Divine Realm * Divination

Mokushō suddenly felt a chill on the back of his neck and abruptly turned to look at Tobirama.

"Are you thinking about something dangerous, kid?"

Tobirama looked at him, slightly puzzled. "What?"

Mokushō spoke bluntly, "Stop pretending! Are you thinking that I'm just saying nice things to Spiriting Away you all here?"

Upon hearing this, everyone's gaze immediately turned to Tobirama.

Tobirama: "..."

His expression remained calm and composed, but his fingers, tucked into his sleeves, unconsciously curled slightly.

Did I give myself away?

He believed that since entering this "Divine Realm," his facial expressions had never been flawed.

Vigilance, observation, and analysis—these were all operating silently in his mind, without showing on his face at all.

Can this guy read minds?

Indeed, in Madara and Izuna's eyes, Tobirama stood there expressionless from beginning to end, calmly observing his surroundings.

Aside from the fact that something seemed to have happened to Hashirama that bothered him, he looked like a tourist.

But Hashirama glanced at his younger brother.

As the older brother who grew up with him, he had actually noticed long ago that Tobirama was using his brain.

It was a subtle state; Hashirama wouldn't have noticed it if he hadn't seen it many times.

However, Mokushō seemed to see through all of this with almost no effort.

He put his hands on his hips and bluntly exposed his idea. "Please! 'Spiriting Away' only refers to situations where people can't go back Spiriting Away, okay!"

"Leaving aside why I'm Spiriting Away from your lives, with my current Strength, do you think I can stop you from leaving? The kind of 'Spiriting Away' where you can come and go as you please, what kind of 'Spiriting Away' is that!"

"Honestly, no good deed goes unpunished!"

After saying that, he turned his head away, and his cheeks puffed out through the gaps in the mask, making him look quite cute.

The scene fell silent for a moment.

Tobirama pursed his lips tightly.

That brat! What he said actually makes a lot of sense! I can't argue with it, he's really annoying!

Madara looked at Tobirama and couldn't help but reveal a subtle smile that was both mocking and pitying.

Hashirama turned his back as if he were admiring the scenery.

Izuna, both amused and exasperated, quickly stepped in to smooth things over. "Mokushō, even I found it amazing the first time I came in, and I was a little suspicious myself. It's normal for Tobirama to have doubts, don't be angry."

Mokushō snorted heavily through his nose, looking more superior than anyone else.

Tobirama couldn't help but protest, "I didn't say anything, it's all your fault..."

"Apologize!" Mokushō persisted.

Tobirama took a deep breath and Underground Passage crisply, "I'm sorry."

Madara burst out laughing, and veins popped out on Tobirama's forehead.

Upon hearing Tobirama's apology, Mokushō turned back, snorted, and flicked his sleeves. "That's more like it. Serves you right for doubting the divine qualities of Ō-Inari! Fine, I forgive you."

Hashirama couldn't help but laugh out loud. This little guy, he takes advantage of any challenge, yet he still has a bit of childishness, making it impossible to get angry with him.

Madara's meaningful smile never faded, Tobirama with no reason to find fault; he couldn't just get angry for no reason like this Mokushō.

After all, I'm an adult, an adult!!

Mokushō rummaged in his sleeve and pulled out three Omamori, handing them to Madara, Hashirama, and Tobirama.

Hashirama and examined it from all angles. The Omamori was no bigger than a thumb, with a red silk cover embroidered with golden rice ears, and it emitted a very faint scent of thread. Madara and Tobirama's amulets were the same, bright red and very festive.

"What is this?" Hashirama asked.

"Proof of our connection," Mokushō said. "With this, you can freely enter and leave this place even when I don't open the Divine Realm."

"Free access?"

"Simply put, you can enter here without anyone noticing, even if you're in a crowd."

"So, is this considered a key?" Hashirama, holding the Omamori up to his eyes after seeing Mokushō nod. "How amazing..."

Mokushō puffed out his chest. "Moreover, these have been blessed by me as tokens of the Inari God. While they may not bring you great wealth and status, they are more than enough to ensure your lifelong peace and safety."

Madara took his own, weighed it in his hand, said nothing, and simply put it in his pocket. Tobirama also reached for one, turned it over to look at it, and saw that besides the gold thread of rice ears, the red silk was embroidered with the four tiny characters "Abundant Harvest." He paused for a moment before whispering, "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Mokushō waved his hand. "But let me make this clear first, don't keep coming here unless it's absolutely necessary. Bringing outsiders in is even more unacceptable. This is a place for quiet cultivation, not a secret meeting room for you."

"Who would come to your meeting?" Tobirama said.

"That's not necessarily true." Mokushō glanced at him sideways. "Weren't you already thinking about how to use this place as a base?"

Tobirama turned his face away expressionlessly.

After that, the four of them settled down temporarily in this Divine Realm and began their cultivation.

The Divine Realm is much larger than it appears from the outside.

Ban once ran at full speed to confirm the boundary, and it took him about three minutes to run from one side to the other.

Three minutes is enough for Madara to measure half of the main island of Land of Hot Water, but here he only ran from the willow tree to a low hill. Behind the hill is a rice field with a pale golden light. The end of the rice field is shrouded in mist, so you can't see where it leads. If you go in, you will be like being in a ghost wall and return to the Torii gate.

This made Mokushō's gaze towards Tobirama even more complicated, but he refrained from asking.

Some little foxes also live in the Divine Realm.

They seem to have been formed from light and shadow, with light golden fur, transparent tail tips, and trailing a few tiny specks of light behind them as they walk.

These little guys are very close to Hashirama and Izuna, often sitting on either side of them, their tails gently brushing against the backs of their hands.

But they were much more indifferent to Madara and Tobirama. At most, they would squat a short distance away, call out once or twice, and then run away again.

Ban didn't care much, focusing only on feeling the Natural Energy here.

Hashirama sat cross-legged under a tree, the patterns of Sage Mode already forming on his body, his face full of comfort, as if he were soaking in warm water.

Izuna was surrounded by several foxes, and he laughed as he scratched their chins. The little foxes didn't dodge; instead, they snuggled into his arms.

Tobirama sat on the veranda, studying the terrain for the entire afternoon, until a little fox somehow wandered to his feet, hesitated for a moment, and then jumped onto his lap.

Tobirama glanced at it, and the fox seemed to confirm something, circled around his lap, and gently lay down.

Tobirama had always liked furry things, and when he saw the fox, who hadn't been very friendly to him before, suddenly climb onto his lap, even he couldn't resist reaching out and gently stroking the fox's back fur.

Its fur was soft and warm, and its tail was translucent, shimmering slightly in my palm.

Tobirama couldn't help but curl his lips into a smile.

Just as he was engrossed in petting the fox, his vision suddenly went dark.

Something welled up from the depths of my consciousness.

Then, those flowing, warm, molten gold-like Light Vein appeared in the darkness.

Intersecting lines spread out, traversing the void beneath his feet and extending far into the entire Divine Realm.

Tobirama was stunned.

When he came to his senses, the image of the Light Veins had faded, and his hand was still resting on the fox's back.

He subconsciously looked up at Mokushō, who was sitting not far away fiddling with coins. "Is this something that can be seen so easily?"

Upon hearing this, Mokushō blinked, then smiled as if realizing something.

"Hey, the more relaxed you are, the closer they'll be to you, and the sooner you'll see them."

Tobirama fell silent.

He had always thought it was some kind of Barrier that required extremely high talent and special comprehension to reach, but it turned out he had only touched a fox and that's how he saw it.

Ban sat in the shade of the willow tree, having tried countless times.

He opened his eyes, his gaze heavy.

He can't see.

No matter how hard he tried to concentrate or adjust his breathing, the darkness remained empty.

He could feel the Natural Energy flowing through his skin, but he couldn't see the Light Veins that Mokushō had mentioned.

Ban placed his hands on his knees and remained silent.

Izuna walked over carrying the fox and gently sat down beside him. "Don't rush, Mokushō said it's just a matter of speed."

Madara smiled and patted his head, "I know."

Time flies, and a week passes by in the blink of an eye. The Summer Festival is getting closer and closer. Undercurrents are swirling in the Land of Hot Water, but on the surface, everyone is still actively preparing for this grand celebration.

The Inari Shrine was still very lively today. Hashirama had learned about the Inari God after entering the Inari God Shrine.

The god who governs abundant harvests and prosperous commerce, and a great god at that, there are people all over the world who worship Inari God.

Merchants and farmers, in particular, are the most convinced of the existence of Inari God.

Even gamblers would visit the Inari Shrine to pray before heading to the gambling den.

If I go and pray before gambling, will it change my luck?

"Big! Big!"

Open--

"Small!"

Hashirama, defeated.

As it turns out, Hashirama is an unreliable unlucky person.

The surroundings were already submerged in the deep blue twilight, and the water level of the Yukawa was high. Under the scattered streetlights, the swaying river surface looked like a layer of tin foil.

The streets were bustling with people after sunset, and the streetlights shimmered like pearls on the roof beams with a soft orange glow.

Ban sat alone in the shade of a low hill, leaning against a tree trunk, his eyes gazing at the distant Yukawa.

The wind rolled across the Yukawa, causing the silver foil to ripple and shimmer.

He was engrossed in watching, but the same question kept swirling in his mind.

Why can't he see the Light Vein?

In the Divine Realm, the air, the vegetation, the light—everything was perfect.

But he felt like there was something between them, like a very thin fog.

He has experienced moments when nature and himself worked closely together.

On the battlefield, the wind tells him which side the enemy is on, and the fire burns even more fiercely in accordance with his will.

But facing the flames that had stopped burning so fiercely and the gentle breeze, he felt nothing at all. It was as if the world had nothing to do with him.

Izuna said he would see it sooner or later, but Madara inexplicably knew that it wasn't a matter of time.

No matter how long he stays there, the light in that darkness will never shine for him.

Perhaps the battlefield... is his true home.

"Ah, so you've been here."

Madara knew it was Mokushō without turning around. "Where's Izuna?"

"Hmm... I went to participate in a competitive eating contest."

Ban then turned his head, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly. "Why participate in that kind of competition?"

"Aren't you curious how much you could actually eat if you just kept eating without thinking?" Mokushō had already walked to his side, put his hands behind his back, and looked at the river like him.

"That's something Akimichi Clan would think about." Madara withdrew his gaze. "As for food, enough is enough; there's no need to eat too much."

"You're such a boring guy," Mokushō, pursing his lips.

"So, you're looking for me?" Ban didn't want to waste any more time on this topic.

"Yes." Mokushō nodded, walked around to face him, and tilted his head to look him over. "Seeing that you haven't figured it out yet, I thought I'd give you a fortune reading."

Ban turned his face away. "I don't need it."

"You look quite anxious," Mokushō continued, undeterred by his refusal. "You're resentful, aren't you? Feeling that your environment is preventing you from utilizing your talents."

Ban fell silent.

That's exactly what he thought.

Lately, he's felt like he's been sidelined, only able to do trivial little things.

Although it was a small thing, he liked taking care of his younger brother, and peaceful days were much better than being on the battlefield every day.

But he never expected that he would fall behind that hateful Tobirama in cultivation. Tobirama could see the Light Veins, so why couldn't he see anything? What was this? He never admitted defeat, especially not to Tobirama Senju.

He couldn't swallow this insult.

As he was thinking, he heard Mokushō slowly add, "You're quite serious, and you seem very capable."

Ban snapped out of his daze and clicked his tongue, "Hey, don't give me that kind of platitudes."

"Sigh... you really have no sense of romance." Mokushō shook his head, feigning a pained expression. "Anyway, let's go check out the book market."

"At least you said something useful." Ban glanced at him. "The book market? You mean you want me to look at some books and calm down?"

"Well, if you can manage to see the Light Veins while reading, then of course I'd be happy," Mokushō shrugged. "But for now, you should go with Izuna. He's quite interested in that."

"It seems that around this time every year, book collectors, illustrators, and antique dealers from all over flock here, setting up stalls for days and nights. They have all kinds of books: storybooks, chess manuals, gardening books, ghost stories, and quite a few foreign translations."

Mokushō turned his head slightly. "Anyway, you might find the answer you're looking for there."

Ban looked at him with a strange expression.

This guy is a bit mystical, but he really is a god.

Well, since he's said so, there's no harm in going.

A gentle evening breeze blows, and looking south, at the end of the dimly lit river, the distant night view shines like a jewel.

Mokushō couldn't help but recite a poem.

"The river flows gently, and under the lamplight at night, the lights twinkle like stars shining brightly in the clouds."