"Eight Trigrams: Air Palm!"
"Die!"
A series of rumbling and thudding sounds echoed on the steep mountain road.
A loli in a kimono, just over 1.4 meters tall, was fighting a group of ronin armed with katanas and dressed in kimonos.
With a casual wave of her slender hand, a twisted stream of air roared out.
Or, with a flash of her body, a delicate fist landed on an enemy's stomach, and a shockwave formed by a burst of Chakra immediately erupted from the enemy's back.
Immediately, the enemy turned into an afterimage and flew dozens of meters away, either crashing into the mountain wall and dying on the spot.
In just a few rounds, the loli girl annihilated the Bandit Gang composed of over a dozen ronin, making them pay the price for underestimating her based on her appearance.
"Big Brother, how was my performance?"
Having easily dealt with the enemies blocking the road, Hanabi immediately approached Izayoi, smiling with a look of seeking praise.
Izayoi stroked Hanabi's head and praised her generously, "You should be so decisive when dealing with enemies. Hanabi, you did a great job."
"Hehe..."
Hanabi immediately laughed happily, her eyes curved into crescent moons.
The client next to them also flattered, "As expected of Lord Izayoi, even your disciple is so excellent."
The client now felt as if they were dreaming.
They never expected that for just an ordinary C-Rank Escort Mission, the person who took the mission would be the strongest acknowledged by the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
Paying the price of a C-rank mission to hire an Ace Combat Power even stronger than the Five Kage as a bodyguard, their sense of security was directly off the charts.
Unless Madara Uchiha, the Akatsuki leader, and Toneri Otsutsuki came to be the bandits, who could kill him?
"You flatter me. Let's continue on our way."
"Yes!"
The convoy continued to set off.
Hanabi created a Shadow Clone to be responsible for activating her Byakugan to observe the surroundings, while her main body entered a carriage.
As one of the four Ace Combat Powers, who became an Ace Combat Power based on his achievements without needing to accumulate missions, and who could potentially succeed as the Sixth Hokage at any time, Izayoi naturally wouldn't be a hired hand for the client like before.
If it weren't for the purpose of training his little sister-in-law, Izayoi, who was rich enough to rival a country, wouldn't even bother to go out and do missions.
Even if he went out to do missions, he wouldn't make himself uncomfortable.
For example, for tiring escort missions like this, Izayoi would prepare a carriage for himself.
He would enjoy himself in the carriage, while Hanabi worked outside.
Naturally, the client had no complaints about this.
It was already a great fortune to hire the strongest person in the Five Great Shinobi Villages at this price, so how could they dare to have any demands?
Moreover, having the second young lady of the Hyuga Clan's Main Family as their telescope was simply like finding a treasure.
It wasn't just that Izayoi was enjoying himself; even if Hanabi reported enemies ahead and Izayoi ordered them to continue, telling Hanabi to use the enemies for practice, they wouldn't dare to object at all.
The Bandit Gang from earlier was the best example.
After witnessing Hanabi's strength, the client was completely at ease.
Even if Hanabi only sent out a Shadow Clone to deal with them, the client wasn't nervous in the slightest.
Inside the spacious and luxuriously decorated carriage, Izayoi was lying on a Simmons Mattress created with Chakra Rosary, intently reading a diary.
This diary was filled with text translated from ancient script into Cantonese. It was the complete Yin-Yang Release left by Hamura Otsutsuki for his descendants, written in his own hand.
Let alone the people of this world, even in Izayoi's previous life, not many people could understand this diary.
It was much more useful than the codes and ciphers of this world.
This complete Yin-Yang Release did not contain the method for creating Truth-Seeking Balls, nor the method for creating Space-Time Passages, or even the method for creating Artificial Suns and so on.
It only contained more detailed fundamentals of Yin-Yang Release, as well as Hamura Otsutsuki's, or possibly Hamura Otsutsuki's and the Sage of Six Paths' shared understanding and experimental results regarding Yin-Yang Release.
Izayoi was completely engrossed.
This inheritance, given to Madara Uchiha who awakened the Rinnegan, with his development of Yin-Yang Release, might only be able to understand a little.
However, for Izayoi, who possessed the Chakra Rosary and had already mastered the power of creation, this was simply an alternative version of 'Gato's Treasure,' arriving at the perfect time and providing immense help.
As long as he thoroughly understood this diary, Izayoi's mastery of Yin-Yang Release would not only skyrocket, but the capabilities of his Chakra Rosary would also be greatly enhanced.
At that time, he would be confident in creating Truth-Seeking Balls and Space-Time Passages himself, and even... Sage of Six Paths Mode.
Currently, Izayoi already had inspiration.
Just then, a voice interrupted Izayoi's immersive reading.
"Big Brother, what are you looking at?"
A head popped out from under the blanket. Hanabi snuggled into Izayoi's embrace and looked at the diary with him.
Seeing that the diary was filled with text that she could partially understand, but mostly couldn't understand at all, and didn't know what it meant when put together, Hanabi's Byakugan almost turned into mosquito coil eyes. She couldn't help but cover her eyes and say, "Big Brother, are you deciphering a code? Why can I understand some of these words, but I can't connect them at all?"
Izayoi didn't answer. Instead, he pinched Hanabi's little face and said with a smile, "Why did you run in here instead of protecting the client?"
"Hehe... Letting the Shadow Clone protect the client is enough. Anyway, no one can escape my Byakugan," Hanabi said with a smile. "I was worried that Big Brother would be lonely by yourself, so I came in specifically to keep you company and chat."
"No need."
Izayoi lifted the blanket, patted his little sister-in-law's backside, and reprimanded, "Going out on missions is to train your vigilance and wilderness survival skills. If you don't experience it firsthand, how will you adapt to the wilderness-type tests during the Chunin Exams? Go out and protect the client quickly!"
"Big Brother is so annoying!" Hanabi pouted, but obediently went out.
His mature little sister-in-law knew how to act according to his expression.
Especially Izayoi, who had always doted on her, once he became serious and stern, he was even more imposing than her father.
Although Izayoi had never scolded her, Hanabi could detect even a hint of reprimand in his words.
Whenever this happened, his little sister-in-law would obediently listen and never whine or throw a tantrum.
Even though doing so, Izayoi would still accommodate her in the end.
But Hanabi didn't want Izayoi to be disappointed.
She wasn't just Izayoi's little sister-in-law and his beloved little one, but also his only disciple.
She absolutely couldn't bring shame to Izayoi!
So, Hanabi dispelled her Shadow Clone and seriously carried out the mission, though she spent more time secretly peeking at Izayoi with her Byakugan.
Hinata in the original story didn't have a peeping habit, but her little sister was infected with it instead.
...
Two months later.
During these two months, the Shinobi World was calm and peaceful, still in a strange state of peace under the deterrence of the four super-level combat powers.
The most active organization was surprisingly the Akatsuki, which used to be extremely low-key.
After taking off their mysterious masks, the Akatsuki had become the most famous organization in the Shinobi World. Backed by Madara Uchiha and Nagato, their status was no less than that of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, and their deterrence was even stronger than that of the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
Even if someone they had a bounty on was killed by Kakuzu, the people from the Five Great Shinobi Villages could only grit their teeth and bear it.
Even though they knew their headquarters were in Amegakure, no one dared to attack.
Thus, the Five Kage could only issue an order that if they encountered the Akatsuki, they could abandon the mission and would not be punished upon returning to the village.
All members of the Akatsuki enjoyed the same treatment as Minato Namikaze, and their reputation was second to none for a time.
With the return of Nagato and Konan, the number of tourists in Amegakure gradually increased.
This was because many smart people realized that it would be difficult for the Shinobi World to have an Endgame Battle like before.
The reason they could fight before was that there were only two super-level combat powers in the Shinobi World: Toneri Otsutsuki and Nagato.
Now, Amegakure occupied two, while Toneri Otsutsuki and Izayoi were dispersed.
Toneri Otsutsuki could no longer take down Amegakure alone.
If he and Izayoi jointly attacked Amegakure, then Konoha would definitely join in.
At that time, there would definitely be a huge commotion.
Barring any accidents, this balance should be maintained for a long time.
Furthermore, Amegakure needed materials for reconstruction, and the vacant land was an excellent location.
Countless merchants risked coming to Amegakure to invest and then actively promoted it. Coupled with the fact that Amegakure was the safest place now and no innocent people died in the last Endgame Battle, it quickly became one of the most prosperous and lively villages in the Shinobi World.
If the situation could continue like this, it would undoubtedly be the peaceful world Nagato dreamed of.
However, whether it was him, the Akatsuki members, the Five Great Shinobi Villages, or even the high-ranking officials of small countries, they all realized that this kind of peace was very short-lived, just like during the reign of the God of Shinobi.
During the time of the God of Shinobi, everyone had to wait until Hashirama Senju died before daring to start a war.
Now, map-altering level wars could break out at any time.
After returning Amegakure to Nagato and Konan, Madara Uchiha and his Wood Clone began searching for ruins all over the world.
To this end, Madara Uchiha read the memories of a large number of archaeologists, learned various ancient languages, and excavated countless large tombs.
Compared to this, Kabuto Yakushi in the original story was much more restrained.
Neither Black Zetsu nor the White Zetsu clones created by the Infinite Tsukuyomi knew what Madara Uchiha was looking for.
But Black Zetsu's heart grew increasingly uneasy.
Because he was being watched too closely by Madara Uchiha's Wood Clone.
Wood Clones are independent entities similar to White Zetsu clones. They can transmit information in real-time and do not feed fatigue back to the main body. The only drawback compared to White Zetsu clones is that they automatically dispel when their chakra is depleted.
As long as someone is found in time to absorb chakra, this flaw is effectively nonexistent, and they even possess vastly superior combat power compared to White Zetsu clones.
Therefore, in these two months, Black Zetsu has been merged with Madara Uchiha, without any rest at all.
Furthermore, when Madara Uchiha found large tombs and ruins with Black Zetsu, he wouldn't act himself. Instead, he would transmit information to his main body in real-time, allowing the main body to come and excavate the tomb or conduct archaeological work.
As a result, Black Zetsu had no idea what Madara Uchiha had been doing these past two months.
And he didn't dare to leave Madara Uchiha's Wood Clone on his own.
Otherwise, as the embodiment of Madara Uchiha's will, his actions would be tantamount to betrayal. Not only would Madara Uchiha deepen his suspicion of him, but he might even attack him at any time.
At this moment, Black Zetsu regretted it immensely.
If he had known, he wouldn't have used Yin-Yang Release: Spiritual Body Possession to imply to Madara Uchiha that he was his will.
He should have set himself up as a mutated White Zetsu, just like Tobi.
That way, even if Madara Uchiha suspected him, he wouldn't be so passive.
...
In the Demon Country, in a desolate suburban area.
For some unknown reason, the sky in this area was always covered in dark clouds, and cold winds blew constantly.
It was just like the Land of Rain, where it rained all year round.
Beneath the rocky mountains, a very ancient temple, filled with the marks of time and history, was hidden.
In this remote, eerie area, there was a group of soldiers armed with cold weapons and bows and arrows, guarding the temple inside and out.
Even though this was a desolate wilderness, these soldiers showed no signs of relaxation. Their expressions were solemn, indicating how important the temple they were guarding was.
Just then, these professionally trained soldiers, whose combat strength was top-notch among ordinary people, suddenly became expressionless.
Immediately, their eyelids fluttered slightly, their minds became incredibly heavy, and eventually, they all fell down.
In the shadows in front of them, a figure walked out.
"Is this the place?"
Madara Uchiha opened his Rinnegan and gazed at the temple before him, murmuring, "What a strange energy fluctuation and seal. It's different from those other temples."
After speaking, Madara Uchiha instantly appeared inside the temple.
Before him was an altar emitting a white light. The light was like a barrier, and inside it was only a massive shrine, sealed shut by a stone door covered in talismans.
In Madara Uchiha's Rinnegan, these talismans contained a special energy, a seal that he didn't even know about.
Through the information transmitted by the Wood Clone, Madara Uchiha knew that these talismans were seals left by the Priestess unique to the Demon Country, containing the Priestess Power.
"It doesn't look like Chakra, it's somewhat similar to Natural Energy, but it's not Natural Energy, nor is it Sage Chakra..." Madara Uchiha marveled, "I didn't expect this obscure little country to have such a special profession and energy. It seems I didn't come here for nothing!"
Reaching out and placing his hand on the stone door, Madara Uchiha attempted to use the power of the Preta Path to absorb the Priestess Power within the talismans.
The next second, Madara Uchiha's expression changed slightly.
It didn't fail; the Preta Path could absorb any energy-based power, even Natural Energy was no exception.
The reason for the change in Madara Uchiha's expression was that the composition of this Priestess Power felt somewhat familiar to him.
"Power similar to Yin-Yang Release... It seems I've found the right place this time." Madara Uchiha's lips curved slightly, and then he used his Attraction-transformed hand to pull hard.
The two doors of the stone gate immediately opened automatically, revealing a mass of dark purple energy filling the space inside.
This mass of energy, as if possessing self-awareness, was about to fly out of the shrine and rush towards Madara Uchiha, as if to infiltrate Madara Uchiha's body and take over his body.
But the next second, this mass of energy paused, trembling slightly, as if in fear.
"It's actually a materialized energy body, quite similar to a Tailed Beast." Madara Uchiha saw through the essence of this energy body at a glance and said indifferently, "Since you are a materialized energy body, you should be able to speak."
The energy body still trembled slightly, as if hesitating whether to take a gamble and seize Madara Uchiha's body.
But soon, it gave up on this idea.
Then a voice that seemed to echo and was full of apprehension came from within the energy body.
"Why do you have the Rinnegan?"
"You know about the Rinnegan too?" Madara Uchiha immediately became interested and said, "If the information I've gathered is correct, you were sealed by the previous generation of Priestess many years ago, right? Can you also observe the outside world during this time?"
"Observe the outside world?"
The energy body made a questioning sound: "Isn't the Rinnegan the eyes of the Sage?"
"You've seen the Sage of Six Paths?" A sharp glint flashed in Madara Uchiha's eyes.
"Of course."
The energy body immediately emitted an arrogant voice: "I am Moryo, an existence that has existed since ancient times, immortal and indestructible. As long as you are willing to merge with me, you will possess the ability of immortality!"
Looking at Moryo, who couldn't hide its greed in the second sentence and was either simple or foolish, Madara Uchiha was half-believing and half-doubting, then he opened his mouth and asked, "Then do you know Kaguya Otsutsuki?"
"Kaguya Otsutsuki, who is that?" Moryo asked in confusion.
"The mother of the Sage of Six Paths."
"The Sage of Six Paths actually has a name?" Moryo's voice was full of surprise.
"..."
Madara Uchiha felt very speechless, then changed his wording: "Then do you know the Rabbit Goddess?"
"How do you know the Rabbit Goddess?!" Moryo was even more surprised.
Madara Uchiha's eyes immediately narrowed and he said, "In other words, the Rabbit Goddess is a real existence?"
"Of course, the Rabbit Goddess who quelled the wars in the Human World and shone upon the land like the morning sun, who didn't know of her in ancient times?" Moryo first showed off its knowledge, then added with a hint of confusion, "But that woman... in my memory, there is very little information about the Rabbit Goddess. I don't know how she disappeared, or how the Shinobi World entered the era of the Sage of Six Paths' Shinobi Sect."
Madara Uchiha didn't notice anything amiss, because his expression was extremely grim.
The Rabbit Goddess is real!
This means that the images Toneri Otsutsuki showed him, even if mixed with falsehoods, were half-truths.
Kaguya Otsutsuki is the true progenitor of Chakra!
The Sage of Six Paths is Kaguya Otsutsuki's son.
Those ancient secrets are likely all true; Toneri Otsutsuki disdained to hide them.
The Infinite Tsukuyomi is very likely the jutsu that created the White Zetsu!
Doesn't that mean Black Zetsu is truly Kaguya Otsutsuki's third child?
And he is merely a chess piece of Black Zetsu?
Then why did Black Zetsu tamper with the stone tablet and guide him to awaken the Rinnegan?
What is its purpose?
No... I can't jump to conclusions yet.
Right now, it's only confirmed that Kaguya Otsutsuki is real. There are still many logical flaws in the images Toneri Otsutsuki showed him.
So, Madara Uchiha looked at Moryo and continued to ask, "Do you know where the Rabbit Goddess lived, or the country she was in?"
"If I remember correctly, it seems to be... a place called the Land of Ancestors?" Moryo still didn't hide anything, but it wasn't as certain.
Madara Uchiha was not satisfied with Moryo's answer, so he raised his hand and released an invisible Attraction, pulling the dark purple energy body over and directly absorbing it into his body.
The next second, Madara Uchiha felt an incredibly astonishing negative energy, somewhat similar to the Nine Tails' hatred and negative energy. As expected, they were both materialized energy bodies.
Madara Uchiha's brow furrowed slightly, not because he was affected by Moryo's negative energy, but because he discovered that his Human Path ability could not read Moryo's memories.
It was just like being unable to read the memories of the Tailed Beasts.
Releasing the energy body with a raised hand, Madara Uchiha looked at the trembling energy body, which seemed to be in fear, and asked, "Do you know the location of the Land of Ancestors?"
"N-no... I don't know." Moryo let out a terrified sound, but still held a glimmer of hope, saying, "However, if you merge with me and take me out, perhaps I can help you find that place."
Madara Uchiha didn't answer. Instead, he used his Yin-Yang Release ability, raised his hand to create various characters, and continued to ask, "Among these characters, are there any from ancient times?"
"...These few are."
Moryo quickly gave an answer, separating dark purple gas that swirled around several characters that looked like scribbles or patterns.
Seeing Moryo cooperate so readily, Madara Uchiha nodded with satisfaction this time.
Immediately, he closed the stone door of the shrine again and used Yin-Yang Release to send the Priestess Power he had absorbed back onto the talismans.
Moryo's pleading voice came from inside the shrine: "Please let me out, I have an immortal Ghost Legion, and I can also grant you immortality, helping you rule this world like the Rabbit Goddess!"
"No need, not interested." Madara Uchiha said coldly.
After restoring the seal, Madara Uchiha walked out of the temple and soared into the sky using his Perfect Susanoo, going to search for traces of the Land of Ancestors.
However, Madara Uchiha did not notice.
As he flew over a mountain forest, several figures with energy levels incredibly weak compared to his, not worth paying attention to at all, were gazing up at him from below.
Looking at the god of destruction flying across the horizon, a young man dressed in white robes with white hair, his eyes immediately blazed with fervor and said, "That energy fluctuation just now was correct. It's the power Lord Yomi bestowed upon us. That place has been found. Hurry back and report to Lord Yomi."
Not long after, before the soldiers had even woken up, five figures arrived inside the temple.
"That's right, with these talismans, this is indeed the temple that sealed Moryo."
Because he possessed Moryo's power within him, Yomi easily passed through the barrier and stood before the shrine that Madara Uchiha had resealed. His expression was fanatical as he said, "Lord Moryo, I have kept you waiting."
After speaking, Yomi placed his hand on the stone door and chanted an incomprehensible incantation.
Soon, the talismans on the stone door automatically vanished.
The two doors automatically swung open, once again revealing the dark purple energy body within.
Moryo, who had broken free from the seal again, showed no signs of joy. Instead, he asked with an air of great importance, "Who are you? Why did you awaken me?"
Yomi did not detect Moryo's disappointment. Instead, he knelt on one knee and respectfully said, "Lord Moryo, I am Yomi, a survivor who once borrowed Lord Moryo's power to create the Ghost Legion. I awakened you this time so that we can join forces again and continue the plan to build a thousand-year kingdom."
"Your soul is too weak. If I possess your body, I will vanish within moments of leaving the barrier," Moryo said with regret. "Without finding a 'physical body,' only the soul of that person from before can contain my power."
"Lord Moryo, please rest assured. I have already modified my body and can barely withstand your possession." Yomi stood up, unbuttoned his shirt, and dissected his body, revealing the modifications within to Moryo.
"Hahaha... excellent! It seems today is destined to be the day of my release!"
"My Ghost Legion, awaken with me!"
Moryo's laughter echoed, and then a surge of negative energy broke through the seal.
By this time, Madara Uchiha had been gone from the Demon Country for a long while.
Otherwise, he would have sensed this massive negative energy and returned to continue educating Moryo.
Soon, the immortal, rock-like Ghost Legion destroyed the temple and emerged in droves from underground, quickly plunging the Demon Country into chaos.
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