Kazuki swept his gaze across the silent crowd and spoke calmly: "So, I will give you time. I want you to come together and raise your combat strength as quickly as possible. Whether it's through tailed beasts, natural energy, forbidden jutsu, or complex technique combinations—I want this world of scattered sand to show me that it can clench into a single fist. Prove to me there's still hope and meaning in saving the shinobi world."

"I will fight you. And if your efforts are enough to satisfy me—if I can see hope for the future—then I will once again place my trust in the shinobi world. Even if it costs me my life, I will lead the charge against the Ōtsutsuki clan."

"But if you still cannot unite, then I will offer up this entire planet in sacrifice—absorb all of its natural energy into myself, and become a wandering avenger in the stars. I will take revenge for my homeland by hunting down every Ōtsutsuki I encounter."

His gaze suddenly softened.

Looking at those dearest to him—Tobirama, Tsunade, Shisui, Might Duy, Uchiha Yashiro, Hatake Sakumo, Hiruko, Hiruzen, Kisame, and Kaguya Jinzaburo—Kazuki said gently: "Though none of you can keep up with me anymore, you'll always be an irreplaceable part of my life—treasured companions who walked beside me through priceless moments."

"Before I sacrifice this planet, I'll open a separate dimension where you can live peacefully. I'll send you there… so you can spend the rest of your days safe and free from worry."

Kazuki turned to Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Izuna, offering the two brothers a gentle smile.

"Of course, this includes you two—respected elders of the clan. I hope you'll be able to spend your later years in peace."

Then, he glanced at the other shinobi. "As for the rest of you—even if you've betrayed Konohagakure in the past, you're still living beings of this planet. If you wish to survive, I will give you a chance to fight for it."

Kazuki's gaze swept across the rest of the shinobi world. Facing the stunned masses, he raised a single index finger.

"Let me be clear—I don't expect you to ignite some passionate belief in unity. I've long since abandoned any hope in you."

"But if you still wish to try, then do it quickly. I don't know when I'll come back to see the results. And don't think the enemies from beyond the stars will always be as easy to kill as the two I already dealt with—some may move even faster than I do."

With that, Kazuki turned away without hesitation. He looked down toward the endless, lifeless sea and sighed quietly.

"Brother! Are you abandoning me? My dōjutsu can still help you!" Shisui cried out, his freshly healed Mangekyō Sharingan now bleeding anew. His voice was hoarse with desperation as he stared at Kazuki's retreating back.

"Kazuki-sama! My youth still burns—I beg you, let me fight by your side!" Might Duy shouted, drenched in sweat. Though his reforged body still ached with residual pain, he pounded his chest with all his might, hoping Kazuki would turn around.

"Kazuki—!"

"Kazuki-sama—!"

"Kazuki?!!"

One voice after another rang out behind him.

Tsunade stood there with tears brimming in her eyes. She didn't fully understand why she was crying—it wasn't grief, exactly, but a deep frustration with her own powerlessness.

Meanwhile, Senju Tobirama, Senju Hashirama, Uchiha Madara, and Uchiha Izuna—the four most formidable shinobi present—remained utterly silent.

They had once been the greatest fighters of the shinobi world, standing proudly at the top tier of its power.

Never had they imagined the day would come when a younger generation would call them out by name, telling them that their strength no longer kept up with the times—that they were little more than burdens.

Among them, except for Hashirama—the genuine Senju—the other three, Tobirama, Izuna, and Madara, all part of the Uchiha clan, were deeply wounded by Kazuki's words… yet couldn't help but feel a faint sense of agreement.

They had been instantly defeated by Isshiki. In that moment, they had been dead weight.

There was a logic to it.

Rather than dragging along a group of elderly, half-crippled shinobi, who would only shout hollow slogans about 'bonds', 'friendship', or 'comradeship' as they charged into battle...

Wouldn't it be better for Kazuki to stand alone—absorbing the entire world's natural energy—and fight against powerful, unknown foes on his own?

And he had even left them a final kindness.

He wasn't planning to drain the lives of the shinobi themselves—only the world's natural energy.

So, was this truly the destruction of the shinobi world?

But here lay the real problem—how many of these once-great warriors could honestly admit to themselves that they had become dead weight? Who among them could truly bow their heads and accept that they were now incapable of battle, and willingly retreat into a peaceful alternate dimension to watch Kazuki fight and die alone against alien forces?

Especially with Kazuki now so drastically changed?

Could this truly be normal?

Or had something deeper happened—something hidden? Had that woman from beyond the stars, the one called Kaguya, perhaps corrupted Kazuki's mind?

After all, his current demeanor was nothing like the Kazuki they once knew.

"Kazuki… we need to talk." Tobirama drew a deep breath and fixed his gaze on Kazuki's back, speaking in a low, resolute voice.

Of all those present, he was the only one with enough confidence to meet Kazuki's eyes as an equal.

But Kazuki didn't respond.

He didn't even look back.

He simply waved his hand, exhaling a long breath—tired, heavy.

Then—

The natural energy within Kazuki erupted like a dam bursting. In an instant, it surged out from his body and returned to the sea, restoring life to the once-dead ocean in the blink of an eye.

Tobirama's eyes lit up.

Was Kazuki holding back just now? If he had truly wielded the full power of the ocean just a moment ago, then Tobirama would have had no hope left at all…

Still unwilling to give up, Tobirama kept his eyes fixed on Kazuki and called out again, "Kazuki!"

But this time, Kazuki gave no reply.

With a casual wave of his hand, he opened a spatial portal and stepped through it, disappearing from everyone's sight.

And just like that—

This long-standing conflict, triggered by the arrival of unfamiliar, overwhelmingly powerful individuals, and the subsequent great shinobi world war… seemed, for now, to have come to a pause.

But only seemed, because Kazuki had left them all with a difficult question.

Would they wait passively for him to send them off to some alternate dimension to live out their twilight years?

Or would they prove to him that they could still fight?

It was a profoundly complex dilemma.

At that moment—

Tobirama raised his eyes toward the sky, where a fully-formed deep purple Susanoo circled high above.

"Bring him down!" Tobirama ordered sharply. "That unfamiliar Uchiha—I have a strong feeling he's carrying vital information."

But to his surprise—

Before anyone could move, the Susanoo began descending toward them on its own. Mid-air, it dissipated, and a young man landed steadily on the ground.

Raising both hands to show he meant no harm, the newcomer shouted, "Honored elders of Konohagakure, I'm a shinobi from an alternate timeline—also from Konoha. We need to talk!"

Uchiha Sasuke obediently raised both hands to his chest, indicating he had no hostile intentions. His eyes were clear and calm.

Once considered one of the most slap-worthy young men in the Shinobi World, the passage of time had tempered Sasuke's spirit, allowing him to understand many principles of dealing with people and handling situations.

Like now.

If he were still the same impulsive man who once barged into the Five Kage Summit in his youth, Sasuke was sure he'd already be in deep trouble...

Because he had already seen it—that unmistakable malice toward him hidden in the depths of Senju Tobirama's Mangekyō Sharingan!

'No matter the timeline, even with a Mangekyō that came out of nowhere, the Second Hokage still treats the Uchiha with the same prejudice...'

Sasuke sighed inwardly. He could still remember how the Edo Tensei version of Senju Tobirama had once attempted to attack him, along with that classic line—

"The inherently evil little brat from the Uchiha clan..."

Even though Sasuke now carried himself without any sign of hostility, his Rinnegan with six tomoe remained open, constantly vigilant for any unexpected developments.

This timeline was far too bizarre.

A Kamui-wielding Uchiha Obito, a Mangekyō Sharingan-bearing Senju Tobirama, a Prime Uchiha Madara, an Uchiha Izuna who had never appeared before, a Might Duy capable of opening the Eighth Gate, an Edo Tensei Senju Hashirama who could still unleash the True Several Thousand Hands, and the legendary Uzumaki Mito—all had been summoned via Edo Tensei…

Not to mention an Ōtsutsuki Isshiki, clearly far stronger than Momoshiki and Urashiki, whom Sasuke had never seen before...

And most critically—Uchiha Kazuki!

A shinobi whose power defied Sasuke's comprehension, someone who didn't even exist in the slightest within his original timeline!

---

I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. patreon.com/TitoVillar

---