XXXXXX – GAARA OF THE DESERT POV
"Dynamic Entry!"
The blur of green chakra screamed through the air before slamming a powerful kick into the side of my head.
The world spun.
The arrival of Might Gai changed everything.
Nagato was thrown back, gasping for air. But already, he was recovering, pushing himself shakily to his feet. I mirrored him—rising as well, despite the force of a kick that would have killed most men outright.
"I am Konoha's Green Beast—Might Gai! You must answer for your actions, foul villain!" Gai declared, squaring off with Nagato.
His words barely registered. My ears were still ringing. My body throbbed from the impact, but I forced myself to focus.
Gai launched forward again—a blur of motion too fast for most eyes. He was serious. Deadly serious. But so was Nagato. A wave of force sent Gai hurtling back—the Almighty Push once again.
I took the moment to strike.
My chakra surged into the battlefield, flooding it with golden-brown sand. Tendrils exploded from beneath Nagato, attempting to crush him in a collapsing cage.
Another Shinra Tensei. My sand shattered.
But Gai was right behind it.
In an instant, he was on Nagato. A third arm burst from Nagato's side to block the kick. A fourth followed, barely catching the second blow that came immediately after. Gai was relentless. A living storm.
Still, he was sent flying again.
"Sixth Gate: Gate of View… Open!"
A rush of green chakra burst from his body like a tidal wave. From this point, only a Sharingan could hope to track him.
Nagato reacted on instinct, dodging the first attack—but the second punch landed cleanly. His body was sent flying.
Water exploded across the battlefield—a clone. A substitution.
The real Nagato reappeared on the crumbling ruins of what used to be an apartment building. He raised both arms and unleashed a barrage of missiles.
I acted fast. My chakra-infused sand surged upward, forming a wall to intercept the projectiles. Gai didn't wait—he circled wide, darting past the chaos and smashing Nagato in the chest with a flying kick.
Another water clone burst.
The real Nagato emerged again, this time near the Legendary Sannin—Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade. The three of them didn't hesitate.
Jiraiya was the first to close in, blocking two punches from newly sprouted limbs before landing a solid hit that knocked Nagato backward. He rolled with the blow, twisting mid-air to avoid Orochimaru's serpents that lashed out next.
Nagato retaliated with a blast of repulsion from his left hand, sending all three of them skidding back—just in time for Gai's return.
The taijutsu master lunged. Nagato ducked under the kick and slammed a palm into the earth.
A summoning jutsu. Smoke exploded outward.
A giant crustacean towered above the battlefield, its pincers clamping down around Gai, driving him into the ground. Its maw opened wide—releasing a barrage of Water Release: Severing Waves aimed directly at him.
Crack!
The pincers shattered.
The water burst apart as Gai punched through it and leapt skyward, crashing his foot into the creature's carapace. A spiderweb of cracks appeared before the summon vanished in a cloud of smoke.
Nagato had already re-engaged the Sannin.
He dodged Orochimaru's snakes, formed a black chakra rod, and stabbed it toward Tsunade—only for her body to vanish in a puff of smoke. The real Tsunade struck from behind with a brutal punch.
Nagato barely reacted in time—manifesting another limb from his shoulder to catch her blow.
He didn't relent. His left hand shifted—a chakra cannon forming in his palm. He aimed at Jiraiya.
Orochimaru leapt forward, summoning Rashomon to intercept the blast. The gate exploded in dust and smoke.
Nagato held onto Tsunade, trying to stab her with another rod. But she kicked out, snapping it in two, then brought her leg down in a hammering heel drop—slamming his head into the ground.
But even as he fell, he was already moving.
One-handed seal.
The earth parted.
Subterranean Voyage.
He sank into the ground like a ghost.
I immediately channeled chakra into the terrain, preparing to crush him beneath it—but he sensed the trap and immediately burst out from another point in the field.
He stood, eyes darting across the battlefield.
Breathing hard.
Surrounded.
He saw the carnage, the destruction, the gathering of legends, and the defenses still standing. He knew.
This—was unsustainable.
And then my knees gave out.
The cost had come due. No more Sage Mode. No more senjutsu. My body felt hollowed out.
I forced Shukaku to get back to work, lending his chakra like a resentful landlord, dragging me back to my feet. The weakness passed—but not the awareness. I was tapped.
I turned to the others.
The four of them—Jiraiya, Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Gai.
They were carving through Nagato.
He was crumbling under the pressure.
Every time he tried to counter, one of them broke his focus. Every time he tried to isolate one, another appeared to intercept. Even with his tremendous power, he was outnumbered, outmaneuvered, and losing ground fast.
I studied him carefully. His breaths were ragged. Eyes twitching, trying to predict four enemies at once. He didn't even have time to set up another large-scale technique.
And then—
Orochimaru struck.
Serpents burst from his sleeves at supersonic speed, wrapping around Nagato's arms. He reacted with inhuman efficiency—two new limbs sprouted from his forearms and sliced through the snakes. But in that moment, Jiraiya and Tsunade closed in from either side, fists aimed for his skull.
Gravity pulsed.
Their punches halted—then backfired, as an Almighty Push sent both Sannin tumbling away.
But that left him wide open.
A green blur shattered through space.
Might Gai.
His kick struck Nagato's chin like a thunderclap, launching him into the air.
And before he could recover, Gai moved again—a blur of raw kinetic fury. He punched the air repeatedly, friction-born fireballs forming mid-strike. Nagato tried to absorb them—his hands lifted reflexively, ready for ninjutsu.
Unfortunately for him, Might Gai was not a ninjutsu kind of guy.
The fireballs slammed into his chest, igniting his robe, shattering ribs, and driving him into the ground with a smoky crash.
He didn't get up.
He wasn't going to.
And still, Gai prepared for the final blow. He raised a fist that could end Nagato here and now.
I moved.
Body flicker.
Sand exploded beneath my feet. My body screamed, but I arrived beside Nagato in time.
"Enough!" I barked, voice sharp as iron.
Everyone froze. Even Gai.
"Step back," I said, turning to them. "He's finished. Another blow, and he dies."
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes. "So?"
Tsunade looked ready to argue. Jiraiya didn't speak—but he was watching me carefully. Gai simply waited, silent and breathing hard.
I looked down at Nagato—bloodied, burned, but alive. Barely.
"I need him alive," I said, sand flowing protectively around Nagato's unconscious form. "He's not just the enemy anymore. He's the key."
Their expressions didn't change—but none of them moved either.
I kept my voice calm, but firm. "There's something I can use. Something that could save your village."
The others backed off, watching me with uncertainty.
I kept my hand against Nagato's chest, feeling the erratic flutter of his heartbeat. He was on the edge—one more attack, and he'd fall into silence forever.
But my mind was elsewhere.
A memory stirred.
Not really a Important Naruto scene that I recall. Not exactly. But still, somehow... clear.
Flashback — The Fourth Great Ninja War.
A battlefield choked with ash and blood. Obito, broken and bleeding, was kneeling before Edo tensei Madara. His resolve was wavering, his strength fading.
And then—Black Zetsu.
It slithered up his back like a curse come to life, wrapping around his shoulder like a leech.
Obito's eyes widened in horror as Zetsu seized control.
His hands formed seals he didn't will.
And then it happened.
"Rinne Tensei no Jutsu."
A power greater than death itself rippled through the battlefield. The light... the wind... the stillness that followed.
Obito brought Madara back. Not by choice.
XXXXXXX-Back in the present.
My Sharingan spun, reacting instinctively.
Rinne Tensei.
It was still in Nagato's arsenal. He had the chakra and Life force necessary. Barely. And now I had him, injured and barely conscious, but alive. Defenseless.
And I had the eye.
The Sharingan.
A Genjutsu wouldn't be enough for this. I had to dig deeper. Reach beyond illusion—into command.
I knelt beside Nagato and let the Tomoe in my eye whirl with purpose. My chakra surged forward, flooding into his mind. It was like clawing into stone—but it cracked. The pain behind his mind, the guilt, the regret—it was pliable. All I needed was control.
I forced his hand upward with my chakra-infused sand, forming the first seal.
And then I whispered.
"Rinne Tensei. Now."
The Tomoe in my eye spun violently as it evolved.
Mangekyō Sharingan
His lips moved.
His chakra pulsed.
He began.
XXXXXX — KONOHAGAKURE, IN RUINS
The village was dust and silence.
The rain, endless and uncaring, pattered against broken wood, shattered tiles, and the crumbling bones of homes. Bodies lay scattered in the mud—some freshly fallen, others buried beneath rubble. A stillness had begun to settle in. The kind that always came after tragedy.
And then, a whisper on the wind.
"Outer path:Rinne Tensei!"
The words didn't thunder. They didn't scream. But they tore through the air like the toll of a distant bell.
Somewhere beneath the ruins of the Hokage Monument, the ground shuddered. A great face—not carved of stone, but of spiritual energy—erupted from the earth, silent and immense. It stared blankly through the rain, its mouth slowly widening into an impossible abyss.
Naraka. The King of Hell
And from within that void—green light.
Spears of viridian energy exploded upward, streaking toward the heavens and vanishing into the storm clouds. For a long heartbeat, nothing moved.
And then they returned.
Each spear paused midair like a hesitant breath... before plunging back to earth, faster than lightning.
They fell with purpose.
Each bolt struck a corpse with a soft thrum, like the beat of a drum underwater. Muddy flesh began to shimmer. Torn skin mended. Broken bones reknit. Eyes, once dim and lifeless, slowly fluttered open.
All across Konoha... the dead began to breathe again.
XXXXXXX-Naruto's POV
"Hold still! We're gonna get you outta here!" I shouted, straining to lift a heavy slab of wood off a wounded Chūnin. My chakra was low—running on fumes—but I had to keep going. People were still alive. I had to believe that.
Beside me, Shizune was kneeling beside a girl whose chest had stopped rising. Her fingers moved with practiced urgency, trying everything—pumping her heart, flooding her with chakra.
"No... no, come on!" she begged, tears mixing with the rain.
Then the light came.
A streak of green slammed into the girl's chest. Shizune gasped, nearly falling back. The girl arched up, eyes flying open with a gasp, like someone surfacing from the bottom of a lake.
Naruto froze.
"What... what was that?"
More lights fell around them. One struck a collapsed alleyway—seconds later, three men beneath it began to stir.
Another hit a pile of ash. Someone reformed from it.
Shizune rose to her feet in awe, her voice shaky. "I-I think... they're coming back to life."
Naruto's eyes widened, throat tight with disbelief. "No way..."
He turned slowly—looking toward the source.
There, in the distance, past the craters and broken towers, he saw it. The monstrous face of the King of Hell, looming from the earth like a judge of the dead. Its mouth still open, still pouring out light. Still restoring what had been lost.
"Gaara..." Naruto whispered, sensing the sand-user's chakra even now. "You did this...?"
Rain still fell.
But hope had returned.
One soul at a time.
XXXXXX – GAARA OF THE DESERT POV
The sky split open.
We stood there, bathed in cold rain and fresh silence, watching viridian light stab down from the clouds. One by one, it struck the fallen of Konoha—the ANBU crushed in the collapse, the shinobi lost in the first wave, the civilians who had never stood a chance.
Their bodies shuddered, chests heaving. Eyes blinked open.
They lived again.
For a long moment, none of us moved.
Jiraiya's jaw hung open, his voice caught somewhere between a laugh and a whisper. "Is this... Resurrection? No way... no damn way."
Tsunade's hands clenched into fists, her nails digging into her palms. "Those kids—they were dead. I checked. I saw them." Her voice broke. "They're... breathing."
Might Gai's brow furrowed in confusion. "This... this must be a Genjutsu." But the look on his face betrayed the truth he already knew—it wasn't.
Even Orochimaru stood stunned for once in his miserable life, his head slowly tilting like a serpent trying to interpret the impossible. "Such a pure use of the Rinnegan," he muttered, eyes fixed on the spears of light. "And not a single soul wasted."
Their confusion was understandable.
None of them knew what I had done.
None of them had seen the threads of chakra manipulation I had burned Into Nagato's brain. Or the way Kakashi's sharingan, acquired through... unique means, was now fully alight—its tomoe spinning furiously as I forced my will through him like a puppeteer pulling a corpse upright.
Now that it was done... I released my control.
And the marionette collapsed.
Nagato's head slumped forward, hair wet and lifeless as he was sapped of his life force. His breath was shallow, body sagging under the weight of death long postponed.
I stepped forward and took his ashen face into both hands.
The others saw what I was doing only too late.
"Gaara!" Tsunade shouted, voice raw.
Jiraiya began to move, but I was already acting.
Nagato screamed—what little voice he had left—his body thrashing weakly as I strained and pulled, chakra reinforcing my grip. I dug deep, fingers slipping under muscle and sinew until—
Squelch.
The spine snapped like a rotten branch.
Another pull, and his head came free. Still warm.
I slipped it instantly into my [Inventory], where it vanished from sight and detection.
The Rinnegan was mine now.
"Y-You—!" Gai gasped, only just beginning to understand.
Too late.
I extended two fingers toward the hollow corpse that once held divine power and whispered, "Incinerate."
A wave of superheated sand, infused with my own Fire Style, surged forward. In an instant, the body turned black, then red, then ash. Nagato's remains were gone.
They stood stunned.
Mouths parted. Bodies half-turned. No one moved. No one stopped me.
They couldn't.
Their eyes were still locked on the miracle they'd just witnessed—the resurrection of Konoha.
The silence broke only when I turned to them.
Still raining.
Still glowing spears falling in the distance, like a gentle storm of life returning.
And I smiled.
Not a wide one. Not cruel.
Just a soft, satisfied curve of the lips as I looked from each of their stunned faces—Jiraiya, Tsunade, Gai, Orochimaru—and said nothing.
I didn't need to.
The village was alive again.
The rain had thinned into a light drizzle, and silence still clung to the ruins like fog. Resurrected villagers cried in the streets, holding loved ones they'd thought lost. The air was thick with gratitude, confusion… and tension.
I could feel it. The weight of what I'd just done.
They were still staring at me—Tsunade, Jiraiya, Gai, Orochimaru—unsure of whether to thank me or interrogate me.
I exhaled through my nose. Then, with a low, wry chuckle, I broke the silence.
"Well…" I said, arms crossed as I looked out across the ruined skyline. "Property damage is still going to be outrageous. I can't fix that."
Their heads snapped toward me in unison. The sheer absurdity of it caught them all off-guard.
Tsunade blinked. "What?"
I shrugged. "The living are back, but the buildings… yeah, not my department."
Even Orochimaru let out a soft huff of amusement, one brow raised. Jiraiya cracked a grin.
"Guess even miracles have limits, huh?" the Toad Sage muttered.
Gai clapped a hand to his heart. "Then we must rebuild with the power of youth!"
"Please don't," Tsunade deadpanned, rubbing her temple.
Their shoulders relaxed. The moment—tense, uncertain—had softened. I gave them that. Let them breathe.
But I didn't smile this time. My voice dropped.
And I stepped forward, rain dripping from my bangs.
"But jokes aside… there's something I need to tell you all. Something important."
Their levity faded, replaced with curiosity—and apprehension.
Because they could tell from my tone:
Whatever came next… wasn't going to be pleasant.
Their gazes pinned me in place, expectant and alert.
I looked down for a moment, eyes shadowed beneath the dripping strands of my hair. I let the silence stretch—just long enough to let the tension mount again. Then, I met their eyes one by one. Jiraiya. Tsunade. Gai. Orochimaru.
And finally, Naruto. The one who still stood among the wreckage, kneeling beside a group of wounded civilians and helping Shizune stabilize them. Even now, he prioritized others.
Good. He would need that strength soon.
I inhaled deeply and spoke.
"While I was controlling Nagato," I began, "I gained insight into his memories… his knowledge."
That wasn't a complete lie. I had seen things when our minds brushed, even if most of what I now understood came from the truth I carried with me—truth not of this timeline.
"There is a greater threat than we anticipated. One that extends beyond the Akatsuki."
They all stiffened, exchanging glances.
"His name," I continued, "is Madara Uchiha. Or at least… that's what he calls himself. A masked man manipulating events from the shadows. He is not just a figurehead—he is the puppeteer behind Akatsuki's movements, and his ambitions are far beyond Nagato's."
Jiraiya's brow furrowed. "Madara? He should've been dead decades ago."
"I know," I said. "But whatever he truly is… his power is real."
Tsunade crossed her arms, eyes narrowing. "And what does he want?"
"To capture all of the tailed beasts," I said bluntly. "And he's nearly succeeded. Every Jinchūriki except for myself and Naruto has been taken."
Naruto stood slowly, disbelief etched across his face.
"All of them…?" he echoed.
I nodded. "He's almost ready to act. And when he does, it won't just be one village at risk. It'll be all of us."
Jiraiya clenched a fist, the mirth in his face long gone. "Then what do you propose?"
"I propose unity," I said, voice calm but firm. "A Five Kage Summit—in the Land of Iron. Neutral ground. I intend to gather all the village leaders and reveal everything I've learned."
"You're calling for a summit?" Tsunade asked, surprise flickering in her voice.
"Yes. And I will leave immediately to prepare for it." I turned away, cloak sweeping behind me as I started walking toward the shattered gates of Konoha. "The other villages must be informed. We must begin coordinating quickly."
I paused just before the exit and glanced back over my shoulder.
"There's no time to hesitate anymore. War… might be inevitable."
And with that, I left Konoha as I headed back to Suna.
(End of Chapter)