose and fell, but it wouldn’t be long before he died. Stepping towards him, I reached down and placed my fingers around his Rinnegan, propping his eye open, only to feel an invisible force weighing down on me, as if something was physically restraining me.

Feeling an extremely powerful Chakra, I looked up and caught sight of a portal not dissimilar from Obito’s materializing a few feet ahead.

Using my Truth Seeking Orbs to break the hold, I turned my sights towards the portal just as two figures emerged. Zetsu, possessing Nagato’s frail body that, for some reason, had a copy of Obito’s Mangekyou Sharingan and Madara, wearing a set of dark robes with his signature Gunbai attached to his back.

“Uzumaki Naruto,” Madara breathed easily, his lone Rinnegan meeting my gaze. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Pulling my Truth Seeking Orbs back, they floated behind me while I gripped my Shakujō. This wasn’t going to be an easy fight.

“I can say the same about you… Uchiha Madara.”