As if realizing there was no escape, Ōtsutsuki Shiki stopped struggling.
Resentment filled his eyes as he stared at Naruto, his expression twisted with unwillingness.
"Hahahahaha… I may die, but you will follow!"
"I am nothing more than a puppet of fate!"
"When the Era's End Calamity arrives, everything you have will be buried!"
His voice echoed like a curse.
In the next instant, Naruto's attack completely engulfed him.
Ōtsutsuki Shiki was annihilated.
Naruto frowned slightly.
Era's End Calamity?
What was that supposed to mean?
It sounded like more than empty words. There was likely a deeper secret behind it.
…
At the same time, the war on the battlefield was reaching its final stage.
Naruto's true strategy was finally coming to fruition.
The defensive preparations set up long ago had never been meaningless.
As the allied shinobi forces fought against the White Zetsu Army, they had been subtly guiding their enemies across the battlefield. Without realizing it, the majority of the White Zetsu had already been led into predetermined positions.
Even many Ōtsutsuki below Six Paths level had fallen into place.
"Lord Zabuza, our side is ready. We can initiate the 'Catching a Turtle in a Jar' plan."
A shinobi transmitted the message.
After years of growth, Zabuza, one of Naruto's earliest followers, had already stepped into the Six Paths level.
The final plan, devised by Naruto himself, was now ready.
A planetary-scale barrier.
A grand array capable of distinguishing friend from foe.
Long before the battle began, the shinobi world had completed its preparations.
Of course, the cost had been heavy. War always demanded blood.
Throughout the battle, the barrier continuously absorbed chakra from allied shinobi, storing it and amplifying its power.
At the same time, the White Zetsu Army had been carefully maneuvered into the optimal positions for activation.
Zabuza nodded.
"Good. Inform everyone. All preparations are complete."
"The plan begins now."
He pressed his hand to the ground and poured chakra into it.
Instantly, a brilliant light erupted.
Across the battlefield, others received the signal.
"Finally… If this took any longer, we would all be dead."
A middle-aged shinobi let out a bitter laugh.
Not everyone possessed overwhelming strength. Against the endless tide of White Zetsu, ordinary shinobi had paid a heavy price.
If Kakashi's forces represented elite units, then these were the backbone of the army.
Without the chakra-link formations, they would have been overwhelmed long ago.
Now, it was time to end it.
"Everyone! The time has come to avenge our fallen comrades!"
"Kill!"
He slammed his chakra into the ground and charged forward, determined to take down as many enemies as possible before the end.
"Let these invaders be buried in the shinobi world!"
Not far away, Hyūga Neji lifted his gaze.
For a brief moment, he seemed to see a white bird soaring freely across the sky.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
From space, the sight was overwhelming.
Dozens of pillars of light erupted across the planet, illuminating it completely.
Energy intertwined like threads, forming a vast and intricate network.
"Erase them!"
Those who knew the plan spoke in unison.
Then it began.
The White Zetsu and the Ōtsutsuki forces fighting across the battlefield started to disintegrate.
Their bodies broke apart at the most fundamental level.
The weaker they were, the faster they vanished.
Meanwhile, the allied shinobi remained unharmed. Their chakra had been marked in advance, shielding them from the array.
"What is happening? My chakra… it's disappearing!"
"No! I don't want to die!"
"I surrender! Stop!"
Screams filled the battlefield, turning it into a living hell.
But the allied shinobi showed no mercy.
Too many had already lost comrades, friends, and family.
This was the price of war.
At least their fallen would not be forgotten.
With their achievements, many would earn a place in the Pure Land, perhaps even positions of authority. In that realm, existence was longer, and in some ways, more stable than in the living world.
Under the rule of the Shinigami and its governing forces, the Pure Land had developed rapidly.
As its highest authority, Sasuke's strength had grown at an astonishing rate. He had already reached the Half-God Sixth Turn, with a direct path toward the True God realm and no bottlenecks before that stage.
Very few were aware of this.
Across the battlefield, countless White Zetsu disintegrated, their forms dissolving back into the fabric of the universe.
There was no blood.
No shattered bodies.
Only complete erasure.
Yet the scene was even more terrifying because of it.
This was not something ordinary Half-Gods could achieve.
At this level, life itself became nothing more than a number.
A vast chakra field spread across the battlefield, forming something akin to a system of laws. Within the grand array, countless microscopic runes connected and circulated chakra, breaking down all hostile life at its core.
Anyone capable of perceiving its true structure would understand.
This was not just a technique.
It was annihilation written into the laws of the world itself.
It was as if everything had been formatted and reset.
The chakra of the allied shinobi had already been marked in advance, so they remained completely unharmed within the grand array.
At that moment, however, many noticed something unsettling.
Some of the people fighting beside them suddenly crumbled into dust.
Only then did they realize, with a chill running down their spines, that White Zetsu had already infiltrated their ranks.
The thought alone was terrifying.
If not for Naruto's preparations, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Those who understood what had just happened could not help but feel awe.
Their leader had seen everything in advance.
This battle further strengthened their belief that the shinobi world would one day stand at the very peak.
…
"It's over."
Naruto stepped through space and reappeared above the battlefield, his figure suspended in the starry sky.
His perception spread outward, confirming it.
Countless life signatures had vanished.
The White Zetsu Army had been almost completely wiped out.
Naruto's gaze shifted slightly.
"These White Zetsu are still useful… I will keep some for research."
With a thought, a powerful mental shock swept across a small portion of the remaining White Zetsu, destroying their consciousness without damaging their bodies.
At the same time, he quietly collected them.
To the allied shinobi below, nothing seemed unusual. They simply assumed it was part of the grand array's annihilation effect.
Only after the battlefield had completely fallen silent did Naruto withdraw his senses.
The war was over.
He lifted his head and looked into the vast starry sky.
Once, he believed there were no more secrets left in this universe.
But now…
"What exactly is the Era's End Calamity?"
The question lingered in his mind, unanswered.