Chapter 322 Life
In the dark universe, there were no stars.
Only tiny meteorite fragments drifted silently through the empty space.
If one could see with greater clarity, various incomplete elements floated throughout the darkness, scattered like broken memories of what once existed.
From those remaining fragments, it was clear that stars had once been here.
A massive storm, powerful enough to overturn the ninja world, suddenly swept across this silent universe, throwing every drifting object into chaos.
Then, the violent wind stopped. A powerful suction rose from one corner of the universe.
Looking toward the source of that pull, one could see it clearly.
In the vast darkness, a single ray of light shone. Dazzling. Pure.
A man in a white robe, white hair, and white skin sat cross-legged in the void.
His entire body glowed faintly, as if he had gathered all the remaining light of the universe into himself.
With a single exhale, a storm surged outward.
All the turbulence in this space had been caused by nothing more than the man's breathing.
Plop. Plop.
A steady drumbeat echoed through the void.
The rhythm was so forceful it caused the entire space to tremble.
But soon, as the light around the man faded, the sound softened.
The wind slowed.
The suction weakened.
Until finally, everything returned to calm.
Nothing seemed to have happened.
The universe was dark as always.
Meteorite fragments floated quietly. Elements drifted without purpose.
"It's over..."
Ryosuke felt the changes within his body and soul calm down. His eyes slowly opened.
Time passed quickly.
Before he knew it, another year had gone by.
And three years had passed since his last transformation.
Now, he had completed another one.
Both his physical and spiritual strength had reached a higher stage in this transformation, far surpassing his former life as the overlord of the universe.
But again, there was only power.
No new realm.
What Ryosuke hoped for, the chance to understand the rules through the progress bar, did not happen.
Even the progress bar could not help him take that step.
A small disappointment—but Ryosuke had expected it.
The direction of rules was far more troublesome than increasing pure strength.
Ryosuke then gazed at the dark universe around him.
This space... seemed larger than before.
He frowned, carefully sensing the strange area.
This was the independent space he created using the Ame no Minaka technique.
Long ago, he had separated a region from the universe, created a planet filled with life, and even made a moon to replace the one in the ninja world.
Later, he transferred the real moon that sealed Kaguya Otsutsuki into this space. When he shattered the seal, everything inside was destroyed.
The vibrant planet he created, the moon, the small celestial bodies around it—everything had perished in the explosion.
Now, this strange space…
Had nothing.
But not truly nothing.
When Ryosuke returned here to find a safe place for his transformation, he had sensed something different.
"Life..."
His clear eyes stared through the darkness, pulling free elements closer.
It was life—not vitality.
The world he once created looked full of life, with grass, trees, mountains, and rivers.
But after observing it closely, he discovered that all of it moved according to the rules he wove. The so-called life was just part of a script.
When would a tree grow?
When would it wither?
Would it die from too much rain?
Would it sprout again?
Everything followed his preset rules.
It was not life.
Ryosuke understood then that being a creator was not so simple.
The lively world was only a toy.
An illusion made of pieces he arranged.
So he abandoned that world without hesitation.
He was not like the Otsutsuki, who used such spaces as weapons.
Later, when he focused on strengthening his body and soul, he rarely studied secret techniques again.
Now, when it came to rules, he had no intention of diving deeply into the true meaning of the Ame no Minaka technique.
But now… this place caught his interest.
The elements here, the stones, even the tiny remnants—after the explosion, they had changed.
They had gained something close to the potential of real life.
Competition.
Struggle.
After Ryosuke abandoned the space, everything here had fought to exist.
Some substances unconsciously devoured others.
The universe itself, after undergoing changes, continued to expand, striving to grow.
When Ryosuke separated this area from the ninja universe, it was nowhere near this size.
"Interesting... Maybe I can really become a creator."
Ryosuke observed the subtle changes. Small, but significant.
However, this growth was slow.
"Without direct control, the only way to match their pace is to speed up time."
Light flowed from Ryosuke's eyes.
This space was bound by the Heaven's Control. He could rewrite everything inside it.
Including time.
Which was why he once created two planets here in a short period.
As Ryosuke manipulated time, everything changed rapidly.
Countless tiny substances gathered and condensed with the swirling gases, rotating.
It was like watching a film at double speed, then ten times, twenty times, a hundred times faster.
Everything evolved at a speed impossible to track.
Ryosuke watched quietly, recording everything.
To avoid disturbing the natural changes, he isolated himself from the space with energy, existing in a virtual state.
Everything spun.
Old materials devoured each other.
Condensed into stones.
Then drifted into clusters.
Becoming asteroids.
During their rotation, the asteroids rubbed against each other, collided, and shattered, turning into tiny substances again.
Old and new replaced each other. Matter and energy shifted back and forth, never equal, always changing, always increasing with time.
As the years passed, this strange space slowly took the shape of a real universe. Rivers of stars began to appear.
But in recent years, Hinata no longer needed Ryosuke's help.
With the Ninja World as the center, the Teigu World, the Esper World, and the Parasite World as resource supply points, and the Ultraman World as their foundation, they continued to recruit and train talents. Their development flowed smoothly, expanding outward without pause.
Even in difficult times, they were able to handle most situations.
If they faced a world too strong to resist, they could retreat into the Ultraman World, receive temporary protection from Tiga, and wait for Ryosuke to arrive.
Hinata had grown to the point where she could develop well even without Ryosuke's support.
However... Ryosuke remained Hinata's strongest backing. That never changed.
As for reporting his own situation, Hinata and the others had long grown used to Ryosuke's disappearances. When he began traveling through many worlds to comprehend their rules, his long absences became normal.
So, he did not rush back.
…
But even with Ryosuke speeding up time within his space, a long period still passed in the real world.
"Mr Shanks, do you remember our original agreement?"
In the Teigu world, within the imperial capital, Hinata sat on the throne of the kingdom palace. Faint fluorescent light shone in her eyes as she looked down at Shanks, who bowed below.
Shanks froze. "Agreement?"
Hinata's serious expression softened into a smile. "Yes. According to our agreement, after we find the world you came from, we will hand over the rights of that world to you."
"You found my world?"
Shanks looked up in disbelief, joy overflowing.
"Yes."
Hinata nodded and motioned toward the armored man standing nearby. "Tatsumi accidentally gained control of a space time gate while fighting a super dangerous species."
"The authority has already been handed to me, and we conducted brief confirmation."
"The world behind the door matches what you described. Your name still exists there. But because of your sudden disappearance, the position of the Four Emperors seems to have been taken by someone else."
Tatsumi had not investigated deeply. He only bought a newspaper and spoke with people in a border town, so their information was limited.
"Thank you, Patriarch!"
Shanks bowed deeply, his hands trembling.
It had been almost ten years. He wanted to go home and see his brothers. It had been far too long.
Unable to hide his excitement, he quickly thanked Tatsumi as well.
"So now..."
Hinata focused on the red-haired man before her. "Shanks, I appoint you as the main person in charge of the Pirate World and grant you temporary command of the space time gate."
"Whether to conquer that world by force or cooperate peacefully is up to you."
"As for manpower, a force of one hundred thousand will help you win the respect of that world."
This had been agreed upon long ago. Ever since they began opening worlds, Hinata had gathered many who accidentally traveled through time. Every one of them hoped Hinata could take them home.
But finding one's home across countless worlds was not easy.
Until now, Shanks was the only one in the clan with a confirmed chance to return.
People like Gintoki, Eren, and others, whether they joined early or late, could only wait.
But if this went well, Hinata would gain the loyalty of all foreign travelers within the clan.
"Thank you, Patriarch!"
Shanks bowed again.
Truthfully, he did not need one hundred thousand people. That world was his home. As one of the Four Emperors, he held enormous influence.
After spending ten years in other worlds and following Hinata through many battles across realms, what he had seen and learned had changed him.
He was no longer the man who once lost his arm and searched for a successor to carry his dream.
If the strong men of that world remained the same as before... then Shanks believed the title of strongest might already belong to someone else.
"But there is something I must remind you of."
Hinata watched his joy with a calm smile. "You are Hyuga now. No matter how your world develops, Hyuga is the head. The others can only be the body or the tail."
As Hyuga expanded, more and more people joined. With such numbers, it was impossible for Hinata to keep every individual in mind.
But Shanks had followed them for many years, and it was he who discovered the clues that eventually led them to the space time gate.
She still held some friendship for this longtime companion.
But friendship was friendship. Warnings had to be given.
Before Shanks left his world, that world had already gained a space time gate connected to an Ultraman world. How it had developed since then was unknown.
They might not be weaker than Hyuga.
So the decision of where to stand still mattered.
"...I understand."
Hinata's words made Shanks remember that his home was not simple either.
Before he disappeared, that world already had control over another world.
If the two sides clashed…
Shanks already knew his answer.
He would choose Hyuga.
Not because of ten years of feelings, but because he had seen the true nature of this clan. He had watched Hyuga rise, expand, and evolve.
And he had seen the one who stood above all of them.
The man called Hyuga Ryosuke.
He had not seen him in years.
But from beginning to end, he had never discovered Ryosuke's limits.
He had never seen anyone push Ryosuke into danger.
No matter how the Pirate World developed now...
Shanks did not want his friends to face an enemy like Hyuga Ryosuke.
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