Never Going Back Again

At the moment he became the ancestor, Uchiha Kei saw many things.

He witnessed the birth of the universe.

I have witnessed the rise and fall of countless worlds.

I witnessed the eternal war between light and darkness.

I witnessed Jiang Hao's 379 failures.

I saw A-Yi's last tear.

I witnessed the slumber and awakening of three thousand warriors.

I saw it...

The Shinobi World.

Takamagahara.

And the people there.

Naruto is haggling with Uncle Teuchi, trying to get an extra bowl of ramen on credit.

Sasuke sat on a rock, closing his eyes to rest. The Blade Intent flowed around him, and he was already close to the peak of the Will of the Sword.

Kaguya stood in the plaza of the Twilight Ninja Village, looking at the sky, seemingly waiting for someone.

Hanabi stood beside her, muttering something softly, her face flushed.

Madara and Hashirama are arguing again, with Senju Tobirama standing helplessly in the middle.

Itachi was handling official business, while Shisui was dozing off beside him.

They're all still here.

Everything is fine.

Uchiha Kei's lips curled up slightly.

"Wait for me."

He withdrew his gaze and looked into the depths of the Return Ruins.

There is a door there.

The Gate of Return Ruins.

On the other side of the door lies true nothingness.

It is where everything begins, and it is also where everything ends.

He stepped forward and walked towards the door.

With each step he took, his aura grew stronger.

Light and darkness merged perfectly within him, transforming into a completely new power.

That was the power of the ancestors.

That is the power of balance.

He stopped in front of the door.

The door was open.

Behind the door lay chaos.

There is no light, no darkness, no time, no space.

Only endless... nothingness.

"Come in."

A voice came from behind the door.

Without hesitation, Uchiha Kei stepped through the door.

The door slowly closed behind me.

Behind the door was a strange space.

It's neither darkness nor light, but a grayness that lies between the two.

Gray sky, gray earth, gray wind.

In the gray world, there stood 379 people.

Each and every one of them is Jiang Hao.

There are 379 Jiang Hao, from the first failure to the 379th failure.

They're all here.

Uchiha Kei looked at them, and they looked at Uchiha Kei.

There was a long silence.

Jiang Hao was the first to speak; he was the youngest, looking to be only in his early twenties.

"The three hundred and eightieth time."

"You've finally arrived."

Uchiha Kei.

The second Jiang Hao stepped forward. He looked to be in his thirties and had a deep scar on his face.

We all failed.

But you didn't.

"Thank you."

Uchiha Kei remained silent.

The third one, Jiang Hao, smiled. He smiled the most happily, as if he had been relieved of a heavy burden.

"That girl, A-Yi, in the end, still gave her tears to you."

She has always favored you the most.

Jiang Hao shook his head at the fourth one. "It's not favoritism, it's just that he's the only one with a chance."

The fifth person Jiang Hao, said, "We all had hope, but we all lost."

The sixth one, Jiang Hao, said, "Because we are all one person."

The seventh one, Jiang Hao, said, "But he isn't."

The eighth person Jiang Hao said, "He has ties to him."

The ninth one, Jiang Hao, said, "I have friends."

The tenth one, Jiang Hao, said, "I have... a home."

Three hundred and seventy-nine Jiang Hao, each with a sentence, seemed to be stating a fact, yet also expressing their feelings.

Uchiha Kei listened quietly.

Until Jiang Hao finally spoke.

He was the oldest, with white hair and a face full of wrinkles, but his eyes were still bright.

"Child," he said, "Do you know why we're waiting for you here?"

Uchiha Kei shook his head.

"Because we want to give you a gift."

Jiang Hao raised his hand, and a ray of light appeared in his palm.

Within that light were 379 points of light, each point of light representing a world in itself.

"These are all the worlds we created from our 379 failures."

"The Three Thousand Worlds are the sum total of all our power."

"But Three Thousand Worlds are not enough."

"Because the power of the Ancestor is limitless."

"To contend with Him, you don't need power, but rather..."

"Balance."

Jiang Hao sent the light into Uchiha Kei's body.

Three hundred and seventy-nine worlds surged into his body simultaneously, merging with the original Three Thousand Worlds.

Three thousand three hundred and seventy-nine worlds.

That was the culmination of 379 failures.

That was all the hope of the 379 Jiang Hao.

Uchiha Kei closed his eyes, feeling that power.

The power was so strong that he could barely withstand it.

But he gritted his teeth and held on.

Because...

He cannot lose.

The 380th time, I can't afford to lose again.

When he opened his eyes again, the 379 Jiang Hao had disappeared.

Only Jiang Hao remained, still watching him.

"Son," Jiang Hao said, "There's one last thing I need to tell you."

"What?"

"Our ancestor is not an enemy."

"He is balance."

"Killing Him will throw the universe out of balance and ultimately lead to nothingness."

Therefore, you cannot kill Him.

Uchiha Kei was taken aback. "Then what should I do?"

Jiang Hao smiled.

"Become Him."

"To achieve a new balance."

"To become... eternal."

His figure began to disappear.

"But to become eternal means..."

"Stay here forever."

"To protect this world forever."

"Forever..."

"There's no going back."

Uchiha Kei remained silent.

Jiang Hao looked at him, his eyes full of kindness.

Therefore, the choice is yours.

"It's about going back and reuniting with them."

"Let's stay and protect them."

"You choose."

As the last word fell, Jiang Hao also vanished.

Uchiha Kei stood alone in the gray world, silent for a very long time.