Dust surged into the sky, blotting out everything as thick smoke rolled endlessly across the battlefield. Countless eyes remained locked on the epicenter, hearts clenched tightly as no one dared to look away.
After what felt like an eternity, the smoke finally began to disperse.
A massive crater—nearly a hundred meters wide—was revealed at the center of the battlefield.
At the bottom of it lay Kizaru.
His body was barely recognizable. Not a single part of him remained unscathed. His already tattered uniform had been completely blown away, and the flesh around his wounds was blackened and charred. The sheer pain he must have endured was almost unimaginable.
Staring weakly at the sky, his life force flickering like a candle in the wind, Kizaru let out a faint sigh.
"So… this is the true power of the Yellow Flash," he murmured. "It seems… I've lost."
Slowly, his eyes closed.
At the peak of his fate, the Marine Admiral had finally fallen. The calm, unflappable Kizaru—Borsalino—was gone.
Minato Namikaze exhaled deeply, his shoulders finally relaxing. After exhausting every strategy and trump card he had, the battle was over.
"The victor of this match is—Minato Namikaze!"
Shinji's voice echoed throughout the myriad worlds.
The massive screen shifted, leaving only Minato's figure at its center. A few seconds later, the ranking list reappeared on the left side of the display.
Ninth Place: Minato NamikazeTenth Place: Borsalino
With a wave of Shinji's hand, two brilliant columns of golden light descended, enveloping Minato and Kizaru and returning them to their respective worlds.
Naruto World
"Sensei!""Minato!""Papa!"
Kakashi, Jiraiya, and Naruto all rushed forward, their emotions overflowing.
For Naruto especially, this moment felt unreal. From the day he was born until now, more than a decade had passed. The father he had longed for day and night was finally standing before him.
He ran forward and threw his arms tightly around Minato. Tears poured down uncontrollably, soaking Minato's clothes.
Minato froze for a moment before gently hugging him back. His eyes reddened, and hot tears slid down his own cheeks.
"Naruto… I'm sorry," Minato said softly, his voice trembling. "I'm sorry you had to grow up alone."
Jiraiya and the others watched silently, their hearts aching as father and son reunited at last.
Suddenly, Naruto remembered something and looked up excitedly.
"Oh! Papa—didn't you have a wish? Hurry, revive Mama!"
Minato blinked, then slapped his forehead."I almost forgot."
He turned toward the massive screen outside and called out, "Please—UP Master—please revive my wife, Kushina Uzumaki!"
Moments later, a translucent silhouette appeared before them. Golden light scattered gently as the figure grew more solid, until a familiar red-haired woman stood there in the flesh.
Naruto's entire body trembled.
Without needing to be told, he knew. From the very first glance, he felt it deep in his heart.
This was his mother.
Tears streamed down his face as he hugged her tightly, his shoulders shaking.
"I… I've always wanted to see you, Mama," he said, his voice breaking.
Minato stepped forward and stood beside them.
For the first time, the family of three was truly whole.
Naruto bombarded them with endless questions, soaking in every second of warmth and happiness.
Then a mechanical voice echoed.
"Ding. Congratulations to Minato Namikaze for obtaining Top-Tier Observation Haki."
In an instant, the knowledge flooded Minato's mind. He calmed himself and activated it.
Suddenly, the scene a few seconds into the future appeared clearly before his eyes. He could see subtle shifts in expressions and movements—everything unfolding before it happened.
"So that's how Kizaru avoided my attacks earlier…" Minato murmured with a smile.
With this ability, no matter how powerful his future opponents were, he would always have the initiative.
Kushina looked at him curiously. "So, Minato, what exactly does this Observation Haki do?"
"It allows me to glimpse an opponent's actions a few seconds into the future," he explained. "It's incredibly useful."
Pirate World
Some celebrated. Others despaired.
Kizaru's situation was grim.
The Gorosei had originally intended to demote him, but after Sengoku and Garp intervened, he was spared—barely.
Still, after three consecutive losses, the Gorosei's expressions were darker than ever.
Akainu slammed his fist on the table, furious."Damn it! Why are people from the Naruto World all so ridiculously strong?! Can't we get even one weaker opponent?!"
Sengoku rubbed his temples heavily."It seems the overall strength of that world surpasses ours… What a pity."
Just then, a cold mechanical voice rang out.
"Ding. For participating in the battle, you have obtained Yata Mirror (Enhanced Version)."
Kizaru's spirits instantly lifted."My reward finally arrived!"
Shinji appeared on the screen and explained to the myriad worlds:
"The Yata Mirror is an intangible divine shield derived from Five-Seal Barrier Ninjutsu. It can defend against all physical and energy-based attacks."
"However, if the opponent's strength vastly exceeds the user's, the shield will still be overwhelmed."
Kizaru nearly grinned from ear to ear."This is perfect! I can finally relax a bit on missions."
Garp glanced at him knowingly but said nothing.
Zephyr sighed quietly."That brat is lucky… I just hope he doesn't rely too heavily on his Devil Fruit again."
Ultraman World
Within the Space Garrison, the First Ultraman spoke with intensity.
"A barrier that can block all attacks of equal rank… That would be incredible."
Ultraseven nodded."Our Ultra Barrier can still be broken by stronger attacks."
Mebius added thoughtfully,"Even Zetton's shield has failed before. If we had something like the Yata Mirror, Tartarus might not have escaped."
Father of Ultra asked,"Any word from Zero?"
Before Seven could answer, an Ultra Signature appeared.
"We've arrived on Earth," Zero's voice echoed. "An Ultraman named Trigger was under attack by Dark Giants, but they've been driven off."
Father of Ultra nodded solemnly."A parallel Earth, then… Good work."
"But those Dark Giants… Could they be connected to the Ultra Killers?"
Taro lowered his head, deep in thought.
Unknown dangers were stirring—and they could no longer be ignored.