"Is this... the end?"
Konoha, which had assembled and was preparing to send reinforcements to the Ninja Forces of the Land of Demons, suddenly received word that the demon disaster in the Land of Demons had ended.
The ninjas who had just been ready to go were instantly stunned.
Especially Uzumaki Naruto. After pestering Jiraiya endlessly, he was finally taken to Mount Myoboku to train in Sage Mode. He was hoping to use this mission to prove himself. But when he learned that it was Izayoi who resolved the crisis in the Land of Demons, his expression froze.
Uchiha Sasuke was also slightly stunned. Then he let out a cold snort and curled his lip: "That arrogant guy just has to let the whole world know what he did. How boring."
Then, Sasuke turned and left.
But deep inside, his heart was shaken.
That terrifying chakra just now—even with his own massive chakra boost from Hashirama's cells—was nothing in comparison.
He had thought he was improving rapidly.
But Izayoi was still far ahead.
Does this guy have no limit?
"It turned out that it was Lord Izayoi who took action. No wonder the demon disaster was solved so quickly."
"As expected of Lord Izayoi, even immortal monsters are no match for him!"
"Wait, you're saying Lord Izayoi's chakra was felt all the way from the Land of Demons?"
"Hiss... If I remember right, the Land of Demons lies between the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth. That's several countries away from us! How many kilometers is that?"
"For it to be sensed this clearly here... doesn't that mean every nation felt Lord Izayoi's chakra?"
"This is beyond standard combat power! Just the chakra burst nearly affected the entire ninja continent!"
"Too strong! As long as Lord Izayoi is here, Konoha doesn't need to fear Uchiha Madara or Otsutsuki Toneri!"
Cheers broke out across Konoha.
After understanding the situation, the villagers joined in the celebration.
Izayoi's reputation soared again.
And this time, it wasn't just Konoha. Word of the event spread across the entire ninja world—even to the distant islands.
Everyone who sensed Izayoi's chakra was shocked to learn that it had spread across the ninja continent. Even the Land of Water, far away, could feel it clearly.
The shock was on par with when the moon had been split.
"Compared to that, maybe even the God of Shinobi isn't as strong!"
No one knew who said it first, but the words quickly spread across the ninja world—and many agreed.
There had been many famous battles in history that produced legendary names.
Hanzo against the three Konoha Sannin. Namikaze Minato instantly killing dozens of Iwa-nin. The Third Raikage facing ten thousand enemies alone.
But none of these battles matched the scale of the Valley of the End battle between the God of Shinobi and the Ninja World's Shura.
That battle literally reshaped the land.
Only two battles came close: the battle between the Akatsuki leader and Toneri Otsutsuki, and the battle between Izayoi and the Akatsuki leader.
But even those didn't match the Valley of the End in damage or influence.
However, neither of those battles affected the entire ninja world.
But Izayoi's chakra burst—and the splitting of the moon—did.
Even Hashirama Senju never demonstrated such power in his lifetime.
Doing what your predecessors couldn't is how you surpass them.
Izayoi, with his incredible feat, surpassed the Akatsuki leader and joined the ranks of Uchiha Madara and Otsutsuki Toneri.
Among the four top-tier powerhouses, Nagato was now at the bottom.
When the Daimyo of the Land of Fire heard the news, he once again sent envoys to Konoha, almost directly urging Tsunade to step down.
Even Tsunade hesitated this time.
She didn't know whether to train Izayoi for two more years—or just give him the Hokage position early.
With his current strength, even if he didn't know how to govern, no one would dare oppose him.
As the military leader, Izayoi's strength was his greatest asset.
But Izayoi didn't care about politics.
After returning to Konoha from the island, he began setting a trap—for Shion.
Over the next few days, Izayoi, disguised with Wood Release, took turns with Hinata and the others to show Shion around Konoha. As a shrine maiden who'd always lived in isolation and was treated like a Jinchūriki in the Land of Demons, Shion quickly fell in love with the lively Konoha, like a villager discovering the city.
Shion, who had never had friends, became close with Hinata and Karin.
Hinata, with her gentle nature, resonated deeply with Shion's story—reminded of her own lonely self before meeting Izayoi.
Karin, who once lived in despair, was also moved. The three of them, all having endured loneliness, bonded instantly.
Even Hanabi became fond of this "sister" who resembled Hinata.
For Shion, who had no siblings, Hanabi gave her a new feeling—what it felt like to have a younger sister.
In just a few days, Shion fell in love with Konoha, the village, and the girls. She even forgot her role as a miko and the country she came from.
The shy Hinata she first met had become lively, like Hanabi. If Shion's beige hair were dyed black and her purple eyes changed to white, she and Hanabi could pass for sisters.
Seeing this, Izayoi finally revealed his intentions.
"Hey! Join Konoha?"
Shion was shocked by the invitation.
But then she remembered her duty. Her smile faded. "I'm happy to be invited… but I'm a priestess of the Land of Demons. I have a duty to protect it."
"No, your duty was just to seal the demons," Izayoi said with a smile. "Now the demons are gone. You've inherited the power of the previous priestess. You broke the cycle no priestess ever could. You're free now."
"Broken fate… Free…" Shion's eyes lit up slowly.
So this is what it feels like to break fate.
Not only could Izayoi do it—she had done it too, without realizing it.
Fate could be changed.
Just like how Izayoi rewrote Ashio's fate.
But when she thought of the Land of Demons, where people still feared yet worshiped her, Shion hesitated again.
Then Izayoi gave her one more push.
"If you can't let go of the Land of Demons, you don't have to. It's in a remote location, far from conflict. If you join Konoha, I can make an alliance with the Land of Demons. If anything happens, I'll personally handle it. With my space-time ability, I can be there instantly."
"I'll also help you fully master the miko power. You'll be able to protect the Land of Demons anytime."
Shion's eyes grew brighter.
She was the guardian of her homeland, and even if she wasn't strong, she had a duty to protect it.
Now, Izayoi promised to protect it for her.
Having witnessed his strength and knowing how influential he was, Shion understood the weight of his words.
If she could bring such a powerful ally to the Land of Demons—by "sacrificing" herself—it was worth it.
She was moved. But she still hesitated.
Izayoi, sensing this, extended his hand and smiled, "Join Konoha, Shion! The ninja world is in chaos. The end may come at any time. I need your help. Let's save the world together!"
It was a decisive blow—for a shrine maiden raised with the idea of saving the world.
Especially coming from someone she admired, who had helped her change fate.
If not for fear of Hinata, she would have confessed her feelings long ago.
The priestess' courage beat the rich girl's restraint.
"…Mm!"
Sensing nothing but kindness from Izayoi, Shion blushed, raised her little hand, placed it on his, and nodded firmly.
And so, the priestess officially joined Konoha.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Madara's real body returned to the Land of Demons.
He first read the memories of a random resident and learned about the demon outbreak.
He went to the temple where the demons were sealed. The seal was broken. The demons were gone.
Then, he summoned White Zetsu clones and spent days tracking down the corpses of Yomi's subordinates, who were killed by Izayoi. Using Impure World Reincarnation, he revived them and read their memories.
He found the volcanic cave.
"This ritual again…"
Standing at the altar where the demon Wuliang had once been sealed, and the place where Wuliang and the priestess united, Madara frowned. "What did that kid get here? Why the massive chakra burst?"
"Did he kill the demon? Or absorb it?"
"Did he gain chakra from Wuliang?"
Madara didn't want to believe the latter—it would mean he missed a great treasure.
He had tried to absorb Wuliang's power with his Rinnegan, but couldn't make it his own.
More importantly, Wuliang's power was full of negative emotion. But the chakra that shook the continent had no such aura.
Clearly, there were secrets here.
Just as he was about to leave, a strange feeling came over him.
Like an inspiration, or a call—like a genjutsu.
Madara looked down at the altar and slowly placed his hand on a stone slab, pouring in chakra.
Swish—
A bright white light erupted.
A cylindrical barrier rose from the altar and turned transparent, covering the whole volcano.
At that moment, Izayoi's wooden clone monitoring Madara suddenly stiffened.
He couldn't see inside.
Even with Rinnegan's vision—he couldn't see through the barrier.
Only power that surpassed the Six Paths level could block such sight.
"How is this possible?!"
Receiving the wooden clone's report, Izayoi was shocked. "My Six Paths Sage Mode, plus the Rinnegan chakra mode—I only saw that slab. It was just a sealing and conversion array, targeting the miko's power."
"How did Uchiha Madara's chakra activate it?!"
"What the hell is going on?!"
Izayoi once again felt that sense of things spiraling out of control.
The last time was when Nagato got smarter.
Back then, he had plans.
But now—Izayoi felt uneasy.
He wanted to absorb Shion's miko power and enter Six Paths Sage Mode to check.
But it only lasts a few minutes.
If anything unexpected happens, he won't make it back.
"…This is…"
Inside the volcanic cave, Uchiha Madara stared at the glowing ancient characters on the wall.
"The inheritance of the Six Paths Sage!"