"Beyond the world... what does that mean?"
Obito looked at the man standing beside him, blocking his path. He slowly closed his Mangekyo Sharingan, relying only on the Rinnegan in his other eye to observe.
He sized the man up. He couldn't sense even a trace of chakra from him, nor any aura at all. It was as if he were looking at thin air.
Yet the man was clearly standing right there.
The Rinnegan could see him, but the Sharingan could not. Combined with his claim of being from 'beyond the world'... could he be from the Pure Land?
"You... are not a living being."
Obito's raspy voice rang out, carrying a tone of absolute certainty.
Releasing Obito's wrist, Ren looked at the mastermind of the shinobi world with surprise.
To confirm his rough identity with just a single glance?
Since when did Obito become so clever? This didn't fit his reputation as the legendary half-wit.
Or perhaps, after falling into darkness, not only did his strength increase, but his brain was upgraded as well?
"You're not wrong," Ren said softly.
He glanced at the active Rinnegan in Obito's eye and made a guess.
It had to be the effect of the Rinnegan.
Since the Rinnegan could manipulate souls, it wasn't too surprising that it could see his spiritual body.
He withdrew his gaze and looked toward Naruto and Sasuke in the distance.
"Obito, don't disturb me. I have no time for you right now."
"But I find myself quite interested in you."
Obito gripped his Six Paths Staff and prepared to swing it at the man beside him. However, the mysterious man didn't react at all, as if he hadn't noticed the threat.
At the same time, a faint sound of breathing came from behind him.
He could even feel a puff of warm air gently brushing against his bare shoulder and neck.
Obito's heart tightened. He immediately changed the direction of his staff, swinging it toward his rear.
But before he could even complete half the turn, a sudden gust of fierce wind struck.
A pink palm, larger than his own head, filled his vision.
With the precise vision of the Rinnegan, he could see the soft yet resilient pink scales on the palm, and the jet-black claws that shimmered with a lethal sharpness.
Boom!
The massive palm, carrying unparalleled strength, slammed into Obito's head and sent him flying.
He skidded across the ground, carving a straight line through the earth and kicking up a trail of dust.
"What happened?!"
"Why was Obito talking to himself?"
"Ah, he flew back on his own!"
Naruto's eyes widened as he witnessed the incredible scene.
Obito had been standing there perfectly fine, talking strangely to the empty air, and then he was suddenly swatted away.
Just who did that?
Naruto's eyes were filled with confusion. He couldn't understand what was happening at all.
Meanwhile, Minato Namikaze, Sasuke, and the others watching what happened to Obito found the sensation all too familiar.
"Is it them... or Him?"
"Why would He act now? Didn't He say He was only interested in the Pure Land?"
"Didn't He guarantee He wouldn't jeopardize the order of life and death?"
Naruto saw the faces of those around him turn pale. They were saying things he didn't understand, making his confusion even deeper.
"Dad, Sasuke, what are you talking about?"
"What exactly happened? Looking at your expressions, you definitely know something, right!"
Sasuke's Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan swept across the distant figure of Obito, who had finally come to a stop, before shifting back to the previous spot.
Minato was also staring at the place where Obito had stood. Cold sweat broke out on his face, only to be instantly evaporated by his golden chakra.
"If He truly intends to intervene, then we are facing an enemy far more troublesome than the current Obito."
"Even if we exhaust all our strength, our chances of winning might be zero."
"Dad, Sasuke, can't someone just explain it to me!"
Naruto looked at his father anxiously, but Minato's eyes were fixed on that one spot, completely ignoring his son's confusion.
Even Sasuke was the same.
He turned his pleading gaze toward the Second Hokage.
"Uncle Second Stone-Face, what exactly do you know?"
"Naruto, the situation is too complicated. Just think of it as a god from beyond the world suddenly descending upon the shinobi world."
Tobirama Senju's voice was curt. Without looking back, he stared forward, his brow furrowed into deep, heavy lines.
He suddenly registered how Naruto had just addressed him and turned his head.
"What the hell is 'Uncle Second Stone-Face'? I am the Second Hokage. You should address me as Lord Second."
"Huh?"
Naruto tilted his head, his thoughts a complete mess.
"Beyond the world... and a god..."
'I see. I don't understand a single bit.'
While Sasuke and Minato were on high alert, Ren was also looking at the group.
His low voice rang out, laden with a threatening undertone.
"Sage of the Six Paths... no, Hagoromo Otsutsuki. I know you can see me clearly. I have something to discuss with you."
"Things have come to this point. How much longer do you plan to hide?"
Ren's brow gradually furrowed, and a hint of killing intent leaked into his words.
"Must I be forced to kill Naruto and Sasuke and take the chakra of your two sons before you're willing to show yourself?"
As soon as he spoke, a figure suddenly landed beside Ren, kicking up gravel and sand.
The figure, with horns on his head and a staff in hand, was the recently knocked-away Obito.
Several Truth-Seeker Orbs hovered behind him. His Rinnegan glanced at the indifferent Ren before shifting to the massive creature that had just attacked him.
"And what kind of thing are you?"
The monster before his eyes stood over three meters tall. Although it had a humanoid shape, its strange appearance made it impossible to associate with a human.
It was covered in pink scales, had horns on its head and fangs in its mouth, and a pair of fleshy whiskers hung from its jaw down to its chest.
What startled him even more was that the monster's eyes were glowing with the eerie light of the Sharingan.
Within those pupils, the complex pinwheel patterns were unmistakably the Mangekyo Sharingan.
"This appearance... is it a unique transformation of your ocular jutsu, or some special technique?"
"Obito, you aren't the target right now. Don't get in the way."
Contrary to Obito's expectations, the monster's voice was gentle and refined, completely mismatched with its massive body.
The one who had swatted Obito away was indeed Shisui.
This strange appearance, incorporating draconic features, was his hybrid form from his Devil Fruit ability.
Shisui took a light step forward, shielding Ren and blocking Obito's view entirely.
An emerald ribcage materialized out of thin air around him, from which a skeletal arm extended, clutching a single-handed spiral lance.
Reaching out, he took the spiral lance and held it.
The skeletal frame around Shisui gradually faded as he pointed the tip of the spiral lance at Obito.
"Though taking your soul now wouldn't cause much of an issue..."
Obito watched the monster's movements closely, including the skeletal frame that had just appeared.
His gaze fell on the emerald lance, and his heavily scarred face twisted into a deep scowl.
"Susanoo!"
"You really are an Uchiha. Who are you?"
Shisui opened his bloody maw, his voice booming. "You don't need to know."
"Is that so? Then I'll kill you first and ask questions later."
Hearing this, Obito immediately brandished his staff and charged.
Not far away, Naruto watched in confusion as Obito's figure returned to the spot, talking about the Uchiha and Susanoo, and then began swinging his Six Paths Staff at the air as if fighting an invisible opponent.
Sasuke, seeing the situation, immediately reacted.
"That guy Obito just said Susanoo. In that case, the person fighting him is likely..."
"Yes, it's either Fugaku or Shisui," Minato added, his brow seemingly relaxing slightly.
Tobirama Senju remained calm, but the tension on his face never wavered.
"Things might not be that simple."
"The Uchiha wouldn't act on their own. There must be an instruction from Him behind this."
At that moment, Naruto suddenly shuddered. A sudden chill washed over his heart as an inexplicable killing intent surged from ahead, instantly enveloping his entire body.
"What's going on?"
"I feel a killing intent targeting me."
Minato's eyes shrank. He immediately flashed in front of Naruto, guarding against any unknown attacks.
"Lord Reaper, is it you?"
"Do you really intend to strike Naruto?"
Sasuke's pupils contracted; he too could feel a surge of inexplicable killing intent.
Clang.
The sound of armor clashing echoed as a red figure stepped in front of him.
His honest face was filled with gravity as he stared straight ahead.
It was the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju.
"Lord Reaper, please stop."
"These two are still children, in the prime of their youth."
To be honest, he didn't know if that Reaper was actually there.
But since Minato had suddenly said so and even shielded Naruto, and recalling the Reaper's previous comments about 'killing Sasuke,' Hashirama didn't hesitate to jump in front of the boy.
Sasuke looked at the back of the First Hokage, his eyes flickering with a complex expression.
"First Hokage..."
The killing intent Naruto and Sasuke felt was, naturally, coming from Ren.
He stood in place, waiting for a moment. When he still didn't receive the response he wanted, the patience on his face faded inch by inch, leaving only a cold mask.
He raised his right hand, extending his index and middle fingers slightly apart. He pointed his fingertips at Naruto and Sasuke respectively.
Suddenly, he released his Reiatsu, crushing down on Minato and Hashirama who stood in his way.
Thud! Thud!
The two of them felt a massive pressure descend out of nowhere, as if it were trying to crush their bones and even their souls. Without any power to resist, they were instantly pinned to the ground.
The moment they collapsed, Ren softly uttered an incantation.
"Hado #1: Sho!"
Two faint shockwaves shot from his fingertips, silently hurtling toward Naruto and Sasuke.
Beside them, Tobirama Senju and Hiruzen Sarutobi were about to grab the two boys and pull them aside.
But then, two blossoms of blood erupted.
Shing! Shing!
Holes the size of bowls appeared in Naruto and Sasuke's chests, blood drenching the fabric of their clothes.
The shockwaves, having pierced through their bodies, didn't lose momentum and slammed into the pile of rubble behind them.
Boom! Boom!
Two massive tremors followed in quick succession as rubble flew and dust filled the air.
"Naruto!"
"Sasuke!"
Minato and Hashirama, pinned to the ground, looked on in desperation, while Tobirama and Hiruzen stood by in stunned disbelief.
He actually...
He actually did it!
And it was so fast that they couldn't even react.
They hadn't even perceived how the Reaper had attacked; they could only see the wounds bursting open on Naruto and Sasuke.
The two coughed up blood and looked down at the sudden holes in their chests with disbelief.
Their internal organs, ribs, and even their spines had been blown away. Their bodies instantly lost all support and collapsed onto the ground like puddles of mud.
The Mangekyo Sharingan in Sasuke's eyes faded, turning pitch black. Before he could even struggle, all light vanished from his gaze.
The Nine-Tails shroud fell away from Naruto, revealing his original form. His arm twitched a few times before he lost all signs of life.
"Naruto!"
Minato suddenly felt the pressure on him vanish. He scrambled to his feet and crawled to Naruto's side. Looking at the gaping hole in his chest, he saw that it was empty—even half the heart was gone.
His hands trembled, but when they nearly touched Naruto's body, he jerked them back, not daring to touch his son.
"How could... this happen..."
Hashirama reached Sasuke's side and looked at the lifeless youth. He stared blankly, his face pale.
With such devastating trauma, there was clearly no hope of saving him.
Even with his own legendary regenerative powers when he was alive, a wound like this would be difficult to recover from quickly.
He turned his head toward the empty space, his eyes rimmed with red.
"Reaper, answer me!"
"Why did you suddenly attack these two children!"
"You clearly agreed before, so why!"
The two could no longer hear the shouts. They only felt their consciousness grow heavy, as if they were sinking into total darkness.
After an unknown amount of time—perhaps a moment, perhaps an eternity—a glimmer of light appeared before Naruto's eyes.
Opening his eyes again, Naruto froze for a moment. Upon realizing where he was, he hurriedly felt his chest.
There was no sign of injury on his chest at all. It was as if the trauma he had just suffered was merely a dream. He subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.
"Phew, I thought I was dead from that puncture wound."
"Wait, I clearly saw the wound on my body just now."
He looked around with a puzzled expression. Before him was a relatively open space, and he was standing on the surface of calm water.
Seeing this familiar environment, Naruto realized he was in something like a mental world or a seal space.
"Why am I here?"
"Could it be that I really was mortally wounded, and this is my life flashing before my eyes?"
As Naruto wondered, he suddenly spotted a strangely dressed old man floating in the center of the space.
The old man wore white robes, had horns on his head, and a long beard. He was sitting cross-legged in mid-air, with a string of Truth-Seeker Orbs floating beneath him and a black Zen staff across his back.
Sensing someone's arrival, the old man slowly opened his eyes, revealing mysterious and profound purple pupils—the Rinnegan.
With this appearance and those eyes, his identity was unmistakable.
He was the legendary Sage of the Six Paths.
"Young man, you have arrived."
"I assume you are the Sage of the Six Paths?"
Sasuke's voice was cold, filled with certainty.
His Mangekyo was still active as he stared at the man who had suddenly appeared in his mental world, having guessed and confirmed his identity instantly.
The old man slowly opened his Rinnegan and looked at the handsome youth who had walked up to him.
He was about to speak when, at that moment, a heavy male voice abruptly rang out, echoing through Sasuke's mental world.
"Hmph, so you really were hiding here."
"Hagoromo Otsutsuki."
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]