Suzan gazed at the scorched surface of Planet-1000A, his expression unreadable. The battlefield was nothing but a shattered wasteland, oceans boiled away and forests erased, another mess left in the wake of a clash far beyond mortal comprehension. With a tired sigh, he muttered to himself, "Another planet ruined. I'll have to reset this one as well."
Beside him, Anon stood tall, his gaze locked on the ruins. Despite his battered body, he managed a mocking grin. "That final attack of Lenma's was spectacular. Almost convincing enough to make me think I'd lost." He chuckled softly, his tone laced with arrogance. "But too bad for him, I'm the one still standing."
Anon glanced at Suzan, curiosity flickering in his eyes. "So, how do you plan to bring him back? There's not even a scrap of a body left."
Suzan, noticing the glance, tilted his head slightly. "Oh, right. Before that—" He raised his palm, and a stream of radiant white light shot forth, striking Anon. In an instant, the deep wounds, burns, and fractures that had marred his body dissolved into nothing. His flesh regenerated, his aura stabilized, and even the destructive elements still clinging to him were purged.
Anon blinked, staring at his restored body. "Tch. Efficient as always."
Suzan ignored the comment, his gaze fixed on the ruined world below. "Your opponent's body is gone, but his soul… hasn't fully perished yet." His nine-tomoe golden Rinnegan manifested, its brilliance illuminating the void around them. The ancient eyes pulsed with authority as Suzan extended his hand. A faint shimmer appeared—a fragile, dim soul flickering on the edge of oblivion.
"Good. The soul tag is intact." Suzan's voice was calm, but there was a weight behind his words. Slowly, a cocoon of energy formed around the fragile essence, expanding until it reached two meters in height. "He's revived. But it will take him at least a year to awaken. His body needs to reform, and his eyes will take even longer to recover."
Suzan turned his head toward the Elders seated high above the arena. They nodded silently, giving their approval without a word. Their eyes remained cold, unmoved by the spectacle.
Turning back to Anon, Suzan said, "You may leave. You're advancing to the second round."
Anon smirked, his pride swelling, but before he could reply, Suzan once again activated his Rinnegan. "Time Reversal."
The ruined planet began to shimmer. Craters filled, oceans returned, forests regrew, and the very air reset to its untouched purity. In mere seconds, Planet-1000A returned to its original, pristine state. Gasps echoed from the crowd of contestants watching, their shock evident.
"Unbelievable… he rewound an entire planet…" someone whispered.
"Overseer Suzan is terrifying," another muttered.
Yago, a young branch family member, stared in awe. "That Rinnegan… so versatile. One day, I'll obtain eyes like that."
The man beside him scoffed. "Don't dream too big. We're branch family. Compared to the main family, we're nothing."
Murmurs spread among the crowd, admiration mixing with envy. Meanwhile, Suzan began calling out names for the next battles, focusing on the North Division. Competitors clashed, their duels fierce, yet none carried the overwhelming drama of the battle between Anon and Lenma.
By the end of the first round, many had advanced, while others were mercilessly eliminated. But in everyone's mind, one truth remained clear—the shadow of Suzan's power loomed over all.
"Finally," Suzan's voice echoed across the arena, carrying a weight that hushed the restless murmurs of the audience. "The last two contenders for the North Division—Reizan Ōtsutsuki versus Getsuga Ōtsutsuki."
At once, countless heads turned toward Reizan. Some eyes carried awe, others envy, but all carried anticipation.
Reizan stretched his shoulders with a faint smile. Seems like it's my turn at last. His golden aura shimmered faintly, though his eyes narrowed when he noticed the figure standing across from him.
A man in a pristine white cloak stepped forward. His face was hidden behind a mask, the hood casting shadows over his sharp features. When his gaze lifted, twin black Rinnegan eyes glared outward, radiating a suffocating pressure.
Whispers ran like fire through the crowd.
"Getsuga…? Could it really be him?""That's impossible—he awakened eight planetary Radiant Moons during the past Awakening Ceremony!""But he's more than eighty years old. Why would he lower himself to fight the juniors?"
Approval surged for Reizan, while disapproval and even outrage spread toward Getsuga. Some called it shameless, others accused him of bullying the younger generation.
Reizan, however, simply studied his opponent in silence. Though outwardly calm, he acknowledged the pressure emanating from Getsuga's body. So he's hostile…? The nerve. To glare at me like that in front of the Elders, in front of Tensai. Does he truly believe he'll live after this ceremony ends?
Suzan raised a hand, and space rippled. In the blink of an eye, both fighters were transported to the battleground—Planet-1000A. The once-scorched world was whole again, oceans glistening blue under the light of distant suns.
The moment they arrived, Getsuga's laughter cut through the calm. "I've heard much about you, Reizan. Personally, I despise you. Not for your own actions, but for your father's. He destroyed my parents, left me with nothing. Against him, I can't even dream of revenge. But you…" His voice deepened, dripping with hatred. "Killing you today will satisfy me, even if only a little."
As he spoke, black chakra surged violently from his body, spilling like a storm of shadows across the horizon. "I stand at the Psuedo-Supreme stage. You should feel honored to die by my hand."
Reizan's expression hardened, his golden eyes locking onto the black Rinnegan before him. His voice was icy, disdainful. "Pathetic. You dare call yourself an Ōtsutsuki, yet you whine about the past like a mortal child. Instead of facing the one responsible, you choose me—an easy target in your eyes. That disgrace alone proves you're unworthy of the name you carry."
His smirk twisted into something merciless. "But don't worry. I'll bury you here on this planet, just as my father buried your parents. Unlike them, you'll be fortunate enough to revive… eventually."
The air between them grew heavy, almost unbearable, as the ocean below rippled from the sheer force of their clashing auras.
Suzan's voice lingered one last time, calm yet absolute: "Continue." Then he vanished, leaving only the two titans suspended above the endless blue sea.
Without the need for words, Getsuga vanished from sight and reappeared directly behind Reizan. His black Rinnegan glowed with a sinister brilliance, radiating a power that warped the air around him.
"Almighty Push."
In an instant, the ocean below convulsed violently. The vast blue sea toppled into itself, waves scattering outward as if some colossal beast had struck the planet. A crushing gravitational force erupted, devouring everything in its radius and leaving a massive scar of devastation across the horizon. Entire clouds dispersed, and the waters churned like a storm in chaos.
Yet amidst that overwhelming might, Reizan remained perfectly still. The gravitational ripples bent unnaturally before reaching him, curving away as though the universe itself refused to touch him. The crowd watching from afar fell into stunned silence.
"Now it's my turn," Reizan murmured, his tone sharp as ice.
Before Getsuga could even blink, Reizan's figure flickered out of sight. A fist, white-hot with raw force, connected squarely with Getsuga's chest.
BOOM.
The impact shattered the sound barrier, and Getsuga was hurled across the skies like a ragdoll, vanishing over the horizon. A hundred kilometers away, the collision ended with an earth-shattering crash as he slammed into a mountain, the entire peak collapsing under the violent blow. The very air burned in his wake, leaving behind glowing fissures of cracked space—razor-thin lines that lingered ominously in the void.
Within the viewing platform, the Elders rose to their feet, their ancient eyes wide.
"Supreme-level physical prowess…" one of them whispered, incredulous. "But he has yet to consume a chakra fruit. His chakra is only at pseudo-supreme quality!"
Another elder's voice trembled, half awe, half fear. "This… This is why he reached Divine on the Star Disk. His foundation is abnormal… terrifying."
Back in the ruined mountain, Getsuga groaned. His body twitched violently as a wave of agony coursed through him—not from broken bones, but from his very soul.
"Ahhh! My soul… it burns!" he screamed, clutching his chest. The single punch had not only devastated his body but had cracked his very essence. His soul writhed in pain, saved only by the protective soul tag he had prepared beforehand. Without it, his entire consciousness might have been obliterated on the spot.
The mask he wore, forged from top-tier supreme materials, now bore deep fractures. Blood dripped from his lips as he gasped.
"That punch… even damaged my soul. Impossible. He… he's definitely reached Supreme in physical strength…"
Desperation flickered in his eyes as he reached for a ring on his hand. With a surge of chakra, a suit of black, star-glowing armor emerged, floating before him like a guardian spirit.
"Haa… lucky I found this on my travels. Without it, one more punch from that monster and I'd be finished."
The armor unfolded around his body, fusing to his skin like an exoskeleton. Its surface glowed with constellations, shimmering with otherworldly light, resembling a futuristic biological suit born from the cosmos itself.
On the viewing platform, the Elders and contestants gasped.
"He's cheating!" several juniors shouted in anger. "That armor is forbidden!"
Suzan, however, remained silent, his gaze locked on the battlefield.
An Elder finally sighed. "That is a Star Armor. He discovered it himself; it wasn't bestowed by the clan. Its offensive ability is only half-supreme, but its defense can withstand a Supreme strike. By our laws, it is allowed."
The younger contestants gritted their teeth in fury, but could do nothing. The Elders exchanged uneasy glances, before finally turning to Tensai.
Tensai's expression did not waver. His voice echoed telepathically into the minds of the Elders:
"Do not intervene. The young lord will win regardless."
The Elders nodded, though unease lingered in their eyes. All focus returned to the battlefield, where Reizan's figure loomed, cold and immovable, and Getsuga, now clad in radiant black armor, rose again.