No time to react. No chance to resist.
Ryūshiki's sudden appearance bound Naruto and Boruto on the spot.
The mechanical giant extended its palm, gripping both father and son in an instant.
Seal.
In the blink of an eye, their flesh and blood began transforming into decrepit machinery, their bodies trapped inside an unbreakable cage of metal. They could only watch helplessly as parts and gears pierced through their decaying bodies.
Only one thing resisted the erosion of Ōtsutsuki Ryūshiki's power—Boruto's Jōgan.
As the supreme ocular jutsu, the Jōgan, though not yet fully awakened, continued to resist and repel Ryūshiki's power. Not only did it force back the overwhelming divine energy, it even sought to harness that force to undergo rebirth and grow stronger.
Ryūshiki's gaze was inevitably drawn to it.
He stared at Boruto, and in his eyes—was the Jōgan.
He had thought it would take time to invade the Shinobi World and search carefully, but to his surprise, the legacy of the Ōtsutsuki God had appeared so easily before him.
As the strongest of the Ōtsutsuki clan, second only to Ōtsutsuki Shinsiki, he knew full well—the Jōgan could not be obtained through plunder, nor by harvesting from the God Tree.
The only way to possess it… was to reincarnate into a body already bearing the Jōgan!
Even as a god himself, this forced him to make a choice. Should he abandon his current body, risk clashing with Ōtsutsuki Shinsiki and countless other celestial beings, and forcefully reincarnate into this vessel—enduring a long period of weakness?
Or… should he simply take Boruto, bring him back to Shinsiki, and use that to steadily elevate his own strength and status?
But at that moment, a transparent force suddenly erupted from the Dragon Vein.
The Slug Sage unleashed its full power, melting Ryūshiki's colossal, star-like mechanical body in an instant.
Yet even after such damage, Ryūshiki remained unfazed. With a mere thought, countless unmanned ships from his fleets fused together once more, reconstructing his form.
Even the weapons and machines of the Shinobi World—those that relied on chakra to function—ceased obeying their owners, rising into the sky to become part of Ryūshiki's body.
In less than half an hour, an entire mechanical star had been forged. Upon its surface appeared the holographic projection of a face.
This was Ryūshiki's true form—a planet of steel. The so-called Asura Fleet was nothing more than one of his many manifestations.
The surface of this mechanical planet carried an energy shield so powerful it rivaled the protective barriers of the Ōtsutsuki life-worlds, even those on Takamagahara. It was the pinnacle of the clan's technological might.
No matter how much the Slug Sage tried—whether dissolving it with acid, invoking the Dragon Vein's power of law, or manifesting its own colossal body—nothing worked.
Ryūshiki's planetary body deployed several chakra-based weapons and effortlessly wounded the Slug Sage, forcing it back into the Dragon Vein.
He then turned his cannons toward the Shinobi World.
Wave after wave of attacks rained down, turning its surface into scorched wasteland.
Since the so-called legacy of the Ōtsutsuki God had already been secured, there was no need for further delay. Every second risked word of the Jōgan leaking out.
To be safe, Ryūshiki resolved to abandon this promising production ground for shinobi soldiers—and instead obliterate the planet, even the entire star system.
...
At that instant, the Sage of Six Paths appeared.
Having regained a physical body, the Sage was immeasurably powerful—strong enough to block an attack from Ryūshiki that could have destroyed a world.
He advanced toward Ryūshiki, revealing his own Ōtsutsuki bloodline and identity as Kaguya's descendant.
He disclosed all his schemes concerning the Shinobi World.
He even offered to present the world to Ryūshiki as a breeding ground for shinobi, while he himself returned to the Ōtsutsuki clan—willing to accept punishment, but also confident he could rise to a divine position equal to Ryūshiki, enjoying the worship of the cosmos.
As a gesture of goodwill, he vowed never to interfere with Boruto again, nor reveal anything about the Jōgan.
Yet, while his terms were advantageous to both sides, nothing compared to the greater benefit Ryūshiki would gain by erasing the Sage of Six Paths forever.
Negotiation requires equal footing.
With one disagreement, the two clashed, their battle erupting within the solar system.
Ryūshiki's mechanical star rampaged, unleashing endless technological weapons, its unmatched defenses allowing reckless assaults.
The Sage of Six Paths dared not hold back either. With no time to care for the Shinobi World's fate, he entered his strongest state—manifesting a Susanoo as vast as a planet, wielding the Spear formed from Truth-Seeking Orbs, and striking at Ryūshiki.
Stars shattered one after another. The Dragon Vein churned amidst the shockwaves. The entire starry expanse trembled.
The Shinobi World was doomed, collapsing under the aftershocks of their divine clash.
Even with the White Snake Sage, the Slug Sage, and all the deities of the world straining desperately, they could not survive against such true godlike power.
All effort turned to nothing.
It was a revelation of the Ōtsutsuki's innate supremacy. Both combatants bore their bloodline, both wielded their power.
The Shinobi World was utterly destroyed. That once-brilliant realm, born within the Ōtsutsuki's cosmos, ended in utter tragedy.
No matter its fleeting glory, in the end it could not escape its destined extinction. In the river of fate, it raised not even a ripple.
The Sage of Six Paths and Ōtsutsuki Ryūshiki battled to the edge of the galaxy, their clash erasing even stars.
Finally, the two ceased—neither sparing a thought for the "lesser lives" below.
They both knew neither could defeat the other. Only cooperation and compromise could keep the secret of the Jōgan securely in their grasp.
And so, unwillingly, they struck a pact.
The Sage of Six Paths would relinquish Boruto and the Jōgan. Ryūshiki, in turn, would guarantee his return to the clan, securing position and resources.
As binding terms: during this pact, the Sage could never speak of the Jōgan. Otherwise, Ryūshiki would reveal his greatest secret to Ōtsutsuki Shinsiki—that the Sage was the son of Kaguya, the sinner.
If Shinsiki learned the truth, as clan head, he would stop at nothing to rip from the Sage's body the fruit that should have been his—but had been devoured by Kaguya.
...
What they did not know was that in the shadows, another had already witnessed their schemes.
"It's time to act…"
By now, Uchiha Kirin had long since found his own path—free of chakra's shackles, granting him immense power and vision across time and space.
But having just completed his transformation, he could not yet be certain of defeating both of them at full strength.
Now, however, with the Sage and Ryūshiki drained by battle—not ruined, but far from their peak—the chance had come.