Obito stood tall at the edge of the ledge, his cloak fluttering with the motionless wind, his two glowing Sharingan scanning the war chamber like a predator who had already selected his prey.
When he finally spoke, his voice was calm—too calm. Like a storm whispering just before it hits.
"Good evening, Kage. Shinobi elite. Witnesses of a dying era."
The chamber tensed instantly. Even Naruto, who had grown stronger than most shinobi alive, took an unconscious step forward.
Obito continued, stepping out from the shadows. The room was now bathed in the pale red glow of his Sharingan.
"This summit is a quaint gesture. Holding council in a burning world. Deciding strategies for a war you've already lost."
He paused, and even though he was speaking to everyone, His gaze lingered on Naruto and Gaara a moment longer.
"Two Jinchūriki left... and soon, none."
The threat wasn't veiled. It was a declaration.
Tsunade clenched her fists. A tremor ran through Gaara's sand. The room was on the edge of combat—but Obito remained unmoved, relaxed, like a man with all the pieces already in place.
That's when Kabuto spoke up, almost gleefully.
"I offered him something that even death couldn't touch—power born of legacy. The strongest shinobi of your past, all returned for the perfect war."
He clapped his hands.
And one by one, they emerged.
A ripple of chakra and smoke erupted from the chamber's far side. The Edo Tensei seals flared briefly under their feet as figures began to materialize through clouds of ash-gray mist. Their eyes gleamed with that telltale dead glaze, bodies whole and restored—yet still marked by the pale, paper-like texture of reanimation.
The first one stepped forward with a predatory grin:
"Heh. Guess I'm back." Deidara. His clay pouches rattled as he cracked his neck.
Beside him, with a silent exhale of chakra, came a massive figure cloaked in black and red.
Kisame Hoshigaki. The shark-man rested a copy of Samehada over his shoulder, eyes narrowed as if he never really left the battlefield.
The Second Tsuchikage, Mu. Silent, cloaked in an oppressive aura, eyes sunken but perceptive.
A tall figure then stepped forward, hair crimson as dried blood, eyes empty.
Nagato Uzumaki.
Or rather… what was left of him.
His body was whole, but wrong. Stiff, silent. The pallor of the grave clung to him like a second skin. Black rods protruded from his arms and spine. His Rinnegan eyes—once so fierce—were now dim. Lifeless.
The signature of Edo Tensei was unmistakable.
Even Orochimaru looked rattled.
Nagato stood motionless, staring down at us with a blank, suppressed gaze. He wasn't there. Not really. His will had been drowned—buried under the technique's binding grip.
This wasn't the Nagato who razed Konoha. This wasn't even the misguided idealist who once called himself Pain. Just a empty Husk.
Kabuto chuckled softly, arms open as if to say behold my masterpiece.
"You brought a council," Kabuto said, voice oozing arrogance, "We brought a legacy."
Obito stepped forward, finally drawing his war fan from his back and planting it beside him.
"This world is beyond reform. Peace is a myth peddled by the naive. I will drown the old in war… and remake everything in the image of the Moon."
"Try your best. The curtain has risen. The Fourth Great Ninja War has already been declared."
"First of all… a question."
Gaara's voice sliced through the mounting tension like a blade.
"How?"
He didn't need to elaborate. Everyone in the room felt it—the chill, the wrongness, the sheer impossibility of what stood before them. Obito had likely prepared a grand monologue, a speech to usher in his twisted truth, but Gaara's quiet question stopped him mid-step.
The masked man turned his head slowly toward the Kazekage. His white mask gleamed under the dim light, and the two Sharingan glowing within pulsed with cold malice.
"How what, Kazekage-dono?" he asked, the amusement in his voice sharp as a knife's edge.
"How did you get Nagato?" Gaara replied. His voice came out steadier than anyone expected. "I destroyed his body with my own hands. Nothing but Ashes Left. How is he standing here again?"
Obito tilted his head, pausing as if weighing whether the truth was even worth the breath. Then, without a word, he gestured toward Kabuto.
Kabuto, already grinning, adjusted his glasses with a glint of disturbing delight.
"Simple, really," he said, as though explaining a basic lesson."Nagato left more than enough of himself behind... inside Konan."
He let the words linger in the air a second too long before adding with calm malice:
"We recovered what we needed from her remains. His DNA was present in abundance—particularly in the tissue of a partially formed fetus."
The silence that followed was deafening.
Shock rippled through the room like a thunderclap.
Tsunade's face went deathly pale, one hand instinctively drifting toward her abdomen.Jiraiya surged forward in a fury, face twisted with grief and rage—Only to be held back by Orochimaru's steady hand on his shoulder.Even Mei looked shaken.And Mifune... Mifune simply closed his eyes, breathing out slowly, as though someone had whispered an eternal sin into his soul.
'Honestly, What the actual fuck Obito? I knew you and kabuto were not good people but that is gross...' Gaara thought
Naruto stood frozen, disbelief burning in his eyes. He stared at Obito with a mixture of horror and fury.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" he finally breathed.
Then, louder, rawer: "You're a monster."
Obito didn't flinch.
"I know."His voice was flat—no pride, no remorse, only a horrifying calm.
"You're right, Naruto Uzumaki. I am a monster. A monster without equal. I've done things that would freeze your soul. I've stared into the abyss so long, it started to resemble me. I've slaughtered without mercy, manipulated nations, puppeteered gods themselves."
He took a slow step forward. The floor beneath him groaned with each movement.
"I am a demon among men."
He paused.
"And it was all for one goal."
Silence reclaimed the room.
"...Peace."
Naruto's fists clenched tight, Red chakra starting to rise around him like living flame.
"Peace?"His voice cracked—torn between disbelief and searing fury.
"You call this peace? You brought the dead back just to make them your puppets! You desecrated the ones we mourn! You started a war! You killed my parents—my friends—my—!"
Obito raised a hand. Not to threaten—but to silence. To dismiss Naruto's rage like a child's tantrum.
"Peace is not gentle," he said with finality."Peace is not pure. It must be carved from the bones of the old world. Only through the Moon's Eye plan can we reach true unity."
Then he turned to face the Kage.
"You call yourselves Hero's. But none of you could break the cycle of hatred. I will. I will force the world to dream."
As Obito's twisted sermon about peace echoed through the hall, Naruto suddenly took a sharp step forward. His fists were trembling. His voice, when it came, was low—dangerously low.
"What happened to Sasuke?"
The room went quiet again.
Obito turned his head slightly, the spirals of his white mask catching the light. The two Sharingan within—both glowing red with a malice—focused on Naruto.
Then, he chuckled. Not loudly. Just a short, bitter breath of laughter.
"Ah, yes. Your dear friend… Sasuke Uchiha."
He sounded almost nostalgic. Almost.
"You are hoping that he is still alive, aren't you?"
Naruto's expression hardened, but he didn't speak.
Obito raised his hand and tapped the left side of his mask, right where one of the Sharingan glowed.
"This eye belonged to Itachi Uchiha."
Naruto's eyes widened. Mine did too.
"You're lying—"
"I don't lie. I promised Itachi I'd spare Sasuke if Itachi handed over his eyes."
There was a cold, satisfied edge in his voice now. Every word was a blade.
"And he did. Oh, Itachi knew what I was after. He was going to destroy his own eyes himself, but I convinced him otherwise. Told him I'd let his precious little brother live. And like the fool he always was…"Obito shrugged, mockingly casual. "…he believed me."
Naruto was shaking. His red chakra was starting to leak into the air. I could feel it. Like a coming storm. Like the Nine Tails was clawing at the edge of his soul.
"And Sasuke?" he whispered, voice nearly cracking.
Obito paused.
Then he spoke—without remorse. Without emotion.
"Kabuto has been working on his corpse for the past few days."
Naruto's breath hitched.
"He was too broken to be of use to me. Besides…" Obito turned toward him fully now, his voice venomous, "…watching the last of the Uchiha die in despair, right after realizing the one he hated the very most for majority of his life actually was the one who loved him the most? It was… art."
Naruto screamed.
"YOU BASTARD!!"
But Obito?He didn't flinch.
"He wants peace just like you do, Nagato."
Gaara's voice was low, steady. Unshaken. Naruto, despite the storm inside him, found himself listening. Something in the way the Kazekage said it—like he believed it—forced Naruto's thoughts to slow. To ask the question he didn't want to ask:
How could he be fighting for peace?
The Masked man—Tobi, Madara, whoever the hell he was—took a step forward. Instantly, the entire room tensed. Every shinobi present shifted subtly, hands resting on hilts, chakra focused, as the man in the mask addressed them.
"The Infinite Tsukuyomi," he said, voice rich and calm like a practiced preacher. "A perfect world, laid over this one. No war. No death. No pain. No more loneliness. No more suffering. Only peace."
Naruto flinched.
A perfect world?
For a second, the pain in his chest softened. Just a little. The aching hollowness that had lived in him for so long stirred, curious.
What... did that even mean?
"Tell us more," Jiraiya said cautiously.
"It would be a dream," Obito replied.
"An illusion," Gaara cut in firmly. Naruto's eyes flicked to him. The Kazekage met Obito's gaze unblinking. "Cast over the world like a genjutsu veil."
Obito paused, then raised a hand, almost lazily.
"Sand brat—"
"An illusion," Gaara said again, like each syllable was an iron nail.
Jiraiya's eyes narrowed.
"You want to trap everyone in a dream?"
"No," Obito said. "I want to free them. From the agony of reality. In the dream, there is no war. No pain. No failure. No death. Bodies preserved. Spirits at peace. An eternal paradise where no one ever wakes up."
Jiraiya shook his head slowly, visibly disturbed. "But… that's not peace. That's control. People can't just live in lies—"
"Lies?" Obito repeated, and for the first time, there was venom in his voice. "Do you think they want the truth? Do you think they want to be burned alive, torn apart, left to die on muddy battlefields over Idiotic concepts such as villages or clans they didn't choose?!"
He pointed straight at the Kage."This system you all uphold—this spiral of hatred—kills people. You let it happen, day after day. I'm the one ending it. For good."
Jiraiya's mouth opened, but Obito cut him off, voice rising.
"People say they want freedom, but give them a quiet life and they're content. They want peace, but they'll kill for pride. They want happiness, but they'll take it from others. Their choices? Meaningless. Because no matter what they want, this cruel world will turn their dreams to ash."
He turned suddenly, facing Naruto.
"Some people want to be Avengers—"A knife through Naruto's chest. Sasuke.
"—and some want to be the strongest." He glanced at Gaara. The Kazekage scowled, his fists tightening.
"But this world doesn't care. In the end, everyone's dream gets crushed beneath someone else's." Obito's voice grew cold, almost weary. "So if the world rejects their dreams… I'll give them new ones. Dreams they can live in forever without anyone suffering at the expense of it."
Behind him, Naruto shook. His mind was spinning.
Zabuza.
Sasuke.
Pain.
Haku's smile.
Kakashi's death.
All of it. All the pain they'd suffered to move forward, to build something better—he was saying it meant nothing?
And worse—
Naruto could feel it. That dangerous part of him. The part that understood.
What if it worked?
A perfect dream.
His parents, alive.
Sasuke, never left.
Kakashi, never died.
No wars. No orphans. No more goodbyes.
He wanted to scream. He wanted to believe it. But then—
"You fool."
Jiraiya's whisper cut like a kunai.
Obito stilled.
"Don't insult me with your nihilism," the Toad Sage growled, straightening. His voice cracked with fury. "We can fix this world the proper way. Or die trying. But your Moon's Eye Plan? It's not peace. It's cowardice."
Obito's eye narrowed.
"A comforting lie," Jiraiya continued, sneering. "The most comforting lie I've ever heard. But it would still be a lie. A genjutsu cage. The real world outside would keep rotting while the dream lulled us all to sleep."
The masked man grit his teeth so hard Naruto swore he heard one crack.
"You just want to run away," Jiraiya said, voice soft but devastating. "And drag the rest of us with you."
Obito stared straight ahead, unmoving.
"I," Obito muttered, "am surrounded by utter idiots."
XXXXXXX-Gaara POV
I'd heard enough.
The debate had dragged on long enough—words swirling in circles like sand caught in a dying storm. Naruto, Jiraiya, even Tsunade… their voices crashed like waves against Obito's unwavering shore. And all the while, the masked man stood there, clinging to his self-righteous delusion.
Peace.
He called it peace.
But I knew the truth.
This Moon's Eye Plan… was a lie. A carefully planted deception. I'd seen it for what it truly was: the final curse of Black Zetsu, twisting the words of the Sage into something grotesque. A world without choice. A Earth-sized human farm for Kaguya.
I narrowed my eyes.
It was time to end this farce.
Without another word, I stepped forward and raised my hand, feeling the weight of my Rinnegan pulse behind my brow. The power was cold, exact, and absolute.
"Shinra Tensei."
The space between us warped violently. The very air shuddered. The ground beneath Obito's feet cracked and buckled as a massive, invisible force hurtled toward him.
But Obito didn't move.
A ripple of chakra surged from him—and in an instant, a cyan Susanoo erupted into existence, cloaking his body in jagged ethereal armor. The shockwave collided against it with a thunderous crack, tearing apart the ground around him in a wide arc, but the chakra construct held firm.
Tch.
So he really had awakened both Mangekyō. The dual mismatched patterns spun wildly in his eyes behind the mask, their hatred deeper than any ocean.
"Impressive," he said coolly. "I see your new eye wasn't just for show."
Then he raised one hand, and the temperature shifted in an instant. My Rinnegan saw it before it came.
Amaterasu.
The black flames exploded on me like a starving predator—but I was already channeling the path I needed. Chakra pooled in my palm, and with a single motion, the burning heat vanished into my body, sucked away like water into sand.
The Preta Path.
The ability to devour ninjutsu.
I exhaled slowly. The flames were gone, not a mark left on me.
Obito's brow twitched beneath the mask. That one moment told me all I needed to know.
He was powerful—far more than he had been when he only had one Mangekyō. His chakra coiled like a storm, his Susanoo shimmered with life, and those cursed eyes burned with fanatical resolve. Anyone else might have backed down.
But I wasn't anyone else.
In a fight...
He would still lose...
and Obito seems to know that too.
For a fleeting moment, there was only the wind.
It howled over the battlefield's cracked earth, sweeping across the fractured stones and churned-up soil—ghosts of the battle that could have been. My hand lowered slowly, my chakra still coiled around the Rinnegan embedded in my eye. Obito's Susanoo flickered like a dying flame, its cyan light casting unnatural shadows that danced across his mask.
He didn't speak right away. But I could see it.
He was wary.
Not afraid, no—not yet—but his stance had shifted. Subtle. The tiniest weight drawn to the back of his heel. His gaze lingered a fraction too long on my eye. He was trying to mask it, to pretend it didn't matter.
But it did.
He had seen the power I now commanded. The Rinnegan was a force he hadn't prepared for… and for all his bravado, the tension in his shoulders betrayed him.
Then, he made his decision.
The Susanoo vanished in a ripple of cyan light, and the wind returned, this time heavier, as if carrying the weight of something unseen.
Obito's voice broke through the silence—clear, deliberate.
"I have no desire to waste strength on a pointless skirmish."
I didn't respond. I didn't need to. His next words were the only ones that mattered.
"One month from now," he declared, turning his head slightly, his masked face angled toward all of us. "The Fourth Great Ninja War will begin."
The words dropped like stone into still water.
Naruto clenched his fists. Tsunade's eyes narrowed. Jiraiya stepped forward instinctively, his hand twitching toward a scroll. Even the ever-stoic Darui sucked in a breath.
But I didn't move.
Because I understood.
This wasn't just a power play. This was calculated. Obito didn't want to fight—not yet. He knew he couldn't guarantee a win. Not while I had the Rinnegan. Not while the alliance still had time to prepare.
He was stalling.
And worse… I knew he wasn't alone in this.
My gaze flicked briefly to Kabuto, who stood silently at Obito's side, smiling that serpent's smile. The reanimations behind him flickered—Madara's absence more terrifying than any of the bodies he'd summoned so far. If he hadn't brought Madara into the field yet, it was for a reason.
That reason would not remain idle for long.
I exhaled slowly, letting the sands around me settle.
One month.
That was time we needed for good measure.
To ensure Madara's Death even if he gets Reanimated.
So I nodded.
"Then we'll be ready."
Obito tilted his head as if mocking my resolve, but he didn't speak again. He turned toward Kabuto, gave a brief gesture—and without ceremony, the air around them shimmered. Space twisted, chakra surged, and both vanished into the distorted swirl of Kamui.
The reanimated corpses collapsed like puppets with their strings cut, returning to lifeless dust. And just like that, they were gone.
The silence that followed was deafening.
The air had barely stilled from Obito's departure when all eyes shifted—to him.
Orochimaru.
He stood on the edge of the group, arms tucked into his sleeves, golden eyes glinting with a quiet amusement that set me on edge. There was no fear in him. Not after everything we'd seen. Not even after Obito and Kabuto vanished into the void. If anything… he looked entertained.
I took a slow breath and stepped forward.
"We need to act before Kabuto does," I said, voice steady. "If he reanimates Madara… it may be a bit troublesome."
Orochimaru's smile curled wider, sharp and snake-like. "Oh? And what exactly are you proposing, Kazekage-dono?"
There was no point dancing around it.
"We want you to summon the dead," I said plainly. "Before Kabuto does."
The others were silent for a moment—then, surprisingly, Tsunade nodded.
"As much as I hate this jutsu… he's right," she muttered, arms folded. "We'll need legends of our own to counter what Kabuto's preparing."
Orochimaru's smile didn't falter, but something shifted in his expression. A twitch. Barely visible.
"Ah… so now you come to me," he drawled, eyes sliding from Tsunade to Jiraiya to me. "You want my forbidden techniques… to fight the other snake."
"He's not like you," Jiraiya muttered.
"No," Orochimaru said, voice cold now. "He's not. He's worse."
The venom in his tone surprised me. So did the flash of irritation that crossed his face. Perhaps Kabuto had struck deeper than I'd thought—usurped more than just his jutsu. Orochimaru may have been a monster, but he was a proud one.
"I'll help you," he said finally, eyes narrowing. "But don't expect miracles overnight. Preparing stable reanimations—especially ones with the strength you're asking for—takes time."
"How long?" Tsunade asked.
"A few days, minimum," he said. "More if you want full power and not just empty shells."
I nodded. "Then start immediately."
He smirked. "Of course. And which souls shall I be dragging back into the world of the living?"
There was silence again. No one wanted to say it.
So I did.
"Start with the Hokages."
His brow arched. "All of them?"
"Yes," I said. "Just start with one first. Hashirama Senju."
Even Jiraiya blinked at that.
"Hashirama?" Jiraiya echoed.
I met his gaze. "We'll need more than his power in battle. We'll need his Wood Style. With it, he can rebuild Konoha. Rebuild Iwa. He can restore what's been lost—quickly."
Darui gave a grunt of approval. "Tch. As much as it pains me to admit it… that tree-hugging bastard could stabilize half the continent in days."
"And," I added, "his leadership might unify those still uncertain about the Alliance."
Orochimaru chuckled, clearly amused by our strategic logic.
"How noble. Using the God of Shinobi as your carpenter and politician." Orochimaru licked his lips, then added, "Very well. Hashirama it is."
I narrowed my eyes. "No tricks."
He held up one pale hand in mock surrender. "None. I want Kabuto crushed just as much as you do."
Somehow, I believed him.
Tsunade crossed her arms. "Who else can we get? We'll need more than just Hashirama."
"We'll discuss it," I said. "Carefully. We don't need an army of zombie—just enough to match Kabuto's hand."
I turned to Orochimaru again. "Start your preparations. We'll return in two days."
He inclined his head. "The dead await."
As we began to depart, I looked back once—just once—at the place where Obito had vanished.
One month.
But all I could think about was how off-script everything had already become.
This wasn't supposed to happen. Not like this.
Sasuke was supposed to live. He was supposed to awaken the Rinnegan, challenge Naruto, then stand beside him against Kaguya. Against the Otsutsuki. Against the real enemies of this world.
But now?
He was dead. Gone before his time. And with him, a future I knew was vital had shattered like glass.
Damn it.
Sure, I could still handle things without Sasuke right now but that will just be some more stuff on my plate.
Across the clearing, I saw Naruto standing beside Jiraiya. The old sage had one hand on the boy's shoulder, already saying it—already telling him it was time to face the Nine-Tails.
And I knew what came next. I knew it all.
I wasn't supposed to be here. I wasn't supposed to be Gaara. But I was. Somehow.
And with that came a responsibility I couldn't ignore anymore.
If the canon was falling apart… I had to step in. I had to take a more active role to ensure stability.
Because if Naruto dies in this war—if he falls short—then the burden to save the world truly falls on me alone.
I stepped forward toward the two of them, drawing their attention.
"I'll help," I said.
Naruto blinked, surprised. Jiraiya turned to face me fully.
"I'll help," I said simply.
They both looked at me, surprised.
"I've mastered Shukaku's power. Full control," I continued, eyes settling on Naruto. "I can help you learn to do the same with the Nine-Tails."
Jiraiya raised a brow. "You sure, Gaara? I thought you had your hands full as a Kage."
"I do," I replied. "But I also know what's coming".
"You're the main character of this world, whether you like it or not," I said. "That means your survival isn't optional. You need to master Kurama's power—completely. And I'm going to make sure you do."
Naruto furrowed his brow. "Main character?"
I gave a small, tired smile. "Forget I said that. Point is—you need to be ready. Strong enough to help me face Madara and other future threats."
He was silent for a moment, then nodded, his voice steady. "Okay. I want to protect everyone. I'll do whatever it takes."
Jiraiya smirked. "Well then… I guess we've got ourselves a training session."
As we walked away from the gathering, the wind still sharp with tension, I stopped, turning back toward Jiraiya and Naruto.
"There's something else you both need to know."
Jiraiya raised a brow. "Something worse than a full-blown war?"
I nodded. "Much worse."
Naruto looked at me, frowning. "What is it?"
I exhaled slowly. It was time to shatter a few assumptions.
"It is," I said. "Obito—the masked man—isn't working alone. He's being manipulated by something much older. Something that's been twisting events behind the scenes for centuries."
I paused, watching for their reactions. Both stayed silent, listening.
"His name is Black Zetsu," I continued. "He's not just some shinobi or strange creature. He's the physical manifestation of a will—created by Kaguya Ōtsutsuki. His entire purpose is to bring her back."
"Kaguya Ōtsusu-What?" Naruto echoed, visibly thrown off. "That's not even a ninja name."
"No, it's not," I said. "She predates ninjas—predates everything. And she's the true threat behind all of this. Obito and even Madara… they're just tools in Zetsu's long plan to resurrect her and recreate the Infinite Tsukuyomi."
Jiraiya looked grim. "That's… an insane story, kid. How do you know all this?"
I kept my tone even. "Let's just say I've studied a lot more than people realize. More than just history. I know how this plays out. But right now, we still have time. Kaguya shouldn't appear unless something goes horribly wrong."
I looked directly at Naruto.
"As long as the Rinnegan remains in my possession… we maintain control over the flow of events, No Rinnegan, No Gedo statue, No Ten tails and that means No Kaguya."
Jiraiya furrowed his brow. "So we focus on Obito, then?"
"No," I said quickly. "Obito is dangerous, yes but I can handle him easily. The real problem is Madara Uchiha."
Both of them stilled at the name.
"Madara will be reanimated," I said. "Kabuto has the means. And once Madara awakens, he'll break free from Kabuto's control and sustain his own Edo Tensei form."
Naruto looked confused. "Wait, doesn't Edo Tensei disappear if the summoner dies?"
Jiraiya leaned in. "Yeah. Can't we just take out Kabuto and stop it?"
I shook my head.
"No. Madara is different. He figured out how to override Edo Tensei's control. Once he's back, he becomes immortal. Limitless chakra, regeneration, and no fatigue. You can't kill him. He can only be sealed."
Jiraiya went quiet.
Even Naruto didn't speak, though I saw the shift in his eyes—the slow realization of how far beyond him this war was beginning to stretch.
Then I felt it.
A shift in the air. A stirring deep within Naruto.
Not words. Just a flicker of awareness.
Kurama.
I glanced at him, feeling the fox's presence stirring—curious, perhaps even unsettled by the names I mentioned. Kaguya. Black Zetsu. The Ten Tails. He remembered.
Before he could speak through Naruto, I cut in smoothly.
"Not now fox," I said, my voice firm but calm. "We'll talk later. You and I."
Naruto blinked. "Were you just—talking to him?"
I nodded, not explaining further.
"What matters," I continued, "is that we prepare to seal Madara. Not fight him. Not defeat him. Seal him."
Jiraiya crossed his arms. "…We'll need more than brute strength to pull that off."
"We'll find a way," I said. "But the first step is making sure you're ready, Naruto. And I'll help you. Personally."
His eyes widened slightly. "You will?"
I gave a nod. "We don't have time to waste. The war begins soon. If we don't get stronger—fast—we won't handle what's coming."
(End of Chapter)