XX-level Hokage

The cube instantly enlarged, completely enveloping Sasuke. "Dust Release: Particle Style"

The milky-white sphere inside the cube instantly turned into a ball of white light, followed by smoke filling the cube. When the smoke dissipated, Sasuke's figure inside the cube disappeared.

"The chakra has completely disappeared?!" Qing said in disbelief, cold sweat dripping down his face.

"That's natural. If the body is shattered at an almost molecular level, it will naturally disappear completely," Onoki explained. Kakashi was completely stunned; ever since Sasuke's sudden appearance, his mind had been in a state of shock.

"Sasuke, dead?! Hokage-sama..." Kakashi was about to say something when Mashiro interrupted him. "Don't worry, Sasuke is fine."

Just then, Raikage rushed in with Darui and Shi. Terumi also walked in.

"Where's that guy?" Ai asked.

"I turned him to ashes," Onoki said, somewhat trembling. "Here we go again," Kurotsuchi said, rubbing her head.

"There's nothing we can do; this is the Tsuchikage's most prized ninjutsu," Akatsuchi said honestly. "What?!" A seemed quite shocked, then looked at Mashiro.

Mashiro gave Ai a reassuring look, indicating that everything was alright. Just then, a vortex suddenly appeared in the sky.

The vortex turned from black to orange, and then Obito appeared out of thin air, carrying the unconscious Sasuke. "My name is Uchiha Madara," Obito said.

Everyone stared at Obito, their gazes a mixture of doubt, surprise, disbelief, and interest. "I have something to tell you all, and after you understand, I have something to ask you," Obito continued. "What?" Ai asked, looking at the suddenly appearing Obito with an icy expression.

"My purpose concerns the Eye of the Moon Plan," Obito said, as one of the eyes revealed by his orange swirling mask transformed into a Sharingan.

Just as Obito finished speaking, A threw a punch, but strangely, it missed and passed right through him. Seeing this, Obito quickly pulled Sasuke into the Kamui dimension.

"Akatsuki's plans are definitely not good. I don't understand them. Tell me, where is your leader?" A asked. "If you want to know, listen carefully to my explanation and then decide based on your answer," Obito said, turning to look at A.

“Calm down a bit, Raikage. There’s no harm in listening,” Onoki said. Ai calmed down upon hearing this.

Obito glanced at Mashiro, who remained calm, then jumped onto the stands and said, "So, are you all ready to hear it? What exactly is your Akatsuki organization plotting? Why did you suddenly attack the Five Kage Summit?" Gaara asked.

"What they're plotting is the Eye of the Moon Plan I just mentioned. As for why they sent people to attack the Five Kage Summit, and how they were able to open their eyes to the Kaleidoscope..."

"Sharingan users are very rare. I wanted him to hone his eye power in actual combat against the Five Kage, so I sent Sasuke here. I originally intended for him to capture one of the Five Kage as a hostage, but it seems that was asking too much of him," Obito replied.

"Hostages? Why?" Terumi asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Why? To ensure the smooth implementation of the Eye of the Moon project I just mentioned," Obito said.

"I didn't expect that Madara Uchiha was actually still alive. Someone as powerful as you doesn't need to resort to those roundabout methods. With your abilities, what..."

"As long as the plan can be executed, that's what will happen." Onoki looked at Obito and said with a serious expression.

“I was severely injured in the battle with the First Hokage. I have no power now. To put it bluntly, I’m just an empty shell, an empty shell that even this new Hokage can defeat,” Obito explained, also mentioning his previous battle with Mashiro.

Immediately, everyone else in the conference room glanced at Mashiro. Mashiro smiled but didn't say anything.

"Project Eye of the Moon, is that a plan to help you recover on your own?" hope suddenly asked.

"Well, you could say that, but it's not limited to that." Obito nodded in reply. "What are you plotting? What exactly is the Eye of the Moon Plan?" Mifune asked coldly.

Chapter 162: Declaration of War

“I want to speak slowly, so I’ll start now,” Obito said, sitting down in the stands. “I’m asking you a question!” Kankuro seemed quite annoyed by Obito’s attitude.

Obito ignored Kankuro's words, held up one finger, and said, "Everything merges with me, the perfect form that unifies everything." Obito's words shocked everyone except Mashiro.

"Unite the two into one, unify everything, what's going on?" Onoki asked, puzzled.

“The Uchiha clan has a stone tablet passed down through generations, which is still underground in Konoha. It contains secrets written by the Sage of Six Paths. Even members of the Uchiha clan, without sufficient ocular power, cannot decipher it. The Sharingan, Mangekyou Sharingan, Rinnegan, and so on, with each generation revealing more secrets,” Obito suddenly said.

"Your words are getting more and more outlandish, the Sage of Six Paths and all that," Onoki said coldly, looking at Obito. "It's a fact; he existed, and he left behind a stone tablet," Obito replied.

"We've gone off-topic. What does your plan have to do with the Sage of Six Paths?" Ai jumped in front of Obito and asked.

Do you know why he became a legend and was worshipped as a god among ninjas? That's my purpose and the connection to the Sage of Six Paths. "Daishi glanced at A and said.

"Uchiha Madara, you possess the Mangekyou Sharingan, and the Akatsuki leader also has the Rinnegan. You should know everything, right?" Terumi asked softly. "Tell me," Onoki said, landing on the ground.

“He once saved the world from a monster,” Obito said.

"A monster?" Gaara frowned in confusion. "Could it be the Ten-Tails?" Mashiro suddenly asked. Instantly, everyone's eyes turned to Mashiro.

Obito stared directly at Mashiro, a look of surprise and doubt in his crimson Sharingan eyes.

“That’s right, it’s the Ten-Tails, Gaara. You were only sealed away as a part of that monster before. That monster is the aggregate of all the tailed beasts, possessing the strongest chakra. The Ten-Tails. It seems the Hokage already knew.” Obito glanced at Gaara first, then turned his gaze to Mashiro, and said softly.

“Our Hyuga clan’s ancient texts record a story about the Sage of Six Paths subduing the Ten-Tails, but we’ve always considered it just a myth. I never imagined that the Ten-Tails actually exists,” Mashiro said with great surprise. Of course, she made these up.

"The Hyuga clan and the Uchiha clan have a long history together, so it's quite possible that such a legend has been passed down." Obito didn't doubt anything; on the contrary, he felt it was perfectly reasonable.

Despite Madara Uchiha's explanation and Mashiro's endorsement, the others still found it hard to believe. "Aren't there a maximum of nine tailed beasts?" Jiraiya asked, as it was common knowledge in the ninja world that there were nine tailed beasts.

"I said it was a collection of all the tailed beasts. Shukaku, Gaara's tailed beast, is the One-Tailed Beast;"

The two-tailed beast of Yugito Nii;

The previous Mizukage, Yagura, had a three-tailed beast; Roshi, who used Lava Release, had a four-tailed beast.

The tailed beast of Han from Iwagakure is the Five-Tails; the tailed beast of Utakata from the rogue ninja clan is the Six-Tails; the tailed beast of Kaede from Takigakure is the Seven-Tails.

Killer Bee, the Raikage's younger brother, has the Eight-Tails; Naruto Uzumaki, the Konoha ninja, has the Nine-Tails.

"The tailed beasts from One-Tail to Nine-Tail are all products of the Ten-Tail's chakra dispersing, and the dispersal of these nine tailed beasts was the work of the Sage of Six Paths," Obito explained.

"This is an annoying way of steer the conversation. Is it because of this that Akatsuki is collecting the Tailed Beasts?" Kankuro said softly.

Ignoring Kankuro's words, Obito continued, "In order to protect the world from the Ten-Tails, the Sage of Six Paths invented a certain ninjutsu, which is still being secretly inherited today. It is the sealing technique system of Jinchuriki."

Could it be…? Onoki suddenly realized something.

"Yes, the Sage of Six Paths was the Jinchūriki of the Ten-Tails. He sealed the Ten-Tails within his body to suppress it, thus saving people from the suffering caused by the Ten-Tails."

"Sages are worshipped as gods, but the Ten-Tails' chakra is too powerful and evil. They fear that after their own death, the seal will break and it will wreak havoc again. Out of fear of this, the Sage of Six Paths, with his last strength, divided the Ten-Tails' chakra into nine parts and scattered them across different lands. The Ten-Tails' main body, having lost its chakra, was sealed and sent to the heavens, beyond his reach—to the moon," Obito slowly narrated.

"This is too grand a topic. Can humans really do these things?" Darui expressed his doubt, not believing in such power. "The Sage of Six Paths, who became the Ten-Tails' Jinchūriki, is already a superhuman being," Obito explained softly to Darui's question.

"You want to collect the nine portions of the Ten-Tails' chakra that are scattered throughout the entire Tailed Beasts, and obtain superhuman power. I know you want that power, but what do you want to do with it after you get it?" Mifune grasped the key point and asked.

“I will revive the Ten-Tails, and then I will become its jinchūriki. I will use that power to strengthen my own eye power, and then unleash some kind of ninjutsu,” Obito replied.

"Some kind of ninjutsu? What is that? What do you want to do?" Amanoki asked seriously.

“I will project my eyes onto the moon in a grand illusion, Infinite Tsukuyomi, casting an illusion on everyone on Earth. I will control everyone within the illusion, making the world one, without separation or controversy, a peaceful world without war, where everything merges with me, achieving complete unity. This is my Eye of the Moon Plan,” Obito said calmly.

“What a joke, I won’t entrust the world to someone like you,” Ai said angrily.

“Illusory peace is just a lie; peace only has meaning when it is achieved in the real world,” Gaara said softly. He did not believe that so-called illusions could bring true peace.

“What’s the point of living there? Without dreams, it’s just escapism,” Terumi Momo said.

"Unify the world, huh? I remember many people have said that. Your plan is less about unifying the world and more about creating a world that belongs only to you," Onoki said sternly.

“Truly, utterly foolish,” Mashiro mocked, and this time she was genuinely laughing.

She was both mocking Obito for trying to persuade the Five Kage with this plan and for believing in it.

"So what have you Five Kage contributed? You should have realized long ago that there is no hope. Hope is the same as giving up; hope is the most perfunctory lie. Hand over the remaining Nine-Tails and assist my plan, otherwise, there will only be war." Obito said coldly.

"War?" Gaara muttered to himself upon hearing this.

"The Nine-Tails? Sorry, I'm his elder, so it's impossible for me to hand it over. If you're so capable, you can come and get it yourself," Mashiro said softly. "Naruto Uzumaki won't give it to you," Gaara said seriously.

“I think so too,” Terumi said softly. “Me too, Raikage, what about you?” Onoki asked. “Of course I do too,” A said.

“Although I have no power, I possess the power of all the tailed beasts I have collected so far. You have no chance of winning,” Obito continued.

“I told you, you can try to get it yourself,” Mashiro chuckled. “We won’t give up hope,” Gaara said.

“Alright, I hereby declare the Fourth Shinobi World War officially open,” Obito said.

The Fourth Shinobi World War? Are you serious? "Onoki asked, having experienced three Shinobi World Wars, he knew all too well the terror of a Shinobi World War.

Chapter 163: Command

"See you on the battlefield next time." With that, Obito activated his right eye's Kamui, his body transforming into a vortex and vanishing from the spot. Before disappearing, Obito...

He gave Kakashi a deep look.

Kakashi watched Obito's disappearing figure, feeling inexplicably dazed. From the moment Obito appeared, the two of them had never exchanged any glances or words, but the look in Obito's eyes at the moment of his disappearance gave him a strange sense of déjà vu.

"Is it just my imagination?" Kakashi scratched his head.

"So, what should we do next?" Mashiro asked softly.

“The only way is to form an allied ninja force; only then can we contend with the power of the eight tailed beasts,” Gaara said. “The Tsuchikage-sama was against it just now,” Mei Terumi interjected.

“Now that Madara has already appeared, I can no longer be arrogant. Besides, I don’t want to be led by the nose by Akatsuki anymore. It’s better to form an allied ninja army and settle things once and for all,” Onoki said seriously.

“Then let’s stick to the original proposal, with the Hokage in command of the Allied Shinobi Forces,” A said, glancing at Mashiro.

"The Hokage once defeated Madara and knows information about the Ten-Tails and Madara. Furthermore, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is also a Konoha ninja. The position of Hokage is undoubtedly rightful for him," Mifune added.

This time, there was no opposition.

"To stop Madara's Eye of the Moon plan, the Nine-Tails absolutely cannot fall into Akatsuki's hands. Therefore, our allied forces must protect the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and it would be best to hide him away," Mei Terumi said softly.

“Yes, if the Ten-Tails or something really comes back to life, then it will be dangerous.” Chojuro interjected as soon as Mei Terumi finished speaking.

“No, the power of the eight tailed beasts that Madara has collected is already unimaginably strong, and they may also possess techniques that allow them to use the tailed beasts’ power, or other killer techniques,” Amano said.

“Otherwise, he wouldn’t be so arrogant,” Akatsuchi chimed in. “That guy is very confident in himself,” Kurotsuchi added.

"From the perspective of the Allied Shinobi Forces, it would be best if we also considered the Nine-Tails as a fighting force," Onoki stated his opinion.

"This won't do. This is a war to protect the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. Madara's reason for launching the war using the eight tailed beasts is probably because the weakened Madara and the remaining Akatsuki members cannot successfully capture the Nine-Tails under the protection of Konoha. Even if they could, there would be great risks. Akatsuki would never release a ninjutsu like the one that destroyed Kumogakure again. Perhaps Madara wants to lure out the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki through the war."

In short, having the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki participate in the war is not a good idea. Gaara analyzed. "I think so too." Mei Terumi agreed with Gaara's thinking.

“I also agree with the Kazekage’s opinion. The reason why the Akatsuki leader destroyed the Hidden Cloud Village was probably to lure out Bee. Madara may want to use this war to repeat the same trick,” A said.

"So, Hokage, what do you think?" Onoki turned to Mashiro and asked.

“I think both of your opinions are very good. We can first protect the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and then enhance his control over the Tailed Beast. If the battle goes against us, we can send him out to participate in the war. After all, the power of the Tailed Beast has a great advantage in changing the course of the battle.”

Knowing that we can stop Madara and the leader of Akatsuki, the other members of Akatsuki have almost no way to deal with the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. In this situation, sending the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki to the battlefield is the best opportunity.

"What do you all think?" Mashiro said softly.

“I agree with the Hokage’s opinion.” Onoki’s gaze towards Mashiro softened. “I agree too,” A said.

“If it’s on the premise of ensuring Naruto’s safety, I have no objection,” Gaara said.

"In that case, I understand. Let's first place the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki under protective confinement, and at the same time guide him to learn how to control the power of the Tailed Beast as quickly as possible." Mei Terumi nodded and said.

“No problem. I will provide information about the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki to the four ninja villages of Kumo, Sagara, Iwa, and Mizu. If there’s nothing else, let’s conclude the Five Kage Summit here,” Mashiro said softly.