In the vast starry sky, silence reigned.
This was the place where Uzumaki Naruto had detonated himself and "died."
A long, pale-white halo lingered in the void, stretching across the star field like a scar left behind by destruction. To the Ōtsutsuki clan, this was nothing more than residual energy produced by a self-destruction technique—dark matter and chakra annihilating all material within the affected area.
In their eyes, this meant only one thing.
Naruto Uzumaki was dead.
However, what the Ōtsutsuki clan did not know was that before Ōtsutsuki Urashiki died, he had once told Naruto something strange and ancient.
He said that when a being who carried Ōtsutsuki blood truly self-destructed, they would not simply vanish.
They would see the Ancient Separated Clan.
At the time, Naruto had not believed a single word of it.
It sounded ridiculous—like a myth stacked on top of a legend.
What made it even more unbelievable was that Urashiki himself admitted he had only read about it in an ancient book he had found while rummaging through forbidden records within the Ōtsutsuki clan's territory.
That alone was enough to make it sound unreliable.
And yet…
Naruto could not afford to lose.
If he truly died, then Earth was finished.
His rebirth would lose all meaning. The sacrifices made by the Six Paths Sage, by Boruto, Sasuke, and countless others across lifetimes would be rendered pointless.
That was why, before the final battle, Naruto had repeatedly questioned Urashiki.
"What happens after death?"
"What do you see when you self-destruct?"
"Are you sure?"
Urashiki never gave him a concrete explanation.
He only kept repeating one thing.
"Believe me."
And then, Urashiki died—leaving everything behind and entrusting all his power, memories, and data to Naruto.
With no other choice left, Naruto decided to gamble.
After absorbing Urashiki's chakra and data, Naruto instantly became familiar with the Ōtsutsuki self-destruction method, a forbidden technique that converted one's entire existence—chakra, body, soul, and dark matter—into a single annihilating burst.
Naruto made his decision.
He bet everything.
With a single thought—
Boom.
The explosion tore through the star field.
The result?
Only Ōtsutsuki Hoshiki was killed.
Meanwhile, Ōtsutsuki Hitoshiki calmly evacuated with the five elite clan members.
Naruto, at the moment of death, did not know this outcome.
If he had known, he would have cursed Urashiki to his face.
What kind of garbage self-destruction was this?
Only killing one enemy—and that enemy was taken out with the opponent's own "help"?
Unfortunately, there was no longer anyone who could answer that question.
The white halo remained.
One day.
Two days.
Three days.
Four days…
Time flowed silently through the cosmos.
Until one day—
A figure appeared.
He had horns on his head, much like an Ōtsutsuki, yet his aura was different. His eyes were not the Rinnegan, nor the Byakugan, but ordinary black eyes—just like those of an Earthling.
His name was Ichirō Taraine.
"This dark matter density is extremely high…"
Ichirō raised a hand to the bridge of his nose, frowning slightly.
"It looks like another Ōtsutsuki self-destruction… hmm? No."
A low hum echoed.
Buzz!
His black eyes transformed instantly into transparent, crystalline eyes.
The Jōgan.
That's right—Ichirō Taraine possessed Pure Eyes.
"So complicated," Ichirō muttered. "There are traces of the Ōtsutsuki clan… and… hmm?"
His eyes narrowed.
"This person actually has Jōgan as well?"
Ichirō's lips curved into an intrigued smile.
"No wonder Grandpa asked me to come here."
He sat cross-legged in the void, hands forming seals as he faced the white halo. His Jōgan began to glow softly.
"Let me reorganize you."
The halo trembled.
Dark matter within it began to shift, condense, and gather.
Slowly.
Painstakingly.
One day.
Two days.
Three days.
Four days…
Finally—
Ichirō clapped his hands together.
The dark matter compressed to its limit, reconstructing flesh, bones, chakra pathways, and spiritual structure.
A naked human body formed in the void.
Naruto Uzumaki.
Ichirō stood up and looked at the remaining white halo, now noticeably smaller.
"These were your original reserves of dark matter," he said calmly. "As for the fragments connected to your destiny… we'll see if fate returns them to you in the future."
"I don't have time to help you condense everything."
"Let's take you away first."
With that, Ichirō grabbed Naruto and vanished into the depths of space.
After countless interstellar voyages and a wormhole jump, Ichirō arrived at a star field hidden so deeply within the universe that even the Ōtsutsuki clan—despite harvesting worlds for tens of thousands of years—had never reached it.
Here lay a galaxy extremely similar to the solar system.
Yet it was far grander.
Ten massive stars orbited the center. One planet was five times larger than Earth, accompanied by a satellite like the Moon, and an energy star similar to the Sun burned nearby.
The moment Ichirō entered the galaxy, he was intercepted.
"Stop!"
Two horned figures appeared. They resembled Ichirō but had shorter horns.
"Routine inspection!"
Ichirō smiled lazily.
"Me too?"
One of them smiled awkwardly.
"Young Master, rules are rules. Please forgive us."
Ichirō shrugged.
"Alright, hurry up. I still have to report back."
The two inspectors formed seals and activated their Jōgan, scanning Ichirō and then Naruto.
"No issues detected."
"Please proceed, Young Master."
Ichirō waved casually and carried Naruto toward the massive planet ahead.
An invisible ripple spread across the planet's surface. It was a planetary defense barrier.
Ichirō placed a hand on Naruto, guiding dark matter to synchronize his presence.
Only then did Naruto pass through safely.
Below them, mountains and rivers stretched endlessly. Seas shimmered, deserts glowed, forests breathed with life.
They flew until they reached a colossal flattened mountain, upon which stood a towering palace.
"Finally back," Ichirō muttered.
He landed at the palace gates.
"Go report," he said casually. "Tell Grandpa I'm back."
The servants rushed off.
Soon—
"Let him come in directly!"
Ichirō floated Naruto inside.
"Grandfather, I brought the person you wanted!"
He shoved Naruto forward.
Naruto's floating body slid straight toward an old man feeding fish.
"Brat!" the old man complained. "My hands are full!"
He tilted his head, letting Naruto stop mid-air.
Ichirō laughed, poured himself tea, and drank greedily.
"Still thirsty?" the old man asked.
"This was your mission!" Ichirō replied. "I didn't dare delay."
The old man chuckled and handed him the bait.
Ichirō fed the fish while the old man examined Naruto closely.
Finally, the old man placed a wrinkled hand on Naruto's chest.
Buzz!
Naruto's heart began to beat.
Blood flowed again.
He lived.
"Yes," the old man said, smiling deeply. "The Child of Prophecy."
"It truly is him."
He turned to Ichirō, eyes filled with satisfaction.
"My good grandson… you've done well."
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