Shrine * Divine Realm

Izuna dragged Hideki along as they ran wildly from the Commercial Street all the way to the edge of the village.

Even though Ninjas don't get tired from running, Hideki quickly realized something was wrong.

His steps were so light, as if he were walking on cotton, as if an invisible wind was lifting his body, relieving him of his fatigue and weight.

It didn't feel like it was landing on solid ground, but the speed was exceptionally fast, comparable to that of Ninja Footwork.

Before he could figure out what was going on, Izuna suddenly stopped in his tracks.

He glanced back, probably to make sure no one was following, then grabbed Hideki's wrist. The next second, the ground beneath their feet suddenly sank.

No, the ground didn't sink, they rose up!

Hideki looked down at the tree canopy below, which was getting smaller and smaller, then looked up at Izuna, who was calmly walking in mid-air while holding him back, and then looked down at the small green figure on the ground, which was jumping from one tree to another like a shadow.

It was Mokushō; he was chasing after them, and he ran without even disturbing a single leaf.

Hideki opened his mouth, feeling that he had probably learned some incredible secret. His first thought wasn't amazement, but rather, "We're doomed."

He's going to be silenced!

Izuna turned around and saw his utterly devastated expression, which made him laugh, "Don't worry, I won't silence you."

"So you did think about it, right?!" Hideki exclaimed in despair, "Where are you taking me?!"

Hideki's screams were torn apart by the wind and echoed in mid-air.

Beneath my feet are vast canopies of trees and increasingly narrow streets lined with Konoha, while overhead are drifting clouds so close I could almost reach out and touch them.

Izuna gripped his wrist, and with each step felt like walking on invisible stairs. The two of them soared straight towards the ridge outside the village.

On the ground, Mokushō's green figure leaped from one tree to another, the cuffs of his Kariginu fluttering in the wind, trailing slowly beneath them as if blending into the trees.

"The Shrine!" Izuna shouted in the wind as he answered.

Let's go back to shortly after the Memorial Service ended.

Izuna and Madara went home together. Madara hung the Haori that was dyed with gold light on the hanger, then turned to look at Izuna, who was holding a teacup to warm his hands.

His younger brother, who had just sent seventeen souls to heaven in front of thousands of people, was now curled up in front of a low table like a satiated cat, sipping hot tea with his eyes half-closed.

"For the next while, you'd better keep a low profile." Madara sat down opposite him, his tone leaving no room for negotiation. "Until we figure out exactly what this ability of yours is, you're not allowed to use that power in public again."

Izuna blinked, holding his teacup without saying a word.

He himself didn't really understand what the golden light was all about.

When Mokushō was teaching him Transcendence, he only said to open the Rhythm Game System, swing the sword to the beat, and sing the song in his head.

They didn't tell him that after he finished singing, a soul would appear out of thin air in the sky, and flowers would grow on the ground.

However, it wouldn't be entirely unexpected.

He felt this was "normal," as commonplace as Ninja using Chakra to climb a tree or a doctor using bandages to stop bleeding.

There's absolutely no need to be so nervous.

However, seeing Madara's furrowed brows, Izuna swallowed his words.

He knew something was off about him; he couldn't quite put his finger on it, but the reactions of those around him told him something was wrong.

Moreover, his brother's PTSD threshold has recently been pushed too high; if he's stimulated any further, Susanoo and raze Konoha to the ground.

So he obediently nodded, indicating that he would stay at home and not go anywhere for the next few days.

Ban stared at him for a moment, seemingly trying to determine whether he was truly being honest this time or was brewing some new scheme.

In the end, he simply patted him on the back of the head, got up, and went out to find Hashirama to discuss countermeasures.

After closing the paper door, Izuna sat there for a while, then opened the System Panel.

The system had just finished its performance at the Memorial Service when it unexpectedly gave me another task.

[Quest: Find the Shrine.]

He casually zoomed in and out of the map, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over a forest on the edge of Konoha.

There was a new mark there that had never appeared before.

A small Torii icon.

The label contains only two characters: Shrine.

Hmm, where did this come from? Is there some follow-up work to be done regarding the Memorial Service performance?

He pondered for a moment, then stood up and changed into a pair of comfortable shoes, while also assigning his Shadow Clone the task of reviewing documents at home.

He planned to take a quick look.

Then he met Hideki.

When Izuna saw him on the street, his eyes lit up and an idea popped into his mind.

Let's take him to the Shrine! We can go see what's there together!

He naturally felt he should do it, so he did it.

They were completely unaware that this was blatant kidnapping.

Fortunately, Hideki was alone at the time, otherwise this action would definitely have caused a dispute.

The two landed on the edge of a clearing surrounded by Cedar Trees on a ridge.

Izuna released Hideki's wrist and looked up at the vermilion torii Torii standing quietly among the shadows of the trees.

The Torii is made of old wood, and the vermilion lacquer has faded to a light pink, but the pillars are smooth and clean, and not a single fallen leaf has accumulated underfoot.

A thin layer of moss grew on the stone steps, making them soft and slippery to walk on.

Behind the Torii is a narrow approach leading to a low wooden Shrine.

The trees on the roof cast two distinct shadows in the afternoon sun, and a hemp rope hung in front of the worship hall, with a bell at one end that remained motionless in the still air.

"This is it," Izuna said. He glanced back at the woods behind him, where Mokushō had already silently stood beside the Stone Lantern next to the Torii gate, his hands tucked into his sleeves, looking up at the Shrine.

Hideki leaned against a tree trunk, looked at the Shrine, then at Izuna, then at Mokushō, and wondered, "Where exactly is this place...?"

It's Inari Shrine.

Izuna looked at Mokushō and blinked. "So you were here."

Mokushō feigned composure and said aggrievedly, "I've been here since this morning! I followed you for most of the village, and you only just noticed me now?"

"Oh," Izuna replied without changing his expression, then belatedly realized, "Wait, you said this is the Inari Shrine? You seemed to have mentioned that you were the former Ō-Inari?"

"Yes."

Izuna looked up at the peeling paint on the Torii and the moss-covered stone steps, and said sincerely, "Your Shrine is so dilapidated."

Mokushō was struck dumb by those words, clutching his chest and staggering back a step. He immediately straightened up. "I'm not the Inari God of this world! In my land, the Inari God is the god of agriculture and commerce! He's very popular!"

Hideki stood to the side, cautiously raising his hand like a student trying to interject in class. "Um... Inari is..."

"Come in first." Mokushō waved his hand and stepped onto the stone steps. "We'll talk after we're inside."

Izuna and Hideki followed him across the Torii.

In that instant, their bodies passed through an invisible membrane.

Then, the sound of the wind outside the Torii and the noise of the distant village were completely shut out, replaced by a serene and abundant tranquility.

The air became crisp and clear, and the stone slabs of the path were smooth and flat, without a speck of moss.

The jade walls on both sides were brightly painted vermilion, and the bells hanging in front of the worship hall swayed gently in the breeze, making a soft tinkling sound.

A warm yellow light had appeared in the Stone Lanterns at some point, and a faint scent of incense and rice stalks wafted from the depths of the worship hall, creating a warm and comforting atmosphere that brought a sense of peace.

The Shrine is much larger inside than it appears from the outside, with a flat open space extending on both sides of the approach path, neatly paved with gravel.

Two stone foxes stand in front of the worship hall, each with a stalk of rice in its mouth, long, narrow eyes, and an expression that is neither smiling nor frowning.

Hideki's light-colored eyes widened slightly.

Mokushō stood in front of the worship hall, turned around and waved to them, "Come."

Hideki couldn't help but glance back at the Torii behind him, then turned back to look at the scene before him that was so different from the outside world. He wondered if he was under Genjutsu, otherwise how could he see such a bizarre scene?

Izuna surveyed the Shrine grounds, his tone one of admiration akin to visiting a tourist attraction. "Wow, is this your Divine Realm?"

Mokushō, who was about to walk towards the worship hall, stopped in his tracks.

He turned his head, a barely perceptible hint of wariness in his voice. "You know about the Divine Realm?"

"Hmm? In the world of Onmyōji, isn't the Torii the entrance to the Divine Realm?" Izuna said matter-of-factly. "The entire space changed after I stepped in just now. You still claim to be the former Inari God, so this is your Divine Realm, then."

Mokushō's shoulders relaxed almost imperceptibly, and his voice returned to its usual nonchalant tone. "Wow! You could even deduce that! Awesome!"

"It's a very common setting, okay?" Izuna waved his hand, then suddenly his expression turned serious. "By the way, I won't be able to disappear into the Spiriting Away, will I? I heard you can't eat when you enter the Divine Realm, so don't give us anything to eat, you little brat."

Mokushō crossed his arms in front of his chest and leaned back. "I'm not that bad, okay!"

"That's not necessarily true." Izuna crossed his arms. "The Onmyōji setting emphasizes the duality of good and evil. You keep saying you're a good Yōkai, but who knows if you'll suddenly change your mind? I'm not going to gamble on your good intentions."

Mokushō chuckled, his tone suddenly softening. "You even have to be wary of me? Interesting."

Izuna couldn't help but shudder upon hearing this, his expression contorting in pain. "Please, stop saying such cheesy things! Do you think you're some kind of CEO?"

Hideki stood in front of the worship hall, watching Izuna and Mokushō bicker back and forth. Although he didn't understand most of what they were saying, there was one thing he at least understood.

Izuna didn't intend to do anything to him. It seemed that this person really was just someone he picked up along the way and then casually brought along on the adventure.

This aimless casualness felt unfamiliar to Hideki, but it also eased his tense shoulders a little.

He knew that with Izuna around, he was at least safe for the time being.

After finishing their Mokushō sparring, Izuna clapped his hands and walked to the front of the worship hall.

He first threw a Five-yen Coin into the Offering Box, then reached out and grasped the rope, rang the bell according to the ritual of worship, put his hands together, and bowed.

Hideki stood half a step behind him, and imitated him by throwing money, ringing a bell, and clasping his hands together.

He didn't know who he was praying to, or which deity was enshrined in the Shrine, but since he was already there, it couldn't hurt to offer a prayer.