Fire Province.
Imperial Capital, Imperial Palace.
Chiba slowly opened his eyes.
He raised his right hand and clenched his fist tightly.
His soul and body had fused once more, fitting together perfectly without the slightest sluggishness.
It was as if he had taken a trip to the Pure Land, nothing more than an absurd dream.
Yet the faintly surging Yin–Yang Release within him constantly reminded him that it had all been real.
Those two old monsters who had lived for a thousand years had truly perished together with the Death God and Jashin.
A moment later.
Chiba rose to his feet and stepped outside the main hall.
On the bustling streets, patrolling ninja squads moved through the shadows.
The entire Empire operated steadily and methodically, like a precise machine of war.
Yet no one knew what earth-shattering upheaval was about to arrive beneath this calm facade.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
During those three days, Chiba did not leave the Imperial Palace even once.
He had turned down all state affairs and handed them entirely to Shikaku Nara.
He was waiting.
Waiting for the final outcome.
Late at night on the third day.
A strange ripple spread through the air.
There was no energy fluctuation, yet it carried a bone-chilling cold.
Chiba lifted his eyes slightly.
He keenly caught sight of a dim silhouette struggling to gather itself three meters ahead.
It was Hagoromo Otsutsuki.
He was different from when they had met in the Pure Land three days ago.
At this moment, the Sage of Six Paths was left with only an illusory outline as thin as a cicada's wing.
His body had become translucent.
It seemed as though a gust passing through the hall could scatter him completely.
"It seems..."
"Everything is over."
Chiba's