The battle raged on the distant sea, yet the conflict didn't seem to disturb the group in the slightest.
A tall man sat casually on a seaside reef, his snow-white hair falling over his shoulders. His sharp, spirited eyes were fixed on the combat in the distance.
"Shion still needs to put more work into her taijutsu."
Watching the distance, where a girl with long, beige hair—turned pitch black due to the power of Moryo—was sent flying by a desperate punch from Isshiki Otsutsuki, Might Guy offered his critique from behind Kakashi.
"Shion is only nineteen, after all. Guy-senpai, don't be too hard on her," Tenzō said with a smile. "These kids are much stronger than we were at that age."
The battle continued. Isshiki Otsutsuki had fully entered the third stage of his Karma. In this state, he possessed the power of his prime, but he only had three days of life remaining. If he couldn't find a vessel capable of bearing his power within that final window, Isshiki would face total extinction.
The trio of Naruto, Sasuke, and Shion, who had previously been suppressing Isshiki, found themselves pushed from an advantageous position to a disadvantage as Isshiki began fighting for his life. Gradually, they began to feel overwhelmed.
"I'm going in."
Seeing that things were taking a turn for the worse, Hayama Shiragumo could no longer restrain himself and charged forward. Without a word, Tenzō immediately followed him. Only Kakashi and Might Guy remained where they were.
No matter how strong Isshiki Otsutsuki was, he was forced to concede defeat in the face of five opponents working in tandem—especially since Tenzō had mastered the Sage Seal: Second Release, and Hayama Shiragumo had mastered the Sage Seal: Third Release.
Kakashi watched calmly as the figure who had been hidden within the Shinobi World for a thousand years finally fell into the sea. His heart didn't waver in the slightest.
Naruto and Sasuke were growing up fast. Even without counting Shion, and even if the experts of the older generation didn't step in, the strength of those two alone was enough to handle any turmoil within the Empire.
The only issue was that both Naruto and Sasuke were a bit... lacking in the head. They would need a brain trust to support them. Among the new generation of the Empire, Shikamaru and Neji were good choices.
Then there was Mirai. She was also growing; at her young age, she had already begun to show her innate brilliance.
On the other hand, Ichigo seemed to be developing a bit of a one-track mind, which left Kakashi somewhat speechless. The boy had been quite steady and reserved as a child, looking like he had a sharp wit about him.
"Guy." Kakashi stood up.
"Kakashi?" Guy looked at him, puzzled.
"You take them and clean up the battlefield. I'm heading back first."
Guy immediately agreed. Without further hesitation, Kakashi vanished from the spot.
Six years had passed since the establishment of the Radiant Empire, and Kakashi's civil strategies were finally bearing fruit.
Large swathes of land in the Shinobi World had bloomed with unprecedented vitality, thanks to the combination of various ninjutsu and the continuous research into Chakra Technology. With ninjutsu-assisted agricultural machinery and high-quality seeds from the Academy of Agricultural Sciences, productivity across all regions grew steadily. In just six years, the basic problem of food and warmth for the people of the Shinobi World had been resolved.
Hundreds of millions of people sang the praises of the Empire's great achievements, and naturally, none could overlook the founding monarch, Kakashi.
Kakashi's chakra had reached a terrifying figure: 1.5 billion.
And this was a conservative level Kakashi maintained to prevent chaos within the Empire. It meant his strength had surpassed all imagination, placing him thoroughly above everyone else. Even the so-called Sage of Six Paths or Kaguya Otsutsuki—indeed, any named member of the Otsutsuki Clan, with the exception of Shibai Otsutsuki—would be no match for Kakashi, even if they all attacked at once.
Back in the Hidden Leaf, Kakashi stood alone on the rooftop of the Radiant Building, gazing out at the prosperous city. There wasn't a trace of the old Konoha left here. Even the Hokage Rock had been excavated and moved to a museum.
There would be no more Hokage.
The wind brushed through Kakashi's long, white hair, which he hadn't bothered to trim. His gaze seemed to pierce through the city, seeing the entire Shinobi World. Looking beyond the world, it was as if he could see the Pure Land where Hagoromo Otsutsuki resided.
Even Kakashi had to applaud the Sage of Six Paths' vision and ability. Originally, the Shinobi World had no Pure Land to house souls. Once a person died, they were truly gone; the soul, like the body, would turn into nourishment to feed back into the world.
It seemed as though Hagoromo had broken a perfect natural cycle of reincarnation, but in reality, he had protected the Shinobi World. If powerful individuals reached the limit of their physical lifespans, they could discard their bodies and continue to exist as souls, much like demons or the Moryo.
If something like the Moryo could survive for a thousand years as a sealed soul, what about others?
To prevent these monsters from continuing to lord over the Shinobi World, Hagoromo decisively chose to establish the Pure Land to collect souls and seal away all powerful demons. He then merged his own soul with the Pure Land to suppress them.
The Sage's creation of the Pure Land gave Kakashi an inspiration. His goal was clear: if the Sage of Six Paths could turn his soul into the Pure Land, why couldn't he do the same?
His target was the very planet beneath his feet. He intended to merge his soul with the planet itself. By fusing with the Earth, and because of his unique properties, every person who thought of Kakashi or the Earth would provide a fraction of power to the planet.
In turn, Kakashi could use that continuous, endless power to make the planet even more vibrant. A cycle of life, ever-burning and never-ending. At that point, he would no longer be just Kakashi; he would, more accurately, be the Will of the Planet.
Kakashi had already abandoned the idea of having Hikari accompany him forever. Human life is finite, and Hikari could not escape the boundaries of being human. A life that lasts too long gradually erases the joys and sorrows of the heart. Kakashi didn't want Hikari to lose the radiance of her humanity. If she lost that, would she still be the Hikari he knew?
Kakashi didn't know if he would lose his own humanity, either. But it no longer mattered.
Shibai Otsutsuki.
That name weighed on his mind like a mountain. The stronger he became, the more he understood how difficult it was to break through dimensions. How terrifying must the man called "God" by the Otsutsuki be, when his mere remains could give birth to all sorts of "bug-level" abilities? There was even that nonsense like "Omnipotence."
At the very least, Kakashi's current body couldn't achieve such things. It could be said that everything Kakashi had was thanks to the power of his "Golden Finger" [cheat/system]. But without all the humans on this planet, what would the point of that power be?
Kakashi didn't like owing favors. Thinking back, he had only ever owed one person in his life: Fugaku Uchiha. The final payment for the sword forged by the White Fang hadn't been settled by the time Fugaku died.
However, the White Fang blade was now in Hayama Shiragumo's hands. If Fugaku wanted to collect the debt, he could wait for Hayama to die and then ask him for it in the Pure Land.
At this thought, Kakashi allowed himself a rare, knowing smile. He pressed a button on the communicator he carried, and the Empire's Secretary-General, Hayate Gekkō, who was on standby at the Radiant Building, immediately appeared behind him.
The current Hayate was married to Yūgao Uzuki and had a son. He had a happy family and was no longer the short-lived ghost he had been in the original timeline.
"Your Majesty," Hayate spoke respectfully.
"Pass down the order. Tell Katasuke to speed up the progress on the trans-oceanic bridge between the Land of Water and the Land of Fire."
"Also, the internal investigations into government officials by the ANBU need to be intensified by another level."
As Kakashi's voice fell, Hayate Gekkō complied without a moment's hesitation.
To merge with the Will of the Planet, 1.5 billion chakra was still not enough. Kakashi needed to pick up the pace.
"You're back?"
"You're just in time for Mirai and Ichigo's graduation. We should go see them. And let's take a family photo while we're at it."
Inside the Hatake residence, seeing Kakashi return, Hikari immediately set down the sweater she was halfway through knitting and threw herself into his arms. Even though she was now over five hundred and thirty years old, Hikari still maintained a girl-like temperament, only showing a stricter side in front of the children.
"That sounds good. By the way, where's Kurenai?"
Kakashi embraced his wife, his eyes—usually cold and calm to the extreme in public—softening considerably.
"Kurenai went to buy groceries."
Despite being the Second Lady of the Empire and someone who shouldn't have to lift a finger, Kurenai still maintained her old habits, preferring to do everything herself.
"Since you're back, though, see if this sweater I knitted fits you. Hehe... I just learned how. You're not allowed to say it's ugly!"
Hikari poked her head out from Kakashi's chest, sniffing the familiar scent of her husband, then ran back to pick up a lopsided, crooked sweater from under a ball of yarn, presenting it to Kakashi like she was showing off a treasure.
"Hmm. It looks pretty ugly."
"Didn't I say you're not allowed to say it's ugly?!"
Year 18 of the Radiant EraRadiant Building, Meeting Room No. 1
A man with pure white hair sat at the head of the table, flanked by the most important members of the Empire's high command.
Today was the twentieth anniversary of the nation's founding. With the New Year approaching, it was custom for the First Monarch to give a live televised address to congratulate the citizens.
But this year was different.
Last month, an Otsutsuki raiding party had attacked. Although they were successfully eliminated, it had caused some unrest, which had displeased the Emperor. Facing this founding monarch, who was only forty-five years old, everyone except for the old guard who had fought alongside him was trembling in their boots.
The man in the high seat listened to the official in charge of the New Year ceremony drone on about the itinerary, his brow furrowing slightly, though his expression remained unreadable.
"...and so, before Your Majesty offers the New Year's greetings, there will be a celebratory event involving the senior leaders. Furthermore..."
The official continued to speak incessantly.
"Wait. That is enough for today. We will discuss it tomorrow."
Suddenly, a voice interrupted. Everyone looked toward the speaker in unison. It was the Director of the Empire's Medical Department, Shizune.
"Didn't you hear her?" the man at the head of the table asked.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Seeing the Emperor speak, the crowd dispersed. In an instant, only a few of the old guard remained in the vast meeting room.
"Your Majesty..."
Once the others were gone, Shizune, now also forty-five, hurried to Kakashi's side. Without a word, she grabbed his wrist and placed her fingers on his pulse.
"It's gotten worse... If this continues..." Pain flashed in Shizune's eyes.
The other veterans also looked on with heavy hearts. Three years ago, this Emperor—who should have been in the prime of his life—began to decline. His health worsened daily, and he had even begun coughing up blood. A year ago, he had bled from the corner of his mouth in public, causing such a shock that people almost forgot what they were doing.
They had thought it was just exhaustion and that rest would fix it, but it only grew more severe. Rumors had even begun to spread within the Empire that the Emperor was nearing his end.
"I am fine," Kakashi said, gently pushing Shizune's fingers away.
"But...!" Shizune's face was filled with frustration.
As the most skilled medical ninja in the Empire, she felt utterly powerless because she couldn't find the cause of Kakashi's condition. If it were some rare disease, she and the entire medical team could have solved it. Even if they couldn't cure it, they could have at least extended his life.
But there was no "disease."
The organs in Kakashi's body were aging at dozens of times the speed of a normal person, as if time itself had been accelerated within him. There was only one explanation: Kakashi's time was simply running out.
Medicine is just medicine; it is not a secret art to reverse life and death. Moreover, ever since Tobirama Senju had been Reanimated one too many times, Kakashi had personally banned all secret techniques related to resurrection. The boundary between life and death could not be easily broken. Once people lost their reverence for death, it was inevitable that madmen would appear who viewed life as worthless.
"The New Year plans remain unchanged," Kakashi said firmly.
Only he knew his own situation. His chakra had reached a staggering 30 billion. It had increased twenty-fold in twelve years.
With his chakra exploding for eighteen years, even with his continuous physical tempering, his body could no longer withstand such a terrifying amount of power. Kakashi's body now was no different from a frail old man's.
In fact, the fact that he had survived for three years with 30 billion chakra in a mortal body was nothing short of a miracle. By his estimation, this body would die within three months.
Faced with Kakashi's resolve, a palpable atmosphere of grief filled the room.
"Hayate."
Hearing Kakashi's voice, Hayate Gekkō suppressed his sorrow and stepped forward.
"Record this."
"After my death, Tenzō will take my place."
"Guy, Hayama, and Shizune will act as his advisors."
"Kakashi-senpai..."
Hearing Kakashi begin to arrange his funeral affairs, the people in the room could no longer hide their anguish.
"I... I am not enough..." Tenzō wept silently upon hearing that he was to succeed Kakashi.
"The second monarch of the Empire doesn't need to be the strongest, but he needs to be gentle," Kakashi said calmly. "Tenzō, your temperament is the most suitable, and your early work with the reforestation projects has earned you significant public support."
"This position is best suited for you."
"Do not let me down."