I Just Had to Force It

Manji once again traveled through the human world.

This time, he was no longer blindly observing the myriad of living beings. Instead, he was pursuing greater power.

One of his goals was to investigate some of the "other powers" in the Naruto World.

In the original story, there were the King of Hell, the Death God of the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, Hidan's faith, and the Pure Land.

The original Naruto story had never given reasonable explanations for any of them.

Now that he possessed formidable strength,

he naturally wanted to investigate them.

However, it was still rather difficult, since he had no leads.

At present, even ninjutsu hand seals had yet to be invented, let alone all those various techniques.

"Bang!"

Just then, a little monkey appeared beside Manji amid a cloud of smoke.

Manji raised an eyebrow. It was a messenger monkey of the White Ape King.

Could it be...? Don't tell me the White Ape King is nearing the end too?

An ominous premonition welled up in Manji's heart.

White Eyebrow had only been dead for a century, and now the White Ape King was nearing the end as well?

Manji was not worried about the White Snake Sage, since she had lived all the way to Boruto.

But the White Ape King...

"Ah, life and death are predestined..."

Manji sighed softly and opened the envelope.

What met his eyes, however, was not an obituary, but a short message.

"Manji, come quickly. I found a mysterious wild area!"

—The Sexy White-Haired Great Monkey

"This guy..."

Manji's face tightened.

He could not help feeling exasperated. The White Ape King was still as childish as ever.

As for why the White Ape King knew so many memes,

that was naturally because of his influence in the past.

Before transmigrating, Manji had already been familiar with all sorts of things on the internet.

He was well versed in everything from "classic," "filial," "urgent," "tense," "fun," "winning," "run," "trouble," "doomed," and "lying flat" to the gentleman's Sixteen Arts.

When he had first arrived in this world, he had inadvertently uttered many "profound words."

After hearing them, the White Ape King had immediately started playing with those memes. He had been doing so for hundreds of years without tiring of them...

But Manji was no longer the same as he had been back then...

The youth who shouted about enduring, staying optimistic, and holding on every day had already become a composed sage.

Monkey Demon Clan

Manji arrived here with practiced ease. The place was still no different from how it had been more than a century ago.

As soon as he entered the cave, he saw the White Ape King, who looked like an old mischievous child.

"Wow! Manji, it really is you!"

The White Ape King leaped up and bounced in front of Manji.

Manji smiled helplessly. "White Ape King, you're older than I am. How are you still so lively?"

"Hehehe, you don't understand, Manji."

The White Ape King scratched his head.

"When I see an old friend, I automatically switch back to the age we were when we first met!"

"A part of ourselves is preserved in every old friend. The meaning of meeting an old friend is that, when you're dejected, I still remember what you looked like in your prime."

"Take me, for example. In my memories, you aren't the composed, legendary Sage of Six Paths. You're the ambitious, high-spirited Manji who dared to fight an alien to the death!"

The White Ape King spoke with a nostalgic expression.

Hearing this, a flicker of emotion crossed Manji's eyes. He nodded. "That makes sense."

Manji sat on a stone stool and slowly asked, "Why did you call me here, White Ape King...?"

"Hehe, it's been so many years. I've really missed you. Sometimes I even dream about fighting Isshiki by your side..."

The White Ape King chuckled.

Hearing this, Manji smiled and nodded.

Come to think of it, Ōtsutsuki Isshiki should have died completely.

After all, there had been no passing monk at the time, and Ōtsutsuki Isshiki had simply been chewed up by the Ten-Tails.

The man and the ape reminisced for a while.

Then, the White Ape King got straight to the point.

"It's like this. A few days ago, I went to the human world and discovered many crows. But that wasn't the most important part. The most important thing was that I discovered a different kind of power within those crows!"

"It's a power similar to Senjutsu!"

The White Ape King explained.

Manji paused slightly. Senjutsu?

Could it be that Senjutsu existed not only in the Three Great Sage Regions and the Monkey Demon Clan? Were there other places that carried on Senjutsu traditions?

"Oh? Take me there."

Manji said.

The man and the ape suddenly flashed away...

The next time they appeared, they were standing in a completely silent valley.

Not a blade of grass grew inside the valley. Cracked earth and rotten, broken trees covered the ground.

As soon as the man and the ape landed, an almost imperceptible wave of illusion quietly spread out, wrapping around the entire valley like a veil.

"This is an illusion..."

Manji possessed several kinds of Senjutsu, and his Chakra reserves were vast as the sea. An illusion of this level was no more than a breeze brushing across his face. It did not shake his mind in the slightest.

"Yes, I've fallen for it several times. The other side's illusion ability is terrifying."

Although the White Ape King beside him had been affected by the illusion and slightly furrowed his brow, he sensed Manji's steady-as-a-mountain aura beside him and completely relaxed, showing no fear.

"This is the place, Manji."

"Those strange crows are hiding inside. This place felt sinister, so I didn't dare venture in recklessly."

The White Ape King raised his hand toward the Withered Wood Forest deep within the valley, lowering his voice slightly.

"Oh?"

Manji narrowed his eyes slightly. His pale-blue Senjutsu Chakra quietly dispersed, and his perception spread like a tide, completely enveloping the Withered Wood Forest.

The next instant, Manji lightly touched his chin with a fingertip, astonishment flashing in his eyes.

"So that's how it is..."

The Withered Wood Forest was actually suffused with an aura and energy originating from the same source as the Three Great Sage Regions. It was rich and unique.

"Interesting."

Manji muttered softly.

Could there be another unknown place in this world that carries on a Sage Art tradition?

That suited him perfectly. He was already searching all over for obscure powers in the Naruto World, and this power had come to him of its own accord.

Speaking of crows, he thought of Uchiha Itachi.

The original story had never told everyone how Uchiha Itachi had formed a contract with crows, or how he had obtained the Totsuka Blade and the Yata Mirror.

"White Ape King, wait here. I'll go in and investigate."

Manji turned and instructed him.

"Be extremely careful!"

"The aura here is very strange. It looks somewhat like Ryūchi Cave's gloom, but not entirely. There are many hidden mysteries."

The White Ape King hurriedly warned him.

"Mm."

Manji nodded slightly, then darted toward the Withered Wood Forest.

With his current strength, there were very few beings in this world that could truly threaten his life.

Even if something went wrong, the worst that could happen was that he would begin another life. He already possessed the ability to die and revive, so why would he fear death?

From the White Ape King's perspective, the instant Manji stepped into the Withered Wood Forest, his figure quietly vanished as though it had merged into nothingness.

Inside the Withered Wood Forest.

Looking at the scene that had suddenly transformed around him, a trace of understanding crossed Manji's eyes. "It's actually a barrier similar to Mount Myōboku. It's rather like the Summoning Realm in a different way."

Manji walked slowly, but he had not taken more than two steps

when an ancient stone stele appeared before him. Four forceful ancient characters were carved upon it—Land of the Yatagarasu.

Manji looked at the stele, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly.

At that moment, a dense wave of Senjutsu Chakra suddenly surged from ahead. Its quantity was quite substantial.

"Caw, caw, caw—"

Hoarse crow cries suddenly rang out. Black feathers whirled through the air as a black streak of light shot out from deep within the dead trees and slowly landed on a withered branch in front of Manji.

It was a Three-Legged Crow. Its wings were black as ink, but its eyes glowed crimson, and faint Senjutsu Chakra swirled around its body.

"Human, humans have finally entered..."

"Ah!? Wait, why is it you?"

After getting a clear look at Manji, the Three-Legged Crow's crimson pupils suddenly contracted, and it cried out in surprise.

"You know me?"

Manji raised his eyes and looked calmly at the Three-Legged Crow.

The Three-Legged Crow hurriedly concealed its astonishment and flapped its wings as it smiled obsequiously. "Hehehe, of course I know you!"

"Aren't you the famous Sage of Six Paths? I never expected you to honor my humble abode with your presence. What brings you here?"

The crow chuckled.

Manji did not bother hiding his intentions and got straight to the point.

"Your Land of the Yatagarasu should also conceal a Senjutsu inheritance, shouldn't it? I'm quite interested in your Senjutsu inheritance. Why not tell me everything about it?"

At these words, the Three-Legged Crow's expression instantly changed!

"Please forgive me, Sage. Our Yatagarasu Sage Art is passed down only to those with affinity. It cannot be taught to just anyone who comes along. Please don't force the matter."

"Otherwise, I'm afraid it would damage your lifelong reputation. You might lose your life in the Land of the Yatagarasu, so please don't force the matter and bring trouble upon yourself."

The crow shook its head and spoke with a hint of threat.

"What if I insist on forcing the matter?"

Manji's voice remained calm, but it carried an overbearing force that allowed no refusal.

With his current strength, he could simply seize the Yatagarasu's Senjutsu inheritance by force. He was merely being courteous before resorting to force.

Besides, no one in the world had ever dared threaten him.

Not even Hagoromo.

Hearing this, the Three-Legged Crow instead began to laugh strangely.

Its crimson eyes were filled with conceit. "Sage, the first step to learning my Yatagarasu Sage Art is to remove all your defenses and willingly welcome my Yatagarasu Illusion."

"If you, Sage of Six Paths, lower your defenses and stop resisting, I'm afraid you'll die beneath my Yatagarasu Illusion today, hehehe~~~"

The confidence in its voice nearly overflowed. Clearly, it had absolute faith in its Yatagarasu Illusion. It was so arrogant that it actually believed it could kill the Sage of Six Paths.

After hearing this, Manji could not help letting out a soft laugh.

Strong? No matter how powerful illusions in this world are, can they really surpass Infinite Tsukuyomi?

Besides, the worst that could happen was death. After reviving, he could fight again.

He chuckled softly. The Senjutsu Chakra around his body and all his defenses instantly receded. He actively removed every barrier, allowing the dense wave of illusion to envelop him.

The next second, Manji's consciousness was completely devoured, plunging into a boundless sea of illusion.

(The protagonist is dead!)

(Hahaha, just kidding.)