Sasuke glanced at Naruto, completely speechless.
"Huh?!"
Even Tobirama looked at Naruto with a trace of helplessness and said, "Don't add fuel to the fire at such a critical moment."
Seeing this scene, Kanon pointed at Naruto and let out a soft laugh.
"Don't laugh! Kanon!"
Surprisingly, when Naruto bellowed, Kanon actually choked back her laughter, almost like a subconscious reflex.
"You jerk," Kanon grumbled, glaring back at Naruto with annoyance.
Tobirama turned to Minato beside him and remarked, "You father and son are truly a pair of dunces."
"Even those two Uchiha brats can't bear to watch anymore."
"I'm sorry..." Minato apologized sheepishly.
Deep within his inner world, Naruto began to complain about the Nine-Tails withholding chakra from him.
"Kurama, give me a little more chakra already."
"Just endure it for now, and don't go into your Tailed Beast Mode!" the Nine-Tails shouted back.
"But he's not an opponent we can defeat easily!" Naruto countered.
"If you want to enter the full Tailed Beast Mode sooner, then wait a bit longer in your normal state."
Right at that moment, as his summoning time was about to expire, Gamakichi spat a glob of starch-like syrup toward Obito, who promptly blocked it using a Truth-Seeker Orb.
Tobirama instantly locked his eyes onto the toad from Mount Myoboku. Naruto and Kanon noticed it at the exact same time.
What Kanon recognized was a crucial fact that Konin had once explained to her: in this state, Senjutsu was effective against Obito.
Because Obito had actively chosen to block the attack, anyone with keen perception would immediately notice the anomaly.
Kanon's gaze swept across the four shinobi across the field. Minato's expression remained steady, while Sasuke showed absolutely no reaction, meaning he definitely hadn't noticed it.
However, the looks in Tobirama's and Naruto's eyes had completely shifted.
Did they realize it?! Kanon muttered to herself.
If so, she needed to get ready to intercept Naruto's assault. Naruto would undoubtedly strike using his Sage Mode.
Just then, Minato shouted toward Obito, "Obito, you clearly said before that you wanted to become the Hokage!"
"Why are you doing this?!"
"You're asking me why?!"
As Obito and Minato began to trade words, Kanon noticed that Naruto had already closed his eyes.
Sure enough, just as Kanon suspected, the guy had figured it out. Kanon knew that for someone like her, watching the attack just once would be enough to understand it instantly.
There was no way Naruto wouldn't understand either. It was precisely because Kanon knew Naruto so well that she knew he was no longer a loser. Kanon had acknowledged Naruto since they were children and deeply understood his battle instincts.
Kanon glanced over at Obito, who was still wasting time bickering with Minato. It seemed he hadn't noticed the vulnerability at all, leaving her as the only one to guard against it.
"Lecturing me now? Don't you think it's a bit too late, Sensei?"
"You were always too late when it mattered most."
"I used to be so proud that my sensei became the Hokage."
"That is exactly why I abandoned the dream of becoming the Hokage altogether."
Minato stared at Obito, his expression heavy with grim sorrow and guilt. If he had only recognized Obito during the Nine-Tails' attack years ago, perhaps he could have stopped all of this.
If he had, perhaps Kushina wouldn't have died, and perhaps he wouldn't have been forced to make Naruto the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails. Minato couldn't help but fall into deep self-reproach.
If only he had realized back then that the masked man was Obito, the entire shinobi world might not be facing this apocalyptic disaster.
Seeing Minato's guilt-ridden face, Obito spoke coldly, "As my sensei, you failed to recognize me."
"You were nothing special after all. How pathetic. You died a hero as the Hokage, only to completely disgrace yourself right in front of your son."
At that moment, Naruto's expression transformed. Tobirama noticed Naruto's shift and realized that the boy had already figured out the strategy.
Up above, Obito continued his mockery:
"That's right. A Hokage is nothing but a miserable joke compared to what I am now."
A Rasengan infused with senjutsu chakra suddenly manifested in Naruto's hand. He glared frostily at Obito and growled.
"A guy who could never even become the Hokage has no right to talk down on the Hokage!"
Obito, Sasuke, and Minato all shifted their gazes toward Naruto.
Tobirama instantly materialized behind Naruto, activating the Flying Raijin Technique to teleport him in a fraction of a second.
"And more importantly, you have no right... to talk down on my dad who actually became the Hokage!"
Watching this, tears seemed to well up in Minato's eyes.
BOOM!
In the blink of an eye, Naruto appeared directly above Obito. The incoming Rasengan instantly reminded Obito of Minato's classic Flying Raijin: Second Step from the past.
However, the moment Naruto and the Second Hokage flashed upward, they froze in their tracks.
Because Kanon was already there waiting for them!
A crimson, skeletal Susanoo ribcage materialized around Kanon. Although hairline fractures spiderwebbed across the armor, it successfully withstood the full force of Naruto's strike.
"So what if I talk down on him, and so what if I praise him? Sing songs of praise about his glorious deeds to a silent, rotting grave?"
"What meaning is there in any of that! Nothing is more important than being alive!"
With a savage swing, Kanon's Susanoo arm delivered a brutal punch, sending both Naruto and Tobirama hurtling backward through the air.
Tobirama's brow furrowed even deeper. Kanon had actually anticipated that he would use the Flying Raijin to assist Naruto's strike against Obito, allowing her to set up a counter-measure well in advance.
Watching the clash from the edge of the battlefield, Hinata knit her brows and marveled, "Kanon is incredible."
"What's wrong?" Sakura asked.
"She countered Naruto's Senjutsu..."
Minato looked toward Naruto, his face filled with astonishment. Even though the attack was thwarted by Kanon, he was shocked to find that Naruto had actually mastered the Senjutsu of Jiraiya-sensei.
At that moment, the Yin half of the Nine-Tails within Minato expressed its approval of Naruto. As entities sharing a fundamental link, the Yin and Yang halves of the Nine-Tails could naturally understand one another.
Thus, a mutual resonance formed between the two halves of the Nine-Tails, forging a deep spiritual connection between the father and son.
Tobirama used the Flying Raijin to pull Naruto back from the crater. During their retreat, Kurama passed on some vital tactical information to Naruto.
Obito looked at Kanon beside him, his admiration for her growing by the second. Even he hadn't noticed that the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki possessed such a specific vulnerability, yet Kanon had spotted it instantly.
Thank goodness Kanon had stepped in to counter them just now. Otherwise, that surprise attack would have cost him dearly.
Having become the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, Obito found himself completely unable to use Kamui while in this Six Paths Mode, yet his muscle memory still relied heavily on the technique.
With an irritated expression, Obito glared at Naruto in the distance.
"Damn it..."
Naruto and Tobirama regrouped beside Sasuke and Minato.
"The Sage's moves work, but Kanon can use them too," Naruto muttered, scratching his head.
"The power of a Sage..." Sasuke murmured. He was naturally familiar with Senjutsu. Back when they were still at Orochimaru's base, Kanon had offered to teach it to him without reservation, but Sasuke had refused.
At the time, his quest for revenge was about to begin, and he simply didn't have the luxury of time.
Naruto began explaining the mechanics to Sasuke. When he had used Sage Mode to sense the Ten-Tails earlier, he had felt the natural energy of the planet itself. Therefore, Naruto reasoned that they could use natural energy to combat an equivalent natural force.
Most importantly, Gamakichi's parting shot against Obito had been blocked by the Truth-Seeker Orb, which tipped Naruto off that senjutsu attacks might actually bypass his defenses.
Staring at the transformation taking place across his body, Naruto recalled Jiraiya's past teachings and his training days at Mount Myoboku. Finally, he stole a glance at Kanon across the field and gave a firm nod.
He felt incredibly fortunate that he had taken the time to master Senjutsu before, allowing him to truly shine on this battlefield now.
"Alright! Next up is Frog Kumite!"
Tobirama looked at Naruto, then shifted his gaze toward Kanon in the distance, sighing with genuine appreciation, "The new generation truly surpasses the old."
The young Naruto before him had not only adapted instantly to coordinate with his Flying Raijin but also possessed the power of a Sage.
The boy gave him the distinct impression of fighting alongside his own brother, Hashirama, perhaps an even better synergy.
Meanwhile, the Uchiha girl across from them had not only deduced their intentions instantly but was also a formidable individual who had previously possessed the power of a Sage herself.
Beside them, Sasuke stared intently at Naruto. Both Naruto and Kanon were continuously moving forward, which filled him with an uncomfortable sense of frustration. He felt as though he was the only one stuck in place, even his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan had been transplanted into him with the help of his younger sister.
Though he wouldn't voice his thoughts aloud, a bitter weight sat in his chest. He was older than both Naruto and Kanon, yet their current strength had somehow eclipsed his own.
Before he could dwell on it any further, crimson flames erupted once more along the back of Obito across the field.
"Are you on your guard now?" Kanon said softly.
"I am no fool," Obito muttered under his breath.
Tobirama also noticed the shifting state of Obito's defenses. If they blindly teleported behind him again, they would undoubtedly lose their lives.
Now that their initial surprise attack had been nullified by Kanon, securing a second opening would be astronomically difficult.
"With your current capabilities, you shouldn't have to fear that technique anyway."
"It's about time I begin preparations for the Infinite Tsukuyomi. Let's clear the battlefield first," Obito said quietly to Kanon.
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NOTE: This fic has been completely translated. If you want to read the whole story head over to my p-atre-on: p-atre-on.c-om/Overgod [Just remove the hyphen to access normally]