Yushento ultimately left, taking half of the authority of the Underworld with him, as Naruto had requested.
As for the future, Naruto was confident. As long as he defeated the Ōtsutsuki, everything that had been taken could be reclaimed. If they failed, the shinobi world itself might cease to exist. But if they succeeded, then even without asking, the Shinigami Clan would return most of what they had devoured.
That was Naruto's calculation.
But whether he truly possessed such potential… no one could say for certain.
Naruto, however, believed in himself. With enough effort—Heaven rewards the diligent—reaching the level of a True God would not be impossible.
Of course, Naruto had his plans, and Yushento had his own.
In Yushento's eyes, the Uzumaki Empire was merely a rising power. Even if it produced a monstrous genius, it was impossible for it to contend with the Ōtsutsuki Clan.
When Uzumaki Naruto inevitably failed, he would step in and harvest the fruits.
Facing the Ōtsutsuki Clan head-on… Naruto, whose strength was only comparable to his own, simply could not do it.
"Elder Yushento, are we really leaving just like this?"
As they moved through the spatial passage, Yakumo slowly spoke.
Yushento glanced at him.
"What else should we do? Stay there?" he snorted. "You're both young, yet the gap between you two is enormous!"
After saying this, he suddenly accelerated.
Yakumo hurried to follow. Without Elder Yushento guiding the way, he would easily lose himself in this chaotic spatial corridor. If he were tossed into some forgotten corner of space, he would cry himself to death.
A moment later, Yushento's voice echoed directly in Yakumo's mind.
"By the way—you were the first to discover the shinobi world, weren't you? From now on, you'll act as the messenger between us and that world."
"Although I don't have high expectations for him… that young man's courage is commendable."
Yakumo's expression immediately turned bitter.
The shinobi world was terrifying. He wished he would never have to return there again.
If the events from back then were ever exposed, his glorious reputation would be completely ruined…
According to Future Sasuke's description, Yakumo wasn't truly a bad person. Although he was also an invader, in the future timeline he had protected a portion of the shinobi world's civilians.
That future was tragically bleak.
The world had been carved up by numerous cosmic races.
Meanwhile, on the Ōtsutsuki planet—
This was a massive world, more than ten times larger than the shinobi world.
The news of the deaths of Momoshiki and the others had already spread throughout the clan, and the Ōtsutsuki were furious.
Ōtsutsuki Bushiki had begun assembling forces, preparing to march toward the shinobi world.
"It has been many years," Bushiki said coldly. "Since anyone dared to provoke our clan like this."
In the vast universe, aside from those troublesome Shinigami, the other major forces only had occasional friction with the Ōtsutsuki.
Yet now an unknown force had dared to challenge these self-proclaimed gods.
Bushiki himself was a Fourth-Turn Demigod, while Yushento was a Fifth-Turn Demigod.
Around them, countless White Zetsu were gathered.
But these were not the weak White Zetsu of the original shinobi world. Each one possessed strength comparable to a jōnin, and some elite commanders even possessed Kage-level power.
Leading them were members of the Ōtsutsuki Clan.
Every one of them possessed Six Paths-level strength.
Ten of them in total.
Yet at this moment, the shinobi world remained completely unaware that the Ōtsutsuki were preparing to invade.
A storm was approaching.
In the shinobi world…
A tall man sat casually in a chair, slowly eating the food in his hand. After finishing, he licked his fingers.
"What exactly are you planning to do in the shinobi world?"
The one who spoke was Uchiha Shisui.
The tall man sitting opposite him was Yakumo.
As the liaison between the Shinigami and the shinobi world, Yakumo had occasionally appeared here during this period. This time, however, he had deliberately released a small portion of his aura.
Previously, Naruto had ignored him.
But this time, Naruto clearly seemed to be sending some kind of signal.
"Oh? What's with the hostility?"
Yakumo grinned mischievously.
"We're allies now. Is this how you treat your allies? Anyone who didn't know better would think I was some kind of criminal."
It had to be said that although the shinobi world made him somewhat uneasy, the food here was excellent.
During this time, he had already visited the capitals of the Five Great Nations and sampled specialties from countless cities.
"Hmm?"
Naruto's eyes narrowed slightly as a powerful aura spread from his body.
Yakumo was instantly startled and hurriedly waved his hands.
"G-Godfather, what are you doing? We're on the same side!" he stammered. "Didn't I come here to bring good news?"
A black line appeared on Naruto's forehead. For a moment, he truly felt the urge to kick Yakumo straight out of the room.
Still, Yakumo's words had revealed something important.
"Enough nonsense," Naruto said coldly. "Speak. What news?"
Everyone present straightened immediately, their attention fully focused.
Yakumo dropped his playful expression and spoke seriously.
"According to our intelligence, the Ōtsutsuki Clan has been making unusual movements recently. They're mobilizing a large force."
"It's very likely they're heading toward the shinobi world."
"The leader is a powerful individual named Ōtsutsuki Bushiki, and he's bringing a million-strong White Zetsu army with him."
Yakumo shrugged.
"The Ōtsutsuki Clan are rotten to the core anyway. Good luck dealing with them."
"I'm leaving."
The moment he finished speaking, Yakumo's figure vanished from sight.
Naruto didn't stop him. The information he wanted had already been delivered.
No one present knew that, in the future timeline, Yakumo had once protected a portion of the shinobi world's civilians. And the reason behind that decision was surprisingly simple.
He had fallen in love with the shinobi world's food.
Among the delicacies he had personally protected was Ichiraku Ramen, which he considered one of the greatest culinary treasures in existence.
After Yakumo left, Uchiha Shisui frowned and looked toward Naruto.
"Naruto… shouldn't we start preparing?"
Naruto nodded slowly.
"Yes. It's time."
After so many years of preparation, the moment had finally arrived.
"It's time to test the results of all our training."
Naruto had been preparing for this day for a very long time.
His gaze lifted toward the distant sky, as if looking beyond the world itself—toward the endless starry cosmos.
In truth, he wasn't worried about Ōtsutsuki Bushiki.
According to the information left behind by Future Sasuke, they had managed to overcome this crisis, though with considerable difficulty.
The true catastrophe came later.
Ōtsutsuki Shiki.
An overwhelmingly powerful existence.
Naruto had only been able to contend with him thanks to his immortal body, but in the end, he was still sealed away.
Sasuke fled in defeat.
The shinobi world was utterly crushed.
A small group of survivors wandered through the stars. Most people perished in the devastating flames of war. Some were taken as captives.
And a few barely managed to cling to life.
Naruto's gaze shifted back to the streets below.
The city was bustling with life.
People walked through the streets, laughing and talking, completely unaware of Naruto and the others standing nearby. A genjutsu concealed their presence from ordinary eyes.
Scenes like this—peaceful, prosperous, vibrant—had never existed in the shinobi world before.
All of it was the result of Naruto's efforts over the past twenty years.
And he would never allow anyone to destroy it.
(End of Chapter)
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