"Forgive me, my lord. I failed to defeat Sasuke in time."
"His power now far exceeds anything I had imagined."
The Susanoo beneath Fugaku gradually dissipated. He leaped down, landing on the mountain peak and bypassing the four towering figures to stand at Ren's side.
His usually stern face was now clouded with shame. He bowed his head deeply, not daring to look Ren in the eye.
Though his eyes were fixed on the ground, his peripheral vision caught the massive weapon in Ren's hand and the chains trailing across the earth. His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly averted his gaze.
'This must be my lord's Bankai...'
A mere glance was enough to send an inexplicable shiver down his spine.
It felt as though his body could be sliced in half at any moment; an unparalleled sense of crisis loomed over his soul.
Ren waved his hand dismissively. Having removed the greatest obstacle of this journey to the Ninja World, his expression was relaxed, and his voice carried a hint of lightness.
"It matters not. Being able to stall Sasuke and keep him from interfering is a merit in itself."
"After all, forcing you to strike at your only remaining son is a difficult position for any father."
Hearing that Ren did not intend to blame him, Fugaku finally breathed a sigh of relief. He gathered his courage to stand straight and retreated to the side, his expression complex.
"I thank my lord for his understanding."
His decision to face Sasuke hadn't been entirely for Ren's battle plan.
More than anything, it was a selfish desire to prevent Sasuke from having to face the notorious pirates standing nearby.
They would not show mercy in combat; every strike would be a killing blow, which would have surely spelled a life-or-death crisis for Sasuke.
Fortunately, Ren didn't care for such trivialities, so long as the mission objectives were met.
Ren looked up at Sasuke, who was still piloting his Susanoo. He turned the massive Zanbato in his hand, causing the chains to clatter loudly.
"Sasuke, let's talk."
Sasuke's eyes flickered with a somber light. His voice was cold as he asked the final question weighing on his mind.
"The Sage of the Six Paths and his brother were fighting you. Now that you've appeared here... what happened to them?"
"They're dead."
Ren's voice was blunt.
"You possess the chakra of the Six Paths; you should be more aware of his condition than I am."
"So that's how it is."
Sasuke closed his eyes, then snapped them open. A look of grim determination filled his strange pupils, and his voice grew even colder.
"If they were killed by you, it was only because their strength was insufficient."
"Since you've come before me, it saves me the trouble of seeking you out!"
Staring intently at the Shinigami, Sasuke gathered chakra into his eyes. But just as he was about to move, the black-clad figure suddenly vanished from his sight.
At the same time, a massive hole appeared in the hexagonal crystal wall protecting him, though he hadn't noticed when it was broken.
Sasuke's eyes widened. Countless thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant.
The Shinigami attacked!
When?
With his current visual prowess, he hadn't seen even a trace of the man's movements.
The crisp sound of clinking metal reached his ears. Sasuke whipped his head around, only to see a large hand lunging toward his face.
Sasuke had no time to react before the hand clamped firmly around his throat.
"Gah... hhh..."
Pinned by that powerful grip, Sasuke struggled to make a sound. The sharp pain was accompanied by the agonizing sensation of suffocation.
He stared at the Shinigami's face, but his body felt utterly drained of strength. He couldn't even muster a single drop of chakra.
'Shinigami...'
'What on earth did he do to me!'
The scenery blurred before his eyes. Shadows fell over him as the giants serving the Shinigami came into view.
Without Sasuke's support, the mountain-sized Susanoo lost its foundation and gradually crumbled away.
Ren slowly released his grip, dropping Sasuke onto the ground.
"Cough! Cough!"
Sasuke tumbled across the dirt. Clutching his neck, he pushed himself up into a sitting position. After coughing a few times to catch his breath, he looked up at the four demonic figures looming over him.
Big Mom was laughing wildly, Kaido's face was distorted and fierce, Perospero sneered, and Jack looked absolutely crazed. The four of them standing together looked like a gathering of pure evil.
Sasuke's heterochromatic eyes swept over them before finally landing on the Shinigami.
His handsome features showed a trace of lingering fear, followed by a wave of shame for the unsightly display he had just made.
In a single moment, the situation had been completely reversed—from his confident position at the top to his current state, crawling on the ground in disgrace.
The vast chakra within him, the immense ocular power in his eyes, and even the physical strength of his muscles—he could perceive none of it. He couldn't move.
It was exactly like what he had experienced before in the mental world.
Sasuke turned pale and gritted his teeth. "Shinigami, what did you do to me?"
"Nothing much."
Ren smiled. He stepped forward and gripped Sasuke's face, seemingly admiring his fallen state.
"Sasuke, of everyone in this world, you are the one I admire most. But that doesn't include your habit of becoming arrogant the moment you gain a bit of power."
"Then again, you're just a green boy of fifteen or sixteen. If I had your level of power at your age, I probably would have been even more of a tyrant."
Ren reflected for a moment. When he was sixteen, he was still lost in the mists of teenage emotions, nowhere near as mature as Sasuke.
Especially if he had possessed nearly unrivaled power back then; he likely would have evolved into an insufferable bully who answered to no one within three days.
Sasuke, despite his sudden surge in power, was only slightly overconfident, which spoke volumes about his mental fortitude.
Having survived a clan massacre as a child and growing up without turning completely crooked—and not immediately seeking the destruction of the world once he gained power—Sasuke possessed a commendable quality.
He pulled Sasuke up and handed him over to the nearby Fugaku.
"Fugaku, keep an eye on your son. Don't let anything go wrong."
"I'm going to check on the progress of the other battle."
As Ren began to walk away, Kaido took a massive swig of sake and asked, "What about us?"
"Stand by."
As Ren's words echoed, a massive figure suddenly dropped from the sky, shattering the mountain ground upon impact.
He wore a suit with a Justice cloak draped over his shoulders and a peaked cap. His face was grave.
It was Sakazuki.
On his shoulder, he carried a blonde youth who had fallen unconscious.
"It seems you all are finished here."
"Perfect. I've just finished on my end as well."
A raspy, low voice rang out.
From beneath his cap, his eyes scanned the surroundings. He walked toward the group and tossed the youth onto the ground.
"Naruto!"
Seeing the golden-haired boy lying there, Sasuke's expression tightened, and a flash of panic crossed his face.
He broke away from Fugaku's support and stumbled a few steps toward Naruto, falling weakly to his knees beside him.
His eyes scanned Naruto's body. Most of the boy's face and skin were covered in severe burns from high temperatures, and one of his arms was completely gone. He looked horrific.
With a trembling hand, Sasuke checked Naruto's breath and chest. He finally let out a breath of relief.
Thankfully, he was still breathing and had a heartbeat. He was alive.
Sasuke refused to acknowledge most people in the world, but for Naruto, there was a genuine bond in his heart that transcended everyone else.
This feeling didn't come from the reincarnation of chakra mentioned by the Sage of the Six Paths, but from everything they had personally experienced together.
Sasuke looked up, his face icy as he glared hatefully at the tall figure.
"Did you do this?"
Sasuke remembered clearly that when this man first arrived in the Ninja World, his body had been composed of molten magma.
Naruto's severe burns were undoubtedly his handiwork.
Sakazuki ignored Sasuke entirely and looked at Ren on the ridge.
"This kid was stubborn. Even I had to put in some effort."
"As you can see, the boy is still breathing."
Ren looked at Naruto. Though the boy's state was miserable, his life had been preserved.
Even with Ren's orders, being able to survive the hands of a cold-blooded killer like Sakazuki was a testament to Naruto's tenacity.
"You did well, Sakazuki."
Regardless of anything else, as a new subordinate, Sakazuki had strictly followed orders. Ren was satisfied with that.
Ren nodded slightly and looked toward the distant horizon, where two small black dots were clashing back and forth.
"Now, only Shisui's side remains."
With a flash, Ren vanished from the mountain peak.
Big Mom looked at the battle erupting in the sky and grinned.
"Ma ma, ma ma! Only that one fellow is left. Now that Ren is stepping in personally, the victory is decided."
"Worororo! That means the entire Ninja World will fall into our hands."
Kaido laughed as he drank, though a hint of regret appeared on his face as he remembered the previous fight.
"A shame I didn't get to enjoy myself properly."
Sakazuki took a step forward and warned in a heavy tone, "Our objective is the Pure Land. Now that we've succeeded, pirates, don't you dare step out of line!"
"What's this, Akainu? You think you can order me around!"
Kaido's face soured. He turned to Sakazuki, battle intent erupting in his eyes as his hand gripped the club at his waist.
Sensing Kaido's hostility, Sakazuki's arms transformed into magma. He stepped forward, his voice dripping with coldness.
"Kaido, if you want to violate the rules, I'll happily take this chance to execute you right here!"
The atmosphere instantly became thick with a murderous aura, making it hard to breathe.
Seeing that the two weren't joking, Big Mom slammed a palm into the back of Kaido's head.
Boom!
Kaido's massive body was driven into the ground, his head buried deep in the rubble.
Simultaneously, a greyish-white skeletal arm appeared out of thin air, blocking the path between Sakazuki and Kaido to force them apart.
Fugaku's face was grim, his voice full of warning.
"The two of you, do not cause trouble at a time like this."
"I am not the one causing trouble; I am merely stopping someone who intends to," Sakazuki said coldly.
Seeing the situation de-escalate, he slowly retracted his magma, returning his arms to normal and pulling back his killing intent.
Big Mom stood with her hands on her hips, looking down at Kaido with an annoyed expression.
"Kaido, now is not the time for you to pick fights."
"If you anger Ren, I won't be the one to save you!"
Kaido pulled his head out of the ground and rubbed the spot where he'd been hit.
"Ow, ow, ow... You crazy old hag, why'd you hit me? You ruined my mood for a fight."
"Better that it's ruined... Wait, what did you just call me!"
Big Mom's temper flared. She grabbed Kaido by the collar, fuming.
"Kaido, don't you forget that you still owe me a massive life-long favor! Is this how you treat your benefactor!"
"That was years ago! Why are you still clinging to that, you old hag!"
Kaido swatted her hand away, his face full of impatience.
She had held onto that Devil Fruit incident for a lifetime; even in death, she kept bringing it up. How long was she going to hold a grudge?
Petty!
On the mountain peak, the bickering between Big Mom and Kaido continued.
Seeing that a real fight wasn't going to break out, Fugaku sighed in relief and retracted his Susanoo, his gaze falling back on his son.
Sakazuki adjusted his cap, ignoring the noise around him as he watched the distant battlefield in the sky.
High above, the struggle between Shisui and Obito was growing more intense.
The sounds of weapons clashing rang out repeatedly. Every move was lethal, intended to end the other's life.
After another exchange, the two figures separated.
Shisui took the brief gap to steady his ragged breathing. He stared at Obito, his expression fierce and aggressive.
'Damn it, I still haven't finished Obito... I'm afraid I've disappointed my lord.'
Just as Shisui was about to launch another attack, a heavy voice sounded beside him.
"Shisui, it looks like you're having a hard time."
Hearing the familiar voice, Shisui turned his head sharply.
Ren's black-clad figure stood suspended in the air. The bright moonlight illuminated his calm, expressionless face.
"My lord..."
"Shinigami!"
The moment Ren appeared, Obito's pupils shrank. He retreated several times, instantly widening the distance between them.
His single visible Rinnegan was filled with extreme wariness.
When did the Shinigami get here?
He hadn't sensed a thing; it was as if the man had appeared out of thin air.
Obito's heart sank. If the Shinigami was here, it meant the battle below was completely over.
His Rinnegan scanned the ground. The cratered landscape was silent. The golden fox and the Susanoo that had been wreaking havoc earlier had both vanished.
The Sage of the Six Paths, his brother, Naruto, and Sasuke—all four had clearly been defeated.
In other words, the only combatant left in the entire Ninja World who could still resist was him!
At this realization, panic surged in Obito's heart, and his expression became erratic!
Ren walked to Shisui's side and said heavily, "To have stalled you for this long, Obito certainly has a few tricks up his sleeve."
Shisui knelt on the auspicious cloud, his expression full of guilt.
"I am deeply sorry, my lord. I have failed your expectations."
He snapped his head up, his face filled with determination, his eyes glowing with terrifying intensity.
"Please wait just a moment longer, my lord. I will defeat Obito right now!"
"Shisui, I'm not blaming you. The current Obito is indeed no easy opponent."
Ren waved him off, his gaze drifting toward the distant Obito.
"I will handle this personally. Take a rest."
"Yes, my lord."
Shisui was stunned for a moment, then nodded heavily as he realized Ren was serious.
His massive draconic form began to shrink. The scales, horns, and whiskers retracted into his body, and in the blink of an eye, he returned to his original, clean-cut appearance.
"Please be careful, my lord..."
"There is no need for caution. I have already defeated him."
Ren's voice drifted back calmly.
Shisui's eyes widened. He looked at Ren in disbelief, then his gaze fell upon the round object held in Ren's hand.
It was a head.
Obito's head.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]