Souls of the Netherworld

The aftershock of the greatsword continued—the black blade slammed into the ground with a thunderous boom, and a roar like the collapse of heaven and earth echoed throughout the entire shinobi world.

Immediately afterward, the earth shook violently. A massive fissure spread madly outward from where the greatsword had fallen—

The fissure was bottomless and pitch-black, like the gaping maw of hell, endlessly devouring everything on the ground. Rubble, blood mist, and even Allied Shinobi Forces ninjas who had failed to dodge in time were swallowed by the crack, their miserable screams ringing out.

In the distance, Madara Uchiha, reincarnated through the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu, floated in midair. Staring at the sudden change before him, he was completely stunned.

His eyes widened, his crimson Sharingan fixed on the ten-thousand-meter-tall Black Susanoo Armor. Then he looked at the youth blazing with fury at its forehead, his mind as blank as if it had been struck by a heavy hammer, with nothing but countless question marks spinning wildly through it.

What the hell was going on?!

Since when had the Uchiha Clan produced such a lunatic?!

His strength was absurdly outrageous, and so was his rage. He had unleashed his ultimate move right from the start, recited a string of names, and looked like he wanted to kill everyone?!

Madara instinctively touched his cheek, then thought of Black Zetsu, the dark fellow who had always stayed by his side and claimed to be the incarnation of his will. His brows furrowed tightly—wait, one of the names that kid had just mentioned was "Kaguya Black Zetsu." Could he be talking about that pitch-black guy?!

And Obito Uchiha... what shameless thing had that brat done now?

Why had he provoked such a lunatic?

From the looks of it, this kid had probably crossed dimensions specifically to hunt Obito down here?!

The more Madara thought about it, the more confused he became. His brain could barely keep up, and his crimson Sharingan was filled with shock, bewilderment, and a trace of barely perceptible vigilance—

This brat called Uchiha Genki was simply too terrifying. He far surpassed anyone Madara had ever seen. Even Hashirama from back then might not have been able to match him.

Was this guy an enemy or an ally?

And what kind of variable would he bring to this Shinobi World War?

The battlefield fell deathly silent.

Everyone had been utterly stunned by the sight before them. Looking at the Black Susanoo Armor standing between heaven and earth, the bottomless fissure of hell, and Uchiha Genki burning with rage at its forehead, their hearts held nothing but endless fear and despair.

"Everyone! Stop—!!"

A deafening roar tore through the clamor of the battlefield, nailing everyone in place.

The ninjas who had just been overwhelmed by Uchiha Genki's crushing power turned in astonishment toward the source of the voice—Hagoromo Otsutsuki, standing in midair with Six Paths Chakra swirling around him.

His face was twisted with urgency, his brows drawn into a tight knot. His usually steady voice carried the desperation of a last stand. "Stop killing each other! This is not a conflict between factions—it is a catastrophe that threatens the survival of the entire shinobi world!"

Before his words had faded, he abruptly raised a hand and pointed at the youth with the strange aura in the center of the battlefield, disbelief and gravity churning in his eyes. "This youth is an existence from a parallel universe!

"On him, I can clearly feel the wail of an entire world collapsing!

"The dimension he came from... has already been completely reduced to ashes. Not even a trace of a remnant soul remains!"

"A parallel universe? The destruction of a world?"

Whispers, cries of alarm, and sharp intakes of breath rose one after another. The shock on everyone's faces deepened, and the caution in their gazes toward the youth was instantly tinged with bone-deep chill.

Before their shock could subside, Hagoromo Otsutsuki rapidly pressed his hands together. His knuckles turned white from the force as a deep incantation rolled from his throat, carrying a majesty that pierced life and death.

"Buzz—"

The ground trembled faintly. Countless fine cracks suddenly split open across the gray sky, and a dense aura of the Netherworld swept across the battlefield.

The next second, translucent soul phantoms slowly emerged from those cracks. Traces of the Chakra fluctuations they had possessed in life lingered around them. Though faint, they still carried the pressure of the strong—these were the heroic souls of countless ninjas who had long since fallen!

Among them, several figures stood out in particular. The Third Raikage, who had only just displayed his might through the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu, still stood as straight as a pine, with undispersed Lightning Release Chakra lingering around him;

The Fourth Kazekage wore a cold expression as grains of sand gently flowed around his soul;

The Second Mizukage's laughter seemed to still echo in the wind, while the Second Tsuchikage stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sharp as a blade;

And there was also the Fourth Mizukage. That familiar head of purple hair made many older ninjas present shudder inwardly.

Within the crowd, Madara Uchiha's body suddenly stiffened. His pupils shrank as he stared fixedly at the slender yet incomparably familiar figure among the souls, his breathing stopping at once.

Izuna Uchiha!

His younger brother! The brother who, for him and for the Uchiha Clan, had willingly offered up his eyes!

Izuna's soul phantom still looked as he had in his youth, his features retaining their boyishness, though his eyes were full of confusion.

He instinctively looked toward Madara Uchiha. The instant their eyes met, Madara's heart—long tempered by time and hatred into something as hard as iron—suddenly shattered. A surge of wild joy, guilt, and sorrow rushed to his throat, nearly making him choke back a sob.

Not far away, Uchiha Sasuke was similarly struck as though by lightning, his blood seeming to freeze in an instant.

His gaze locked tightly onto three figures, his fingertips trembling uncontrollably—Itachi Uchiha, the older brother who had borne every sin and silently protected him all his life, was now quietly watching him, his eyes still filled with warmth that could never fade;

Fugaku Uchiha, his father, the man who seemed stern but concealed a profound love, appeared to have a faint, almost imperceptible look of relief at the corner of his lips;

And... Shisui Uchiha, the senior known as "Body Flicker Shisui," who had protected Konoha's peace with his life. His Sharingan remained clear and bright.

"B-Brother..." Sasuke's voice was hoarse beyond recognition. His eyes reddened instantly, tears wildly gathering in them, yet he stubbornly refused to let them fall.

Elsewhere, when Minato Namikaze's gaze passed through the layers of soul phantoms and landed on that fiery red hair, all strength left his body. His voice trembled with the joy of regaining what he had lost and endless longing. "Kushina..."

That touch of red was the longing carved into his very bones, the obsession he had carried across life and death just to see once more.

Kushina Uzumaki's soul turned her head slightly. The moment she saw Minato, the confusion in her eyes faded, replaced by a gentle smile, just as she had worn back in Konoha.

Hashirama Senju's eyes reddened as well. He strode forward and reached out, wanting to touch that familiar figure, his voice catching in his throat. "Mito..."