Naruto : My Father Ascended — Now What?

The murmurs in the void slowly died down.

A strange hush spread among the crowd of Otsutsuki clan members as they gazed at the boy before them. He stood calmly, tall for his age, but there was something far more unsettling about him than his posture or height—an overwhelming aura of power. It radiated off him like heat from a star.

"Is that… the son of the Ascended One?" someone whispered.

"No way. He's only twelve…"

"Twelve?" a cloaked woman turned in disbelief. "Are you sure? That chakra... it's higher than anything I've ever felt."

"I can't even sense his true power," said an older Otsutsuki warrior, his brows furrowed. "It's like trying to grasp the sky itself…"

Toga, one of the more accomplished High-Tier Half-Supremes at only forty years old, narrowed his eyes as he studied the boy.

What the hell…? he thought. I've cultivated for decades. Reached heights many dream of. And yet I can't even see how strong he is. It's as if… he's beyond even the Supreme threshold. But that's impossible. He's twelve. Even with time dilation, he couldn't have trained long enough for this... unless he's already taken that step.

Toga clenched his jaw and lowered his gaze. There was no point in challenging something he couldn't even comprehend.

Reizan, unaware or perhaps uncaring of the whispers around him, walked quietly beside Tensai—his loyal guide and protector. Though the others feared Reizan's presence, it was actually Tensai that kept them all at bay. His mere proximity acted like an invisible wall, stopping anyone from daring to approach the boy.

As Reizan approached the towering black platform hovering in the center of the void, he narrowed his eyes. The gravity shifted.

"Interesting…" he muttered aloud. "The pressure here is at least a hundred times stronger than normal… Anyone below Six Paths would be crushed. Anyone weaker than a Grandmaster would just explode."

Only a few Otsutsuki remained standing on the platform—those with truly monstrous chakra reserves. The rest were forced to hover in the void around it, unable to endure the gravitational pressure.

Reizan stepped onto the center with grace, unaffected. He glanced at Tensai. "So, what do we do next?"

Tensai bowed slightly. "We wait, my lord. The Overseer and the clan elders will arrive in a few hours."

Reizan nodded. "Then we wait."

Time passed in silence until, suddenly, the space around the platform twisted violently. Enormous chakra signatures erupted through the void like thunderclaps.

Four massive black ships broke through reality, descending toward the platform like divine weapons. From the first ship, a figure stepped out—a man in a black cloak etched with golden tomoe patterns. A single curved horn jutted from his forehead, and his eyes were startling: white star-shaped pupils set inside pitch-black sclera. A third golden Rinnegan eye glowed ominously on his forehead.

He descended onto the platform in silence.

Moments later, the other ships landed beside Tensai's vessel. Their doors opened with mechanical hisses, and four hooded figures stepped out, each one emanating terrifying chakra. Their faces were hidden, but their presence screamed authority.

The man with the horn stood at the front and bowed slightly. "Welcome, honored elders."

One of the cloaked figures stepped forward—it was a woman, her voice cool and measured. "Suzan. We're glad you're conducting the Awakening Ceremony this time. We'll be in your care."

Suzan, now revealed as the Overseer, smiled. "Of course. Please, follow me."

As the elders prepared to move, they turned their attention to another figure on the platform—Tensai.

"Oh… Lord Tensai," one of the elders exclaimed, eyes widening. "Forgive us for not offering the proper greetings in your presence."

All five elders dropped to one knee in perfect sync.

Tensai waved it off. "You may rise. I've brought the young lord with me. He will sit in the top seats."

Suzan smiled at Reizan, his eyes studying him carefully. "So this is our God's only son. I've been eager to see your talent."

Reizan didn't reply. He simply stared back, silently observing the man. There was something familiar in Suzan's features—he reminded him vaguely of Isshiki, but the third eye made him different. Something about it unsettled Reizan, though he didn't show it.

The group departed, heading deeper into the heart of the celestial star, leaving behind the rest of the Otsutsuki.

Suzan turned to the waiting crowd. "In four more hours," he announced, "I'll teleport you all to the star for talent testing. Prepare yourselves."

The next few hours were filled with arrivals. More and more Otsutsuki appeared from all corners of the cosmos, including the infamous Momoshiki and a stunning woman from the Kaguya branch family. Whispers rippled through the crowd as they took their places.

Suzan's demeanor brightened. "My son will be arriving soon," he murmured with pride.

And finally, after five hours, the last to arrive appeared—Isshiki Otsutsuki himself.

Suzan's son.

Suzan stepped forward. "Now, Main Family members line up on the right. Branch Family members, take the left. If you're here for the tournament, stand in the center."

He then made a bold move—placing Isshiki directly at the front of the Main Family line, despite being the last to arrive.

Murmurs of discontent spread.

"That's favoritism," someone muttered.

A bold voice called out: "Suzan, how can your son be first in line when he arrived last?"

It was Shenzel, a proud young member of the Main Family.

Suzan slowly turned to face him, his golden eyes narrowing. The air grew heavier. Shenzel gasped and stumbled as invisible pressure crashed down on him like a tidal wave.

"You dare question me?" Suzan said, his voice like thunder wrapped in velvet. "I am the Overseer. Know your damn place."

Shenzel dropped to his knees, barely able to breathe. The crowd fell silent.

Reizan, now watching from afar, let out a quiet exhale. Power games. Status wars. He was starting to understand the rot beneath the elegance of his clan.

Tensai, standing beside him, whispered softly, "This is only the beginning, my lord."

Reizan didn't respond. He was thinking of something else—of power, of bloodlines, of what it meant to be "God's only son."

In an instant, space bent.

A shimmering ripple passed through the void as Tensai raised his hand, gripping Reizan's shoulder with quiet familiarity. The two vanished in a flash of white light, teleporting alongside the four concealed elders, who performed their own silent shift through space. Moments later, they all reappeared—landing on a colossal celestial platform floating near the heart of a luminous star.

The air buzzed with ancient energy.

Before them stretched a structure unlike anything Reizan had seen: a giant ring, etched with twelve glowing planetary symbols, encircling the platform's core. In the very center, suspended above the platform like a divine jewel, hovered a radiant star, pulsating with slow, steady beats—each one releasing waves of warmth and authority.

Surrounding the massive dial were dozens of floating seats, suspended midair by invisible threads of chakra. They shifted slightly as if responding to those who approached, gliding forward like obedient sentinels awaiting their masters. Above these floating seats, high above the rest, loomed twelve special thrones—vast, majestic, and carved from celestial stone. These were reserved for the elders of the Otsutsuki.

Without hesitation, Tensai led Reizan forward.

Both approached the elder thrones with the quiet authority of those who knew they belonged. Tensai's presence alone seemed to part the chakra in the air, and Reizan followed beside him, regal and composed. Together, they occupied two of the twelve high thrones, settling into their seats with seamless grace.

A moment later, the remaining four elders, faces hidden beneath black and silver ceremonial cloaks, ascended and took their seats as well. Unlike Suzan, they concealed their presence—no chakra signature, no aura, no outward sense of identity. They kept their distance from Tensai, not out of disrespect, but because his power was simply overwhelming. Even without revealing a shred of his true energy, Tensai's silence was louder than thunder.

Reizan sat still, observing everything. His fingers curled slightly around the armrest of the throne as he studied the massive star floating above them.

"So this is the place," he murmured to himself. "The stage for the Awakening."

Moments passed in stillness.

Then, the platform trembled—not from instability, but from a vast teleportation spell. The atmosphere cracked and shimmered as a massive crowd suddenly materialized around the platform in neatly aligned formations.

Three rows of beings now stood in perfect order: Main family members on the right, junior tournament participants in the center, and the branch family members on the left.

They had been transported by none other than Suzan, the Overseer himself.

He descended through the sky with thunderous weight, his presence like a sun being dragged across the heavens. Unlike the cloaked elders or the ever-composed Tensai, Suzan made no attempt to hide his aura. He wanted to be seen—no, felt. And he succeeded. The gravity around him pulsed with barely restrained power, and even the more seasoned Otsutsuki among the crowd couldn't help but flinch.

Reizan narrowed his eyes. So he's a Rank 8… Legend Stage, he thought. And yet, even with Suzan's aura dominating the air, he couldn't see the bottom of his power. All Reizan sensed from him was an abyss—deep, ancient, and cold.

Still… it paled in comparison to Tensai.

Reizan had lived beside Tensai his whole life, and yet the man rarely showed his full strength. He moved like a mortal, acted with humility, and spoke only when needed. But now, in this place of gods and monsters, Reizan was beginning to understand how frightening his guardian truly was.

Suzan landed gently near the giant ring etched with the planetary symbols. He stood in front of a massive celestial dial, shaped like a clock, with a divine hand pointing straight toward the North Star—a symbol of alignment and fate.

Suzan's voice boomed through the air, clear and commanding. "Take your seats according to your family status."

Immediately, the crowd obeyed.

The main family members, cloaked in their fine robes and chakra-woven armor, moved to the right, taking seats arranged in rows of descending hierarchy. The young warriors here for the tournament, full of ambition and pressure, lined up at the center. Their eyes sparkled with determination—knowing that only a few among them might catch the attention of the elders.

Finally, the branch family members moved to the left. Though their seats were less ornate and farther from the main dial, many still stood tall. Among them were bloodlines of warriors, scholars, and hidden geniuses who had long waited for a chance to rise above their caste.

Suzan walked toward the ring, placing a hand atop the carved stone. The planetary symbols around it began to glow one by one, reacting to his touch.

"This…" he said, turning to face the assembly, "is the sacred dial of planetary inheritance. Each of you will be tested—not by us, but by fate itself."

He paused.

"Now—" his voice rose into a solemn decree, "—let the Kama Talent Test begin."

The crowd erupted with quiet gasps. The entire platform began to hum, and a strange warmth passed through the air. The glowing planets on the dial began to rotate, aligning themselves slowly as if reacting to an unseen force.

From his throne, Reizan watched quietly, his golden eyes locked onto the dial.