Tachibana Kyūjō gave a calm nod. He already knew what Azazel was about to say—but what Azazel didn't realize was that Kyūjō was stalling for ti as well.
All of this was to buy Infinity just a few extra seconds—enough to calculate the most optimal and safest thod to eliminate Azazel.
Of course, Kyūjō himself didn't have much ti left. Ever since he had activated the Mark pattern on his body, his life had begun ticking down, second by second.
Azazel's voice trembled as he took a step forward, his expression twisted in desperation.
"You've seen it, haven't you? You know what's coming... Don't force my hand, human…"
A flicker of annoyance crossed Kyūjō's brow. But with Infinity's rapid data analysis guiding his thoughts, he made his choice. It had only a 49% chance of success—but it was still the best option available.
He t Azazel's gaze with composed eyes and answered in a flat voice.
"Yes. I've seen it."
"But does that an I should just let you go?"
"What guarantees do I have that you won't turn on the mont I do? You're a demon… You can't even trust your own promises."
"The mont I stepped into Mariejois today, our paths were sealed. Accept it—you're going down… demon."
"NO!!" Azazel roared in desperation, trying to interrupt Kyūjō as he quickly added,
"Listen! We don't have to fight! The three of us could rule this world together. I possess a power that lets our souls rge into one. You know Imu, don't you? The human who spoke with you earlier?"
"Imu has been bound to for over eight hundred years. That's the only reason he's survived this long and surpassed the limits of ordinary humans."
"If you agree, I can divide my soul again—fuse it with yours. Our souls will rge. You will beco , and I will beco you. Together, we'll rule this world… for eternity!!"
Azazel's face had gone completely insane by now, his voice laced with obsession and madness.
Even though Kyūjō had predicted such a twisted offer, hearing it still sent a chill down his spine.
So this was why he was called a demon—madness incarnate, obsessed with domination and control.
Suppressing his rising disgust, Kyūjō feigned interest and asked in an emotionless tone,
"What exactly do you an by that?"
A hint of relief flickered in Azazel's expression. He believed he had planted a seed of temptation.
After all, who could truly resist the lure of eternal life and absolute power?
But before Azazel could savor that false sense of hope—
Shlunk!
The long blade of Rairyūken pierced through Azazel's massive singular eye, skewering his skull from front to back.
The tip of the blade burst out through the back of his head, gleaming coldly under the shattered heavens.
At the sa ti, Kyūjō unleashed a powerful surge of Colorless Haki infused with sheer ntal will—flooding through Azazel's body and striking directly at the two ancient souls inside.
The souls that had endured for over eight centuries were utterly annihilated… erased from existence without a trace.
— — —
Without wasting even a second, Kyūjō confird the success of his strike through Infinity's calculations. Then, he launched himself into the sky—his figure a blur of lightning—heading straight toward Skypiea.
As he passed over the battlefield below—where Marines were locked in combat with the forces of the World Governnt—Kyūjō released several sweeping air slashes downward.
And then, with little hesitation, he hurled his sheathed Rairyūken toward the earth.
BOOM…
BOOM…
BOOM…
A trio of earth-shaking explosions rocked the battlefield, clearing the haze of war in an instant.
The hidden Holy Knights, those who had long lurked in the shadows behind the Celestial Dragons, were obliterated—cut down by a force they couldn't even comprehend.
The sheathed Rairyūken landed silently in the middle of the battlefield… right at the feet of two towering figures—Fleet Admiral Sengoku and the forr Fleet Admiral, Kong.
A mont later, Kyūjō's voice echoed across the sky, audible to every soldier below:
"Uncle Sengoku… it's over. The rest is in your hands."
And with that, his presence vanished—disappearing entirely from the skies above Mariejois.
Sengoku stared at the blade in silence, his face overwheld with a swirl of emotions.
In the end… was there truly nothing he could do for Kyū-chan?
Kong, anwhile, kept his eyes sharp on the corpses of the seven Holy Knights, decapitated in a single instant.
Without another word, he launched himself into the air, using Geppo to fly toward the devastated remains of Pangaea Castle.
Sengoku followed closely behind, plucking Rairyūken from the ground as he leapt into the sky.
— — —
Ten minutes later, the great war that had claid hundreds of thousands of lives finally ca to a halt—thanks to the combined presence of two Marine legends.
And only then did Admiral Akainu finally arrive… carried by a delayed Kizaru.
Late, but not absent.
Still, as he looked around at the cheering Marines celebrating victory, Akainu was left utterly dumbfounded.
"…What the hell happened here? I wasn't even here yet."
"…Is it too late for to beco Fleet Admiral?"
That lingering thought filled his mind… sowing seeds of uncertainty.
— — —
Skypiea – A Cozy Little Cabin in the Clouds
Inside a warm wooden cabin in the sky, Tachibana Kyūjō sat with a soft smile, holding the pink-haired girl in his arms—Hina.
He whispered the truths he had kept hidden… the secrets buried deep in his soul.
Hina shook her head, tears spilling down her cheeks. She already knew… she was about to lose him.
Kyūjō could feel his consciousness fading.
Desperate, he spoke his final words:
"Take care of yourself, Hina… I'll find you again, I swear… even if I have to tear through ti and space itself, I will return to you."
"This is my vow… Hina."
And he ant every word.
If dying once and reincarnating was coincidence…
If it happened a second ti, perhaps it was fate…
But a third ti?
— — —
Kyūjō's vision dimd. Darkness swallowed him whole.
His body collapsed gently in Hina's arms, unmoving.
She cried and cried, unaware… that a golden light had begun to flicker between Kyūjō's eyebrows.
The light shimred, hesitating, as if pondering a decision. It hovered before Kyūjō's closed eyes…
And then—rged into his pupils.
The light vanished.
And with it—Kyūjō's eyes disappeared completely.
Now, the figure of Tachibana Kyūjō lay still… with empty eyelids sunken inward, like a corpse carved from legend.
— — —
Shinobi World — Age of the Hidden Villages
After the First Great Ninja War, four of the Five Kage from the second generation fell in battle—Raikage, Mizukage, Tsuchikage… and the leader of the greatest Hidden Village of all: the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama.
Of course, Tobirama's enemies didn't escape unscathed either.
The infamous Kinkaku and Ginkaku brothers of Kumogakure—along with their elite forces—were wiped out in the sa war.
The First Great Ninja War had devastated all five great villages.
Kumogakure, in particular, had suffered massive losses.
Only after that did the ninja world finally find a rare mont of peace.
But peace… breeds heroes.
New legends began to rise. New nas were etched into the pages of shinobi history.
And it was in this exact era—seven years after the war—that a certain figure slipped quietly into this world…
Tachibana Kyūjō.
In the Hatake Clan residence within the Hidden Leaf Village, a renowned ninja family—
A midwife gently lifted a newborn baby from a woman's side.
She was about to announce the child's gender…
But the mont she saw the baby's forehead—with a mysterious blue birthmark—and those wide, glowing eyes that had been open since birth—
She gasped and shouted in shock:
"Blue… His eyes are glowing blue!!"
— — —
PS: The Naruto Arc begins! I hope you'll keep supporting the journey!
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