Time flies, and years pass swiftly.
During the three years that Kyomu and Itachi guarded the Divine Tree in the Pure Land, the ninja world continued to develop steadily.
The system centered around ninjas had become completely stabilized, with Dragon Hidden Village of the Land of Dragons evolving into an undisputed sanctuary for ninjas.
In such a favorable environment, the ninja system flourished. Chakra technology emerged to fill the only gaps in the ninja system.
However, thanks to the long-lasting peace, the chakra technology spearheaded by Orochimaru, Amado, Kabuto, and others didn't delve deeply into military applications. Instead, it focused on improving the quality of life for ordinary people.
In line with the principle of "taking from the people and using it for the people," the convenience brought by chakra technology greatly enhanced the quality of life for the general populace, with happiness levels rising day by day.
Regardless, as chakra technology advanced, it still impacted the established ninja system. The use of chakra weapons and vehicles allowed even ordinary people without the aptitude for ninja training to achieve high combat capabilities and the ability to fly and move swiftly.
However, the ninja world was ultimately too small. The development of chakra technology instilled greater confidence and ambition in the research-oriented ninjas, and the development of space battleships had already begun.
The real catalyst for the rapid progress in chakra technology was the sudden arrival of Momoshiki, Kinshiki, and Urashiki in the ninja world a year ago.
The three extraterrestrial visitors had just arrived in the ninja world and were still trying to understand their new surroundings when Madara and his comrades encircled them and launched a decisive attack.
Although the battle didn't shake the heavens, it had a widespread impact. Anyone living in the northern hemisphere of the ninja world witnessed this epic battle.
The final victors, naturally, were Madara and his comrades. With such a powerful lineup, including Madara, Obito, Kakashi, Kimimaro, Sasuke, and Hiashi, losing was practically impossible.
Although they won, the formidable power of the extraterrestrial visitors inspired many. They realized that the ninja world was not unique; more powerful races existed in the starry sky.
Additionally, Madara and the others adhered to Kyomu's prior instructions, dismembering Momoshiki, Kinshiki, and Urashiki, dispersing their chakra across various locations in the ninja world.
With the infusion of their vast chakra, Madara was the first to reach the true Six Paths level, followed closely by Kimimaro.
Moreover, the benefits extended beyond this. The chakra required for Madara and Kimimaro to reach the Six Paths level was less than one-tenth of the total chakra from Momoshiki, Kinshiki, and Urashiki. The remaining chakra benefited the other ninjas.
Over the following year, once top-tier kage-level ninjas were now as common as cabbages on the roadside. While the number of super Kage-level ninjas was still relatively small, it had more than doubled compared to before.
This demonstrated the advantage of the ninja world's enhanced foundation, a process everyone understood well.
As a result, the ambition to break out of the ninja world and attack the Ōtsutsuki home planet became a shared goal among all ninjas.
After all, who could resist the opportunity to improve oneself while simultaneously boosting the entire world's strength?
Driven by this mindset, chakra technology, initially geared towards civilian use, was now transitioning rapidly into military applications.
War seemed imminent once more.
However, this time, the conflict was no longer about internal strife but about cross-world conquest.
As long as humans exist, true eternal peace is impossible.
Yet, compared to internal strife, this kind of outward expansion was clearly more desirable.
Kyomu's final life goal was now, almost naturally, set on this path.
It could be said that this was the inevitable result of the ninja world's newfound strength. There was no reason why the Ōtsutsuki clan could plant trees on other planets as they pleased while the once-tormented ninja world couldn't plant a tree on the Ōtsutsuki home planet.
A full-scale mobilization began throughout the ninja world, supported by everyone.
As the world's strength increased, ordinary people discovered their lifespans and physiques were positively affected by the enriched chakra environment, becoming longer and stronger.
Why would anyone oppose such a self-benefiting situation?
For a time, a martial spirit spread throughout the ninja world. Whether one could become a ninja, a powerful ninja, or a member of the expeditionary force to the Ōtsutsuki home planet became everyone's goal.
When the three-year period ended and the Divine Tree bore fruit in the Pure Land, Kyomu took time to return to the ninja world. He couldn't help but laugh at the changes he found.
He hadn't even made a move, yet his subordinates had already developed war strategies for attacking the Ōtsutsuki home planet.
Madara, that eager warmonger, had even set off ahead of time to gather intelligence about the Ōtsutsuki home planet from deep within the starry sky.
"You've all made arrangements for me?"
"Your Majesty, I remember you once said, 'If the enemy can come, so can we.' The debt from over a thousand years ago must be repaid by the Ōtsutsuki!"
Well, they were already shouting slogans. Kyomu couldn't disagree even if he wanted to.
But this slogan wasn't grandiose enough. Its vision was somewhat limited.
"You all still think too narrowly," Kyomu declared with a grand gesture. "The inner and outer reaches of the stars will belong to my Empire. Those who do not submit to my rule will see their worlds destroyed, their species annihilated, and their lineage ended!"
"We swear to follow Your Majesty to the death!"
Kyomu's declaration was like pouring oil on a blazing fire, igniting the ninja world with even greater fervor. Conquering the entire starry sky became the ultimate goal of every person, from children to adults.
Kyomu, too, had to make haste.
Returning to the Pure Land, he found Itachi dutifully standing guard by the Divine Tree, untouched by any soul in the Pure Land.
Patting Itachi on the shoulder, Kyomu flew up to the crown of the seemingly sky-high Divine Tree, plucking the ripe fruit and slowly placing it in his mouth.
The fruit melted instantly, a warm current rising in Kyomu's stomach, quickly spreading to his limbs.
Boom!
His consciousness exploded, scattering like blossoms throughout the ninja world.
Countless fragments of his consciousness roamed the ninja world, rising to the clouds, falling into the ocean, or merging with the earth.
Within the fragments, Kyomu saw the flower fields in the far east, the snowy plains in the far north, the waves in the south, and the rainforests in the west.
In these diverse landscapes, various life forms thrived. There was the laughter, anger, and sorrow of humans, the survival struggles of animals, and the relentless growth of plants reaching for the warm sun.
Quietly observing, Kyomu, like a god, adjusted his perspective at will. All useful and useless knowledge, both visible and hidden, and those lost in history imprinted themselves in Kyomu's consciousness.
What seemed like an eternity yet an instant later, the myriad fragments of Kyomu's shattered consciousness recombined, causing his soul to ascend.
The energy within him was so vast it was beyond description. A casual movement of his fingers could unleash destructive force capable of tearing space apart if not controlled.
Terrifying!
Opening his eyes, Kyomu's pupils remained unchanged. There was no Rinnegan or Byakugan, just the same pair of eyes he usually had.
Yet their ordinary appearance belied their immense power.
Everywhere his eyes glanced, threads converged, resembling harp strings that Kyomu could pluck at will.
In an instant, Kyomu comprehended the function of these threads.
Interwoven, they formed the lines of cause and effect, the lines of time.
These threads made up this world; they were the ultimate essence of this world.
Sensing something, Kyomu looked down at the Pure Land. A thick timeline appeared before his eyes.
Gently stroking it with his thumb, the surroundings changed dramatically. Itachi vanished, countless souls disappeared, and the unique power of the Pure Land was gone.
In the pure, empty, and still space, Kyomu encountered the ethereal figure of a beautiful woman.
"Kyomu, you've arrived."
Her voice, echoing across countless years, reached Kyomu's ears. He gazed at the woman, understanding who she truly was.
She was the consciousness of the ninja world, or rather, she was the ninja world itself.
"Yes, I've come." Kyomu nodded.
"I knew you could do it," the woman smiled brightly, raising her hand to touch Kyomu's cheek. "I'll leave this world to you from now on."
"And what about you?"
"Me? I'll always be here. And… we'll meet again."
With a playful smile, the woman shattered, turning into countless light particles that merged with Kyomu's body.
Boom!
The space around him fractured. The scene behind Kyomu sped backward, showing the formation of the ninja world, the birth of single-celled organisms, the explosion of life, and the first emergence of supernatural power.
Spanning over a billion years, Kyomu quickly traveled from the birth of the ninja world to the present.
Yet the fast-forwarding scenes showed no sign of stopping, revealing the future ten, a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand years… ever farther and longer timelines unfolded before Kyomu's eyes.
Thus, Kyomu knew the future and understood the past. Everything in the ninja world was recorded in his mind, making him omniscient and omnipotent on this planet.
Perhaps the future held variables, and maybe a past day could be altered. But if Kyomu wished, he could interfere with any timeline, past or future.
With a smirk, Kyomu raised his hand, and the fast-forwarding scenes abruptly stopped.
With a casual wave, the flowing scenes of the river of time flashed back, locking onto Kyomu's present timeline.
Snap.
With a snap of his fingers, the mystical scene shattered, and Kyomu returned to the Pure Land.
Simultaneously, the frozen time in the Pure Land resumed, and Itachi regained his senses.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty!"
"Rise."
Kyomu's voice was authoritative, the energy emanating from him so overwhelming that Itachi struggled to breathe.
Realizing this, Kyomu offered an apologetic smile, calming his aura back to normal. "Let's return to the ninja world. I need to make some adjustments here."
With a light touch of his finger, Itachi vanished. Kyomu looked around at the Pure Land's landscape.
"Gaining control over the world, mastering the powers of causality and time, perfecting the cycle of reincarnation in the Pure Land—it's all within reach."
He blinked, and the dense weave of threads became clear, almost too entangled to differentiate.
"It's a massive undertaking and will require a certain cost."
Kyomu mused before his body disintegrated into countless light particles, merging with the Pure Land.
In the blink of an eye, Kyomu's figure reformed, but there were two this time—one solid and one ethereal.
"You shall embody the cycle of reincarnation."
"As you command."
The ethereal shadow sat cross-legged above the Pure Land, growing larger and more translucent until it dispersed into the Pure Land.
Blinking again, the tangled threads aligned, and the surrounding souls lost their consciousness, no longer scattered chaotically.
"Hashirama," Kyomu's voice echoed through the Pure Land, "step forward to receive your title."
"Greetings, Emperor." Hashirama knelt in full submission.
"I appoint you as the head of the Reincarnation Hall in the Pure Land, responsible for overseeing the cycle of reincarnation of souls."
"I accept."
"Greetings, Emperor."
"Tobirama, I appoint you as the Judge of Reincarnation in the Pure Land, responsible for the judgment, capture, and execution of souls."
"A accepts his title…"
Kyomu called out name after name, bestowing authority upon many powerful souls, while the rules of the Pure Land gradually solidified.
His separated embodiment took control behind the scenes, maintaining authority over the Pure Land's cycle of reincarnation, while Hashirama and the others served as his representatives or ministers.
Soon, everything was in order, and the rules of the Pure Land were complete.
Looking down at his smooth hand, Kyomu chuckled. "Is Isshiki still present?"
His question had barely ended when Isshiki's remnants, still conscious, were brought before Kyomu by Tobirama.
"Erase his consciousness and cast him into the Animal Path of reincarnation, never to be human again."
"As you command, Emperor."
"Where is Naruto?"
Naruto's soul approached Kyomu and knelt before him. "Greetings, Emperor."
"You have served the ninja world well. Come with me."
With Naruto's soul in tow, Kyomu left the Pure Land, his doppelgänger remaining behind to eternally stabilize it.
"Naruto!"
"Dad, Mom, I'm sorry!"
"It's okay. You're back, and that's all that matters." The family finally reunited, holding each other while laughing and crying.
Kyomu nodded. The last remaining issue in the ninja world had been resolved.
"Now then, it's time for the Ōtsutsuki home planet. Are you all ready?"
Kyomu spread his hand open and then clenched it tightly. "I am now absurdly powerful. I hope your Ōtsutsuki God can withstand it."
With a sweeping motion, Kyomu's voice resonated throughout the ninja world, reaching everyone's ears.
"Prepare the army, ready for battle! Soon, we will embark on an expedition to the stars!"
"Long live the Emperor!"
"Long live the Emperor!"
"Long live the Emperor!"
...
...
...
...
"Grandpa, Grandpa, tell us the story of the Emperor again!"
Under a large tree, a child tugged at an old man's arm, persistently asking.
"Alright, alright, one more time." The old man stroked his whitening beard. "Back in the day, I was part of the expeditionary force. Though it's been two hundred years since then, that battle…"
"Where is the expeditionary force?"
A voice full of vigor suddenly rang out. The old man's words paused as his eyes brightened, his bent back straightening, and his lost youth returning.
Forgetting about his grandson, the old man dropped to one knee. "Rock Lee, Captain of the Second Squad of the First Battalion of the Expeditionary Force, at your command!"
"A small world has dared to defy our rule and started a rebellion. All expeditionary forces are to assemble by tomorrow and prepare to follow the Emperor to destroy their world, annihilate their species, and eradicate themm all!"
"At your command!"
Rock Lee stood up, looking up at the starry sky with tears streaming down his face.
His once tumultuous youth had returned at last!
Stepping forward, his bent body regained its vitality, and the power that had once faded returned, all thanks to Kyomu.
"Grandpa, when will you come back?" His grandson ran after him, asking repeatedly.
"As the Emperor commands, I'll be back soon." Rock Lee smiled with pride.
"For the Emperor!"
The End.