บท 283: Chapter 283
[RUSH TIME TILL THE END OF THIS FANFIC!!!]
[100 PS = 1 CHAPTER!]
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In the world of the Hokage, due to its inherent incompleteness, there is no concept of reincarnation. The Pure Land is merely a simple repository for souls, only taking them in and never releasing them.
Although the brothers Indra and Asura are exceptions, their ability to reincarnate was due to the backdoor that Hagoromo created for them.
This time, Kyomu's purpose in entering the Pure Land was to widen this backdoor and complete the reincarnation capability of the Pure Land.
This would be a monumental achievement, beneficial in the present and for future generations. Kyomu might even be able to use this endeavor to gain complete control over the Pure Land.
By then, Kyomu would possess absolute authority over life and death within a realm, and the doors to even greater power would naturally open for him.
Six Paths level? Kyomu might not even find it worthy of his attention.
"Well done." Kyomu patted Amado on the shoulder. "Your research has great potential. Keep it up."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Receiving Kyomu's approval, Amado was almost breathless with excitement, bowing repeatedly to express his loyalty, as if he would immediately take his own life if he failed.
Kyomu nodded and turned his attention away from Amado, briefly inspecting the equipment in the lab, running his hand over one of the devices.
He had no intention of using such a device. Kyomu had his own methods to enter the Pure Land without relying on external means.
Furthermore, Orochimaru was still around. Kyomu had to be cautious. What if Orochimaru's previous behavior was just a façade, and he attempted to use the Living Corpse Reincarnation technique to take over Kyomu's body when his soul was in the Pure Land?
Simply put, Kyomu did not fully trust Orochimaru.
"Orochimaru, have you pinpointed the exact location of the Pure Land?"
"Yes, Your Majesty." Orochimaru stepped forward, handing over a prepared document to Kyomu. "This contains not only the specific coordinates of the Pure Land but also outlines its general regions. It should be useful to you."
Kyomu took the document, skimmed through it, and then put it away without further mentioning the Pure Land or his plan to go there.
Leaving his body to enter the Pure Land would put Kyomu in his most vulnerable state. If someone with ill intent destroyed his physical form during this time, Kyomu could face serious trouble.
This matter had to be kept secret.
After having Orochimaru lead him around the underground research institute a couple of times and retrieving the Shadow from their long separation, Kyomu finally left.
Back in his palace, Kyomu called for Shisui and explained the situation to him.
"Rest assured, Your Majesty. I, Shisui, will protect your safety with my life!"
"With you here, I'm at ease." Kyomu glanced at Shisui's eyes. "Those eyes of yours are truly exceptional."
To be honest, Shisui's ocular abilities were quite extreme. His eyes seemed tailored for Kyomu, as if they were meant to protect him.
Because of Shisui's abilities, Kyomu naturally trusted him deeply. Otherwise, he wouldn't have chosen Shisui as his first line of defense in such a critical situation.
"Remember what I've told you. No matter who it is or what they say, do not let anyone in. Understand?"
"I understand, Your Majesty!"
Nodding, Kyomu felt assured. He sat cross-legged on his bed, closed his eyes, and immediately entered a meditative state.
...
In a space of pure white, Hagoromo opened his eyes, and beside him, Hamura did the same.
"He has found his way here," Hagoromo sighed, using his hands to push himself up from his knees. "Let's go, brother. We need to welcome the emperor of the ninja world."
"Hmph."
Hamura appeared reluctant, but since Hagoromo had spoken, he couldn't refuse.
Following Hagoromo, the two disappeared from the white space.
...
Ninja World, Pure Land.
Apart from the initial entry where the surroundings were shrouded in mist, Kyomu found that deeper inside, the Pure Land had much more to offer.
Souls, each immersed in their own unique illusions, relived their most significant or frequent experiences from their past lives.
Kyomu saw Danzo here and entered the illusion unique to his soul.
Seeing the scene in Danzo's illusion, Kyomu couldn't help but sneer, "Heh, who would have thought this old fool became Hokage after death? Does the Pure Land have a dream-fulfillment feature?"
In the Hokage's robe, Danzo's slightly transparent figure looked up at the sound, locking eyes with Kyomu. "Who are you?!"
"Don't recognize me?" Kyomu tilted his head. "You shouldn't have forgotten the one who killed you, considering your personality."
"I am the Fourth Hokage of Konoha! Who could possibly kill me?" Danzo's soul, brimming with arrogance, waved dismissively. "Guards, seize him! I will personally interrogate this intruder!"
As Danzo finished his command, several Root members' souls, vaguely familiar to Kyomu, appeared and attacked without a word.
Kyomu frowned slightly, wondering to himself.
"Do the souls in the Pure Land not only retain their obsessions from life but also continue their former relationships?"
"Interesting." Kyomu didn't take the Root ninja souls seriously, touching his chin with a smirk. "In that case, how about I kill you all again?"
With a flash, Yoei at his waist was drawn, and Kyomu slashed forward with a quick, precise, and fierce stroke.
The Root ninja souls rushing at him were split in two by the blade, shattering like soap bubbles into a grey mist, dissipating and merging into the Pure Land.
Kyomu grabbed a handful of the mist and observed it in his palm. With a glance, he noticed something intriguing.
"Hmm, this is similar to the fog I encountered when I first entered the Pure Land. Could it be that the mist on the outskirts of the Pure Land is formed from dispersed souls?"
"That seems about right." After a closer inspection, Kyomu shrugged and looked at Danzo's soul. "Since we've met again, I won't hold back."
"I am the Fourth Hokage of Konoha! How dare you..."
Before Danzo's soul could finish shouting, Kyomu swung his blade, cutting him down into a cloud of spirit mist, which shattered and completely merged into the Pure Land.
"They say killing is just a quick solution, and even the most extreme hatred only calls for scattering one's ashes. But to truly deny someone reincarnation, to curse them never to be reborn—that's something only I can do in this ninja world."
Kyomu chuckled heartily. This unexpected outcome of his trip to the Pure Land was truly satisfying. Killing Danzo again, and this time in a manner that erased any chance of reincarnation, was a pleasant surprise.
With a click, the Shadow was sheathed as Kyomu continued forward. After a few steps, he entered another illusion created by a lingering soul.
"Well, isn't this a coincidence?" Kyomu chuckled, shaking his head. "You stuck together in life, and even in death, you're still this synchronized?"
Kyomu glanced at the proud-looking Hiruzen ahead, then scanned the surroundings. "Hiruzen, is this truly the extent of your imagination?"
Pointing to Hiruzen sitting in a boss chair, Kyomu asked, "Is this Hiruzen a product of your illusion, or is it his actual soul? But then again, Hiruzen's soul was devoured by the Shinigami of the Pure Land.
Oh, I almost forgot. I killed the Pure Land Shinigami some time ago, so Hiruzen's soul must have escaped then."
Taking a couple of steps closer, Kyomu leaned down to look at Hiruzen sitting in the chair. "Old fool, do you still remember me?"
"Kyomu, I didn't expect to see you here." Hiruzen seemed to remember Kyomu. "But this is good. I think you know better than I do what this place is."
"Hiruzen, what are you talking about?" Homura's soul seemed to have lost some memories from life, asking in confusion, "Who is this intruder? Do you know him?"
Hiruzen didn't bother to explain, looking into Kyomu's eyes with a mocking expression. "I told you before, you couldn't succeed. Haha, and now, it's come true!"
"Do you think I'd be upset or angry?"
"Why else? For someone as arrogant as you..."
"Then tell me, who made the rule that only the dead can enter the Pure Land? Why not the living?" Kyomu interrupted Hiruzen, watching his expression change. "Hiruzen, you might be mistaken. Not only did I fulfill my previous declaration, but I also exceeded it.
You're the one swept into the dust, and your name will forever be marked with shame. As long as people remember me, they will always mention you."
"I don't believe it!" Hiruzen's soul flickered, his expression turning colorful, "Kyomu, you won't fool me again this time!"
"This isn't about deception, and there won't be another time."
Kyomu swung his blade, slicing through Hiruzen's soul, turning it into a cloud of spirit mist, along with Homura and Koharu, who were also affected.
With the three souls gone, the illusionary environment they maintained vanished, revealing the Pure Land's true appearance. Numerous Konoha ninja souls that had been bound by the illusion emerged, their translucent faces filled with confusion.
Looking around, Kyomu sheathed his blade, feeling quite pleased. "Who knew that denying someone reincarnation could be so satisfying?"
At the same time, noticing the confused faces of the Konoha ninja souls, as if lost in deep thought, Kyomu formed a new hypothesis.
"It seems there's a hierarchy among souls in the Pure Land. The strong retain their memories, the slightly weaker retain some, and the even weaker ones are in a dazed state, either consciously or unconsciously drawn into illusions created by stronger souls."
Kyomu's judgment was largely accurate. Weaker souls, freed from the binding illusions, not only appeared confused but their already faint forms became even dimmer.
Without Kyomu's intervention, they might naturally fade into mist and merge into the Pure Land over time.
"Hmm."
Kyomu smacked his lips. "This is quite peculiar. If I hadn't come here myself, I wouldn't have seen such an interesting sight.
But thinking about it, do the illusions created by strong souls slow down the dissipation of weaker souls to some extent?"
After a brief consideration, Kyomu continued forward, intending to gather more information to better understand the various phenomena in the Pure Land.
He soon found himself entering another new illusion.
As soon as he entered, Kyomu sensed a familiar presence.
Another old acquaintance.
"Third Raikage, long time no see."
"To me, it feels like only a day since we last met." The Third Raikage's voice boomed. "So even someone as strong as you, Kyomu, has ended up here?"
"Sorry to disappoint you, but I came here of my own will."
"Oh?" The Third Raikage raised an eyebrow. "That means you've grown much, much stronger since we last fought."
"As time moves forward, there's no reason for me to stay still."
"Indeed." The Third Raikage continued conversing peacefully with Kyomu, without the hostility they once had in life. "It's just too bad there's no sake here. Otherwise, the two of us could have a long talk over drinks."
"I knew I wasn't wrong about you. You're quite interesting, letting go of grudges so easily." Kyomu looked at the Third Raikage with some regret. "Back then..."
The Third Raikage interrupted Kyomu, "Once someone's dead, all debts are canceled. I'm dead, so past matters have nothing to do with me. The dead should only talk about what comes after death."
Nodding, Kyomu sat down cross-legged in front of the Third Raikage. "Third Raikage, I want to ask, how many souls here can retain their memories like you?"
"I'm not sure. Most don't like being disturbed, and I seldom leave my own area to check out others."
"I see. I didn't expect you to be so different after death."
"I was like this in life too," the Third Raikage shook his head. "If not for the village and the country, I'd rather be a simple farmer, working from dawn till dusk. But life now isn't bad either. Time feels irrelevant, just a concept. A blink could be a day or much longer. It's quite interesting."
"Good mindset, keep it up. Maybe you'll get a chance to walk the earth again."
Kyomu stood up. Since he couldn't get more information from the Third Raikage, there was no point in staying.
"Farewell, until we meet again."
"I'd rather not see you again, alive or dead."
"Haha!" Kyomu laughed heartily, stepping out of the Third Raikage's illusion.
"Kyomu, you've come after all."
Just as Kyomu was about to continue exploring, Hagoromo's voice came from beside him. "And already, you've extinguished several strong souls upon your arrival."
"Are you planning to intervene?"
"I'm just expressing my dissatisfaction."
"This isn't your domain." Kyomu shook his head. "Before, I hadn't come, but now that I'm here, it's time we discussed the ownership of the Pure Land."
(End of Chapter)
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