Chapter 264 – The Balance Begins to Shift
The way things had developed had already far surpassed even Ōtsutsuki expectations.
If he had known things would turn out this difficult, Onoki—the Third Tsuchikage—might never have agreed to cooperate with Uchiha Madara. But now, he was stuck in a dilemma with no way back. The metaphorical arrow had already been drawn; there was no choice but to fire.
As for the countless massive screens floating in mid-air, no one knew their purpose. All they could do was watch, wait, and prepare for the unknown.
Under this tension, the shinobi coalition forces from Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Otogakure came to a halt. Resting in place, they stared up in confusion and awe.
Most shinobi were visibly shaken. Fear, disbelief, and unease flickered across their faces. They had been preparing to launch a full assault on Konohagakure, yet in an instant, their plans had been derailed by the unexpected appearance of these screens.
There was nothing left to do but wait and see.
Meanwhile, the rest of the shinobi world fell into chaos.
"What... what is that?!"
"A screen? In the sky?!"
"Is it going to show something? A message from the Hokage?"
In every village, in every hidden corner of the world, shinobi and civilians alike looked up in stunned confusion. No one had answers.
---
Far away, in the spiritual plane of the ninja world, a heavy silence hung between two divine brothers: Ōtsutsuki Hamura and Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo.
Both were staring at the countless screens that had manifested across the world.
Question marks hung metaphorically above their heads.
"What the hell is Uchiha Yuta trying to do now?" Hamura finally burst out.
The Fifth Hokage had become a true wildcard in their eyes. Each time they thought they had accounted for him, he revealed yet another layer of cunning and mysterious power.
Worse, when Hamura had tried to sense the energy from the screens, he had been repelled by an intense and dangerous power.
He had been scared away. There was no other way to describe it.
"Wait..." Hagoromo said after a long silence, taking a deep breath. "It seems we have no choice now but to observe."
With that, he punched the air.
BOOM!!
The air exploded from the force of the Sage of Six Paths' frustration, rippling with divine chakra.
Outwardly calm, Hagoromo was actually panicking.
He could feel it clearly.
His connection to the shinobi world—his spiritual grip over its flow of chakra—was waning. The appearance of the Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Yuta, had upset the balance. Now, these massive screens had pushed it further.
In short, control of the shinobi world was shifting.
And the new master?
Uchiha Yuta.
"Brother... should we not act now?" Hamura asked, his voice lined with tension and growing dread. "If this continues, it may be too late."
"No," Hagoromo replied firmly, face darkening. "The time isn't right. A powerful member of the Ōtsutsuki Clan is already descending to Earth. Our mother, Kaguya, has been resurrected. The real battle is yet to begin."
He clenched his fists.
Now was not the time to reveal his hand. He needed to wait... and endure.
He would still be the one who laughed last.
Hamura, meanwhile, was disheartened. His once-proud older brother—the very man who had orchestrated Kaguya's downfall—was now hesitating, playing it safe. The ruthless confidence Hagoromo once had was gone.
And it all began when Uchiha Yuta was born.
If only he'd snuffed him out in the cradle, as he had once proposed. But Hagoromo had refused.
Now they were reaping the consequences.
---
The shinobi world had changed. And not even gods could stop it now.
Hello everyone. This story was my very first translation, so I made quite a few mistakes along the way. However, I believe my writing has improved over time. I sincerely apologize for any errors in the earlier chapters. Now that this story is coming to an end, I'll soon be starting a new one. Please let me know what kind of stories you'd like to see next, or if you have any suggestions — I'd love to hear your thoughts.