Chapter 117: New Member
"You know my name?"
Ōnoki blurted out instinctively, but quickly realized how foolish that sounded.
He was the Tsuchikage—was there anyone in the entire shinobi world who didn't know him?
"I know far more than just your name." Uchiha Kazuki smiled faintly, gazing at Ōnoki of Both Scales with meaningful intent. "For example, I know your past self... and your future self."
"What did you say? My future self?"
Ōnoki's expression turned peculiar. He suddenly found the claim somewhat laughable, wondering if this mysterious being had lost his mind.
"Didn't I already explain?"
Uchiha Kazuki leaned forward slightly, crossing his arms with a gentle smile. "I am a 'Spectator,' witnessing the history of the past and the 'history' that is yet to unfold in the future."
Although reason firmly told Ōnoki this was impossible, something deep within his heart stirred restlessly—as if an inner voice insisted: All of this is real!
"Then... can you tell me what I will be like in the future?" After a moment's hesitation, Ōnoki couldn't suppress his burning curiosity any longer.
"Very well."
Uchiha Kazuki stated leisurely, "However, glimpsing the future comes at a price. Are you prepared to pay it?"
From the entity's tone, Ōnoki sensed something ominous and felt sudden tension grip him. He swallowed hard. "What... what price?"
"Peering into destiny is itself the price."
Uchiha Kazuki tapped the ancient bronze table lightly with one finger. "However, before that discussion, let's address something else first."
"Something else?"
Ōnoki suddenly felt a terrible premonition wash over him.
"Although you arrived under the guidance of 'destiny'..."
Uchiha Kazuki paused deliberately for half a second, his voice carrying unmistakable displeasure. "What price will you pay for 'trespassing' uninvited into my divine realm?"
In Ōnoki's horrified vision, the countless overlapping figures shrouded in faint radiance seemed to instantly transform into a blazing sun.
Suddenly, the being enveloped in golden light grew impossibly tall, sprouting multiple pairs of magnificent golden wings—twelve pairs in total—each engraved with numerous mysterious and intricate symbols that seemed capable of obscuring the entire cathedral. A sacred aura like a devastating tsunami, carrying the intense heat of the sun itself, swept forward overwhelmingly.
"AAAAAHHH—!"
Ōnoki felt as though he were being scorched alive by the sun—his blood, muscles, and bones all melting simultaneously!
The overwhelming, raging divine will—surpassing even the stars and all mortal comprehension—was like a titan casually glancing at an insignificant ant. This single, fleeting look filled Ōnoki with profound fear and soul-deep trembling. He felt as if his very being were being torn asunder!
Enduring this brutal spiritual assault, Ōnoki's consciousness was like a tiny boat violently tossed about by a catastrophic storm in a raging tsunami.
He gritted his teeth and persevered with everything he had. Perhaps it was his iron-forged willpower accumulated over decades of hardship that made him like an unyielding rock, enduring the savage pounding of those merciless waves. Though gradually being 'worn down,' he ultimately managed to hold firm until that terrible divine will finally dissipated.
"From a human perspective... you barely qualify."
Ōnoki, utterly dazed and on the verge of complete mental collapse, was instantly pulled back to reality upon hearing that calm voice.
He was completely drenched in cold sweat, his clothes soaked through entirely. He examined himself in genuine horror, finding absolutely no physical damage whatsoever. Everything that had just transpired seemed like some nightmarish fever dream.
"You have already paid the price for trespassing into the divine realm."
Uchiha Kazuki appeared perfectly calm on the surface, though inwardly he released a soft sigh of relief.
Forcibly borrowing the Sequence 3 authority of the Hermes Brass Candlestick while only at Sequence 5 himself was no easy feat. The burden on his spiritual reserves had been considerably heavy.
Fortunately, as a Spectator pathway Beyonder, he could adjust and recover afterward.
Having calmed his agitated spirit, Uchiha Kazuki turned his penetrating gaze once more toward the thoroughly terrified Ōnoki of Both Scales and stated slowly: "Now then, let's proceed to the second matter. Are you prepared to glimpse fate itself and bear whatever price that entails?"
Ōnoki, still deeply shaken by his recent experience, couldn't shake off the primal fear he'd just endured.
Even when facing Uchiha Madara in his youth, he had never experienced such profound, crystal-clear, soul-crushing terror—as if he might be torn apart molecule by molecule at any moment!
"Are you... a god?" Ōnoki carefully readjusted his mental state before asking with extreme caution.
Observing those countless overlapping figures, he wracked his brain extensively before finally concluding that perhaps describing this entity as a 'god' would be most appropriate.
"No, I am not a god."
Uchiha Kazuki shook his head, stating calmly: "As I've already explained, I am merely a 'Spectator.'"
Even so, Ōnoki didn't believe that claim for a second. He strongly preferred to believe this entity was indeed a god.
Suppressing his turbulent inner thoughts, Ōnoki no longer dared to underestimate this mysterious being. He absolutely did not want to experience that searing agony—burning from body to soul—ever again, or he'd genuinely go insane!
"Please... allow me to see the future!" After careful deliberation, Ōnoki ultimately couldn't resist the overwhelming temptation to glimpse what was to come.
Even if it required paying a devastating price, for the sake of Iwagakure's survival, he was willing to sacrifice anything!
"Very well."
Uchiha Kazuki agreed, immediately weaving an elaborate dreamscape.
Buzz!
Ōnoki felt as though he'd been violently thrown into an invisible vortex.
He was swept away, completely engulfed, and plunged downward into a bizarre temporal tunnel. Countless streaks of brilliant light flashed rapidly before his eyes, and fragmented images—like fleeting silhouettes—burned themselves directly into his mind!
He witnessed a future filled with massive warfare—bloodshed and cruelty on an unimaginable scale!
He saw the dead being grotesquely manipulated and forcibly resurrected from the Pure Land itself!
He saw countless pale-white humanoid figures battling desperately against innumerable shinobi!
He saw that nightmarish being—standing at the absolute pinnacle of shinobi power—single-handedly piercing through an army numbering in the tens of thousands!
He saw colossal trees growing amid apocalyptic ruins, while a blood-red moon illuminated heaven and earth with crimson light!
That figure was—Uchiha Madara!
Even if reduced to ashes, even if only a silhouette remained, Ōnoki could recognize him anywhere—it was definitely Uchiha Madara!
Was this truly the future?
Ōnoki's mind went completely blank. The fragmented, disjointed images made absolutely no coherent sense to him.
But... without any doubt whatsoever, the shinobi of the future would face a brutal, catastrophically bloody war—so vast in scale that it would inevitably engulf the entire shinobi world!
"How can I prevent these things from happening?" Ōnoki demanded urgently.
The person he least wanted to encounter in his entire life was Uchiha Madara. The deep-seated fear that monster had instilled in him—even after several decades—remained permanently carved into his very bones!
Moreover, Madara's appearance in these visions made him strongly suspect that the future disasters might be directly connected to that legendary shinobi!
Although he'd only witnessed fragments, the brutal warfare, the countless lost lives, and especially that towering tree combined with the blood-red moon appearing at the end all filled him with inexplicable, primal dread.
Instinct screamed at Ōnoki that whatever that phenomenon represented was profoundly catastrophic.
"Very well."
Uchiha Kazuki nodded slightly but deliberately didn't elaborate any further.
Ōnoki was stunned. He waited expectantly for more explanation—why was it already over?
"Your time is up. You should return now."
Uchiha Kazuki intentionally withheld information, keeping him in suspense as he raised one hand in a dismissive gesture.
"Wait! Wait just a moment!"
Ōnoki immediately panicked. If before he couldn't wait to escape this place...
Having witnessed such profoundly disturbing glimpses of the future, he absolutely did not want to leave so hastily without answers.
In his panic, Ōnoki's gaze fell upon the ancient, weathered bronze table and the numerous empty seats positioned around it. A sudden thought flashed through his mind, and he quickly called out: "I have another question! Are there other people who sit at this table besides yourself?"
Finally noticed, Uchiha Kazuki thought with satisfaction. His lips curved into a slight smile as he stated casually, as if recounting mundane conversation: "Yes. There are several individuals like yourself—those caught by the threads of fate who, through various circumstances, arrived at my divine realm and, driven by different desires, chose to join an organization I established."
"Your organization?"
Ōnoki felt immediate hope surge through him. Just as he'd suspected! He quickly pressed: "I wonder... would it be possible for me to join your organization?"
"It would."
Uchiha Kazuki's lips curved slightly upward as he calmly stated: "The organization I established is called the 'Twilight Hermit Order.'"
[End of Chapter 117]
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