"Meeting."
A single word caused Grandma Chiyo's fingers to loosen slightly at the hem of her dress.
Hoshino didn't turn around, but continued, "This is my home."
In fact, he hadn't thought about his past life for a long time, let alone the second life for which he had no memory of whatsoever.
Hoshino feels a sense of belonging to the Shinobi World.
Otherwise, with his current strength, he could have easily taken his precious person and left; there was no need for him to stay and risk his life.
Upon hearing this answer, Grandma Chiyo's eyes welled up with tears. She opened her mouth, but something seemed to be blocking her throat, and she couldn't utter a word.
"That's good..."
Finally, he said it softly, his voice so soft it was almost drowned out by the sound of the rain.
"Mother-in-law."
"Um?"
"Wait for me to come back."
Grandma Chiyo paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Alright, I'll wait."
Hoshino said nothing more, stepped into the rain, and his figure transformed into streaks of light that scattered in all directions.
Ebizo walked to the window, gazing in the direction Hoshino had left, and remained silent for a long time.
"Sister, will he really come back?"
"Yes! Because there are things here that he can't bear to part with."
The desolate Rōran Ruins gleamed with a cold white hue under the moonlight, and the dry wind whipped up fine sand, weaving through the Hashirama.
Shion stood still at the edge of the altar, her Pure Moon Eye reflecting the gradually boiling Dragon Vein energy in front of her. Her figure cast a long silhouette on the sand, motionless.
Hoshino walked over, her long, gray hair fluttering in the wind as she stepped on the gravel.
There was no exchange of words between them; even a glance seemed superfluous.
A pillar of light from the Dragon Vein suddenly burst forth from the center of the altar, the purple energy distorting the surrounding space, as if a door had been opened for him long ago.
Hoshino didn't stop, walking straight into the pillar of light, gradually blurring in the energy.
Shion stood still like a statue, her fingertips lightly tracing the witch's bell hanging on her chest, her lips slightly moving as she silently recited an ancient blessing incantation in her heart.
Hoshino's figure had become transparent in the pillar of light, but at the last moment, as if sensing something, he turned around and a long-lost, almost mortal smile appeared on his lips.
That smile carried the warmth he had only felt in Sunagakure during his youth, as if it transcended the boundaries between divinity and humanity.
The energy of the Dragon Vein suddenly contracted violently.
Hoshino's figure stretched and deformed in the intense light, eventually transforming into a stream of light and disappearing into the void.
The whole process took only a few breaths, so fast it felt like an illusion.
Shion remained standing in the same spot, with only the charred marks on the sand bearing witness to what had just happened.
In the void, there is no concept of time, no distinction between up, down, left, or right.
Hoshino's consciousness traveled smoothly under the protection of the Dragon Vein's energy, feeling like a feather being carried forward by a gentle current.
All around were flowing starlight, with countless points of light flickering in the darkness like Fire Fly.
I don't know how much time has passed.
The scene began to change, like reflections on the water being stirred.
He saw a ninja village covered in white snow, and a black-haired boy stood on the Hokage Rock gazing into the distance.
In another world, a red-haired girl is training with a puppet in a training ground, and her movements are seven-tenths similar to those of the scorpion in her memory.
Further away, in the Valley of the End in a certain Shinobi World, two enormous stone statues faced each other in completely different poses.
These images appeared and shattered like Utakata, each carrying the unique aura of a different Shinobi World.
Hoshino reached out, and as her fingertips passed through the images, subtle ripples appeared.
The energy of the Dragon Vein flowed around him, isolating him from excessively strong spatial and temporal fluctuations.
Suddenly, a crack appeared in front of them.
Pure white light seeped from the crack, its color completely different from the surrounding starry sky.
Hoshino stared at the crack, a vague guess forming in his mind.
The world on the other side must be the one I'm truly meant to travel to, and I already know which one it is.
Just then, the surrounding galaxy began to distort, and countless points of light were stretched into thin threads, rushing towards the crack like rivers flowing into the sea.
The energy of the Dragon Vein trembled within him, conveying a message that was almost tragic.
Hoshino suddenly realized.
The Dragon Vein is currently forcibly tearing apart the world's barrier.
This is not ordinary space travel; it is challenging the most fundamental laws of the universe.
Every second, a massive amount of primordial power is being consumed, like burning one's life force to gain a fleeting moment of light.
"I see... You were gambling too." Hoshino said softly, his voice carrying an unprecedented gravity.
Dragon Vein can indeed interfere with travel between parallel Shinobi World, but the rift in front of us connects to a completely new universe.
They have completely different laws and energy systems.
If it weren't for Hoshino's existence, there would never have been even the slightest possibility of the two universes intersecting.
The edges of the crack began to crumble, revealing the pitch-black void behind it.
That was not ordinary darkness, but some kind of more primal 'nothingness'. When the energy of the Dragon Vein touched that darkness, it was immediately devoured.
Hoshino sensed that the protection around him was weakening, and realized that they were almost at their destination.
He looked back one last time.
Countless scenes from the Shinobi World are rapidly fading into the distance, like Utakata disappearing on a beach at low tide.
At this critical moment, the crack suddenly trembled violently.
The Dragon Vein's energy transformed into countless purple chains, forcefully widening the crack to create a gap just wide enough for one person to pass through.
One chain after another broke, and with each break, the Dragon Vein's energy weakened a little.
When the last three chains were stretched to their limit, an unprecedented suction force came from the gap.
Hoshino did not resist, letting that force pull her toward the unknown.
Time travel... Begins!
And the Dragon Vein whispered its final message: "In six months... I... will come... to take you!"
A blinding white light engulfed everything.
After an unknown amount of time, Hoshino's consciousness gradually awoke from the chaos.
He felt himself being swept up by some indescribable force, traveling through the universe at a speed beyond comprehension.
The surrounding stars transformed into streaks of light, stretching out into dazzling bands of light in the field of vision. The distant nebulae swept past like a veil, leaving them behind in an instant.
Hoshino tried to move his body, but found that he couldn't even move his fingers, and could only passively experience this interstellar journey.
The speed is getting faster and faster.
The once vast and boundless universe began to shrink, and the stars condensed into points of light, which then quickly stretched into lines.
At one point, Hoshino saw a huge star system appear in front of him.
It was a solar system with seven planets orbiting it, and the third planet was radiating a mesmerizing light.
His power suddenly increased, propelling him like an arrow towards the blue planet.
As they passed through the thin atmosphere, Hoshino finally regained some of his senses.
Feel the scorching heat generated by the friction of the air around you, and see yourself trailing a purple tail of flame, streaking across the sky like a falling meteor.
The outline of the land below became increasingly clear.
The winding coastline, the undulating mountains, and the scattered cities are all right before your eyes.