Deep within Shiraishi's mental domain, five of the six mirrors of consciousness had long since been fully repaired and restored to their pristine states. Now, the unrepaired fifth mirror was rapidly initiating a process of self-restoration.
Unlike the previous mirrors, this specific set of memories was pieced together automatically, without requiring Shiraishi to actively sort through and organize his past recollections.
Although the reconstruction speed was exceptionally slow, it had always sparked Shiraishi's intense curiosity as to why the fifth mirror behaved in this highly unique manner.
Judging from the fragmented traces of memory preserved within, the Fifth Mirror World and Shiraishi's current Sixth Mirror World shared a highly specialized, mutually reinforcing relationship, projecting a deeply elusive and enigmatic sensation.
Amidst the fluid fluctuations of a vast, starry cosmos, a colossal crystalline palace hung suspended in the void.
Clad in traditional Ninshu vestments, Otsutsuki Ryushiki remained situated deep within this stellar crystal sanctuary, caught in a state between deep slumber and conscious awakening.
Suddenly, a severed piece of wood floating directly before him abruptly detonated into microscopic splinters. The sudden disturbance jarred his consciousness awake, causing his dark-golden Rinnegan to slowly unfurl.
My projected clone has vanished?
Under normal parameters, before the raw energy of the Dan catalyst was thoroughly depleted, his projection should not have been destroyed unless unseated by an external, deliberate power. Yet, could a clone wielding half of his absolute strength be defeated so effortlessly?
This was by no means an ordinary clone; it was a projection armed with the vast majority of his personal techniques and a full half of his total chakra reserve!
Soon, the collective memories of the projection rushed into Otsutsuki Ryushiki's mind. Scene after scene of the brutal engagement between Unohana Retsu and his clone manifested with absolute clarity.
Having an arm cleanly severed by the woman's blade had thrown the clone's internal chakra circulation into complete disarray, forcing it to dissolve prematurely and return to the main body.
"Ha, truly impressive. To think an entity of that caliber actually exists."
Following this revelation, Ryushiki redirected his gaze toward the spatial rift bridging Shiraishi's world and an alternate dimension.
Having stood guard over this void for an immeasurable period of time, his primary focus had been observing these mysterious cards to determine their underlying mechanics.
The multifaceted universe had never existed as a singular, isolated entity. Tucked inside the spatial rift separating two mutually influential worlds hung four distinct cards that did not belong to any known reality.
The card situated at the absolute center was a Golden Card, yet its overall ornamentation projected a deeply austere, solemn aesthetic—a design entirely unencountered on any card Shiraishi had ever utilized in the past.
Even Otsutsuki Ryushiki could distinctly perceive the holy, catastrophic power radiating from its surface, ensuring that even he dared not rashly lay a finger on it.
During his last tentative attempt to approach it, Ryushiki had been struck head-on by a powerful beam of judgment unleashed from within the card, suffering severe injuries in the process.
Furthermore, the three secondary cards encircling this central anchor possessed their own highly specialized spatial-temporal domain mechanics.
The primary reason the fractured Fifth World had avoided absolute, comprehensive erasure from reality was precisely due to the structural presence of these specific cards.
Ryushiki could even hear a faint, lingering roar of unyielding rage and profound unwillingness echoing outward from the cards, reverberating across the remnants of the Fifth World.
"Then, how exactly was this particular world constructed?"
Peering through the dark rift, Ryushiki analyzed the ruined dimension with an exceptionally cold expression.
He could freely traverse both the Fifth and Sixth Worlds, yet to this day, he remained entirely incapable of understanding why these two specific realities existed concurrently.
This was especially true for the Sixth World, where highly unique methods of breaching spatial-temporal barriers had already manifested, causing his own clone to suffer a major setback.
Ryushiki's status within the Otsutsuki clan differed slightly from his peers; his primary administrative mandate within the clan was to monitor the abnormal fluctuations and dimensional variances across parallel realities, meaning he rarely engaged in direct warfare.
In reality, he was entirely unaware that within the Ninja World continent of his native timeline, the Fourth Shinobi World War was currently raging at its absolute zenith.
The Allied Shinobi Forces assembled by Konoha and the Five Great Shinobi Villages were locked in a final, decisive struggle against Akatsuki, and the Infinite Tsukuyomi had just been officially initiated by Uchiha Madara!
The future timeline of the world Yamato hailed from, which Shiraishi currently controlled, belonged to the exact same temporal line as Otsutsuki Ryushiki.
Upon materializing in the Sixth World—Shiraishi's world—Ryushiki had naturally reviewed the records of ninja history to locate the root cause of the anomaly.
The destruction of the Fifth World had directly catalyzed the birth of the Sixth World, and the ultimate pivot point governing this phenomenon rested entirely within the power of these four cards.
This reality made Ryushiki exceptionally wary of the card system's capabilities. Through meticulous tracking, he discovered that within the contemporary Sixth World, only the entity known as Aoki Shiraishi was capable of actively wielding the card system's power.
"Before my arrival, another member of the Otsutsuki clan had already manifested within this Sixth World. What exactly is he plotting?"
The projected clone under his control had thoroughly investigated every single square inch of the Sixth World's continental terrain. The single most suspicious coordinate identified was the Forest of Asura located within the Land of Rivers.
That specific territory contained a highly distinct trace of Otsutsuki chakra...
According to historical texts, this location had once served as the personal training grounds for Asura, the son of the Sage of Six Paths.
Compared to standard Otsutsuki clan members, Ryushiki's Rinnegan possessed a highly specialized capability to trace things back to their absolute origin.
His investigation revealed that the dense thickets within this forest had been materialized entirely out of thin air; they had not existed a thousand years ago.
History itself had seemingly been deliberately altered by someone.
Therefore, that entity was absolutely not Otsutsuki Asura.
As for Aoki Shiraishi, he had likely maintained a certain degree of contact with that mysterious individual.
What was his ultimate objective?
Did the destroyed Fifth World share some fundamental connection with him?
"Perhaps the Shiraishi who possesses the capability to shatter dimensional barriers can provide me with a definitive answer to this question."
The core truths Shiraishi actively sought to uncover shared an identical, overlapping purpose with the goals of Ryushiki's investigation.
For a long time, Shiraishi had harbored deep suspicions regarding his historical encounter with Asura.
The timing of his containment by the Mist ninja during that past mission had been entirely too coincidental, and the manner in which Asura manifested to rescue him had been far too seamless.
It felt precisely as though an entire sequence of events had been deliberately orchestrated.
Considering how Black Zetsu, Uchiha Madara, Uchiha Obito, and Nagato had been systematically manipulated across the annals of original history, Shiraishi's mind had long since questioned the true identity of that "Otsutsuki Asura."
Another critical anchor point was the fat orange cat. Its explicit memories regarding Asura had grown progressively blurred over the years, as if its mind had been subjected to a highly specialized variant of genjutsu...
Shiraishi immediately associated this with a legendary genjutsu unique to the Uchiha lineage: Kotoamatsukami!
Therefore, during this current invasion of the Hidden Rain Village, Shiraishi's secondary objective was to forcibly secure the Rinnegan. With the memory mirror of the Fifth World nearing comprehensive restoration, Shiraishi believed a definitive answer would soon reveal itself.
Inside Sunagakure...
"Gaara, even though you lost to that guy Shigeru, you shouldn't feel discouraged. Don't keep moping around like this."
Confronted by Uzumaki Tomoko's relentless chattering, Gaara remained entirely silent. On the side, Aoki Shigeru seemed to sense that Gaara's internal state was exceptionally volatile, prompting him to intervene: "Tomoko, let him have some peace."
Hearing Shigeru's voice, Gaara raised his head. However, as he looked at the two individuals standing before him, a trace of profound distortion and disorientation surfaced within his eyes.
My head hurts so much...
Who exactly are they?
Seeing Gaara's face contort in intense agony, Tomoko anxiously rushed forward to assist. Yet, right at that moment, the main door swung open, and Yashamaru stepped into the room while carrying a tray of refreshments. "He is likely exhausted from the intensity of the trials. Let him secure some proper rest."
Yashamaru... he's still alive?
In an instant, a cataclysmic surge of emotion ripped through Gaara's mind. Looking at the deeply familiar form of Yashamaru standing right before his eyes, his emotions broke containment entirely, causing tears to spill from his eyes.
No, I cannot shed tears. This is a manufactured, fictional reality... Yashamaru died a long time ago...
Stepping forward to gently wipe away Gaara's tears, Yashamaru asked with complete bewilderment, "What is it, Gaara?"
Forcibly stabilizing his fluctuating emotions, Gaara violently shoved Yashamaru aside and dashed straight out of the building.
However, the exact moment his boots cleared the threshold, a sprawling complex of towering, cloud-piercing skyscrapers met his gaze.
Illumined beneath the night sky, the metallic metropolis of Suna gleamed with a brilliant, shimmering radiance, projecting a completely breathtaking sense of visual grandeur.
Gaara froze entirely in his tracks...
This... is Sunagakure?
Even the desert sandstorms have vanished completely?
The air feels incredibly clean and comfortable... isn't this exactly the ideal version of Suna that I used to dream of establishing?
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