"Faster—we need to move faster."
"The battle between Akatsuki and Uchiha Obito has already begun. We must get there before it ends. We can't let the situation spiral further out of control."
Allied Shinobi Forces Headquarters.
Shikaku Nara, acting as the strategist for the Allied Forces, was relaying orders through Yamanaka Inoichi's Mind Transmission Technique to all divisions.
"Why not just let them fight it out?"
"Wouldn't it be better if they exhausted each other before we stepped in? We'd lose fewer people and maybe win the war easier."
It was a natural thought. Some ninja hoped the enemy would weaken themselves.
"We can't think that way."
Shikaku was forced to lay out the brutal truth:
"For both sides, this battle is about gaining control of the Ten Tails. That creature is a devastating weapon of war. No matter which side wins, if they take the Ten Tails, we'll face a far greater threat than before."
Of course...
There were things Shikaku wasn't saying out loud.
In his judgment, if the Ten Tails were to fall into the hands of Akatsuki—under Uchiha Madara and Lord Shigen—it would be an even greater disaster. Those two would become truly unstoppable.
Ideally, the Allied Forces would form a silent, temporary understanding with Uchiha Obito, working together to eliminate Shigen and Madara, their shared and most dangerous enemies.
That way...
The war might actually be survivable.
Besides, the Allied Forces had a trump card: Hatake Kakashi, a ninja uniquely suited to counter Obito. With the intel they had on Kamui, Shikaku had already drafted several combat strategies that could exploit it.
"Command, this is the advance unit—we've reached the outer edge of the battlefield."
High above, riding a strange ink bird, Sai from the Konoha ANBU had arrived with a reconnaissance team and was reporting in.
"We've... seen the Ten Tails."
Sai's normally pale complexion looked even more ghostly. He spoke in a flat, emotionless tone, but the gravity of his words was clear.
"What else?"
Shikaku pressed immediately, needing information on three figures:
"Have you seen Uchiha Madara? Lord Shigen? Uchiha Obito? Are they fighting? What's the current situation?"
"It's... strange."
Kankurō, the elder brother of Gaara, spoke up beside Sai:
"Something's off. It looks like both sides are in a standoff. No one's making a move right now."
"But from what we can see..."
Kankurō looked out at a crater the size of a town:
"There was definitely a major clash earlier. Looks like a huge explosion. No idea what caused it."
"That aligns with what we suspected."
Shikaku nodded back at HQ.
"Our sensory team also picked up a massive surge of chakra. Other scouts confirmed a shockwave reaching even their position."
"Stay put. Keep watch and keep relaying intel. Wait for the main force."
He knew the recon team wouldn't change the tide of battle—but real-time intelligence might.
"Understood."
Sai and Kankurō responded in unison.
Unfortunately...
Their presence hadn't gone unnoticed.
Both Obito's camp and Akatsuki quickly picked up their trail, but none seemed concerned.
"Just a few ants..."
Madara didn't even look their way. He was busy trying to activate a control talisman on Obito—but got no response.
"My seal has been blocked..."
Madara frowned.
"Probably Orochimaru's curse mark," Shigen murmured, eyes closed but calmly analyzing Obito's chakra.
"He's layered in it."
That mark...
Might be Obito's doom.
"Obito."
Orochimaru suddenly appeared beside him, aware that trying to use the Ten Tails against Shigen was getting them nowhere.
"How long until you become its jinchūriki?"
"It still needs to evolve."
Obito deflected, glancing at his own chest—hiding a secret from Orochimaru.
No...
Not entirely hidden.
In Obito's heart, Madara had embedded a control seal at his death, preventing him from taking his own life—and allowing Madara to override him at any moment.
Meanwhile...
Orochimaru had placed his own curse mark on Obito's body, meant to counter Madara's control—but it could also be used to take Obito's body.
A precarious balance.
If Madara tried to control him, Obito could invoke Orochimaru's curse to resist—but that might let Orochimaru take over instead.
If Orochimaru tried to take his body, the internal seal would react—and Madara would gain control.
Obito was caught between two masters, and neither could be trusted.
To become the Ten Tails' jinchūriki, both curses had to go.
But he couldn't let Orochimaru know that.
Still, it wasn't a lie—the Ten Tails did need more evolution. After all, it was incomplete, missing much of the Nine Tails' chakra.
"It's still evolving?"
Orochimaru frowned. He only had Obito's word to rely on.
"How, exactly?"
"It reacts to threat and pressure."
Obito gazed down at the Ten Tails, one eye purple with the Rinnegan, the other red with tomoe—a terrifying dual gaze.
"The more danger it senses, the more it evolves."
Just as Obito continued to stall, a black vortex opened behind him—
And a hand reached silently for his back.
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Powerstones?
For 20 advance Chapters: /michaeltranslates