"Impossible…" Urashiki choked, body trembling as Su Xiuyu's foot pressed him deeper into the shattered earth. "You're just—just an inferior race… Why…?"
His words were silenced as his face was further buried beneath the sole of Su Xiuyu's foot.
"You might feel better," Su Xiuyu said, his tone as calm as a still lake, "if you opened your eyes and saw clearly."
At that moment, his entire form radiated in pure white. Horns curved elegantly from his forehead, his eyes gleaming with divine power. The Six Paths form had fully awakened.
Even his enemies would've had to admit—it was beautiful, in a terrifying, godlike way.
Urashiki's eyes widened in disbelief. "You… You're an Otsutsuki too?! Then why… why would you attack one of your own?! We could conquer this pathetic world together! Rule it side by—"
Crack.
Su Xiuyu stepped down harder, crushing any illusion of camaraderie beneath his heel.
"Conquer? You idiot," Su Xiuyu sneered. "The Ninja World is already mine. Why would I share it with the likes of you?"
Urashiki coughed blood, still trying to cling to his arrogance. "If we kill one another, the homeworld won't sit idly by! Are you really willing to risk that—for these lowly creatures?!"
But Su Xiuyu was done with the conversation.
His hand extended, and the floating Truth-Seeking Orb behind him transformed into a gleaming blade infused with Emperor Vishanti's magic. In one swift motion, he sliced through Urashiki's neck.
The Otsutsuki's head hit the ground with a soft thud, expression frozen in disbelief. His mouth opened slightly—perhaps to plead, perhaps to curse—but no sound came out.
He was dead.
---
Su Xiuyu opened a rift in space and stepped through.
He emerged on an abandoned world in the Pacific Rim dimension—a lonely, lifeless planet where, long ago, he'd planted a sacred tree.
The moment he arrived, the sacred tree stirred. It twisted its gnarled limbs and groaned softly, sensing its master's presence after so long.
"Okay, okay, settle down," Su Xiuyu said, walking toward it. "It's been a while, huh?"
He looked down at Urashiki's corpse, then back at the tree.
"Brought you a snack."
To Su Xiuyu, the idea of directly absorbing the Otsutsuki's body was revolting. But the tree? The tree would gladly do it—and the results would be… fruitful.
"Enjoy," he murmured. "I'll come back for the harvest."
The tree quivered, roots spreading to embrace the corpse. As Su Xiuyu turned to leave, he felt its lingering reluctance—its loneliness.
He placed a hand on its trunk gently.
"I'm just a clone. I can't stay long."
And with that, he vanished.
---
Back in the ninja world, the battlefield had grown quiet.
Su Xiuyu reappeared before Fugaku and the others, his aura notably weaker now.
"Don't worry," he said. "Urashiki is completely handled. My clone's energy is nearly spent, so I won't be of much help from here on. I'll pass everything on to my main body."
"Thank you, Lord Xiuyu," Fugaku said, bowing deeply.
Su Xiuyu nodded. "Do your best. If you want to see the vastness of the worlds beyond… prove yourselves worthy."
With that final message, his body turned to wood—his Wood Clone now inert.
No one spoke for a while.
Even though they knew it was only a clone, the power they'd just witnessed was staggering. The very terrain had been reshaped. And yet, no large-scale ninjutsu had been used. Just raw, controlled power.
"That form at the end…" someone whispered. "Was that the power of the Sage of Six Paths?"
Sasuke from the other world remained silent, eyes glued to the battlefield. He knew exactly what he had seen.
"That was the Six Paths form," he said finally. "Complete. And that was just his clone."
Back in his timeline, he and Naruto had only touched the edge of that realm—with Hagoromo's help, no less. But Su Xiuyu? He had reached it alone. No Tailed Beasts. No Sage of Six Paths. Just his own path.
How?
The question echoed in his mind like a curse.
---
"Damn it," Sasuke muttered. "Where's Urashiki's treasure?!"
Only now did he remember—he and Boruto were still stranded in the past. Without the temporal artifact Urashiki had used, they had no way back to their original timeline.
No matter how hard he searched, there was nothing.
In another world, the real Su Xiuyu sat in quiet meditation. Wounds still marred his body—slashed across his abdomen, pulsing with godly energy.
Even after weeks, they hadn't fully healed.
Odin had fought well.
The Eternal Spear had left a mark even a Six Paths body struggled to regenerate from. The power it held bordered on the divine—on the rules of the cosmos themselves.
"Xiu Yu," a voice called gently.
He looked up to see Uzumaki Mito and Uchiha Chisato by his side.
"Your wounds still haven't healed?" Mito frowned, her healing chakra glowing faintly over his body. Even she couldn't purge the lingering divine energy.
"It's fine," he said with a small smile. "I've been through worse."
"Maybe it's time to return to the Ninja World," Chisato offered softly. "It's been years. We don't even know what it looks like anymore."
Su Xiuyu considered it.
"…You're right," he said. "Madara and Izuna are still roaming space. We have time."
Mito smiled. "Then it's settled."
---
Back in the Leaf Village, life had resumed a sense of calm.
Urashiki's threat was over.
But for Sasuke and Boruto, the victory was bittersweet.
They were still stuck here—still without a way home.
Still, Sasuke wasn't exactly in a hurry to leave. His parents were alive here. His clan was thriving. There was a peace in this version of Konoha that his own timeline had never offered.
Maybe… this world could be a temporary home.
At the Hokage's office, Uchiha Fugaku reviewed reports as the Chunin Exams approached.
"This is the layout for the upcoming exams," he said. "Shisui, you'll serve as the chief examiner. Handle the preparations."
Shisui nodded. "Understood."
Another ninja stepped forward with a scroll. "Hokage-sama, we've received letters from Kumogakure, Kirigakure, and Iwagakure. They're requesting a joint Chunin Exam between the Five Great Villages."
Fugaku frowned.
"That's… unusual."
"Extremely," Shikaku added. "There's never been a joint exam before. If they're suggesting one now, there's definitely a motive."
Fugaku leaned back, gaze narrowing in thought.
"Prepare the diplomatic channels. Something tells me this Chunin Exam won't be as simple as it looks."
-------------------
For the first time in history, the Five Great Ninja Villages were preparing to hold a joint Chunin Exam. It was unprecedented, and it was happening at a time when the Uchiha clan had just taken control of Konoha.
To reject the proposal outright would be to show weakness.
But Uchiha does not fear challenges.
"Accept their offer," Fugaku said firmly, his voice like steel. "If they believe the Uchiha rise to power is their opportunity, then let us give them a surprise they'll never forget."
To Fugaku, retreat was never an option. If the other villages truly intended to move against Konoha, then yielding would only invite further aggression. As the clan records, echoing the words of the great ancestor Uchiha Xiu Yu, had always said:
Dignity lies only on the edge of a blade.
He turned to his trusted aide. "Shisui, reorganize everything. Inform the Sarutobi household—and tell the Uzumaki clan as well. The storm is coming."
News spread like wildfire.
Many dismissed it as a rumor. A joint Chunin Exam? Among all five Great Villages? It had never been done before.
Kumogakure.
"Mabui, what was Konoha's reply?"
"They accepted without hesitation, Lord Raikage."
The Fourth Raikage smirked, his muscular arms crossed over his chest.
"Good. Time to make Konoha pay for its past sins. They thought they could keep the Byakugan from us, but all they delivered was a corpse. Their founders, Senju Hashirama, Uchiha Xiu Yu, Uchiha Madara... they're all long dead now. The time is ripe."
Raikage wasn't just brawn—he was calculated. A thief by instinct, an opportunist by nature.
"Even so," Mabui cautioned, "Konoha remains strong. The Uchiha have rebuilt, and the Uzumaki have quietly fortified. Underestimating them would be unwise."
Raikage's grin didn't falter. "We're not alone. The other villages are ready to strike. Konoha's territory has been too fertile for too long. It's time to change the balance."
He clenched his fists. He hadn't forgotten the humiliation he'd suffered before—the burning red eyes of the Uchiha—and this time, he wanted retribution.
"We lost a fortune in reparations last time. It's about time we got that back."
Iwagakure.
"What's the word from Kumogakure?" Ohnoki asked, his back aching as usual.
"They've agreed. Everyone's in," said his son, Akatsuchi.
Ohnoki stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Send Kurotsuchi to represent us. And that brat Deidara can tag along."
He sighed.
Deidara was gifted—more talented than even his granddaughter. But he was also the bane of Ohnoki's life.
As if on cue—BOOM!
Another explosion rattled the Tsuchikage's windows.
"DAMMIT! Is he using explosive clay in the village again?!"
The old man's cup shattered in his hand as he shot upright—and immediately regretted it.
"Agh! My back!"
He groaned, clutching his spine.
"Akatsuchi, catch that menace. I'm going to kill him!"
---
Kirigakure.
Yagura, the Fourth Mizukage, sat in eerie silence.
A flicker of crimson faded from his eyes.
"So this is another setup... against Konoha, is it?"
Though manipulated by Sharingan, some part of Yagura retained awareness. He could sense the brewing conspiracy.
The Mist Village was in shambles. Zabuza had defected. The Seven Ninja Swordsmen were nearly extinct. The "Bloody Mist" regime had taken its toll.
Still, despite the decay, Yagura's subconscious echoed with a compelling thought:
This is your opportunity.
He didn't realize those thoughts weren't his. That they were whispers planted long ago—by Uchiha Madara, sustained by Obito.
---
In the shadows, a voice stirred.
"Black Zetsu, what's Konoha's status?"
"Their defenses are too tight. Especially around the Uchiha and Uzumaki clans. Seals everywhere. Even if I sneak in, I'll trigger half a dozen barriers."
For once, Black Zetsu sounded genuinely frustrated.
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