[Outside the Memorial Hall]
Tokugawa Shingen and Oda Ieyasu were discussing government affairs.
Tokugawa Yukino, wearing a long coat, was looking for Ryosuke. For this trip, she had specially prepared some nice "clothes" and wanted Ryosuke to help her evaluate them.
She walked around once without seeing Ryosuke, and could only stand there with an annoyed look, hands on her hips, waiting for the ceremony to begin.
On the other side, Tsunade, Jiraiya, Killer B, A, and Onoki gathered together. With the concept of ninja villages gone and replaced by the "Ninja Public Service System," they were sharing their thoughts with one another.
This was an exchange belonging to adults.
The youth group, Naruto, Sasuke, Rei, and Gaara, were eating the buffet prepared at the venue.
Naruto grabbed a chicken leg and took big bites. When he saw Rei eating tempura, he suddenly froze.
"Aren't you supposed to be eating oranges?"
Rei looked at Naruto, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "With such a huge buffet, and I'm still eating oranges? What do you take me for… oranges are just snacks. I need to eat proper food too."
Naruto was stunned and muttered, "Character… collapse…"
Rei giggled, then turned around and opened her small bag in front of Sasuke, revealing it stuffed full of sugar mandarins. She'd taken all of them from the buffet table, enough to eat for quite a while.
Kakashi stood not far away, watching the smiles of the youths, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly.
"Seeing the younger generation so full of energy always puts people in a good mood, doesn't it?"
Granny Chiyo walked over with her cane. As she spoke, she picked up a teapot from the buffet table nearby and poured herself and Kakashi each a cup of tea.
Kakashi stared at the cup being handed to him and pursed his lips. He was indeed a little thirsty, but when he remembered the last time he'd spent a whole night lying in the desert…
He felt he could endure it a bit longer.
"Heh… do you think, at an occasion like today, I'd still poison you? You're really underestimating people."
Kakashi thought about it, took the tea from Granny Chiyo, and drank it in one go.
He waited a few seconds.
Nothing happened.
Kakashi let out a sigh of relief and was about to thank her when he opened his mouth...
"Woof woof woof?"
"My throat?"
Granny Chiyo chuckled and turned away.
Unlike the people chatting in the center of the venue, the Anhilation Army, led by Takeshi, Mayuri, and Haku, was stationed nearby, on guard against any danger that might appear.
Several kilometers away in the forest, five sky warships with their engines warmed up stood by. As soon as an enemy appeared, they could rush to the battlefield within thirty seconds.
Whether it was the guests in conversation, the Anhilation Army, or the people waiting in front of their TVs, every few minutes they would subconsciously glance at the time.
They were waiting.
———
[Ten o'clock in the Morning]
The global broadcast went live.
After a necessary and brief round of ceremonial procedures, Ryosuke and the current leaders of various countries each stood at a table, with the Human Federation Agreement placed on top.
Ryosuke picked up the pen.
As if he were picking up the entire world, at that instant, everyone's gaze fell upon the pen in his hand. The leaders of the various countries followed his example, holding their pens and standing at their tables.
The world seemed to freeze.
Ryosuke looked around.
Tokugawa Shingen was smiling.
Oda Ieyasu was sighing with emotion.
The remaining few each wore different expressions.
No one knew what they were thinking, and likewise, no one cared.
Because the world would not stop moving forward because of any one person's thoughts.
Ryosuke signed his name and gently set the pen down.
Ding!
He heard it.
He heard three completely different sounds.
The first was the system notification.
[Major worldline transition detected. Obtained 2000 soul fragments. Obtained 1 Ascension Core.]
The second was Obito's arrogant laughter.
BOOM!
Smoke filled the sky as Obito summoned the Ten-Tails. He stood atop the Ten-Tails' head, looking down at the people below, his gaze arrogant and wild.
"Ryosuke, I have ascended and become an immortal. I am the second Sage of Six Paths. Today…"
"…is your day of death!"
The surging pressure of the Ten-Tails swept over them, shattering the glass of the historical memorial hall. Hundreds of ordinary people at the scene were blown away and were about to smash into the ground and die...
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Ninja after ninja, members of the Anhilation Army, rushed out and saved the civilians.
Kakashi frowned deeply as he looked at Obito standing on the Ten-Tails' head.
"Woof woof! Woof woof woof?!"
"So this is… the Ten-Tails jinchuriki?!"
This terrifying pressure was something ordinary tailed beasts simply could not possess.
"Prepare for battle!"
Tsunade stepped forward and said to Naruto, Sasuke, and the others, "You go help evacuate the civilians. This isn't a battle you can take part in..."
Before she could finish speaking, the third sound appeared.
"Which one is Ryosuke?"
One short and thin, one tall and fat, two figures tore open space and walked out.
Terumi Mei slowly opened her mouth. Her pupils trembled slightly, reflecting the figures of Otsutsuki Momoshiki and Kinshiki.
'Otsutsuki...'
And there were two of them.
She suddenly turned to look at Ryosuke.
Not just Terumi Mei.
Everyone present subconsciously looked toward Ryosuke.
When Obito appeared as the Ten-Tails jinchuriki, they only felt it was troublesome, not terrifying.
After all, Obito was just one person, and he hadn't even absorbed all the tailed beasts. No matter how strong he was, there was a limit.
But now…
A Ten-Tails jinchuriki plus two Otsutsuki?
How were they supposed to fight this?
Not just Terumi Mei and Tsunade, even Obito, who had appeared just moments ago with overwhelming dominance, was stunned.
Where the hell did these two Otsutsuki pop out from?
Obito had come to wash away his past humiliation, to take revenge on Ryosuke.
He'd thought this time would be his stage, his moment to show off.
But he hadn't even finished showing off for a second before someone came to steal the spotlight?
———
High above in the sky, Momoshiki looked around.
An undernourished Ten-Tails and its controller.
A bit troublesome, but only a bit.
'A group of lower life-forms, here they were called… ninja?'
Not even worth calling troublesome.
And finally...
Lines of sight converged like signposts, pointing toward Ryosuke, who was still standing at the table.
Otsutsuki Momoshiki froze for half a second, then burst out laughing.
"So weak… hahaha! Too weak!"
Over the past four months, Ryosuke had completed the replication of Kars' genetic sequence and made targeted adjustments to his own body.
He had long since stepped into the ranks of an "Ultimate Lifeform," with all bodily functions reaching infinite perfection.
In order not to put pressure on visiting civilians, Ryosuke had restrained all his ripple energy and power.
So even to Momoshiki's Byakugan, Ryosuke looked like nothing more than a being with "frail" strength, a mere mortal.
"Isshiki, Isshiki. You used to go around with that cold face, acting like you were so capable. I thought you were something special. Who would've thought you'd lose to a mere mortal like this? How ridiculous!"
Excitement flickered in Momoshiki's eyes.
First, he would kill their leader in front of all these mortals. Momoshiki greatly enjoyed the looks of fear and despair on the faces of lower life-forms.
Second, after killing Ryosuke, he could freely humiliate Isshiki.
Just thinking about it was thrilling.
Isshiki truly was one of the rare Otsutsuki with an active brain. He immediately saw through Momoshiki's intentions, and the contempt in Momoshiki's eyes.
"Be careful, Ryosuke is very..."
Isshiki's warning wasn't finished. No, even if it were finished, with Momoshiki's level of intelligence, he'd probably just think Isshiki was making excuses for his own defeat.
Whoosh!
Otsutsuki Momoshiki vanished from midair and appeared behind Ryosuke at extreme speed, throwing a punch meant to pierce straight through Ryosuke's heart.
A smile appeared on Momoshiki's face.
The next second...
Smack!
Momoshiki's arm was tightly grabbed by a large hand.
He turned his head.
And met the cold gaze of Star Platinum.
"O...RA!!!"
Star Platinum slammed a punch into Momoshiki's head.
Accompanied by a faint cracking sound, Momoshiki was sent flying backward.
But it wasn't over.
Although he didn't know why Momoshiki had approached so carelessly and stupidly, with Momoshiki, Kinshiki, and Obito, three great enemies, right in front of him, Ryosuke had to seize the opportunity and take one of them out first.
"Star Platinum: The World!"
Time stopped.
Ryosuke clenched his fist.
The ripple crystal resonated with the world, and the space slingshot was activated.
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