"Yes. The moment they come into contact with the power of you and the Master, their original destiny has already deviated." the Reaper said calmly.
"They are no longer bound by the original thread of fate."
"Their future will become obscured and shrouded in fog. However, events that are meant to happen will still occur, one way or another."
Garfield nodded, clearly unsurprised.
"I know. The River of Fate always flows in one direction. The grand current cannot be reversed. Minor ripples don't change where it ultimately leads."
The Reaper inclined his head respectfully.
"Xiaodi understands. If there is nothing further, Xiaodi will return. Please dispel the dimensional space."
Garfield waved a paw lazily. The distorted domain unraveled like mist under sunlight.
Death's phantom dissolved into nothingness.
Reality snapped back into place. The living room reappeared as if nothing had happened.
Madara still stood in front of Garfield with Izuna safely behind him.
Madara's glare was sharp enough to cut steel. "Orange cat. I will not allow you to take my brother away."
Garfield snorted, a look of blatant disdain crossing his feline face.
"How long do you think you can resist the call of the God of Death with that mask of yours?"
He floated slightly closer, golden eyes cold.
"It worked before only because it was a mechanical avatar executing the task. Your so-called Death Mask can't block the real thing. After all…"
He smiled thinly.
"Even if it's made by the God of Death, it's still only a sacrificial vessel. Not the genuine article. You know that, don't you?"
"So what?" Madara's expression hardened.
Izuna immediately grabbed his brother's arm. "Oni-chan, please don't be like this. I already understand what happened just now."
"Please… stop."
Madara clenched his teeth. In the end, he couldn't bring himself to ignore his younger brother.
"…Tch." He turned away slightly, fists trembling.
Only then did Hashirama and Tobirama finally find an opening to speak.
"So… orange cat. What god are you, exactly?" Hashirama scratched his head, grinning.
Garfield straightened proudly, hands behind his back.
"I am His Supreme Majesty, King Garfield Pando Godzilla Pendragon the First~"
"The Great Cat God who governs Time and Space."
"…The god of cats?" Hashirama asked blankly.
"The God of Time and Space."
"Oh." Hashirama nodded seriously, as if that explained everything.
At that moment, something clicked in his mind.
Hashirama glanced at Tobirama. He remembered how Tobirama possessed an innate talent for spatial techniques.
The Flying Thunder God, created by Tobirama, perfected later by Namikaze Minato, a man who would truly step into the domain of time itself.
Hashirama's eyes sparkled. He turned back to Garfield eagerly.
"Then… can you teach me? Some spatial techniques?"
Garfield considered for a moment.
Then he reached into his stomach, quite literally, and mobilized a fragment of the Cosmic Cube's power.
Blue light condensed in his paw, compressed by divine spell work into a small, translucent glass sphere.
He tossed it lightly to Hashirama. "I'll give it to you, if my Master agrees."
Hashirama caught it.
The faint fluctuation of spatial power inside the blue orb made his normally carefree face stiffen slightly.
Even Tobirama's breath paused.
Pure space.
Hashirama looked at the orb. Then at his younger brother.
He understood instantly.
And as the responsible older brother… he appeared behind Tobirama in a flash.
BAM
With a brutal kick to the back of Tobirama's knee, Hashirama forced him down.
Tobirama slammed into the ground, kneeling hard enough to crater it.
"WHAT THE HELL, BROTHER?!" Tobirama screamed.
"Are you insane?!"
"I'm helping you worship a teacher." Hashirama said cheerfully.
"You crushed the floor!"
"Are you trying to kill me, you idiot?!"
"Shut up, stupid brother!"
"Bastard!"
"Idiot!"
Madara and Izuna silently took two steps back. Their mother had taught them never to discriminate against fools.
Otherwise, they wouldn't even stand in the same room as Hashirama.
Especially Senju Hashirama.
Garfield watched the chaos unfold, tail flicking lazily.
꧁𓊈𒆜༺⚜༻𒆜𓊉꧂
Phantom your way through a treasure trove of chapters waiting on P@treon!
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