'How absurd…'
Shock and disbelief appeared in Mirai's twitching eyes.
This news was too shocking.
According to the letter from Shisui, the reason Jashin had become what it was now was entirely thanks to the Uchiha.
Jashin's attacks, or rather, Jashin's special characteristic, could inflict mental pain upon its enemies.
And the advancement of the Sharingan just so happened to require mental stimulation.
"Being able to advance the Sharingan... I wonder whether you're lucky or unlucky?"
Shaking the trembling black mist inside the glass bottle, a trace of pity appeared in Mirai's azure eyes.
As the Hokage, he was all too familiar with the Uchiha's obsession with advancing their Sharingan.
The Uchiha's strength almost entirely came from the Sharingan, and their status within the Uchiha clan also stemmed from the strength of their Sharingan.
It could be said that the Sharingan was the Uchiha's lifeline.
And now, a sudden opportunity had appeared before them, allowing their Sharingan to advance with relative ease.
Faced with such temptation, apart from Shisui, who had already awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, it was unlikely that any Uchiha could resist it.
Mirai could already imagine the frenzy that would erupt among the Uchiha after discovering Jashin's effects.
And Jashin's pitiful appearance, surrounded by a group of deranged Uchiha.
The title 'Evil God' was inappropriate.
It should be renamed the 'God of Sharingan'.
How unlucky.
Of all things, it had to encounter something capable of advancing the Sharingan.
The small piece of Jashin remaining inside the bottle was already the result of Shisui's utmost efforts to snatch it away.
Otherwise, those crazed Uchiha would likely have squeezed Jashin dry, leaving nothing behind.
"Speaking of which, there really are a lot of strange things in the ninja world!"
Mirai sighed with emotion.
Such a bizarre existence as Jashin had actually appeared in the ninja world, and its abilities were equally strange.
If it hadn't encountered this group of Uchiha, it would probably have been difficult for anyone to make Jashin suffer such a huge loss.
Besides Jashin, there was also shinigami, Mōryō of the Land of Demons, and a host of other strange existences.
Thinking of shinigami, Mirai's azure eyes gradually turned cold.
His older brother, Minato, had used the Reaper Death Seal during the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox attack, and his soul had been devoured by shinigami.
Minato's soul should still be inside shinigami's stomach.
Mirai was considering whether he should let shinigami experience who the real shinigami was.
"The Peacekeeping Force can be left to its own devices. Specifically, they can collect these strange things scattered throughout the ninja world."
As the Peacekeeping Force, these Uchiha should remain active throughout the ninja world to maintain peace.
This was the value and meaning behind the Peacekeeping Force's existence.
Presumably, the Uchiha of the Peacekeeping Force would not refuse his suggestion.
…
Research Department.
Inside a clean and tidy laboratory, Orochimaru, clad in a white robe, pressed his right eye against a microscope, meticulously observing the object beneath its lens.
"How marvellous. There really is such a thing as Jashin."
Orochimaru was greatly surprised by the object beneath the microscope.
Jashin, a creature that seemed almost like something out of fantasy, had actually been brought back by Mirai and so crudely sealed inside a small glass bottle.
What surprised him even more was that this Jashin was much smaller than he had imagined.
It completely lacked the imposing aura one would expect from something called Jashin.
"In short, it's because of the Uchiha. Jashin possesses the ability to mentally stimulate its targets, and the advancement of the Sharingan just so happens to require mental stimulation."
'Sharingan advancement?'
Orochimaru looked at the object inside the bottle with a trace of pity in his eyes.
'Poor god.'
He roughly understood what had happened to Jashin.
Even as a god, was it still as helpless as a mortal when facing a large group of frenzied Uchiha?
"According to the intelligence provided by Shisui, the Jashin Cult possesses a method of modifying the human body that allows believers to obtain immortality, and it seems to be related to this Jashin."
Listening to Mirai's narration, Orochimaru's eyes instantly lit up.
Immortality!
The eternal life he pursued seemed to have certain similarities with immortality.
This was a direction worth researching thoroughly.
"Mirai-kun, you've truly brought me a great gift this time."
Orochimaru licked his lips.
A trace of greed appeared in his pale golden vertical pupils as he stared at Jashin inside the bottle.
Jashin, sealed within the glass bottle, seemed to sense something.
The black mist immediately shrank into a ball, as if trembling.
…
Land of Hot Springs.
Hidan, who had finally arrived at the Jashin Cult's headquarters, stared at the scene around him and froze in place.
It was as if a giant hammer had heavily struck his brain, leaving his mind completely blank.
Tragic!
A scene of utter tragedy!
Charred and twisted corpses lay scattered everywhere.
Their bodies had been blackened and carbonized beyond recognition.
The degree of their contortion revealed just how agonizingly they had suffered before their deaths.
Most members of the Jashin Cult had undergone bodily modifications, greatly enhancing their vitality. While they were not completely immortal like Hidan, they were still far stronger than ordinary people.
Superhuman vitality meant that they could endure the burning flames for longer before dying.
They remained conscious, watching as their own bodies slowly carbonized before their very eyes.
Hidan's eyes turned red as he rushed into the Jashin Cult's headquarters.
"Where is Jashin?! Jashin-sama, did you just stand by and watch your believers suffer?!"
He wanted to question Jashin.
Why hadn't Jashin appeared to help them?
With Jashin's power, it should have been easy to save them, shouldn't it?
It wasn't until he rushed to the sacrificial hot spring that Hidan froze in place.
Like a statue, petrified and completely unmoving.
The hot spring, which usually emitted swirling mist, was gone.
All that remained was a stagnant, lifeless pool.
It looked utterly desolate.
"Where is Jashin-sama? Jashin-sama!"
Hidan plunged into the stagnant water, desperately searching for traces of Jashin.
His immortality had been granted by Jashin within this very hot spring.
Having witnessed Jashin with his own eyes, he had become a fervent believer.
But now, all traces of Jashin were gone.
No matter how desperately he searched, he could no longer sense even the slightest trace of Jashin.
His god was gone...
"Jashin-sama, have you abandoned your devout follower?"
Hidan knelt within the stagnant water, unable to accept the sight before him.
He buried his face in his hands and wept bitterly.
His voice echoed from the pool, reverberating throughout the cave.
…
Kumogakure.
Inside the Raikage's Office, Ai continuously massaged his temples.
His head felt as if it were splitting apart, as though someone had inserted a finger directly into his brain and was violently stirring it around.
The normally robust Ai had visibly lost weight over the past few days.
"Damn Konoha! Damn Peacekeeping Force!"
The mere thought of Konoha's Peacekeeping Force made Ai grind his teeth in anger.
What kind of Peacekeeping Force was this???
A group of frenzied Uchiha shouting about peace and justice, yet their actions had absolutely nothing to do with peace.
Over the past few days, he had received reports from his subordinates about the deeds of Konoha's Peacekeeping Force at regular intervals.
The surrounding small countries had almost all been ravaged by them.
Once someone was branded as a threat to peace, they might as well dig their own grave!
Waiting for the Peacekeeping Force to arrive meant a fate worse than death.
"This cannot continue!"
Ai slammed his fist against the desk.
This time, he restrained his strength and prevented the desk from being damaged.
The reason the Peacekeeping Force could act so unrestrainedly was, in the end, because Konoha stood behind them.
With Konoha serving as their support and backing, the Peacekeeping Force, as Konoha's claws, dared to act so recklessly.
"Strength! The root of everything is strength!"
Kumogakure's strength had to be increased!
A military arms race was necessary!
They absolutely could not lose to Konoha!
"Mabui, relay my order. Starting today, every ninja in the Village must train for ten... no, twelve hours a day! No slacking allowed!"
Mabui, who was holding a stack of documents, swallowed hard.
"Wouldn't that be too much?"
Twelve hours of training every day virtually meant that, apart from eating, drinking and sleeping, nearly all of a Kumogakure ninja's remaining time would be spent training.
They were human, not machines.
They wouldn't be able to endure it.
"Konoha is eyeing us like a tiger. If they can't even endure a mere twelve hours of training, then Kumogakure has no need for such weaklings!"
Ai's attitude was firm.
He slammed both hands against the Raikage's desk, causing spiderweb-like cracks to spread across its surface.
Mabui immediately swallowed the words of persuasion that had reached her lips.
She silently gulped.
If she provoked the Raikage any further, he would probably need another new Raikage's desk.
"Understood, Raikage-sama. I will relay your order immediately."
Mabui left.
Even after doing all this, Ai's sense of urgency was not alleviated.
After thinking for a while, he ordered Toroi to be brought in.
A few minutes later, a bewildered Toroi arrived at the Raikage's Office.
"You called for me, Raikage-sama."
Toroi was a Magnet Style ninja from Kumogakure, possessing the extremely rare kekkei genkai, Magnet Style.
His appearance was also quite distinct from that of ordinary ninja.
His purple short hair was unique, and his dead-fish eyes could rival Kakashi's.
The most distinctive feature, however, was his eyelids, beneath each of which grew three short black eyelashes.
This gave his appearance, an additional touch of irritating smugness.
"Toroi, I plan to put you through special training."
Ai pondered for a moment before stating his idea.
"Special training?"
Toroi was bewildered.
Although he was a Magnet Style ninja, he had never undergone any so-called special training.
Had the Raikage lost his mind, suddenly deciding to give him special training?
"That's right, Toroi. The potential of Magnet Style is far from limited to this!"
Ai's serious gaze showed no trace of joking.
His voice was earnest.
"Your potential should be developed further, Toroi. I will teach you the Lightning Style Chakra Mode and personally train you! Become stronger, Toroi! Strong enough to contend with Namikaze Mirai!"
"What... me?"
Bewildered, Toroi was completely bewildered.
Contending with Mirai, was that something he could possibly achieve?
'What a joke.'
Mirai's various battle achievements were enough to send shivers down his spine just from hearing about them.
'To contend with him, the Raikage must be crazy!'
Toroi even began to suspect that perhaps the Raikage, after suffering multiple failures, had developed a problem with his head and was gradually losing the ability to distinguish fantasy from reality.
With Mirai's strength, he could probably crush him with a single finger.
"Believe in yourself, Toroi!"
Noticing the change in Toroi's emotions, Ai's expression suddenly became solemn.
Although his words were encouraging, his tone contained an undeniable firmness.
"A-alright..."
Toroi's scalp tingled.
Given his understanding of this strong-willed Raikage, if he refused now, he might very well receive an angry punch from Ai, followed by a furious rebuke for not being worthy of calling himself a Kumogakure ninja and for losing the spirit inherent to Kumogakure.
He didn't understand.
He really didn't understand.
Where did the Raikage get the idea that his Magnet Style could contend with Mirai's Magnet Style?
Mirai's Magnet Style was simply abnormal.
It was as if it existed on an entirely different level.
The Fourth Kazekage of Sunagakure had been utterly defeated and disgraced when he fought Mirai.
After the war, he had even gone crazy from shame.
Toroi knew very well that his own Magnet Style couldn't possibly contend with the Fourth Kazekage's.
His was barely adequate for playing around with shuriken and ninja tools or making them curve through the air.
If he went up against Mirai, he probably wouldn't even know how he died.
Unlike Toroi's despair, Ai was full of confidence.
Since they both possessed Magnet Style, the difference lay in the degree to which it had been developed.
As long as they continuously developed it, they would surely be able to unearth the true power of Magnet Style.
Moreover, he had already decided to teach Toroi the Lightning Style Chakra Mode.
Mirai's body was enveloped in lightning arcs during battle, which was very similar to the Lightning Style Chakra Mode, and he also possessed Magnet Style abilities.
Toroi + Lightning Style Chakra Mode + Magnet Style = Namikaze Mirai.
'It makes perfect sense!'
"Toroi! Don't disappoint me!"
Feeling the force of Ai's rough hand patting his shoulder, Toroi wanted to cry but couldn't.
At this moment, he felt like dying.
How had he ended up in such enormous trouble just by coming to the Raikage's Office?
Toroi left with tears in his eyes.
Meanwhile, Ai was still contemplating Kumogakure's path toward becoming stronger.
These two measures alone weren't enough.
Kumogakure needed to become even stronger.
After thinking for a long time, Ai turned his attention toward military armaments.
Compared to Konoha, Kumogakure's military equipment was as backward as that of primitive people.
Ai company suddenly came to Ai's mind.
"Umbrella Medical Company... it seems I'll have to pay a personal visit this time."
If he could acquire this enterprise, with its numerous emerging products, it would undoubtedly elevate Kumogakure's strength to an entirely new level.
Not long ago, he had purchased a large batch of their new liquid medicines.
According to the intelligence gathered at the time, Umbrella Medical Company's headquarters seemed to be located in the Land of Waterfall.
Acquiring the company would require an enormous amount of money.
He could ask the Daimyō for help with that.
Ever since Mirai killed the Land of Fire's Daimyō and created a new national system that integrated political and military power, the Daimyō throughout the ninja world had lived in constant fear.
They were afraid that one day they, too, would be killed by their own ninja village.
It was precisely because of this that the Land of Lightning's Daimyō had responded quite readily to Kumogakure's financial requests.
The Daimyō wanted to keep Kumogakure firmly on his side, so he couldn't afford to be stingy with financial support.
"How should I thank you, Konoha? If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been able to obtain so much funding so easily."
Ai sneered.
With enough money, and a little pressure, acquiring a pharmaceutical company would be a piece of cake.
…
Land of Waterfall.
Umbrella Medical Company Headquarters.
Sakai Kyoko, who was responsible for overseeing the medical company's operations and distributing its pharmaceutical products throughout the ninja world, stared at the acquisition letter from Kumogakure in her hand.
A look of astonished disbelief appeared on her face.
"Has the Raikage gone crazy? He actually wants to acquire the company?"
"Does he know who our actual controlling shareholder is?"
*****
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✓ Killed For 100 Years in Hueco Mundo, Aizen Invited Me To Soul Society!
✓ Naruto: Senmei Asahi
✓ Naruto: Uchiha's Intelligence Dealer
✓ Naruto: The Fifth Hokage Is Naruto's Uncle
✓ Naruto: Who Made Him a Ninja?
✓ To Love-Ru: Spoiler Route [R-18]
✓ Naruto: The Accidental Incubus [R-18]