Ren Kurogane used the Gengnu Diamond Scepter to realign the genetic vectors within Youzi, systematically purging Kula's cellular imprint and restoring her to perfect health. Once the procedure was complete, he left the duo to enjoy their emotional reunion, disappearing instantly via a fluid Spatial Shift.
Back at the apartment, Welcome was still packing her bags. Seeing Ren flicker out and return a moment later, she pouted. "Where did you run off to? I know you don't have much luggage to handle, but leaving me to pack everything by myself is just cruel!"
Seeing Welcome raise her small fists playfully, Ren offered a placating smile and quickly backed away. Amid their usual banter, the bags were finally zipped up and secured. After making a round to bid their comrades a proper farewell, the two returned home, eager to start their world tour the following morning.
Meanwhile, at the Light-Shadow Armor High Command Center.
Meizhen, now carrying the mature elegance of a sophisticated woman, stepped into the central command deck. She approached Dongshan, who was actively analyzing the global monitoring feeds. "Dongshan, what has Observation Target Number Three been up to lately?"
"He integrated the Diamond Armor, mastered the advanced combat matrix of the Five Elements, and subsequently terminated Lufa," Dongshan reported, pulling up data streams. "However, the moment he secured the Shura Armor, his energetic signature completely dropped off our satellite tracking arrays."
"We can still track his partner, Yang Welcome, though. It appears they are embarking on a global tour."
Meizhen sat at her workstation, letting out a heavy sigh. "Sigh. Ziyang is getting incredibly lax with his training lately. Every time I press him, he just whines about getting older and lacking the stamina... I'm still in my prime, yet he talks like a retired veteran! That boy has truly neglected his duties over the last few years."
Dongshan merely smiled beside her, wisely choosing not to interject.
"By the way, you mentioned Ren Kurogane secured the Shura Armor? I told the board back then that we shouldn't have let him break away from our program. His core baseline attributes are phenomenal—especially his raw psychological resolve. Ziyang and Xiangyang combined don't possess half his determination!"
"True, true," Dongshan shrugged. "But he doesn't inherit the Five Elements bloodline~"
"We have the Gengnu Diamond Scepter, don't we? We could have ordered Ziyang to seize it! It was an unowned universal relic anyway!" Meizhen said, her voice laced with frustration. "Besides, based on my brother's exhaustive data over the last decade, bloodline inheritance isn't the true absolute absolute requirement to summon the Emperor Armor anyway. What matters is catching the gaze of the Emperor Heavenly Dao itself. Do you honestly believe that child hasn't drawn the Dao's attention?"
This time, Dongshan found himself completely without a counterargument.
Over the years, their structural research into the armors had never ceased. Their latest data models indicated that the so-called "bloodline requirement" of the Light-Shadow suits was a localized restriction tailored specifically to Earthlings. To be exact, the descendants of the Five Elements Villages were all carriers of the inherited imprint of the Ancient Sage, who was the prime summoner of the Emperor Armor. Even as the bloodline diluted across generations, their specific energetic frequencies allowed them to summon the mid-tier sub-armors.
In fact, the Light Universe had purposefully dropped the five Light-Shadow Stones onto Earth specifically because of the Ancient Sage's energetic anchor across this sector! Occasionally, a rare genetic atavism would occur, allowing a descendant to cleanly realign with the focus of the Emperor Heavenly Dao, gaining its cosmic protection to manifest as the Emperor Hero.
But across the deeper cosmos, intelligent lifeforms didn't operate on localized bloodline imprints. Even the Ancient Sage himself hadn't relied on a pre-existing bloodline to manifest the armor for the very first time. Their data verified that cosmic armor alignment was entirely a matter of achieving absolute synchronization and acknowledgment from the armor's core primordial origin.
They had been attempting to unlock a system parameter to replicate that baseline origin recognition, but their research had hit a massive bottleneck.
"What's done is done; lamenting it won't alter the operational vector," Dongshan said, leaning back in his chair. "Based on our psychological profiles, once he concludes his global transit, he will likely choose to break orbit and venture into deep space. I doubt we'll ever cross paths with him again within our lifetimes~"
"Sigh. It's a pity Earth is losing an ultimate-tier armor..."
While the command center wallowed in sentimentality, Ren and Welcome had already kicked off their tour. Their flight plan was set to cover the domestic scenic routes first, before breaking off toward Norway, navigating down through Canada, and finally launching into the cosmos. With the fully integrated Gengnu Diamond Scepter in his possession, Ren could call down and fire up the Afras flagship from any vector at a moment's notice, so he was in no hurry to disrupt their planetary vacation.
A few days later, while deep in slumber, Ren's consciousness drifted and materialized within the pitch-black, familiar void of the Good Brothers space.
"Why the hell am I back in this sector?" Ren muttered, a trace of irritation rising in his mind.
When he had first transmigrated years ago, he had stumbled into this zone repeatedly, assuming it was his personal "Gold Finger." He had been incredibly enthusiastic for a time, but as fifteen years rolled past without a single alteration or utility manifesting within the void, he had completely abandoned the concept. It had been nearly eight years since he last materialized here.
"Whatever. This old man is in a fantastic mood today, so I suppose I can indulge in a little casual exploration."
He took two steps across the void, only for a young man to abruptly manifest right before his eyes. Ren jumped back in pure shock. "Who the hell are you?!"
Ninja Ren, seeing a fresh face materialize, felt a wave of pure delight. "Wow, another newcomer! Welcome, brother! Let me introduce myself—I'm Ren Kurogane, transmigrated into the Naruto universe!" Ninja Ren laughed warmly.
"Ren Kurogane? Transmigrated into Naruto?" Armor Ren stood there, completely floored, his brain struggling to compute the parameters of the situation.
Seeing his bewildered face, Ninja Ren chuckled. "Words are a bit clunky for explaining the mechanics here. Simply put, we are all the exact same person. During our transit across the dimensional barrier, our soul split into infinite fragments across the multiverse. This void is the localized hub that links our consciousness!"
"Holy crap?!!"
"Here, let's do a fist-bump. Time to collect your transmigrator welcome package!" Ninja Ren extended his fist with a grin.
"This..." Armor Ren hesitated for a fraction of a second before hardening his resolve, bringing his fist forward to meet his alter-ego's.
The next instant, Ninja Ren absorbed a phenomenal array of combat and tactical memories. "The Shura Armor?! Holy cow, brother, you are an absolute monster!" Ninja Ren praised, genuinely impressed.
Meanwhile, Armor Ren finished processing the massive multiverse database flooding his mind. Hearing the praise, a grin spread across his face. "Hehe! It was mostly strategic calculation. I didn't expect to manifest the unique magnetic signature of the Diamond Armor baseline either; otherwise, securing Shura would have required a vastly more complex psychological campaign."
"True enough," Ninja Ren agreed, nodding.
The two chatted for a brief moment before Armor Ren stated he needed to log off to test the exponential explosion of power within his physical frame. He exited the hub immediately.
Naruto World.
Ren Kurogane opened his eyes, sitting up on his bed. It was currently the dead of night, right around the third watch.
He sat in silence, reviewing the newly acquired data streams. Training records for Light-Shadow Armor candidates... the unique energetic matrix required to drive the three main suits... regional space overlords... cosmic kings... and the supreme Emperor Heavenly Dao.
It appears the foundational power scale of the Armor Hero universe is massive—at least... it vastly outclasses the baseline operating limits of my current Naruto world.
Ren slipped out of bed, his mind racing with wild tactical possibilities. My Multiverse connection has finally come online. With an Extra-Dimensional energy capacity exceeding six black holes at my disposal, I wonder if my current power is enough to go toe-to-toe with a cosmic fleet commander?
Shaking his head to clear the wild thoughts, Ren vanished from his quarters instantly.
Deploying a high-tier Spatial Shift, he manifested over a deserted expanse of the Pacific Ocean. He drew the Shura Armor summoner, activating the core sequence. In a blink of an eye, the majestic silver-and-violet armor enveloped his frame.
"Hiss~~ Incredible!! The performance metrics are insane!!"
Ren inhaled sharply as the absolute weight of the power flooded his system! Unlike the Extra-Dimensional energy locks that merely unsealed one's inner physical potential, the armor was a literal force multiplier that stacked an immense, external baseline directly on top of his current stats! With the Shura Armor active, his Extra-Dimensional energy signature spiked exponentially, hitting a threshold of roughly 10.0 Black Holes—effectively doubling his power!
Furthermore, Ren felt a core systemic restriction within his soul shatter, unlocking the pathway to trigger the armor's evolutionary sequence!
"Sovereign Shura! Upgrade!"
The next instant, a cataclysmic tempest of Extra-Dimensional energy rippled outward, tearing across the solar system!
A blinding cascade of deep violet light erupted from Ren's frame as a series of high-tier spectral weapons materialized within his tactical arrays. As the energetic flare stabilized, the true apex form of the ultimate armor stood suspended over the upper atmosphere of Earth.
The upgraded Shura Armor had evolved from its silver-and-violet baseline into a majestic violet-and-gold configuration. Built directly into the chest plate was a terrifying, gilded visage of a cosmic demon. A heavy, multi-layered tasset skirt armor forged from thick violet alloy draped over his hips, its edges lined with shimmering gold trim.
His pauldrons had expanded significantly, and a majestic crimson cape flowed behind him, snapping violently in the atmospheric winds. The heavy leg greaves had thickened into a solid defensive matrix, completely encasing his limbs down to his boots.
Ren flexed his fingers and shifted his weight, testing the mobility parameters. He encountered zero structural resistance or lag; the evolved armor felt like a seamless, natural expansion of his own skin.
Time to test the weapon manifestation limits! With a single thought, a massive, violet-and-gold greatblade materialized instantly into his right hand!
"Oh? Manifestation on a pure thought-vector? This is vastly superior to manually slotting cards."
Before he could cycle through the rest of his arsenal, a blinding pillar of golden light pierced the upper atmosphere from deep space, touching down directly across his perimeter. As the golden radiance dissipated, a majestic golden suit of armor stood facing him.
"The Emperor Armor?!" Ren's mind reeled in absolute shock. He hadn't expected to look upon the absolute apex hero face-to-face within his lifetime!
"Shura Armor, the energetic displacement you just triggered is vastly exceeding safe operational parameters for this sector," the Emperor Hero spoke, his voice vibrating with cosmic authority.
"Exceeding safe parameters?" Ren frowned slightly, instantly running a localized radar sweep across the solar system. The data streams flooded his mind.
The exponential energy surge from his Sovereign Shura upgrade had been so volatile that it had sent a massive shockwave tearing through the localized space of the system. Had the Emperor Hero not intervened to stabilize the solar core's magnetic field, the sun's gravity wells would have entered a state of violent hyper-activity. Even with the containment active, the sudden tectonic pressure had triggered varying scales of earthquakes across multiple fault lines on Earth, and global emergency response teams were already scrambling to deploy rescue operations.
A wave of profound shame washed over Ren. An accidental, uncalibrated power up on his part had nearly fractured the planet's structural integrity.
Looking at the golden titan before him, Ren offered a sincere apology. "My bad, my bad! I completely miscalculated the threshold... but don't worry, I'll clean up the operational error immediately!"
"Oh?" The Emperor Hero watched him with a hint of curiosity, curious to see how a Shura user intended to manipulate a macro-scale planetary event.
Ren raised his gauntlet, channeling the absolute cosmic laws built into the core engine of Shura, muttering a single command: "Temporal Inversion!"
The next instant, reality across the entire sector entered a high-speed reverse vector! The atmospheric cloud covers spun backward, and the displaced ocean currents receded into their original channels. Every single parameter across the system was forcibly rolled back to its exact baseline from three minutes prior.
Suspended over the ocean, only Ren and the Emperor Armor remained completely unaffected by the localized temporal rewind, standing firm against the currents of time.
"Manipulating the vector of time itself? Truly a magnificent suit of armor," the Emperor Hero noted. "Since the anomaly has been corrected, I shall take my leave. Restrain your energetic output in the future; your raw capacity right now is technically exceeding my own baseline."
In a flash of golden light, the Emperor Armor dissolved into the cosmos, leaving no trace behind.
Ren placed his hands on his hips, letting out a helpless chuckle. "I didn't expect the upgrade threshold to trigger a macro-scale systemic event either... but who exactly was inside that Emperor suit?"
According to his records, the Emperor Armor could manifest through three pathways: a five-user fusion matrix, Ziyang's technological interface, or Xiangyang's direct Heavenly Dao alignment.
Based on the sheer density of the cosmic energy signature I just perceived, Ziyang can be ruled out entirely; his system parameters can't scale that high. A five-user fusion wouldn't have mobilized that fast either. That leaves only one operational possibility.
Xiangyang... no wonder his raw presence was so terrifying. Even if the boy hadn't reached his developmental peak, he was a living anchor for the Heavenly Dao; it was perfectly normal that Ren's temporal rewind couldn't affect his state.
Executing a flawless Spatial Shift, Ren remanifested inside his quarters and deactivated the suit, only to realize the Shura summoner had dissolved, embedding itself directly into the dermal layer of his wrist as a glowing violet mark.
Absolute genetic integration? Better this way. Saves me the hassle of worrying about someone pulling a sneak-attack to steal the device.
Ren spent the remainder of the night wide awake, his nervous system completely wired from the massive adrenaline and energy surge. Finding himself without any tasks, he settled down to carefully review the deep corporate and historical memories of his alternative selves across the multiverse.
Meanwhile, on Xiangyang's side.
Upon returning from the upper atmosphere, for the very first time in his life, a profound, burning hunger for absolute strength ignited within his soul!
If that silver-and-violet armor can break past the dimensional limits to alter time, there is absolutely no excuse for me to lag behind! From that night onward, the young boy threw himself into his training with a terrifying, unshakeable focus.
Naruto World.
Ren Kurogane's consciousness returned to his body as he exited the Good Brothers hub.
This particular multiversal alignment hadn't granted him an immediate physical or spiritual stat boost, but the strategic value of the intel was astronomical. At the very least, it verified that his transmigration vector wasn't confined to standard two-dimensional animated rules; live-action special effects lore was actively overlapping with his reality. If armor systems existed, could high-tier immortal cultivation realms be far behind?
If an alternative version of me manages to land inside a Primordial Mythological world, those top-tier powerhouse memories might contain the system architecture to unlock the ultimate secrets of this entire multiversal space.
Just as his mind began to drift into tactical theory, a tiny summoning toad materialized on his desk, croaking in a sharp, human voice: "Ren! Minato states that a high-priority mission has just cleared the terminal. He wants you to report to the Hokage building immediately!"
Puff! Before the words could even echo, the toad dissolved into a cloud of white smoke.
A high-priority mission? Is Minato running low on mission capital again?
With a hint of mild amusement, Ren swapped his lounge clothes for his standard combat gear and headed toward the central administrative tower. Come to think of it, it had been years since he last set foot inside the Hokage's office.
There was no helping it—when you possess absolute systemic wealth, you simply don't have to grind low-level D-rank missions for food money!
He slid open the door to the office, only to find Nawaki standing inside alongside the command squad.
"Yo! Sensei!" Nawaki grinned broadly. "I didn't expect this deployment to mobilize all three of us simultaneously! Are we finally launching a total offensive to raze the other Great Shinobi Villages?!"
Sitting behind the main desk, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt his vision go slightly dark upon hearing the boy's words. In that single instant, he systematically crossed Nawaki's name off the list of future Hokage candidates permanently!
If this brat ever secures the hat, I feel like Konoha will enter a permanent state of total, global unification warfare...
Though Konoha's current military and technological framework was more than enough to completely crush the other nations in a straight fight, Hiruzen remained fiercely committed to the pacifist cooperative ideals passed down by the First Hokage, fiercely resisting the urge to initiate an aggressive war.
He cleared his throat loudly, drawing the attention of the four shinobi. "The reason I have mobilized your squad today is to secure a operational vector toward the Kingdom of Roulan!"
Roulan? A flash of complete recognition sparked across Ren's mind.
No wonder young Kakashi is embedded in this deployment framework. The temporal crossover plot has finally arrived!
In this altered timeline, Sakumo Hatake hadn't committed suicide, which meant Kakashi hadn't developed the cold, pathologically detached psychological walls of the original canon. However, because the boy's career had been completely smooth sailing under his father's shadow, he had developed a distinctly arrogant, high-and-mighty attitude.
To put it plainly, the brat was desperately lacking a brutal, unmitigated beating from society!
Kakashi had graduated from the academy early this year and, true to the original timeline, had been assigned to Minato's command squad alongside Obito and Rin. However, due to the high-stakes, classified parameters of this specific deployment, Minato had only brought Kakashi along due to his superior technical execution. The other two Genin had been left behind in the village to work through standard domestic D-rank assignments.
Obito had initially thrown a massive tantrum about the split, but the moment Minato subtly reminded him that working D-ranks in the village meant exclusive, uninterrupted 1-on-1 time with Rin, the boy's face had flushed bright red as he accepted the assignment with furious enthusiasm.
Kakashi had watched the entire exchange play out with a look of pure, unadulterated disgust.
Follow-up Question:
Since Ren Kurogane knows the exact chronological parameters of the Roulan mission involve the time-traveling rogue ninja Mukade attempting to hijack the Ryuryaku (Dragon Vein) energy core, should he use his newly unlocked multiversal spatial techniques to cleanly intercept Mukade before he disrupts the seal, or should he allow the temporal anomaly to play out so he can study the local time-travel mechanics alongside his upgraded Shura systems?