Uchiha Tetsu's pupils shrank sharply.
His right eye immediately activated [Falsehood], and a Shadow Clone took shape and lunged at the other party.
Just as the Shadow Clone's hand was about to touch Arisu's sleeve...
The next moment, the Shadow Clone directly collapsed into countless tiny specks of light and dispersed into the air.
'All useless!!!'
Arisu raised his eyes, his voice still calm. "These two eyes are indeed sharp enough for people of your era."
"Unfortunately... you are ultimately nothing more than an outsider variable."
"A transmigrator who should never have appeared on this timeline."
Uchiha Tetsu was completely shocked, then calmed himself down.
He realized that the existence before him was simply not on a level that could be opposed with the Sharingan or chakra.
"You... what exactly are you?"
Uchiha Tetsu slowly took half a step back, his voice somewhat panicked.
Arisu did not answer the question.
He merely raised one hand and waved it lightly.
An invisible force instantly enveloped the entire stone house.
Uchiha Tetsu suddenly felt his chest go empty, as if something was being forcibly pulled out from the deepest part of his soul.
The blood-red color in his left eye quickly faded, while the Mangekyo pattern in his right eye shattered into countless tiny black fragments in the blink of an eye and dispersed into the air.
His knees gave way, and he fell to the ground, a mouthful of blood surging up his throat.
"You...!"
"Spare me! Spare me!"
Uchiha Tetsu covered his eyes and begged in utter panic.
Arisu stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at him, his tone calm, "History needs war, it needs division, it needs reshaping."
"But it doesn't need a soul from another world to disrupt the chessboard too much."
"You've played long enough."
Arisu's figure of light leaned forward slightly, his voice so low that it was almost like a sigh,
"Die... transmigrator."
The next moment, Uchiha Tetsu's pupils suddenly widened.
He felt his entire being being stripped from this body. His memories, his soul, his consciousness that had crossed through time and space, all of it was being pulled out bit by bit by an invisible force.
The original owner's body collapsed limply, his eyes completely losing their light.
And that soul that did not belong to this world only had time to let out a silent roar at the final moment before being thrown into the Pure Land space.
The stone house fell silent again.
Arisu looked at the body on the ground that no longer breathed and gently shook his head.
He raised his hand and waved. Uchiha Tetsu's corpse, along with every trace of him, silently turned to ash and dispersed completely.
As if this person had never existed in this era.
The figure of light gradually faded.
Arisu took one last look toward the distant Uchiha clan grounds and muttered, "Next... it's time to let the real game continue."
———
[Ninshu, Sarutobi's Residence]
Suddenly, everything around them fell silent.
A familiar pressure that did not belong to this world descended silently.
Sarutobi's body instantly tensed, then he fell heavily to his knees, pressing his forehead against the ground. His voice was restrained and respectful, "My lord."
In the void, Arisu's figure of light slowly condensed.
He stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at Sarutobi kneeling in the ruins. His tone was indifferent, yet carried an unquestionable weight, "Get up."
Only then did Sarutobi slowly rise, yet he still kept his head lowered, not daring to look directly at him.
Arisu did not exchange pleasantries and spoke directly, "Uchiha Tetsu has been erased by me."
"This variable will no longer interfere with the game."
Sarutobi felt slightly relieved inside, but he did not dare reveal it in the slightest.
"Next, it's your turn.", Arisu continued, looking at Sarutobi calmly.
"Ah!? Me?", Sarutobi's body stiffened slightly, his heart filled with terror.
Arisu glanced at Sarutobi indifferently and said, "Don't overthink it. Work for me, and I will let you die in peace!"
Only then did Sarutobi breathe a sigh of relief.
"...I ...will obey your orders.", Sarutobi spoke respectfully.
"Ninshu should be dissolved.", Arisu's gaze fell upon him as he slowly spoke.
At these words, Sarutobi's pupils suddenly contracted.
His entire body felt as if it had been struck by lightning, and he could barely remain standing.
"My lord... you mean... dissolve Ninshu?"
"Yes."
Arisu's tone did not fluctuate in the slightest.
"You will do it yourself."
"Stir up internal conflicts, create suspicion, make the elders wary of one another, make the disciples doubt one another."
"It can be unfair resource distribution, the allocation of military achievements on the borders, or even a complete division between those who 'favor peace' and those who 'favor war.'"
"Use whatever means you like."
"As long as the final result is that Ninshu completely falls apart."
Sarutobi's face instantly turned pale.
Almost instinctively, he raised his head, his voice trembling uncontrollably, "My lord... Ninshu was left behind by Lord Ashura... and it is also something this subordinate has spent all these years doing everything possible to maintain..."
"Once it is dissolved, this era... will completely descend into chaos..."
"This subordinate... this subordinate doesn't want to..."
Halfway through his words, he suddenly realized what he was saying. He immediately lowered his head heavily, pressing his forehead against the ground again. "This subordinate spoke out of turn! This subordinate deserves death!"
"It's fine."
Arisu merely glanced at him indifferently without reprimanding him.
"History needs war, it needs division, it needs reshaping."
"A state of semi-unification will only allow ambition to ferment in the shadows, eventually erupting in an even more uncontrollable way."
"If Ninshu does not fall apart, the real game cannot begin."
Sarutobi knelt where he was, both hands clenched tightly into fists, his knuckles turning white.
A huge resistance surged within his heart.
Ninshu had been built up by his predecessors through countless battles of blood and fire.
To make him destroy it with his own hands...
How was he supposed to face Ashura openly after that? How was he supposed to face the Sage of Six Paths openly?
But when he raised his eyes and saw Arisu's eyes, calm to the point of near indifference, all his resistance was suppressed in an instant.
This was the will of a god.
It was not a suggestion or a discussion, but an order.
The person before him was a god. What did Ashura amount to before a god? What did the Sage of Six Paths amount to?
"This subordinate understands. This subordinate will do it."
Sarutobi took a deep breath and nodded, his voice hoarse.
Arisu nodded slightly.
"Don't worry."
"I will protect your clan."
"No matter how this era collapses or how it is reorganized, the Sarutobi clan will never leave the stage of history.
"Your descendants will occupy the position they deserve in the chess game of the future.", Arisu spoke.
Sarutobi's entire body shook violently.
He raised his head and watched Arisu's gradually fading figure of light. His throat moved slightly before he finally bowed deeply.
"...I thank you for your grace."
The figure of light completely disappeared.
The stone house fell silent again.
Sarutobi knelt alone in the middle of the ruins, not getting up for a long time.
He slowly raised his hand and touched the wound on his chest that had yet to heal. The look in his eyes gradually settled from its initial shock and unwillingness into a determination that was almost cold.
"...Dissolve Ninshu..."
"Since it is the will of a god... then let it fall apart."
Sarutobi stood up and turned toward the main hall of Ninshu.
And in the distance, Arisu's figure of light nodded slightly in the void.