But things were different now.
In this room, Obito was the apex predator.
He couldn’t tap into his full chakra reserves, but his mastery of Kamui was absolute.
In the future timeline, he had manipulated the entire world and fought the Five Kage to a standstill using this exact ocular jutsu.
The fact that the Third Raikage—a man celebrated for his peerless speed and impenetrable defense—couldn’t even lay a finger on him was a terrifying psychological blow.
Obito had successfully intimidated the old bull.
He pressed his advantage.
“Naruto burned his own life to give the ninja world a second chance,” Obito said, his voice dropping to a lethal whisper.
“And you want to squander that chance for your own selfish pride.
Even if you win this pathetic border war, even if you conquer the Fire Country and unify the continent…
so what?
When the Otsutsuki arrive, you and your entire empire will just be fertilizer for the Divine Tree!”
Obito took a slow step forward.
“If humanity wants to survive, the Third Shinobi World War ends today.
If the slaughter continues, the hatred will rot this world from the inside out, and everything your son future self and the Allied Forces bled for will be completely worthless.”
He locked his Mangekyou Sharingan onto the Raikage.
“Therefore, I am going to stop you.
I will not let Naruto’s sacrifice mean nothing.
If you insist on marching your troops into the meat grinder, I will rip your head off right now.”
Obito meant every word.
He already carried the sins of the Fourth Shinobi World War; assassinating the Third Raikage to save the timeline was a completely acceptable tactical trade.
Pure, unfiltered killing intent flooded the room.
Obito focused his right eye.
The air around the Third Raikage’s head suddenly screamed.
The spatial fabric twisted and warped, spiraling inward.
The Third Raikage gasped.
The atmospheric pressure around his skull spiked exponentially.
It felt like his head was caught in an invisible, crushing vice.
He tried to surge his Lightning Chakra to break free, but his body was completely paralyzed by the spatial distortion.
Panic finally fractured his hardened expression.
A roared, surging forward to save his father.
Kakashi instantly stepped into his path, blocking the future Raikage.
A bared his teeth, but his ingrained trust in his wartime comrade overrode his panic.
He forced himself to hold his ground.
Obito had played the ruthless, unhinged warlord perfectly.
Minato knew his cue.
It was time to play the diplomat.
Minato stepped forward and placed a firm hand on his student’s shoulder.
“Stand down, Obito.
We did not come here to execute a Kage.”
Obito held the spatial lock for one agonizing second longer, then blinked.
The Mangekyou pattern deactivated, reverting to standard black eyes.
The Kamui vortex instantly vanished.
The Third Raikage slumped back in his chair, sucking in greedy, ragged gasps of air.
The moment his lungs recovered, sheer, explosive rage flooded his veins.
He braced his arms against the desk to launch himself at the Uchiha, but the phantom sensation of his skull nearly imploding forced him to freeze.
He couldn’t counter the spatial jutsu.
He ground his teeth and remained in his seat.
Minato stepped into the center of the room.
“We are here because we want to forge a lasting peace, Lord Third.
We want to change the fate of this world together.”
Minato held the old man’s furious gaze.
“As Obito said, the enemies waiting in the dark are apocalyptic.
They possess strength that defies human comprehension.
They view us as nothing more than cattle to be harvested.
You may be content to die in ignorance, but I refuse to let my family be slaughtered.”
Minato’s voice softened slightly.
“Like you, I did not live to see the end of the future war.
I only know what my son showed me.
I have never stood face-to-face with a god who can vaporize a nation with a single gesture.
But I believe in my son.
And the more I spoke with the veterans who did survive the war—including your own son—the more I understood.”
Minato gestured to A.
“The veterans aren’t paralyzed by the Otsutsuki threat.
They already faced their darkest nightmares during the Fourth War, and they survived.
They believe they can win.
As parents, as leaders, as Kage…
it is our duty to stand behind them.
We cannot force our children to fight each other in the dirt when the sky is falling.”
The Third Raikage didn’t respond to Minato.
Instead, he slowly turned his head to look at his son.
A stood near the door, his massive frame tense with anxiety, his eyes pleading.
The Raikage’s hardened features finally cracked.
A sliver of profound exhaustion seeped into his eyes.
“Tell me the truth, A,” the old man rasped.
“Is everything they are saying real?
Are these enemies truly that powerful?”
A swallowed hard.
He gave a heavy, definitive nod.
He knew the admission would shatter his father’s worldview.
The Third Raikage had always believed himself to be the pinnacle of martial strength.
To realize he was nothing more than an insect compared to the true threats of the universe was a devastating blow to his pride.
But A knew it was the only way.
“The enemy is beyond our imagination, Father.
If we don’t unify the Five Great Nations right now, we are all going to die.
We have to end this war.”
The Third Raikage’s expression darkened.
He slumped further into his heavy chair, staring blankly at the ruined floorboards.
“Has the situation truly gotten this severe?” he muttered to himself.
No one answered.
The truth hung heavy in the air.
The office descended into absolute silence.
For twenty long minutes, the only sound was the distant wind howling through the mountain peaks of Kumogakure.
Finally, the Third Raikage exhaled a long, heavy breath.
He looked up, his eyes locking onto his son.
“I will issue the retreat orders,” the Third Raikage commanded, his voice regaining its iron authority.
“I will personally explain the tactical withdrawal to the Lightning Daimyo.
And then…
I will formally resign to take full responsibility for the diplomatic fallout.
I will submit your name to the council as my successor.”
“Father, no!” A stepped forward, his eyes wide.
“You don’t have to step down!
We can find another way to—”
The Third Raikage raised a hand, instantly silencing his son.
“This is the only viable political maneuver.
If I remain Raikage, the Sand Village will never accept a peace treaty.
I ordered the invasion.
I started this bloodshed.
I must be the one to pay the political price.”
A opened his mouth to argue, but the words died in his throat.
He clenched his fists, letting out a frustrated sigh.
His father was right.
It was a flawless geopolitical sacrifice.
Minato caught Kakashi’s eye and gave a subtle nod.
Kakashi stepped out from the wall.
“There is one final logistical matter, Lord Third.
I am formally requesting permission to remain stationed in Kumogakure.”
The Third Raikage raised an eyebrow.
“I wish to engage in a cross-village training exchange,” Kakashi explained smoothly.
“I want to study the Lightning Release Chakra Mode alongside you and A.”
The Third Raikage and A exchanged a long, assessing look.
A nodded.
“Request approved, Kakashi.
Frankly, there are several advanced Konoha jutsu theories I intend to pick your brain about.”
A understood Kakashi’s underlying strategy.
In the future, Konoha and Kumo had shared deep military ties.
If the Five Great Nations were going to survive the Otsutsuki, hoarding secret techniques was strategic suicide.
They needed to cross-train their elite forces.
Accepting Kakashi as a guest instructor/student was the first step toward a global, unified military doctrine.
“Then our business here is concluded,” Minato said, offering a respectful bow.
“Kakashi is in your care.
We will establish a secure communications channel soon.”
“Understood,” A replied.
“Before you deploy, what is Konoha’s strategy regarding the Sand and the Mist?”
“I have already instructed the Third Hokage to formally summon Rasa and the Sand Council to Konoha under the guise of an alliance summit,” Minato answered.
“I will handle the diplomatic transition there.
As for the Hidden Mist…”
“I will handle the Mist,” Obito interrupted.
The entire room went dead silent.
Everyone stared at the Uchiha.
“I am going to infiltrate Kirigakure,” Obito stated coldly.
“I have a personal matter to settle with Madara Uchiha.”
A collective wave of dread washed over the room.
Everyone present knew the terrifying truth: the legendary Ghost of the Uchiha was currently hiding in the shadows, secretly manipulating the Mizukage.
Any attempt to pacify the Mist Village meant crossing paths with Madara.
Very few Kage in human history possessed the sheer, suicidal courage required to face Madara Uchiha in single combat.
Even though the intelligence indicated Madara was currently a frail, dying old man attached to the Demonic Statue, his reputation was absolute.
If Madara and Kaguya fought at their respective peaks, many of the war veterans privately believed Madara’s peerless combat IQ would grant him the victory.
To challenge the ghost alone was madness.
Even Minato, with his newly acquired Eight Inner Gates and refined Sage Mode, believed a solo assassination attempt on Madara was a catastrophic tactical error.
“Absolutely not,” Rin snapped.
She stepped forward, her brown eyes blazing with furious protectiveness.
“It is a suicide mission!
He is a madman.
One misstep and he will kill you!”
Obito blinked, completely caught off guard.
A small, genuine smile finally broke through his hardened facade.
“Are you worried about me, Rin?”
A furious blush exploded across Rin’s cheeks, but she didn’t back down.
She planted her hands on her hips.
“You said you wanted to become Hokage!
You said you wanted to save this world!
You said you were going to atone!
So why are you running straight into a meat grinder?
Madara is the reason you turned into a monster in the future timeline!
Why don’t we just let the old bastard rot in his cave?”
Rin gestured wildly.
“If he’s really a threat, we can mobilize an entire battalion!
We can track his cave, surround it with barrier ninjutsu, and just wait!
You said he was on life support!
If we just blockade his cave, he’ll die of old age!
Why are you risking your life to see him?!”