Under the pitch-black night, on the vast sea southeast of the Land of Lightning, the enormous "island" still drifted peacefully.
The giant tortoise sensed that the stranger on its back still had his eyes closed. It didn't feel any malice, and although the life force was unique, it was still somewhat inferior to that of an "alien."
After searching for several days, Shu Furukawa's spirit, riding the White Zetsu Jinchuriki, traversed the deep canyons of Turtle Island and finally found the waterfall from his memory.
The ground here is not simply soil, but a special rock layer formed from a tortoise shell over a long period of time. Shu Furukawa's spirit also sensed that special Chakra, which was the giant tortoise's "life fluctuation."
"You wicked brat, the Old Man seems to have been here before. How do you know about this place?"
"Damn it, what are you trying to do now?"
Inside the sealed space, Nine-Tails loudly questioned, feeling uneasy about what kind of evil experiment Shu Furukawa was conducting.
"I just wanted to test what's called inner darkness."
"This place is really hard to find. Kumogakure truly has an outstanding lineage. Was this kind of barrier passed down by the Sage of Six Paths?"
"Snort!"
Upon hearing the Nine-Tails ' snort from within the sealed space, Shu Furukawa Chakra. His chakra surged, and he leaped off the cliff, landing on the water's surface. Looking up, he murmured with a hint of delight, "Not counting the water's edge, this terrain should be perfect this time."
Turtle Island is very large, and the area within the rock spikes is an undeveloped primeval forest. Shu Furukawa really likes this biological island. Unable to communicate with the giant turtle, he can only temporarily place the "Blessed Land" here.
"Since you frequently break parts of the seal, I must warn you that there is a peculiar power here."
"It might have been left behind by the Old Man, or it might have been created by this creature beneath our feet."
"If something happens to you here, I don't want to stay here. The island is surrounded by nasty seawater..."
The Nine-Tails- Tails curled up into a ball, squinted, and whispered a reminder, Shu Furukawa didn't take it seriously. He continued to concentrate his Chakra in his eyes, observed the surrounding environment, and quickly found a place to stand.
The surroundings were so quiet that only the roar of the waterfall could be heard; the monotonous and heavy sound of the water seemed to assault one's mind.
Shu Furukawa's spirit arrived at the familiar spot in his memory, decisively sat cross-legged on the grass, and casually replied while concentrating his mind, "A mere trial of inner Heart Demon? With my 'heart yearning for the Dao,' nothing unexpected will happen!"
"?
The Nine-Tails inside the sealed space was full of questions. It understood the words, but didn't know what they meant when put together.
Shu Furukawa, however, was too lazy to explain. He gradually cleared his mind, and a mysterious force began to draw his spirit in.
"Interesting! It can actually channel the power within spirits!"
The night suddenly turned into a clear day. Shu Furukawa's spirit looked around. At this moment, he could even smell the fresh scent of grass and trees, and he couldn't feel that he was in an illusory space at all.
As the spirit was walking around and observing on the water's surface, another identical spirit Shu Furukawa, suddenly appeared in the waterfall.
Unlike the normal state, the spirit that appeared had red eyes and made a "hehehe" laugh as soon as it appeared.
"I'm finally out. Looks like you've had enough of those ninja games too."
Why play along with those brats? Why not confront your desires directly?
"Let me take control of this body..."
The evil spirit appeared and immediately began its Talk no Jutsu, Shu Furukawa ignored it, circling around and observing it, occasionally revealing a thoughtful expression, which made the evil spirit subconsciously take a step back.
"I am you! Embrace your true self!"
"Kill to your heart's content, mate to your heart's content..."
Shu Furukawa's spirit eye twitched. Hearing the other party about to expound on the beauty of "a hero from humble beginnings," he had to interrupt, "You are me? Are you sure?"
"Hehehe... You already know the answer in your heart!"
The spirit, its eyes glowing red, attempted to continue its seduction, but Shu Furukawa once again showed curiosity. Concentrating his mind, the spirit used [ Collection ] with its right hand, and a wisp of red light appeared. "Since you are me, it seems you should know what this is."
"Where do you think you're going? My power, refine it for me!"
The evil spirit, terrified by the red light on the palm, turned and fled. Shu Furukawa gave a low shout and instantly pounced behind it, his right hand piercing through the evil spirit. The spirit immediately screamed, "Ah! Stop..."
[ Collection ] continued to activate, and the evil spirit quickly transformed into a pure white sphere of light. Seeing the familiar energy, Shu Furukawa channeled it into his body and instantly sensed the spirit's transformation. "It seems more agile and solid! Truly a treasure!"
After a sigh, the illusion vanished. The White Zetsu Jinchuriki, who had been sitting cross-legged on the grass, opened his eyes. As Senjutsu Chakra erupted from his spirit body, the Nine-Tails within him exclaimed in surprise, "You... what did you do? How did you suddenly convert a portion of my Chakra!"
"Is this what they call malice? I've accumulated so much without even realizing it, but it's quite delicious!"
"Big fox, you're also secretly using your Chakra to corrupt me, aren't you?"
Shu Furukawa's spirit appeared in the sealed space and looked at the Nine-Tails, who was curled up in a ball. The latter did not admit it directly, but turned its head and pretended to be innocent. "Kid, this is the instinct of Tailed Beast. Chakra itself carries dark emotions. This is not my problem."
"If humanity wants to control power, it must endure this darkness. What have you done?"
While the Nine-Tails was still making excuses, Shu Furukawa's spirit disappeared again, and he sat cross-legged on the grass, concentrating his mind. Soon, the illusion reappeared, and the evil spirit made its appearance with a villainous laugh.
Too lazy to listen to any more of his Talk no Jutsu, Shu Furukawa immediately stepped forward to [ Collection ] the energy. As the evil spirit was refined, a ball of energy reappeared.
"Good darling! Let's see how much power you can unleash."
A glint of greed flashed in Shu Furukawa's eyes, and he began to perform actions that resembled "exploiting a bug."
As evil thoughts constantly arose and were refined, the spirit within the Jinchuriki, White Zetsu, became increasingly agile and solid.
"Ah!!"
As the final scream rang out, dawn broke, and mist began to rise around the waterfall. Shu Furukawa, who was sitting cross-legged, wanted to continue his cultivation, but he could no longer sense any evil thoughts.
As the spirit finished its cultivation, a thought arose, and Natural Energy was violently absorbed. Shu Furukawa, manipulating the White Zetsu Jinchuriki, instantly entered Ryūchi Cave Sage Mode, carefully experiencing the power within his body. Satisfied, he murmured, "Qi calmed, spirit focused, elixir formed, meridians open."
"What are you saying, you evil brat? Why is my Chakra being constantly converted by you?"
Nine-Tails- Tailed Fox asked in alarm, as it vaguely felt a connection with the other creature.
Shu Furukawa appeared in the sealed space, smiling as he replied, "This shows that you're starting to understand and accept me like family."
"What?! How could this happen, you evil brat? Give me back my Chakra!"
The Nine-Tails fox bared its teeth and roared, but Shu Furukawa ignored it. With a thought, he left Flying Thunder God rune containing his spiritual consciousness on a large tree, then pondered to himself, "The experimental subject still needs observation. The spiritual energy in the main body is too vast; complete conversion will require more time."
"Relying on powerful numerical values to fuse the Six Paths Power should be more reliable than comprehending the meaning of life and death..."
Manipulating the White Zetsu Jinchuriki, he summoned Katsuyu using Summoning Jutsu. The slug quickly crawled onto his shoulder, its tentacles waving as it sensed the surroundings, then cheerfully exclaimed, "It seems that this part of Lord Xiu's spirit has broken free from the effects of the powerful Chakra!"
"After completing your cultivation, Master Xiu can now peacefully reproduce with his original form!"
"Ahem, prepare the Reverse Summoning Jutsu, fly away from here and return to the Shikkotsu Forest..."
At the end of July, with both the Konoha Ninja and Kumogakure declaring victory, the Fourth Shinobi World War came to a complete end.
After the ceasefire agreement was announced, a Tailed Beast Alliance Treaty sparked heated discussions among ninjas. "Will the Four Great Ninja Villages unite in the face of the Tailed Beast issue?"
After confirming the relevant information, the ninjas of Takigakure issued a statement condemning the incident. Last year, their Jinchuriki had been targeted by ninjas from major powers, indicating that the Four Great Ninja Villages were clearly plotting something bigger.
The Konoha Ninja naturally paid no attention to these voices. With the heroes returning, everyone crowded to the village gate early in the morning, and the nearby streets quickly became congested as well.
At 9 a. m., as Minato Namikaze and Shu Furukawa arrived with the last few squads, a deafening cheer erupted.
Wearing a white robe embroidered with the Fire Cloud Robe and the Hokage hat, Tsunade received the Daimyo version of the ceasefire agreement from Shu Furukawa, and a smile immediately appeared on her fair face.
"Teacher, I hope you are satisfied with this result."
Shu Furukawa's eyes were bright and open. Tsunade, who had looked up, was drawn to her disciple's gaze and subconsciously took a step back. Suddenly, a cheer erupted from behind her, which brought her back to her senses. "Thank you for your hard work!"
Tsunade and subconsciously pulled her hat down lower. She had almost walked into her disciple's arms just now, and her cheeks felt hot for a moment.
More and more ninjas gathered, and the young ninjas were shouting happily. Might Guy, who couldn't squeeze to the front, let out a strange cry and finally shed tears of youthful passion. Kakashi, seeing this, immediately moved away.
"Hey! Kakashi, aren't you happy?"
"It took more than two years, and so many predecessors sacrificed their lives to achieve this peace, sob..."
"Captain Minato and Xiu Zhen are amazing! They've been fighting the monsters on the front lines to protect us!"
Might Guy grabbed Kakashi and, while crying, loudly declared his youth. The young people around him were moved by his emotions, and many of them had tears in their eyes.
"Kai, I just wanted to go to the back. It's too crowded here, and it's inconvenient to take care of Lin."
"It's okay, Kakashi! I think it's great!"
Wearing Chunin green vest, Rin Nohara smiled happily, tightly holding Kakashi's left hand. The girl looked forward to a peaceful life in the future with increasing anticipation.
Minato didn't follow Tsunade and Shu Furukawa. After greeting everyone, he smiled and said goodbye, squeezed his way out of the crowd, and couldn't wait to activate the Flying Thunder God to go home.
" Minato, welcome back!..."
Kushina wanted to say more words of blessing, but Minato pulled her into his arms. She was a little embarrassed for a moment, but after sensing her husband's emotions, she hugged him tightly in return.
"Sorry for the past two years, thank you for your hard work. I'll take care of Naruto's 3rd birthday!"
Minato smiled happily and whispered a promise. Kushina nodded, then pulled her husband into the living room, hugged Naruto tightly, and whispered to her son, " Naruto, Daddy's home!"
"Why are you still shy? Haven't you always hoped that Dad would celebrate your birthday with you?"
Naruto will be 3 years old in just over two months, saw his somewhat unfamiliar father and quickly called out "Dad," a happy smile gradually appearing on his little face.
Looking at his son, who shared the same hair color, Minato hugged them both again, and unconsciously whispered, thinking of that night that still terrified him, "I will protect you!"
In the Uchiha Clan Compound Naka Shrine, Itachi Uchiha, sitting on the corridor, looked at the sulking Sasuke Uchiha and couldn't help but smile, tapping his younger brother's head with his index and middle fingers. "There were too many people in the village this morning. I know my teacher; he won't mind."
"Your father and mother have both passed away, and you just turned three. It's safer for us to stay at home."
"It hurts! My brother always brushes me off..."
Sasuke covered his forehead, complaining in a childish voice, a slight blush on his face. Seeing his brother beckoning, he finally sat obediently beside him. "Brother, can you learn ninja knowledge at 3 years old? I think I heard Father mention it."
Itachi Uchiha suppressed his smile, gently patted his younger brother's head, and noticed the expectant look in Sasuke's eyes. He sighed and explained softly, "It's still too early for you. Talk to kids your age more. You can talk about training at the Ninja Academy later."
"My brother is only 7 years old!"
Hearing his younger brother's complaints, Itachi Uchiha paused slightly, then, recalling his own experiences, shook his head, looked up at the azure sky, and softly said, " Sasuke, I hope you have a happy childhood and make many friends."
Don't worry about what others expect, just grow up healthy and happy...