In the Pure Land.
Naruto stood in the heavens, quietly looking down at the endless desert below him, a smile playing on his lips.
From this day forward, he had completely shed his identity as a ninja of Konoha.
He had become the King of the Pure Land!
The Reiatsu within him poured out completely, and the Kyoka Suigetsu at his waist trembled incessantly.
Haku and the others all respectfully retreated behind him, their gazes on his back filled with reverence. A Reiatsu like this was enough to crush anyone.
Voom. Naruto's consciousness was once again pulled into that mysterious Zanpakuto space. But this time, the space was vibrant with life, and countless streams of light streaked across the sky. With the clarity of his heart, he felt refreshed, and his control over his inner Reiatsu felt even more effortless. This meant that, freed from the shackles of Konoha, he had achieved a second level of enhancement.
Naruto looked ahead. The black-robed man and Hollow White both stood respectfully to the side. On the cold, exquisite throne, a Zanpakuto gleamed with a cold light. As the light from the blade flowed, the streams of light throughout the space changed with it.
This was his true Zanpakuto.
Even the usually calm Naruto couldn't suppress the surging excitement in his heart.
He walked to the throne, and under the respectful gazes of all, he drew the Zanpakuto.
BOOM! The entire space collapsed. At the same time, a sandstorm raged in the Pure Land, and countless spiritual particles swirled chaotically. The clusters of light below, symbolizing the souls of Rukongai, scattered in a panic. The entire Pure Land seemed to be facing the apocalypse as all the spiritual particles surged madly toward Naruto.
"What terrifying Reiatsu!!!!" Haku and the others stared in shock at Naruto's god-like back. They could feel his aura continuously rising, and in the unseen world, he seemed to have gained a trace of… divinity!
The storm subsided, and the spiritual particles returned to calm. Naruto opened his eyes, and a white light flowed within his blue pupils. His eyes were so bright that one could not look at them directly. Just a single glance would evoke a feeling of fear.
"Gentlemen. From Konoha to the Pure Land, from human to Shinigami, we have achieved a leap in the level of life," Naruto's tone was indifferent.
"We are all born destined for destruction. The end is often decided before the beginning."
"To be alive is another form of bondage."
"When we transcend the dimension of life, we are destined to create a splendid splash of blood in this meaningless world."
"Humanity… will welcome an unprecedented evolution!"
Naruto's gaze swept over everyone's face. Some were devout, some were resolute, some were excited. Everyone had a different birth and destiny. They had even died once. After becoming Shinigami, they had all been reborn.
The one who felt this most deeply was the Fourth Hokage. To personally watch his own bloodline stand against the entire ninja world, possess the power to crush everything, and build his own force… Minato's heart was filled with a mix of sorrow, pride, and resolve.
From this day forward, he would completely become a blade in Naruto's hand. Even when facing Konoha, he would show no mercy.
Rock Lee was probably the most excited. From a young age, he had decided to follow Naruto. He was also the one who had personally witnessed Naruto gradually stand against Konoha and become the King of the Pure Land. A sense of pride welled up in his heart.
"With the Pure Land as the center, we will build Hueco Mundo and establish our core forces…"
"We will turn the Land of Demons into the Seireitei and create the Gotei 12…"
"From this day forward, we will face the entire ninja world."
Naruto reached out his hand and pointed at a spot in the Pure Land.
Boom. Countless spiritual particles gathered there, constructing a massive white castle. It was so conspicuous, so sacred in the Pure Land.
"With Hueco Mundo and the Land of Demons as our centers, we declare war on the entire ninja world!"
"Before us, there are no enemies."
Konoha, Hokage's Office.
"Recently, the Land of Demons has completely closed all its borders. No merchants are allowed to enter, and no merchants have left," Tsunade quickly received the news about the Land of Demons.
In the incident where Konoha was set on fire, the identities of Naruto's subordinates had basically been confirmed. Among them was the priestess of the Land of Demons, Shion. Shion had the power to control the country, which meant that the Land of Demons was one of Naruto's forces.
The Land of Demons had always been a very small village in Konoha's eyes. But after this, the threat level of the Land of Demons had undoubtedly skyrocketed.
"We can't just sit and wait for the Land of Demons to grow stronger," Tsunade thought anxiously. Just the Hollows and the abilities of those swords were already giving Konoha a huge headache. If they did nothing, what if the Land of Demons mass-produced Hollows? Ordinary ninja had no way of dealing with them. If Naruto formed a Hollow army, the entire ninja world would be plunged into misery.
Furthermore, Naruto was also cooperating with Orochimaru. Given Orochimaru's scientific research capabilities, mass-producing Hollows artificially shouldn't be too difficult.
What made Konoha even more wary were the top fighters under Naruto's command: the Nine-Tails and Minato. The current Konoha, with only Jiraiya and Tsunade as its two Kage-level powerhouses, was no match for them. After losing Danzo and the Third, Konoha had been weakened to an unimaginable degree. That was why Tsunade had let Jiraiya teach Sasuke. Although the secret of the Uchiha was like a blade hanging over Konoha's neck, one that could push Sasuke to betray them at any moment, Konoha had no other choice. They could only choose to trust Jiraiya and Sasuke.
The only good news was that Tsunade had completely taken control of Root and the ANBU, giving her absolute authority in Konoha. The village was now unprecedentedly united.
In the Land of Demons.
The atmosphere was peaceful, and the villagers lived and worked in contentment. Not long ago, Zabuza and Haku, along with the two children, had also passed through the forest and arrived in the Land of Demons. The strength of the country had taken a leap forward. If one were to count only the Kage-level powerhouses, it would definitely surpass all other ninja villages.
The residents of the Land of Demons discovered that after the borders were closed, the number of guards in the towns had increased slightly. They also often saw some unfamiliar faces. Those faces were all respected by the guards. They called those newcomers "Captains."
The palace where the priestess lived also seemed to be shrouded in a veil of mystery. Looking at it with the naked eye, one could only see a phantasm. A strange energy enveloped the palace, inspiring fear and keeping people away. Occasionally, one could see the barefoot priestess walking on the palace grounds, her entire body enveloped in a beautiful purple light.
The moonlight fell gently, and a strange energy seemed to ripple out from the palace. This miraculous scene made the residents even more fearful, and they knelt down to pray. Some observant people noticed that the guards stationed by the temple were different every day. After a period of time, they might reappear with the same face, but with an aura that made it difficult for ordinary people to approach. But the more likely possibility was… that they would never see that guard again.
No one knew when it started, but a rumor about the Seireitei began to spread within the Land of Demons. The King would establish the Seireitei in the Land of Demons and bestow the title of Shinigami Squad Captain upon the strong. As long as one could become a squad captain, both money and power would be within their grasp. Most importantly, one could obtain a life that transcended humanity. And the priestess had opened a passage between Hueco Mundo and the Seireitei. A steady stream of powerhouses would join the Land of Demons. The Land of Demons was destined to become the most powerful force in the ninja world in the future, ruling over all!
Above the priestess, there was a King who ruled over the Land of Demons and Hueco Mundo. He possessed supreme power and had even transcended the shackles of life to achieve immortality. As long as one could gain the King's favor, one could obtain great power and life.
Through various channels and social classes, these rumors grew more and more intense. With the priestess's tacit approval, the residents of the Land of Demons believed these rumors and yearned for a life that transcended humanity. Many townspeople even knelt on the stone bricks not far from the temple, praying to receive the King's favor.
The other ninja villages did not know about the changes happening within the Land of Demons. They were still reeling from the shock of Konoha being nearly destroyed by an S-rank missing-nin.
Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure were all watching with greedy eyes, dispatching ninja to gather intelligence. Once they discovered that Konoha had been weakened to the point where they could suck it dry, they would not hesitate to attack. After all, even if they lost the battle, they could still get compensation. Konoha's weakness in recent years was deeply ingrained in people's minds. Only the dark Root made them somewhat wary. In recent years, the Root ninja had caused a lot of trouble for the major ninja villages. It was no exaggeration to say that without the existence of Root, the Great Ninja War might have already begun.
According to intelligence, the leader of Root, Danzo Shimura, was suspected to have died in this missing-nin incident. If this was true, then the current Konoha had really been weakened to a new level.
Tobi, that is, Uchiha Obito, had the same idea as these ninja villages. After seeing Kakashi kill Rin with his own hands, he had decided to create a world with Rin in it. Collect the Nine-Tails, become the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, unleash the Infinite Tsukuyomi, and control everyone in the ninja world.
Originally, everything was proceeding perfectly according to plan. The leader of the Akatsuki, Nagato, had been deceived as planned and had decided to make the world feel pain. When he had collected the Ten-Tails, it would be the time of his death. To Obito, Nagato was just a naive and childish little brat. With just a little trick, he could be turned into a high-level worker.
In terms of strategy, Obito was not much worse than Shikamaru. After all, in the original story, he had even outsmarted Uchiha Madara.
He had thought that the Moon's Eye Plan would go as smoothly as he had imagined. But he never expected that there would be a problem with the key link, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
"A super Kage-level powerhouse, Uzumaki Naruto? The Nine-Tails has also left Konoha?" Obito murmured, a dangerous light flashing in his eyes.
"What a terrifying fellow. A genius like this cannot be allowed to develop."
"If he were still a Jinchuriki, his death could be postponed. But now… hmph, it's better to kill him."
A cold smile touched Obito's lips. So what if Naruto was a genius? The current him was not someone he could stand against.
Rin, wait for me. I won't let anyone ruin your resurrection! We will be together forever.
Obito subconsciously touched his eyes, his gaze fierce.
Based on some intelligence that White Zetsu had gathered later, Obito soon arrived at the border of the Land of Demons. Looking at the ancient country shrouded in yellow sand, he gave a cold smile, and his figure merged into the sandstorm.
Obito disguised himself as an ordinary townsperson and walked through the town. This was the time of year when sandstorms were prevalent. The yellow ancient country was shrouded in sand, and one could faintly hear solemn chanting. It was mysterious and awe-inspiring.
What was even more bizarre was that the passersby all looked at the palace with reverence and faith. Obito had seen countless ninja villages, but the Land of Demons was the only one where the residents were so devout.
"The priestess performed another miracle yesterday. My back pain that I've had for years has eased a lot."
"Me too. I heard that the priestess's powers are all bestowed by the gods."
"Now the gods live in the temple!!" Obito listened to the villagers' discussion, his heart growing more and more confused.
"I really want to join the Seireitei. Ito from next door joined the Seireitei a few days ago. I'm so jealous."
"Yeah, I heard that only those who successfully evolve can join the Seireitei."
"I heard that every person who evolves will have power that surpasses that of a ninja. The blond man who came to the street last time was a squad captain in the Seireitei."
"Our Land of Demons is really getting stronger and stronger."
"I think there's a miracle ceremony later…" The two passersby walked further and further away, and Obito's expression gradually became grave.
The Land of Demons was even more bizarre than he had imagined.
Everyone has a certain sense of belonging to their own ninja village or country. This sense of belonging depends on factors such as the country's environment and treatment. Humans are materialistic creatures. As long as they are treated well, they will naturally have a high sense of belonging to their country. But Obito observed that the living environment of the Land of Demons was only average. It was constantly shrouded in sandstorms. The residents were relatively content, but in all aspects, it couldn't compare to Konoha. Yet the residents' sense of belonging to the Land of Demons was extremely high, and they had a lofty faith in their gods.
Although the villagers of Konoha also worshiped the Hokage, it hadn't reached the level of faith.
According to these residents, the priestess, the apostle of the gods, had even performed miracles, alleviating people's physical pain.
Is this a genjutsu? Or some kind of medical ninjutsu?
With these questions in mind, Obito wandered through the Land of Demons, perfectly avoiding all the guards' detection. He saw that the residents were all satisfied with their current lives. The young people yearned to join the Seireitei and obtain new power. It was said that those with talent could break through the limits of humanity.
Obito came to a small tavern. While sipping a drink, he listened to the residents' discussion.
"The Land of Demons is really mysterious. Uzumaki Naruto couldn't be the god they're talking about, could he?" Obito's eyes were dark as he thought to himself. To be able to perfectly control a country, this Uzumaki Naruto was quite a son. Or rather, as expected of his teacher's son. But it was precisely because he was his teacher's son that he had to be even more ruthless in killing him. Although Rin was killed by Kakashi, his teacher, as a Kage-level powerhouse, had failed to protect his own student. He should also bear a certain amount of responsibility.
Clang, clang, clang. Just as Obito was lost in thought, the entire Land of Demons suddenly echoed with the sound of a huge bell. The three chimes were melodious and shocking, adding a touch of awe to people's hearts.
"Is this a bell enhanced with chakra?" Obito discovered that all the residents in the tavern had knelt down, their faces full of piety. Only he was still standing.
Obito frowned and walked to the door, only to find that the people on the street had already knelt down in scattered groups. He hesitated for a moment, then also pretended to kneel down piously, secretly observing the residents.
He discovered that the entire world seemed to ripple, then shatter like a mirror. To his shock, a huge temple appeared at the end of the street. The priestess Shion stood on top of the temple, her hands clasped together. Countless holy lights filled the sky above the temple, falling into the town like fireworks.
As the holy light fell, countless residents cheered with tears of gratitude.
"Thank you for the goddess's gift."
"Thank you, Spirit God!!"
The entire Land of Demons was plunged into a fanatical faith.
Feeling the highly infectious atmosphere, Obito's face showed astonishment. He noticed that the falling holy light could heal the bodies of many residents. It also had an indescribable sense of pressure.
What was even more bizarre was the world that had shattered like a mirror, and the suddenly appearing temple.
"What kind of strange jutsu is this? It can hide such a large temple. I didn't even notice it before."
Obito took a deep breath, not daring to underestimate the Land of Demons. His heart was filled with even more apprehension. All the phenomena now meant that he had also been trapped in that illusion before. He hadn't discovered the location of the temple.
"Could it be Kyoka Suigetsu?" he thought. According to intelligence, Naruto's Kyoka Suigetsu could control vision. This made Obito confused. Could it be that Uzumaki Naruto had been using this ability all along?
He decided to enter the temple to find out.
Through a clone, the Transformation Jutsu, and his Kamui, he successfully arrived in front of the temple. The temple in his vision was surrounded by an inviolable Reiatsu, majestic and towering. Countless guards walked around the temple. The priestess, having finished the ceremony, had already returned to the temple.
Obito blended into the temple. After many twists and turns, he finally arrived near the central hall of the temple.
There, he saw a familiar, unbelievable figure.
Orochimaru!
Orochimaru was tinkering with a strange device. It was a vertical device, similar to a gene tank, just large enough to accommodate one person. And inside, a dark green sword was quietly suspended.
"To materialize the ability of Kyoka Suigetsu through an instrument, directly enveloping the entire city and mystifying the temple… this is the most interesting invention I've ever created," Orochimaru said to himself with a smile after he finished tinkering. He had come to the Land of Demons a few days ago. After discussing with Naruto, he had combined his previous research to create a simple device to enhance the range of Kyoka Suigetsu. All that was needed was to input Reiatsu into the device daily. Very convenient.
"Thank you for your hard work," the priestess Shion walked out, Haku following behind her with a smile.
"It's what I should do," Orochimaru said with a perverted smile. "In a way, we are also partners. I am very much looking forward to the development of the Land of Demons."
"Creating a large-scale Kyoka Suigetsu, shaping a sense of mystery, and using the priestess's miracles to strengthen the residents' faith… this series of operations is truly eye-opening. I have also gained a lot from this trip," Orochimaru couldn't help but sigh. The sense of belonging of the villagers of Otogakure was not bad, but it was far worse than that of the Land of Demons. On the one hand, Orochimaru himself hadn't interfered much in the village's affairs. On the other hand, the methods of the Land of Demons were indeed a bit more brilliant.
Naruto's goal was obvious: to create a so-called divine country and minimize the village's internal friction. At the same time, to give everyone a chance to have power. Just like the miracle that the priestess Shion—no, to be precise, the goddess Shion—had just released. That was not a simple healing ninjutsu.
Obito listened quietly, hoping to get some useful information. And Shion and the others did not disappoint him. They chuckled and said, "We will need Mr. Orochimaru to stay for a few more days. The soul transformation ritual is gradually on track, but there are still cases of rejection every day. These all require Mr. Orochimaru's research."
Miracles… where were there really miracles? It was the ability of Shion's Zanpakuto. To summon evil spirits and use their power to cleanse the entire Land of Demons. To let the human body gradually die, and the spirit to live on forever. The reason the residents found that their physical pain had lessened was precisely because their perception of their physical bodies was getting weaker. Unknowingly, they would lose their vital signs and become so-called souls.
This was the truth of the Land of Demons.
As Shion and the others continued their detailed explanation, Obito's eyes widened in shock. He never expected the Land of Demons to be trying to turn all its people into souls. What was the benefit of that? From their description, it was not difficult to guess that souls could have the opportunity to come into contact with a new energy system. This reminded Obito of the Hollows that had once caused chaos in Konoha.
Could it be that Naruto wants to form a Hollow army?
Obito suddenly felt a sense of unease. The content of Shion and the others' chat was too detailed. It was as if… they were explaining it to someone.
Obito immediately had the thought of retreating. But then he suddenly heard a gentle smile.
"Long time no see. Since you're here, why don't you stay?"
In his vision, a familiar blond man slowly walked out.
"Minato… Namikaze?!!" Obito's pupils shook violently.