Author's Note: So here we are, the second part of the Kage Summit. This chapter is mostly a big info dump that will serve to illustrate the differences between this fanfic and canon, at least when it comes to the side of the villains, which I'm aware I changed a lot, and sometimes come as confusing for some readers. Enjoy:
Chapter 94:
Obito Gaiden
or
The Fall of a Legend
For a few moments, silence reigned supreme as the five Kages, their bodyguards, and the samurai stared at the daring Akatsuki member. All sporting various expressions, rangeed from angry, to shocked, to surprised, to even scared. The silence lasted until one ninja decided to make a move.
"YOU!" Darui said, as he unsheathed his cleaver, and dashed towards Obito, fast as lightning.
"Darui, wait!" C called out, trying to reach him.
Darui delivered a horizontal slash at the Akatsuki with his electricity-imbued cleaver, but much to his surprise and frustration, the attack phased through Obito as if he was made of air. His building momentum also caused the Kumo Jonin to stumble forward, phasing through Obito as well. He managed to regain balance just before slamming against the opposing wall.
"As I said just a second ago," an irritated Obito said. "I didn't came here to fight, but to talk."
"We have nothing to talk with you about!" Tsunade yelled, both fists clenched. She felt Jiraiya's hand on her shoulder.
"While I agree with the general sentiment, Hime," the Toad Sage began. "I believe it's unwise to stop an enemy from sharing information with us," Jiraiya's eyes locked into Obito's. "What do you want to tell us, Uchiha? You're talking with the Supreme Commander of the Ninja Allied Forces."
Obito's lips curved into a smile. "Good. I'm going to tell you about Akatsuki, and our goal."
"We do know your goal. You plan to revive the Ten Tails!" Rasa angrily shouted.
Obito's smile widened. "So, all of you know about it. Excellent, that will save me explain you what is it."
"And what do you pretend to do with such a monster, Uchiha?" Mei asked.
"Ah, now you're asking the important questions," Obito said, pleased.
…
Madara Uchiha's Secret Hideout, many years ago
For many days, Obito had been sitting in front of the cocoon that would hopefully bring Rin back to life stronger than ever. He didn't eat, he didn't drink, he didn't even move. He merely watched. He was unaware of how much time he spent there, given that he had no way to measure the days in a place where the sun didn't shine.
"Hey, you."
Obito stood up and turned around, and saw Zetsu –the original one, not a clone– standing in front of him.
"Madara-sama wants to speak with you."
Obito silently nodded, and followed the aritifcial human through the hallways of the underground lair, until they reached a chamber Obito had never seen during his stay there. The chamber had a couple shelves with some books and scrolls each, a table with some books on it, and a couple chairs. It appeared to be some sort of improvised library.
"Hey boss, here's the kid, as you requested," the creature said.
Madara, who was taking a look at one of his books, closed it, and nodded at his servant.
"Thank you. Leave us alone, please," the elderly Uchiha commanded.
White Zetsu nodded, and left. Despite the lack of doors, Madara knew that none of his minions would try to defy his will.
"You know, the Zetsu have told me what you've been doing these past days," Madara began. "Just because you stay close to the cocoon it won't make the girl to come out faster. Like I told you, the process may take years."
"Um, sorry..." Obito said almost in a whisper. "So, you called me?"
"Yes. I think it's about time you begin to fulfill your side of our deal, and become my agent," Madara explained.
"Alright. What is my first mission?" Obito asked, his lack of enthusiasm more than evident.
Madara shook his head. "There will be time for that. In any other time, blind obedience is all what I would have wanted. But in the end, even blind obedience is unreliable. That's why, before we begin my plan, I need you to understand why we're doing this. I need you to be completely commited to my cause."
"I already told you that I was willing to do what you say," Obito began, looking irritated. "Does my word hold so little value to you?"
"Yes," was Madara's blunt answer, taking Obito aback. "And soon you'll see why I think that way. Tell me, Obito, do you have any family? I don't mean the Uchiha Clan, but direct family. Brothers or sisters?"
"I'm an only son," Obito replied.
"Parents?"
Obito shook his head. "They both died on a mission when I was a toddler."
"So, no immediate family. I guess that your teammates and sensei are the closest thing you have to a family, excluding the rest of the Uchiha clan?" Madara asked.
"Yeah, pretty much. The other Uchiha weren't exactly very fond of me." Obito said, glancing at the ground below.
"I see. One may call that unfortunate," Madara said. "You see, I used to have five younger brothers. Four of them died even before I came of age."
"Whoa!" Obito gasped in shock. "I'm... I'm sorry to hear that. But at least one of your brothers survived."
Madara shook his head. "While said brother went to live longer than the others, he joined them in death as well. Killed by Tobirama Senju during our last clash against his and Hashirama's clan, before we ended the hostilities and founded Konoha."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Obito repeated, as he looked around while awkwardly rubbing his arm. "Not to sound rude but... you didn't call me just to tell me your life, don't you?"
"Knowing the details of my life is important for our cause. Like I said before, you need to understand why we're doing this, and to do so, you need to know the same things I do know now," Madara explained.
"Oh, sorry then... continue."
"Given that you're an Uchiha, you're aware of our history with the Senju Clan," Madara continued. "Nobody knew when our feud began, it simply existed, and we didn't question it. Uchiha fought Senju to avenge our fallen brethren. And then the Senju struck back to avenge their own. Eventually, after the battle where my brother died, Hashirama offered us a chance to end the hostilities, and form together a ninja village where we could live in peace."
"And you said yes," Obito assumed.
"No. Not at first, at least," Madara said, much to the young Uchiha's surprise. "I couldn't agree with such suggestion, even if it was what I desired. Or what I think I desired. Letting go of the past like that would mean spitting on the sacrifice of all the Uchiha who died fighting Senju. My brother among them. They died so we could have a chance at crushing them for good."
"But... that's stupid!" Obito blurted. Upon seeing Madara's unamused stare, Obito covered his mouth with his hand, and tried to hastily apologize. "Well, not stupid, it's just-"
"No, go on. Please, explain me why it's stupid," Madara asked. He sounded like he genuinely wanted to know the boy's opinion.
"Well..." Obito began, as he tried to find the best way to word his ideas, as he nervously rubbed his arm. "While it's true that all the Uchiha dead at the hand of the Senju was a tragedy, continuing the hostilities wouldn't have been of any help, and it would only resulted in more pointless deaths for both sides. You said that the Uchiha and the Senju had been fighting for generations, and neither clan was even close to destroy the other. By ceasing the hostilities, at least you ensure the next generation of Uchiha wouldn't have to go through the same horrors you did."
Madara rested his chin under his hand, as he weighed down Obito's words. Obito, meanwhile stared nervously at the elder Uchiha, awaiting for his veredict.
"Yes, that's a very good argument," he finally said. "One many of my clansmen shared. They were tired of warring, and wanted to create a better future for their children. Even if that means joining forces with our hated enemies."
Obito smiled, and sighed in relief, knowing he had passed what he believed was a hidden test.
"So, hearing my clansmen's plea, I decided to accept Hashirama's offer. The Uchiha and the Senju ended their legendary feud, and we joined forces to form Konohagakure, the very first of the ninja villages," Madara told Obito. "News of these event spread like wildfire, and soon many clans that made the Land of Fire its home asked to join us. The Sarutobi was the first of such clans, followed by the Shimura, whom they had a feud with. Next came the Hyuga and the Aburame, and later the Yamanaka, Akimichi and Nara, whom already had a history of working together.
"The village grew as more clans joined us, and thus, another problem was presented. When it was just the Senju and us, both Hashirama and I ruled over our respective clans like we did in the past. But now, it was time to decide a new leader who would reign supreme over the village. Hashirama wanted that person to be me, but in the end, the villagers choose him by an overwhelming majority. Even my fellow clansmen preferred Hashirama to me."
"Wow. Were you that bad of a leader?" Obito asked, before once again realized of what he said, and clamping his hand over his mouth. "Sorry! I didn't mean to-"
If Madara took offense to Obito's comment, he didn't show it. "You see, the news of Konoha's birth traveled well beyond the Land of Fire's borders, and other clans started to form villages as well. It was then when I realized the flaw of Hashirama's dream: while we had effectively put an end to the Warring States Period and ushered an era of peace, it wasn't bound to last. Soon, the ninja villages would start to wage wars against each other, and the scale of those wars would dwarf those that came before.
"Hashirama wanted to establish alliances and treaties with other villages, but I knew such idea wouldn't work, and I advocated to subjugate them before they could be a threat. Rather than just the Land of Fire, Konoha should be the only military power of the entire elemental nations, which would keep peace and stability. Neither Hashirama nor the rest of the villagers supported my idea, and after a heated discussion with Hashirama, I realized that there wasn't a place for me anymore in that village. Since I had no children, I passed the clan leadership to Izuna's oldest son, and left the village."
Obito more or less knew that, since he had to study it in history class in the Academy. What he didn't know, however, was what Madara did before he returned to fight Hashirama one last time. And now, he could hear it from the man himself.
"And... what did you do then?" Obito asked, instinctively leaning forward.
"I traveled. Trying to find myself, as it's usually said. I realized that I never felt at home at Konoha, so maybe I could find a place like that," Madara told him. "The Uchiha history was shrouded in mystery due lack of written records, so I decided that I could unearth some of those mysteries. As I traveled, I found many places that the Uchiha used as temporal homes before moving out. Thanks to my search, I found out that neither the Uchiha nor the Senju are natives to this land. They first appeared in a faraway land called the Land of the Ancestors, once a powerful empire, now an uninhabited ruin.
"And in one of those places, inspecting a ruined fortress that had been used by the Uchiha, I found this," Madara said, showing Obito the book he was holding. "The journal of Indra Otsutsuki, the very first ninja to awaken a Sharingan."
"Indra Otsutsuki? I never heard of that name," Obito said, scratching his head.
"I don't blame you, neither did I," Madara admitted. "Tell me, Obito, what do you know about the Sage of the Six Paths?"
"Uh, he's supposed to be the one who invented ninjutsu. A very powerful man," Obito said, before scolwing a little. "What has that myth have to do with anything?"
"Oh, plenty. Apparently, this Indra was the Sage's eldest son," Madara casually said.
"Say what?" Obito asked in disbelief. "Come on, there's no way that book is telling the truth!"
This seemed to amuse Madara, whose withered lips formed a smile. "Yes, my reaction was the same. I've never been the one to believe in something without evidence. That's why I decided to do some research of my own to see if the book conformed to reality. And my findings were... troubling to say the least."
"You have proof that the Sage of the Six Paths truly existed?" Obito asked, excited.
"Not exactly. I have proof that many of the things written on that book did indeed happen," Madara replied, before handing Obito the book. "Now, you must read this book. Every page, every paragraph, every word, drink them as if they were a glass of water."
Obito opened the book, and glanced at a random page. He scolwed. "Wait, this is nothing but gibberish! How I'm supposed to read it?"
"Use your Sharingan," Madara laconically instructed.
After activating his remaining doujutsu, suddenly everything became clear. "Hey, I can read it now!"
"Of course you can. Those symbols are a special code that can only be deciphered with the Sharingan. While anybody with a Sharingan can read it, unfortunately the knowledge on how to write it was lost centuries ago. Now, enough talking. Read that book. We won't talk again until you finish it."
And thus, Obito read Indra's journal. While the book showed its age –the cover was consumed, the pages were yellowish and the writing half faded– it was still in a pretty good shape, and completely legible, quite the achievement for something that was almost a milennia old.
Despite the archaic wording, Indra's history was a fascinating tale. Apparently, the Sage of the Six Paths, named Hagoromo, had a brother named Hamura, and the two of them were the sons of a very powerful woman named Kaguya, who was said to come from beyond the stars. Kaguya used her vast power to rule the land, until her sons decided to put an end to her reign.
Kaguya then transformed into an horrifying monster called the Ten Tails, which was defeated when Hagoromo drained it of its chakra and sealed it inside his body. Then the two of them used a powerful jutsu to seal the Ten Tails' empty husk inside the Moon, creating the Moon in the process. After that, the younger brother went to the Moon in order to watch over the Ten Tails' body, while Hagoromo stayed on Earth in order to preach peace.
Hagoromo married and had two sons. Indra and Asura –whom later Obito would learn he would be the ancestor of all Senju and Uzumaki–, whom he trained to carry on his legacy. As Hagoromo's life reached its end, the Sage realized he had to name one of his two sons as his heir. In order to determine which one was the most suitable to take his mantle. Hagoromo asked the sons about the best way to bring peace to the world.
Indra advocated for a powerful individual or small group of people to rule over the rest, creating laws that ensured the safety of all, and punished those who broke them. Asura advocated for love and mutual understanding to be paramount for any peace that was bound to last. Hagoromo chose his youngest son over the oldest. Indra, outraged, attacked Asura, ready to kill him, or at the very least, force him to give back what Indra thought was his birthright, but was unable to beat him, and left.
Indra would later learn that, shortly before his death, Hagoromo released the Ten Tails' chakra stored inside his body, split it into nine beings, and gave them their own mind: that's how the nine Tailed Beasts were born.
After Indra's loss to Asura, the book merely described what Indra did after that: he met a woman whom he married and had two kids as well, both of them whom inherited the Sharingan, and trained them as ninjas. Both Indra and his descendants used their power to work as mercenaries and assassins, taking part in many battles and wars, some of them against Asura and his family.
Eventually, Indra died of old age. However, in the very last page he wrote he claimed that his hatred for his father and his brother would never disappear until Asura's line was eradicated and his bloodline reigned supreme over the Elemental Nations.
Once again, Obito hadn't realized how much time had passed until he finished the book. To him it were mere hours, but in reality there were a few days. Once he was done, he returned to Madara, who was waiting for him in the library, as if he had never left the place.
"I finished the book," Obito told him.
"Well? What are your impressions?" Madara eagerly asked.
"It's... fascinating indeed. If what is says it's really true," Obito said, unable to shake off the last remnants of his skepticism.
"It is true, I can asure you that," Madara insisted. "What about the conflict between Asura and Indra? What's your impression on that?"
"I guess both brothers had a point," Obito asked, trying to give a noncommittal answer. However, Madara's unamused glare made it clear such thing wasn't going to fly. "Though in the end, I agreed with Asura more."
"Of course you did," Madara said. While he sounded disappointed, he seemed to expect that answer. "And tell me, kid, do you think Asura's way of doing things fixed anything? You yourself told me you're in the middle of a war. A third one involving Ninja Villages."
Obito didn't say anything, he simply nodded.
"I could have stopped this from happening, if they just listened to me," Madara said, shaking his head. "Anyway, now that you read that book, I can now continue with my tale. After traveling and learning, about both the past of our clan and ninja history in general, I was even more confident in my convictions: Hashirama had the right idea with the ninja villages, but that was only a job half done. In order to achieve true peace, we would need to unify the Elemental Nations under a single village, with an absolute power as its backbone. Said power would be the Tailed Beasts.
"However, upon my return to the Land of Fire, I was shocked to see how much Hashirama had screwed things up: He had hunted nearly every Tailed Beast, but instead of keeping them for Konoha, he idiotically handed them to other villages, apparently in a vain effort to create some sort of 'balance of power' that would ensure peace. Unsurprisingly, it ended up provoking the First Ninja War. Hashirama also had abdicated as Hokage, and passed the hat to his younger brother.
"Fortunately, not everything was lost. Hashirama hadn't captured the Nine Tails yet, meaning that I could put it under my control and use it to defeat him once for all. But even then, it wasn't enough to bridge the gap between us, and as a result, I died."
"Wait," Obito interrupted. "How could you die if you're here before me?"
"Because, fortunately, I had the means to evade death in the form of Izanagi, an Uchiha Forbidden Jutsu that allowed me to rewrite reality, at the cost of one my Sharingan. Though, even if I had cheated death, the loss of one of my eyes was a big price to pay. With one single Sharingan I could no longer use Susanoo, my most powerful ability. However, I had a way to gain an even greater power: during the battle, I was able to bite some of Hashirama's flesh and store it within my mouth. I used that flesh to cultivate more of his cells, and combined them with my own. Not only I would gain Hashirama's power, but by combining powerful Senju and Uchiha chakra, the result is Six Paths Chakra, the very same chakra the Sage had. And with that chakra... I could awaken the Rinnegan.
"And awaken it did. But it took far longer than I thought. When my eyes turned into Rinnegan, I was already an old and withered man. Still, it was something. I was able to summon the Ten Tails' empty shell, the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, and use it to generate more Hashirama's cells. By doing so, I accidentally created the beings that you see around the lair, Zetsu and his clones. The statue also keeps me alive, as long as I'm directly connected to it," Madara said, as he turned around so Obito could see better the organic cables attached to his back.
"You... didn't tell me what was your plan. What did you plan to do after you defeated Hashirama?" Obito asked.
Madara's lips formed a smile again. "Ah, good, you finally pay attention to the finer details. My original plan was that, once Hashirama was out of the way, I would take over Konoha by force. Then, I would subjugate the other villages one by one, taking back the Tailed Beasts Hashirama foolishly gave them as if they were mere pets. Then, I would have build a single village, with a force of nine jinchuriki as the backbone of said village's might. With the Elemental Nations united under a single government, there wouldn't be no more wars nor strife. A world where no kids should have to be sent to the battlefields and see their friends die."
That last sentence seemed to especially resonate with Obito.
"However, over the years, especially those after I awakened the Rinnegan, I perfected my plan: nine jinchuriki could still cause problems, since they could fight among each other, or have their own agendas. No, there had to be a single jinchuriki that would enforce the village's power. So far, the only person capable of completing such task would be the Sage of the Six Paths, hence a second Sage needed to be created. In order to do so, the Nine Tailed Beasts need to be gathered and sealed inside the Demonic Statue. Once they're all inside, their chakra will merge into Six Paths chakra, and the Demonic Statue wiill return to its original form as the Ten Tails, Lastly, I will seal the Ten Tails into my body, becoming an ageless being of unmatched power. Then I shall do what the first Sage should have done to begin with: use my power to usher an eternal era of peace and harmony."
"It's a beautiful dream indeed," Obito agreed, before gazing down. "But it looks kind of impossible to reach."
"Kid, those who achieve greatness are those who try the impossible, and find a way to succeed," Madara said. "So far, people would think that bringing somebody back from the dead it's impossible. Yet we're doing exactly that with that Rin friend of yours."
"Of course," Obito agreed. Then, in a more enthusiastic tone, he asked: "What can I do, Madara-sama?"
Madara smiled. That determination is what he wanted to see. He then started to slowly walk, and Obito followed behind him.
"My time draws near. I shall undergo the same process of rebirth your friend Rin is undergoing in order to recover my former strength," Madara explained. "Such process may take years. In the meantime, you need to put my plan in motion. First, go to Ame and find an Uzumaki boy named Nagato. I had the Zetsu extract my Rinnegan and secretly implant them into him for safekeeping. Convince the boy to follow our plan. Lie to him if necessary. Tell him he's the reincarnation of the Sage of the Six Paths. You can tell him about me as well, but be mindful what you choose to reveal."
"I believe it won't be very hard to do it," Obito confidently said.
"I have faith in your abilities, kid," Madara said with a nod. Obito could see they were returning to the chamber where Rin's cocoon was. "Then, gather the Tailed Beast, and seal them inside the statue. I presume that by the time you're done, the regenration process will be finished already. If you haven't completed your task yet, I will finish it myself. With my old power restored, it shouldn't be too hard."
As they entered the chamber, they could see more Zetsu clones on top of those working on Rin's cocoon, as well the original Zetsu. Madara walked towards the latter, and placed his hand on his nonexistent right half of his body, and a black liquid-like substance started to spread around it. As it grew, it formed half a body, making the Zetsu whole, but looking as if they were the halves of two different beings clumsily put together.
"This is Black Zetsu, an extension of my will. He will guide you and follow your orders from now onwards, just like White Zetsu and his clones," Madara said. With a mere hand wave, the idle Zetsu clones formed another circle, and Madara placed himself in the middle. "I believe that's all, Obito. From now onwards, the future we want to build rests on your shoulders. Do not fail me."
"I won't, Madara-sama. This world, Asura's vision, Konoha... all of them allowed Rin to die. I shall fulfill your vision, and create a better world," Obito said, clenching one fist in determination.
"Good," Madara said with a nod, before turning at one of the clones, and nodded. "Begin."
Green vines emerged from the clones' midsection, and crawled towards Madara as they grew. Once they reached him, they started to wrap around his body, covering him in layers upon layers of vines until the elderly Uchiha could no longer be seen. Lastly, all eight of them formed the same chain of hand seals.
"Wood Release: Majestic Cocoon of Divine Rebirth!"
Just like it happened with Rin, the mass of vines not so much glowed with a green light, but that became light, growing and taking an oval shape. When the light faded, there was an indentical cocoon in Madara's place, slowly pulsating like a giant heart.
"Just like Rin, the process has been a success!" one of the Zetsu keeping the cocoon active announced. "Madara is still alive, and it's slowly regenerating."
"For additional security, I believe we should seal this room, boss," Black Zetsu spoke for the first time.
"Yes, I agree," Obito said, as he walked outside the chamber. "You do that while I'm out."
"Hey, wait!" the white half said. "You shouldn't go to fetch Nagato alone! You'll need us to help you."
"I'm not going to Ame," Obito said. "I'm going to Konoha. There are a few things I need to check there before we start with the plan."
"Understood, boss. Try not to take too long," Black Zetsu warned him.
…
Undisclosed Location, Orochimaru's Lair
Deidara and Kisame watched for a second the two wooden coffins Orochimaru had summoned. The two of them had the kanji for "two" on them, on top of the kanji of "water" on one and "earth" on the other. The coffins then opened on their own, their lids falling forward with a thud. Lastly, two men emerged from each coffin: a blond man in a pin-stripped, high-collared, long gray kimono with a black sash wrapped around his waist, and a man which was almost entirely covered in bandages, wearing nothing but a pair of black pants.
Kisame and Deidara immediately recognized the men as the second Mizukage and Tsuchikage, who looked disoriented after stepping out of the coffins.
"Where... where I am?" the Tsuchikage asked. "This place..."
"The hell if I know!" the Mizukage replied, looking around as well. It was then when the kage realized who they were talking to.
"YOU!"
The two Kages tried to attack each other, but found that their bodies weren't under their control, and remained firmly in place.
"So, I'm stuck with you and some unseen force stops me from tearing your face from your head..." the second Mizukage said as he rest his chin on his hand. "Yep, this is hell!"
"If you weren't to jump to conclusions so easily, you'll realize this isn't the afterlife, Gengetsu," the Second Tsuchikage said. "We can't control our bodies. And your eyes are black and your skin is cracked. This sounds like Tobirama Senju's jutsu, Impure World Resurrection."
"Exactly, Mu-san," Orochimaru said, making the two Kages to turn around. "I summoned you with this jutsu to do my bidding!"
"And who are you supposed to be?" Gengetsu asked, scowling a little.
"Your master. You can call me Orochimaru, no honorifics needed," the Sannin said in a theatrical way. "Now, those are the targets I want you to dispose of."
Forced to turn around once again, the two Kages faced the two members of Akatsuki. They quickly noticed their headbands.
"An Iwa ninja working side by side with a Kiri one?" Mu asked. "What kind of world I've been summoned to?"
"That's Samehada! That means you're of the Seven Swordsmen!" Gengetsu said, pointing at Kisame. "What the hell are you doing working with Iwa scum?"
However, Orochimaru's orders quickly kicked in, and Mu started to make hand seals, before clapping his hands together. Pulling his hands apart, he created a translucent white cube with a white glowing ball inside. Deidara paled upon seeing this, and instinctively jumped backwards.
"Kisame, whatever he throws at you, dodge it!" the Iwa missing nin warned.
Kisame, however, merely placed his sword in a defensive position.
"Ha! Whatever ninjutsu he throws at me, Samehada can absorb it!" Kisame confidently said.
"Don't try you idiot! He's going to-"
"Too late. Now die like the fool you are, Kiri ninja," Mu said with contempt, as he threw his hands forward. "Dust Release: Atomic Dismantling Jutsu!"
In a second, the glowing cube flew towards Kisame, and growing large enough to engulf the confused Akatsuki member.
"What the...?"
For a second, the cube glowed with a bright white light, so intense it was like looking into the sun. When the light receded, Kisame wasn't there anymore.
"Good job, Mu-san," Orochimaru praised his undead puppet. "It's kind of sad how a powerful ninja like Kisame-san went away in such a quick and dull way."
"You... you ASSHOLE!" Gengetsu screamed, though it wasn't clear if he was talking to Orochimaru or Mu –probably both–. "You destroyed Samehada! Kirigakure's greatest weapon! A treasure of untold-WHOA!" He was interrupted when his body started to move on his own.
"I'm sorry, Gegetsu-san, but I need you to get rid of the other for me," Orochimaru said. "After all, we all know how much you love to kill Iwa ninjas, right?"
"Shit, this is bad!" Deidara thought, as he fed his mouth hands some explosive clay, while running away. "With that blue idiot dead, there's no way I can defeat that many enemies on my own! I need to escape NOW!"
As fast as he could, Deidara created a small clay bird, and with a hand seal, it grew large enough to carry a rider on its back. Not thinking it twice, Deidara jumped onto its back, and commanded it to fly away.
"Sorry, little bird, no running away!" Gengetsu said with a maniac grin, as he pointed at the fleeing Deidara with his finger. "Water Gun Jutsu!"
Gengetsu fired a single water droplet at the escaping clay bird with such force, it caused the artificial construct to blow up in a thousand pieces, making Deidara to fall to the ground, half fascinating at how a water jutsu could damage so badly a jutsu that used earth, and half terrified knowing that this was his end, before hitting the ground with a splash.
"Impressive, Gengetsu-san," Orochimaru praised again. "Now, finish hi-"
Suddenly, something bursted from underground behind Mu, sending rocks and splashing water everywhere, distracting the two zombies and the former Akatsuki. Mu turned around too late to see a very much alive Kisame ready to strike, and with a powerful swing of Samehada, Mu's torso and left arms were separated from the rest of his body, releasing dust and ashes, instead of the blood and gore Kisame was expecting.
"Hey, you survived and saved Samehada! Nice!" Gengetsu said, happy to see Kisame. "Now try to-"
The Mizukage never finished his sentence, as with a powerful vertical strike, Kisame split the undead man in two halves, which fell to a side each. Kisame then turned at Orochimaru, who seemed oddly pleased.
"I knew you wouldn't go down so easily, Kisame-san," Orochimaru said, grinning.
"Do you take me for an idiot?" Kisame asked, his tone being being that of mockery, but there was a hint of anger hidden there. "Of I know what Dust Release is! And I know how to counter it. Now, get ready to pay the price for underestimating me, Orochimaru..as well as the interest you've accumulated for betraying Akatsuki!"
"Before you can do that, you need to defeat my reanimated Kages," Orochimaru pointed out.
"What are you talking about? Your living corpses are nothing but-"
Kisame was stunned into silence when he saw ash, dust and paper bits swirling around the deceased Kages, reassembling their bodies back together and repairing any damage they had suffered. In a few seconds, they were completely restored. Kisame gritted his teeth, and bisected them once again with two powerful swings of Samehada. But the result was still the same. Shocked, the shark ninja took a couple steps back.
"Kukuku. They said that, thanks to your massive chakra reserves and your chakra draining sword, you can defeat any opponent by turning the battle into one of attrition," Orochimaru said, his smile unwavering. "And I'd really like to test who's going to give in first: you, or my reanimations. Don't take it personally if I bet on the latter."
"What... what kind of jutsu is this?" Kisame asked, sounding more angry than afraid.
"Kisame, move!" Deidara yelled from above.
Kisame knew better than asking what was going on, and jumped back just in time multiple clay bombs dropped from above. Said bombs detonated before they could touch the water, raising huge splashes of water and clouds of steam. The blond Iwa ninja, atop another clay bird, swooped down on him. Kisame then jumped onto the birds' back.
"Let's get the hell out of here!" Deidara shouted, his body shaking, as he commanded his bird to fly as fast and high as possible. "The second Tsuchikage can fly! If Orochimaru sends him after us, we're fucking done!"
"I'll prepare a jutsu if he gets close to us!" Kisame said, as he started to make hand seals.
Meanwhile, back on the ground, Orochimaru watched as the Kages regenerated once again from the chain of explosions, while seeing how the two Akatsuki members became smaller and smaller as they flew into the horizon.
"Don't you want me to go after them?" Mu asked the Sannin. "I can catch and kill them easily."
Orochimaru shook his head. "Tempting, but for the time being... let them leave. I want them to deliver a message to Obito. Now, return to your slumber, I'll call you back once I need you." Orochimaru said, before making a hand seal.
"Aw shi-" the Mizukage wanted to complain, but he was quickly silenced and shoved into a wodden coffin, before the lid closed it, fate he shared with his deathsworn enemy the Tsuchikage. Both coffins sunk into the ground.
"Not bad for a test run. Definitely not bad," Orochimaru said, sounding satisfied.
…
Land of Iron
"Many decades ago, Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha founded Konoha. That put an end to the Warring States Period and gave birth to the Ninja Villages Period," Obito began. "However, while well intentioned, all what Hashirama accomplished was escalate the problem. Now we have less wars than in the past, but their scale increased a hundredfold. I plan to put an end to that and bring an era of true peace."
"And you plan to use the Tailed Beasts to do that," Kurotsuchi guessed. "How?"
"Once they're all sealed inside the Demonic Statue, it will return to its original form, the Ten Tails," Obito explained. "Then, I shall seal that monster inside me, becoming its jinchuriki, and attaining a powe similar to that of the Sage of the Six Paths. With that power, I shall unify the Elemental Nations under a single banner, with a single Ninja Village that shall act as a peacekeeping force, with me as the backbone of that army. There won't be anymore wars since there won't be any nations that will fight against each other. The new Ninja Village will establish a set of fair and just laws and shall punish those who break them."
"Kaguya Otsutsuki already tried that before, and it failed! You can't force peace like that!" Tsunade protested.
"Indeed. All the clans who joined to form the ninja villages did so under their own volition," Mei interceded. "If there's no agreement, your one nation is doomed to fail from the very beginning."
"And is the alternative any better?" Obito retorted. "Mankind is nothing but unruly children, who can't take care of their own without an authority figure supervising them. A milenium of history backs my claim. In the end, future generations will thank me and Akatsuki for making such a bold move to bring peace to the world."
"It sounds to me like you just want power without limit in order to make the world your own," Rasa snarled at Obito.
"You can think whatever you want. Our mission already had too many setbacks. Hand me the three remaining jinchuriki, or you will spend the what's little left of your life regretting what's going to happen next," Obito threatened.
"Wait a minute, three?" Jiraiya asked. "I thought that you have captured all the jinchuriki minus Naruto and Fu!"
"Yeah, I thought so as well. But the jinchuriki of the Eight Tails managed to trick us and got away," Obito clarified.
The Kumo ninjas were visibly relieved to hear such information, even if the Raikage tried to hide it from the others.
"I knew somebody as strong as B-san couldn't have been captured by Akatsuki," Darui said in satisfaction.
"B... my brother is still alive..." the Raikage said softly, almost in a whisper. Then, his face turned into a mask of pure anger. "GOOD! BECAUSE I WILL BE ABLE TO KILL HIM MYSELF! HOW THAT DUMBASS DARE TO PULL SUCH A STUNT AND MAKE ME BELIEVE HE WAS DEAD!"
"Needless to say, Konoha isn't going to hand you the jinchuriki under our protection," Jiraiya firmly said. "And I can tell the Raikage feels the same towards Kumo's jinchuriki."
"And we will help them to make sure they won't fall into your hands!" Mei stated, saring to speak for both herself, the Kazekage and the Tsuchikage. However, both Rasa and Kurotsuchi nodded energically.
"You should reconsider. Akatsuki has amassed a lot of power over the last years," Obito insisted. "Other than our official members and six and a half tailed beasts, we have an army of an almost one hundred thousand Zetsu. Even if you joined your armies into a single one, it would still fail to match our numbers."
"I think we made our answer clear," the Raikage growled at him.
"I see. In that case, I hereby declare the beginning of the Fourth Ninja War," Obito said, as he opened a spiraling dimensional portal to leave the place. "The next time we meet, it shall be on the battlefield."
And with that, Obito Uchiha disappeared the same way he appeared before them. His departure was followed by a moment of tense silence.
"Guess that, in the end, the five Great Nija Villages joining forces was inevitable," Mifune said. "Since we have no more options to deal with a threat of this magnitude. Hokage-dono, the Land of Iron will also join the Alliance in order to help you curb this threat."
"Your help will be mostly appreciated, Mifune-dono," Jiraiya said with a nod. "I believe I can also bring some of the minor villages into the army as well, such as Taki or Ame."
"Will they be of any use, Hokage-sama?" Itachi asked. "Ame used to be under Akatsuki's control, and Taki suffered great loses during Hidan and Kakuzu's invasion."
"Fortunately, we still have Konan, who can fill the position of leader of Ame at our behest," Jiraiya began. "And I'm sure that Taki ninjas will be eager to take revenge on the people that destroyed their home."
"Besides, we helped them retake their village and with the reconstruction efforts," Rasa added. "They might as well show some gratitude and help us. If we lose, their village will share our fate."
"Raikage-sama, I believe we should start another search for Killer B-san immediately," Darui advised. "The Akatsuki learned that he didn't return to us, meaning that he's still out there, alone and without reinforcements that may protect him from the Akatsuki."
"Yes. Send a message home to do so immediately," the Raikage agreed.
"Allow us to help on that matter," Itachi said, taking a step forward. "Our summoned animals can make the search for the jinchuriki much easier."
"Any help will be welcomed, regardless of where it comes," the Raikage said with a nod.
"That begets a question," Kurotsuchi spoke up. "What should we do with the jinchuriki? Should we hide them, or should we use them in battle? Personally, I'm partial to the former. We can't risk them being captured by the Akatsuki."
"A cautious approach, yes. But we shouldn't forget that Akatsuki has many Tailed Bests under their control, and they won't hesitate to unleash them upon us. We will need their power to counter them. Besides, I fought alongside Naruto-kun during the Civil War. Despite his youth, he's a powerful ninja, and can be a strong asset on this war." Mei said.
"Except Akatsuki will be expecting us to do that," Darui intervened. "Akatsuki sent their Nine Tails against Kumo hoping that we would deploy our jinchuriki to counter it. Unfortunately, we fell for the trap and lost Yugito as a result. I wouldn't put past them to try the same stunt again, only on a greater scale."
The Raikage weighed in Darui's words.
"Darui speaks the truth. But if our combined forces are unable to beat Akatsuki, hiding them will be in vain," the Raikage said, unsure of what to do.
"Hokage-dono," Mifune spoke, looking at the white haired Sannin. "Given that you're the Supreme Commander of the Alliance, and two of the three jinchuriki are under Konoha's protection, I think the decision should be yours."
Jiraiya felt many eyes staring at him as the Hokage pondered over what to do. The father in him screamed to hide Naruto somewhere remote. But the ninja in him told him that no war has even been won by playing it safe. Then again, sending Naruto and Fu into a battlefield like they were now was extremely risky, too much for his taste. That moment, a solution dawned upon him. Something that would solve both their problems at once.
"Raikage," Jiraiya said, looking at his Kumo counterpart. "I believe your brother has perfect control of his Tailed Beast, am I right?"
"Yes, Killer B is a perfect jinchuriki," the Raikage confirmed. "What are you planning, Hokage?"
"Do you think Killer B could teach Naruto and Fu to tame their Tailed Beast as well?" Jiraiya asked.
"Yes, I believe he could," the Raikage said, as he realized what was Jiraiya's plan. "Plus, while he does that, we can send the three of them to a secret location where they will be safe from Akatsuki."
"And once they finish their training, we'll have not just one, but three perfect jinchuriki to aid us with the war effort," Tsunade said in realization. She smiled at her husband. "Well thought, Jiraiya."
"Though, with some luck, it won't have to come to that, and the war will be won by then," the Raikage said. "Plus we need to find B first. Though I trust he will be fine."
"Now that the alliance is formed, and the Fourth War has been declared, there's also much to do," Mifune began. "You need to contact the rulers of your respective countries and tell them about the impending war. We also need to establish a chain of command, and reorganize the five armies into a single one."
"Agreed with Mifune-dono," Jiraiya said with a nod, before turning at the other four Kages. "Meanwhile, I think we should establish the rest of the Allied Ninja Forces' hierarchy. I may be the Supreme Commander, but I want to hear your input as well."
The other four Kages nodded in agreement, and the five of them plus Mifune continued discussing the chain of leadership of the Allied Forces.
…
Outskirts of the Land of Iron
To the south of the capital of the Land of Iron was a thick forest, full of large trees covered in snow. Said trees were the perfect spot to remain hidden, spot that was chosen by Zetsu, who waited patiently for his master's return. The wait finally came to an end when he saw a spiraling portal appearing near him, and his temporary master emerged from it. Obito looked between annoyed and angry.
"I take the Kages didn't surrender the jinchuriki, did they?" the white half guessed.
"It was stupid to hope otherwise," the black half stated. "We know our plans will only come to fruition through force."
"Still, it was worth a shot," Obito replied. "Plus I wanted to see the meeting with my own eyes. I was hoping that there would be no consensus, thus making our job easier. But given that they agreed to an alliance, there was no harm in coming out and make a demand."
"Are you sure we're ready to fight them? The five Great Ninja Villages gathered under a single banner is something that has never happened before," a worried Black Zetsu said. "Their combined power must be terrifying."
"Not terrifying enough to curb the might we had amassed," Obito confidently said. "Still my intrusion wasn't a complete waste of time. Apparently, the Raikage was unaware that the jinchuriki of the Eight Tails escaped from our custody, and is still out there. I want you to track him down before our enemies do."
"Leave that in my hand," the white half said. "What will you do now, boss?"
Obito looked around, and narrowed his eyes when his eyes rested on the Three Wolves Mountain. "There's nothing to do here anymore. I'll head to the meeting point in the Mountain Graveyard. Once you track the Eight Tails and Kisame and Deidara return from killing Orochimaru, all of us will devise the strategy for the war."
"Understood, boss," the black half said.
And both Obito and Zetsu disappeared, leaving the snowy forest devoid of any human presence.
Author's Note: And with this chapter, the Kage Summit comes to and end, and we head into the final part of the story! Yep, we're on the home stretch now! Aren't you guys exited? Though, that doesn't mean that this story is ending anytime soon. According to my estimations, this story will be about 135-140 chapters long. Even if I plan it to be much shorter than it was in canon, the Fourth Ninja War arc is still going to be pretty long.
Now, a lot to unpack here. First, all the backstory changes I made regarding Madara. In canon, Madara left the village because he was worried for the Uchiha's future, which was a bit OOC and kind of came out of nowhere, so I decided to change that reason to political differences stemming from the "Love vs Power" that SHOULD have been Naruto's central theme. I think it makes much more sense, plus it was something that was in canon yet Kishimoto didn't take advantage of for some reason.
Also, the timeline of that era is a complete mess. According to canon, Hashirama, who was still the Hokage, captured the other Tailed Beasts minus Shukaku AFTER beating Madara and capturing the Nine Tails, and handed them to the other villages during the first Kage Summit...which happened in the middle of the First Ninja War, when Tobirama was Hokage. This left a lot of questions unsolved: when did Hashirama stepped down and passed the Hat to Tobirama? When - and HOW - did Hashirama die? When did the First Ninja War start? When did Madara and Hashirama have their final duel? So, in order to make sense of that, I created my own timeline that goes like this:
1. Hashirama and Madara had their disagreement, making Madara leave the village.
2. Hashirama seeks and captures seven of the nine Tailed Beasts, and hands them to the other Great Villages (and Taki) during the first Kage Summit.
3. Hashirama steps down as Hokage, Tobirama is appointed as the Second Hokage. Shortly after that, the First Ninja War breaks out, with both Hashirama and Tobirama taking part on it.
4. In the middle of the war, Madara makes his return, pulling Hashirama from the war. The two of them fight for the last time. Madara dies, but later revives using Izanami, and the Nine Tails is sealed inside Mito.
5. Hashirama returns to the battlefield still exhausted and wounded from his fight with Madara, which results in his death. A few years later, towards the end of the war, Tobirama would die, and Hiruzen would be appointed Third Hokage.
With that out of the way, let's talk about Madara. I always thought that what happened with Rin was a dead giveaway of how Madara was going to come back, but nobody seemed to make the connection. Every reviewer that mentioned him thought that he was dead and that he would reappear as an Edo Tensei zombie like in canon. But now, you can imagine what's going to happen. And if the process turned Rin, a rather unremarkable medical ninja, into such a powerhouse, try to imagine how Madara is going to be.
Lastly, the jinchuriki. I hated how everybody always want to keep first Naruto during the Pain arc, and later Naruto and B during the war, away from the action, with only Tsunade arguing that they should be allowed to fight. And io and behold, both times Tsunade is proven right! And I hated so much how they had BREAK OUT of the island, and then face the Raikage. So that's why I came up with what I believe is a more sensible solution: Naruto and Fu will go into hiding alongside B, and begin to train to master their Tailed Beast power, and once they do that, they'll be sent to the frontlines.
Thanks a lot to Ookami88 for betareading this chapter.
This note is getting too long, so I better end it here. So, what did you think about this chapter, and what was revealed on it? Tell me your thoughts in a review! Reviews make me really, really, really happy!