A Thousand Years

A thousand years passed in the blink of an eye.

At this moment, within the chaotic pocket dimension.

Yuzuru looked down at the six Yokai before him, a faintly satisfied expression appearing on his face.

Besides Chimimōryō, Phoenix, and White Tiger, whom he had subdued first, three new members had joined them!

The first new member was—Qinglong!

Antlers grew from her head, while the long whiskers at the corners of her mouth and the mane along her neck danced in the wind. Lightning flickered within her azure eyes. Her sturdy limbs supported her enormous body, and though her sharp claws exerted no force, they had still sunk deeply into the stone platform beneath her...

Yuzuru still remembered subduing her. It had been during a summer roughly eight hundred years ago.

Had Phoenix and White Tiger not helped him then, Yuzuru might not have been able to subdue Qinglong. Who could have imagined that her body would be so unusual? She could completely ignore the interference and control of his Black Rods. Even when her body was pierced through by them, they still could not restrict her movements or abilities!

Thinking of this, Yuzuru felt rather fortunate. Thankfully, his countermeasures consisted of more than just Black Rods. Otherwise, even if he had defeated her, he still would not have been able to make her submit...

His gaze shifted away from Qinglong and fell upon the second new member.

"Xuanming" was the new name Yuzuru had given him three hundred years ago. As for his former name, "Turtle Snake," not only did it sound unpleasant, it also lacked any sense of grandeur.

His true form was a gigantic Turtle Snake over a hundred meters long. His heavy black shell was covered in ferocious, hard bone spikes, and within it was the point where the turtle head and snake head connected...

Strictly speaking, he was not a single creature, but the mutual parasitism of Black Tortoise and Nether Serpent. They complemented and supported one another. By now, each had become an inseparable part of the other!

Black Tortoise specialized in defense, while Nether Serpent specialized in offense. The two shared an unspoken understanding in battle. Other than speed not being his strength, he was flawless in every other regard.

Naturally, Yuzuru was extremely satisfied with Xuanming as his subordinate. The five hundred years he had spent finding and completely subduing him had not been wasted...

As for the third member—she currently looked like a cute little girl with twin ponytails. A conspicuous pale purple crescent mark rested on her forehead. Judging by her appearance, she was around seven or eight years old in human terms. Her orange eyes were as calm as a deep pool, and her face was utterly expressionless, as though she had no emotions.

More precisely, she had no interest in anything external...

Only when Yuzuru looked at her did she show the slightest reaction, because he had personally brought about her birth.

Theoretically speaking, Yuzuru could be considered half her creator...

"Youying" was the name Yuzuru had given her, and it represented his acknowledgment of Youying's abilities and strength!

Among Yuzuru's six subordinates, Youying was unquestionably the strongest in terms of overall strength. Even the formidable Qinglong and Xuanming willingly acknowledged her position within the group, though Youying herself did not care.

Chimimōryō was undoubtedly the weakest, but its intelligence-gathering abilities were indispensable to Yuzuru. Over the past hundred years, the "seeds" it had spread had expanded as widely as possible, gathering vast amounts of intelligence from their human hosts. This gave Yuzuru a much deeper understanding of the human powers within the Shinobi World...

As for Phoenix and White Tiger, they belonged to the third tier of the team in terms of strength. Though they were far stronger than Chimimōryō, they were still somewhat weaker than Qinglong and Xuanming. However, they were still in their growth phase, and their future potential was worth anticipating. Coupled with their extraordinary abilities, even ordinary Kage-level experts would not be their match!

"...I've already explained most of what needs to be done. All you need to do is wait patiently..."

Yuzuru spoke, entrusting them one by one with his plans for the future. However, "them" did not include Youying. After all, she was an exceptionally special existence to Yuzuru... and even to the Shinobi World.

"Yes, Master!"

The five Yokai apart from Youying answered in unison.

Seeing this, Yuzuru directly opened a portal to the chaotic pocket dimension and sent Chimimōryō and the other four Yokai out. Once they reached the Shinobi World, they would slowly lie low and wait according to Yuzuru's plans. When the time was right, Yuzuru would summon them once more...

Once only Yuzuru and Youying remained in the chaotic pocket dimension, he slowly walked toward her and sighed. "You must be feeling very uncomfortable right now..."

Youying remained expressionless after hearing this, then asked in a childish girl's voice, "What does uncomfortable mean? I don't understand. I only know that my power is draining away frantically. I really want to sleep like I used to..."

"You should know that you cannot sleep right now."

Yuzuru fell silent for a moment before speaking solemnly.

Youying's brows furrowed slightly. She seemed somewhat confused, but she still obeyed Yuzuru's will and forcefully suppressed her desire to sleep.

Yet the weakness caused by her power constantly draining away left Youying's mind hazy. Even if she instinctively resisted it, one day she would inevitably lose consciousness and fall asleep.

Yuzuru knew that Youying's condition was extremely poor, so he extended his right hand toward her and said gently, "It isn't time for you to truly enter the world yet. Rest inside my body for now."

Youying tilted her head slightly and glanced at Yuzuru. Then, obediently, she extended her pale little hand and touched his.

The next moment, Youying's body transformed into a stream of purple energy and entered Yuzuru's body through his arm, after which she began to slumber semi-consciously...

At this point, Yuzuru was essentially Youying's jinchuriki. Although Youying lay in a semi-slumber within him, Yuzuru could use a portion of her abilities.

After completing all this, Yuzuru finally let out a heavy breath. Then, his gaze passed through the chaotic pocket dimension and looked outside. In the central region of the Shinobi World stood a thick, towering tree nearly a thousand meters tall. Atop its canopy, a fruit containing immense Natural Energy radiated an enticing glow.

The God Tree had already borne fruit!

Then it was also time for Yuzuru to truly disappear and conceal himself. Before long, Kaguya would consume the God Tree's fruit and gain the boundless power to dominate the Shinobi World!

Yuzuru did not dare reveal even the slightest trace of himself at such a time...

In any case, the task of dealing with Kaguya, the Rabbit Goddess, should be left to her two "filial sons." For Yuzuru, it was merely a matter of waiting...