Pure Land

Deep within the Mist Shinobi forest, the tranquil moonlight scattered through the thick fog, casting a hazy glow. Madara Uchiha silently watched Zetsu approach, without uttering a word.

"Lord Madara, we must not underestimate Kato Osamu..."

"I can vaguely sense that, after being tempered by the power of Yin–Yang Release, he can now detect the presence of White Zetsu, making it much harder for him to remain undetected like before..."

"I'm afraid it will get out of control in the future..."

When Zetsu thought about the information that Madara Uchiha had asked him to tell Kato Osamu, he couldn't help but feel a little wary. With Madara Uchiha around, he wasn't a big deal, but Madara Uchiha, in his current Obito Uchiha, would probably have a hard time suppressing him.

"That's why I asked you to tell him part of the plan..."

Madara Uchiha remained seated quietly to the side, seemingly unconcerned by Zetsu's words.

"I can tell this person has his own plans, but there's no doubt that he, like us, yearns for peace..."

"There's no need to worry until the Nine Tailed Beasts gather..."

Slowly standing up, Madara Uchiha glanced at Zetsu.

Since his great battle with Hashirama Senju, he has spent many years in solitary contemplation, reflecting on himself, on peace, and on the world.

As Madara Uchiha grew older, he gradually exuded an aura of wisdom, and seemed to become even more unfathomable.

"Absolutely not. Everyone in this world has their own will, and no one is willing to live for the will of another..."

"But whatever their needs or true motives, as long as they can be used by us when we need them, we don't need to pay them any mind..."

After a slight pause, Madara Uchiha turned around. Moonlight fell into his eyes, but it seemed to be completely imprisoned within them, just like his face, devoid of any emotion, as if he were simply telling Zetsu about an ordinary little thing.

If I wake up again...

"But even ants underfoot can be crushed with a flick of the wrist..."

"Obito Uchiha, he's still alive..."

A myriad of emotions seemed to swirl within him, and even after leaving the depths of the jungle, Kato Osamu's mind remained a tangled mess.

Zetsu told him some secrets, but also kept more from him. Kato Osamu could see that he didn't trust him, but he didn't care at all.

Meeting Madara Uchiha was unexpected. The idea of ruling the Shinobi World was still far from his reach. He was merely being used as a pawn by Madara Uchiha. However, unlike Obito Uchiha who knew nothing, he knew more secrets.

Unable to outmaneuver him Obito Uchiha would, he resorted to appeasement, using a glimpse of a hidden and promising future to win him over.

These things did indeed stir his heart...

Kato Osamu didn't know Obito Uchiha's current situation, but the news that he was still alive made Kato Osamu feel a little relieved. However, when he thought of Rin and what Zetsu had told him, his brows furrowed again.

"Ninjutsu capable of reviving the dead..."

"If that were truly the case, why didn't Madara Uchiha simply die and be resurrected? Why be so lifeless..."

"Even if it existed, it would likely be extremely limited..."

He absolutely distrusted him, Kato Osamu didn't believe what he said either. He only believed a fraction of what Madara Uchiha said. However, the Ninjutsu of resurrection caused Kato Osamu's expression to change slightly.

"The power of Yin–Yang Release can create all things..."

"A world created by God...?"

His consciousness slowly sank into the spiritual world. The spiritual body formed by his soul power had disappeared, and the entire spiritual space seemed empty. However, after being baptized by the power of Yin–Yang Release, it felt more real than before.

Wisps of spiritual energy filled the space, like mist shimmering with a faint blue light. Two clusters of blue light, neither dispersing nor merging, floated in mid-air, shimmering with flowing light.

Kato Osamu waved his hand gently, and a smaller portion of the light fell into his palm.

"Corrupted by the energy of the Tailed Beasts, his soul was also partially damaged..."

Quietly sensing the information contained within the ball of light in his hand, Kato Osamu gently stroked it, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

"Rin, Obito Uchiha is still alive..."

"You should be very happy..."

After a long silence, Kato Osamu sighed softly, and the ball of light in his hand floated back into the air, Kato Osamu another ball of light landed in his hand.

"I remember, it should be called Might Duy?"

He encountered this person on his way to Mist Shinobi, fought to the death with the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, and casually used the Soul-Extinguishing Blade to collect the soul into his spiritual space.

"His mental strength is incredibly powerful; having survived life and death, his soul remains almost intact..."

For some unknown reason, Kato Osamu slightly raised his eyebrows, and the ball of light re-suspended in the mental space, his consciousness returning to reality.

"If there truly were a way to resurrect them, could they be brought back to life?"

Can the souls he extracted be resurrected? Kato Osamu doesn't believe anyone in this world can do such a thing—create a body, even give it life. If such a thing is even remotely possible...

But even God would find it difficult to create a soul; even if He could, it would surely be a blank slate, like a newborn soul...

"The key to the Reincarnation Technique is the ability to transfer the soul into a new body, but the compatibility issue is difficult to resolve, and the soul will inevitably be damaged..."

"But what if this body originally belonged to me?"

Kato Osamu suddenly stopped in his tracks, and two scrolls appeared in his hands. One was a rubbing of the Reincarnation Technique. Although it was not yet fully perfected, Orochimaru was already working on it; it was only a matter of time.

The other document was a scroll containing Lin's body...

"When ordinary people die, their souls enter the legendary Pure Land. The resurrection technique that Zetsu mentioned is probably similar to a soul-summoning technique. It summons the soul back from the Pure Land and then uses the power of Yin–Yang Release to create a physical body, thus achieving the purpose of resurrection..."

"So, if I were to master the power of Yin–Yang Release and gain the ability to give life to a physical body, coupled with my existing Reincarnation Technique..."

"To be brought back to life... is not impossible!"

Putting away the scroll, Kato Osamu sped towards the agreed-upon location with Akihamaru, pondering the feasibility of this heaven-defying Ninjutsu...

Kato Osamu would never believe that Madara Uchiha, whose Madara Uchiha Yin-Yang Release Technique was even more advanced, hadn't considered such a possibility.

One possibility is that, in terms of the soul, Madara Uchiha did not inherit the profound knowledge of countless predecessors of the Kato Clan who had studied it.

Even with Orochimaru's extraordinary talent, his understanding of the soul is still only at a rudimentary level. If Madara Uchiha hadn't been researching the soul all these years, his level probably wouldn't even be comparable to Orochimaru's.

However, the power of Yin–Yang Release gave him a deeper understanding of the essence of the world, but also made it difficult for him to discern further.

Another possibility is that this matter is more complex and difficult than Kato Osamu imagined. It would be impossible to achieve without a certain level of mastery of Yin–Yang Release, even for the current Madara Uchiha.

"Pure Land... it might be related to Pure Land..."

Kato Osamu understood that the soul has a lifespan. Although the soul's lifespan is almost as long as that of the body, it is still ultimately finite.

In this world, Kato Osamu had never heard of the concept of the Six Paths of Reincarnation, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist in this world.

The Pure Land may be similar to the underworld, and perhaps it has a ruler like King Yama of Hell.

Shaking his head slightly, Kato Osamu dispelled his turbulent thoughts. Even with some of the Madara Uchiha had revealed to him, he still knew far too little about the world's hidden mysteries.

As she slithered through the jungle and stealthily followed the coastline, Kato Osamu's gaze involuntarily drifted towards the other side of the sea.

Orochimaru is an excellent researcher, even an excellent scholar; perhaps he can find some answers in this area...

"Orochimaru- sensei... the power of Yin–Yang Release, I wonder if you would be interested..."

A faint, enigmatic smile played on his lips, and Kato Osamu vanished from the shore in a flash...