Chapter 177: Visitors from Beyond
The Pure Land.
A silver-gray prairie stretched out infinitely. Countless softly glowing blossoms drifted above the meadows.
So tranquil. So peaceful.
But a sharp black tower looming in that space shattered the calm.
Sitting inside that black tower, Sukuna resembled a meditating monk.
The floating soul-flowers drifted over, exuding a potent, entrancing fragrance, ultimately sinking into the maw on his abdomen.
Thoughts clashed; memories were devoured.
It was a bizarre feeling, as though feasting on a millennium of ninja-world history.
Sukuna blocked out all else and immersed himself in this gluttonous repast.
…
Between life and death, the Sage of Six Paths and his brother Hamura watched the Pure Land with pained expressions.
"This… was our last trump card…" Hamura rasped.
…
He disliked how his elder brother had let his sons fight to the death, but on some level, he understood.
Kaguya had intended to use the ninja world as a nursery to counter the main Ōtsutsuki clan's pursuit.
The Sage of Six Paths, being kinder, sought a compromise.
He built the Pure Land, gathering the souls of those who died.
It wasn't forced—for instance, Hatake Sakumo never entered the Pure Land, simply waiting. A certain sinister white-haired Senju also invented Edo Tensei, yet the Pure Land didn't stop him.
As long as one's chakra was strong enough and one's will unsatisfied, one could, like Indra or Ashura, reincarnate over and over.
Hagoromo built this place as a resting zone for the dead, but in dire cases, he too could draw upon them.
He stared at the dancing soul-flame on his staff. From the moment Kagami summoned the King of Hell, the Sage realized matters had turned dire, so he quickly collected some soul flames. Among them was…Uchiha Madara's.
He knew Madara's schemes well—without Hagoromo's "universal power" giving access, Madara could not have obtained the Rinnegan.
So the Sage's mind whirled as he spoke in a low tone.
"Hamura, take my Yang power, seek Ashura's reincarnation—Senju Hashirama."
"Tell him everything, including the threat of the Ōtsutsuki clan and Kagami's actions."
"It's obvious now…"
"Kagami wants to break past his limits again by raising that demon god to terrifying levels."
"He can see the future…maybe he truly can handle the clan beyond the stars, but that monster only exists because Kagami deliberately permitted it to grow."
"And if that monster kills Kagami…we must consider such a scenario…"
"In any case, only by having our own strength can we grasp our destiny."
Hamura stared back at him, sniffing coldly.
"At last you decide to move, brother. I thought these thousand years had drained you of resolve."
Hagoromo's eyes dimmed. "I'm just…afraid of the unknown."
"Kagami has his dream, but I won't risk the entire ninja world on it."
Nobody understood Kagami's intentions more thoroughly than the Sage of Six Paths. Kagami's illusions of the ninja world were here. Both sought to solve calamities differently—one radical, one cautious.
---
Konoha, Uchiha District.
"Mother, I'm home," Sasuke said quietly.
His residence, near Kagami's own estate, was considerable in size. In this neighborhood, property cost couldn't be measured in gold.
Shisui had been dispatched to the Land of Earth to serve as Rock Kage. Many guessed it was to prepare him for the next Hokage position.
Then…who would oversee the lofty Uchiha clan?
Kagami rarely showed himself to ordinary clan members. Their respect for him had become more like reverent faith in a god than admiration for a clan head.
The clan still required a daily overseer, which currently fell to Genka and Unkai. They surpassed most clan members in strength but didn't completely overpower them.
Genka had awakened the Mangekyō, which some clan members criticized.
They argued that set beside Kagami's power, or even Shisui's, Genka's Mangekyō was barely half-baked.
At most, a "pseudo-three-tomoe," they said—yes, it might be stronger than average, but not by much.
Genka felt wronged—this was a Mangekyō personally acknowledged by Kagami, albeit incomplete. Realizing his own mediocrity, he turned to grooming Sasuke intensively. Not so much in martial skill, but in daily leadership.
No group is without factions, and with Kagami seldom involved, the Uchiha clan had split into the "Shisui faction" and the "Sasuke faction."
The "Sasuke faction" with Genka and Unkai's backing could rival the "Shisui faction." However, these "factions" only bantered around drinks, comparing who had the best achievements. It was an innocuous competition nobody minded.
…
Sasuke entered the living room, greeted by Shisui on the couch.
"Shisui-nii!" he called warmly.
Shisui was reading a book titled Productivity & Production Relations – On Shinobi Productivity's Third Section, authored by Orochimaru with editorial help from Jiraiya.
Closing it, Shisui glanced back and said with a smile, "You're already on Section Three, huh? Orochimaru's theories are quite profound."
"Yes, my understanding's still shallow," Sasuke replied. Sitting down, he and Shisui discussed academic matters while Naruto, standing by with little Karin perched on his shoulders, looked dazed. They couldn't grasp a single word.
Naruto had seen that book on his dad's shelf but never read it.
Suddenly, a red-haired girl lunged, hugging Sasuke from behind and inhaling deeply.
"Wow! Such a strong sweaty smell—Sasuke's sweat is so nice!"
…
Sasuke lifted Karin by the collar and tossed her aside.
She landed with a squelch on a big, fat orange cat devouring some fish. Her face sank into its furry belly.
"Huh? K-Karin-chan, what're you doin'—nyah?" the cat meowed.
From the kitchen, Mikoto peeked out with a gentle smile, "Sasuke, your bath is ready. Go have a good soak, all right?"
"Got it, Mother."
"S-sorry, Shisui-nii. I'll be back later."
…
Outside the window, perched on a tree branch, stood a youth with twin tear grooves under his eyes, silently watching. A faint grin tugged at his lips.
…
"Itachi-kun…" a girl with short hair leaned against the tree trunk, peering up at him with a touch of pity in her gaze.
"You know, we could tell Sasuke the truth, then sincerely petition Kagami-sama to—"
"No." Itachi cut her off immediately.
"I'm satisfied as is."
"Even if I remain trapped here forever, just seeing mother and Sasuke from a distance, seeing them living happily, is more than enough…"
"Sasuke doesn't need to know that Father and I exist. We would be tarnish on his life."
Propping his chin on one hand, Itachi smiled faintly. "If I had a final wish…"
"I hope to someday die in a way that benefits Sasuke."
…
"And me?" the girl asked, her voice trembling.
Itachi didn't answer right away, then gave a bitter smile:
"Spring (Izumi), you shouldn't cling to someone like me. You deserve a better future."
They fell into silence. Changing an Uchiha's mind…was nigh impossible.
---
In an unknown dimension:
Surface-level scene:
A gigantic demon with red eyes and black hair used a stone platform like a dinner table. With razor-sharp claws like utensils, it cut into a grotesque ten-tailed creature lying there.
That monster wailed in terror, flailing its tails like thrashing tentacles.
Slash—
A single swipe of those dark claws sliced through it as viscous fluids oozed forth with a pungent aroma. The demon's serpentine tongue licked away with malicious delight.
Soon, the monstrous feast was wholly consumed.
Actual scenario:
Black spears pierced the ten-tailed beast's huge form, pinning it. This small Ten-Tails was Isshiki's hidden leftover.
Standing atop one spear tip, Kagami flooded the Ten-Tails with chakra.
Unlike Kaguya or the Sage, Kagami did not intend to become the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki.
He was using it as sustenance—absorbing it.
Seeding a God Tree to siphon Earth's energy and produce a Chakra Fruit was too basic a method, one typical of normal Ōtsutsuki clansmen. Kagami, who scorned the Ōtsutsuki, wouldn't stoop to such a thing. Let others do the low-level tasks—he wanted to pillage even higher realms.
It wasn't difficult for Kagami to devour the Ten-Tails. From Isshiki's memory, he'd known of this dimension's location. Only now, after fully stabilizing his new power over a few years, had he come to harvest it.
---
When no further howls came from that pocket dimension, all fell silent.
Kagami sat cross-legged on the stone platform as though after a meal, turning his head slightly with a sense of awareness.
"…So you've been here a while now, but you haven't dared come down… Tch."
"Cowardly. Are you waiting for your comrades to arrive so you can move together?"
He smirked faintly. "A wise approach, I guess—Urashiki."
---
Outside, further than the moon, drifting in the cosmos:
For three years, a crimson sun had glowed faintly.
Nearby on an asteroid, a white-skinned, blue-haired man with a harsh ponytail, features cold, stood gazing at that planet below. At times, he glanced at the moon.
"Kaguya's sealed, her God Tree dismantled, there's the abnormally powerful Uchiha, also Rinnegan…"
"Truly bizarre, this world called the Shinobi realm."
He turned away. "Better wait for the others to come before we do anything further…"
Then he froze, startled, peering again at the red star
"Was that…someone looking at me?"
---
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