Time flew like a white horse flashing past a gap, and a thousand years passed in the blink of an eye.
Seas had turned into fields. Compared to what it once was, this world had become far, far too small.
So small that, surrounded by seas on all sides, it could hold only the Five Great Nations and a handful of ninja clans.
But for certain beings, a thousand years passed in the snap of a finger.
Over those thousand years, chakra had not only spread throughout the world,
spurring the rapid growth of ninja as a group,
but many summoning beasts that had once separated from the Wind-Snow Realm
had also learned to live harmoniously alongside humans.
In their own unusual way, they took part in humanity's wars.
And now,
not only had peerless prodigies emerged from the Uchiha Clan and the Senju Clan,
but a being who had suffered grievous injuries in that great battle
and fallen into slumber was finally about to awaken.
In a certain canyon, two youths, each carrying his clan's great expectations,
erupted into yet another fierce battle.
Two ninja-or rather, two boys-
crossed paths in midair, clad in red armor.
One had hair reaching his waist and handsome, youthful features. His eyes were scarlet, with three black tomoe slowly rotating within them.
The other had slightly shorter hair and a resolute face that was likewise astonishingly young, his expression solemn.
Neither boy was very old, but their chakra reserves were already staggering!
The instant they closed in on each other, trails of afterimages streaked through the air as they traded taijutsu blows.
Boom!
The handsome, long-haired boy threw a punch, only for the short-haired boy to block it with a sweeping kick.
Both wielded astonishing strength. The instant their tremendous forces collided,
the