Satori Hyūga, returning with a plentiful haul, faintly sensed someone else's gaze upon him from afar—but he paid it no mind.
He also hadn't realized that Madara, with the aid of Sage of Six Paths Hagoromo Otsutsuki, had once again transformed into Six Paths Madara.
Even if he had known, though, he wouldn't have cared much.
An overwhelming power that surpassed all beings rendered him fearless.
As Satori Hyūga tossed the materials he'd gathered to Orochimaru, he informed him about Ryūchi Cave's destruction.
Orochimaru showed no sadness—only visible excitement as he began analyzing the remains of White Snake Sage.
Gazing at the vibrantly alive pink flesh, Orochimaru practically danced with delight, his eyes filled with obsession and joy.
"The cells within the White Snake Sage's flesh conceal countless secrets. With this, I can modify my own body and extend my lifespan indefinitely."
"White Snake Sage's Sage Mode, Sage Arts—I can inherit these too."
"Satori Hyūga, taking you as my apprentice has indeed proven to be the most successful investment I've ever made."
A single idea had yielded massive returns.
Indeed, while some apprentices need their mentors to shine, others elevate their mentors to new heights.
Satori belonged to the latter category.
Seeing Orochimaru in such high spirits, he simply gave a faint smile.
At this moment, he felt the cold solitude at the peak.
What he considered trivial was priceless to others.
Looking across the entire ninja world, very little still caught his interest.
He had already mastered Sage Mode—once one path is understood, all paths are illuminated.
His knowledge of sealing techniques spanned comprehensively from top to bottom.
Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Genjutsu—he had copied countless techniques straight from the minds of other ninjas.
"Come to think of it, the Holy Grail Stones might be worth checking out."
"As for Lorum's Dragon Vein located within the Land of Wind, that might be interesting too."
"Now that Shikkotsu Forest, Mount Myoboku, and Ryuchi Cave have been obliterated, they probably wouldn't let me in anyway."
"Hagoromo on the Moon, Kaguya's remnants, the Sage of Six Paths within the Pure Land, and the Otsutsuki Clan from beyond deep space."
Reflecting on them, there weren't too many mysteries left—yet not too few either.
Rather than rushing headlong into action, Satori took a measured approach.
First, he remained in the village to handle several affairs before beginning preparations for his explorations.
As for reshaping the new world and maintaining peace and stability—he made them his top priority.
In confronting the old and corrupt nobility, he cleverly wielded the authority of the daimyōs to eliminate them.
Once the purge was nearly finished, Satori remotely manipulated the major countries' daimyōs into issuing decrees of self-reproach—and stepping down from their titles.
These moves left the people of each nation utterly stunned.
They believed their lords had lost their minds.
Yet few genuinely cared—most commoners focused only on matters affecting their daily lives.
Like which factory to work at or which goods to buy more economically.
With life changing rapidly day by day and pace quickening constantly, their mental resilience had grown remarkably strong.
By the time things settled down, many hadn't even noticed yet.
The nobility was wiped out, the Daimyo relinquished power, and a power vacuum opened up.
At that moment, Satori Hyūga's Umbrella Corporation appeared, stabilizing the situation through economic manipulation and profit-driven strategies.
Every time a territory was conquered by the Umbrella Corporation, a designated commissioner was sent in to manage it.
Before sending them out, Satori would alter their minds, ensuring they remained loyal to the Umbrella Corporation—and to him—without corruption or greed.
The more agents he dispatched, the more his hidden influence and control grew.
It was like a snowball rolling down a hill, gaining strength with every turn until no one could stop it.
After conquering the Five Great Nations and forcing many smaller nations into submission, Satori finally paused briefly.
At that moment, one of his subordinates returned with news: the legendary Grail Stone had been found.
Inside Satori Hyūga's office,
a wind-battered, broad-shouldered man with long brown hair stepped forward and presented the Grail Stone to Satori.
He respectfully took out the Grail Stone and placed it on his palm for Satori to examine.
It was an oval-shaped deep-blue stone engraved with strange runes, clearly extraordinary.
"Lord, this is the Grail Stone you sought. It's said to hold miraculous powers."
When Satori set his eyes on the Grail Stone, his gaze sharpened slightly as he examined it.
Indeed, something unique pulsed within that small stone—a power unlike any other, yet oddly familiar, as though he'd seen it before.
"Good. Bring it over here so I can have a closer look," Satori drawled. "By the way, what's your name?"
A smile broke across the man's face as he quickly answered, "My name is Haido, Lord."
While answering, he walked closer—but suddenly, his eyes turned cold, and he struck without warning.
Grasping the Grail Stone tightly, he unleashed a powerful [Blue Blast] straight at Satori.
Its force was impressive, as strong as a Jonin's strike.
As the blast struck Satori, Haido's face lit up with manic glee.
"Hahahaha! Kill you, seize the power of the Grail Stone, and I'll take over the Umbrella Corporation, uniting the entire world under my rule!"
At that moment, ambition burned beneath Haido's once-mild expression.
Yet when the smoke began to clear, Haido's laughter came to an abrupt halt.
He stared at Satori in disbelief and shock. "You were hit directly by the Grail Stone… why aren't you even injured?!"
In his mind, the Grail Stone held ultimate power.
Even if his opponent hailed from the renowned Hyūga Clan of the ninja realm, they should still pale in comparison to the might of the Grail Stone.
"Haido? Now I remember. You're a minor villain from the films."
Seeing Haido's panic, Satori recalled the Fire Shadow's arc: The Plot of the Phantom Ruins.
He hadn't expected to cross paths with another film character—especially a rogue one—again.
This guy was young, ambitious, and foolish enough to try taking me down? How amusing.
Haido watched Satori Hyūga, who completely ignored him, his eyes blazing with fury.
"Tch, what strange nonsense are you babbling? Don't underestimate me!"
He flung his arms wide, letting out a furious roar. Instantly, his body underwent a tremendous transformation.
His brown-skinned muscles shifted into a grayish-brown hue, transforming him into something neither man nor beast—a grotesque hybrid.
After the transformation, his muscle density increased dramatically, his overall strength boosting by nearly half. Yet his eyes now burned with savage brutality.
Satori Hyūga watched Haido's transformation in silence. Suddenly, he smacked his thigh in sudden realization.
"Oh! Now I see—it all makes sense!"
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