Chapter 49: New Dawn, New World
Smoke rose from Konoha's ruined skyline.
The air was thick with the smell of scorched earth and chakra.
Ren stood amid the devastation — the Mirror Dimension overlapping the physical world around him, allowing him to stabilize the destruction, bending space so the fires couldn't spread further. His entire body shimmered with arcane light, the Arc of Embodiment pulsing in his chest like a living sun.
Before him lay Minato and Kushina.
Minato's chakra flickered faintly — he had already begun the sealing ritual. The Shinigami's spectral hand had reached halfway through his chest when Ren appeared, reality bending like rippling glass.
"Minato!" Ren called sharply, his voice echoing through both planes. "Stop this!"
The Fourth Hokage turned, his smile faint but steady. "It's too late, Ren… I have to finish this."
Kushina's eyes fluttered weakly open. Her hair lay matted in blood and dirt, but her spirit burned just as bright. "Ren… take care of him… of Naruto."
Ren's fists clenched. "No. You both will live."
He extended his hand — the Arc blazing as he seized the flow of reality itself. The spectral form of the Shinigami trembled. For a moment, the god of death paused — its massive blade frozen mid-strike. Ren's eyes glowed pure white.
The Arc pulsed again — and Ren reached into