In a pitch-black space, there wasn't a single trace of light. There was only endless emptiness and oppression.
"What the hell is this place!? Let me out!!!"
Shukaku's rough voice echoed nonstop. His angry roars slammed into invisible barriers and bounced back, making him even more irritated.
His huge body tossed about restlessly in the darkness. His tail swung back and forth, yet it never touched anything solid.
This was inside the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
Suddenly, the "black ground" beneath him bulged slightly. A white figure with a strange smile slowly rose out of the ground.
It was White Zetsu.
"Stop yelling, Lord Shukaku. This is the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.", White Zetsu said helplessly.
The moment Shukaku saw White Zetsu, his eyes lit up, and a long-lost look of joy appeared on his face.
"Finally, one of our own is here!"
"White Zetsu, perfect timing! Go tell Teacher for me. Is my mission finished? Can I go back to Mount Myoboku now?"
White Zetsu shrugged with a hint of sympathy.
"Sorry, Lord Shukaku. The Great Sage didn't say you could go back... We have to keep acting until the 'final ending' before we can really return."
Shukaku froze for a moment before reacting.
"Huh? We have to wait until the Akatsuki catches all the Tailed Beasts?"
White Zetsu nodded.
"That's right."
Shukaku immediately deflated like a punctured balloon. His huge head swayed as he muttered, "Those Akatsuki guys... can't they move a little faster? I'm waiting to get off work here!"
He suddenly remembered something, quickly raised his head, and asked with concern, "Oh right, how's my Jinchuriki? That kid Gaara... how is he now?"
White Zetsu was silent for a moment before shaking his head.
"Once a Tailed Beast is extracted, the Jinchuriki always dies. Gaara has probably already reached the Pure Land Hall."
Shukaku's massive body stiffened slightly.
He had actually gotten along pretty well with that red-haired kid. The child always wore a straight face, but he was stubborn and strong.
He never expected that at such a young age...
"Sigh..."
"Well, the human world is too complicated. It's better to enjoy life in the Pure Land. At least... he'll avoid decades of detours."
Shukaku let out a deep sigh.
The Tailed Beasts had always taken death lightly.
They were, after all, just collections of chakra. Besides, the Great Sage had already built the Pure Land system.
To them, death was never the end. It was simply another beginning.
Shukaku suddenly became alert and lowered his voice.
"Wait. If we're talking here, can that Pain guy hear us?"
White Zetsu shook his head with a smile.
"He can't. This is the internal space of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. Pain can't hear us."
Only then did Shukaku completely relax.
He folded his hands behind his head, crossed his legs, and lazily leaned back in midair.
"That's good... I hope the next one to come in is Kurama, that stinking fox."
After saying that, he suddenly sat up straight, turned to White Zetsu with a sly grin, and his eyes sparkled with mischief.
"White Zetsu, how about we make a bet? Who do you think will be the next Tailed Beast to come in?", Shukaku said with a smile.
White Zetsu became interested too, wearing the same bored smile.
"Sure. We've got nothing else to do anyway. Working inside the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path is boring as hell. Now that you're here, at least you'll have someone to chat with."
———
[In The Pure Land Hall]
In a gentle yet empty white space, faint chakra light floated through the air.
Countless dead souls were lining up here, waiting.
Gaara appeared here in a daze, floating through the air. The faint shadow of blood still lingered on his small body.
He looked down at his hands and muttered, "So... I'm dead?"
His heart was filled with mixed emotions.
How long had he even lived? And now... he had died just like this.
'Sister, brother, Father... how are you all now?'
A wave of grief welled up inside Gaara.
He clearly remembered seeing his father killed by someone from the Akatsuki in Konoha just before he died. That scene had broken his heart.
'Did Father come here too?'
While lost in thought, he suddenly noticed many people standing around him. Some were familiar ninja faces, while others were completely unfamiliar souls.
Just then, a Pure Land staff member in a neat uniform held up a loudspeaker and shouted, "Attention, all newly arrived souls! Please cooperate! Go through the passage for the country you belonged to while you were alive. Don't stay here too long!"
Gaara looked up and saw several branching paths ahead. Above each entrance floated a huge sign.
[Land of Wind]
[Land of Earth]
[Land of Fire]
"I was from the Land of Wind... so I should take the Land of Wind passage."
After thinking for a moment, Gaara walked toward the Land of Wind entrance.
Just as he was about to step into the passage, the Pure Land staff member's phone suddenly rang.
The moment he answered, he immediately stood up straight with great respect.
"Lord Sage of Ninshu, what are your instructions?"
"...Who? Gaara? Understood, I'll take care of it right away!"
After hanging up, the staff member quickly searched through the crowd and soon found Gaara.
He compared him with a photo, then looked the red-haired boy up and down as if he were some kind of monster before saying, "Kid, you've got some skill. The Sage of Ninshu actually called personally to pull you out."
Gaara looked completely confused. Before he could ask anything, the staff member grabbed him.
"Hey?"
The next second, he was thrown straight into a glowing river nearby.
"Kid, your time isn't up yet! Come back in a few more years and enjoy the Pure Land then!", the staff member shouted.
Gaara was completely bewildered. The next moment, he felt his body suddenly sink as his consciousness returned to that familiar but cold body.
———
[Meanwhile, At The Sage Of Ninshu's Residence]
In the spacious and elegant courtyard, Hagoromo was sitting under the corridor when Hagoromo's wife walked over carrying a steaming bowl of soup.
"Hagoromo, who called just now?", she asked gently.
Hagoromo took the bowl and smiled.
"It was a man with unfathomable powers. Who else could directly call the center of my Pure Land?"
He also had no idea why the Great Sage had suddenly asked him to send the child named Gaara back. Perhaps something had happened in the human world again.
She took out her phone with a smile.
"Hagoromo, your son made a new post. Looks like he's getting along well with all of his past reincarnations."
A kind smile appeared on Hagoromo's face.
"Hehehe, as long as he's happy... I just wonder how Indra is doing..."
"As for Indra, I don't even have his username."
"I heard he never posts anything."
She shook her head helplessly.
"Indra has always been a loner."
Hagoromo nodded, a trace of worry flashing through his eyes.
After all these years, Indra was still the same.