A tense silence filled the battlefield as Shouta Kazuki's golden summoning circle remained eerily motionless. The previous two summonings had been immediate—first Madara Uchiha, then Senju Hashirama, each emerging in a golden blaze, their soul flames drawn seamlessly into the mortal realm. But this time... something was wrong.
Madara's brows furrowed, his sharp eyes locked onto the still, glowing circle. "Tch. What's taking so long? That last summon didn't hesitate like this."
Senju Tobirama, ever the analyst, narrowed his eyes as he studied the stagnant energy flow. "Kazuki... Did you mess something up? The previous times were smooth, but now the jutsu feels... obstructed."
"Obstructed?" Shouta muttered, wiping his forehead. He had followed the same process, and yet, something—no, someone—was resisting the summoning.
Meanwhile, Hashirama was crouched near the golden circle, poking at it with childlike curiosity. "Maybe they're just shy! C'mon, little spirit, you can come out now! We won't bite!"
"Speak for yourself," Madara scoffed, arms crossed. "If it's taking this long, it means something unnatural is at work."
"System! What the hell is going on?!" Shouta mentally demanded.
His system finally responded, its tone frazzled.
[Tch! Do you think I'm sitting around doing nothing?! This is different! This soul isn't like the others—it was never supposed to leave the realm of the dead! Even the laws of reality are resisting this summoning!]
A chill ran down Shouta's spine. "Never supposed to leave...? Then who the hell—?"
Before he could finish his thought, the golden magic circle violently expanded, shooting a beam of energy straight into the sky. The very air trembled under its pressure, and a deafening roar echoed through the void.
Then, it appeared.
A massive, monstrous head slowly emerged from the summoning circle. Its thick, pale hair swayed like death's shroud, and atop its head, two twisted horns jutted outward. A terrifying, demonic mask-like face twisted in agony, and long, skeletal hands clawed their way out of the portal. Its massive body, wrapped in a flowing white robe, towered over them, exuding an oppressive, spectral aura.
"Is that...?" Shouta's voice cracked as he took a step back.
Madara's Sharingan spun wildly, then shifted into the Rinnegan in an instant. "I don't know what this thing is... but I can tell it doesn't belong in our world."
Senju Tobirama stood frozen for a moment, his throat suddenly dry as he swallowed hard.
"Brother...!!! Look carefully!!! This thing is not a ninja!!!"
"Huh? Then what is it?!" Senju Hashirama still looked dumbfounded, his brows furrowed in confusion as he examined the struggling figure before them.
Tobirama gritted his teeth, feeling a headache coming. "Brother… do you still remember the jutsu I created?!"
"What jutsu? You've invented so many, I can't even keep track of them all!"
"It's that forbidden jutsu—Shiki Fūjin (Reaper Death Seal)!!!"
Hashirama blinked, tilting his head slightly. "...I don't remember."
Tobirama twitched violently at his brother's casual answer. To be honest, he had already expected this. After all, every time he developed a new technique, Hashirama would barely acknowledge it before deciding its fate.
At first, Hashirama would at least show some curiosity, asking about the new ninjutsu. But after Tobirama explained, his older brother would frown and say…
"Tobirama! Your jutsu is too dangerous! I think we should seal it away!"
And as this happened too many times, it had become routine.
"Brother! I created a new jutsu!" Tobirama would announce, full of enthusiasm.
"Is it a Water Release technique?" Hashirama wouldn't even look up.
"No!" Tobirama would shake his head.
"Then let's ban it. Here's the sealing scroll," Hashirama would say, tossing him the scroll without a second thought.
And so, it had always been like this…
Now, seeing Hashirama's blank face, Tobirama clenched his fist and took a deep breath before explaining what the Reaper Death Seal actually was.
Once he finished, Hashirama frowned deeply.
"Tobirama, how many times have I told you to stop creating these strange jutsu?! They are too dangerous! What if someone misuses them and gets themselves killed?!"
"Brother, now is not the time for this conversation!" Tobirama snapped. His eyes were fixed on the horrifying figure in front of them, his expression grim. "The important thing is not whether my jutsu is dangerous. The real issue here is that Shouta Kazuki clearly used a summoning technique that should have only brought forth the undead of Konoha… so why did he summon the Shinigami instead?!"
Hearing Tobirama's words, Hashirama's face grew serious as well.
"Could it be…" Hashirama muttered, rubbing his chin, "that because Shouta's ability forcibly pulled souls from the underworld, the Shinigami got angry and came to punish him?!"
His frown deepened as he considered the possibility. If that were the case, then things had just become much more complicated.
By this point, Uchiha Madara had already positioned himself next to Shouta Kazuki, his Rinnegan eyes activated, scanning the scene carefully. Noticing this, Hashirama immediately moved to Shouta's other side, standing as a shield between him and the entity before them.
In his heart, Hashirama had already made a decision.
No matter what, he had been revived in a perfect state. He owed this chance to Shouta Kazuki.
Not only that, but thanks to Shouta's ability, he had been reunited with Madara and his younger brother. If this so-called "Shinigami" had come to punish Shouta for meddling with the dead, then as the First Hokage, he would not allow it!
This child was a member of his village. His junior.
If the Shinigami dared to lay a single finger on Shouta Kazuki, then Hashirama wouldn't mind showing this so-called "death god" just what it meant to be the "God of Shinobi"!
Hashirama glanced sideways at Madara. Their eyes met for a brief second. No words were spoken. They didn't need to be.
Madara understood.
And in that moment, both men silently prepared themselves for battle.
However, things took a turn that no one expected.
—BOOOOOM—
Suddenly, golden chains erupted from the ground, entangling the struggling Shinigami's massive body. The golden light in the summoning circle intensified, melting away at the creature's form as though burning it from the inside out!
The Shinigami writhed in agony, letting out a soundless scream. Its hands trembled violently, its grip loosening.
—CLANG—
The ceremonial blade it always carried fell from its mouth and landed with a dull thud.
And then—
A wisp of soul fire drifted out from its gaping mouth.
The instant the soul fire left its body, the Shinigami seemed to experience relief for the first time. It snatched up its blade and, without even looking back, fled.
—WHOOSH—
Like a frightened animal, the god of death vanished into the golden summoning circle, disappearing without a trace.
Silence.
Everyone stared at the empty space where the Shinigami had once stood.
"…Wait… did that thing just… spit out a soul and run away?!" Madara asked, breaking the silence.
Hashirama nodded dumbly.
"It seems so… I don't know which Konoha ninja this is, but they must've been eaten by the Shinigami at some point. I wonder how that felt? Probably not very comfortable… Do you think they were—"
"Hashirama!!!" Madara snapped.
"Hmm?"
"Shut up!!!"
Even Shouta Kazuki was sweating at this point. He turned to the system, his mind racing.
—[System!!! What the hell just happened?!]—
—[Tch! That damn Shinigami was acting all high and mighty! If I don't put these guys in their place every now and then, they forget who's boss!]—
Shouta swallowed hard.
—[Brother System… You're incredible…]—
—[Heh. Low-key, low-key. I'm not the kind of system that likes to show off. It's just that these so-called "death gods" get too full of themselves sometimes! Asking them for a soul is already polite! But that one hesitated?! Heh! Not on my watch!]—
Shouta decided not to comment further. He had just witnessed a literal god of death be bullied into submission.
Even Tobirama looked shaken.
"It must be as I thought…" Tobirama murmured. "Shouta Kazuki's summoning ability didn't just break the cycle of reincarnation… it even forced the Shinigami to surrender a soul it had already devoured."
He turned to Shouta, eyes gleaming with sharpness.
"Just what kind of power do you hold, kid?"
Madara, who had just deactivated his Rinnegan, cast another glance at Shouta, his expression unreadable.
And Hashirama?
He had already forgotten about everything and returned to his usual carefree state.
"Well, whatever! If it's someone from Konoha, I'm sure they'll be a good person! Let's see who we got!"
The soul fire flickered gently in the air, hovering before Shouta.
Who had been trapped inside the Shinigami's belly for all these years?
And more importantly—
What would they bring to the world now that they had been freed?