Chapter 116: Never-Ending Peace
There were no souls from before the mythical era in the Pure Land.
And the genes of humans outside the Pure Land all carried traces of Wood Release.
From the moment the so called Rabbit Goddess appeared, every historical record became twisted, a bizarre narrative stitched together from that point onward. Logically, this meant one of two things: either human history suffered an immense break during the Rabbit Goddess's era, or, before her, there had been no such thing as human beings at all.
The latter was almost impossible.
Archaeological records and data from around the world made one fact clear. Humanity was a continuous life form, a species that persisted. That, in turn, made the stories of the Rabbit Goddess, the Sage of Six Paths, and all related legends far more suspicious than they first appeared.
Based on the data and scraps of evidence Aizen had collected, along with the historical records preserved by the two unique clans of Konoha, he could only draft one tentative but highly plausible picture.
During the time of the Rabbit Goddess, humanity went through an unimaginable rupture in its own history.
The details were still missing, but the event was clearly tied to the so called Divine Tree. After that biosphere level incident, the Sage of Six Paths arrived to clean up the mess. In Aizen's view, the most likely scenario was that the beings tied to the original chakra signals had turned on each other for unknown reasons, and the current Sage of Six Paths had emerged as the final victor.
Afterward, the Sage of Six Paths spread the system of chakra and ninjutsu, trying to build peace by connecting people's hearts. It was important to note that chakra back then was conceptually different from chakra as used by modern ninjas. At that time, it was not meant as a weapon of destruction, but as a medium for linking minds. Aizen could not yet define that difference precisely, but the term and the source were undeniably the same.
Even more crucial were the records in the archives of the Uchiha and Hyuga clans. Both mentioned someone guarding a "seal" on the moon.
Later generations had reduced it to legend. Aizen did not.
Vague descriptions of that seal and muddled details in the scrolls pushed his imagination toward a single, unfriendly conclusion about this world.
What exactly was being sealed?
Had the entire ninja world itself been turned into a seal?
If the planet was the seal, and chakra was nothing but the power leaking out from inside, then the "alien" side was operating on a level beyond anything the ninja world had imagined.
Aizen despised the ninja world's habit of relying on oral traditions and leaving almost no proper written records. He knew the events of that era were critical, yet neither the Uchiha nor the Hyuga possessed complete accounts. Even so, their fragmented myths were many times more detailed than what circulated publicly.
Why had he gone so far as to stage his own betrayal, using every technique and seal at his disposal to test whether someone was watching?
Because he had no truly reliable record of this world at all.
When Tobirama received the data from Aizen and studied it alone, he, too, was shaken. As a ninja from the Warring States period, his own research materials were limited and fragmented, yet even his notes hinted at similar events.
They disagreed about the long term future of the ninja world and its ecosystem, but Tobirama was no short sighted fool. He preferred to cooperate temporarily with a supposed enemy if it meant securing a greater benefit, rather than rejecting everything in blind anger.
Even now, Tobirama felt little affection for Aizen as a person.
But when it came to research, their viewpoints often overlapped with frightening precision.
Aizen refused to accept any god above himself.
Tobirama refused to let Konoha become nothing more than a leftover scrap in someone else's planetary scale culling ritual.
In Aizen's ecological projection, the simplest reset was straightforward. Wipe away all structures on the surface, let the planet cool, reseed it with plants, animals, and primitive life, then come back in a few thousand years to harvest.
If the theory that "humans can grow on trees" held true, that cycle could be compressed to only a few hundred years. And as long as the ninja world stayed trapped in endless wars and oppression, with no one truly dedicating themselves to research or resistance, then no power on the planet would ever rise high enough to rebel.
Treat the universe as farmland.
Treat the worlds as fields.
Within a carefully arranged galaxy, all the conditions would be set. After a suitable waiting period, the ninja world would naturally develop into the form required by the invisible farmer. Then all that was left was to extract the chakra, create the fruit, and begin the next round of planting.
If the surface needed to be cleared, a few meteorites from orbit would be more than enough. Even the fertilizer would arrive on impact. Convenient. Efficient. Clean.
It was entirely possible that the massive historical rupture recorded in scattered myths was just that: a harvest.
Perhaps the farmer had simply been lazy, unwilling to bother with a full wipe, and chose to leave a portion of "native seeds" behind. That way, he did not even need to bring down another meteorite to reshape the ecosystem.
Tobirama, cautious and always assuming the worst of potential enemies, did not treat this as paranoia. If you were the one who dismissed a possible foe as a fool, then you were the true fool. Faced with the data laid out before him, he chose, without hesitation, to stand beside Aizen.
If they did nothing, what then?
Wait quietly for the next harvest?
No records. No data. All the rhetoric was about mutual understanding and connection, but to what end?
Were they supposed to package up a world and offer it as a gift?
With Tobirama's technical support, Aizen achieved a deep and precise understanding of Konoha's forbidden techniques. Yet he still refused to fully trust Tobirama's conclusions, because Tobirama could not even fully trust himself.
He had returned to the world through Impure World Reincarnation.
That raised another question.
What exactly was the Pure Land?
Was it a record engraved into the planet itself?
A unique phenomenon of this world?
Or some artificial space, created for a purpose?
Tobirama had no answer. He could only be certain that, for now, their paths ran in the same direction. He had no intention of building his own army or organization to aid Konoha. Instead, he focused on doing what he believed one individual could do properly.
He stayed calm. He judged clearly. If someone like him, with an unclear origin and uncertain constraints, acted without restriction, he might leak crucial information without ever realizing it.
He knew nothing about Aizen's true core plan.
But the emergence of the Shinigami concept was inevitable, and that alone was worth serious debate.
On some level, Tobirama could understand Aizen's ruthless actions. If their positions were reversed, he might simply have killed Minato outright, ensuring his defection was absolute and irreversible.
In his eyes, Aizen's approach was almost gentle, carrying a softness that did not belong in the ninja world at all.
From Aizen's perspective, it was the ninja world's current way of life slaughtering on sight, killing first and asking later that felt fundamentally wrong.
In the world he came from, people spoke of life and death combat, but the true massacre had taken place in the Wandenreich. Hueco Mundo itself had caused relatively little damage. Most of the bloodshed had been carried out by the Shinigami, and the two greatest losses on his own hands were Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tōsen, his chosen comrades.
"Still, there is no need to be that pessimistic."
Aizen raised his cup and watched the figure on the monitor, sipping his red tea as he spoke with a faint smile.
"There is another possibility. Internal turmoil on their side could have disrupted the harvest, leaving it incomplete. Or perhaps they do not actually have the capability to clean an entire surface. They might simply be using tools."
"So your strategy is to pin your hopes on the enemy's incompetence?"
Tobirama's snort was cold.
He stared at the image of Minato on the screen, pinned down and suppressed, and spoke in a low, firm voice.
"I would rather create weapons and forces that seem excessive, just to grind the enemy into dust, than leave even the slightest chance that something I value might be destroyed."
"A very reassuring stance," Aizen conceded.
"But it does not extend to you, Aizen Sousuke. I will not endorse your idea of forcing the world forward at a reckless pace. Humans are not creatures that can advance forever. Even steel has limits. Expecting humans to keep pressing onward without end is nothing but a luxurious fantasy. They will break long before that. Your theory will collapse with them."
"Then we can discuss it when that time comes," Aizen replied lightly. "Besides, I never expected the entire world to adopt my ideas. I am only offering a path to those who refuse to accept mediocrity, who cannot accept that the world has thrown them into the mud. I am simply giving them an opportunity."
He gently swirled his teacup. Tea leaves spun in the vortex as a faint smile curved his lips.
"I have never wished death on those who cannot keep up. If they cannot, they cannot. But if they lack the courage to move forward, the least they can do is not stand in the way of those who do."
"Theories always sound elegant at first, Aizen," Tobirama said. "But your methods and actions will only manufacture cold blooded beasts like yourself, creatures with no 'love' left in their hearts."
After all, you cut off your bond with your partner far more decisively than I ever did.
He watched Aizen for a moment longer, then shook his head and walked out, leaving the room behind.
Only Aizen remained, sipping his black tea, eyes fixed on the screen as Minato, trapped in a corner with no escape, struggled against the crushing weight of chakra and death signals radiating from both sides of the battle.
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