"The sky... it's being peeled back!"
"W-What on earth is happening?"
"Is it space... or the sky itself?"
"Wait, that pitch-black void inside... what is that?"
The four Hokage looked at the wondrous sight in the sky, their faces filled with astonishment.
Whether it was the mighty Hashirama Senju, the composed Tobirama Senju, the experienced Hiruzen Sarutobi, or the brilliant Minato Namikaze, they all stared blankly at the sky, unable to comprehend what was happening before their eyes.
Orochimaru's mouth hung open, his face masked in disbelief, rendered almost speechless.
Karin and Jugo stood dazed at the spectacle. Suigetsu fared even worse; he turned into a puddle of water in fear and scurried behind Orochimaru.
Sasuke's eyes widened. His eerie Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan flared as he stared at the sky, equally paralyzed by shock.
Suddenly, Sasuke's gaze sharpened, fixating on a corner of the sky where it looked as if a curtain were being pulled back.
The superior vision of the Mangekyo Sharingan allowed him to see clearly. At the edge of that 'curtain,' a handprint-like indentation had appeared.
Though no figure was visible, the shape of four fingers pressing against the sky, forming a depression, jolted his spirit.
Sasuke instinctively raised his hand, mimicking a gripping motion toward the sky to gauge the size. A look of certainty crossed his face.
That common shape was undoubtedly a mark left by a human hand.
He could even see the fingerprints imprinted in the sky at those four deep indentations.
"It's a space-time ninjutsu!"
"To toy with space so casually... just who is inside there?"
The marvelous scene in the sky interrupted what Fugaku was about to say.
Beside him, Setsuna approached, looking up at the sky. His gaze fell upon the hand grasping the curtain, and his expression shifted.
"It's the Lord. He's descending upon the Shinobi World!"
"Based on the timing, he must have finished organizing the main force to advance into this world."
Shisui, standing further away, left Sasuke's side and flickered next to Fugaku, sighing softly.
Then, his refined brows furrowed slightly, a hint of confusion appearing on his face.
"But... this way of tearing through space, doesn't it look a lot like a Menos Grande?"
Setsuna spoke dismissively, "The Lord probably made a contract with a Menos."
Although those Menos weren't particularly strong, their method of appearing was certainly more grand and imposing than the simple Senkaimon used by Shinigami.
It was quite flashy.
Fugaku nodded and said softly, "That must be it."
While those present could not hear the voices of Shisui and Setsuna in their soul forms, they heard Fugaku's words clearly.
Sasuke withdrew his gaze from the sky and looked at the mysterious man before him.
"What 'must be it'? Were you talking to the souls of our clansmen again?"
Just as the identity of his opponent was about to be revealed, this phenomenon had occurred.
Moreover, seeing the man's calm demeanor, it was obvious he knew about the anomaly in the sky.
There was clearly a deep connection between the two.
"Who exactly are you, and what is your relationship with the one using that space-time ninjutsu up there?"
Sasuke's words drew the attention of everyone present; their gazes shifted back and forth between Sasuke and Fugaku.
Orochimaru hurriedly asked, "Sasuke, did your eyes see something?"
Sasuke ignored Orochimaru's question, his eyes still fixed on Fugaku.
"A person?"
Fugaku chuckled, his voice laced with a hint of disdain.
"What person?"
"What do you mean 'what person'!"
Sasuke retorted sharply, instinctively pointing toward the edge of the pitch-black rift in the sky.
"You have the Mangekyo Sharingan. Even from this distance, you should see it clearly. The handprints and fingerprints are visible. It's clearly a human hand!"
Hearing Sasuke's words, the four Hokage, Orochimaru, and the others looked up once more.
But the curtain hanging in the sky was far too high and distant, blending into the night.
Even with the moonlight, without the Sharingan, they couldn't see it clearly.
Sasuke looked up again, only to find that the handprints grasping the sky's curtain had vanished.
The wrinkles on the curtain caused by the grip were also gone.
"How? Those prints were clearly right there just a moment ago!"
Sasuke was certain what he had seen wasn't an illusion.
Since he wasn't wrong, it must be the world that was wrong.
'The person inside must have withdrawn their hand!'
"Sasuke, it seems you've misunderstood me."
Fugaku could naturally see that the hand pulling the rift open had been withdrawn, likely returning to the space within.
He looked away and scanned the crowd, his gaze finally landing on his youngest son.
His voice rang out with unmasked pride.
"What I mean is, the existence opening that rift in the sky is no mere human—it is a God!"
"A Shinigami who reigns over the Underworld!"
"A God... a Shinigami?"
Hearing the reverence in the man's voice, Sasuke's pupils contracted sharply. In total disbelief, he spoke rapidly.
"Don't be ridiculous! There's no such thing as a God in this world!"
Ever since the night of the massacre, he had stopped believing in the existence of gods.
If gods truly existed, why was his entire clan slaughtered by his older brother, Itachi?
Even his own father and mother died at the hands of their son!
If a god really existed, why would they stand by and watch such an inhuman tragedy unfold?
The one tearing that rift in the sky was definitely not a god, but someone using a space-time ninjutsu!
Sasuke pointed a finger at Orochimaru behind him.
"Even the 'Shinigami' is nothing more than the manifestation of a sealing technique created by humans on a mask."
Orochimaru looked down at the Shinigami mask in his hand, then at the defiant Sasuke, before finally looking back at the black rift in the sky.
He had recovered from the shock of the celestial anomaly and regained his composure.
If someone truly could manipulate space-time so casually, their power would indeed be indistinguishable from a god's.
Sasuke then pointed at the bewildered Hashirama Senju.
"Even the First Hokage, known as the 'God of Shinobi,' was only called that because of his great strength and achievements."
Hashirama pointed to his own nose, then scratched his head with a silly grin, waving his hand modestly.
"Oh, stop it. It's just everyone's flattery, hahaha."
Despite his words, Hashirama puffed out his chest, looking proud.
Seeing his brother acting a fool again, Tobirama couldn't help but speak up.
"Brother, the kid isn't complimenting you. He's just using you to refute the other guy's point. Don't take it so literally."
"Ah... is that so?"
Tobirama's reminder served its purpose, but it also successfully crushed Hashirama's spirits.
Hashirama's face instantly went pale. He crouched on the ground, drawing circles in the dirt, wallowing in gloom.
Seeing his older brother act so pathetically, Tobirama was reminded of his past experiences being tormented by his brother's antics. He sighed, pressing a hand to his forehead.
Sasuke looked at the mysterious man with deep disappointment and a hint of resentment.
"So-called gods are just people with great power."
"You're a member of the Uchiha, yet you hold someone else in such high regard, even viewing them as a deity..."
"Are you truly an Uchiha with any sense of pride?"
Had the man not possessed the Mangekyo Sharingan and cared for him over the past few days, Sasuke might have attacked right then to teach this remaining clansman a lesson.
"To think that my only remaining clansman besides myself would be so self-deprecating."
"It's truly an eyesore."
Sasuke's stance vividly displayed the arrogance of the Uchiha.
It was as if the words 'You don't deserve the name Uchiha' were written across his face.
Fugaku looked at his arrogant younger son, understanding his thoughts perfectly.
For years, Sasuke had survived solely on his obsession with revenge against Itachi and his Uchiha pride.
Combined with the recent acquisition of the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan and his rapid growth in strength, Sasuke now looked down on everyone.
Hearing a fellow clansman praise someone else so highly was naturally hard for him to accept.
Fugaku also surmised what Sasuke found even harder to swallow.
"Sasuke, it seems you've already guessed it, but you just don't want to face it."
"The souls of the dead Uchiha clan are all serving someone else in another world, and..."
"I, the man you saw as your only remaining relative, am also just a ghost. You're alone again."
Fugaku sighed.
"After all, I told you when I first introduced myself that I was a ghost of the Uchiha."
"With your intelligence, you must have realized this, but you were too afraid to think it through. That's why you're so emotional and defensive."
Sasuke's most sensitive spot was hit. His expression remained stubborn as he grit his teeth hard.
"I'm already used to being alone. It's just... going back to how it was."
"Still being stubborn. That's the cutest part of your personality, Sasuke."
Fugaku chuckled under his mask.
But the words that followed shattered Sasuke's last shred of hope.
"The fact is, I am indeed a soul who died years ago."
"This body is called a Gigai. It's a tool manufactured to allow us to appear before the living."
Sasuke clenched his fists so hard his nails drew blood, yet he didn't seem to feel the pain.
He stared intently at the figure before him, his eyes trembling. He tried to maintain a calm face, but the agony in his brow was impossible to hide.
Seeing his son's forced composure, Fugaku continued with words that felt like a sword through the heart.
"As for the other point..."
"It's not just me. Shisui, Elder Setsuna, and all the deceased clansmen view His existence as divine. We revere Him from the bottom of our hearts."
Beyond the sight of the others, Setsuna wore a look of agreement, and Shisui nodded repeatedly.
Sasuke didn't even hear Fugaku's words; he was still drowning in his previous emotions.
Suddenly, Sasuke's expression turned serious. His brilliant Mangekyo Sharingan contracted slightly as his gaze shifted to a spot behind the mysterious man.
Just as he raised a finger to point, a deep voice echoed from behind Fugaku.
"I'm a bit surprised the Uchiha clan sees me that way."
The moment they heard that familiar voice, the three Uchiha souls reacted instantly and looked back.
Everyone on the field was drawn by the sudden voice and looked toward its source.
A tall man stood half-hidden in the darkness. He took a few steps forward, emerging from the shadows of the trees.
The bright moonlight shone down, illuminating the man's face for all to see.
He wore traditional black robes. His features were sharp, with thick eyebrows that swept upward like rising flames. His eyes glinted under the moonlight.
Upon seeing this man, Fugaku and the others immediately dropped to one knee, their faces full of respect.
"Greetings, my Lord."
"No need for formalities."
The one who could command such solemn respect from Fugaku and the others was, of course, Ren Shihoin.
Ren waved his hand for the three to rise, then silently scanned the surroundings, observing the people present.
All eyes were fixed on this man who had suddenly appeared.
Hashirama had recovered from his brother's blow. Looking at the stranger who could make that mysterious Uchiha submit, he couldn't help but mutter.
"Whoa, those are some seriously thick eyebrows."
Minato nodded in agreement. "Very thick."
It reminded him of his student's friend, Might Guy, who had similarly thick brows.
However, unlike Might Guy's, which looked like heavy brushstrokes soaked in ink, this man's eyebrows looked like they were burning, exuding a sense of fierce ambition.
Tobirama barked in a low voice, "Fourth, don't be an idiot like the First. That's not the point."
"Sensei is right," Hiruzen Sarutobi said warily. "That mysterious man mentioned a 'God' earlier. Now he's acting so respectfully toward this person. His identity is obvious."
A God!
The Shinigami who rules the Underworld!
Hashirama's expression turned solemn as he nodded.
"Sarutobi is right."
"This man is fast. Even I didn't sense when he arrived."
"Neither did I."
Minato's guard was up.
He was famous for his speed, yet a god-like speed he couldn't detect was truly unimaginable.
Sasuke's companions were also looking at the newcomer with amazement.
"So this is the 'God' that man mentioned..."
"I didn't expect a god to look like this."
"Yeah, I thought the legendary Shinigami would be more ferocious, like the one from the Reaper Death Seal."
While Karin and the others whispered, Orochimaru's slit-pupiled eyes were fixed on the man, his mind wandering.
'If this truly is the Shinigami, can my dream finally be realized?'
In the front, Sasuke ignored his companions. Like Orochimaru, he stared at the man called a Shinigami and the Uchiha ghost standing behind him. His eyes flashed with complex emotions, his expression unreadable.
Under everyone's watchful gaze, the man presumed to be a Shinigami walked forward, followed by the Uchiha ghosts.
Both the four Hokage and Sasuke's group immediately went on high alert.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]