The boundless journey stretched on beneath the starry sky.
Above the firmament hung a pitch-black curtain, scattered with countless fragments of light like shattered glass. Each shard shimmered faintly, as if carrying an endless number of possibilities within it.
Ashihara Country—the world known to shinobi as the Ninja World.
In one of its cities, the streets were brightly lit, people flowing through alleys and avenues, carrying with them the warmth of ordinary life. From above, the crowds looked like countless droplets of water pressed together by an invisible tide—close, yet never truly merging.
Looking farther out, the contrast became striking.
This vast land possessed only a single concentrated region of prosperity, while the distant horizon lay desolate and empty. The imbalance made the scene feel both peaceful and strangely ominous.
At the very edge of vision, towering beyond the city, stood a colossal Divine Tree.
Its trunk pierced the clouds, its branches spreading into the heavens, as if attempting to seize the stars themselves.
Beneath that sacred tree, two figures entered the crowd.
The woman at the front was breathtakingly beautiful—features as delicate as if carved from jade, her presence refined to the point of perfection. She was not radiant in an aggressive way, yet her beauty was absolute, the kind that instinctively commanded space.
Wherever she passed, people unconsciously parted.
It was not fear, nor reverence—it was instinct, as if the world itself knew not to cross her path.
Half a step behind her walked a man of elegant bearing. His posture was impeccable, his demeanor calm and restrained. In his hand, however, he did not hold hers.
Instead, he carried a pale yellow oil-paper umbrella, exquisitely crafted, its surface painted with mountains and rivers.
He maintained a respectful distance—half a step behind at all times. In etiquette, that distance meant submission.
They moved through the streets without purpose, yet the bustling crowd fell eerily silent as they passed, freezing in place like living statues. Only after the two vanished into the distance did the people dare to breathe again.
"Your Highness," the man said softly, "regarding the progress of the chakra fruit cultivation—"
The woman did not even turn her head.
"What is our next destination?"
The man paused only for an instant before replying, "Judging by the sky and spatial alignment, this should be Yamato Country."
She nodded faintly.
"How many Divine Tree seedlings remain?"
"Ten," he answered confidently. "Our harvest has been… quite abundant."
"Mm."
Her expression returned to calm indifference, though her presence remained overwhelmingly striking.
The man followed in silence, like a loyal knight accompanying a princess.
They had not gone far when her steps slowed.
Her gaze shifted almost imperceptibly toward a point high above the sky.
"You sensed it as well?" the man asked. "Another star has fallen?"
She nodded—then shook her head.
"Change our destination."
The order was abrupt, but the man did not question it.
"Which star has caught Your Highness's interest this time?"
"I want to see the place where that explosion occurred."
"…That is rare," he said thoughtfully. "Even in the vastness of the cosmos, stars do not vanish so casually."
She nodded again, a faint glimmer flashing in her eyes.
From her perspective, what had occurred was as clear as if it had happened right before her.
Yet by the man's calculations, the distance between them and that location spanned several seas of stars—far enough that even beings like them would require a full month of travel.
Ashihara Country — Mount Myōboku
Deep within the main hall, the massive body of the Great Toad Sage stirred.
This was no ordinary movement.
For beings like him, such disturbances were akin to nightmares—and a toad's dream was prophecy.
Gamamaru slowly opened his heavy eyelids, his breathing uneven.
"Uzumaki Boruto…" he murmured.
"Are you truly keeping your vow?"
Moments later, he summoned Fukasaku and Shima.
The two sages arrived quickly, bowing respectfully before the ancient being.
"Is there… a new prophecy?" Fukasaku asked cautiously.
"Ninja World," the Great Toad Sage said slowly,
"has entered the countdown to death."
Silence fell.
The two sages stared at him, stunned.
"Death…? How could that be?" Shima asked, her voice shaking. "How could it happen so suddenly?"
Gamamaru exhaled heavily.
"This time… it may not even be a prophecy. It is something that will certainly happen. I know it—because it feels as though I have already lived through it."
Cold sweat soaked his back.
For an immortal sage to show such fear was almost unthinkable.
"If it isn't a prophecy," Fukasaku asked nervously, "then… is there a solution? Will the chosen one—Boruto—change this fate?"
Gamamaru fell silent for a long time.
Then he sighed.
"It's useless."
The words struck like a hammer.
"All methods are nothing more than bubbles. Jokes."
"Useless…?" Shima whispered. "Then is a being comparable to Kaguya descending upon this world?"
The two sages trembled—but even so, they tried to remain rational.
"Even Kaguya," the Great Toad Sage said sharply,
"will inevitably face death."
The hall froze.
"But Kaguya is the God of Chakra," Fukasaku protested. "All the power of the Fourth Shinobi World War couldn't kill her!"
"That is precisely why," Gamamaru replied grimly.
"If even she cannot escape… then everything will perish."
Including the Three Great Sage Lands.
The weight of his words crushed the hall into silence.
"Perhaps," the Great Toad Sage continued quietly,
"this is why I can see it so clearly. I have already experienced it once."
As if time itself had looped.
"As if I returned ahead of fate… to warn the world."
He paused.
"…And yet, I have no solution."
Because the outcome was already fixed.
Even foreknowledge could not stop it.
Fate, once written, would still arrive.
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A/N: Advanced Chapters Have Been Uploaded On My Patreon
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