Naruto: The Tale of an Otsutsuki

"Everyone in the Allied Shinobi Forces, this is Shikaku Nara speaking.

"Hokage-sama and Raikage-sama, our commanders-in-chief, have already joined Tsuchikage-sama and Mizukage-sama on the battlefield to intercept the masked man and several reanimated Jinchuriki in the northeast of the Land of Fire.

"Now that the caster of the Impure World Reincarnation has been defeated by the Reconnaissance Team, the technique has been undone.

"All available units, proceed to the Five Kage's battlefield and lend your support. Let's end this war in one decisive blow. The coordinates for the battlefield are..."

As Shikaku relayed the orders through Inoichi's communication jutsu, Kirito listened silently, processing the state of the battlefield.

Since he had managed to undo Kabuto Yakushi's Impure World Reincarnation only half a day after the war began, the casualties among the Allied Forces were far less severe than in the original timeline. The battle against the White Zetsu Army had also swung in their favor, allowing manpower to be spared to support the Five Kage.

If this continues, the war might really end by tomorrow, Kirito thought.

With Madara Uchiha forcibly sealed and Obito's Kamui rendered useless, Kirito doubted the war could develop the same way as it had originally. He wondered whether Kaguya Otsutsuki would still appear under these circumstances.

Looking out the window at the dimming sky, Kirito recalled the Great Toad Sage's prophecy, which had foretold Kaguya's resurrection.

Whether she revives or not, I've already made my decision, Kirito mused. If Kaguya doesn't appear, I'll eliminate Black Zetsu immediately and erase the threat for good.

Initially, he had been interested in Kaguya's resurrection out of greed for the power of the Sage of Six Paths. But after acquiring Kabuto's research and Orochimaru's notes, he had found a new direction for his research—and a new way to entertain himself.

After completing his broadcast to the Allied Forces, Shikaku turned to Kirito.

"Kirito, based on Kankuro's report, you fought the real Madara Uchiha?"

"Yes," Kirito replied calmly. "He was the trump card Kabuto prepared for himself. But he wasn't my opponent."

"As I thought..." Shikaku said, frowning thoughtfully. "That means the masked man claiming to be Madara isn't him. But why use Madara's name to orchestrate the Akatsuki's plans? Could Madara have originally been involved with them?"

Shikaku paused before asking, "From your fight, did you learn anything about their relationship?"

"Madara did mention a few things," Kirito replied. "It's clear that he was the mastermind behind the Akatsuki at some point, and the masked man was originally just a pawn. However, it seems the masked man isn't fully loyal to Madara anymore. Their goals don't align."

"I see..." Shikaku murmured, lost in thought.

After the masked man first appeared, Tsunade had tasked Shikaku with researching the Uchiha Clan records for any clues. Since the masked man clearly possessed the Sharingan, Konoha's leadership had speculated that he might be an Uchiha survivor from outside the village.

Ultimately, the search yielded nothing. Some had even suggested he might be Madara's descendant, but those theories were dismissed by the older generation, including Koharu and Homura.

"What are your next plans?" Shikaku asked.

"I'm heading to support Tsunade-sama and the other Kage," Kirito replied without hesitation.

"Good. With you on their side, this war will end soon." Shikaku nodded confidently.

The descriptions of Madara's overwhelming strength had already been relayed by Kankuro and Inoichi. It was precisely because of that threat that Tsunade and Raikage had gone to intercept the masked man early. With Kirito joining the fray, Shikaku was sure the battle would tip in their favor.

Mabui, standing beside Shikaku, added, "Time is of the essence, Kirito. Please assist the Five Kage as quickly as possible. The longer this drags on, the more casualties we'll suffer across all battlefields."

"The growing casualties were also a major reason for Tsunade-sama and the others to leave early," Shikaku echoed. "Ending the war quickly will minimize further losses."

Kirito nodded. "I'll go immediately."

With that, he turned and exited the command center.

The wind howled around Kirito as he sped through the dense forests of the Land of Fire, his footsteps barely touching the ground.

This place really is nothing but forests, Kirito thought dryly, leaping over the thick, damp foliage. Especially around Konoha. Trees everywhere.

His mind drifted to the Five Kage's battle.

I stopped Madara and sealed Obito's Kamui. Tsunade and the others shouldn't be losing.

Kirito paused suddenly, stopping on a patch of wet grass. He raised his hand, and an irregularly shaped space-time portal opened before him.

On the other side stood his wood clone, left behind in Kamui's dimension.

The clone waved lazily. "Hey. Don't I need to stay here?"

"No, I just wanted to check in on you," the real Kirito replied. "Any interesting developments?"

The clone shrugged. "Not much. He tried sending a few people in to deal with me, but I wiped them out. Even Konan popped in briefly, but she ran too fast for me to catch her."

The clone smirked before adding, "Honestly, you should help me deal with Kakashi sometime. That guy keeps using Kamui to dump random junk in here—exploding bubbles, lava, Susanoo arrows... It's like he's turned this place into a trash heap. I'm starting to feel bad for Obito. Imagine trying to reminisce about Rin quietly, only for random junk to drop from the sky. If I wasn't paying attention, I'd have been blown to bits!"

Kirito chuckled softly, amused by his clone's complaints. He knew himself well enough to understand the clone was probably just bored. Still, one comment caught his attention.

"Wait," Kirito said, narrowing his eyes. "You said Kakashi dumped a Susanoo arrow in here?"

(End of Chapter)