"Lord Hokage... thank heavens you're alright..."
"You've arrived... it seems the Hidden Leaf is safe for now."
Standing at the edge of the unrecognizable Chunin Exam arena, the Third Hokage watched the clan heads and Great Family members arriving one by one. He sighed inwardly.
He knew exactly why they were only appearing now. He knew even better what the thinly veiled disappointment in their eyes meant when they saw he was still alive.
But the Third Hokage didn't get angry. Nor did he harbor special resentment. Having weathered countless storms, he understood their mindset perfectly. He knew he no longer had the authority or influence to challenge these powerful clans.
In fact, he realized that if he didn't make the right choice soon, his fate would be sealed. He sighed again, acknowledging what had to be done. For now, though, he had to handle the aftermath of this "disaster" that felt more like child's play.
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
The Great Family heads were no fools. Observing the Third Hokage, they began their own mental calculations.
Hiashi Hyuga stepped forward and bowed respectfully. "Lord Hokage, what is the situation here? What... exactly happened?"
"It was Noah's jutsu." The Third Hokage didn't try to hide the truth. "The giant you saw earlier... that was Noah's doing."
"A jutsu created by Noah?" The clan members struggled to believe it. They had heard of the boy-mostly because of the Zabuza incident-but never imagined he could transform into such a terrifying entity in an instant.
Hiashi Hyuga was particularly shaken. He had watched Neji's match. For things to escalate to this scale so quickly was hard to accept.
"Was it not... the Uchiha?" Fugaku Uchiha asked, hesitant.
"No. Though there's a slight connection..." The Third Hokage glanced at Fugaku, paused, then continued. "But it isn't one of blood. That child, Noah, has a small link to the Uchiha clan, but that's all."
"Is that so? Then what should we do now, Lord Hokage?"
"Wait. All we can do now is wait. That child doesn't just possess that giant jutsu; he has also mastered Wood Style."
"The person... closest to God?" Orochimaru studied Noah's indifferent face with detachment. A powerful instinct told him this silhouette revealed Noah's truest form.
But what exactly was a God?
Orochimaru wasn't sure. In their mythology, the one who created the shinobi world was the only God. Was Noah... that God? No. If he were, why request the Reanimation Jutsu? How could the God of the shinobi world not know such a technique?
The mention of "other worlds and universes" became the key.
Orochimaru furrowed his brows, forming a bold hypothesis. Suppose their shinobi world was just one universe. Then Noah, the person closest to God, wasn't a God of their world-but an outsider.
This subtly changed Orochimaru's eyes. It explained why Noah sought the jutsu. But why?
He asked immediately. At this point, nothing else mattered; he had found something far more intriguing.
Noah didn't refuse. After holding everything in for twelve or thirteen years, he was ready to speak.
While checking a scroll's authenticity, he said without looking up, "Why? Because every world has a different power system, and the differences create vast discrepancies."
Once he confirmed the scroll was genuine, Noah burned it to ashes with a flick of fire. Hand signs? What were those? Usually, he performed them for appearances, but now, such effort was pointless.
Noah looked up. "Take me, for example. If I had entered this world with my original power, it likely would have collapsed."
"The world would collapse?" Orochimaru's expression twisted. After a pause, he asked, confused, "But you said you were only the person closest to God. Then you..."
"Do you know the true power of Hashirama Senju?" Noah tilted his head, amused. "The real Hashirama could pacify the entire shinobi world alone. Your teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi, is called the 'Strongest Hokage,' but is he any match for the First?"
"I see," Orochimaru sighed. "You mean the scale of intensity. The God of this world... the Sage of Six Paths may be a God, but compared to you, he's nothing."
"Correct," Noah admitted. "The gap is too great. Had I come recklessly, not only would I have failed, but I'd have caused massive trouble by accidentally destroying a world."
Noah wasn't lying. This was the truth. He came restrained to avoid chaos. Given the choice, he would have preferred arriving at full strength, steamrolling the Five Great Nations himself. Even a composed person like Noah had "main character" fantasies.
Noah stood, the golden glow fading. He gave Orochimaru a small smile. "You can leave now."
"I can... leave?" Orochimaru looked uncertain. He hadn't expected this.
"What else?" Noah tilted his head. "You want me to kill you? Meaningless. If I wanted that, I'd have to hunt all your clones, which is too much trouble. Disappear, kid."
In infinite battles against Dormammu, Noah had been killed countless times. Even without system space, he could call Orochimaru a "kid" anytime.
He also had no interest in killing him. In the original story, Orochimaru eventually redeemed himself. Whether that would happen here was unknown. Besides, even if Noah left, his body would remain.
Yes. After Noah's consciousness departed, the body would live independently, identical to him. The final outcome was uncertain, but the foundation fascinated him.
As Orochimaru slowly sank into the ground, Noah's consciousness remained locked on him until he was gone. Only then did Noah close his eyes.
"System, come out." Noah entered his internal system space and summoned his interface.
He had forgotten how long it had been since last contact. Not that he hadn't wanted to-the universe's power system and his own system were too far apart. He avoided wasting time. Now, though, he had to.
He had finished everything needed in this universe. Before returning, he intended to leave something behind.
"What you requested is ready." The system's voice was cold, mechanical. Noah found it pleasant. "Do you intend to return now?"
"I have everything I wanted. Why stay longer?" Noah tilted his head playfully. "What about you? Is the preparation complete?"
"It is ready." The system remained detached. Soon, a diamond-like object appeared in Noah's consciousness, deep azure, almost unnaturally beautiful.
It contained Noah's mental energy. The system had collected it over the years-a solution for the body he would leave behind. This vessel had carried him for twelve years. Even if he left, he wanted to know how his body would fare.
With the crystal, the remaining body would retain part of Noah's memories, personality, and knowledge. But it would remain unaware of the truth; that would be cruel and pointless.
Noah intended for another version of himself to live peacefully, marry, have children, and eventually die according to this world's rules. Only then would the mental energy return to him.
"I just wonder... will the other me follow in Madara's footsteps?"