Everything returned to calm. The sky regained its original color.
The gigantic divine hall floating above the clouds slowly turned transparent, then vanished completely.
Shinju's body began to fall.
Behind him, those figures—names that had once left heavy strokes across history—also gradually faded away along with the hall.
On the ground, at first, it was only one person shouting.
Then ten. A hundred.
Until at last, atop the ruins of Konoha, every member of the Shinobi Allied Forces used every bit of strength they had left and roared the same name.
"Shinju-sama!"
The sound tore through the clouds.
Tears of survival streamed down every face, and in their eyes burned an almost crazed flame.
They raised their heads, staring at that descending figure as if welcoming the one and only god.
Shinju's toes touched down lightly.
Yet the entire world plunged into an even greater frenzy because of that landing.
The shinobi surged forward, wanting to draw close, wanting to touch him—
but they stopped ten meters away, then knelt on their own, burying their heads deep.
It was reverence from the bottom of the heart.
And it wasn't just here.
Through the chakra monitoring system spread across the globe, every corner of the planet—everyone—saw this scene.
They saw how the monster that would have destroyed the world turned to ash.
And they saw how Shinju-sama, leading the legendary 817 heroes, brought this apocalyptic war to an end.
In hospital wards, wounded civilians struggled to sit up, then knelt toward the screen.
In crowded shelters, countless people clung to each other and sobbed, whispering that name over and over.
Inside command centers around the world, those high-ranking figures who usually sat above all others now stood straight, facing the figure on the screen with the highest respect.
At this moment, the will of the entire planet gathered onto one man.
The whole world fell silent in an instant.
Everyone held their breath, waiting for his voice.
"Everyone."
His voice traveled through the monitoring system, reaching every ear with perfect clarity.
"We've won."
After a brief hush, the eruption was even more violent.
People jumped, screamed, and vented their excitement and joy in the most primal ways.
Humanity had won.
Shinju waited quietly.
Behind him, the heroic spirits stood quietly as well.
Hashirama folded his arms, wearing a gratified smile.
Madara's expression was still cold, but there was a faint ripple deep in his eyes.
Tobirama. Minato. Kushina…
The cheers lasted a long time.
Only when they finally began to fade, and all eyes focused on Shinju again, did he continue.
"But this isn't the end."
Everyone froze.
Their victory high hadn't even fully faded—those words made their hearts rise again.
"It's the beginning."
Shinju's gaze swept over the Allied Forces, then seemed to pierce through space itself, seeing every person watching from behind a screen.
"From today onward, our eyes will no longer be limited to this land."
His words stole everyone's breath.
Images from the battle surfaced in their minds without permission—
the enemy from the depths of space, the power that could annihilate a planet.
The memory of fear still lingered.
"The sea of stars… is our new journey."
Before today, no one would have dared to imagine it.
The land beneath their feet had been their entire world.
But now this man was telling them that beyond this world… there was a far wider heaven.
"I will lead you to explore a broader universe, to witness more brilliant civilizations."
Shinju's voice became firm and powerful.
"Earth's future will be written by our own hands!"
When those words fell—
the world went dead silent.
Everyone was shaken by the grand vision he'd drawn.
Exploring the universe.
Writing the future.
What kind of resolve did it take to speak like that?
In the next moment, the Kage of the Five Great Villages were the first to drop to one knee.
"We swear to follow Shinju-sama to the death!"
Their voices ignited the fuse.
The entire Shinobi Allied Forces answered their leader with a unified roar.
"Swear to follow Shinju-sama to the death!"
Then, through the Sky Net system, voices from every corner of the world converged into the same vow.
"Swear to follow Shinju-sama to the death!"
A new era, at this moment, officially began.
The Shinobi Allied Forces—an organization temporarily assembled to face war—also completed its historical mission on this day.
A new name was born:
The Earth Guardian Alliance.
This alliance naturally placed Shinju as the supreme leader. Its purpose remained the same—protect this planet, and advance into the universe.
The barriers between nations and villages were completely shattered at this moment.
There was no longer "us and them."
Now, everyone shared one identity.
Earthling.
And one shared leader—
Shinju.
A victory celebration was held atop Konoha's ruins.
It was also the inauguration ceremony of the Earth Guardian Alliance.
People sang and danced, celebrating rebirth.
Everyone believed that under Shinju-sama's leadership, a bright future awaited them.
Shinju stood atop the rebuilt Hokage Rock, looking down at the celebrating crowd below.
The Hokage Rock behind him had been remodeled into the entrance of the Divine Court's headquarters.
At this moment, he was the planet's sole will.
He had gained supreme prestige.
Prestige great enough to push through any policy he wanted—great enough to mobilize every resource on the planet.
Everything was proceeding according to his plan.
But then, a sudden change occurred.
Just as the celebration reached its peak—
a piercing alarm rang out.
It didn't come from any external corner of the world.
It echoed directly inside Shinju's mind.
This was the Divine Court headquarters' highest alert.
Its frequency was several times more intense than when Momoshiki invaded.
This was an unprecedented, maximum-level threat.
Even Shinju felt wary. He had just fought a so-called god with everything he had… and now another enemy was coming?
The celebrating crowd below noticed nothing, still immersed in joy.
But Shinju clearly felt a spine-chilling energy fluctuation—something different from anything he'd faced before—gathering above Konoha.
He snapped his head up.
The sky… split open.
A pitch-black rift appeared out of nowhere.
Inside it was bottomless darkness, and chaotic spatial turbulence.
Above Konoha—no, above the entire Land of Fire—the sky was dyed an eerie dark red by that energy.
The celebration came to an abrupt stop.
Everyone lifted their heads in horror, staring at the anomaly overhead.
The rift kept expanding.
A new enemy…
had descended.
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My P@treon For 20+ Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!]
[[email protected]/Draumel]
[Thank You For Your Support!]