[NTU] [ARC-26] Chapter : 337

“Relax, Shikaku. This is just the appetizer—no need to get so worked up.”

Toshiro waved his hand dismissively, clearly unbothered by the White Zetsu forces Shikaku had mentioned. In his eyes, they were nothing more than disposable pawns—meant to sap manpower, not pose any real threat.

“Any updates from the Kazekage or Tsuchikage?”

Much like in the original timeline, the Hokage and Raikage oversaw operations from HQ, while the other Kage led directly from the battlefield. The only real deviation was the Hokage himself—and the fact that, just like before, the Mizukage had been dispatched to protect the ever-worried daimyōs.

Apparently, they'd somehow caught wind that Nagato had amassed a literal army of cannon fodder. Naturally, they rushed to demand elite protection.

“No unusual activity reported,” Shikaku responded. “Everything’s holding steady on their fronts.”

“Ao, Inoichi—keep scanning for abnormal chakra signatures. Report immediately if anything changes.”

“Yes, sir!” the two shinobi replied in unison.

Ao and Inoichi served as the eyes and voice of the Allied Shinobi Forces—one handling communications, the other battlefield sensory data. Once he'd issued orders, Toshiro returned to his usual lazy slouch.

“Hokage, aren’t you being a little too relaxed?” Raikage A asked bluntly, eyeing the lounging leader with thinly veiled irritation. “Our forces are clashing with the enemy, and you…”

The implication was clear: how could this carefree man be the same one who had once bested him and even tamed the Eight-Tails?

He didn’t look like a warrior. He looked like someone on vacation.

“Too relaxed? What are you talking about?” Toshiro blinked at him, then smirked. “I call it conserving energy.”

“You should be thanking me, really. The enemy we're facing isn't your average opponent. When the real battle begins, you’ll want me at full power. So if I don’t rest now, how can I step in and save the day later?”

“You—!” A’s eye twitched.

Conserving energy? More like conserving charm to flirt with his secretary!

And now this same guy was pretending to be noble in front of him? Shameless!

To make matters worse, Toshiro had the nerve to imply that he’d be the one saving them. Were the rest of the alliance just chopped liver?

“Alright, alright, calm down,” Toshiro said with a wave, clearly unfazed. “Instead of getting worked up over me, maybe think about what happens if B and Naruto escape from Turtle Island.”

“They wouldn’t dare!” A snapped, instantly on edge.

“We've stationed plenty of guards to either watch or protect them. If they break out, they’re violating direct military orders from the Allied Shinobi Forces.”

“Well, I wouldn’t be so sure—at least not about Naruto,” Toshiro said with a shrug. “That kid’s never been one to follow the rules. He’s unpredictable. If anyone’s going to throw the whole plan off, it’s him.”

There was no way someone like Naruto would sit still while a war raged outside. Toshiro would be more surprised if he behaved.

“Hmph. That’s your Konoha ninja.” Ai crossed his arms. “B would never disobey a direct order from his big brother. I guarantee it.”

His tone was filled with conviction—his faith in B absolute.

“Oh? That confident?” Toshiro grinned, eyes gleaming with mischief. “How about we place a little wager?”

“No foolish stakes,” he added before A could protest. “If all three of them sneak out, then Konoha and the Hidden Cloud will deepen their cooperation. Fair deal?”

With Naruto, Kushina, and Bee in the mix, Toshiro was sure they wouldn’t stay quiet for long. The chaos they could stir up together? Practically guaranteed.

“Deal,” A said after a moment’s thought. Strengthening ties between their villages wasn’t a bad outcome either way.

—

“They just keep coming!”

On the front lines, Kakashi muttered grimly as he dispatched yet another white-cloaked figure.

“What are these things?”

Kakashi frowned, watching as yet another bizarre enemy collapsed to the ground.

These white clones weren’t particularly strong—barely at Chūnin level. Their only real advantage was sheer numbers. But what puzzled him most was what happened after they died: their bodies transformed into massive, root-like trees.

Something wasn’t right.

“Oh my!”

A green blur zipped past as Guy landed beside him, his voice as energetic as ever. “Kakashi, that’s number twenty-seven!”

With a single powerful kick, he sent a White Zetsu flying through the air before turning to his eternal rival with an eager smile.

“So, my lifelong rival... how many have you taken down?”
The gleam in his eyes said it all—he was hoping to turn this into one of their famous competitions.

“...What?”
Kakashi looked at him, clearly unamused.

But before he could respond further, his gaze sharpened. Something was wrong.

“Heads up.”

Without hesitation, he pulled a kunai from behind and hurled it toward a patch of forest nearby. The blade struck a tree—but it wasn’t the target Kakashi had aimed for that caught everyone’s attention.

A masked figure stepped out from the shadows.
Orange spiral-patterned mask. Cold presence.

“That eye of yours is still as sharp as ever.”

Obito had no intention of revealing himself—he had other plans. He was on his way to intercept the Kazekage or Tsuchikage. But then he’d seen him... and paused. Just for a moment.

That moment was all Kakashi needed.

“You’re... Obito?”

Kakashi’s voice trembled slightly. The kunai in his hand wavered. He spoke the name like a ghost had just stepped out of his past.

“Why... why are you with the Akatsuki?”
He couldn’t understand. Obito was alive. Alive—and a member of the very group threatening their world.

Why hadn’t he come back to Konoha? Didn’t he once dream of becoming Hokage?

“Obito?” Guy blinked, confused. “Kakashi, are you saying... that Obito?”

“Wasn’t he supposed to be dead?”

Guy remembered the tragedy at Kannabi Bridge. Obito’s death had shaken their class. There was a time when rumors surfaced that he had survived—but they were dismissed just as quickly.

“No... he...”
Kakashi opened his mouth, struggling to find the words. How could he explain? What could he say?

“What’s wrong? Can’t bring yourself to say it?”
Obito’s voice was low, bitter. “Isn’t it true that I ended up this way because of the village’s leaders?”

His eyes—hidden behind the mask—still burned with that same resentment. The memory of Rin’s death played over and over in his mind. Even now, he woke in the middle of the night, haunted by the image of her dying in his arms.

No matter how much time passed, the pain never left.

“Obito... I know the higher-ups failed Rin... but Danzo is dead now. Things have changed—”

“No!”
Obito cut him off sharply.

“Rin didn’t die just because of them.”
His voice grew colder, more resolute.

“Her death was a symptom of a deeper sickness—a broken world built on endless cycles of hatred. Even if it hadn’t happened that day, something else would’ve. Something always does.”

He stepped forward, each word heavy.

“As long as this ninja world exists... hatred will continue to take root. It will grow, twist, and destroy everything. People like Rin. People like me.”

“That’s why this world must be reset. I will sever all cause and effect—so that no one else suffers like we did.”