The sky above Konoha tore like paper.
Naruto Uzumaki looked up from his Hokage desk, the scattered reports in front of him suddenly meaningless. A purple crack pulsed in the air, crackling with energy he had never felt before - not even during his battles against the Otsutsuki.
"What the hell..." he muttered, standing up.
Then a voice echoed, not in his ears, but directly into his mind:
"Naruto Uzumaki, Seventh Hokage, Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails. Your invitation to the Ultimate Tournament has been granted. Do you accept the challenge to prove who is truly the strongest across all universes?"
Thousands of miles away...
Monkey D. Luffy froze on the deck of the Thousand Sunny, a piece of meat halfway to his mouth. The same violet portal had appeared before him, and the same mysterious voice resonated in his head.
"Shishishi! A tournament to see who's the strongest?" Luffy burst into laughter. "That sounds fun! I accept!"
Without hesitation, he leaped toward the portal. Zoro, who was training near the mast, shouted:
"Oi, Luffy! What are you doing?!"
But it was too late. The captain of the Straw Hats disappeared in a flash of light.
In Soul Society...
Ichigo Kurosaki stared at the portal that had just appeared in his house's dojo. The voice had explained the situation: a tournament bringing together the most powerful warriors from all existing universes.
"All universes?" he muttered. "What kind of crazy shit is this?"
He thought about Rukia, his friends, his family. Was this a trap? But something about this invitation felt... authentic. As if the universe itself was validating this event.
"Whatever," he sighed, gripping Zangetsu. "I've been through weirder stuff."
He stepped through the portal.
On the reconstructed Planet Vegeta...
Goku stopped his training in the gravity chamber. The portal had appeared right in front of him, and his Saiyan instincts were already racing.
"A tournament with the strongest from all universes?" His eyes sparkled with excitement. "Wow! This is gonna be amazing!"
Vegeta, who was training in the adjacent chamber, suddenly appeared:
"Kakarot! You feel that too?!"
"Yeah! Looks like someone's inviting us to an insane tournament!"
"Hmph," Vegeta grunted. "If it's about proving who's the strongest, then I'm going too."
The two Saiyans exchanged a knowing look before rushing toward their respective portals.
THE COSMIC ARENA
Naruto materialized in a space that defied all logic. The floor was a crystalline surface that reflected entire galaxies. Above, an impossible sky showed stars, nebulae, and what looked like fragments of other dimensions simultaneously.
"Whoa..." he breathed.
"Shishishi! This is incredible!" Luffy appeared a few meters away, eyes wide with wonder.
"Another human?" Ichigo materialized as well, hand on his sword's hilt.
"Ohh! Even more people!" Goku appeared in a flash, immediately followed by Vegeta.
Within minutes, dozens of warriors were materializing in the arena. Naruto recognized some fighting styles - swordsmen, users of strange powers, beings that radiated monstrous strength.
A young man with black hair and empty eyes appeared, an aura of shadows dancing around him. A blue slime materialized, but the energy it gave off made even Goku shiver. A man in a yellow and red costume scratched his head with a bored expression.
"Great," the latter said. "Another weird thing happening to me."
Suddenly, an overwhelming presence made itself known. All the warriors turned toward the center of the arena where a hooded figure was slowly materializing.
"Welcome, Champions," the voice said, now incarnated. "You have been chosen from among millions of universes to participate in the Ultimate Tournament. Here, all questions will find their answers. Who is truly the strongest? Who deserves the title of Absolute Champion?"
The figure raised its hand, and a massive board appeared in the sky, showing 64 empty slots.
"The rules are simple: direct elimination. No time limit. No holding back. You will fight with all your power until only one victor remains."
Naruto clenched his fists. Beside him, Luffy was grinning like a child. Goku was practically bouncing with excitement. Ichigo watched the other combatants with suspicion.
"Let the Ultimate Tournament... begin!"