Naruto: Fire-Release system

Chapter 149: The Akatsuki Appear, and Obito's Identity is Revealed!

"Finally, the Fourth Great Ninja War is about to begin!"

"It's been a long wait!"

Standing atop the towering structures of Amegakure, Uchiha Yi gazed into the distance, a faint smirk playing on his lips as he spoke to himself.

"Yi, is there anything we should do?"

Nagato and Konan approached him from behind, their expressions filled with a sense of duty.

"The Akatsuki and the Five Great Nations are about to clash. The shinobi world will soon be plunged into chaos."

"This is the perfect opportunity for us to expand Amegakure's territory and accept refugees from other lands."

"Your role will be to ensure the peace and stability of Amegakure during this period."

Uchiha Yi's tone was calm but carried a weight of authority.

Though Amegakure would not directly involve itself in the impending war, that didn't mean it would remain idle. Uchiha Yi's ultimate goal was to unify the shinobi world. For that, Amegakure had to grow stronger—both in land and population.

Otherwise, even with his immense power, ruling a fragmented world without proper governance would be a hollow victory.

The village had technology and an army of Transformers, but they weren't human. Despite their intelligence, they lacked the nuance to truly govern from a human perspective.

"Understood!"

Nagato and Konan nodded in unison, though their expressions remained serious.

"But, Yi, you must also be careful," Konan added.

"Don't worry," Uchiha Yi said with a faint smile. "There aren't many people in this world who can threaten me now."

"The situation in the shinobi world is already set in motion. I'll retrieve Kakuzu and the others before things spiral out of control. Losing them unnecessarily would be a shame."

With that, Uchiha Yi activated his space-time ninjutsu, vanishing into the flames of his fire-space.

---

Back in Konoha, Minato's plan to disguise himself as Naruto and serve as bait was proceeding smoothly.

Accompanied by Jiraiya, Minato—dressed and acting like Naruto—took on missions, purposefully making himself visible. They moved from one location to another, seemingly unaware of the tension gripping the shinobi world.

The ruse wasn't particularly subtle, and anyone aware of the circumstances might suspect something. Yet, the Akatsuki didn't seem to care.

Obito, leading the Akatsuki, boldly appeared with his full roster before Jiraiya and "Naruto."

"So you've finally come," Minato said with a hint of relief.

For someone of Minato's intellect, playing the role of a simple and brash Naruto had been a challenge. But his performance had been convincing enough to lure the Akatsuki into action.

Now that the Akatsuki had fallen into the trap, there was no longer a need for pretenses.

The moment Obito and his group appeared, Minato activated the Flying Raijin mark left on him by Tobirama, signaling his allies.

Within moments, several powerful figures arrived at the scene: the Five Kage, Tobirama Senju, Hashirama Senju, Mito Uzumaki, Sakumo Hatake, and several of Konoha's strongest shinobi—summoned through Orochimaru's Edo Tensei.

Originally, Orochimaru had planned to summon the previous Kage of other villages as well. However, Hashirama strongly opposed this idea, pointing out that it could provoke unnecessary conflicts and potentially derail the alliance between the Five Great Nations.

Although Hashirama often came across as carefree, he was by no means ignorant of politics. Orochimaru ultimately relented, limiting his summons to Konoha's deceased heroes.

---

"You're not Uchiha Madara," Hashirama said immediately upon seeing Obito.

Having known Madara intimately, Hashirama dismissed Obito's claim to the name with certainty.

"Who I am doesn't matter," Obito retorted with a cold smile. "What matters is that the shinobi world will—"

Before Obito could finish his sentence, Kakashi stepped forward, his gaze fixed on Obito's masked figure.

"It's you, isn't it, Obito?" Kakashi's voice trembled slightly, but it carried resolve.

"If I was the one who pushed you into darkness, then let me be the one to end it."

The moment Kakashi spoke, the tension in the air shifted.

Hearing his name, Obito's mask of indifference cracked. He couldn't suppress the manic laughter that burst forth.

"Ha! Kakashi, even now, you're still so naïve!"

"This world doesn't need salvation. It needs to be destroyed and rebuilt!"

His laughter echoed across the battlefield, but his words carried a chilling finality.

"Obito…" Minato whispered, his voice tinged with sorrow.

The realization struck him like a thunderbolt: the disciple he had once guided, the boy who had been so kind-hearted, had become the architect of so much pain and destruction.

Memories of the Nine-Tails' attack on Konoha flooded Minato's mind. The mysterious masked man he had fought that night—whose identity had remained a mystery until now—had been Obito all along.

Minato's heart grew heavy with guilt. Had he failed as a teacher? Could he have prevented Obito's descent into darkness?

---

Obito, however, had no patience for their pity or attempts to understand him.

"Enough talk," he declared.

"This is war. Anyone who stands in my way will be cut down!"

With a wave of his hand, Obito signaled the start of the battle. The forces of the Akatsuki sprang into action, and the Fourth Great Ninja War began in earnest.

---

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