He was sore all over, and the four legs of the bed had been broken from violent shaking. Fortunately, it had happened during the day, when no one was around—otherwise, someone might have come knocking.
When kurenai came back to her senses, she was the only one left in the room. Because she had sweated so much, the bed was no longer usable; the sheets, pillows, and even the mattress had to be replaced with new ones.
"Mm…"
As soon as she stood up, kurenai felt a wave of weakness wash over her body, and the parts she had been exercising were especially sore. Pressing her stomach with one hand, she suddenly felt a twinge of discomfort.
So much… how many times did we do it later? No wonder—even as a Jōnin, she felt utterly exhausted. And with so much… flow, there was no way she could be pregnant, right? In that case, she would be far too sorry for Asuma.
By the way—Asuma!
Thinking of this, kurenai forced herself to stand and walked over to the small round table. She picked up the documents resting there, examined them carefully, and let out a long breath.
Fortunately, two years had passed in the blink of an eye.
She knew it was impossible to release Asuma immediately, as that would be a blow to the Federation's pride. But two years of punishment without heavy labor—there was no avoiding the fact that Kurenai had to work herself to the bone.
Beside the table sat a glass of water and a note from Kain. After reading it, kurenai bit her lip. She had endured for two years already.
Taking a deep breath, Kurenai consoled herself: it was only two years, and they would pass quickly. When the time came, she and Asuma would leave the capital and spend the rest of their lives in a quiet seaside village.
But… this glass of water.
Kurenai frowned slightly. Why had that person specifically mentioned it? Surely, it couldn't be ordinary water. Yet after looking at it for a while, she found nothing unusual. To avoid any trouble the next time they met, she decided to drink it all in one gulp.
Not long after, kurenai was surprised to feel her physical strength returning rapidly. The fatigue vanished completely in a very short time. Even her stomach felt warm, the comfort so intense that it almost made her let out a pleased sound.
What she didn't know was that it was a special potion, and she would soon notice more changes in herself.
—————————————
With the removal of Ōtsutsuki Ichishiki , the ninja world no longer required much of Kain's special attention. Only Jodo and a few other Ōtsutsuki remained, but they were expected to arrive in the ninja world only after a few years—and Kain had no idea where they were in space.
Living planets weren't easy to find; sometimes, an entire galaxy contained none. Although the Ōtsutsuki clan had long lifespans, even they had to search hard for a planet suitable for planting a God Tree.
What's more, there had once been Ōtsutsuki Shibai—a being who had devoured too many inhabited worlds, elevating the level of his own life. The current Ōtsutsuki clan was probably surviving on his leftovers.
The Red Queen's technology in the ninja world could not analyze Ōtsutsuki Shibai's body. Kain intended to bring it to the Marvel Universe and study it with the power of the Infinity Stones.
"Orochimaru, how is your research going?"
When Kain arrived at Orochimaru's lab, he greeted him and couldn't resist adding, "You should go outside once in a while. Your face is so pale, it's unhealthy."
"This has nothing to do with sunlight," Orochimaru replied with a chuckle. "Mr. Kain, I heard you obtained a very valuable corpse. How is your research progressing?"
Orochimaru was referring to the body of Ōtsutsuki Ichi. Kain had only conducted a rough analysis so far—he would need to take it elsewhere for more detailed study. Changing the subject, Kain asked, "That's not important. What matters is the Pure Land. How is your research on that?"
"Amazing," Orochimaru said with a laugh. "That's all I can say, Mr. Kain."
He then laid out dozens of scrolls before Kain. "You know that chakra is the combination of physical and spiritual energy—even ninja academy students learn that much. Normal death usually comes when the body's functions wear out, while mental energy remains intact.
"In other words, only certain special jutsu consume mental energy so severely that it becomes difficult to recover. But when a ninja dies, physical energy and mental energy become complete opposites—one decays to the point of vanishing, while the other remains abnormally active."
Orochimaru produced a set of test data, along with research on jutsu connected to the Pure Land—Impure World Reincarnation, the Spirit Transformation Technique, and the Dead Demon Consuming Seal. From these, he had finally derived a method.
"The Pure Land is alive—or at least, someone is controlling it. Ninjas with strong mental power can remain there for a long time, but for ordinary people, the soul dissipates within half a year. This means they simply cease to exist.
"Moreover, the sights perceived by strong-minded ninjas and ordinary people are vastly different. When Senju Hashirama was in the Pure Land, he stayed near the river where he and Madara had once gotten lost as children.
"That's the general situation. I have already mastered the method of entering and leaving. An improved Spirit Transformation Technique, or my own ocular powers, can allow us to enter the Pure Land—though I don't know what we'll encounter there.
"It's better to go in using my ocular technique; it will conserve your strength. The Evil God and Shendu don't seem able to control the Pure Land. The one who owns it should be the Sage of Six Paths you mentioned."
Orochimaru's smile didn't fade, but his eyes gleamed with eagerness.
Kain asked, "Orochimaru, is it just the two of us?"
"It's useless if there are too many people. The First Hokage can't return to the Pure Land. Do you want Kushina to come along?" Orochimaru said with a smirk. His pupils shifted rapidly—first into the three-tomoe Sharingan, then into the Mangekyō, and finally into the concentric rings of the Rinnegan. "I have a special ocular technique that will allow me to protect myself in the Pure Land. As for others, I can't be sure. It's also thanks to the items you brought me, Mr. Kain; otherwise, relying solely on Hashirama cells and Sage Chakra, it would have been far from enough to evolve these eyes."
"Rinnegan… I knew you were strong, but I didn't expect you to quietly create something this impressive. No wonder you had no interest in Uchiha Madara's pair," Kain said, shaking his head. Just from Orochimaru's life force, he could tell the man was among the strongest in the ninja world—at least stronger than Senju Hashirama. But this pair of Rinnegans was something he hadn't known about.
"Just the two of us, then. When do we leave?"
"Now, if you'd like."
Orochimaru widened his Rinnegan, and a spirit body emerged from his form.
"My pupil technique can locate any place, and teleport anything there. Even a tailed beast like the Nine-Headed Dragon would be no problem. I can also use my spirit body to perform the ocular technique, locking onto the Pure Land's position."
"Large-scale teleportation array… you actually have one—"
Before Kain could finish, a shock ran through his entire body, and the next second, he found himself in a strange place.
The surroundings were gray—no sky, no ground—yet filled everywhere with life energy.
"This is the Pure Land," Orochimaru said, "but the environment is worse than I remember. When I first came here, I felt rejected almost immediately. That's the same feeling now."
As soon as he finished speaking, both he and Kain felt the space pushing them out. If Kain had entered physically, it would have been fine, but as a spirit body, he felt the repulsion instead of suction.
It was precisely this sensation that had stopped Orochimaru from exploring further the first time. Otherwise, he would have noticed a certain acquaintance earlier—and now he was determined to see him.
"Indeed," Kain said. "This place feels like an enchanted space with an owner. An unmanaged space wouldn't react like this. Still, it's nothing serious."
His eyes shifted into the Mangekyō pattern, allowing him to connect to the Fate Kamui dimension, where such spatial rejection had no effect on him. If he wished, he could even use Kamui to distort and destroy the barrier entirely.
The Fate Kamui world was now a complete realm, far beyond the Pure Land's spatial enchantment.
Kain used his magic to counteract the repulsion affecting Orochimaru's spirit body. Orochimaru smiled. "Mr. Kain, I'm going to meet someone I know. Do you want to come?"
"Jiraiya? You know how much he hates me, right? These two others with Jiraiya… let's go take a look."
Kain had sensed two familiar chakras beside Jiraiya. Somehow, a Sannin and two Uchiha had ended up together—but even the weakest among them had awakened the Mangekyō, which was impressive in the Pure Land.
"Let's go, Orochimaru."
It might seem strange to Kain that people repent after death, but in the ninja world, it's fairly common.
The people here have an unusually high tolerance for past faults, an attitude that had gradually diminished after Kain became a well-known figure in the Land of Fire and strengthened the legal punishments.
Still, it seemed to persist in the Pure Land—take Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Obito, for example. Although Obito had intended to cause trouble, Kain dealt with him before he could act. Even if Itachi was aware of Obito's actions, he couldn't bring himself to condemn him.
Because here… they had a common enemy.
The Pure Land space changes to reflect the place the deceased most wish to remain. By coincidence, these three all had a deep attachment to Konoha. As a result, this Pure Land space existed entirely as a replica of Konoha—down to every plant, every tree, every building, the Hokage Tower, even the Forest of Death.
Uchiha Obito often lingered at the training ground, Uchiha Itachi stayed in the Uchiha compound, and Jiraiya lived within the village, never leaving its boundaries.
"Hello."
Jiraiya and Uchiha Itachi appeared before Uchiha Obito, wearing serious expressions.
"It seems an acquaintance is coming," Jiraiya said. "And they're heading this way."
"An acquaintance? I'm not interested."
Obito's expression was like stagnant water, completely unchanged—he cared about nothing.
"It's not an ordinary person who can move freely in the Pure Land. And I don't believe that guy Orochimaru has died so soon!"
Before Jiraiya could finish, his head snapped toward the sky. By the time he looked, two more figures had already appeared nearby.
Both were very familiar to him—one was his old comrade, the other the man responsible for his death. No matter how many years passed, Jiraiya could never forget.
"Orochimaru… Kain!"
At the sound of Kain's name, Obito suddenly raised his head, his gaze locking on one of the figures in the sky. The hatred engraved in his heart was unforgettable.
Orochimaru glanced down at the two below and immediately understood why Kain was here—Uchiha Itachi was dead. Smiling, he called down to Jiraiya, "Long time no see. It's been over ten years since you died."
"Orochimaru…"
Seeing him again, Jiraiya didn't know what to say. He had thought he had let go of his resentment, but now he realized there was still hatred in his heart.
With a chuckle, Orochimaru said, "Forget it. Let's go talk somewhere else. I think Mr. Kain has other business to handle."
His Rinnegan activated instantly, and in the next moment, Jiraiya vanished along with him.
"Kain!!"
Obito's roar shook with decades of accumulated anger and unwillingness. The moment he saw Kain, his reason collapsed.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
His hands flew into seals, and he spewed a massive ball of flame that surged into a roaring sea of fire tens of meters wide. Yet, as it neared Kain, the flames compressed as if gripped by invisible hands, shrinking into a small fireball that floated neatly into Kain's palm.
"Amaterasu!"
Itachi attacked at the same time, but the black flames fared no better—drawn into Kain's outstretched hand like Obito's fireball.
Flames meant nothing to him. After mastering the Genetic Martial Art, Kain had gained the ability to assimilate flames and control weaker ones entirely. Any fire he could suppress… was fire he could command.
"It seems you still harbor a great deal of hatred for me," Kain said. "Even in death, you can't let it go. Is it because you've grown stronger? Forget it. Since there's hatred between us that cannot be erased, this time I won't even let your souls go!"
Extinguishing the flames in his palm, Kain raised his hand and locked the space with his thoughts. Under his power, the replica of Konoha born from the Pure Land collapsed into ruin. The destruction made Itachi glare with fierce anger.
Even if he was dead, even if this Konoha was only an illusion, he still wanted to protect it. But now, the village that had been with him for more than a decade was gone in an instant—and he could do nothing.
"I don't have time to play with you. I'll study your souls later… and prepare you properly."
With that, Kain's soul-binding technique seized the spirit forms of Obito and Itachi, holding them firmly in his grasp. He had yet to decide whether to torment them or extract their full value once they returned.
Still, their strength had grown considerably—the energy they emitted was on par with Senju Hashirama, and Jiraiya, who had been taken away by Orochimaru, was almost their equal.
This wasn't simply the result of the Pure Land's nature… Someone was cultivating them.