To the average eye, the man approaching them looked utterly unremarkable, completely ordinary. He wore a plain, monk-like robe that fluttered lightly in the gentle breeze, his expression neutral and calm, his posture humble, even submissive. Perhaps only his eyes—cold, detached, and strangely piercing—hinted at something slightly unusual. But even that could be easily explained away. Perhaps he was just a wanderer, a traveler, maybe just another lost soul passing through the area.
To an ordinary person, there would be absolutely nothing threatening about this man. Nothing alarming at all.
But Renji Uzumaki was no ordinary person. As a high-ranking ninja of the prestigious Uzumaki clan and one of the extremely few masters of the legendary Kagura Mind's Eye technique, his perception extended far beyond just the visual. He could feel chakra the way others felt warmth from a fire. Even the faintest signature of life energy had a unique, distinctive presence to his heightened senses—a rhythm, a pulse, a feeling.
But this man, this approaching man, was a complete void. Absolute emptiness.
Renji narrowed his eyes sharply, trying to focus harder, trying to scan properly, trying to sense something—anything at all. But all he got in return was silence. Nothing. No chakra signature whatsoever. It was like staring into a black hole where something should exist but simply didn't.
If the stranger had possessed overwhelming, massive amounts of chakra, that would have been perfectly fine. Renji could prepare for that, adjust his strategy accordingly. If the man had abnormal or unusual chakra flow patterns, that would be manageable too. He'd dealt with plenty of strange techniques before.
But this? This was complete emptiness. Total blankness. It chilled him straight to the core of his being.
"Sir..." Renji began cautiously, his voice tight with obvious tension. "This is Uzumaki Village territory. Do you need something? Can I help you?"
The man did not answer immediately. Instead, his head tilted slightly to one side, those cold, golden eyes drifting slowly from Renji directly to the young boy standing behind him.
"Is that your son?" the stranger asked simply.
Renji hesitated for a brief moment. Every combat instinct in his body screamed loudly: Don't answer! Don't give him anything! But something deeper, something more cautious and experienced, warned him clearly that antagonizing this mysterious man without understanding him first could lead to absolute disaster.
So he took a slow, controlled breath and nodded once. "...Yes, sir. That's my son."
Behind him, Elric had just bounded back energetically toward his father, completely unaware of the looming threat standing before them. Still smiling. Still carefree.
Then the stranger spoke again. "I want to buy him."
Renji blinked in complete confusion. "...What?"
"Fifty billion ryo. Or sixty billion if that's not enough. Name your price. Whatever you want."
Renji's mouth opened, then shut again without sound. For a full second, his brain absolutely refused to process what he'd just heard. It made no sense. None whatsoever.
"Are... are you joking, sir?" he finally managed to say. His voice was louder this time, sharper, much sharper. There was real anger rising rapidly beneath the confusion now.
The man didn't flinch at all. Didn't react. "So, I take it your answer is no," he stated flatly. His voice carried absolutely no disappointment, no frustration, no emotion whatsoever. Just dead, complete calm.
Renji's fists clenched tightly at his sides. "There's no need to talk any further then, Mister. I don't know who you are, but I'm going to have to ask you to—"
Suddenly, he stopped mid-sentence. His throat seized up violently. His chest locked completely. He gasped sharply—then coughed. Hard. Violently. A metallic taste flooded his mouth instantly.
He dropped heavily to one knee, hands trembling as he brought them up to his lips reflexively. And saw blood. Bright red blood coating his fingers.
"Wha—"
His entire body shuddered as intense, searing pain erupted across his torso in multiple places simultaneously. He looked down slowly, disbelievingly. Six black rods had pierced him clean through his body—each one impaling a critical, vital point with absolutely surgical precision. They had appeared out of nowhere, completely invisible until the moment of impact.
His blood spilled freely now, flowing steadily from the wounds, soaking into the grass beneath him, dyeing it a deep, dark crimson. His vision blurred rapidly at the edges. Darkness crept inward like an advancing tide.
He forced his head to turn with what little strength still remained in his body, turning to look at the man who had done this. The stranger had not moved at all from his original position, still standing in the exact same spot, still staring with those empty eyes, still completely emotionless. Though his eyes had changed somehow—from black to a strange yellow pattern.
Behind Renji, Elric's young face had turned ghostly pale, his eyes wide with pure, primal terror. "D... Dad...?"
No... not now. Stay awake! I have to stay awake!
Renji clenched his fists desperately, fighting against the darkness. Blood dripped steadily from his mouth. His legs gave way completely beneath him. He crashed hard to the ground.
I didn't even see the attack... When did he move? How did he do it?!
It had been too fast. Impossibly fast. He hadn't even felt any chakra building up beforehand because there hadn't been any chakra involved at all. It wasn't a normal jutsu, not anything from the shinobi world he knew. It was something else entirely. Something far beyond what he understood.
Isshiki Ōtsutsuki stood perfectly still, his plain robes fluttering ever so slightly in the wind. His face betrayed absolutely no emotion whatsoever. But inside, deep within his ancient mind, he was satisfied. Very satisfied.
He may be incredibly proud of his Ōtsutsuki heritage, but he was absolutely not a fool. Never had been. He had lived far too long, seen far too much, experienced too many battles to believe in worthless concepts like "honor" or "fair fights." Especially not now. Not when he was this close.
He had exactly one goal here: acquire the red-haired child's perfect body. And now, the only real obstacle standing in his way—the strongest person currently present—lay dying rapidly in an expanding pool of his own blood.
The six black rods he had launched—crafted carefully with his own Yin-Yang Release and launched instantly from his pocket dimension using his Dōjutsu—had done their job perfectly. The attack had taken a noticeable toll on his current vessel. This body was already deteriorating badly from age, time, and accumulated stress. But none of that mattered anymore. Not now.
He felt a faint tremor run through his right arm, a small crackle of decay spreading visibly up his fingers like spiderwebs. But he genuinely didn't care at all. This body was temporary anyway, about to be discarded.
He looked at the boy again with his cold gaze. This child, this absolutely perfect vessel... even from this distance, Isshiki could feel it clearly radiating from him. That absurd, unnatural vitality. That boundless ocean of chakra. That ancient Ōtsutsuki legacy buried deep within his very flesh and blood.
With this body, I will finally rise again. Return to my former glory. Reclaim everything I lost.
His deadened, emotionless gaze fixed directly on young Elric. The boy was completely frozen in place now—still deathly pale, still trembling visibly, unable to move, unable to speak, unable to process what was happening.
Isshiki took one slow, deliberate step forward. Then another. His right hand began to rise gradually, reaching out toward the boy's chest, toward the heart that would very soon belong to him, toward his new beginning.
And just as his fingertips reached out through the air, the boy whispered something barely audible. "...Dad?"
Isshiki paused for just a fraction of a second. The faintest smirk tugged at the corner of his thin lips—not joy, not cruelty exactly. Just pure, cold satisfaction.
Yes. That's right, child. Watch closely. This is the precise moment your old world ends completely. And my new one begins.