A bright moon hung high in the cloudless sky.
A pale, headless corpse tumbled from the heights, the Six Paths Staff still clutched in its hand. Truth-Seeker Orbs fell alongside it, drifting toward the earth.
"What... happened!"
Obito's head had been severed cleanly from his neck. The cut was smooth and level, yet not a single drop of blood escaped. There was no sign of a throat, trachea, or cervical vertebrae—only pale, greenish-white flesh.
Having become the Ten-Tails' Jinchuriki, Obito's body had undergone unimaginable changes, setting him far apart from any ordinary human.
Even with his head severed and held in Ren's hand, the tenacious life force of the Ten-Tails' Jinchuriki ensured that he felt no different than usual.
His strange eyes widened as cold sweat dripped down his face. A look of sheer astonishment flickered in his gaze as he stared at Shisui, who had suddenly appeared before him.
Just moments ago, Obito had been on high alert for the appearing Shinigami. He had pushed his focus to the limit, hyper-vigilant and unwilling to even blink. Yet, in a mere blur, he had lost all sensation of his body.
Only his head remained.
What exactly had occurred?
Horror filled Obito's mind. Even with the supreme ocular powers of the Rinnegan, he hadn't caught a single trace of movement in that instant. His thoughts couldn't keep up, let alone conceive of a defense or counterattack.
He didn't even know how he had been reduced to this state of decapitation.
Seeing Shisui's respectful demeanor, Obito realized that the Uchiha's deference wasn't for him, but for the entity holding his head.
Suppressing his panic, Obito forced himself to find a sliver of calm amidst the chaos. His Rinnegan shifted slightly, catching sight of black fabric.
Due to the angle, he could only see the figure's broad chest and the zanpakuto held in the other hand. The answer was clear.
The one who struck... the one holding his head like this was the Shinigami!
It must be the Shinigami's ability!
In that split second, the Shinigami had activated an unknown power, decapitated him, and returned to his original position!
But what was it?
Space-time ninjutsu? Some form of authority or causality?
As various thoughts raced through Obito's mind, they were interrupted by the Shinigami's quiet voice.
"Hoh? You're still alive?"
The world before him slowly rose... no, Ren had lifted Obito's head, bringing it level with his own chest.
Looking up slightly, the Shinigami's distinctive features came into view. That usually expressionless face now carried a hint of lofty playfulness.
Ren gazed at Obito, who seemed relatively unfazed, a look of wonder crossing his brow.
"To have your body severed and be left with only a head, yet still possess such vitality."
"The Ten-Tails' Jinchuriki is truly something else!"
That said, Ren had no intention of letting Obito continue existing.
It was the perfect chance to test his newly acquired ability.
"Rinnegan: Human Path!"
One of Ren's eyes transformed into a solid purple, covered in concentric ripples. Six tomoe patterns adorned the rings.
It was Sasuke's Six-Tomoe Rinnegan!
Obito felt his consciousness—his very soul—being pulled by a massive suction force, dragging him toward the outside world.
Hearing the Shinigami's whisper, Obito didn't have time to wonder why the man also possessed a Rinnegan. He immediately activated his own Rinnegan's power to resist the spiritual pull.
"Don't even think about it!"
"Hmm?"
As the Rinnegan's power activated, Ren's consciousness invaded Obito's thoughts. Though he met some resistance, it was nothing more than a light tap to Ren's massive spiritual weight, shattering Obito's will to resist instantly.
Obito's struggle was within Ren's expectations; it wasn't surprising.
What truly felt singular wasn't Obito's actions, but the discovery Ren made deep within his mind. Beneath Obito's soul lay another vast, disordered consciousness.
This consciousness was incredibly chaotic, devoid of will or rational thought. It acted purely on instinct, like an animal, yet it possessed a power as vast as the world itself.
Such a gargantuan consciousness was being suppressed firmly beneath Obito's soul, serving as his source of power.
This obvious relationship of master and servant, of rider and mount...
Ren's brow arched as he instantly understood the origin of this consciousness.
"The king and his mount..."
"I see. So it's the Ten-Tails."
The Ten-Tails was of little use to him now, so he might as well leave it in the Ninja World.
He had already secured the Pure Land. The entire Ninja World was under his gaze; he could observe its state at any time.
With a sigh of realization, Ren gave a light pull. A nearly transparent soul-fire manifested in his hand.
In a daze, he seemed to hear Obito's faint, ghostly murmur.
"Rin..."
Obito's eyes instantly went dull and lifeless. The head lost all luster and tumbled toward the ground.
Seeing this, Shisui quickly reached out.
When he pulled his hand back, he held two eyeballs—Obito's Mangekyo Sharingan and his Rinnegan.
"Shisui."
Ren tossed the soul to Shisui as his Six-Tomoe Rinnegan receded, returning to a normal eye.
Shisui caught the soul-fire. The flames flickered and surged unsteadily, reflecting the depths of Obito's resentment.
Scanning Obito's soul, a flash of complexity crossed Shisui's eyes before his expression returned to calm, and he tucked it away.
"Lord Ren, here are Obito's eyes."
Shisui bowed, offering the two eyes to his master.
Looking at the two strange eyeballs, still trailing nerves and capillaries, Ren's face twitched slightly.
Eye transplants and similar surgeries were common for those in the Ninja World.
But seeing two such vivid, raw eyeballs up close still made Ren feel a sense of revulsion. He waved his hand as if shooing them away.
"Don't put those things in front of me. You keep them."
He was a normal person, not some freak.
Even though he was long accustomed to killing, if he had to take a life, he preferred a clean strike.
Facing such a bloody sight inevitably triggered a physiological disgust.
Whether Kamui or the Rinnegan's abilities ended up with Shisui or the Uchiha clan, it made no difference to him.
"Yes, my Lord."
Noticing the fleeting look of disgust on Ren's face, Shisui hurriedly placed the eyeballs into a prepared container and tucked it into his robes.
Boom!
Just as the two were preparing to leave, a massive roar erupted from below.
A towering tree burst forth from the ground, growing at a terrifying speed toward the heavens.
Such a massive disturbance prompted Ren and Shisui to look down.
"That is..."
Shisui's Sharingan locked onto the target below.
Before Obito's head could even hit the ground, it erupted with vigorous life. Tree roots burst through his cheeks, connecting with the suddenly appearing giant tree.
One of the roots lashed out, piercing Obito's headless corpse. It wrapped around the body and pulled it back into the trunk, merging with the wood.
"This tree sprouted from Obito's head... it's the Ten-Tails!"
"The Ten-Tails actually has a form like this!"
Rumble!
The tree anchored itself into the earth. Dust billowed and rocks flew as countless roots spread out, piercing the soil and burying themselves deep underground.
It continued to grow at an incredible rate, becoming taller and more imposing by the second.
"A tree... falling from the sky!"
"What is happening now?"
"Isn't that direction where Ren is?"
"It's true. The Great King Enma is right above the tree."
Big Mom and the others watched the bizarre scene, their faces filled with shock.
They thought he went to handle the enemy, so why did a giant tree suddenly appear out of nowhere?
"That's... the Ten-Tails' God Tree!"
Sasuke's expression was grim. Watching the tree descend and take root in the battlefield, the stories the Sage of the Six Paths had told him in the mental world flashed through his mind.
Just a moment ago, his Rinnegan had vanished for an instant.
He felt a vast, unfathomable will descend upon his mind, and his Rinnegan was subsequently stripped away, leaving him temporarily unable to see his father or the giants.
Now that his vision had returned and this situation was unfolding... various theories flashed through Sasuke's mind, and he understood everything in an instant.
It must have been that Shinigami. He was the one who defeated Obito.
The brief disappearance of his Rinnegan was undoubtedly connected to that Shinigami as well!
Sasuke covered his face, his expression turning extremely ugly.
'Shinigami... what exactly did he do to me?'
On the edge of the battlefield, the Kage of the Five Great Villages and their subordinates watched the situation intently.
"First, the mountain range went silent, then Sasuke's Susanoo and Naruto's fox disappeared..."
"And now a mountain peak and a giant tree have suddenly appeared..."
"What on earth is happening on the battlefield?"
"Prepare yourselves. The result likely won't be as beautiful as we hoped..."
Though the Five Kage couldn't see the details, the fragments they could observe were enough to draw many conclusions.
The tide of battle was likely turning toward the worst possible scenario.
At this thought, everyone's faces darkened, filled with gloom.
Tsunade gritted her teeth and looked at the father and daughter of the Hyuga clan before her.
"Hiashi, Hinata, what can you see?"
Hiashi Hyuga and Hinata Hyuga had received Tsunade's orders to rush here when the Shinobi Allied Forces retreated.
They hadn't expected the deadlocked battle to take such a sudden turn for the worse.
Veins bulged around Hiashi's eyes, giving him a ferocious look.
His white eyes stared toward the battlefield. Hearing Tsunade's inquiry, he could only shake his head.
"I apologize, Lady Tsunade. The center of the battlefield is too far; it exceeds the observation range of the Byakugan."
Tsunade had anticipated this result, but her anxiety had forced the question anyway.
While the Hyuga's Byakugan vision was superior, it was clearly of little use on such a gargantuan battlefield.
Hearing Hiashi's reply, Tsunade didn't say much, only offering a final instruction.
"Continue monitoring the surroundings."
She knew that such a lookout was likely meaningless against those ethereal enemies.
But if she didn't do something, the unease in her heart would never subside.
Ultimately, the current situation was beyond the reach of mortals like them. Any action they took was merely for psychological comfort.
In the air, Ren looked down at the God Tree with an unmoved expression.
"Without the suppression of a Jinchuriki, the Ten-Tails has broken its shackles and erupted. Let the people of the Ninja World deal with it."
"Let's go."
"Yes."
Shisui nodded. With Sasuke's current strength combined with the cooperation of the Ninja World, handling a mindless Ten-Tails shouldn't be an issue.
He followed silently behind Ren, heading toward the small mountain below.
As they moved, Ren remembered Obito's two eyes. On a whim, he turned to Shisui and asked, "By the way, Shisui, what about Obito's other eye?"
Shisui said respectfully, "Replying to my Lord, when I was retrieving Kakashi's soul, I already took that Mangekyo."
"At the time, I just thought it was curious that Kakashi Hatake could awaken a Mangekyo and have such decent abilities. I didn't realize it was actually given to him by Obito back then."
"As for the other Rinnegan..."
Shisui patted his robes, where the bead containing Obito's soul was kept.
Originally, they had sent people to monitor Obito's movements.
Because the Rinnegan could see dead souls, and given the special circumstances at the time, they couldn't risk exposing themselves. They couldn't get close to Obito, allowing him to hide away.
But the situation was different now.
"With Obito's soul in hand, we can quickly find its location by questioning him."
Ren nodded slightly. During their conversation, the two had already returned to the mountaintop.
Everyone on the mountain looked toward Ren and Shisui as they approached through the air.
"Ma ma ma ma! Ren, it looks like that last enemy has been handled."
"Worororo! With this, there is no force left in the Ninja World that can resist us!"
"As for that Shinobi Allied Force, they are completely insignificant."
The voices of Big Mom and the others reached Sasuke's ears. His Rinnegan stared directly at the Shinigami before him, his handsome face betraying a complex swirl of emotions.
Regardless of what the Ninja World or the Hidden Leaf Village had done to him, this was where he grew up. It held his friends and comrades, and the traces of the family that once lived here.
But this time, in the war against the Shinigami from beyond the world... the Ninja World had lost.
Lost utterly.
Even he and Naruto had been reduced to prisoners of the enemy.
They only kept their lives thanks to a shred of the enemy's mercy.
The Ninja World would fall into the hands of these alien gods. Sasuke considered himself cold, yet an indescribable emotion welled up in his heart.
"Shinigami, you've won this war."
"I have one question for you."
Sasuke's cool voice rang out. Facing the Shinigami's gaze, he showed no fear.
If only for the sake of the feelings he still held for the Ninja World...
"What do you intend to do with the Ninja World now?"
Ren looked at the conflicted Sasuke. Through the threads connecting them, he could easily sense Sasuke's current state of mind.
He shook his head, his tone candid.
"Sasuke, I think you have a misunderstanding about me."
"My goal is only the Pure Land. I have no interest in the Ninja World. Eliminating the Sage of the Six Paths and his brother was merely to remove the final hidden threat."
Sasuke grit his teeth. "But the state of the Pure Land is constantly linked to the Ninja World. How can you say there is no connection?"
"Think what you will."
Ren spoke dismissively, no longer paying attention to Sasuke. He turned his gaze to Fugaku and the others.
"In a moment, hand Sasuke and Naruto over to the ninjas."
"And collect the souls of the four Hokage while you're at it."
The zanma sword in his hand transformed back into a regular katana. A clear light burst from it, connecting to the unconscious Naruto.
"As you command," Fugaku said respectfully.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]