My Techniques are a bit off

Link—was he important?

Yes, very much so. The very existence of the Shinobi Alliance depended on him. One might say that everyone's hopes for peace stemmed from that astonishing "mutated ninjutsu" of his.

Yet from another perspective, he also wasn't that important to the current Alliance.

Because Tobirama, in the Shinobi Alliance framework, had deliberately left no particular position for Link.

Yes, deliberately.

The Alliance's growth into a behemoth was inevitable, and Tobirama himself did not have a firm expectation of what it might become. Just the dozens of documented parallel worlds represented an unimaginably vast force.

More people, more factions, more unknown threats—such is the world.

Sure, it looks like there are dozens of parallel worlds. But if not for various accidents, perhaps the Alliance's development plan would have remained confined to the Main World and the Second World.

From the Alliance, to the entire planet, then slowly venturing beyond the planet and into space—

How big is a single world?

We're talking about the starry seas.

In Tobirama's original "three-step plan," there was never any mention of complicated parallel-world linkages and such.

1. First step: use the Second Parallel World as a pilot region, testing out the Alliance's operation.

2. Second step: implement the matured framework in the Main World.

3. Third step: head for the stars.

Parallel dimensions? There were just too many unknowns, and you couldn't progress one step at a time there. You might step right into fierce conflict, and blind expansion would make the Alliance unwieldy.

But because of Kaguya's revival and all sorts of incidents, that first step "encountered a detour." They had no choice but to accept a Third Parallel World in need of rescue and also incorporate the "Final Prologue World."

The Alliance became bloated; they had to do it that way. There were many reasons: Link going to the Final Chapter World for help, the death of Second-World Hashirama, the soft-heartedness of First-World Hashirama, and so on.

As a result, Tobirama's plan had been forced off-track.

Which is why, for a long time, he deliberately downplayed Link's presence, waiting patiently for a new plan—essentially two steps—to crystallize:

"Let's declare war."

Tobirama wore a calm expression and said plainly,

"With your strength, plus Uchiha Sasuke and Utakata, conquering the Main World shouldn't be an issue, right?"

"Huh?"

Link was stunned. He pointed to himself, "Me?"

Tobirama tapped the desk. "Yes, you. Considering your abilities plus Sasuke and Utakata, I see no problem subduing the Main World. Don't pretend you're unaware."

Link's relaxed façade collapsed. He stared. "Wait—how did you know about that?"

He looked quite embarrassed.

Tobirama rolled his eyes lightly. "When you said 'ascend to the seat of heaven' or whatever nonsense, didn't you realize Black Zetsu might be eavesdropping?"

Link's face instantly darkened.

All those earlier secret ambitions of wanting to rule the world or ascend to some lofty throne—

It turned out Black Zetsu had overheard everything, and probably half the Alliance's top brass already knew.

Who else? Link thought, and how many?

"Relax," Tobirama said. "Only me, my brother, Orochimaru, Naruto, Sasuke—…" He deliberately dragged the sentence.

"Alright, enough already!" Link was exasperated. "Fine, I'll handle the Main World."

"And once you unify the ninja world—then what?" Link asked. "You don't think I'll govern it, do you?"

Tobirama shook his head. "When the time comes, 'I' will be assisting."

"Ah…" Link realized what Tobirama meant. He nodded. Then, standing up, brimming with energy, he declared:

"Alright then—

I'll personally fight…

the Fourth Great Ninja War!"

He apparently stopped using that technique, and he still hasn't grown taller, sigh…

Tobirama thought, exhaling quietly.

…

Meanwhile, in the Fourth World, at the Mountain Graveyard…

"Got you now," said Sasuke from the Main World, arms hanging casually at his sides, a faint air of ease in his tone.

"You think without the man holding the Rinnegan, you can beat me?" The orange-masked Obito snorted, but inwardly felt uneasy. He'd recognized that the Sasuke from another world possessed terrifying visual prowess and chakra—Zetsu even said it felt "not much weaker than Madara." So he really couldn't afford to underestimate him.

"Surrender. I don't want to kill you," Sasuke said calmly.

Orange-Mask Obito's eyes narrowed under the mask. He felt mildly insulted being treated so lightly, yet prepared himself.

Suddenly, "thud," a figure dropped into view: clad in familiar armor, dust swirling with Edo Tensei markings, and wielding a pair of Rinnegan that, ironically, didn't offer him much power.

Uchiha Madara had arrived—grandly.

With a hundred thousand White Zetsu, Edo Tensei, Sage Mode Yakushi Kabuto… perhaps in a frontal clash, even a single-Rinnegan Sasuke might be in danger, Obito mused.

Not wanting to remain, he started to phase out, only for his vision to go black a split second later:

Pop—

His body flickered, fading away like a phantom. Under his mask, his expression tensed. He cautioned Madara, "Be careful: that guy's Mangekyō technique seals away one's eye powers. Don't underestimate him."

Then he was gone, swirling into his dimensional warp, rushing off to the main battlefield.

Fourth-World Madara curled his lips into a grin, letting Susanoo envelope him:

"Well then, little uchiha—

Shall we dance?"

~~~

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