"It's a completely unexpected outcome. Who would have thought the final victor would actually be Konoha's Sixth Hokage? How in the world did he pull it off?"
In Iwagakure, the still‑living Ōnoki—who had luckily escaped having his chakra taken by Ōtsutsuki Kaguya—stared at the intelligence a spy had just delivered, muttering in shock.
Mokuton, the legendary Bloodline Limit said to belong to the God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju, was already extraordinary.
Yet after witnessing the power of the Sage's eyes, Ōnoki had to admit that even Mokuton paled before such mythic might.
Even when Izayoi's chakra had blanketed the entire shinobi world, Konoha's leaders placed only modest hope in him; they merely wished he could keep Uchiha Madara and Ōtsutsuki Toneri in check.
After all, his youth spoke for itself, and Konoha's vulnerabilities were plain to see.
No one imagined Izayoi would emerge the greatest—and indeed the sole—winner of that climactic battle whose details no one knew, save that the Land of Lightning lost an entire mountain range.
Having endured the Infinite Tsukuyomi, Ōnoki simply could not fathom what kind of power it would take to defeat the man who had effortlessly entrapped the whole world in illusion—Uchiha Madara, who could pull everyone instantly into his Genjutsu—
let alone topple that unfathomable being who had dwelled upon the moon and styled himself a god, the chakra‑devouring Ōtsutsuki Toneri.
Mokuton alone? Impossible.
Even Hashirama's legendary wood style could not compare with the Mokuton Madara wielded.
Was it the special state that let Izayoi's chakra erupt across the entire shinobi world?
But Madara had that state too—and his version was stronger.
So how, with Toneri still in play, had Izayoi dispatched Madara?
And then Toneri as well?
A three‑way standoff in which one side actually fielded two top‑tier powerhouses should have been impossible to settle; the moment one faction gained the upper hand, the others would surely unite against it.
Without utterly overwhelming force, no one could 1‑v‑2 and still dominate.
Yet Izayoi had accomplished the impossible.
He not only won—he killed both Uchiha Madara and Ōtsutsuki Toneri.
Such strength chilled the Five Kage to the bone.
"White hair, horns, a golden unknown dōjutsu, the ability to tear open space…" Ōnoki murmured. "Toneri had white hair, and the Madara who absorbed the Demonic Statue also turned white. Now Izayoi's hair is white too, and he's sprouted inhuman horns. Could that be the mystery of the Demonic Statue?"
"In the myths, the Sage of Six Paths shared chakra with humanity and created the tailed beasts. Now the bijū are gone and some people have lost their chakra… Could he be turning into a second Sage of Six Paths?
"Even Lord Hashirama never wielded such might!"
The thought left Ōnoki feeling powerless and bleak.
Power levels beyond the Five Kage were already another dimension; now someone had appeared who could slay two such beings—practically a god. The four other great villages combined, even allied with the lesser nations, were nothing before him.
If Madara, who could seize the entire world in an instant, had fallen, Izayoi could surely subjugate or even annihilate the shinobi continent just as easily. After all, their awakening had only been possible because Izayoi released Madara's illusion. Any resistance would merely hasten their demise; the best option was to await judgment.
"If he really stole those people's chakra and shinobi potential, he could reclaim all the chakra in the world and turn every ninja back into ordinary folk—leaving himself the only shinobi alive." Ōnoki tried to console himself. "But he hasn't done that. Perhaps things aren't as bad as they seem.
"Let's hope he isn't as extreme as Madara once was."
This was more or less the prevailing attitude among the upper echelons of every hidden village—especially Kumogakure, where terror reigned. The final battle had begun on their soil, and where once mountains pierced the clouds, a desolate wasteland now spread, testament to the fight's ferocity.
And the victor was Konoha's Sixth Hokage—known also as the boyfriend of the Hyūga clan's heiress.
Eighteen years earlier, Kumogakure had almost kidnapped that very heiress. Izayoi had not forgotten; only a few years back he'd refused Samui's request for leave, declining to help rebuild their village.
Now he stood triumphant, the slayer of Madara and Toneri, a being of unimaginable power.
In Kumo the evening bells seemed to toll doom. Bee had lost Gyūki, and along with Fourth Raikage and Darui his chakra had been stripped—no more shinobi aptitude. Once the mightiest village overall, Kumo is now ranked below even Kirigakure. At least Kiri still had Mei Terumī, her dual Bloodline Limits intact.
Tonight, the shinobi world was in chaos.
Ordinary people, roused from pleasant dreams, could not sleep; chakra‑less former ninja could not sleep; the high officials of the four other great nations lay awake fearing for the future. Only in the Land of Fire and Konoha did people sleep soundly—victors' slumber.
Izayoi himself paid these worries no mind.
He had bigger tasks ahead.
After returning home via Yomotsu Hirasaka, he issued instructions to the wood clones guarding the four Hīta sisters, lest Madara, Ōtsutsuki Isshiki, or even a wood clone of Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo target them.
Moments later a black crack opened before him, widening into a portal, and the four sisters stepped through.
"Oniī‑chan, I knew you're the greatest!"
Hanabi burst forward and threw herself into Izayoi's arms, beaming.
The other three smiled softly: clearly the wood clones had already relayed the whole fight to them, leaving them free of worry.
"Of course—your onīi‑chan is invincible." Izayoi ruffled Hanabi's hair, smiling.
"Congratulations, Izayoi‑kun—no more Transformation Technique from now on," Shion teased.
"You look even cooler like this—just like a god," Karin agreed.
Only Hinata smiled without speaking.
"Enough talk—I need a bath."
Hugging Hanabi tight one more time, Izayoi stretched and sighed with relief. "Half a month of nonstop fighting has worn me out."
The four sisters' eyes filled with concern. They hadn't slept either these past two weeks, but compared with Izayoi—who'd fought Madara, Kaguya, and the Sage of Six Paths in succession—they'd had it easy.
Karin, whose thought process often rivaled Naruto's, rolled up her sleeve. "Izayoi‑kun, want to bite me and get some strength back?"
"Silly, I'm not physically exhausted." Izayoi flicked her forehead. "Right now my chakra alone outweighs the entire world's combined."
"The hot spring hasn't been cleaned in two weeks—I'll scrub it," Hinata said at once.
"I'll cook."
"I'll help!"
Hanabi flexed her arms. "Onīi‑chan, I'll scrub your back and give you a massage!"
"Then I'll count on you." Izayoi pinched her cheek.
With the sisters bustling about, the traditional house that had been quiet for half a month quickly filled with light and warmth. The curious elders and distant relatives, sensing their chakra probes stop at the mansion's walls, wisely refrained from disturbing the "savior."
After enjoying Hanabi's back‑scrubbing, hair‑washing, and acupressure massage, Izayoi—wrapped in a towel—headed to his private hot‑spring pool. Hinata's shadow clone had already cleaned it; white steam swirled over emerald water brimming with life energy. Hinata herself was elsewhere, perhaps bathing or helping Karin and Shion.
Stepping down into the pool, Izayoi leaned against the edge with only his head above water, gazing at the starry sky and silver full moon while planning his next moves.
He had defeated Madara and Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo, gained the greatest of treasures, looted several of Kaguya's Kekkei Mōra, and fused Hagoromo's Sword of Nunoboko with chakra orbs to craft a time‑space slash that could erase an entire dimension in an instant.
But the world was not yet his playground.
First there was Ōtsutsuki Hamura, brother to Hagoromo, whose strength should rank just below his sibling's. Izayoi still had no way to locate—and enter—the Pure Land, nor did he know whether Hamura could interfere with the living world as Hagoromo had. Precautions were needed.
Then there was Ōtsutsuki Isshiki, a rat in hiding for at least two millennia. Though weaker than the brothers and Kaguya, Isshiki was revoltingly tricky—and he held a second Ten‑Tails. Izayoi had to eliminate him to sleep soundly. Moreover, Isshiki seemed to know much about Ōtsutsuki secrets; capturing him would yield more than just another Ten‑Tails and the clan's pill‑refining arts.
Finally, future pure‑blood Ōtsutsuki might arrive on Earth. Only after dealing with all that could Izayoi relax completely.
For now, though, he had minor matters and an experiment to conduct.
"Izayoi‑kun, you've worked hard."
A gentle voice sounded by his ear. Opening his eyes, he found Hinata, long hair wrapped in a towel and clad only in another towel, leaning against him in the pool.
Slipping an arm around her shoulders, he kissed her forehead. "I made you all worry."
"We never worried," she smiled up at him. "Like Hanabi says—you're invincible."
"Hahaha…"
Izayoi laughed heartily; their faith meant more than victory itself.
"Izayoi‑kun, would you like a reward?"
Before Izayoi could reward her for her sweet words, Hinata gave a mischievous blink, left his embrace, and lifted the sake flask she had brought. Untying the towel around her hair so ebony locks spread across the water, she took a sip of warm rice wine, then—just as Izayoi assumed that was the reward—slid beneath the surface.
"Tsk…"
A moment later, the hot‑spring echoed with the hiss of indrawn breath.
…
The next day, news of Izayoi's victory officially spread across the shinobi continent and every inhabited island beyond. For days to come, the world would be in an uproar.
People of the Land of Fire and surrounding nations hurried toward Konoha, hoping to see the savior of the world—only to be disappointed. Even Konoha's own ninja and villagers could scarcely catch a glimpse of him.
Izayoi wasn't home; he hadn't even left a wood clone behind.
In the Land of Waves, on the cliff of a low hill, strange script flared across the stone. As the characters spread, the rock face trembled and revealed a cave. Izayoi stepped inside and descended to its depths, where a stone coffin lay—within it a sealed living corpse who had once aided him greatly:
Yamato—the former Anbu's top operative, sole survivor of the D‑Type Wood Release experiments, and former instructor of the new Team Seven. Had Yamato not granted him the Wood‑Release bloodline, Izayoi's rise would never have been so smooth. Thus Izayoi had not killed him, merely sealed him.
Now that the chaos had ended and Izayoi stood as the planet's strongest, it was time to free this benefactor. But first he would erase a portion of Yamato's memories, lest he recognize Izayoi and Karin.
For someone with Yin‑Yang Release and two Kekkei Mōra‑grade dōjutsu, altering memories was child's play.
Before long, Yamato awoke in the coffin—while Izayoi's figure had vanished.
He had already taken the sealed Ōtsutsuki Toneri to a super‑gravity dimension, where the Ten‑Tails lay crushed beneath terrifying weight and Black Zetsu, exposed before Rinne and Rinne‑Sharingan eyes, had nowhere to hide.
Izayoi transported them all to another dimension via Amenominaka, then opened a black portal with Yomotsu Hirasaka and yanked Black Zetsu from the Ten‑Tails' body.
"Chibaku Tensei!"
Without giving Black Zetsu a chance to speak, Izayoi sealed him in a miniature moon—
and at last began his experiment.