Conception of the Ten Thousand Soul Banner

With Daju and Ayan present, the two ate their lunch quite properly, with only the light clinking of bowls and chopsticks and the occasional low-voiced conversation filling the air.

Uchiha Ren took a moment mid-meal to sink his consciousness into the Sharingan space. After injecting pupil power, he drew today's bubble from the myriad worlds.

A soft "pop" echoed in his sea of consciousness as a rather interesting bubble was "spat out" by the Cyan-White Stone Gate.

[Item: Spirit Mediumship Cultivation Method]

[Evaluation: This is a cultivation technique from another world that allows one to communicate with souls and the spirits of heaven and earth; it has quite a few merits.]

[Origin: Shaman King]

Beneath that stone gate, which radiated an eternal cyan-white glow, there was still a "zombie" bubble struggling and roaring.

Beside it, a book wrapped in a pure white bubble, looking ancient and clearly read many times, was floating quietly before Ren's "eyes."

The information above made his expression shift slightly.

Shaman King, huh? I actually watched that anime...

Ren fell into deep thought.

It was a world revolving around "shamans" who could communicate with the souls of all things.

The protagonist, Asakura Hao's twin, Asakura Yoh, fought alongside his guardian spirit—the ancient samurai Amidamaru—to participate in the global Shaman Fight.

The ultimate goal of this grand event, which swept across shamans worldwide, was to stop his older brother—

Asakura Hao, the reincarnation of a great yin-yang master from a thousand years ago. Possessing power nearly equal to a god, he sought to cleanse all ignorant mortals and establish a world purely for shamans after his mother, Asanoha, was burned to death by ignorant commoners.

This strong sense of déjà vu was very similar to Uchiha Obito, whose "Kamui cannot hide his tears, for all he sees is Rin."

But the scope of the two was vastly different; "Brother Kamui" was purely selfish, and like Uchiha Itachi, he was fundamentally beyond redemption.

Much like the King of Heroes who constantly called people "mongrels," Asakura Hao, who called others "too insignificant" while possessing a personal charisma that made people follow him to the death, was actually gentler than anyone else and deeply loved the world.

In the end, he resurrected the dead and became the Star King who protected the world, leading to the happy ending typical of a classic shonen manga.

Objectively speaking, this ending wasn't perfect, but it certainly wasn't bad.

However, if he had the chance to go to the [Shaman King] world, Ren would actually want to see this man—

The great yin-yang master who mastered the highest art of Onmyodo, the "Taishan Fujun Ritual," capable of freely manipulating his own life and reincarnating every 500 years—reincarnate into the Uchiha clan.

If nothing else, this would be a "great love" Uchiha through and through!

Pulling his thoughts back, Ren focused on the cultivation method in his hand.

This technique should be able to be combined with the Impure World Reincarnation, such as merging it with Senju Hashirama's soul possession, or anchoring Senju Tobirama's soul to a specific object.

A bolder, even slightly mischievous thought surfaced in his mind.

If I were to kill Shimura Danzō and imprison his soul, could I create a different kind of Ten Thousand Soul Banner?

Or perhaps learn from Battle Through the Heavens and follow the path of Yao Lao's resurrection?

With a cultivation system that takes the best of both worlds after merging [Shaman King] and [Naruto], there is definitely great potential.

As various musings stirred in his mind, Ren unconsciously curled his lips into a faint smile while deep in thought, only to suddenly hear a voice from outside, pulling his consciousness out of the Sharingan space.

"Ren-kun, someone is here."

Uchiha Mikoto set down her chopsticks and took a tissue to delicately wipe her lips, which shimmered with a moist luster under the sunlight.

She looked up into the distance and saw Uchiha Hazuki approaching quickly.

"Mikoto-sama, Ren-sama."

Sent by Uchiha Koh, Hazuki moved with agility, crossing the ten-meter-wide Naka River in a single stride and landing before them like a falling leaf.

Observing the pair and the two cats, Hazuki bowed respectfully and reported, "Elder Koh requests that Mikoto-sama return to the clan grounds now."

Meeting their inquisitive gazes, she added with a smile, "The Elder is in a very good mood; it should be a very good thing."

"Then I won't be able to accompany you for this afternoon's training," Mikoto turned to Ren, her tone tinged with a hint of apology.

Seeing the look of disappointment instantly appear on her younger brother's face, her heart softened. She turned her head slightly, her earlobes flushing a faint red, and whispered, "Come to my house for dinner tonight."

Once she finished, she saw the disappointment on Ren's face vanish instantly, replaced by undisguised joy.

Mikoto immediately realized she had been tricked by this cunning younger brother again.

She couldn't help but pout in annoyance, yet she couldn't suppress the sweetness rising in her heart. In the end, she just gave a coquettish huff and turned to leave.

Hazuki was already used to the flirting between the young couple. She used to worry about their relationship, but now she was unfazed. She bowed to Ren and followed in Mikoto's footsteps.

Watching the two leave, Ren shoveled a few more mouthfuls of rice. Once finished, he looked at the two cats opposite him—

The Silver-spotted Cat had a small appetite and finished its lunch in a few bites. It was currently reading a hardcover novel that had become popular in the ninja world, while Daju diligently fanned it with a feather fan.

After Losing Me, the Ice-Cold Noblewoman Who Conceived His Child Regrets It Too Late.

You really can't make this up; this kind of novel from his past life, which completely shattered conventional values, was like a deep-sea bomb, causing constant earthquakes in the literary circles of the ninja world.

These highly addictive, bittersweet stories that made people love and hate them at the same time were especially popular among nobles who favored the "beauty of mono no aware."

In the past few years, the noble circles had seen quite a few "dramatic and miserable" love stories unfold.

This trend, trickling down from the top, had even begun to spread among the female ninja.

Ren had just been feigning disappointment, a classic "green tea" white moonlight tactic straight out of a novel.

By acting a little pitiful, he could "inch his way forward" with Mikoto.

Add in a dash of genuine emotion, and Ren felt confident he would soon be able to invite Mikoto over as a guest.

Seeing that the young master had finished his meal and was looking toward her, Ayan closed her novel and leaped gracefully to Ren's side.

Daju also began to clear the bowls and chopsticks from the table with practiced coordination, its round, chubby figure bustling about the dining table.

"Young Master, there are several pieces of intelligence that need to be reported to you."

Ayan hopped lightly into Ren's arms, her emerald, slit-like pupils contracting slightly in the sunlight.

She had returned to Ninja Cat Castle that morning and compiled quite a bit of new information from her subordinates.

"Konohagakure advisor Mitokado Homura has left the village and is currently heading toward the Daimyo Palace."

"Traces of Sunagakure and Iwagakure have been discovered within the Land of Rain, and Kumogakure also seems to have dispatched ninja to the region."

"Hanzo, known as the Demigod, has led ninja from Amegakure out of the village, their destination unknown."

"At the same time, a new organization calling itself 'Akatsuki' has appeared within the Land of Rain."

"In Kusagakure, we have discovered the Uzumaki clansmen you have been searching for—those who fled to various places after the fall of the Land of Whirlpools."