Naruto: Fatherhood Made me Invincible

On the other side of the ruined landscape, the Sage of Six Paths frowned as he watched Kagami neutralize his ambush without a single casualty. He had deliberately hidden the explosive tags and clay, hoping to thin Kagami's ranks, but he hadn't expected his trap to be seen through so easily.

Madara looked on with disdain. "I told you that such tricks wouldn't work on him. An Uchiha" He was already disgusted with the Sage, and now his contempt only grew.

The Sage's eyes darkened, but he said nothing. For him, the means were unimportant as long as the goal was achieved. After all, the dead have no right to speak of honor. If he hadn't been certain of failure, he would have simply captured all of Kagami's women and used them as leverage.

Madara glanced at the Sage with disdain, then turned to leave. "Since Kagami is here, I will go and fight him first." A faint sneer touched his lips, a smile that spoke of absolute confidence in his own power and a deep, burning desire for the coming battle.

"Alright, stay here and watch," Kagami ordered his troops after the dust from the explosion had settled. "You won't be able to participate in the battle to come. If you get too close, I won't have the strength to protect you." When the fighting started, it would be on a scale that only a few elite jonin could even hope to witness without being instantly killed. These Konoha ninja were his future subordinates, the foundation of his rule. It would be a waste for them to die here.

The Konoha ninja were embarrassed, but no one refuted Kagami's order. They knew their strength was far inferior to his.

At that moment, Kakashi stepped forward. "Kagami-sama, can you really defeat them alone?" Kagami's exposure of Danzo's crimes had indirectly avenged his father's death, and he felt a certain gratitude towards him. He was worried it would be too dangerous for Kagami to fight alone.

"Don't worry," Kagami smiled confidently. "When they start resorting to any means necessary, the balance of victory has already tipped in my favor." If they were confident in their ability to defeat him, they wouldn't have bothered with the ambush. Their desperation was a sign of their fear. With that, Kagami strode towards the battlefield.

Kakashi hesitated for a moment, then quickly followed. "Kagami-sama, though I am weak, please allow me to lend you my aid!"

Kagami paused, a gentle smile on his lips. "Have you thought this through? You will die."

"Yes," Kakashi nodded. "As a ninja of Konoha, how can I watch you fight alone? Besides... I have reasons why I must go." He thought of his dead teacher, Minato, and his wife, Kushina. Naruto's body was now occupied by the Sage. If possible, he hoped to wake Naruto up.

"You're going even though you know you can die! You truly are full of YOUTH, Kakashi! This is the burning passion of youth!" Might Guy, seeing Kakashi follow Kagami, immediately laughed and joined him.

The other ninja looked at each other, hesitation in their eyes. "This is so troublesome," Shikaku Nara smiled helplessly. "But since we have chosen to follow kagami sama, we cannot back down now." He and the Nara clan followed.

The hesitation in the other clan leaders' eyes gradually turned to determination. "Yes, now that we have chosen to follow, hesitation is not an option!" When they chose to be loyal to Kagami, they had tied their fates to his. If they retreated now, how would Kagami view them? They knew that with great crisis came great opportunity. If they were always afraid of death, they would never gain Kagami's true favor. With renewed resolve, the ninja from the major families followed.

Kagami, walking ahead, felt them approach and a hint of satisfaction flashed in his eyes. He had wanted to test their loyalty. If they had chosen to stay behind, he would not have punished them, but he would never have considered them his confidants. They would have been mere tools, to be used and discarded. But now, they had chosen to follow him. They had earned his trust.

As the Konoha forces crossed the chaotic ruins, the scene before them widened into a vast plain. On the other side, tens of thousands of allied forces were gathered like a black, churning sea, a sight that shook the hearts of every Konoha ninja.

Uchiha Madara stood at the forefront of the coalition, his figure stretched long in the afterglow of the setting sun, an unshakeable monument of power. His eyes were closed, and he was surrounded by an indescribable aura of arrogance and majesty. Even from a distance, they could feel the tremendous power radiating from him.

Behind Madara, Obito stood to his left, his emotions hidden behind his mask, only his deep, unfathomable eyes visible. On the other side, Hashirama Senju's face was as cold as winter ice, his eyes a whirlpool of complex emotions. The three of them stood like giants on the battlefield, the elite forces of the four great ninja villages arrayed behind them, each warrior filled with a grim, determined vigor.

__________________________

"Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed the chapter, please consider donating Power Stones and joining our patreon

[patreon.com /coolperry]

for early access to future chapters.