All beings, all worlds, for all eternity! Only we Uchiha! The one and only!
Huge oil paintings hang on the walls on both sides of the corridor, depicting portraits of key figures from various World Government. Some of the frames are crooked, and some canvases are cracked, with paint peeling off to reveal the grayish-white underlay.
At the end of the corridor was a door, thicker and taller than the doors Room of Authority, its frame carved with intricate patterns, and in the very center of each pattern was a now-tarnished gem.
Natsu raised her hand and pushed open the door.
Behind the door was utter darkness. Only a tiny patch of light in the deepest part illuminated the outline of something.
That was a seat.
The backrest is high, the armrests are wide, and the entire body is jet black with no decoration on the surface; it is just pure, smooth black stone.
It was placed on a stone platform slightly above the ground, with no steps or railings around it, standing alone in the darkness.
This is Empty Throne.
The original twenty kings of the World Government made a vow of "equality" here. For eight hundred years, countless people have longed for this position, but now it just stands there quietly, like a forgotten stone.
The Night Owl Guard members automatically parted on both sides of the steps. The entrance to this hall had three steps, not very high, but each step was wide enough for dozens of people to walk side by side.
Two rows of greyish-white uniforms stood in the darkness, their crimson Sharingan glowing brightly, all their gazes fixed on the steps.
The Yaoyu lingered on the left side of the first step, while the Yakumi lingered on the right. The two brothers stood side by side, their expressions similar, both looking ahead.
Yaoyu's lips twitched, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she said nothing.
The Yakumi tilted her head slightly, glanced at him, and then turned back.
Setsuna, Tekka, Yashiro, Taoho, and Kei are arranged in order on the first step.
In that Setsuna, his back was very straight, his hands hung at his sides, and his gray hair stood out starkly in the darkness.
Tekka stood beside him, arms crossed, his Mangekyō Sharingan spinning quietly.
Yashiro stood to the right of Tekka, his gaze fixed on Natsu's retreating figure, his lips pursed, his expression blank.
Taoho and Qi stood at the very edge, half a step apart, neither looking at the other, but their positions perfectly blocked the gap on the left side of the steps.
Fugaku stepped onto the second step. His steps were steady, each one making a dull thud.
He stopped in the middle of the second step, turned around, faced the Night Owl Guard below, and stood with his head bowed.
His Mangekyō Sharingan glowed quietly in the darkness, his gaze lingering on the young Night Owl Guard at the front of the formation for a moment before looking away.
Ban stopped on the third step.
He crossed his arms and stared expressionlessly at the elite Night Owl Guard below.
The corner of her mouth twitched slightly, a very faint curve, which quickly disappeared.
The smile was like looking at a bunch of little brats who had just learned to bite—a mixture of satisfaction and dissatisfaction.
Then his gaze moved upwards and settled on the figure who was taking steps to climb the highest step.
Natsu walked very slowly.
From the bottom of the steps to the front of the throne, there were more than a dozen steps, and it took him nearly twenty breaths to walk up.
Each step was firm and solid, the soles of his feet landing on the stone surface with a sound that was neither too loud nor too soft.
The hem of his pale purple robe swayed gently with his steps, trailing behind him on the stone steps and sweeping away the thin layer of dust on it.
He paused for a moment as he approached the throne.
He glanced at the throne.
My gaze swept across the armrest to the backrest, and then to the base, without lingering on anything particular.
Then he turned around, his back to the throne, facing downwards.
His right hand rested on the armrest of the throne.
The power of Yin–Yang Release silently flowed from his palm, spreading along the surface of the armrest and seeping into the texture of the stone.
The golden lion heads on both armrests began to deform.
The lion's open mouth closed, its fangs retracted, its mane gathered, and its scales emerged from under its skin, one overlapping the other.
The lion's head was stretched, twisted, and reshaped into a dragon shape.
The dragon's eyes were slightly narrowed, its horns curved backward, and its whiskers hung down to the side of the armrest.
The bright red blanket began to change color from the back of the chair.
The dark red color spread outwards from the center of the blanket, gradually eroding the original bright red.
The gold thread pattern embroidered along the edge of the blanket also changed. Originally, it represented the World Government, but the lines broke, twisted, and recombine, turning into a circle of fine Tomoe patterns.
The symbol representing the World Government directly above the throne is also changing.
The lines were stretched, the nodes were broken up, and then pieced back together, ultimately transforming into a yin-yang symbol.
The two fish are connected head to tail, one black and one white, each with a Tomoe) embedded in its eye.
The pattern rotated slowly and steadily in the darkness.
Natsu withdrew her hand and slowly turned around.
He stood before the remodeled throne, looking down at the Night Owl Guard below.
The hall was dark, with only the faint light emanating from the throne illuminating half of his figure, while the other half remained hidden in shadow.
His gaze was flat, and his tone was flat as well.
Eight years ago.
He spoke.
The voice wasn't loud, but in the empty, dark hall, where only the throne emitted a faint light, every word was clearly heard by everyone.
"When we were driven out of the Ninja World, we were like a pack of stray dogs."
No one spoke.
But the things in the air have changed.
One after another, pairs of scarlet Sharingan slowly emerged from the darkness, the Tomoe within their pupils rotating silently.
The owners of those eyes did not move, but their breathing changed; it became heavier and tighter.
"I made a vow to every member of my clan back then. I would lead the Uchiha Clan to stand at the pinnacle of the world once more, becoming the only God Race in the world."
Natsu paused.
His gaze swept over the Night Owl Guard in the first row below, from one young face to another.
The expressions on those faces were complex: there was fervor, exhaustion, a kind of relaxation that had finally eased after being tense for a long time, and something that had become even more tense.
"Eight years. The Battle of Origin Island, the Summit War, the annexation of the West Blue, and the period of recuperation. Today, eight years later, right here in the Sabaody Archipelago, we have directly suppressed the Navy, annihilated the World Government, and the one who held the Empty Throne has fallen."
He did not mention Imu's name.
The World Will was not mentioned. The chains and Devil Fruits were not mentioned.
He simply released the result, leaving it there unremarkable.
"But now, this vast ocean only needs one voice."
His voice deepened slightly, but remained calm.
Unhurried and deliberate, as if recounting something that has already happened.
"From this day forward, the Uchiha Clan shall be the sole God Race of this world. The words of the Uchiha Clan shall be truth, and their actions shall be ironclad rules. Across all worlds and all beings, only the Uchiha shall be! The only one!"