With Daju and Ayan there, the two ate a proper lunch. The only sounds at the table were the soft clinks of chopsticks and bowls and the occasional quiet conversation.
Uchiha Ren took a moment during the meal to sink his consciousness into the Sharingan space. After pouring in some ocular power, he drew today's World Bubble.
A soft "pop" echoed through his mind as the Cyan-White Stone Gate "spat out" a rather interesting bubble.
[Item: Spirit Mediumship Cultivation Method] [Rating: A cultivation method from the New World that can commune with souls and nature spirits. It has quite a few merits.] [Place of Origin: Shaman King]
Beneath the stone gate, which radiated an eternal cyan-white glow, there was also a "zombie" bubble still struggling and howling.
A book wrapped in a pure white bubble floated quietly before Ren. It looked old and had clearly been read many times.
The information on it made his expression shift slightly.
"Shaman King, huh? I've actually seen that anime..."
Ren fell into his memories.
It was a world centered around "shamans," people who could commune with the souls of all things.
The protagonist, Asakura Yoh, fought alongside Amidamaru, the spirit of an ancient warrior who was bound to him, and took part in the Shaman Fight, a global tournament.
The ultimate goal of this grand event, which drew shamans from across the world, was to stop his older brother—
Asakura Hao, a great onmyoji reincarnated after a thousand years. His power was nearly divine. After his mother, Asanoha, had been burned to death by ignorant ordinary people, he sought to cleanse the world of all foolish mortals and create a world inhabited purely by shamans.
That strong sense of déjà vu made him seem a lot like Uchiha Obito—the man behind the saying, "Kamui can't hide the tears; wherever you look, it's Rin."
But the two were worlds apart in their outlook. "Kamui Bro" was purely selfish, just like Uchiha Itachi. There was no redeeming him.
Unlike the Hero King, who was always calling people "mongrels," Asakura Hao might say, "You're too insignificant," but he had a magnetic personality, and people would rather die than abandon him. In truth, he was gentler than anyone and loved the world deeply.
In the end, he even brought the dead back to life, became the Star King who guarded the world, and ushered in the happy ending typical of a battle manga.
Fairly speaking, the ending couldn't be called perfect, but it wasn't bad either.
Still, if he ever had the chance to visit the world of Shaman King, Ren would want to bring this man—
The great onmyoji who had mastered the highest art of onmyodo, the Taishan Fujun Ritual, and could freely manipulate his own life, reincarnating once every five hundred years, into the Uchiha Clan.
There was no question about it—he'd be a true Uchiha Clan "lover"!
His thoughts returned to the cultivation method in his hands.
"This method should work in conjunction with Impure World Reincarnation. For example, the soul of Senju Hashirama could possess and merge with someone, or Senju Tobirama's soul could be bound to a specific object."
An even bolder thought, with a hint of wicked amusement, surfaced in his mind.
"If I killed Shimura Danzō and then imprisoned his soul, could I make a different kind of Ten Thousand Soul Banner?"
"Or maybe I could follow the path Yao Lao took to come back to life in Battle Through the Heavens?"
"If the cultivation systems of Shaman King and Naruto were combined, and each world's strengths used to make up for the other's weaknesses, there'd surely be great potential."
Various ideas churned through Ren's mind. Lost in thought, he unconsciously smiled. Then he heard a voice outside, and his consciousness left the Sharingan space.
"Ren, someone's here."
Uchiha Mikoto set down her chopsticks, picked up a tissue, and carefully dabbed her lips, which gleamed with a soft luster in the sunlight.
She looked up toward the distance and saw Uchiha Hazuki hurrying over.
"Lady Mikoto, Lord Ren."
Sent by Uchiha Koh, Hazuki moved lightly. With a single step, she crossed the Naka River, more than ten meters wide, and landed before them like a falling leaf.
Looking at the two people and two cats, Hazuki bowed her head respectfully and reported, "Elder Koh requests that Lady Mikoto return to the clan compound at once."
Meeting their questioning gazes, she added with a smile, "The elder is in a very good mood. It should be wonderful news."
"Then I won't be able to train with you this afternoon," Mikoto said to Ren, sounding a little apologetic.
Seeing disappointment immediately appear on her little brother's face, her heart softened. She turned her face slightly, the tips of her ears faintly red, and added softly, "Come over for dinner tonight."
As soon as she said it, Ren's disappointment vanished, replaced by undisguised delight.
Mikoto immediately realized she'd been fooled by her sly little brother again.
She pouted in annoyance, yet couldn't suppress the sweetness rising in her heart. In the end, she could only let out a coquettish little huff and turn to leave.
Hazuki had long since grown used to the couple's flirtatious banter. She had once worried about their relationship, but now she didn't bat an eye. She bowed to Ren, then followed Mikoto.
Watching the two leave, Ren hurriedly shoveled down a few more bites of rice. After finishing, he looked at the two cats across the table—
The Silver-spotted Cat had a small appetite and finished lunch in just two or three bites. Now, with Daju fanning her diligently with a feather fan, she was reading a lavishly packaged novel that had become popular across the Shinobi World.
The Ice-Cold Noblewoman Who Regretted Everything After I Left and She Conceived His Child.
You had to admit, novels like this—ones that would have shattered anyone's sense of decency in his previous life—were like deep-sea bombs, shaking the literary world of the Shinobi World to its core.
These heartbreaking stories were incredibly addictive, making readers both love and hate them. They were especially popular among nobles, who enjoyed the beauty of mono no aware.
Over the past few years, the noble circles had seen no shortage of "passionate, tumultuous, tragic" love stories.
This trend, spreading from the top down, had even gradually reached the kunoichi.
Ren had just pretended to look disappointed, using the same trick as the innocent-seeming sweetheart in the novel.
Acting a little pitiful was enough to let him "push his luck" with Mikoto.
And with his genuine feelings on top of that, Ren thought it wouldn't be long before he could invite Mikoto over.
Seeing that her young master had finished eating and was looking her way, Ayan closed the novel and gracefully hopped over to him.
Daju tacitly began clearing away the bowls and chopsticks, her round body busy beside the table.
"Young Master, I have several pieces of intelligence to report."
Ayan lightly leaped into Ren's arms. Her emerald-green pupils narrowed slightly in the sunlight.
She had returned to Ninja Cat Castle that morning and gathered quite a few new reports from her subordinates.
"Konohagakure Council Elder Mitokado Homura has left the village and is heading to the Daimyo Palace."
"Traces of Sunagakure and Iwagakure have been found in the Land of Rain. Kumogakure also seems to have sent shinobi to the Land of Rain."
"Hanzo, who's known as the Demigod, has left Amegakure with its shinobi. His destination is unknown."
"At the same time, a new organization calling itself Akatsuki has appeared in the Land of Rain."
"In Kusagakure, we found Uzumaki Clan members you've been searching for—those who fled to different places after the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed."
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