"Smash!"
The Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion, a blow powerful enough to cleave heaven and earth itself, was caught in the palm of Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo's hand — and with a single sharp crack, it shattered.
Yuki Yoru's ultimate strike — the sword that had annihilated the Six Paths: Planetary Devastation — had been effortlessly crushed by Hagoromo's grasp.
What's more, when the golden blade broke apart, not a trace of its energy spilled forth.
Only when Hagoromo raised his hand did the residual power finally dissipate into the void.
The sight made Yuki Yoru frown deeply.
"I gave you a chance, Yuki Yoru."
A pure white radiance began to spread from the center of Hagoromo's brow, his entire body expanding within that divine glow until he seemed boundless, sacred, and untouchable.
The nine Truth-Seeking Orbs and the five beams of light behind him merged into what looked like a celestial halo.
Only one who could feel this power firsthand — like Yuki Yoru — could begin to comprehend what Hagoromo was now manifesting.
This was not mere manipulation of space-time… nor simple Yin-Yang chakra.
It was something beyond that — a force surpassing even the level of the Bloodline Net (Kekkei Mōra).
Only such transcendent power could allow Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo to withstand the Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion completely unharmed — and to crush it as though it were nothing.
But… was that even possible?
Power of that magnitude couldn't simply appear out of nowhere.
If Hagoromo truly possessed such strength, he wouldn't have allowed Yuki Yoru to wreak havoc across the shinobi world unchecked.
He would have stopped him long ago.
If Hagoromo truly had reached that level, neither Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, nor Ōtsutsuki Hamura, nor even Obito at his Six Paths peak would ever have been consumed by Yoru.
He would have defeated Yoru before this battle even began — one slap and it would've been over.
Why bother with all this talk of "cooperation" or forgiveness?
"Just a bluff."
Looking at the Sage of Six Paths, radiating divinity like a god descended, Yuki Yoru let out a cold laugh.
"Who do you think you're trying to fool, Hagoromo? Did you forget what my power is?"
Countless eyes spun within Yoru's own sockets, spreading outward with the surge of his spiritual power — a writhing, endless mass of sight.
"You'll know soon enough whether it's bluffing or not!" Hagoromo's voice resounded with unwavering confidence.
A brilliant, sacred chakra flared up around him, and everything bathed in that light began to tremble subtly — resonating with his power.
In his hand, the once-black Sage's staff began to twist and reform — transforming into a strange, spiraling longsword.
He gripped it tightly.
The Sword of Nunoboko, the ultimate sword of faith!
The power of this sword is limitless. As long as the wielder's faith is firm enough, it can cut through anything before it. Even the world, heaven and earth, cannot stop it!
For Hagoromo to draw this sword now, instead of his traditional staff, proved how absolute his confidence in his own strength had become.
"Yuki Yoru," he declared, his voice ringing like thunder across the void,
"I have now broken through Kekkei Mōra and reached the true realm of a God!"
"And this sword strike will utterly erase your existence!"
"Is that so…"
Yuki Yoru snorted softly, but his gaze became solemn at that moment..
Though he did not believe that Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo's strength could truly break through to the genuine 'God' realm, the power the opponent displayed forced Yuki Yoru to unleash his full strength.
However, the aura emanating from Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo's body now reminded Yuki Yoru of something.
Taking a deep breath, Yoru slowly dispelled the dark-gold spirit blade in his hand.
In its place appeared a unique long sword — ruler-like in shape, with four crystal prisms embedded along each side of the blade. Two decorative tassels hung from the guard and pommel, swaying gently in the void.
A layer of Yoru's signature ink-black spiritual power coated the weapon, deepening its already profound presence.
"This is…"
"The sword that can slay gods."
...
Meanwhile, in the Shinobi World…
"That concludes my report, Lady Yuki Kiri."
Inside the Mizukage's office, Uchiha Fugaku, who had traveled all the way from Konoha using a Garganta, spoke with a deeply serious expression.
Yuki Kiri furrowed her brows. Her gaze shifted from Fugaku to the small figures behind him — a young Uchiha Sasuke and Hyūga Hinata — then to a middle-aged man about Fugaku's age, and finally to a blond boy roughly Naruto's size.
After a long silence, Kiri spoke slowly:
"People who've crossed through time from the future… Lord Fugaku, your assumption isn't entirely wrong. But 'traveling back from the future' isn't the most accurate way to describe them. It's more correct to say they came from another world."
"Parallel dimensions, alternate spaces — you and I both understand these concepts.
If one uses a sufficiently powerful energy source to break through the walls separating worlds, it is possible. But the risks and instability are extraordinarily high."
"Yet according to what you've said… you didn't just cross dimensions — you precisely targeted a point in time."
"It was through Ōtsutsuki Urashiki's special artifact," the middle-aged Sasuke replied in a deep voice.
"He intended to travel into this timeline to seize the Tailed Beasts, but I intervened and disrupted the process.
Because of that, something went wrong."
"The device that caused our temporal displacement should have also ended up in this world."
"And so did that Ōtsutsuki!"
A sudden voice cut in. The door to the Mizukage's office swung open, and a graceful figure stepped inside.
She had long crimson hair and deep brown eyes — exuding both strength and elegance.
"This is…"
Sasuke froze.
Their identities as time travelers were supposed to be classified — how could anyone else be allowed in here?
"This is Sara, the former queen of the ancient Rōran Kingdom, and the one who once wielded control over the Dragon Vein," Yuki Kiri explained calmly.
"Since joining the Kirigakure, she's been researching dimensional energy. She may have valuable insight into your situation."
"Queen Sara…?"
The older Sasuke nodded slightly, accepting her presence.
Meanwhile, Boruto's eyes were practically sparkling.
She's so cool! he thought wildly, half ready to kneel in admiration.
"There's no need for formalities," Sara said quickly, glancing briefly at Boruto. "I'm no longer a queen — just a member of Kirigakure now."
Then her tone turned serious.
"Based on the intelligence you've provided, if the time of the jump was predetermined, then even if the Ōtsutsuki named Urashiki wastes more time in the dimensional turbulence, he will eventually arrive in this world."
"An Ōtsutsuki…?!"
Uchiha Itachi's expression darkened instantly, the air around him tightening with tension.
"If it were just one Ōtsutsuki, that would be manageable." Sara shook her head. "Given the Fourth Mizukage's power, a single Ōtsutsuki is nothing. At most, it would cause some damage."
"The real threat," she continued, "lies in that Ōtsutsuki himself — and the artifact he carries."
Her words made everyone in the room freeze for a moment. Images flashed through their minds in rapid succession.
Up until now, they had been too focused on the danger of the Ōtsutsuki alone — but Sara's reminder made them realize something far more terrifying.
If that Ōtsutsuki's artifact was capable of precisely locking onto this world's coordinates — and even bringing others across dimensions — then what would happen if he managed to return to his own world with it?
Would this world become the prey of a patient hunter, waiting silently in the void?
Or would it face an unstoppable invasion, vast enough to blot out the sky itself?
Either outcome was something the Shinobi World could never afford to face.
"That Ōtsutsuki must die," Uchiha Itachi said coldly. "We absolutely cannot allow him to leave here alive. If he exposes our world's coordinates, we'll be facing nothing less than total annihilation."
"Agreed — and that artifact must be found, no matter what," Uchiha Fugaku added gravely.
The future of the Shinobi World left no room for even the smallest mistake.
Until now, they had only focused on two separate pieces of intelligence about this world — on the prophecy that the future would face an Ōtsutsuki invasion.
But they had overlooked the hidden danger that came through the time rift with them.
If that hidden threat detonated, then even if Yuki Yoru remained unmatched beneath heaven, the entire world would still be left in ruins.
"Since that's the case," Yuki Kiri said, her tone firm, "we can't afford to waste any time. I'll issue a Mizukage Order immediately to begin the search for the artifact."
Then she turned to the older Sasuke.
"You traveled here using that object — you should have at least some impression of what it looks like, right?"
"That won't be a problem," Sasuke replied quickly. "I'll use genjutsu later to recreate its exact appearance for you."
He paused for a moment, then added, hesitantly,
"While I'm grateful for your help… could I perhaps meet your Mizukage in person?"
"I understand your concern, Uchiha Sasuke," Kiri said, shaking her head softly. "But as I told you before — Lord Yoru is currently engaged in an incredibly important battle. A battle that will determine the very fate of this era."
"Ōtsutsuki Urashiki may be a key threat from the future," she continued, "but the danger we face now is something that Lord Yoru must handle first."
The older Sasuke frowned, clearly unsettled.
"I understand what you mean… but if Urashiki really does arrive, my power alone won't be enough to do more than delay him. If he starts destroying things…"
"So that's what you were worried about," Kiri said.
At those words, the tension in the room suddenly eased.
Fugaku even chuckled, clapping his son on the shoulder.
"Sasuke, if it's just Urashiki you're worried about — you're overthinking it."
"The world we live in now isn't the same as the one you came from," Fugaku continued with a confident smile.
"Our civilization, our power structure — all of it has changed. But if I had to name the biggest difference…"
He paused for effect, his eyes gleaming.
"It would be our capacity to fight."
The older Sasuke froze, frowning deeply.
"Father… we're talking about an Ōtsutsuki."
"I know exactly who they are," Fugaku said, his smile unwavering.
"Beings like the Rabbit Goddess, like the Sage of Six Paths — I understand their power.
But I've also learned enough about your world's level of strength… to know this one is not the same."
"You, and the Seventh Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto, whom you mentioned, are likely the strongest in your world, correct? Without you, even the weakest Ōtsutsuki would be a catastrophic disaster for your world."
Uchiha Fugaku looked at the somewhat haggard, even weary, expression on his adult son's face and couldn't help but sigh inwardly, feeling a pang of heartache.
What immense pressure that must be. To bear the heavy burden of protecting the entire shinobi world must be exhausting..
Fortunately, we have met!
"Sasuke, trust us. From the Third Shinobi World War, from the moment the Mizukage-sama emerged, our world embarked on a different path. And the most outstanding, the most powerful aspect of this path is our combat strength!"
"Our Mizukage is the Master of the Dead!"
"Master of the... Dead?" The adult Sasuke froze, his pupils contracting uncontrollably. "Don't tell me…!"
"Yes, it's exactly what you're thinking." Uchiha Fugaku looked at his son's weary yet handsome face and patted his shoulder. "So, leave these matters to us with peace of mind."
"For now, what you need to do is recover from the injuries you sustained fighting that Ōtsutsuki. You can even try out our power system here. In short, your task is to rest and recuperate, to build up your energy. Leave all these messy matters to us, Sasuke!"
Uchiha Fugaku reached to grab the adult Sasuke's hand but grasped empty air. The sight of the empty sleeve made Fugaku's heart clench again.
"But—"
"No 'buts'!" Fuguke spoke with a hint of firmness, grabbing the adult Sasuke's remaining hand and pulling him towards the door of the Mizukage's office.
"You always said I left you when I was young. In this age, let me do the duty of a father. I'll negotiate and arrange everything with the Kirigakure to the fullest extent I can. Your only job is to recuperate, rest well, and take a good look at this different world."
"Father…"
The scene of fatherly care that followed was not shown to the others in the office, but most could imagine how it would look.
On any ordinary day they might have teased Fugaku about it — but not now. Not when the matter at hand was urgent.
They now had to find, in the shortest possible time across the entire shinobi world, a tiny artifact no bigger than a toy.
Fortunately, as Fugaku said — if there was anything truly outstanding in the current shinobi world, it was combat strength. It was manpower.
"Go. Find it as fast as you can!" Yuki Kiri ordered in a low voice. "And the moment you find any trace of the Ōtsutsuki from the other world, report it immediately."
"They trespassed into our world without permission — they deserve a welcome they won't forget!"