[Somewhere In The Ninja World]
Endless snow stretched in every direction. The world was completely white, the wind howled, and snowflakes cut through the air like blades.
A snowdrift buried beneath thick layers of snow suddenly exploded.
Whoosh!
A completely naked figure shot out of the snowdrift, sending snow flying everywhere before landing steadily on the ground.
It was Arisu.
He looked down at his bare body, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.
"I got careless... Back to the spawn point again..."
Snowflakes landed on his shoulders and quickly melted away.
Arisu looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar frozen landscape before him, his expression a little complicated.
The last time he'd returned to the spawn point had been during his battle against Kaguya.
Ever since gaining the ability to resurrect, he'd always been fearless. He'd never truly been on guard against anything.
He hadn't expected to stumble so badly at the hands of his own son today.
"Heh..."
Arisu laughed at himself as a gentle yet powerful wave of sage chakra spread from his body.
The next moment, his naked body was covered by a black-and-red long robe.
It was the old outfit he had worn for years long ago.
The hem of the robe snapped loudly in the wind and snow, carrying a long-forgotten aura of dominance and deadly intent.
Arisu raised a hand and casually drew a line through the air.
Buzz!
A portal instantly opened beside him. Through it, the Sage Hall could vaguely be seen.
Without hesitation, Arisu reached an arm through the portal.
At the same time, inside the Sage Hall in another dimension, a hand appeared out of thin air and precisely grabbed the Six Paths Sword floating above the hall.
The moment it entered his grasp, the Six Paths Sword resonated with Arisu, letting out a low hum.
Arisu slowly pulled the sword back through the portal, which closed immediately afterward.
Holding the sword in one hand with its tip pointed toward the ground, Arisu's gaze deepened as the corners of his lips curved into a faint, imposing smile.
"It's time to raise the difficulty for my son..."
As soon as the words fell, he vanished into the endless snowstorm.
———
[Meanwhile, Inside The Beginning Ball Dimension]
Silence filled the world.
Yukio stood where he was, growing more worried by the minute.
Ten minutes had passed. His father's body had already turned completely to ashes, yet there was still no sign of him reviving.
Yukio frowned tightly. Uneasiness gradually rose in his heart as he muttered under his breath, "Father... why aren't you back yet..."
Just then, Yukio suddenly turned around.
Whoosh!
Not far away, a young man stood there quietly, a completely black ancient-looking longsword strapped to his back as he silently watched him.
The youth looked seventeen or eighteen years old, tall and slender, with a black-and-red robe gently swaying in the breeze.
His face was breathtakingly handsome, his features so refined they were nearly flawless.
He had a straight nose, thin lips lightly pressed together, and skin as smooth and flawless as fine white jade.
His black hair fell loosely over his shoulders without looking messy at all, instead making him seem like an immortal descended into the mortal world.
His eyes were as deep as a sea of stars, carrying a faint trace of age and the calm composure of someone who looked down upon all living things, as though they could see through everything in the world.
Simply standing there, he looked like a peerless painting, possessing both the clear, handsome appearance of a young man and a transcendent bearing far beyond his years, making it impossible to look away.
Yukio froze.
When he clearly saw that familiar yet impossibly youthful face, his pupils suddenly shrank, and he blurted out, "The Sage of Six Paths!?"
His voice was filled with uncontrollable shock. The words came out almost by instinct.
The youth... was the resurrected Arisu.
Since his previous disguise had disappeared after resurrection, Arisu simply reverted to his original appearance.
Hearing that, Arisu raised an eyebrow slightly, a teasing smile appearing on his lips.
"Son, your eyesight still isn't very good..."
The moment those words were spoken... the atmosphere inside the separate dimension suddenly became rather strange.
Hearing this peerless young man call him "son," Yukio froze once again.
His eyes widened as he stared fixedly at him. That face, impossibly young yet so familiar, gradually overlapped in his mind with his father Arisu's appearance.
His eyebrows, nose, even the faint curve of his lips...
The longer he looked, the more alike they seemed.
Yukio sucked in a sharp breath and cautiously called out, "Dad...?"
With his arms crossed, Arisu casually answered, "Mm-hm?"
That single sound left Yukio so shocked he nearly turned to stone.
His father... was actually the Sage of Six Paths?
That legendary figure from myth?
No wonder the old people in the village had always said he looked just like the Sage of Six Paths. No wonder he'd always felt something was off...
So he really was the Sage of Six Paths' biological son.
Everything finally made sense.
Then he remembered how, in the past, he'd often dragged Ino to the temple to burn incense, sincerely praying before the Sage of Six Paths' statue, asking him to protect himself and his family...
Yukio's expression immediately became indescribable. His face alternated between red and green, equal parts embarrassed and absurd.
"Dad... do I need to kowtow to you three times and bow nine times?"
Yukio couldn't help twitching at the corner of his mouth as he joked.
Arisu's face instantly darkened.
He shot his son an annoyed glare.
"No. I've never told anyone to kowtow to me three times and bow nine times. Those mortals added that themselves. Cut out that nonsense."
After saying that, Arisu raised a hand and casually rested the Six Paths Sword on his shoulder before looking at Yukio again.
His tone suddenly turned serious.
"Now that you know who I am... do you still dare keep fighting me?"
Yukio took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling violently. Then he nodded firmly.
"I do!"
Arisu looked slightly surprised and raised an eyebrow.
Meeting his father's gaze head-on, Yukio's eyes burned with fighting spirit.
"Today, I want to measure myself against the heavens!", he declared loudly.
A clear look of approval flashed through Arisu's eyes.
As expected of his son.
Just like he had been back then.
"Good..."
Arisu had just raised his hand. A smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, but before he could finish speaking...
Whoosh!
Yukio had already moved.
His speed reached the absolute limit. The black Kāma Stage Two markings on his body lit up once more, carrying terrifying pressure as he charged straight at Arisu.
An All-Killing Ash Bone condensed into a sharp spike in his palm and mercilessly thrust toward his father's chest.
Arisu stood where he was, the smile on his lips growing even wider.
He didn't even try to dodge.
Thud!
The All-Killing Ash Bone struck Arisu squarely in the chest.
But this time... it didn't pierce through.
A hint of surprise flashed across Yukio's eyes.
The instant the All-Killing Ash Bone touched Arisu's body, something unexpected happened.
The seemingly indestructible Ash Bone suddenly began making cracking sounds as though it couldn't bear the strain.
The next second...
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The All-Killing Ash Bone shattered inch by inch. Starting from the tip, it was as if an invisible force had crushed it, breaking it apart into countless tiny gray fragments that scattered between the two of them.
Yukio's pupils contracted sharply. The hand gripping the Ash Bone even felt a powerful recoil.
The All-Killing Ash Bone... couldn't even break his defense?