"It really is over." Miroku pulled away from Makiya's embrace, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "But Moryo is immortal. In a dozen years, it will return once more. Lord Makiya... would you be willing to lend me... your strength, to pass on the priestess's legacy?"
Makiya understood her meaning, but he feigned ignorance. Giving her a thumbs-up, he grinned. "No problem. You can borrow as much as you want."
Miroku: "//////"
The mountain range that once sealed Moryo had vanished. The lava erupting from the depths would completely transform the geography and ecosystem of this region for years to come.
Following Miroku's guidance, Makiya salvaged the sunken sealing sarcophagus from the lava.
Despite the intense aftershocks of the battle, the sarcophagus remained entirely undamaged. The lava had even scoured away the impurities on its surface, making it look brand new.
Makiya's perception probed the interior of the sarcophagus, confirming that not a trace of Moryo's energy remained. However, according to Miroku, chakra and natural energy laced with resentment and hatred would continuously gather there in the days to come until Moryo was reborn.
"What a strange ability. Is there really no way to destroy Moryo?" Makiya refused to believe in such fatalism. There was no problem in this world that couldn't be solved; if one existed, it was simply because one wasn't strong enough. Becoming stronger was the solution to all troubles.
"Unless I discard everything and completely fuse with Moryo's sins and desires." Miroku shook her head. Human emotions were complex, with every heart possessing both good and evil. She couldn't foresee what would happen if she were to embrace that darkness.
"What would happen if we took this thing out of the Land of Demons?" Makiya had a sudden inspiration. "To be honest, your country is a strange place. The geography naturally gathers yin energy, so it's no wonder a monster like Moryo was born here."
"My ancestors tried to move the sarcophagus out of the Land of Demons before," Miroku said, her expression turning sorrowful. "But nothing changed. The disaster even spread to neighboring countries, causing countless deaths."
"Interesting." Makiya's eyes gleamed as he looked at the sarcophagus. "Miroku, don't be in such a hurry to seal this thing. Let me study it for a while. I might find a way to finish off Moryo for good."
"If that is what you wish, I will support you." Miroku bowed slightly. "To ensure the safety of the sarcophagus, I suggest placing it temporarily in my palace. You may stay there while you conduct your research."
"Uh... is that okay? I wouldn't want to be a bother."
"Not at all. Please, make yourself at home."
"Alright then, I'll take you up on that offer."
Makiya chuckled, his eyes shining as he looked at the sarcophagus. Such an interesting power was practically identical to the concept of the Tailed Beasts. If he could research it thoroughly and understand the principles behind it, he might be able to fully unravel the secrets of natural energy.
Miroku suppressed a smile, her own eyes sparkling as she looked at Makiya. A man as powerful as him would surely sire exceptional offspring. With careful nurturing, they might be able to fully master the Priestess's power and end this cycle of fate.
Both of them had their own agendas. Makiya released his golden energy, transforming it into a massive flying sword. He moved the sarcophagus onto the blade and looked up to find Miroku already standing there obediently, waiting with an expectant look for the 'departure'.
"Off we go!"
The flying sword soared into the sky, vanishing into the horizon as a streak of golden light.
By the time they returned to the capital of the Land of Demons, the sky hadn't even begun to darken; it wasn't even time for dinner yet.
The Ashiho brothers watched as Miroku stepped off the flying sword and rushed forward with wide smiles. "Lady Miroku, it's wonderful to see you've returned safely!"
"Manta, Tomotaka." Miroku looked at them and instructed, "Empty out one of the studies next to my bedroom and convert it into a guest room. Do it to the highest standard. This shinobi will be staying here for a while."
"Lady Miroku!" Manta looked up in surprise, his eyes full of reluctance as he glanced at Makiya.
"Yes, Lady Miroku. We will complete the conversion as soon as possible," Tomotaka replied with a bow, discreetly kicking Manta in the process.
Coming to his senses, Manta pouted and said unwillingly, "Yes, Lady Miroku."
The brothers bowed and retreated, acting as foremen as they called their clansmen to begin the renovation. Miroku took the opportunity to lead Makiya into the palace, introducing him to the functions of each room.
The Priestess's palace was immense—a five-story wooden building with carved beams and painted rafters, furnished in an elegant, ancient style.
The interior was incredibly luxurious, filled with many priceless items. According to Miroku, the Ashiho clan managed the decor; she herself rarely bothered with such matters.
Miroku's life was quite monotonous. Although the palace had many different rooms, she actually used very few of them. Aside from the main hall for official business and her bedroom, Miroku only really used the study for reading and the dance studio to stay active.
The well-traveled Makiya showed no signs of shock, offering only polite compliments throughout the tour. Miroku nodded inwardly, noting that he was a man who had clearly seen much of the world.
The Ashiho clan worked with incredible speed. As a prominent family with immense resources, converting a small guest room was child's play for them.
Makiya didn't care for the lavish decorations and furniture. He asked Miroku for an empty room to store Moryo's sarcophagus.
Some members of the Ashiho clan tried to intervene, but Miroku sternly sent them away.
Layers of seals enveloped the sarcophagus, with the outermost layer being a specialized Priestess seal applied by Miroku to ensure no accidents would occur.
In truth, Miroku's actions were redundant. The seals Makiya had placed were something even a Tailed Beast couldn't break, let alone a Moryo that had been reduced to nothingness. The Two-Tails knew this all too well from personal experience.
As a domesticated Tailed Beast, Matatabi had been subjected to many of Makiya's experiments.
During this time, Makiya made a brief trip back to Konoha. The situation there was stable. Whenever Kushina wasn't involved, Minato's intellect was top-tier. Through his recent learning and observation, he had gradually mastered the principles of political balance and bureaucratic maneuvering. He was now a seasoned Hokage.
Adapting didn't mean he enjoyed it, however. Minato often complained to Makiya, venting about his political frustrations and detailing his vision for the future.
The conflicts with the Land of Wind, Earth, and Lightning had quieted down. Konoha only had to deal with the Hidden Mist now. Without needing other clans to step in, the Hyuga and Uchiha clans alone were more than enough to keep the Mist ninja under control.
Konoha's economy was beginning to recover. Private trade became increasingly active, and exchanges with major countries grew more frequent. Everything was thriving.
Within the Uchiha clan, there were calls for Makiya to go to the Land of Water's front lines to lead their clansmen to glory. However, Fugaku rejected these requests, citing that someone of Makiya's high status shouldn't be on the battlefield. Makiya understood Fugaku's motives perfectly. He had no intention of going to the front lines anyway; wasn't it better to stay back and handle his own business?
Obsessed with building his legacy, Fugaku neglected his wife, Mikoto. As her belly grew larger by the day, Mikoto began to feel anxious. It was Kushina, also pregnant, who stepped in to comfort her and stabilize her mood.
The two were already close friends, and their shared pregnancy brought them even closer. They spent their days sharing experiences and making clothes for their future children.
Kushina even joked that if she had a son and Mikoto had a daughter, they should arrange a marriage and become in-laws.
During one of his returns to the village, Makiya happened upon this scene. On a whim, he quipped, 'Gender isn't a hurdle. Even if they're both boys, they can still be together.' Mikoto and Kushina immediately chased him down to pummel him.
After escaping, Makiya pouted. It wasn't like he was wrong. In the original story, Sakura and Hinata were just choices dictated by life; Sasuke and Prince Naruto were the true soulmates.
Things were quiet in Konoha. Karin was thriving in the Seireitei among a group of children, learning ninjutsu from Nono Yakushi. Kabuto Yakushi watched the harmonious scene with a silly grin on his face.
At the same time, he hadn't forgotten the task Makiya had given him: searching the entire ninja world for Orochimaru's bases in hopes of unearthing something useful.
Like the location of Ryuchi Cave.
For now, Makiya focused his attention on the Land of Demons. Through his investigations, he discovered that the country was remarkably rich in resources, particularly chakra-conductive metals.
Due to the unique geographical environment, yin-natured chakra was concentrated here, and the natural energy levels were also very high. Long-term exposure to such an environment significantly increased the probability of unique mineral resources forming.
These abundant resources allowed Makiya to conduct numerous experiments. These chakra-conductive metals were buried deep underground in the mountains; without Makiya, the residents of the Land of Demons might not have discovered them for another century.
After mining them, Makiya utilized—and wasted—a large amount of chakra-conductive metal. Using brute force methods, his experimental progress skyrocketed. Combining the cultivation arrays from the Liao Zhai world with the sealing techniques of the ninja world, he set up a massive formation barrier across the Land of Demons to artificially channel and gather the dispersed evil chakra.
On the second floor of the Priestess's palace, inside the Sealing Chamber.
Moryo's sarcophagus sat quietly in the secret room, surrounded by a dense network of incantations and formulas. As a purple light pulsed, vast amounts of evil chakra and natural energy flowed along the seals into the sarcophagus, only to be absorbed by another barrier.
The barrier above the sarcophagus continuously devoured the appearing energy, channeling it into the room above.
In the room directly above the Sealing Chamber, Makiya had constructed a massive pyramid out of chakra-conductive metal. The purple-black energy was funneled into the pyramid by the barrier, where it underwent multiple layers of filtration and purification, eventually precipitating into a fist-sized orb of natural energy.
This energy was incredibly pure—far more than he could collect through several days of meditation.
Makiya set down his research report, reached out to take the orb of natural energy into his palm, and absorbed it into his body.
This time, the natural energy didn't follow the Shikkotsu Forest cultivation method. Instead, it coursed through an entirely new path of meridians.
A burning sensation gnawed at his nerves. Makiya's entire body trembled slightly, and he couldn't help but cough up a mouthful of blood.
Then, a faint blue 'aura' flared up from Makiya's body as a unique vibration spread outward.
Sage Mode!
The state didn't last long before Makiya hurriedly expelled the senjutsu chakra. Forming hand signs, faint green chakra appeared in his palms as he began to heal himself.
'The meridian flow still needs some refinement, but the overall logic is sound.'
Makiya recorded his sensations in the research report, summarizing the status of each meridian.
Just then, there was a knock on the door. Makiya sensed Miroku's presence and, with a wave of his hand, the door opened automatically.
"Lord Makiya, I didn't want to disturb you," Miroku said, clutching a report to her chest with a slight frown. "But this matter concerns the Land of Earth, and I wanted to ask for your advice."