Chapter 103

Title: Declaration of War

...

Shun's POV

After my brief chat with Kimizu, I knew it was already that time. It was time to say goodbye to this life of mine.

Though...I do wonder, how would mother, father and sister take the news?

Obviously they've raised me as their son and brother for years now. For them to be suddenly told that their son isn't actually their son but an ancient soul...

'Heh, what is this? I'm I feeling reluctant?' I couldn't help the chuckle that escaped my mouth.

Feeling a stare being directed at me, I turned to look at Jiraiya and smirked. 'I really have come a long way. I guess it's time to put an end to it.'

"Have you ever wondered what mysteries this world of ours has to offer?" I asked the man as we continued watching the screen, Shinobis awoke in their droves as lovers cried tears of joy seeing their loved ones rise from the dead

"What lies beyond this thing known as life? No, what lies beyond this little pearl known as earth?" Shun continued rhetorically. In one of the screens, it showed Nagato taking his last breath with a relieved smile.

Konan, Rin and Yahiko all wore sad expressions seeing their loved one die. To Yahiko and Konan, Nagato was both friend and family. In fact, he became the elder brother of the family as soon as he Awakened his true abilities.

To Rin, despite knowing she was serving a punishment of sorts by staying beside Obito and watching him ruin the lives of thousands out of love, felt at a loss.

Due to Ria's influence, she had spent her early teens with the trio of Nagato, Yahiko and Konan and had come to see them as family.

As an orphan back in Konoha, the feeling of having people who care about you was refreshing, so watching Nagato die was heartbreaking.

To make matters worse, she couldn't express her pain nor wipe away her tears due to the mask I had put on her.

She could take off, granted there was no living being in the vicinity though. I wasn't that insensitive as to make a girl not be able to take care of their faces.

"I think...in the current Shinobi world, death is a form of liberation." Jiraiya replied to my question with a sad look. "Don't you think he's finally found freedom?"

"Has he?" Shun asked back. He knew that even in death, there was no freedom. Not to mention that in a few days time, Obito would be after Madara's eyes.

"I do hope so."

Looking at the man beside me, I suddenly felt a bit compassionate and considered giving Nagato true peace and freedom in death, but I was quick to dismiss that thought.

Nagato still had some role to play, whether Kabuto and Obito would make use of him was still yet to be known.

Time passed in silence as the two watched Kakashi speed off after Naruto upon his resurrection. I could immediately tell that the aura around him carried a hint of freedom.

Not true freedom, but emotional.

'I guess his talk with his father must have been mind opening.' I mused while we watched him be the opposite of what he'd always been-A late Sensei- before Naruto could collapse from exhaustion.

Time passed and upon their arrival in Konoha, Naruto was given a hero's Welcome.

"The vanity of humanity...wouldn't you agree?" I asked but Jiraiya was too engrossed in his feeling of joy watching Konoha finally acknowledging Naruto.

"It's a common human trait to feel gratitude to someone who's shown them salvation. However...Fear...is what brings out the worst in us." Jiraiya suddenly said.

"Hm...you sounded so sage-like for an instant." I nodded but shook my head after. "However, you're also wrong. Fear. What is it?"

"Hmm?"

"Fear is nothing but an idea created by the... powerful to control the weak. Tell me... what is the difference between Reality and illusion?"

"Reality and illusion? I know I am real therefore I am." Jiraiya said confidently.

"Oh? Then what if I told you that you were actually a perverted old principal in an all girls high school in a country known as Japan?"

Shun spoke and as soon as his words fell, Jiraiya found himself seated in a well furnished office while wearing a well made corporate attire.

Memories of his 50+ years of life on this other planet, also called earth, drilled into his mind at an alarming pace, making him wonder whether he was just having a dream of being a Shinobi.

Standing up from his chair, he walked towards the back of the room where he could see the students go about their sports activities as a perverted smile climbed on his face.

But before he could fully immerse himself..."Or what if I told you that you were actually a court jester in a royal family?"

Immediately Jiraiya found himself in that position and after a few more realities, Shun asked. "So tell me? What is reality? What is illusion?"

"..."

"A wise friend of mine from another... timeline once said: Tell me, where should I go? To the left where nothing's right or to the right where nothing is left? In this life, one man's reality is another man's Illusion." Shun said with a small smile as he recalled that line Itachi used when talking to Naruto.

"That's..."

"Back to the main topic about fear. Humans perceive reality as what they see, hear and smell. They try to make meaning of what it is they perceive and that is what they believe."

"So what do you think would happen if I looked at a 3 year old Naruto without knowing of his origins?"

"I don't understand where you're going with this."

"I'd think; What a pitiful and cute child who lost his parents to this cruel world." Shun said. "Then what if I lost my wife in the Kyuubi's Rampage a few years earlier, and then someone tells me; That kid is the Reincarnation of that demon who took my wife."

Looking at Jiraiya, Shun asked. "What do you think would be my reaction?"

"...Hate, anger, resentment and a bevy of negative emotions."

"Exactly. But you missed one thing."

"Fear."

"That's right. A calm mind would reason: How is that even possible? He's but a child. But then, another thought, the most dangerous of them all would then whisper: what if...'"

"With that whisper, the seed of doubt is planted, and from that seed...fear is born." Shun said while simulating everything with a human hologram.

"So what do you think... Which is more dangerous? Fear? Or the Frightened?"

...

Not bothering to listen to Jiraiya's answer, I began to think... Was j actually feeling sorry about human nature because of Naruto? Or was I feeling this way because of the possible reaction my family would have?

I remember that one guy... King Grey or Arthur? The king who reincarnated and became Arthur Leywinand then told his parents he was actually a Reincarnator.

(A/N: Arthur from TBATE(The Beginning After The End))

The reaction on their face when they heard it..

The thought that they fathered and mothered a man far older than them...

That look of horror...

I sure do hope they don't think of me that way.

After all, the soul is not something they could hope to understand.

A Creation God isn't so magnanimous that he'd use his personal energy to create souls non-stop.

All souls pass through a circle of reincarnation. The memories were washed clean and then recycled.

That process is what actually strengthens most Creation Gods.

Anyways...I'll see their reaction when the time arrives.

...

And so marked the end of that arc. What followed was Konoha's recovery and Samui's visit to deliver the Kage Summit Summons.

Knowing I had duties to return to, I instructed Jiraiya on the do's and don'ts within the dimension...not like he can do anything without proper authorisation though.

I also created a clone which I sent to Konoha to pass on some information to Tsunade. Unlike her canon counterpart, she wasn't entirely sapped of energy after protecting the village from Tendo's assault.

Considering her habits, she'd be glad to just while away her time if she could uproot the corrupt higher ups of their village.

Two Weeks quickly passed with a lot of things happening.

My clone had convinced Tsunade not to recover her chakra as soon as possible, and although she objected due to looking all wrinkly and old, she relented with the promise of a permanent youth.

Of course I gave her proof by using the Divine Transformation Technique to make myself look like a nine year old kid.

Unlike normal transformation techniques, this one changed the fundamental aspects of the human body down to the bone.

This amazed her and sent her into her researcher's mode. However I was quick to put an end to it by reverting back. I had also told her my plan of dispatching Danzo and his goons with the help of Sasuke.

And so...Kakashi was recommended to become Hokage to which Danzo objected, and the stupid Daimyo, already under Danzo's Genjutsu, gave the office to him.

...

All this was well and good as my clone was tasked to remain in Konoha so as to transport Tsunade, Kakashi and Naruto to the land of Iron.

Yup, the venue of the meeting was chosen to be there since Hanagakure was also one of the people pulled into this dispute together with Konoha.

Well, in actuality, it concerned the whole Great Village as it also had something to do with The Akatsuki.

...

"You know I'll be alright, right? I'm one of the strongest women alive right now. Have some confidence and stay put." An Auburn haired woman said, pouting as she glared at the man making a fuss over her journey.

"What is wrong with me worrying? It's a normal reaction. And to make matters worse, you're taking these two. No offense to Choujiro, but I think Haku would make a better guard."

"Non taken, Hanagi-sama." The blue haired kid behind the woman said timidly.

"And then there's this guy..." The man said and turned to the eye-patched old man behind his woman.

"I don't think there's anything wrong with Ao, darling." The woman said.

"He's in possession of the Byakugan. I understand Konoha's timidity, but do you think the Tengoku clan would take this lightly?" Hanagi asked as he rubbed his nose.

"He's my Anbu commander. He'll do and that's final." The woman huffed and looked away, however, the slight blush on her face showed that she appreciated his concern.

"Fine, then take this. Hanagakure wouldn't dare lay a finger on you if you wear it." He said and pulled out a token before hanging it on her belt, beside another token that had the writing of "Mist" engraved on it.

"Fine. Fine. I'll be late if I waste anymore time with you, you worrywart." The woman said and gave him a quick peck on the lips before flashing away.

The two guards, Ao and Choujiro gave him a bow before chasing after her.

The man stood for a long time before he sighed. "To think that father's prophecy all those years ago...what a pain. I hope lil sis won't be doing something stupid when the time comes."

Saying that, he turned and walked back to the village.

...

In the post town of the country of Flowers, Kaito Hayashi, the Hanakage, stood with Kimizu beside a wooden cruise ship as he looked up to the skies.

"When do you think he'll be here?" He asked with a deep sigh.

"I have no idea you old man. Let's just be on our way. I'm pretty sure Shun won't miss this for anything in the world." Kimizu replied in annoyance.

The man didn't particularly mind her words as he was already used to it. No one who grew up alongside or under Shun was normal. Trying to treat them like normal people will only backfire.

"Then let's be on our way then." He said and boarded the ship, and with one last glance at the shipyard, he nodded his head.

Kimizu, getting his signal, struck the bow of her violin against the floor of the ship, generating a ripple in the water that served to propel the ship out into the sea.

'I wonder what that guy is thinking saying he'll be there when he's needed. How annoying...' she huffed while recalling Shun's words when he'd get there.

...

Shun on the other hand was actually following the duo from the mirror dimension. He didn't want to be present during the meeting or whatever. He needed to prepare himself for what was to happen.

And by that, he meant watching Sasuke barge into the summit area guns blazing with his team.

This was an obvious suicide mission, but young people needed to be dealt a blow or two to understand that they were still young.

Of the Six Kages that would be attending this meeting, Ohnoki, Ai and Terumi were forces to be reckoned with. Gaara was strong but not at that level yet. Danzo wasn't even there at all.

He is someone who would've been strong, but the stress Hashirama's cells as well as the Sharingans were having on his body made him weak.

Yes, with the Sharingans, he could pose a good fight, but without it, he was basically useless. Even Gaara could finish him in a frontal battle.

As for Kaito...Shun already knew the man was one lazy ass fuck. He couldn't actually be bothered to care about whatever it is would be the verdict of this meeting.

He was just here to fulfill all righteousness.

And so, the meeting began with Ai slamming his hands on the table and demanding answers from Konoha in respect to Sasuke attacking and kidnapping his brother.

He also placed allegations on all the villages for conspiring with the Akatsuki at one point in time.

After all, the Akatsuki had one or two Shinobis from each major village...all except Hanagakure who didn't seem to care about anything.

Due to the demands Danzo outrightly declared Sasuke a missing nin and washed his hands off him, Ohnoki picked offense with Ai due to his words while Mei simply acknowledged the allegations while also shifting the blame to the past regime.

At least she was flexible.

By doing this, she had sided with both Ai and Ohnoki. Yes, they used the Akatsuki once upon a time, but that was Kirigakure as a whole, not her or her current government.

Shun nodded in admiration at the way she handled the entire thing.

Despite the threats, she didn't seem to be intimidated one bit. Gaara too, similar to Kaito, didn't really care for the meeting as he just crossed his hands while sitting uncaringly.

As emotions and words were flying around, secrets were also exposed in the person of Ao exposing Danzo. Danzo played it off as being the Village's business while also asking Ao why he has the Byakugan.

Ao glanced at Kaito to gauge his response to the two possessing Doujutsus they weren't supposed to possess, but Kaito acted like he didn't see them.

That was when Gaara finally spoke. "When did you all abandon yourselves?"

'Ooh. He finally said it.: Shun thought in excitement as he watched Gaara rebuke the Kages. The Kages, Ohnoki especially, being the hard-headed man he was, resorted to insults and disdainful remarks.

"Sigh. Old man, those words just make you look immature." Kaito finally said, causing everyone to look at him. "In truth, Gaara's words are true, but Gaara, in governance, you'll come upon a time when you'll have to make a decision."

Stopping at that, Kaito looked towards the door of the room and said. "I believe we'll be having a visitor soon."

"Huh?" Everyone went on alert while Ao activated his Byakugan and looked towards the direction Kaito was looking at.

Nobody took his words for granted. He was a Kage, there was no reason for him to lie just to garner attention.

"Impossible! That..." Ao said and took a step back in fright.

"Ao. What's the matter?" Mei asked with a frown. Ao was her Anbu commander. In all situations, he was supposed to be calm. For him to show something so unsightly, was a stain to her reputation.

"U-uchiha-" was the only thing he could say before the door was flung open. However, nobody was actually entering. None of the Kages found this surprising, however, some of their guards were still in the dark and quickly came to guard them.

As to why none of them looked towards the door, it was because Sasuke was already inside the hall, standing quite relaxedly on the ceiling and gazing at one person in particular...Danzo.

"So...you've come.." Danzo said as he locked eyes with the Uchiha..

Shun immediately knew what would happen here and decided to turn his attention to another person... Obito and Itachi.

Yup. Itachi was actually with Obito observing the fight going on from a separate dimension.

Mei however, was pulled into a special Genjutsu by Itachi as he felt that she was the only person reasonable amongst them, together with Kimizu who just stared at him blankly.

"You're quite the male specimen, you know that?" Mei said with a slurry tone as she licked her lips. "As expected, you Uchihas really are handsome."

Itachi however, was unmoved by her actions and just kept an impassive stare on her.

"Tch, how boring. As expected, Nagi-chan was right, you Uchihas are a bunch of stuck up idiots. humph." She harrumphed and looked around.

"You're not panicking?" Itachi asked in surprise at the woman's lack of action.

"Please, if you had come with the intention to kill us, I'd be dead. I'm lucky enough to have someone slightly more capable than you in terms of Genjutsu as a husband so I'm pretty sure I can take you on with this." She said and raised the token Hanagi gave her.

Although he had said that with her showing it off, nobody would dare lay a finger on her, she knew that wasn't all it did.

"So let's just stay calm and hear what you have to say, eh?" She offered, however, Itachi shook his head.

"I'm afraid not everyone shares the same sentiment." He said and looked at the two older Kages who both had changing expressions.

Mei paused for a second before looking back at him. "And her?" She said pointing to Kimizu.

"She's a special case, you can rest assured." Itachi smiled wryly at the girl who seemed to have her eyes glazed. "It's been a while Kimizu, I see you're still as unreasonable as ever."

Kimizu's glazed eyes immediately regained focus as she smiled at Itachi. "And I see you've finally reached the pinnacle of terrorism. Attacking the Kages of six major villages? Gotta hand it to you, you're an enigma."

"Not as much as our mutual friend." Itachi said and then seriously. "Speaking of which, where is he? Knowing him, he'd be here to watch the Chaos about to unfold."

"Of course, but you know him, flair and all."

"Ah, of course. It's Shun we're talking about." Itachi nodded and then looked out of the room. "I've gotta go, help out those three kids that came with my little brother if you can."

And without waiting for his reply, Itachi turned into a flock of crows and disappeared.

"That...was an illusion too?"

"What? No, that's a clone. His main body should be with his brother." Kimizu replied. "I think."

Mei nodded and then looked at Kimizu for a while. "Quick question though, why weren't you affected?"

"Heh, in terms of Genjutsu, I like to believe I am a head above Itachi. As his Genjutsu is visual in nature, mine is sound based." Kimizu replied with a bit of pride.

But what she didn't say was that with said sound, she could also rival heavy hitters in damage.

"HELLO! EVERYONE!"

…

Shun's POV

"It is finally my turn to step out soon." Shun thought as Obito stepped out of his dimension to address the Kages while introducing himself as Madara.

"Nothing planned by the Akatsuki is good. Who knows what you're up to?" Ai asked gruffly after his failed attempt in attacking Obito, lightning crackled around him menacingly as he glared at the Uchiha.

"Would you listen to my explanation? Depending on your answers, we'll know how we'll proceed from here." Obito said not minding the glare as he watched Sasuke's teammates enter the hall.

"Calm down, Raikage. Let's hear him out." Ohnoki said.

Obito then appeared behind the group and sucked them into his dimension.

"So that's Madara's ability." Kankuro said.

"A Transportation Jutsu..?" Temari added.

Like, what's with these guys and jumping into conclusions without knowing the full story?

Obito then jumped back to the elevated platform in the hall and asked. "Now then, are you all ready to listen?"

"Why are you trying to win Sasuke over?" Gaara asked immediately to which Obito didn't find strange and answered. "A Sharingan capable of awakening the Susanno is rare. I like to stock up on good eyes."

From their conversation, it was obvious that Sasuke had lost his battle against the four Kages and their guards. Oh! Did I mention the samurai guy? I don't care to know his name so he's just that. The samurai guy.

"By battling the five Kages, I wanted him to hone his visual prowess even more. I'm the one who sent Sasuke here. I was intending on weakening the five Kages and taking you all hostage."

"Five? So we're free to go?" Kaito asked with a small smile on his face.

"Of course, as long as you promise to remain neutral in the dealings of the world." Obito said.

"Eh? That serious? Now I'm intrigued…" the man muttered but didn't get up from his seat.

"It seems that's still not possible." Obito said, referring to both Kaito and the five Kages.

"Taking us hostage? For what purpose?" Mei asked in confusion.

"To smoothly implement the Tsuki no me plan." Obito answered.

"Heh. It's quite shocking to learn that Uchiha Madara is still alive. But why would someone of your skill resort to such a trick? " Ohnoki asked as he floated beside Ai. "Surely, you have the strength to bring any plan to fruition."

"The injuries I sustained during my battle with Hashirama were a little bit too severe. I have no strength in me now. You could say I'm merely a shell of my old self." Obito bullshitted.

I gotta say…the guy's got some talent in that area.

"Is this a plan to restore your strength?" A Jounin from Kumo asked. From his looks, I could argue that he was Samui's brother.

"Hmm. You could say that, but that is not all." Obito replied.

"What are you scheming? Just what is the Tsuki no me?" The old samurai guy asked.

"To answer that, I would need some time. Let me sit down." Obito said and took a seat like a boss.

Damn Uchihas and their swagger.

"We're asking you what kind of plan it is." Kankuro demanded causing Shun to chuckle

Young people these days.

"Young people these days." Obito shook his head with a small chuckle before raising a finger. "All shall become one with me and result in a complete possession form that unites all."

A look of shock passed through everyone's face for some reason. I didn't bother to care so I continued watching.

"Become one? Untie all?" Ohnoki asked. "What do you mean?"

Obito squinted his one visible eye at the old dwarf. "The Ancient Uchiha tablet that has been passed down through the generations in Konoha. Upon it are Hidden Secrets engraved by the Sage of Six Paths himself."

"It can not be read unless you possess the Dojutsu: Sharingan, Mangekyou Sharingan, Rinnegan. In that order, the contents become increasingly clear."

"Your story is unclear. The Sage of Six Paths doesn't-"

"It's the Truth. He did exist. And he left the stone tablet." Obito interrupted the Tsuchikage.

"Don't change the subject!" Ai, finally reaching his limit, shouted and jumped towards Obito once again. "What does your plan have to do with The Sage of Six Paths!?"

"Do you know why he became a legendary and godlike figure that is revered as a God of Shinobi?" Obito asked. "There lies the link between my plan and this man."

"Uchiha Madara…You possess the Mangekyou Sharingan, and amongst the Akatsuki, there was one who possessed the Rinnegan. You know everything, don't you?" Mei asked and I suddenly felt like I was forgetting something.

Hmm… What could it be?

Ah! That's right! The Hokage is missing. Danzo had run out of the room as soon as Sasuke arrived, so Konoha isn't really in this meeting.

Sending the signal to my clone, he immediately teleported Tsunade, Kakashi and Yamato into the room and then dispelled.

From it, I got to understand that Naruto couldn't come with them as he had immediately left the village when he heard that Sasuke might be attacking the summit.

I mean…how did he even learn of that? Welps, who cares? Everything will be sorted out soon.

"Ah! Fifth Hokage, Tsunade Senju. It's a pleasure to have you join us." Obito said, a little bit surprised by the newest arrivals, Kakashi's to be more specific.

"What the hell is going on here? Why are the Akatsuki attacking this place?" Tsunade asked, a bit taken aback but the destruction all over the place.

"This was as a result of Sasuke battling the four of us." Gaara replied. Of the villages here, only the Sand had an alliance with the leaf.

Temari quickly gave the trio a quick summary of what's going on here to which Obito tacitly allowed.

"I see." Tsunade said grimly and trained her eyes on Obito. "To think that my grandfather's nemesis is still alive."

"Surely you jest. As I am now, calling me that would seem like a boast. I'm merely a shell of my past myself." Obito said calmly.

"We're still listening." Ohnoki said as he floated down and stood In Front of Obito, just beside Ai.

"Hmm. He once saved the world from a certain monster." Obito continued.

"A monster?" Gaara asked.

"Gaara, you also had one part of that monster sealed inside you." He said, dropping a bomb on the group. "That monster was the combination of all the nine Bijuu. A being that possessed the most powerful chakra."

"The Ten Tails!"

"""""Gasp!""""

I have no idea who did it first, but that gasp was contagious.

"Aren't there only Nine Tailed Beasts?!" Temari queried, and it was quite the stupid question at that.

"I just told you. The Ten Tails was the combination of all the Tailed Beasts." Obito replied and then went on to introduce the tailed beasts and their Jinchurikis.

"The Ten Tails chakra was simply divided into the Nine Tailed Beast by the Sage of Six Paths." Obito concluded, causing the atmosphere to tense a little.

"I don't like where this story is heading." Kankuro said. "Is that why the Akatsuki are gathering the tailed beast?"

"The Sage of Six Paths developed a certain Jutsu in order to protect the world from the Ten Tails. Even today, that Jutsu is still being passed down. It's the Jinchuuriki sealing Jutsu."

"Yes. The Sage of Six Paths was the Jinchuriki of the Ten Tails. In order to suppress it, he chose to seal it within himself. The Sage, who saved the world terrorized by the Ten Tails, became a savior and won praise as God."

"But If the Sage died, the powerful and demonic chakra of the Ten Tails would once again be released into the world. Fearing this, at the time of his death, the Sage of Six Paths summoned every last ounce of his power to partition the Ten Tails chakra into nine parts and scattered them across the World."

"Then, he sealed the Ten Tails' body, now devoid of chakra, and hurled it into the sky. And it became…The Moon."

Obito concluded his enigmatic story that seemed to captivate everyone in the room, even me, despite knowing how wrong his story was.

"What a tall tale. As if a human could do such a thing." Darui said, much to my shock.

A human can do that, thank you. What a kid. Humph.

"When he became the Ten Tails Jinchuriki, the Sage of Six Paths transcended the realm of Humanity and became God." Obito replied.

"I understand now that you seek that Inhuman power by gathering the chakra of the Nine Tailed Beasts." The old samurai guy said. "But, what will you do with all that power?"

"Revive the Ten Tails. Then I'll become the Ten Tails Jinchuriki. I will use its power to strengthen my Ocular Prowess, and activate a certain Jutsu." Obito replied honestly.

"Activate a certain Jutsu? What Jutsu?" Ohnoki asked. "What do you intend to do?"

"Cast a super Genjutsu, where I project my eyes off the moon. The Mugen Tsukuyomi."

"I will cast a Genjutsu on every human that walks the Earth. And in that Genjutsu, I'll control all humans and unite the world. A World without hatred or war. Everything will become one, everything will be United. That is my project Tsuki no me." Obito finished his presentation with a small bow that made me begin clapping.

Unfortunately, I was the only one here so no one joined my applause.

"Don't joke with me!" The Raikage with his temper began. "I'm not handing the world over to you."

Heh, as if words would change anything.

"Peace that exists only as an illusion is pure deception. Peace is only meaningful when it is achieved in the real world." Gaara added.

"So what exists in such a World? There is no hope, no joy, no dreams. Just escape." Mei added.

"Unite the world, Huh?" Ohnoki Began. "Surely, Danzo made mention of something similar. But instead of uniting the World, it sounds like you want to make the world yours."

"Uh…I don't care about all this, but I think we're cool with the peace we've achieved thus far." Kaito said.

This guy…

"You sound just like that Rinnegan eyed brat, Madara. I thought that with your age, you'd have a certain level of wisdom." Tsunade said in disdain.

"Huhuhu." Obito laughed hollowly. "All this talk, yet, what have you Six Kages accomplished? You if all people should know. There is no such thing as hope."

"To hope is equivalent to giving up, and it's the biggest deception of all. Turn over the remaining Eight and Nine Tails, and cooperate with my plan. Or there will be war."

"War, you say?" Gaara asked incredulously.

"Eight Tails? What do you mean?!" The only one who could raise his voice this much when talking to people so close was none other than Ai. "Didn't you get Bee?"

"The attempt to capture the Eight tails failed and he managed to escape. He is a ninja who is a perfect Jinchuriki. Only your younger brother has got what it takes." Obito said in praise.

"Huh!?"

"Yeah, I sort of had a feeling about that." Darui said with a sigh.

"That idiot! He used that as an opportunity to slip away. And now he's enjoying his life! Unforgivable! He's going to get my iron claw!"

"We will not hand over Uzumaki Naruto." Gaara just said.

"I agree with him." Added Mei.

"Raikage, what about you?" Ohnoki nodded and asked Ai.

"There's no way I'll be handing over my little brother!"

"Hm. I don't have the strength, but the number of Tailed Beasts we've gathered so far, do. You people stand no chance at winning." Obito said lightly.

"We will not give up hope." Gaara said.

"Very well. I hereby declare the start of the Fourth Great Shinobi War."

"The Fourth Shinobi War? Are you mad?" All the Kages asked him with deadpan expressions.

Obito however didn't reply but got up. "The next time we meet will be on the battlefield."

However, as he made to teleport away, he found that he couldn't make contact with his dimension.

"So you were here." He said and turned to the situation beside Kaito, and on it sat a young man with white hair.

"Of course. I've always been here. Wanted to enjoy the full story and all, but your last statement got me curious about something."

"And that is…"

"A prophecy."