"This... Sasuke-san, is this the Uchiha Madara you talked about before?"
Sasuke averted his gaze, refusing to watch.
At that moment, Boruto kept piling on:
"Sasuke-san, little Sasuke used to dance so happily… Turns out the real problem was the mask!"
Sasuke buried his face in his hands, unable to bear it.
"Let's go back."
"Aw, c'mon Sasuke-san! This Konoha is hilarious~!"
Meanwhile, on the stage...
Senju Hashirama had gone completely mad.
Konohamaru, clearly affected by the madness, joined Boruto in mercilessly teasing Madara.
There were chants, chants everywhere.
"Dance, King of Dance! Anyone who doesn't join is a coward!"
Madara stood motionless, hand over his face just like Sasuke. In his mind, he imagined the aftermath: one Hashirama taken out with a single slash, one Sasuke booted off the stage with a single kick.
"Madara-sama is a liar~!"
"Huh?"
A little girl stomped her foot angrily. "Madara-sama promised he'd dance with me!"
"Hmph! I'm telling everyone—Madara-sama is the best liar in the world!"
"W-Wait!"
Madara's expression twitched violently, but he still managed a grin more twisted than a grimace.
Taking the little girl's hand, he began to move awkwardly, like a puppet on strings.
Snap!
Hashirama grabbed them both and dragged them to the center of the stage.
"Tell me!"
"Who is the true Dance King of Konoha?!"
He somehow pulled a microphone out of nowhere and roared into it.
The audience—mostly elderly folks—shouted in unison:
"Lord Hashirama~!"
Hashirama immediately leapt back and began forming hand seals.
"Wood Release: Dance of True Thousand Hands!"
Boom! Boom!
A miniature version of the Thousand-Armed Statue rose from the ground.
Madara froze, then slowly began to smile, a fire igniting in his eyes.
"I've been waiting for this moment... Come!"
Uchiha Madara opened his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
Susanoo appeared.
In an instant, brilliant chakra illuminated him like a superstar.
He looked down on the stage, his gaze falling on the masked Sasuke.
"Come here, you little flea!"
No one expected it—Sasuke, who had been provoking Madara relentlessly, instantly knelt the moment Susanoo was activated.
"I'm sorry, Madara-sama! I, Uchiha Sasuke, acknowledge you as the strongest!"
Madara's brows furrowed deeply, creasing into the shape of 川.
Something's wrong! Something is very wrong!
The little girl and a crowd of children stared at him with sparkling eyes.
"Madara-sama~!"
For a brief moment, Madara's popularity even surpassed Hashirama's.
Hashirama sneered. "Now this gets my blood pumping!"
Madara laughed—loud, unrestrained—finally shedding all pretense.
But the laughter stopped the next moment.
"Thousand Arms of Dance—complete with flowery hand gestures!"
Madara still had a smile on his face, but he couldn't bring himself to laugh anymore.
He stared at the countless waving wooden hands in front of him.
They were moving. Not frozen. Moving.
"Go, Madara-sama~!"
"C'mon Madara-sama~!"
"…..."
Worse still, after Hashirama finished his display, the crowd demanded that Madara perform one too.
"Yoooooo~!!!"
"So cool!"
"The First Hokage... and his eternal rival, the Ninja World's legendary Shura—Uchiha Madara!"
"A youthful showdown between eternal rivals!"
Might Guy's voice boomed across the stage.
A green blur streaked onto the scene.
The green-skinned little acorn made his dazzling debut!
"Wood Release Technique: Currently... unnamed!"
Hashirama beamed as he saw Might Guy arrive, clapping his hands and flooding the stage with chakra.
This was the dance of youth they'd rehearsed!
Boom! Boom!
A massive wooden bath emerged on stage.
"Who's fixing the dam after this?"
Kisame appeared from the sidelines.
Once the bath filled with water, Might Guy made his move.
"Eight Gates Technique—Sixth Gate, Gate of View... OPEN!"
Flames erupted around him.
Hashirama smirked. This was his trump card—his special guest performer.
But the show wasn't over yet...
Next up: Sasori.
Already warming up backstage, testing his new armor joints.
Whoosh—
Might Guy appeared above the bath like a missile.
"So fast!"
Madara narrowed his eyes, sensing the momentum shift.
He bent slightly, feeling a flicker of hope.
Kisame clapped his hands, chakra bursting forth.
Waves rippled across the water.
Hashirama tossed out a wooden plank—right under Guy's feet.
Guy began surfing.
"Youth!!"
"The battle is settled!"
"Towards the Peacock!!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Might Guy unleashed a flurry of fiery punches into the air.
Madara threw his hands forward. "Bring it on!"
But the peacock burst toward the sky—high, majestic.
Its fiery trail lit the night...
And extinguished the last flicker of hope in Madara's heart.
His bent waist finally snapped.
At that moment, Might Guy's body was ablaze, his Eight Gates technique roaring like wildfire. Across from him, Kisame growled, summoning a massive tidal wave.
A flaming Guy charged straight into it, surfing through like a conquering hero.
"Humph! Art is puppetry!"
Sasori could no longer hold back his excitement.
Fwoosh—!
The exhaust behind him flared, signaling the activation of his puppet mechanisms.
"You idiot! Art is an explosion!!"
Deidara stormed onto the scene.
From the mouths on his palms, swarms of tiny white clay butterflies erupted.
With a dramatic flourish, he flung them skyward.
Boom!
One after another, the butterflies exploded like fireworks, scattering glowing stars across the sky.
"My appearance fee is high. Even Lord Hashirama couldn't afford me. I only came because Kurotsuchi wanted to see me," Deidara quipped casually.
Sasori nearly coughed up a lung from frustration.
No one noticed Might Guy floating unconscious on the water's surface, frothing at the mouth.
Even Uchiha Madara, the man of stone, subtly wiped a tear from the corner of his eye.
Sasuke had long fled the scene after sensing things going off the rails.
Boruto stood frozen.
So many legendary shinobi had gathered—and he barely recognized any of them.
But without exception, each one shattered his understanding of power.
Especially Might Guy's Morning Peacock and Deidara's starry sky of explosive butterflies.
The scale, the spectacle—it was beyond anything in his world.
When Madara activated his full-body Susanoo, Boruto couldn't help but want to join in.
In his world, such battles would be unthinkable.
Security? Gone.
Common sense? Gone.
And above all—this world was flammable.
At that moment, high above Konoha.
Naruto and Kaguya Ōtsutsuki descended from the sky.
From a distance, the full form of Susanoo was clearly visible in the square below.
Naruto glanced toward the dark border in the distance but chose to ignore it.
Inside Konoha's barrier control room.
The sensor-nin stiffened. "Lord Shikaku, I sensed a breach!"
Nara Shikaku smirked. "Perfect. Order all border shinobi to fall back. Let them in—we'll capture them all at once."
Not long after, Naruto brought Kaguya home.
Boom! Boom!
A massive crab crashed into the yard.
The women rushed out and gasped in unison.
"Crab tonight?"
"It's huge... Where did this come from?"
But Kushina's focus was elsewhere.
She looked up, scanning the sky for Naruto—and found him.
Her eyes narrowed when she saw the woman beside him.
White. Extremely white. Even her eyes.
And those petite red lips—she was stunning.
Kushina coughed pointedly and told the others to prepare the crab.
She shot Naruto a look before turning inside.
When Naruto and Kaguya entered the living room, Kushina had already made tea.
She approached Naruto immediately, checking him for injuries—then turned her gaze to Kaguya, who was clinging to his arm.
"And this is...?"
"I am the goddess of Mao. When you see me, why don't you—"
"This is my mom, Uzumaki Kushina," Naruto interrupted.
Kaguya faltered.
Kushina's eyes widened. She grabbed Kaguya for a closer look, her tone a mix of wonder and suspicion.
"The Rabbit Goddess... Kaguya Ōtsutsuki?"
Kaguya tensed but nodded.
"The ancestor of chakra... the Ten-Tails' Jinchūriki... wow!"
Kushina's words tumbled out in excitement.
"Wait, Naruto—this woman is your—wait, you—!"
"What's going on?" Tsunade walked in with Shizune, attracted by the commotion.
"Ah?! Kaguya Ōtsutsuki?!"
Two more mouths gaped in disbelief.
Tonton squealed and leapt away.
Yuhi Kurenai, Anko, and Yugao entered soon after.
"Ah?!"
As if on cue, the entire crew had assembled.
Kaguya tried to maintain her calm, but the attention was overwhelming.
Naturally, Naruto was roped into prepping dinner.
After a while, Kushina finally coaxed Kaguya outside.
The girls crowded around her, firing off questions.
Kaguya's eyes shimmered—she had cried a little.
It seemed someone had brought up the topic of "filial piety."
Rin followed behind, glancing at Kaguya's face, deep in thought.
'It's fine... I'm just an aunt…'
But then she remembered her old teammates.
Kakashi was doing fine now—he had Karin and no longer had to run around cleaning up after Naruto with Might Guy.
Obito... Thinking of him sent shivers down her spine.
Would he still watch her even in death?
If resurrected, would he come back to stalk her?
She suddenly felt annoyed.
"Rin, what are you thinking about?"
"Yeah! Don't just stand there. This crab roe is amazing~"
"Yup! Goes great with sake—mmm~"
Yuhi Kurenai and Anko invited her for a drink.
"I—uh, I shouldn't—no, wait. I'm an aunt. I can drink."
Rin took a sip. Her face turned red instantly.
But her hands didn't stop.
Meanwhile, at the Konoha border.
Jiraiya exhaled deeply.
"Who's still not here?"
Fukasaku's eyes gleamed with grim resolve.
"All the survivors... have arrived."
Every former Konoha shinobi had gathered.
As for the elders?
Nara Shikaku took advantage of the darkness and had Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane captured.
"Sell them off to the daimyo. Let them live out their days in shame and regret."
Back in Konoha Square, the mood had grown rowdy.
Thunder cracked overhead, and heavy rain poured down.
The group rushed the food indoors.
Round two began.
The women, led by Tsunade, were already tipsy.
Kaguya took a sip of tea, but didn't use chakra to suppress the alcohol.
A blush appeared on her pale face, making her look even more ethereal.
The girls flocked around her, chatting nonstop.
The feeling was strange—but not unpleasant.
She had never experienced anything like it before.
And... she didn't hate it.
Hinata glanced outside. "Oh no… Do you think Teuchi-san can still make crab ramen in this weather?"
Elsewhere in the Shinobi World.
Obito slowly opened his eyes.
"It's time. We're going to Konoha."
Black Zetsu grinned. "I've prepared the Impure World Reincarnation."
Obito nodded slightly. "Jiraiya and the toads from Mount Myōboku are already there."
He stepped into Kamui space and vanished.
"Rin, you look down," Anko murmured, her cheeks flushed as she leaned on her.
"Don't get me started. I'm annoyed!" Rin's face was pink with drink.
"Hehe, let me tell you a secret... blah blah~"
"Come with us~ You won't feel lonely anymore~"
Kushina perked up her ears at the whispering.
She looked around—and realized Yuhi Kurenai and Yugao had mysteriously disappeared.
Ultimately, Kushina chose to turn a blind ear.
"Rin's words make sense. That child... He had a tough time growing up. He deserves happiness now. It's time he stopped living in the past."
High above Konoha, Obito appeared, carefully suppressing his chakra.
"Rin... this false world is about to end. I will—"
PS: I can't handle this... Let's end the chapter here.
…
…
…
Snap—
Obito's eyes widened, disbelief written across his face.
His body trembled as he took a step forward.
He raised his hands, Mangekyō Sharingan flaring to life.
At that moment, his killing intent became tangible—heavy enough to crush the air itself.
"I will kill you..."
"Damn Uzumaki... Naruto... Lord Hokage?"
"NO!!!"
In that instant, Obito felt what White Zetsu had once described—an overwhelming devotion to Naruto.
He shook his head violently, clawing at his own skin, desperate to tear something away.
But it was too late.
Black Zetsu, ever the lurking traitor, had already hijacked his body—replacing it with a second-stage White Zetsu clone.
Obito never thought the body he once abandoned so easily would now be this hard to escape from.
"Impossible... This is all wrong!"
"It's fake... It's all fake!"
"This world—no, Naruto—everything... is just..."
Suddenly, Obito's pupils contracted.
Tears streamed down his cheeks.
The corners of his mouth twitched upward involuntarily.
"Lord Hokage~"
That same warped voice he once heard from White Zetsu echoed again inside his head.
His mouth moved unconsciously, forming the word "Naru—"
"NO!!!"
Obito screamed silently.
He dropped to his knees, clutching his head as tears poured down his face.
But still, he bit down hard, forcing himself not to utter a single sound.
Eventually, he managed to calm himself—barely.
He looked up.
Boom! Boom!
Thunder crashed overhead, illuminating the room in white-blue flashes.
Scarlet blood oozed from the corners of his eyes, dripping into the shadows.
The rain continued to fall through the night.
Obito closed his eyes, letting it wash over his tormented face.
He didn't notice that, high above, a multitude of divine and ghostly forces began to descend upon him.
Unseen. Intangible.
He staggered away—limping toward the North Gate of Konoha.
He moved like a ghost, step by step.
"Go on."
"Hmm~"
"Aren't you even curious?"
"No~"
"You've been drinking, haven't you?"
"Auntie... what's wrong with a little sake?"
As every shinobi knows... Lightning Release: Kirin is best performed when it rains.
...
TN:
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