Sasuke was unconvinced by Obito's words.
He believed he understood Naruto very well.
Naruto was overly passionate by nature, and at his core, he was kind.
No matter how terrifying Naruto might appear, how terrifying could he really become?
…The Ninja World.
Naruto's Ninja World.
Rōran Ruins.
Zetsu had been waiting here for a long time.
This time, Obito did not return immediately after leaving.
That alone gave Zetsu an ominous premonition.
Sensing danger, it concealed itself.
And then—
An overwhelming chakra descended from the sky.
That chakra… belonged to Uzumaki Naruto!
Zetsu's expression twisted.
With Naruto guarding the Dragon Vein, Obito was as good as dead.
If it still wanted to continue the plan to revive its mother, it might have to wait many more years.
Sigh… Is this really the only option?
Zetsu quietly retreated, careful not to attract Naruto's attention.
High in the sky.
Naruto floated silently, his azure-blue eyes locked onto the Dragon Vein below.
After deciding to kill Obito, Naruto had begun searching for his traces throughout the Ninja World.
Now, only the Dragon Vein remained unexplored.
Did Obito come here as well?
The thought startled Naruto—but he quickly calmed himself.
Because he had realized something important.
No matter how history changed, what was happening now was a fact—and facts could not be altered.
So even if Obito killed his past self, it would only be a version of him in a parallel timeline.
It would not affect the Naruto of this world.
Naruto sensed both Zetsu's and Obito's chakra lingering here.
He decided to wait.
Three full days and nights passed.
On the fourth day, the blazing sun rose high into the sky.
Yellow sand surged through the air as violent winds swept across the ruins.
The Dragon Vein's chakra suddenly began to erupt.
Naruto, who had been guarding it all this time, narrowed his eyes as his senses sharpened.
They're here.
Two figures were transported out by the Dragon Vein—appearing directly beneath Naruto.
Without hesitation, Naruto dove down.
Obito had barely finished materializing when a sharp pain tore through his chest.
Puff!
Sizzle—
Naruto, crackling with lightning, stood before him.
His arm had pierced straight through Obito's chest.
Naruto ripped out Obito's heart.
"Y–You…?"
Obito felt his vision blur as consciousness slipped away.
He couldn't activate any ninjutsu.
He couldn't even use secret techniques.
He was going to die—
Bang!
Naruto crushed the heart without the slightest hesitation.
"Tsk… to think you were hiding here. Truly troublesome."
Naruto stared impatiently at Obito's corpse, which twitched weakly on the ground.
The light faded from Obito's eyes.
In the final instant before death, regret flooded his heart.
Regret that he had never seen Rin in this timeline.
Only at the moment of death did Obito finally understand what he truly wanted.
The Ninja World?
War?
Did he really care about any of that?
No.
He didn't care at all.
He had always been cold-blooded—how could he genuinely care about such things?
The Eye of the Moon Plan… ending war forever?
No. No. No.
It was all because Rin no longer existed in the real world.
Ending war was nothing more than a convenient excuse.
Despair toward the Ninja World?
Perhaps.
Obito may have despaired of the world—but he never despaired of Rin.
And in this world, Rin hadn't died.
His resolve to carry out the Eye of the Moon Plan had vanished completely.
In truth, Obito had initiated everything for Rin alone.
All that talk about peace, love, and salvation in the original story—
It had all been nothing but self-deception.
"Perhaps… I really am just that kind of complicated person…"
Obito's eyes half-closed.
His life faded completely.
Beside the corpse, Naruto shook the blood from his hand and turned his gaze toward another person.
Another individual who had arrived in this world alongside Uchiha Obito.
Uchiha Sasuke.
A middle-aged version.
At this moment, the older Sasuke stared at Naruto in shock.
Looking at Naruto's expression—so cold it defied description—Sasuke felt a chill run down his spine.
Why?
Why had Naruto become like this?
"He… already—" Sasuke tried to warn him.
Naruto waved a hand dismissively. "We'll talk later."
Sasuke could only step aside, watching Naruto's unsettling actions.
Naruto pulled a kunai from his ninja pouch.
An ominous sealing mark was engraved on it.
A seal… meant for souls.
Sasuke was stunned.
Such a sinister power—appearing on Naruto?
Just who was the Naruto of this world?
Ignoring Sasuke's shock, Naruto sealed Obito's soul before it could enter the Pure Land.
Afterward, Naruto nodded in satisfaction.
"Madara's disciple, after all. His combat experience should be excellent. This is a big gain."
He returned the soul-sealing kunai to his pouch and turned to the middle-aged Sasuke.
"Isn't this Er Zhu Zi?" Naruto chuckled.
"Seeing you like this surprises me—but it's not unexpected."
Naruto himself was a transmigrator.
Seeing someone from a parallel universe didn't shock him much anymore.
Sasuke fell silent for a moment before speaking.
"Obito had already decided to repent."
Naruto shrugged, his tone indifferent.
"So what?"
Sasuke's eyes widened. "What?!"
This Naruto felt completely unfamiliar.
Danger.
Extreme danger.
His strength far exceeded Sasuke's understanding.
Seeing Sasuke's disbelief, Naruto calmly explained:
"Criminals may repent—but why should repentance exempt them from punishment?"
"If repentance alone erases guilt, then who delivers justice for the victims?"
Sasuke had no answer.
To Naruto, Obito was a criminal.
Even as a friend, Sasuke had no right to interfere.
"I need your help," Sasuke said directly.
"Are you interested in the Ōtsutsuki Clan?"
Naruto recalled the sequel he had watched before transmigrating.
After Shippuden, the Ninja World faced a new threat.
The Ōtsutsuki Clan.
"Tsk."
The Ninja World really was a magnet for disasters.
At that moment, the system—silent in Naruto's mind for a long time—finally activated.
[Ding—System Mission Released]
[Objective: Unify the Ninja World and prevent the Ōtsutsuki Clan invasion]
[Reward: Simulation Opportunities ×20]
Unify the Ninja World?
Prevent the Ōtsutsuki invasion?
Simple enough.
With Naruto's current strength, unifying the Ninja World wouldn't be difficult.
As for preventing the Ōtsutsuki—
Just set up enough countermeasures.
Mission complete.
Though twenty simulation opportunities weren't easy to earn—
They weren't impossible either.
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