Chapter 53 – Starforce
Six years passed in the blink of an eye.
That day, the Hidden Leaf Village was bursting with life—every home lit with colorful lanterns, festive decorations fluttered in the breeze, and cheerful villagers crowded the streets with wide, carefree smiles.
For the first time in years, Hatake Kyūjō stepped outside his home. Beside him walked his older brother—none other than the former Fourth Hokage, Hatake Sakumo, who had retired long ago.
Together, they strolled toward the grand estate of the Fifth Hokage—Namikaze Minato.
Yes, Hatake Sakumo, who was still in his prime, had voluntarily stepped down from his post just a year prior, following in the footsteps of the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, and had passed the title of Hokage to Minato.
Now, Minato's home was packed with guests from across the shinobi world, the air lively and full of joy.
Even Kyūjō, who usually avoided attention and kept to himself, had joined the celebration. There, he reunited with friends and comrades he hadn't seen in years.
They had all gathered for a single purpose: to celebrate the birth of the Fifth Hokage's son—Namikaze Naruto, child of Minato and Uzumaki Kushina.
In this world, there had been no Nine-Tails attack, no tragedy at Naruto's birth. As such, the boy never carried the name "Uzumaki," nor did he bear the burden of the village's hatred.
He was destined to grow up surrounded by warmth and admiration.
As Kyūjō and Sakumo stepped into the estate, the guests paused their conversations and instinctively turned to greet the two with deep respect.
But beyond the festivities, there was another reason this day had been declared a village-wide celebration—one far more important, and it revolved entirely around Hatake Kyūjō.
He was going to establish something new.
A Sacred Arts Academy, right here in Konoha.
This academy would not be limited to the children of the Leaf, but open to young shinobi from every village—great or small, even civilian families. So long as they could pass the entrance test, anyone could enroll. Tuition? Free. And post-graduation placement? Guaranteed.
In fact, Namikaze Naruto himself had already been registered as one of the first students.
But this grand plan had roots that stretched back years.
Three years after returning to Konoha with all nine tailed beasts sealed within him, Kyūjō had completed his fourth-generation evolution of the Breathing Techniques. By refining and absorbing natural energy through his own method, he reached the pinnacle stage—Eternal Sage Body.
A body of a true Sage, eternal and immortal.
A year later, the energy from that Eternal Sage Body finally reached equilibrium with the Colorless Haki that surged within him.
And when those two powers aligned perfectly... they began to merge—effortlessly, without force.
The union of Colorless Haki and the natural energy of Sage Mode gave birth to something new—an energy that transcended all known power systems in the shinobi world.
He named it:
Starforce—a force so immense, it could annihilate stars.
The moment this power awakened, even his Infinity Sensory System evolved drastically.
His perception now encompassed not only the shinobi world—but the entire planet.
Yes. Every mountain, ocean, and forest... he could feel them all as if they were within reach.
The three hidden sacred places—Mount Myōboku, Ryūchi Cave, and Shikkotsu Forest—once concealed between dimensions, now appeared clearly in his mind.
Even Yomi, the underworld that housed the souls of fallen shinobi, lay bare before his awareness.
To Hatake Kyūjō, there were no more secrets left in this world.
Nagato. Black Zetsu. Uchiha Madara. Every one of them had already been located.
Even Jigen, the vessel of Ōtsutsuki Isshiki, had been discovered.
With Starforce, Kyūjō could tear through dimensions and appear before any target he chose with a mere flick of his hand.
But he had no interest in pursuing them.
The gap in power was far too vast.
Even if Ōtsutsuki Kaguya were resurrected now, even if Isshiki regained his full strength, even if they joined forces…
They still couldn't defeat Hatake Kyūjō.
So why bother?
To him, they weren't enemies worth fighting.
He would leave them—leave all of them—for the next generation. For his students.
That was why he made a decision:
He would soon leave the shinobi world behind.
His body and soul had transcended time and death. As long as he willed it, he would not perish. His cells would never decay. His soul would never rot.
As long as the universe continued to flow with natural energy, he would live.
With a lifespan nearing eternity and power beyond measure, Kyūjō had set his sights on the stars.
It was important to remember—the world of Naruto acknowledged the existence of the cosmos.
And among the stars... dwelled the true rulers—the Ōtsutsuki Clan.
Beings that traveled from world to world, draining planets dry of life to evolve themselves into gods—Ōtsutsuki Gods, the apex of all living beings.
Thousands of years ago, Kaguya and Isshiki were among those who arrived on this world, sparking a long chain of events that shaped the history of shinobi.
But Kyūjō scoffed at their evolutionary path—mindless harvesting and brute-force accumulation of energy to trigger a transformation in scale.
It was crude. Primitive.
And so, before he left this world behind, he had to prepare something.
He couldn't leave the shinobi world unguarded.
More enemies would come from the stars. If the world wasn't ready, it would be destroyed.
Just look at the future—even Naruto himself died in Boruto... sealed away forever.
Until the Ōtsutsuki Clan was completely erased, this world would never truly be safe.
But if Kyūjō were gone for too long… who would protect it?
That's why—
The Sacred Arts Academy was not just a school. It was the foundation of the shinobi world's new defense system.
As the old saying goes: "Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. Teach him to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime."
Kyūjō would teach them how to fish—how to protect this world with their own hands.
That was why he let his enemies live.
They would serve as trials. Living tests for his students.
When his disciples grew strong enough to defeat those enemies with their own strength…
That would be the moment.
The moment Kyūjō would leave this world.
And leave behind a sky…
That had grown far too small for him.
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