Whether the Ninja World Descended into Chaos Was Up to Qingwu: Naraka Path Shinnō Emerged, Animal Path Lord Star

At the same time, in the Land of Hot Water.

Inside a mysterious space: "What the hell are you?! ...You... stay away from me!"

Asura Path Void cackled. "Hehehe~ Come on... Lord Jashin, join me... become my foo... a part of me~"

Jashin looked at the hunger in his eyes and silently cursed. You call that joining you? You want to swallow me alive! Where did this beast come from? He's even more monstrous than Otsutsuki Hagoromo. The bastard doesn't even want to leave a scrap of me~

But where could he retreat? Endless despair seeped across his face. Damn you, Otsutsuki Hagoromo! Fuck you and your ancestors! If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have ended up like this.

Had the Sage of Six Paths known, he would have been speechless. Sure, I drained your essence, but didn't I leave you alive and give you a chance to revive? Even if it was so I could harvest you again, being alive beats being dead. He wants to eat you and kill you for good.

And you're cursing me?!

Where are your manners?

Feeling the tremendous negative energy flow into him, Void grew even happier. "Yes, yes~ Delicious... that's it. The more you hate me, the happier I am... my darling little Jashin... hehehe~"

Jashin: "Stooop..."

Qingwu was speechless. "Am I really that twisted?"

Void: "Hehehe~ Believe me, you are. I'm you, after all~"

Qingwu: "..."

"Aaaah~!"

The screams continued until there was no sound left.

Finally, inside the mysterious space: "Hehehe~ From today onward, I am Lord Jashin Void~"

“My Believers, take the power I bestow upon you. Spread my faith! Holy War!!!”

And so, Void issued a divine decree while wearing Jashin's body.

He bestowed Dark Chakra upon the Jashin Cult Believers in Yugakure, greatly enhancing their Taijutsu strength and making their ninjutsu more destructive and corrosive. Their faith turned fanatical.

"Oh my~ I feel so powerful..."

"Long live Lord Jashin!!!"

Meanwhile, the negative emotions generated by their battles and destruction could nourish the Dark Chakra. After they died, all of it would return to Void. Mm-hmm, a triple win. I win three times~

With their new power, the fanatical Jashin Cult Believers began a campaign of frenzied expansion. This was a Holy War.

One follower named Hidan performed particularly well.

He drew the most attention from Jashin.

And received the most blessings.

It was an unexpected success born of a casual effort.

An unforeseen windfall.

Qingwu: "Hehe~ The immortal duo have become firewood. What a sin..."

The Land of Birds.

The sky fortress rested atop a mountain.

"Calibrate all the flying devices, then get combat-ready as quickly as possible..."

"Yes, Lord Shinnō~" the Sky Ninja chorused.

After they left.

The middle-aged man said, "I finally mastered the Eight Gates Released Formation the Original Body gave me. It pairs perfectly with his improved Infinite Regeneration. I feel like, with a little more time to get them working together, I'll be able to open the Gate of Death without dying..."

That was right—Nirvana had conquered this place.

Void had come for Zero-Tails at the time.

Qingwu had taken the opportunity to practice on Shinnō. After all, the man really did have a gift for medicine, and he could handle certain experiments.

Thus, the Naraka Path avatar, Shinnō, came into being. His medical skills were already good, and he could also summon the King of Hell to repair and revive the other avatars.

The Demon Refining Pot had serious objections. "Shinnō? This piece of trash deserves that name? Pah~"

But Qingwu kept the name anyway.

So he would never forget where he came from.

The Demon Refining Pot had nothing more to say.

"I'll leave Hoshigakure to you, Lord Star~" Things were going well on Nirvana's side, too. He had already taken Hoshigakure in the Land of Bears.

"All right, leave it to this old man. I know the work... I managed it for so many years..." The elderly man facing Nirvana nodded with a genial smile.

"Uh~ Right, I forgot. You used to be the Third Hoshikage. Hehe~" Only then did Nirvana remember that Lord Star had once been the Third Hoshikage.

“Haha~ I never imagined I'd get a second life and be able to stay with these children~” Animal Path Lord Star did not mind. He gazed down at the village below, his eyes full of warmth and affection.

Nirvana stretched and said his goodbyes. "All right, I'm off. I still have to travel the Ninja World and help the Original Body put his plans in place. Ah~ No rest for the weary~"

“Very well. I'll pick up the pace here, too.” Animal Path Lord Star did not try to keep him. He knew the Original Body had assigned each of them a task.

"See ya~"

Afterward.

Lord Star stepped down.

"Akahoshi, from today onward, you are the Fourth Hoshikage." He appointed Akahoshi as the Fourth Hoshikage, with Natsuhiboshi and Hotarubi as his aides, placing them in charge of the Star Ninja Anbu... Lord Star withdrew behind the scenes~ After all, he was over a hundred. Surely he deserved a little rest.

It had all been quite a coincidence.

Akahoshi and his two companions had rebelled because the Third Hoshikage banned training with the star. They ambushed and severely wounded him, only to be captured by Nirvana. Discovering what made the Third Hoshikage special, Nirvana saved him and used the Demon Refining Pot to refine him together with the meteorite, creating the avatar Animal Path Lord Star.

(If you were wondering, it worked like a reverse Summoning Technique, teleporting him into Qingwu's Small World. Very convenient...)

The Animal Path specialized in summoning the other Path avatars, as well as summoning beasts.

As for why he chose Akahoshi, the man could serve as a cover, but more importantly, he was ambitious and willing to take risks.

After Nirvana brainwashed him, and with Lord Star keeping watch, he could not stir up any trouble. Besides, wasn't having another pawn to command a good thing?

"Lord Third, rest assured! I'll work hard to build up Hoshigakure and make our village surpass the Five Great Nations..." Akahoshi declared fanatically.

Lord Star nodded. "Then this old man will go back and rest."

Inwardly, he marveled at how incredible Kotoamatsukami was.

So righteous it was downright sinister.

Then the old man, Lord Star, continued researching his star.

"The star is essentially a meteorite that emits intense radiation. It has no direct connection to the Ten-Tails."

"However, it possesses a special ability to activate chakra and enhance its power. Specifically, it allows chakra to take on various active forms for flight, offense, and defense, and even mimic animals in combat."

"This power is not without flaws. Prolonged exposure and use corrode the body, leading to mutations."

"It also depletes vitality, causing organ failure, pathological changes, and other problems."

"But some people with exceptionally strong constitutions gradually adapt to this power through long-term use."

"As long as they don't overuse it, it won't harm their bodies. My predecessor, the Third Hoshikage, was one such example."

"He lived to over a hundred, and Natsuhiboshi possesses the same special constitution."

Unexpectedly, he really did figure something out.

Improved Star Ninja Art, version 1.0.

Then he gave it to Akahoshi.

"I would brave fire and water for you, my lord~" Receiving the Secret Technique made Akahoshi even more fanatical. "I'm getting stronger. I'm growing stronger every moment. The secret art Lord Third gave me is incredible."

Looking at Akahoshi, who was thanking him for being made a Haku mouse.

Lord Star felt a little guilty, but said, "Everything is for Hoshigakure's future."

"Yes, yes! Everything is for Hoshigakure's future."

Akahoshi echoed him fanatically.

Akahoshi left to contribute everything he could to the village. If the Third was working so hard, how could he rest...?

"You two, here's a secret art. Practice it diligently and get stronger as quickly as possible. Our future enemies are the Five Great Nations..."

"Whoa~ Incredible..."

"Yes, Lord Akahoshi... What a terrifying secret art... It can actually keep circulating on its own..."

With Lord Star's permission, he also taught his two companions, and the three cultivated together. Even brainwashed, he still had selfish impulses and put his own associates first.

But that did not matter.

Lord Star sighed appreciatively. "What a wonderful pawn. He even finds companions on his own... giving me more experimental data..."

Despise Sarutobi Hiruzen, understand Sarutobi Hiruzen, become Sarutobi Hiruzen. Flattery and lofty slogans really work wonders~

He had simply weakened the radiation and formed it into a seed, planting it in Akahoshi's chakra vortex. Every time Akahoshi circulated his chakra, he watered the seed. The fluctuations it emitted also slowly merged into his chakra, increasing its activity and destructive power.

Though faint, the effect was constant. One day, when the seed sprouted, Akahoshi would fully master the Star Ninja Art, generating active chakra at every moment and becoming a Kage-level combatant.

The moment he died.

The active chakra would return to Lord Star.

Just like harvesting a crop.

Lord Star (Qingwu): "I never imagined that one day, I'd walk the shepherd's path too, nourishing myself with the masses..."

An unusual Guang flickered in Qingwu's eyes.

Jōgan, activate.

Three-dimensional, full-color distance vision.

Viewing spacetime anchor points and other dimensions.

Seeing through spacetime and predicting the future.

Qingwu: "So, with the black cubes' spatial jumps added in, the Ninja World really is my backyard from today onward."

"As long as you name the place, I can get there."