Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo looked extremely old. His body was even somewhat emaciated, and the white robe covering him was decorated with several black tomoe patterns.
There were six tomoe on his chest, while a red spiral-shaped emblem was emblazoned across his back.
If the colors were changed, it would clearly be identical to the mark that had appeared within Senju Tobirama's soul.
Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo sat cross-legged in midair. Beneath the hem of his robe, nine tomoe arranged in a three-by-three grid slowly rotated and flipped, seemingly communicating with some unknown existence.
Naturally, this was not the true Sage of Six Paths.
It was merely a sliver of consciousness left behind within his mark.
The Sage of Six Paths looked around at his surroundings, his face filled with surprise.
When he saw the Heavenly Emperor persona, his astonishment deepened further, and he even spoke aloud.
"There is actually still a rational god in the shinobi world?"
"Judging from the divine power circulating through this world, your divine nature should be close to fully condensing. Wonderful."
"As long as I capture you and strip away the essence of your divinity, I'll be able to create another divine artifact."
"The Pure Land badly needs new divine artifacts to expand and stabilize it, allowing it to accommodate more souls."
The Sage of Six Paths kept rambling on without the slightest dignity.
Only after a long while did his expression darken and his chatter finally stop.
He stared at the Heavenly Emperor with killing intent.
"You actually sealed your defenses so tightly that not even a trace of information can escape."
The Heavenly Emperor remained silent.
His eyes were half-closed, as though observing something unseen.
Suddenly, he reached forward.
His entire hand sank into the void amidst expanding circular ripples.
Then, with a violent pull, he dragged out a string of black tomoe from empty space.
Only then did the Heavenly Emperor relax slightly.
He smiled at the gloomy Sage of Six Paths.
At this moment, the nine tomoe beneath the Sage's body had completely disappeared.
Everything he had said and done just now had merely been a distraction, covering the attempted escape of those nine tomoe.
No wonder his performance had been so undignified.
"Greetings, Master of the Pure Land."
"Greetings, unknown god."
"Farewell, Sage of Six Paths."
In the next instant, the Sage of Six Paths was crushed to pieces by Uchiha Yoru.
Merely crushing him was naturally not enough.
Flames and lightning took turns descending upon the fragments, repeatedly blasting and cleansing every tiny piece to ensure that nothing remained but the most thorough residue possible.
A hundred meters away from Uchiha Yoru, a massive flood surged upward and formed a water prison, intercepting countless fragments.
But before those fragments could settle, the little Hole-Riddled Octopus, which had somehow crept close without anyone noticing, stuffed them into its mouth.
These were fragments of spiritual power from a Six Paths-level powerhouse.
Even after being shattered again and again, they still possessed mysterious power.
But Little Ke, the Hole-Riddled Octopus, was a demonicized soul.
Its outward appearance might seem stable and peaceful, but beneath that surface lay chaotic thoughts so wildly disordered that they had reached the extreme.
No matter how extraordinary or mysterious the Sage of Six Paths was, once he had been dismantled to this degree, he could no longer resist Little Ke, whose specialty was devouring souls and spiritual power.
Its flexible tentacles captured every fragment one by one.
Once swallowed, they became nourishment for Little Ke.
Uchiha Yoru smiled.
He had found the final disposal method.
The fragments and ash that had been repeatedly burned and struck by lightning—including even the dirt contaminated by the residue—were all stuffed into Little Ke's mouth.
The Purple Mansion world was Uchiha Yoru's spiritual world.
Everything here was an evolution of his own spirit.
Naturally, it was exactly what the greedy Hole-Riddled Octopus craved most.
Without the slightest hesitation, it swallowed everything.
The entire octopus visibly swelled.
Distinguishing the degree of contamination was an extremely troublesome process.
Fortunately, Uchiha Yoru could control his own spirit here with absolute precision, so it did not become too much of a problem.
Only after the final clump of contaminated soil had been stuffed into the octopus's mouth did the faint, nearly imperceptible fluctuation finally vanish completely.
Uchiha Yoru had thoroughly eliminated the threat.
From now on, even if he became careless or relaxed his vigilance, his brow would no longer emit fluctuations belonging to the Sage of Six Paths.
Thinking of this, Uchiha Yoru couldn't help spitting disdainfully.
"Sage of Six Paths, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo... what an insidious and cunning old bastard."
As for his own performance...
He had accurately predicted the Sage of Six Paths' response, prepared contingencies for every possible situation, and successfully dealt with each one without exposing even the slightest flaw.
If the Sage of Six Paths knew about all this, he would probably turn around and sigh at just how frighteningly cunning Uchiha Yoru was.
...
Senju Tobirama regained consciousness.
He discovered that he was lying on a hillside covered in lush grass and vegetation.
The golden sun overhead bathed him in warmth, making him so comfortable that he almost couldn't bring himself to open his eyes.
Then he jolted awake.
He rolled over and sprang to his feet.
He was dead.
So why could he feel warmth?
Why did he feel sleepy?
Senju Tobirama knew he must have been unconscious for some time, but he had no idea where he was, much less what exactly had happened to him.
His instincts as a shinobi immediately kicked in.
He began investigating his surroundings, gathering as much information as possible while creating the least possible disturbance.
Soon, he discovered a large group of clay figures working at the bottom of the hill.
Just as Senju Tobirama intended to investigate further, Uchiha Yoru suddenly appeared beside him, startling him.
Uchiha Yoru truly had appeared instantaneously.
Previously, even though the Purple Mansion world was his own spiritual world, he had still needed to move through it normally.
But ever since the Golden Core's projection appeared in the sky of the Purple Mansion, he could go anywhere he wanted instantly.
Not only did it require no time, it didn't even require a process.
Ironically, if he wanted to appear normal now, he had to deliberately concentrate in order to "slowly" fly or walk somewhere.
Seeing Senju Tobirama's startled expression, Uchiha Yoru said apologetically,
"Second Hokage, you're in a pretty miserable situation this time."
"What exactly happened?"
Senju Tobirama looked around and asked another question.
"And where is this?"
"This is the Heavenly Emperor's divine realm. The Heavenly Emperor himself resides in the Divine Court above the clouds."
Uchiha Yoru raised a hand and pointed, guiding Senju Tobirama's gaze toward the magnificent palaces above the white clouds.
"Originally, I thought you would be able to meet the Heavenly Emperor there."
"But something about your current state is wrong. You can't leave the ground here."
Hearing this, Senju Tobirama tried jumping several times.
Sure enough, he discovered that he could not leap very high.
After several attempts, he confirmed that ordinary jumps were no problem.
But once he reached roughly ten meters in height, a powerful force would suddenly appear and forcibly drag him back to the ground.
He guessed,
"Because I'm dead?"
Uchiha Yoru shrugged and offered his own guess.
"I think it might have something to do with the Pure Land."
Then both of them fell silent.
Speculation without evidence was meaningless.
Senju Tobirama looked up at the sky and sighed.
"This place is actually quite nice."
"Far better than the cramped and gloomy Pure Land."
Uchiha Yoru asked curiously,
"Second Hokage, what is the Pure Land like?"
Senju Tobirama answered,
"I don't know very much about it."
"I can't remain conscious for long in the Pure Land. I only know that it's a world that doesn't seem particularly large."
"There's no sun."
"No moon or stars either."
"The sky is gray and hazy, and even the grass on the ground looks dull and lifeless."
"It isn't the kind of place that makes anyone feel happy."
"That's about all I know."
"Whenever I return to the Pure Land, I fall asleep very quickly."
"If you're interested, you can ask my elder brother later. He can stay conscious for much longer than I can."
Uchiha Yoru asked again,
"Second Hokage, have you ever seen houses there?"
"Small thatched huts, specifically."
Senju Tobirama shook his head.
"No."
"But when this Edo Tensei ends, I can ask around for you after I return—"
Uchiha Yoru shook his head.
"No need."
"Because you can't return to the Pure Land anymore."
Senju Tobirama's expression changed sharply.
Even so, he still managed to ask in a steady voice,
"Why?"
Uchiha Yoru had no intention of hiding the truth.
"When you were pulled into the divine realm just now, a mark belonging to the Sage of Six Paths appeared on your soul and came into conflict with His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor."
"What did you say?"
This time, Senju Tobirama completely lost his composure.
He blurted out in shock,
"The Sage of Six Paths?"
"Did the Heavenly Emperor kill him in the end?"
"He did."
Uchiha Yoru said,
"Crushed him and scattered the ashes."
"But that was only a surveillance and warning mark left behind by the Sage of Six Paths. The power stored within it was very limited."
"Destroying it was easy."
"But in order to prevent the Sage of Six Paths from detecting the Heavenly Emperor's divine realm, we had to go to considerable lengths to clean it up completely."
"It took quite a bit of effort."
Hearing there were no lingering consequences, Senju Tobirama let out a long sigh of relief.
While listening to Uchiha Yoru's explanation, he had already begun examining his own body.
Sure enough, he discovered traces he had never noticed before.
Senju Tobirama was one of the greatest researchers in the shinobi world.
Almost at first glance, he could determine that these traces belonged to a miniature sealing formation powered by chakra.
After spending a little more time studying it, he even managed to roughly infer the sealing formation's function.
Therefore, Senju Tobirama had no reason to doubt Uchiha Yoru's words.
At the same time, he became extremely wary of the Sage of Six Paths' intentions.
That was only natural.
If someone secretly planted something inside your body that could monitor you at all times, anyone would become angry and suspicious.
And since Senju Tobirama had now grown suspicious of the Sage of Six Paths, he naturally understood that after the hidden danger inside him was removed, he could no longer return to the Pure Land.
If everyone else possessed a mark capable of actively communicating with its source, while Tobirama alone suddenly did not, his abnormality would stand out far too clearly to the Sage of Six Paths.
Senju Tobirama sighed.
"If I can't go back, then so be it."
"Staying here isn't bad."
"Blue skies, white clouds, green mountains, green grass."
"Just looking at it puts me in a better mood."
Uchiha Yoru grinned.
"Unfortunately, you can't stay here for long either."
Senju Tobirama froze.
He stared blankly at Uchiha Yoru and asked,
"Seriously?"
"But I can't return to the Pure Land."
"If I can't stay here either, doesn't that mean I'll become a wandering ghost with nowhere to go?"
"That's basically right..."
Uchiha Yoru deliberately paused before continuing,
"So, Second Hokage, you'll have to work twice as hard."
"Before your remaining time runs out, you need to complete the two research projects I have for you."
With a wooden expression, Senju Tobirama accepted a sheet of white paper.
Then, equally woodenly, he read what was written on it.
"A national-scale faith-gathering formation."
"And a Divine Power Hall of Heroes."
In the next instant, he understood Uchiha Yoru's intentions.
The brat really was trying to find a proper resting place for his soul.
But he only provided the inspiration.
From the foundational research and functional design all the way to final implementation and construction, he intended to dump everything onto Tobirama.
He was making a ghost build his own grave.
Even a capitalist would shed tears at the sight and cry out,
"Ancestor, please teach me the Art of Awakening the Dead!"
Senju Tobirama sighed helplessly.
"Uchiha brat, how much time do I have for the research?"
Uchiha Yoru answered,
"In terms of real-world time, you only have twenty-four hours."
"After that, the divine power's infiltration into your soul will begin causing serious damage."
Senju Tobirama shook his head repeatedly.
"Not enough."
"Far from enough."
"I still know absolutely nothing about the power of faith or divine power."
"There's no way I can design these systems in one day."
Although his words said there wasn't enough time, his expression remained extremely calm.
He continued,
"But if we're not measuring according to real-world time, how much time do I have?"
Uchiha Yoru raised an eyebrow.
"As expected of the Second Hokage."
"Within the Heavenly Emperor's divine realm, you'll have one hundred and eighty days."
"As expected. You did have a backup plan."
Senju Tobirama smiled confidently.
"Six months."
"It'll be challenging even for me, but I'm confident I can finish it."
"Come on, brat."
"Hurry up and teach me how to come into contact with faith and divine power."
Uchiha Yoru raised a finger and pointed upward.
"Face the white clouds."
"Imagine the greatest and most majestic figure in your heart."
"Then shout, 'Great Heavenly Emperor, please grant me your protection.'"
His voice faded.
The world became quiet.
Uchiha Yoru did not hear what he had expected.
Confused, he lowered his head and found Senju Tobirama staring at him with his mouth firmly shut.
The Second Hokage was looking at him as though he were an idiot.
Uchiha Yoru explained,
"You have to shout it out."
"Saying it aloud creates a psychological suggestion that helps you establish communication with the Heavenly Emperor."
Senju Tobirama curled his lip and snorted coldly.
"Too embarrassing."
He raised his head.
"I, Senju Tobirama, am no ordinary man."
"If others need to shout at the top of their lungs to be heard, I need only silently think the words."
"Any intelligent existence will inevitably notice me."
"Even a god cannot ignore Senju Tobirama!"
His eyes suddenly widened.
His piercing gaze fixed upon the palace above the white clouds.
Needless to say, Senju Tobirama's actions were completely meaningless.
Within this spiritual world, Uchiha Yoru had deliberately isolated his own spiritual power from Tobirama to avoid interfering with a soul that no longer possessed a physical body as its foundation.
Tobirama also could not sense the power of faith at all.
So how was he supposed to transmit his will anywhere?
Fortunately, Uchiha Yoru was standing right beside him.
He was the Heavenly Emperor's true body.
That fierce expression, with Tobirama's eyes practically bulging out of their sockets, had indeed "shaken" the Heavenly Emperor.
Though the act itself had no practical effect, Senju Tobirama's courage and pride deeply moved Uchiha Yoru.
Because those were among humanity's most beautiful virtues.
Uchiha Yoru's impression of the Second Hokage changed dramatically.
For some reason, the white-haired man suddenly looked much more pleasing to the eye.
There was no denying that because of his hostility and wariness toward the Uchiha Clan, the Second Hokage had implemented many policies specifically targeting them, along with numerous overlapping administrative structures.
Under the guidance of those systems and policies, the Uchiha Clan came into conflict with the interests of most other shinobi and gradually became outsiders within Konoha without even realizing it.
Blocking someone's path to wealth was like killing their parents.
The Uchiha Clan had to endure hostility from the entire village.
Those thickheaded Uchiha with empty brains might not have noticed much.
But for Uchiha Yoru before the age of eighteen, every step had felt dangerous.
Throughout his long process of growing up, Uchiha Yoru had been forced into an extreme level of vigilance.
He had completely become someone who followed the Dao of Caution.
But that had never been his natural temperament.
It was merely a habit forced upon him by circumstance.
Like a volcano, a great fire had always been suppressed deep inside Uchiha Yoru.
Once his strength grew sufficient, as long as he could guarantee his own safety, he became far more inclined to act.
And when he acted, he tended to kill.
It could be said that the intensity of Uchiha Yoru's aggression and the depth of his vengefulness were things even the Uchiha clansmen themselves could scarcely imagine.
Although he seemed to get along quite well with Senju Tobirama, deep down his malice toward the man had always been considerable.
After mastering the Edo Tensei, his very first experimental subject had been Senju Tobirama.
Every risk, large or small, had been dumped on him.
Uchiha Yoru had even planned that in the near future, once Edo Tensei and the Hall of Heroes system were perfected, he would design all sorts of restrictions and rules and then place them over Tobirama's head.
He wanted the man to personally experience what it felt like to be deliberately targeted and have obstacles placed in his path.
If he didn't torment him for at least eighty or a hundred years, how could Uchiha Yoru possibly vent the resentment accumulated during his first eighteen suffocating years?
But at this moment, his thoughts changed.
Perhaps.
Just perhaps.
The courageous and proud Senju Tobirama might one day stand beside him as a comrade when facing the Ōtsutsuki Clan.
The brilliant and inventive Senju Tobirama might even become a fellow traveler on Uchiha Yoru's Immortal Path as they explored the laws of the world.
Toward someone who might become a future companion, Uchiha Yoru's heart softened.
[In the future, I won't make things deliberately difficult for you.]
Then he manipulated His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor and had him personally extend a tendril of divine power toward Senju Tobirama.
Divine power poured into Tobirama's body, allowing his soul to begin adapting to it.
Senju Tobirama suddenly felt some kind of power flowing into him.
It was an extremely strange sensation.
It seemed that when the infusion first began, he had been completely unable to sense it.
Only after the power started causing changes within him did he gradually gain the ability to perceive it.
Someone...
No.
A god was guiding him, granting him the ability to sense divine power.
Senju Tobirama carefully examined the sensation.
He discovered that divine power felt warm and comfortable.
Like soaking in a hot spring.
It made a person instinctively want to relax.
He had to admit, it felt extremely pleasant.
But Senju Tobirama did not relax.
Instead, he focused even more intensely and threw himself wholeheartedly into studying it.
The instant he concentrated, the sensation produced by the divine power changed.
A burning enthusiasm filled him.
His mind became excited.
Even the speed of his thoughts increased.
[Whatever the heart desires] was one of the most fundamental characteristics of divine power.
Although Uchiha Yoru's two divine personas were still weak, within spiritual domains related to heat, warmth, passion, and similar concepts, they could already act almost entirely according to their will.
Uchiha Yoru speculated that as a god's power continued increasing, and as its understanding and integration with the laws of the world deepened, divine power would eventually transcend the spiritual domain and manifest the same wish-fulfilling properties in reality.
Senju Tobirama's perception of divine power continued growing stronger.
Soon, he sensed another kind of power.
It was similar to divine power, yet completely different.
Just as he began wondering what it was, a vast and distant voice gave him the answer.
"That is the power of faith."
"A special form of spiritual power refined from humanity's worship and prayers."
"It is the raw material from which gods manufacture divine power."
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