Shi Mei appeared before everyone's eyes just like that.
He wore a black robe, with horns resembling a crown.
A golden Rinnegan sat on his forehead, with a Byakugan in his right eye and a Black Eye in his left.
Sparse white, horny stubble lined his chin.
His face held none of the savagery and malice inevitable in past invaders, only a stillness and depth like stagnant water.
Nor did this man seem to possess an aura that towered over all things. Yet the moment he appeared, dense black clouds shrouded the sky.
Down on the ground.
Sasuke and Naruto, clad in white-and-purple and black-and-gold Divine Robes, stood ahead of the Ten Celestial Ninja, whose robes all differed.
"Sasuke, that's him, right?"
"Yeah. I could never forget that face..."
Sasuke clenched his hands tightly beneath his sleeves.
Shi Mei... the being who had plunged him into the deepest despair in his previous life.
He had been forced to flee his own era, replace his past self, and begin a thirty-year journey. To gain the strength to fight this man, he had abandoned his human body and the Uchiha name, becoming what he had once despised most!
An Ōtsutsuki!!
He had exhausted himself in study, making every effort imaginable and unimaginable, doing everything he should and should not have done...
At last... he stood before this man again!
Back then... as a mortal, I couldn't even comprehend the look in his eyes.
Now, after years of delving into the realm of gods, I finally understand what that look means...
High above them, Shi Mei casually glanced over the Celestial Ninja formation before fixing his gaze on Sasuke's face.
"Sasuke, you've become an outstanding Ōtsutsuki, just as I expected..." Shi Mei's voice was rich and refined, as though he were addressing an