"Eight Trigrams: Empty Palm!"
"Die!"
A series of explosive sounds echoed on the steep mountain road.
A 1.4-meter-tall loli wearing a kimono was fighting a group of ronin dressed in kimonos and wielding samurai swords.
With a wave of her slender little hand, a twisted ball of air surged out.
Or with a flash of her figure, her pink fist struck the enemy's stomach, and a chakra blast burst from their back.
Immediately, the enemy turned into a blurred image, flying dozens of meters away, slamming into the mountain wall, dying on the spot.
In just a few rounds, the loli girl wiped out the entire mountain bandit gang of over ten ronin—this was the price they paid for judging people by appearance.
"Onii-chan, how did I do?"
After finishing off the enemies blocking the road, Hanabi ran to Izayoi and smiled like she was asking for praise.
Izayoi patted Hanabi's head and praised her without hesitation, "You must be decisive when dealing with enemies. You did great, Hanabi."
"Hehe…"
Hanabi laughed happily, her eyes curving into crescents.
Even the client nearby praised her, "As expected of Lord Izayoi. Even his disciple is this outstanding."
At this point, the client felt like he was dreaming.
He never expected that what was supposed to be a regular C-rank escort mission would actually be accepted by the most recognized person among the Five Great Ninja Villages.
Paying for a C-rank mission and getting someone stronger than the Five Kage as your escort—the sense of safety was overwhelming.
Unless Uchiha Madara, the Akatsuki leader, and Otsutsuki Toneri came together to rob them, who could touch him?
"Thank you for the compliment. Let's move on."
"Yes!"
The convoy set out again.
Hanabi created a shadow clone to use her Byakugan for surveillance, while her main body entered the carriage.
As one of the four super-standard combat forces, Izayoi didn't need to grind missions. With his achievements alone, he could become an ace anytime—and might even succeed as the Sixth Hokage.
Naturally, he wasn't going to work hard for the client like before.
If it weren't for training his sister-in-law, Izayoi—who was already wealthy beyond reason—wouldn't even bother accepting missions.
Even if he did take one, he wouldn't put himself through any hardship.
Take this tiring escort mission, for example: Izayoi had his own carriage prepared.
While Hanabi worked outside, Izayoi enjoyed the luxury inside.
Of course, the client had no complaints. Being able to hire the strongest among the Five Great Ninja Villages at this price was already a tremendous honor—how could they make demands?
And they had the Hyuga clan's second daughter serving as a human telescope. It was a treasure.
Not to mention Izayoi relaxing—if Hanabi warned of enemies ahead and Izayoi told them to move forward anyway to let Hanabi gain combat experience, the client wouldn't dare say a word.
The recent bandit gang proved that.
After seeing Hanabi's strength, the client was completely at ease.
Even if Hanabi only used a shadow clone to handle them, he wasn't the least bit nervous.
Inside the spacious, luxuriously decorated carriage, Izayoi lay on a Simmons mattress made of chakra beads, reading a diary.
This diary was filled with ancient scripts and translated into Cantonese. It was a complete record of Yin-Yang Release left by Otsutsuki Hamura for future generations.
Forget people of this world—hardly anyone in Izayoi's past life could decipher it.
It was more useful than any secret code or scroll in this world.
The record didn't contain techniques for creating Truth-Seeking Orbs, space-time portals, or artificial suns.
Instead, it offered a deeper theoretical foundation of Yin-Yang Release, including understandings and experimental results from Hamura—and perhaps the Sage of Six Paths as well.
Izayoi was deeply engrossed.
Even someone like Uchiha Madara, who had awakened the Rinnegan, probably understood only a fraction of Yin-Yang Release through personal development.
But for Izayoi, who had chakra beads and the power of creation, this was like an alternate version of "Kadow's Treasure." It came at the perfect time and was immensely helpful.
If Izayoi fully understood it, not only would his mastery of Yin-Yang Release skyrocket, but the power of the chakra beads would also greatly increase.
By then, he'd be confident enough to create Truth-Seeking Orbs, open space channels—and maybe even achieve the Six Paths Sage Mode.
Izayoi was full of inspiration.
Just then, a voice interrupted his reading.
"Onii-chan, what are you reading?"
A little head peeked out from under the quilt. Hanabi snuggled into Izayoi's arms and looked at the diary with him.
Seeing the ancient text—recognizable yet incomprehensible—Hanabi's eyes started spinning like mosquito coils. She covered her face and muttered, "Onii-chan, are you cracking some code? I recognize the characters but can't understand anything when they're put together."
Izayoi didn't reply. Instead, he pinched her cheek and smiled, "Why are you here instead of guarding the client?"
"Hehe… Let the shadow clone guard him. Nothing escapes my Byakugan anyway," Hanabi giggled. "I was worried you'd get lonely, so I came to keep you company."
"No need."
Izayoi lifted the quilt, patted her butt, and scolded lightly, "Going on missions is for training your vigilance and survival skills. If you don't experience hardship yourself, how will you cope with Chunin Exams later? Go guard the client."
"Onii-chan is so annoying!" Hanabi pouted, but still went out obediently.
The precocious little sister-in-law knew when to behave.
Especially since Izayoi doted on her so much—once he got serious, he was more imposing than even her father.
Even though he'd never yelled at her, a single hint of rebuke from Izayoi was enough for Hanabi to behave.
She never acted spoiled in these moments.
Still, Izayoi always gave in to her eventually.
But Hanabi didn't want to disappoint him.
She wasn't just his sister-in-law and "precious cotton-padded jacket"—she was also his only disciple.
She absolutely couldn't embarrass him!
So Hanabi dismissed her shadow clone and got serious—but secretly, she used her Byakugan to peek at Izayoi.
Hinata no longer had the "voyeur" tendencies of the original story… but her sister-in-law had inherited it.
…
Two months later.
The ninja world remained calm.
Still stunned by the presence of the four super-standard combat forces, there were no major upheavals.
The most active party was the Akatsuki organization, which had been extremely low-key until recently.
After removing their mysterious masks, Akatsuki became the most famous group in the ninja world. With Uchiha Madara and Nagato behind them, their influence rivaled—no, exceeded—that of the Five Great Nations.
Even with bounties on their heads, their enemies were effortlessly eliminated by Kakuzu.
The Five Kage could only grit their teeth and endure.
Even knowing their base was in the Hidden Rain Village, no one dared to attack.
As a result, the Five Kage issued orders: if anyone encountered Akatsuki, they could abandon the mission and wouldn't be punished.
Every Akatsuki member received the same treatment as Namikaze Minato—feared and respected.
With Nagato and Konan back, the Hidden Rain Village started attracting more visitors.
Many sharp-minded people realized that the kind of final-battle-level warfare from before was unlikely now.
Previously, only Otsutsuki Toneri and Nagato had the power to shake the world.
Now, Hidden Rain had two powerhouses, and Toneri and Izayoi were both out there as wild cards.
Toneri couldn't conquer the Hidden Rain Village alone.
If he joined forces with Izayoi to attack, Konoha would definitely get involved.
Then, the whole world would shake again.
But if nothing went wrong, this delicate balance might last for a while.
On top of that, Hidden Rain needed rebuilding materials. Its vacant land made it an ideal location.
Countless businessmen took risks to invest, helped promote it, and soon—it became the safest and most prosperous village.
If this kept up, it would be the peaceful world Nagato had always dreamed of.
Still, everyone—from Akatsuki, to the Five Great Nations, to the leaders of small countries—knew this peace wouldn't last.
Just like the days of the God of Shinobi, war only waited for Hashirama Senju to die before igniting.
Now, a war that could reshape the world map could erupt at any time.
After returning control of Hidden Rain to Nagato and Konan, Uchiha Madara and his wood clone went on a global quest for ruins.
He read the memories of many archaeologists, learned various ancient scripts, and dug countless tombs.
Compared to that, the original Yakushi Kabuto was far more restrained.
Black Zetsu and the White Zetsu clones made through Infinite Tsukuyomi didn't know what Madara was searching for.
But Black Zetsu was becoming increasingly uneasy.
Because Uchiha Madara's wood clone monitored him constantly.
This wood clone was like a White Zetsu clone—an independent body, transmitting real-time info, immune to fatigue feedback. The only flaw was chakra exhaustion, but that could be fixed by absorbing someone else's chakra.
In two months, Black Zetsu hadn't rested once.
Every time Madara found something, he made the original body come do the digging, never doing it himself.
Black Zetsu had no idea what Madara was really doing.
And he didn't dare leave the wood clone's side.
If he did, it would look like betrayal—Madara would not only distrust him more, he might attack without warning.
Black Zetsu regretted everything.
If only he hadn't told Madara he was his will using Yin-Yang Release Possession...
He should've just pretended to be a mutant White Zetsu, like Tobi.
Then, even if Madara suspected him, things wouldn't be this dire.
Land of Demons, a deserted outskirts region.
For some unknown reason, this area was perpetually shrouded in dark clouds and cold winds.
Much like the Land of Rain, where it rained year-round.
Beneath the rocky mountains stood an ancient temple, weathered by time and filled with a heavy, historic aura.
Despite being in a desolate and strange region, the temple was heavily guarded by a group of soldiers wielding cold weapons and bows, positioned both inside and out.
Even though they were in an uninhabited mountain range, the soldiers did not slack off. Their alert expressions clearly showed how important this temple was.
But suddenly, these well-trained soldiers—all strong among ordinary men—started to go blank.
Their eyes fluttered, minds dulled, and one by one, they collapsed to the ground.
In the shadows ahead, a figure stepped forward.
"…So this is the place."
Uchiha Madara opened his Rinnegan, gazing at the temple before him. He murmured, "What an unusual energy fluctuation and seal. This is different from other temples."
In the next moment, Uchiha Madara instantly appeared within the temple.
Before him stood an altar radiating white light, as if forming a barrier.
Within it was a massive shrine, sealed behind a stone door covered in talismans.
In Madara's Rinnegan, these talismans glowed with a special kind of energy—a sealing power even he did not recognize.
From the intel relayed by his wood clone, he learned that these talismans were set by shrine maidens of the Land of Demons, imbued with the unique power of a priestess.
"It doesn't feel like chakra… but it's a little like natural energy… yet it's not senjutsu chakra either," Madara said with interest. "I didn't expect such a small, obscure nation to have such a unique energy and profession. Seems this trip was worth it."
Madara pressed his hand to the stone door and activated the Hungry Ghost Path to absorb the priestess's power from the talismans.
A second later, Madara's expression shifted slightly.
It wasn't because he failed—Hungry Ghost Path could absorb any form of energy, even natural energy.
The change came because the power contained in the talismans… felt strangely familiar.
"Something like Yin-Yang Release... Looks like I found the right place."
Madara's lips curved into a faint smile as he pulled on the stone door.
With a creak, the two doors opened wide.
Inside, a dark purple energy body filled the shrine's space.
It looked alive—an intelligent energy—and it immediately tried to rush out and merge with Madara, attempting to possess him.
But the very next moment, the energy body halted, trembling… as if it was afraid.
"A sentient energy entity, huh? Like a tailed beast."
Madara saw through its essence at a glance.
"If you're intelligent, then you should be able to speak."
The energy body quivered as if debating whether or not to gamble on seizing Madara's body.
But in the end, it backed off.
A voice echoed from the swirling energy—timid, yet eerie.
"Why do you possess the Rinnegan?"
"Oh? You recognize the Rinnegan too?"
Madara's interest grew. "From what I've gathered, you were sealed by the previous generation's shrine maiden, so it must've been many years. Are you capable of seeing the outside world while sealed?"
"What do you mean 'see the outside world'?"
The energy body sounded confused. "The Rinnegan… isn't that the eye of the Sage?"
"You've seen the Sage of Six Paths?" Madara's gaze sharpened.
"Of course," the energy body said proudly. "I am Wuliang, an immortal being that has existed since ancient times! If you merge with me, you'll gain eternal life!"
Seeing the creature's greed slip through in the second sentence, Madara found it hard to tell whether Wuliang was just simple… or stupid.
He asked skeptically, "Then do you know Kaguya Otsutsuki?"
"Who is that?" Wuliang replied blankly.
"The mother of the Sage of Six Paths."
"The Sage has a mother?" Wuliang sounded shocked.
"…"
Madara was speechless.
He changed his question. "Then have you heard of the Rabbit Goddess?"
"How do you know about the Rabbit Goddess?!"
Wuliang's surprise turned into panic.
"So she really exists," Madara's voice became cold.
"Of course! Everyone knew the Rabbit Goddess back in ancient times—she brought peace and illuminated the world like the morning sun."
Wuliang then hesitated. "But… I don't know how she disappeared. I only vaguely recall the world later being ruled by the Sage of Six Paths."
Madara's face darkened.
So the Rabbit Goddess really did exist.
That meant the visions Toneri Otsutsuki showed him—half truth, half lies—were at least partially credible.
Kaguya Otsutsuki was indeed the progenitor of chakra!
The Sage of Six Paths was her son!
The ancient secrets were likely real… Toneri just didn't bother hiding them.
If Infinite Tsukuyomi really was the technique used to create White Zetsu…
Then Black Zetsu could really be Kaguya's third child?!
That would make Madara nothing but a pawn?
But no—he couldn't jump to conclusions yet.
All he had confirmed was that Kaguya Otsutsuki truly existed.
Toneri's narrative still had many logical flaws.
So Madara focused back on Wuliang. "Do you know where the Rabbit Goddess lived? The name of her country?"
"I think… it was called the Ancestral Country…? Or something like that…" Wuliang sounded unsure.
Unsatisfied, Madara pulled the dark purple energy body toward him with invisible gravity and forcibly absorbed it.
In that moment, he sensed massive waves of negative energy—similar to the chakra of the Nine-Tails.
It was the materialization of hatred.
Madara frowned—not because the negative emotions affected him, but because his Human Path couldn't read Wuliang's memories.
Just like with tailed beasts, he couldn't peer into its mind.
Releasing Wuliang again, he watched the now-trembling energy being.
"Do you know where the Ancestral Country is?"
"I… I don't," Wuliang answered in fear. "But if you take me with you, maybe I can help you find it…"
Madara didn't reply. He used Yin-Yang Release to draw dozens of characters in the air.
"Do you recognize any of these ancient scripts?"
"…All of them," Wuliang said quickly, releasing dark purple gas that circled several symbols that looked like ghostly paintings and glyphs.
Seeing Wuliang so cooperative this time, Madara nodded in satisfaction.
He resealed the shrine's stone door and used Yin-Yang Release to restore the priestess's power back into the talismans.
From inside the shrine came Wuliang's desperate cries:
"Please let me out! I have a ghost army of immortals, and I can grant you eternal life! You could rule the world like the Rabbit Goddess!"
"No thanks. I'm not interested."
With a cold voice, Madara turned away.
After restoring the seal, he walked out of the temple, summoned his complete-body Susanoo, and flew off toward the skies—searching for traces of the Ancestral Country.
But what Madara didn't know…
As he passed over a dense mountain forest, a few minuscule energy signals—far too weak for him to care about—were watching.
Watching the god-like figure soar above, a young man in a white robe and white hair said with a burning gaze:
"The energy fluctuation just now… That was Wuliang's power. The location is confirmed. Report to Lord Huang Quan."
Not long after, before the guards regained consciousness, five figures arrived at the temple.
"This is the right place. The talismans confirm it. This is where Wuliang is sealed."
Carrying the power of Wuliang, Huang Quan passed through the barrier with ease.
He stood before the re-sealed shrine and said fervently, "Lord Wuliang, I've kept you waiting."
He placed his hand on the stone door and chanted an unknown incantation.
The talismans dissolved automatically.
The double doors opened once more, revealing the familiar dark purple energy.
But Wuliang, released again, showed no joy. In an arrogant tone, it asked:
"Who are you? Why did you wake me up?"
Without noticing the disappointment in Wuliang's voice, Huang Quan knelt and replied respectfully:
"Lord Wuliang, I am Huang Quan. I once borrowed your power to create the Ghost Army. I have come to join forces with you once more—to complete the creation of the Thousand-Year Kingdom."
"Your soul is too weak. If I possess you, I'll dissipate the moment I leave the barrier," Wuliang said regretfully. "I still haven't found the right 'body.' Only the soul of the previous person can withstand my power."
"Please don't worry, Lord Wuliang. I've already modified my body. It can barely withstand your possession."
Huang Quan opened his shirt, revealing his surgically altered body.
"Hahaha… Excellent! Today is the day I finally escape!"
"My ghost army—rise with me!"
Wuliang's laughter echoed, and a wave of dark energy burst from the shrine.
By this time, Uchiha Madara was long gone.
Otherwise, he would've sensed this massive negative energy spike… and returned to put Wuliang in his place again.
Soon, the ghost army—bodies like stone statues, impervious to death—rose from underground, swarming outward, plunging the Land of Demons into chaos.