Uchiha Shisui—once the strongest fighter under Yuki Yoru, clan head of the Kirigakure Uchiha, and captain of the Second Division of the Gotei 13.
After joining Yoru's banner, countless halos of glory were placed upon him. Yet in the end, because of the clash between his ideals and Yoru's, he chose to drag Uchiha Obito down with him in a desperate bid for redemption.
The result goes without saying: Obito, relying on the bug-like defense of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, turned the tables in extremis. Shisui fell instead—becoming the very first division captain to die.
And now, this captain of the Second Division had been resurrected by Yoru, returned once more to the living world.
"…I never thought you would actually accomplish all this."
Uchiha Shisui's expression was conflicted as he looked at the man before him. Once, he had doubted this man deeply.
In his eyes, Yuki Yoru was a tyrant, a Shinigami, the demon who slaughtered Konoha and seized control over hearts, a despot who ruled Kirigakure with iron fist, suppressed the shinobi world, and fed on souls—a brutal king.
But now, Yoru had proven with actions who was right, and who was wrong.
"I told you I would, Shisui." Yoru smiled faintly. "And wasn't it precisely because you believed in me, that in your final moment against Obito, you made that choice?"
"…"
Shisui had no words. It was true. Though he had spoken of atonement, deep in his heart, he had already believed Yuki Yoru could make it happen.
"What do you intend for this world now?" Shisui asked, his tone solemn as he looked at the master of souls. "Uchiha Obito is gone. Even the Rabbit Goddess has become your spoils… Your invisible empire has wrapped itself entirely around this world. Are you now… going to begin your millennial reign?"
"Don't joke, Shisui." Yoru shook his head with a smile. "Think back to my very first words. Since when were Obito, or an eternal invisible empire, ever my goal?"
"My purpose has always been the ones who drift across the cosmos, devouring stars—the beings from the heavens!"
"The shinobi world is too small. So small it cannot even hold my dreams. Titles like Mizukage, Kirigakure, shinobi world… these were never what I pursued. You should have realized this long ago, Shisui."
Shisui remained silent, but his eyes reflected indescribable complexity.
Yes.
The scope of Yuki Yoru could never be contained within the shinobi world. Only the vast sea of stars, the endless cosmos, was the stage upon which he could truly unfurl his grand ambitions!
It was Shisui's own narrow vision and shallow understanding that had led him to misjudge Yoru. If he had devoted himself wholeheartedly from the beginning, perhaps none of this would have happened.
After a long silence, Uchiha Shisui dropped to one knee, bowing his head.
"Gotei 13, Second Division Captain Uchiha Shisui—requests to rejoin the ranks!"
"You never disappoint me, Shisui." Yoru grinned broadly. "Welcome back."
With Shisui dealt with, Yoru's gaze shifted toward Orochimaru.
He had always been well aware of that snake's ambitions. But compared to his extraordinary research capabilities, such little greed was hardly worth caring about.
What Yoru hadn't expected, however, was that Orochimaru would dare to backstab him at such a critical moment—during the battle with Uchiha Obito—going so far as to set his sights on members of the personal guard.
"From coveting the Sharingan, to the Sage's power, and now to consuming spiritual power…" Yoru regarded Orochimaru calmly. "Your ambition has truly grown ever more excessive, Orochimaru."
"With a wind like you around, anyone's ambition will be fanned until it swells."
Orochimaru flicked out his long tongue, licking the corner of his lips. He said no more, waiting quietly for Yuki Yoru's judgment.
He understood Yoru's magnanimity, but betrayal—especially betrayal aimed at his royal guard—was something no ruler could forgive. Yet, now that Yoru was standing before him, and after personally witnessing how Yoru handled Uchiha Shisui, Orochimaru felt a strange shift within himself.
"It seems my wind has blown in quite an extraordinary way."
Yoru smiled faintly. Suddenly, a brilliant burst of spiritual light erupted from within Orochimaru—but in the very next instant, the radiance abruptly vanished, scattered completely.
Orochimaru's expression trembled. He could clearly feel something missing from within himself. As he probed carefully, his already pale complexion grew even paler.
His Bankai…
It was gone!
"So this is my punishment, then." Orochimaru chuckled hoarsely. "Looks like I've managed to keep my life after all."
Yoru gave a calm smile and raised his hand in a casual wave. A small piece of withered wood floated before Orochimaru.
"This is…"
"A fragment of the God Tree," Yoru explained. "I need you to study this power. The Ōtsutsuki use the God Tree to devour entire stars. If we're to deal with them, we must fully understand the weapons they wield."
At those words, Orochimaru's eyes instantly lit up. He hurriedly seized the fragment, his gaze shining with such intensity that he seemed to forget entirely his complaint about losing Bankai.
"You won't be disappointed!"
On Orochimaru's thin, pallid face appeared a twisted smile. Compared to what he now held, what was the loss of a Bankai?
For in his hands lay the secret of the sages themselves—the weapon by which the Celestial Beings commanded the cosmos!
If he could unravel its mysteries, what was a mere Bankai in comparison?!
"However, before you begin this research, there's something else I need you to do."
"And what might that be?" Orochimaru asked, frowning slightly.
"Have you not felt the change in the world itself?" Yoru's expression twisted into something strange. With a flick of his hand, several figures began to coalesce from the void—and among them, some carried an aura so familiar that it made Orochimaru's heart jolt.
"What in the world is this…" The revelation left not only Orochimaru stunned but even Uchiha Shisui furrowed his brow, his face full of disbelief.
"Someone has given us quite the generous gift."
Dispersing the spiritual power in his hand, Yoru smiled broadly at Orochimaru. "Since they've taken the initiative, let's grant some of our old friends a new life. After dwelling in the lightless depths of the Pure Land for so long, it's about time they stepped out to breathe again."
...
Meanwhile, in the dim recesses of the Pure Land, the Sage of Six Paths wore an exceedingly grim expression as he confirmed its current state.
A thousand years of accumulation, gone in an instant. The souls he had left sealed within the Pure Land had, with the violent rupture of energy, either completely scattered or escaped from the shinobi world.
Now, only a few pitiful remnants of souls remained in the Pure Land—fragmentary scraps at best.
Figures such as the Kage of each village, the heads of great clans, and those legendary names that had echoed across shinobi history for millennia—none of them were to be seen.
"Ōtsutsuki Isshiki!!"
The Sage of Six Paths clenched his fists, fury almost spilling out from within.
The Pure Land was not only his accumulation of a thousand years, but also the crucial source of strength he relied upon to oppose Yuki Yoru. Now that it had been destroyed, it was as though one of his arms had been severed—his foundation severely damaged.
If that were all, he might not have been so incensed. After all, it was only his own loss, something still within the bounds of acceptance.
But the problem was this—the Pure Land had been damaged, not annihilated. That meant the souls within it had not vanished; instead, they had spilled into the living world.
In the past, if souls emerged into the living world, they would not last long before reincarnation. But what is today's shinobi world like?
Now, everyone wields spiritual power. Under such conditions, the dense flow of spiritual energy would continue to stabilize those souls, allowing them to survive in the shinobi world for extended periods of time.
Given this, Yuki Yoru had no reason to reject such free power delivered right to his door.
The rise of one side meant the fall of the other. For the Sage of Six Paths, this development was without a doubt an immense headache!
"What do you plan to do now?" Gamamaru croaked in his deep, rumbling voice. "Yuki Yoru has returned. With the bond between us, it won't be long before we're the next to be purged by him."
"And on top of that, with Ōtsutsuki Isshiki secretly making his moves again and again… Hagoromo, what exactly do you intend to do?!"
The Sage fell into silence.
At this point, if he did nothing, the only thing waiting for them would be Yuki Yoru's overwhelming spiritual pressure descending upon them in person.
But what could he even do now?
Gamamaru did not know—but he trusted Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo.
This was the man who had once dragged down his own mother from the divine throne and hidden within the shinobi world for a thousand years. The cards in his hand could not possibly be few.
"It's time to act, Hagoromo!"
"…I understand."
Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo seemed to steel his resolve. With a long, heavy sigh, he struck his Six Paths staff upon the void.
In that instant, three lights emerged slowly, drawn forth along the staff.
A blazing crimson flame.
A gleaming azure shell.
A massive, weighty stone.
The three auras circled quietly around the Six Paths staff, like stars revolving around the moon, enclosing it completely.
Gazing at the three energies upon his staff, the Sage let out a sigh.
"If only lightning and wind had been found as well… then every problem would already have its solution."
Gamamaru was utterly dumbfounded. Just what in the world was this power, to inspire such confidence in the Sage of Six Paths?
But after just a few moments, realization struck him. His pupils shrank violently, and he couldn't help but roar:
"Hagoromo, you've gone mad! If those forces ever fall out of balance, the entire world will collapse!"
"The God Tree drains all things. The Soul Sovereign rules over everything. To me, either outcome is no different from world collapse."
Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo's face remained cold and indifferent.
"Besides, if not for their vile schemes, why would I ever have needed to wield such a level of power?"
"You're planning to fight to the death and drag everything down with you!"
"You're wrong, Gamamaru."
Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo shook his head, his eyes fixed calmly on the three elemental forces swirling around his staff.
"There will be only one victor—and who else but me could it be?"
…
On the barren surface of a distant planet, deep within the vast cosmos, a colossal, sky-piercing tree loomed.
Its enormous roots burrowed deep into the ground, drawing up every last scrap of energy from the planet—life force, natural energy, everything—until not a shred of vitality remained. Not even a trace of green survived.
At last, several chakra pills appeared atop the God Tree.
"Only this much? What a pathetic planet."
A figure clad in ornate robes plucked the chakra pills down disdainfully, then tossed them into his mouth like candy.
"Let's go. Time to head to the next one."
"Yes, my lord!"
Behind him, a lean, gaunt silhouette bowed with utmost respect.
There was no doubt—these beings, who treated entire planets as prey, bore the unmistakable traits of the Ōtsutsuki clan. A duo, roaming the cosmos.
Having just devoured this star, they were about to set off in search of their next target.
But before they could depart, an unusual chakra signal flickered across their senses.
"…What is this?"
The main Ōtsutsuki, having swallowed a few of the concentrated chakra pills, turned his gaze toward the source of the signal. His pale white eyes suddenly flared with dazzling brilliance.
"Interesting… how fascinating. A planet with energy this vast… Isshiki, you've given me quite the gift!"
"Isshiki-sama?"
"My lord, shouldn't we be cautious?" the lean Ōtsutsuki blurted quickly, voice low. "If such an energy-rich planet truly exists, Isshiki-sama would never leave it unharvested. Why would he instead expose the information like this?"
For the Ōtsutsuki, destroying planets, devouring their energy, and condensing chakra fruit was both their pursuit and their survival instinct.
Normally, upon discovering such a planet, an Ōtsutsuki would waste no time claiming it for themselves. To deliberately expose its existence—thus inviting competition—was unthinkable.
There had to be a scheme at play!
But such cautious reasoning was far too rare among the Ōtsutsuki.
Though the lean one instinctively sensed something was wrong, the main branch Ōtsutsuki merely smirked in contempt.
"With a planet carrying such overwhelming energy… do you really think that fool Isshiki could comprehend it? No—I believe it's precisely because he couldn't grasp it that he leaked this information."
"No more words. We move now. Before the others catch wind of this signal, we'll claim this feast for ourselves!"
"Analyze the chakra signature—lock onto the star system!"
"Yes, my lord!"