"Alright, you can leave now."
Just as Uchiha Fugaku and his clan were still reeling from the shock of the recent events, one of the two black-robed figures from the Twelve Divine Moons spoke calmly. With a low buzzing sound, the world around them distorted. The next moment, they found themselves back in the desolate ruins of Whirlpool Village.
It felt as if everything that had just happened was a dream, a strange and vivid illusion. But the cold, lifeless body of Uchiha Itachi on the ground and the sight of the two figures still floating in mid-air proved that it was all real. They had successfully met the legendary being known throughout the Shinobi World, a man whose story seemed to span its entire history: the Divine Being, Tsukihiko.
More importantly, they had received his promise. This meant that from this day forward, the Uchiha clan would not only survive—they would rise again.
"Times change," one of the black-robed figures said, his voice indifferent. "The Uchiha clan has fallen far from its former glory. When you came here, you had many tails following you. You probably didn't even notice, did you?"
Whoosh!
The words sent a jolt of alarm through Fugaku and the others. They had no idea they were being followed. It made sense, though. The clan's recent activities had surely attracted the attention of Sarutobi Hiruzen and the other village elders. It was only natural that they would dispatch Anbu agents to monitor their every move.
…"Since Lord Tsukihiko has given you his word, we will handle the rest," the other black-robed figure added, his tone just as calm. "You may go."
Hearing this, Fugaku and the other Uchiha warriors were once again startled. These two were also members of the Twelve Divine Moons. A ninja as famously skilled as Shisui Uchiha—a man known for both his incredible power and his cunning—was only ranked as Upper Moon Six. That meant these two mysterious figures had to be ranked even higher. With powerhouses like them taking action, the Uchiha's crisis could likely be solved without the Divine Being having to lift a finger.
"Quick!" Fugaku ordered his men. "Hurry!"
Under the watchful eyes of the two black-robed figures, the Uchiha clan members, led by their chief, quickly turned and fled the scene.
"Among those tails, there seem to be some old acquaintances of yours from Konoha, aren't there?" one of the figures said to the other after the Uchiha were gone.
"It seems so," the other replied with a hint of amusement. "This looks like a rare opportunity to settle some old scores."
Their gazes met for a brief moment before they both vanished into the sky.
…Buzz!
At that same moment, inside the Blood God Art: Infinity Kingdom—an evolved version of his old Blood Demon Art: Infinity Castle—Tsukihiko's eyes snapped open. The space before him transformed into a vast cosmos filled with a myriad of stars. Each star pulsed with a distinct life force. The twelve brightest stars closest to him were the Twelve Kizuki he had cultivated back in the Demon Slayer World.
He remembered the final battle in that world, at the home of the Japanese Imperial Family. The combined forces of the Priest Clan and the Imperial Family were no match for him. However, at the most critical moment, the World Will of the Demon Slayer World had directly intervened, causing the entire world to reject his existence.
Even though Tsukihiko had achieved his transformation into a perfect being, he couldn't completely overcome the backlash from an entire world's consciousness. His only option was to recall all the blood he had distributed, reabsorbing that power back into himself. In a short time, his abilities soared past the limits of that world. But because of this, the Demon Slayer World could no longer withstand his presence.
In his final moments there, he laid out his last plans, using the remaining members of the Nine Pillars, Shinobu Kocho and Mitsuri Kanroji. He was confident that by now, in the current timeline of that world, the entire nation of Japan had transformed into a kingdom of demons. All thanks to the parting gift he had left inside Shinobu and Mitsuri.
Now, as he looked at the countless stars before him, he knew that each one was a being he had once turned into a demon. Tsukihiko could feel that as his power continued to grow, he would one day be able to re-forge every single one of these consciousnesses into a living being once more. When that day came, he would truly become a Creator.
…"Heaven and earth are but an inn for all things; time is a passing guest over generations," Tsukihiko sighed, his handsome face untouched by the passage of time. "And life is like a dream. How much joy is there to be found in it?"
A century had passed since he first arrived in the Naruto World. He had watched the Shinobi World develop and evolve, always remaining in the shadows. But now, on the eve of the Uchiha clan's prophesied doom, he, the Divine Being Tsukihiko, was finally going to make his move.
"The World Will of this place is different from the Demon Slayer World's," he mused. "Here, bloodline determines everything."
The legendary battles between Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, and the fated conflict between the current reincarnations, Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha, all proved this point. But in Tsukihiko's grand calculations, it didn't matter whether the reincarnation of Ashura or Indra won in the end; both outcomes served the natural course of this world.
What Tsukihiko wanted was something more. He planned to create a true empire of his own, but the word 'demon' felt too crude for his ambitions. After all, he was aiming for an ascension to the level of a Creator. Therefore, the nation he would build would be a truly perfect nation. And in such a nation, every inhabitant would be a perfect being. It would be an absolute, perfect world.
"Now, the wheel of fate begins to turn," Tsukihiko whispered, his gaze seeming to pierce through reality itself. "But from this moment on, the players and the pieces on the board will change."
His eyes surveyed the entire Shinobi World as if it were his personal chessboard. The Five Great Nations, the Five Great Ninja Villages, the shadowy Akatsuki, the scheming Orochimaru, the mysterious Zetsu, and even the legendary Uchiha Madara hiding in the darkness… all of them were now pieces for him to command.