"This whole road… not the hardest, but far from easy," Kazuki muttered, like a weary laborer at the end of his shift, landing upon a crumbling peak to overlook the world below.
He was tired.
All along, Kazuki had carried within him a gnawing sense of danger.
The Sage of Six Paths, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya—knowing of the Ōtsutsuki clan, he had always understood those were only the tip of the iceberg threatening his life. That fear kept him from ever daring to stop running.
The only thing he could rely on was his so-called dōjutsu—stealing the abilities of others through emotion.
To maximize his growth in the shortest time, Kazuki had deceived countless people.
Especially Senju Tobirama and Kaguya, who had once lodged within his body.
Enemy or ally, it didn't matter—so long as it could grant him strength, Kazuki lived by a single principle: "If their life is not at risk, then their injuries don't matter."
Even if it meant pain deep enough to rend his heart, even his very soul—it didn't matter.
Senju Tobirama had been fooled by Kazuki's tricks again and again. Shisui had gone mad countless times, tormented by his inability to help Kazuki. Might Duy had opened the Dead Gate again and again, burning himself for him.
Even Sarutobi Hiruzen once gritted his teeth and tried to use the Dead Demon Consuming Seal on Tobirama, just to save him.
And that world-destroying witch Kaguya—she too, for Kazuki's sake, secretly studied Baryon Mode, burning herself away until nothing remained but a wisp of soul lodged in Kazuki's mark, her fate uncertain.
From an objective standpoint… perhaps Kazuki owed much to many people, including those who had given him their sincerity.
But Kazuki could only choose not to care.
As long as death and survival still loomed overhead, emotions were nothing but useless things that would only slow his steps.
"Good thing you're all still here. I've fulfilled my promise to you."
Kazuki lay sprawled across the mountain peak, arms and legs spread wide, leisurely gazing up at the rent seams of space in the heavens. Like a child counting sheep, he idly tallied how many spatial rifts spilled chaotic currents into the world.
This kind of idle pastime was something Kazuki had never done since arriving in the shinobi world.
Everything he had done before had revolved around one line—the maximization of emotional stimulus, one step after another in a careful weave of light and shadow. If it didn't contribute to his strength, then it was something that should never be done.
In truth, Kazuki was a textbook Uchiha.
He might not have the archetypal paranoia or easy descent into darkness, but he bore a compulsive streak all the same.
Kazuki always felt that if he relaxed for even a moment to do something meaningless, then because of that rest—because he hadn't strained every nerve to grasp at power—he might find himself one move short when the final battle came.
So, not even for an instant could he ease his vigilance.
Because, looking across all history and all people of the shinobi world, the only one who could shoulder the weight of toppling the Ōtsutsuki clan was him alone.
Just as Senju Tobirama once said.
Perhaps it was arrogance, but Kazuki truly believed the burden of the shinobi world rested squarely on his shoulders.
If he did not act, then no one would. No one else could.
And now, today—Kazuki was tired, but also satisfied.
The vow he had made in his heart to those close to him—"Those dear to me will, in the end, meet with a better fate than in the original timeline"—had been fulfilled.
Tobirama, Shisui, Might Duy, Asuma, Hatake Sakumo, Yashiro… these close friends of Kazuki needed no further explanation.
Even Namikaze Minato, Jiraiya, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Kushina—those of a more neutral stance—had fared better than their former ends. Even those shinobi of other villages who once opposed Kazuki had not fallen.
They had survived the final battle.
To Kazuki, those who once stood against him, yet who had burned themselves out to help him block the power of the planet's will—any past grudges seemed no longer worth mentioning.
All had contributed to the final victory.
Counting carefully, ever since Kazuki's rise and the Sage of Six Paths' opening of the Pure Land Rebirth, the only one who had truly perished was Shimura Danzō—his soul utterly burned away.
His death was premature.
Even now, Kazuki would find it difficult to resurrect him.
That man had been erased from this universe without a trace. Perhaps only by rewinding years of causality could one ever hope to glimpse the final remnants of his existence.
"One, two, three…" Kazuki counted the spatial currents, closed his eyes in complete relaxation, and, astonishingly, fell asleep.
And upon his chest—
The shinobi of the world, still in chakra form, looked at one another, utterly dumbfounded at the sight.
The hero who had borne the shinobi world upon his shoulders, who had defied fate as a mortal to slay the mightiest of the Ōtsutsuki… could he really fall asleep like a child, counting sheep?
This jarring contrast, involuntarily, stirred their thoughts—
Kazuki… what kind of person was he, truly?
Perhaps after a day, perhaps two…
Kazuki finally stirred, slowly opening his eyes.
"My apologies… everyone, allow me to tidy up the shinobi world first." Kazuki scratched his head in embarrassment, offering the others a sheepish smile before flicking his fingers in quick succession.
At once, the roaring spatial rifts vanished, neatly sealed away.
Kazuki raised his arm.
A towering tide of ocean water appeared out of thin air, sweeping across the scorched earth and bleaching bones. The azure waves carried rich nutrients, seeping into the gray, desiccated land and transforming it before the naked eye into fertile black soil brimming with life.
The waves surged onward, spreading outward from Kazuki's position, never losing height as they rolled on.
High above the heavens, Kazuki remade the planet's surface into rich farmland, where even a handful of seeds could bring bountiful harvests. Deserts, salt flats, and swamps all vanished.
Kazuki pressed his palms together.
Upon the black earth, lush grasses and flowers sprouted in abundance. The acrid stench of scorched ground had already vanished without anyone noticing, replaced by the fresh fragrance of vegetation.
The shinobi world's countless souls could only stare in stunned silence.
And it did not end there.
Kazuki spread his hands wide and gave a soft command.
The creatures nearly annihilated in the battle's aftermath—birds, beasts, insects, fish—flashed into being once more in white light, filling land, sky, soil, and ocean.
It was as though the war that nearly tore the planet apart had never happened.
"Is this… is this creation by the hand of a god?" The same thought ran through everyone's hearts.
In a single instant, wielding the planet as canvas, Kazuki had rewritten all of existence.
"Don't look at me," the Sage of Six Paths hurriedly waved his hands at the countless eyes that had turned toward him. "I'm only a man… please, from now on, don't call me Sage of Six Paths. Just call me by my name, Hagoromo. I insist!"
"Welcome to the new world, everyone…"
Kazuki lifted the chakra sphere from his chest. As he touched the soul markings within himself, golden light flashed across his pupils.
The sphere slowly rose into the air and, under the power of his eyes, dissolved. One after another, white beams of light streamed out—souls, each one returning.
At last, a single small, milky-white sphere remained.
A brilliant light burst forth, and at the end, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya and Senju Tobirama revived together, receiving from Kazuki the largest share of power he could grant.
Thus, aside from Shimura Danzō, the shinobi world had survived the final battle whole and reunited.
Kazuki descended to the earth and walked toward the others.
All eyes fixed upon him—the one who had defeated the Ōtsutsuki clan and created a new world. From the depths of their hearts, they offered him the most sincere reverence.
The shinobi spontaneously formed into two lines, leaving a broad path down the middle.
Kazuki walked slowly among them, smiling, nodding in greeting to each.
When he came to his close ones, he lingered, exchanging a few words of warmth.
"You've worked hard, Shisui. You've become a man who stands on his own, with both responsibility and vision. I'm fortunate to have such an exceptional younger brother, always striving to help me…"
Shisui's eyes brimmed instantly with tears.
Kazuki squeezed his shoulder firmly and said softly, "No rush, Shisui… the war is over. Let's go home and talk at ease."
Shisui still wanted to say something, but Kazuki had already walked on ahead.
"Duy-ojisan, you're the finest guardian my family could have asked for. I'm proud to have known a shinobi as remarkable as you." Kazuki stopped beside Might Duy and spoke softly.
"Kazuki-sama, my youth exists only to sing for you!" Might Duy straightened his chest, his voice ringing with strength.
That declaration of youthful vigor was so forceful that even his trademark green jumpsuit seemed suddenly dashing—enough to make more than a few shinobi quietly wonder if they should have one made for themselves.
"Kakuzu, you're the best employee I could ever have. From now on, work if you want, or don't if you don't feel like it… you've earned a glorious retirement!"
"Don't start with that, boss. I signed an auto-renewing contract…" Kakuzu burst into laughter. "I have to work!"
"Asuma, your Will of Fire has brought me great comfort… And Sakumo, thank you for your tireless efforts."
When he came to Sarutobi Hiruzen, Kazuki paused deliberately, blinking once with a playful glint. "Third Hokage—though someone may still hold a grudge against you, I must say, thank you for using the Dead Demon Consuming Seal to try and save me."
The warm, genuine smile on Hiruzen's face froze stiff in an instant.
"No matter what happened in the past, it's all behind us now. You proved the Will of Fire burns bright in your heart!" Kazuki laughed heartily, then grew serious again, bowing his head slightly before moving forward.
Hiruzen mulled it over, then the corners of his mouth lifted.
Well, if Kazuki himself says I've proven the Will of Fire, then even if my sensei still bears a grudge… surely he wouldn't…
Er… surely he wouldn't do anything to me, right?
Hiruzen's troubled thoughts set him apart from the cheerful air surrounding everyone else.
"Tsunade, I've always been watching over you…"
Kazuki clasped Tsunade's pale hand with a gentle squeeze. "The war is over. Now we have all the time in the world to sit down and talk."
Tsunade nodded firmly, her voice trembling with emotion. "Kazuki, I'll be waiting for you…"
Kazuki walked on, coming before the Uchiha brothers, Madara and Izuna.
Madara gazed at him with complicated eyes. In truth, Madara was among those who had kept the closest watch on Kazuki, much like Senju Tobirama had.
Though at first he had mistaken Kazuki as the reincarnation of Izuna's chakra, after all they had been through Madara already regarded him as family.
The awkward part was… Kazuki had never really spoken with Madara alone. Nor with Izuna.
"You two, don't act so distant. As your junior, I hold the utmost respect for such outstanding Uchiha predecessors." To their surprise, Kazuki draped an arm over each of their shoulders, grinning broadly.
"In the end, we're family."
"…Family, indeed." Madara and Izuna both froze for a heartbeat, then erupted together in the Uchiha clan's long-forbidden, ancestral laughter.
"Obito, Zetsu…"
Kazuki stepped up to the unusual pair, speaking from the heart. "When you hold the wedding… may I stand as your groomsman?"
That one sentence spoke more than a thousand words.
Obito and Rin both nodded at once, barely able to contain their joy. What could hold greater meaning than having Kazuki himself stand at their side on their wedding day?
At last, Kazuki came before Kaguya.
So naturally, he reached for her hand and lifted it, pressing a light kiss upon it.
"I love you…"
Kaguya's fair face flushed crimson in an instant, the corners of her lips lifting into an irrepressible smile.
"I love you more, Kazuki…"
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