"What exactly is happening, Second Granduncle?"
Tsunade knew Hashirama Senju's intellect all too well; asking him would be a waste of breath.
Thus, her gaze finally settled on Tobirama Senju, hoping to get some answers from him.
Beside her, the other four Kage also looked over, wanting to learn something about the anomaly in the sky.
Naruto looked anxious, turning to the two beside him in confusion.
"Sasuke, Dad, you two must know, right?"
To everyone's surprise, the few people he addressed all shook their heads while looking at the sky.
"We don't know much either..."
"About this... we don't know much more than you do."
"But what is certain is that this must be the work of that Soul Reaper from the other world."
Watching the strange phenomenon in the sky, Obito's eyes flickered. A hint of realization crossed his face, only to be replaced by even more confusion.
'It is a space-time ninjutsu...'
'Then... where does this crack lead, and what is inside it?'
His ocular powers were extraordinary, and as an expert in space-time ninjutsu, he could tell at a glance that the rift in the sky was a phenomenon caused by the shattering of space.
But the information he currently possessed was too sparse; he might as well know nothing at all.
That Rinnegan shifted its focus, looking solemnly at Shisui and the black figure beside him.
He had heard clearly just now that they were looking for reinforcements. This was very likely the help they mentioned, attempting to arrive here through this spatial rift.
The crack in the sky continued to expand, stretching across half the heavens before the shattering slowly ceased.
Boom!
A more violent explosion suddenly rang out.
As if struck by a massive force, a gargantuan void suddenly appeared in the center of the rift.
Several cracks spread from the void across the sky. The edges of the opening were jagged, and the interior was pitch black without a hint of luster, with only a dense mist flowing within.
Most people below could not see the dead; they only saw the black void.
But in the eyes of Sasuke, Obito, and even the two brothers of the Sage of the Six Paths, they clearly saw a hideous and majestic dragon's head burst through the spatial rift, appearing above the Shinobi World.
The dragon's head was covered in azure scales, with a mouth full of fangs, two drifting whiskers, and a flowing mane. Sharp horns protruded from its head, and its amber vertical pupils looked down, gazing at the masses on the ground.
"Worororo!"
The giant dragon roared, its laughter shaking heaven and earth, radiating endless wild arrogance.
The dragon's head burst through the air, and its massive, slender body followed suit with incredible fluidity as the space shattered.
Its enormous body coiled in the air, gleaming with a cold, steel-like luster under the pale moonlight.
It bared its claws and fangs, displaying its full might.
Such a ferocious beast, just by appearing, revealed a dominant and tyrannical aura that shrouded the battlefield, leaving the few who could see it with solemn expressions.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he stared blankly at the behemoth in the sky.
"A divine... dragon!"
"How can something so exaggerated exist!"
Cold sweat trickled down Obito's forehead. His expression was nearly dazed, filled with disbelief.
Watching the divine dragon circling above, the Sage of the Six Paths' eyes were clouded with gloom.
"The other world... actually has such mythical creatures!"
"A Soul Reaper's subordinate... is actually like this..."
Otsutsuki Hamura's Tenseigan snapped open. Staring at the dragon above, his face turned extremely grim.
The Azure Dragon soared through the sky. Its vertical pupils swept across the battlefield below, and once it found its target, its head dived toward the ground, its long body winding down behind it.
"I've been waiting impatiently. This time, I'm going to have a blast fighting."
A rugged voice echoed across the battlefield. The dragon's body hovered behind the two Soul Reapers, its head held high while its sharp claws scraped the ground, leaving deep marks.
The massive dragon head extended, stopping on the other side of Ren, its whiskers fluttering.
Those vertical pupils swept over the crowd, lingering for a moment on the two old men—the Sage of the Six Paths and his brother—before falling upon Ren.
"These two old geezers feel the strongest. They're the opponents this time, right, Great King Enma?"
"Correct."
Ren nodded slightly.
By now, he was too lazy to correct these single-minded pirates on their mistaken title for him.
He had long since gotten used to it.
The Azure Dragon's gaze then fell on Shisui.
"Shisui, how's my ability working for you?"
"Kaido, this was a gift from the Master. You can't exactly call it your ability."
Shisui glanced at the dragon beside him, a hint of helplessness in his eyes.
He had been outstaged the moment the dragon appeared; what a flashy entrance.
"Worororo! Shisui, no matter what, it originated from me!"
The Azure Dragon's laughter rampaged as another massive figure descended from the sky, landing beside the dragon and causing the ground to tremble.
"Ma ma... ma ma! Kaido, don't forget who gave you your ability."
"That was a lifelong debt you owe me, a favor you can never repay!"
This figure was graceful and beautiful, with striking features and sharp attire. She wore a bicorne hat covering her pink hair, with a white coat draped over her shoulders.
A young man sat on her shoulder, wearing a top hat and holding a scepter that looked like candy.
A blazing flame floated on her right, while a dark cloud swirled on her left. Both had eyes and mouths, calling out "Mama, Mama..."
As another figure appeared, Sasuke's gaze first swept over the talking flame and thundercloud, a look of astonishment flashing in his eyes.
What strange creatures!
When he saw the specific appearance of this figure, a look of surprise appeared on his face.
'Indeed, it's a woman.'
'And a beautiful one at that; her looks aren't inferior to mine.'
'But this size... isn't it a bit too massive?'
Compared to the dragon, she was small, but compared to the normal-sized Soul Reaper nearby, she was undoubtedly a giant.
He estimated her to be at least eight meters tall!
Even the man sitting on the woman's shoulder appeared taller than the Soul Reaper.
"So huge!"
"Can a normal person really have such a massive build..."
"Sasuke, it's not over yet!"
Naruto suddenly looked up at the rift in the sky.
Hearing the warning, Sasuke also looked up.
Above them, two blue hands suddenly emerged from the rift, grasping the edges and pulling them apart, tearing the spatial crack wide open.
The rift expanded like a giant mouth opening in the sky, swallowing the full moon behind it and revealing the pitch-black space within.
Within that darkness, the blue hands quickly retreated.
But from that brief appearance alone, Sasuke clearly saw the owner of those blue hands.
The skin was the same blue as the hands, with a hideous face, a mouth full of fangs, and horns on the head—like a demon from hell.
The demon's figure faded into the depths of the black space, and then a black monstrous bird flew out, wings flapping with flames trailing behind as it circled above.
"That's... a Pteranodon!"
Sasuke watching the monster bird soaring in the sky, Sasuke instantly recognized its type.
Following the black pteranodon, another behemoth fell from the sky, crashing beside the Azure Dragon and behind the Soul Reaper.
Its body was covered in coarse fur, its thick limbs crushing the earth. A long trunk swung to one side, and two long white tusks were exposed, their curved shape resembling sharp blades.
Within its sunken eye sockets, its eyes were bloodshot, filled with brutality and killing intent.
Obito looked at this massive figure with his remaining eye; he recognized this creature.
"This time it's a mammoth..."
Seeing the many behemoths gathering around the Soul Reaper one after another—were there really so many strange things in the other world?
The void in the sky stopped producing more entities.
Just as they breathed a slight sigh of relief, a flowing sound suddenly echoed from the void.
A red hue spread along the lower edge of the void, dripping a viscous substance like melting wax.
This was like flipping a switch; the red surged out, pouring toward the ground like water, emitting steaming heat.
"Magma!"
With the superior vision of his Rinnegan, Sasuke saw clearly that this red glow was none other than incredibly hot magma.
His handsome face showed a hint of confusion, which quickly turned into gravity.
After flowing from above, the moving magma did not fall randomly according to gravity. Instead, it gathered into a flowing river in mid-air, changing direction as it descended between the Soul Reaper and the Azure Dragon.
At the moment of impact, the magma solidified, forming a black shoe stepping onto the ground.
The magma surged down, gradually forming legs, a torso, and arms.
Once all the magma had fallen, a tall and sturdy figure finally took shape.
Wearing a red suit with a coat draped over his shoulders and a peaked cap, he slowly raised his head to reveal a square, serious face.
"The magma... turned into a person!"
As the heat wave hit them, Otsutsuki Hamura's deep blue eyes filled with shock at the sight.
The Sage of the Six Paths, on the other hand, maintained his composure.
"It seems... we still know far too little about the other world."
Aside from those who could see, the rest were completely unable to perceive what was happening.
They could only see invisible heavy weights landing on the ground one by one, splashing gravel and kicking up clouds of dust.
"What exactly... did the Soul Reaper summon from that void?"
"I fear they are enemies beyond our imagination!"
The void in the sky remained open, though no more figures emerged.
The pteranodon soared in the sky, guarding the front of the void.
Sweeping his gaze over the figures gathered around him, Ren nodded slightly.
"Aside from Newgate and the others providing support from the rear, all combat personnel for this operation have arrived."
It was just...
...the way his subordinates appeared was a bit too flashy.
Each of them made such a grand entrance that his own previous appearance seemed plain by comparison.
Next time, he would try to do something like that too.
Shaking off those thoughts, Ren looked at the Sage of the Six Paths and his brother, a subtle smile touching his face.
"Hagoromo, Hamura, don't complain about me using numbers to bully the few."
"After all, you are the ancestors of the Shinobi World."
Hearing his own words thrown back at him, Hamura's face darkened instantly.
Behind them, Naruto sensed the powerful auras opposite them, and a surging fighting spirit gradually rose within him.
Golden chakra manifested, coating his body. It was slightly simpler than his original Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, yet it felt more solid and heavy.
Several Truth-Seeking Balls manifested behind him, and a black staff appeared out of thin air. He gripped it and rested it on his shoulder.
His face, glowing with gold, broke into a confident smile.
"I see. So these are our next enemies."
"With this power from the old Sage, I feel like I can handle even a god."
"No."
The Sage of the Six Paths shook his head and spoke words of refusal.
"Naruto, Sasuke, hurry and deal with the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki. Leave this place to the two of us."
"With your current strength, you should be able to handle him."
The Sage of the Six Paths glanced back, entrusting Naruto and Sasuke, then fixed his gaze forward on the Soul Reaper and the many figures surrounding him.
"Once he's defeated, if our battle here hasn't ended, we'll need you as reinforcements."
Naruto hesitated for a moment before nodding immediately.
"Understood. Leave it to us."
"Sasuke, Dad, let's not interfere with the old Sage's battle."
Sasuke took a deep look at the hideous-looking Shisui, gritted his teeth, and intended to follow Naruto.
Just as the two were about to move, Obito's slightly raspy voice spoke up.
"Sage of the Six Paths, you said the opponent is a Soul Reaper from another world, right?"
Without anyone noticing, Obito had arrived beside them, keeping a distance of a few meters.
That Rinnegan swept over Naruto and Sasuke before landing on the Sage of the Six Paths at the very front.
The Sage of the Six Paths nodded slightly. "Correct. The Soul Reaper's goal is to invade the Pure Land of the Shinobi World."
"By your look, do you have a new plan?"
Obito's breath hitched, and a look of resolve flashed across his face. "If that's the case, I will stand on your side for this battle."
"What!"
"Obito, are you serious?"
"Are you joking? After all the atrocities you've committed against us, how could we possibly unite with you now!"
Obito ignored the noise, stepping forward to stand beside the Sage of the Six Paths.
"I'm helping you only because the opponent is an outsider, a Soul Reaper."
"I will never allow anyone to disturb the peace of the dead."
As the beautiful image of a young girl appeared in his mind, Obito tightened his grip on his staff.
"However, there is one thing I must make clear beforehand."
"I will not abandon my goal. I am still your enemy, and I have no intention of uniting with you."
"You don't need to trust me with your backs. Once the Soul Reapers are dealt with, I will slaughter all of you."
A sudden uproar broke out among the crowd.
Looking at Obito's back, Minato Namikaze's eyes dimmed as the image of the once lively and cheerful boy flashed before him.
Just then, Naruto suddenly stepped forward, standing between the Sage of the Six Paths and Obito.
"Obito, then you'd better make sure you don't get killed by the other side."
"I still have many, many debts to collect from you. I'll be the one to defeat you!"
Watching Naruto's upright figure standing before him, Minato Namikaze's eyes flickered, a hint of gratification appearing on his face.
'Kushina, our child has truly grown up. He has become an incredible ninja.'
As Naruto moved, Sasuke followed closely, standing beside the newly arrived Otsutsuki Hamura.
"Loser, don't talk so big."
"The enemies this time are gods from another world unlike any we've ever faced!"
The five strongest individuals in the Shinobi World today stood before the gathered ninja, their presence magnificent as they faced off against the group of Soul Reapers, refusing to yield an inch.
Watching the people of the Shinobi World suddenly join forces against them, Ren's expression remained calm and still. He let out a soft sigh of exclamation.
"I knew it would turn out like this."
"Worororo! A war between two worlds—this is how it should be!"
"Ma ma... ma ma! Kaido, whose fault do you think it is? It's because you were too flashy!"
"You two pirates, shut up. At this stage, all we need to do is crush the enemy head-on."
The Great War was about to explode!
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]