The spatial rift in the Land of Iron resembled a festering scar stretching across the heavens and earth, with wisps of blackish-red miasma emanating from it, carrying the chilling aura unique to Hell.
Tsubasa stood on the broken rocks, the weapon in his hand still slightly warm, the runes on it flickering with his breath.
Nine figures stood on the other side of the spatial rift, led by the Black Prison Emperor —who appeared to have a body of Vajra, yet thick black mist oozed from the holes in his body, making him extremely terrifying.
"I said," Tsubasa cleared his throat, his voice echoing through the rift valley, "You nine have been here for four months now, haven't you? The cherry blossoms in the human world are already in bloom, can't you find a different hobby? Like playing cards or something. Why come here to wreak havoc on the human world?"
The Bone Prison Emperor on the far left chuckled, the sound of his skeleton scraping against each other like fingernails scratching glass, "Human brat, do you think we'd like to stay in this wretched place? The sun's scorching my bones." He flicked his bone claws, a few charred bone fragments falling from between his fingers. "If it weren't for the mess caused by the alien invaders, who would bother arguing with you living creatures?"
Tsubasa raised an eyebrow. "Alien invasion? Are you referring to the Ōtsutsuki Clan from a thousand years ago?"
The Black Prison Emperor in the center took a step forward, his Yin Shadow instantly intensifying, even the miasma in the rifts seemed to quiet down. "Stop playing dumb. Those alien invaders created some kind of ' Pure Land Land' in your Realm of the Living, claiming that ninjas who die don't go to Hell but instead go to the Pure Land. Do you know what that thing is like? Like a thorn stuck in the throat of Hell!"
"Oh, I see?" Tsubasa feigned surprise. "I thought you thought the human world was wonderful and wanted to come and live there."
"Bullshit!" The Flame Prison Emperor's voice crackled with Mars, flames rising half a foot high around him. "My lava pool is a hundred times more comfortable than your wretched human realm! Who wants your squalid place full of yang energy?"
Flame Prison Emperor slapped his thigh, lava dripping down his trousers. "But Hell has its Hell rules! The living return to the human world, and the dead return to Hell. It's only natural that the cycle of reincarnation continues! Those alien races not only extract the essence of planets, but they also create Pure Land' to disgust people, trapping the souls of ninjas who should be reincarnating there. Do you know that this has caused chaos in Hell, and how many newborn souls are missing? Do you know that in a thousand years, the Hell's reincarnation pool will be devoid of souls? At that time, all the beings born from you will be mentally challenged."
Tsubasa's expression darkened. He had indeed seen many children born without intellectual disabilities, such as the Fujin Thunder God brothers. The clan elders had said it was a curse of war, but now it seemed there was more to it than met the eye. "So you don't want to invade the human world, but to destroy the Pure Land? Is it to restore order to the world?"
"Otherwise what?" The Water Prison Emperor scoffed, the water droplets that had formed on his fingertips freezing instantly upon landing. "We Nine Emperors have spent tens of thousands of years in Hell, and we've long been accustomed to cultivating in the Insa environment. If the cycle of reincarnation hadn't been disrupted, who would be willing to risk their souls being scattered to tear open a spatial rift?"
The Water Prison Emperor tilted his head and looked at Tsubasa outside. "But you, human boy, I can sense your difference. Those aliens treat you humans as a breeding ground, and the power of those ninjas is like leeks that can be harvested by the alien invaders. Instead of going to settle accounts with them, you're desperately blocking our way?"
Tsubasa suddenly laughed, "If I don't stop you, the Shinobi World is doomed. How about we talk about cooperation? My enemy is also the alien Ōtsutsuki Clan."
"Cooperation?" The Earth Prison Emperor chuckled, the sound of his footsteps sending rocks splintering beneath his feet. "Humans and Oni Clan cooperating? Have you lost your mind because of some alien attack? What nonsense are you spouting?"
"Otherwise what?" Tsubasa spread his hands, the longsword spinning in his palm.
"You want to destroy the Pure Land and annihilate the Ōtsutsuki Clan. As for me, I want to wipe out the alien Ōtsutsuki Clan. Our goals may seem different, but we are both actually dealing with the Ōtsutsuki Clan. Why don't we temporarily cease hostilities?" Tsubasa pointed to the Shinobi World Shinobi World behind him, where countless lights still shone in the distance.
"We ninjas are fundamentally different from the true Ōtsutsuki Clan. Ninjas are born and raised here, long since integrated with this land. Look, now there are humans planting rice in the fields, as well as naturally growing weeds. When alien races invade, they won't care whether the weeds are owned or not; they'll all be harvested. We've long been thinking about how to resist the aliens, with all sorts of Ninjutsu and Senjutsu flourishing. We're even considering a counterattack against the alien Ōtsutsuki Clan. Hell is one with our Realm of the Living, representing the yin and yang of this planet, making us natural allies. What do you say?"
After a long silence, the Wind Prison Emperor suddenly spoke, his voice like a cold wind piercing through a canyon. "Then the Pure Land of the Shinobi World must also be destroyed, otherwise the Hell Soul Pool will eventually run out of steam."
"Yes, we still need to restore the cycle of reincarnation," Thunder Prison Emperor added, the lightning crackling around him. "Not a single soul that should go to Hell can be missing. You must first show your sincerity before we can have a basis for cooperation."
"What you say makes sense. Let the master of the Pure Land come and talk to you!" Tsubasa was silent for a moment, then thought that there was some truth to it. So he decided that it would be better to let the Sage of Six Paths come and negotiate himself.
Tsubasa raised his Hand Seals. With a muffled thud, a golden magic circle suddenly bloomed on the open ground beside the spatial rift, and the soul of the Sage of Six Paths staggered out of it. His Rinnegan were dim and lifeless. " Tsubasa, what is the matter that you urgently summoned me here? I am currently healing! That vampire Blood Ancestor is naturally able to restrain our spiritual bodies, and this time it will take at least ten or eight years to recover."
" Sage of Six Paths! Here's what happened. I was discussing peaceful coexistence with the Ghost Emperor of the Hell Oni Clan, and how we could fight together against the alien invasion..." Tsubasa quickly stepped forward to support him and explained what had happened.
After listening, the Sage of Six Paths waved his hand, coughed, and looked at the nine Hell Ghost Emperor with a somewhat complicated expression. "I established the Pure Land to accumulate strength and gather the souls of ninjas. When the Ōtsutsuki Clan invades the Shinobi World one day, we can fight back against them."
"Isn't this the kid from the alien invaders who created the Pure Land?" the Black Prison Emperor roared, brandishing his weapon. "All these years, the Pure Land you created has caused Hell to lose countless souls. We haven't settled that score yet."
The Sage of Six Paths gave a bitter laugh, raising his hand and saying, "I know the Pure Land has disrupted the cycle of reincarnation." His voice was soft, yet clearly reached everyone's ears. "But at that time, I had no other choice. The Ōtsutsuki Clan could arrive in the Shinobi World at any moment, and I had to Chunin the strongest ninjas in the world to fight them. As long as I gathered the souls of the deceased ninjas, it would become an immense power, and I would use the power of the Pure Land to protect the entire Shinobi World."
The Sage of Six Paths looked at the Nine Emperors, "I was born in the Shinobi World. My father was the king of the Land of Ancestors. I am a native of the Shinobi World. When the Shinobi World was at its most dangerous, my brother and I sealed away our mother, Kaguya Otsutsuki. My brother and I only wanted what was best for humanity in the Shinobi World, so we vowed to do everything in our power to fight against the alien Ōtsutsuki Clan. Since the rulers of Hell are willing to accept our ninja souls, then the Pure Land should indeed be disbanded."
The Black Prison Emperor narrowed his eyes. "Have you thought this through? Those ninja souls have stayed in the Pure Land for too long; they probably won't adapt to Hell. What if they're torn apart by other evil spirits?"
"We ninjas are not to be bullied. As long as your Ghost Emperor don't make a move, we fear no Hell demons. My strength is barely on par with Ghost Emperor's, and I will protect them." The Sage of Six Paths straightened his back, his injuries making him sway, but his aura remained undiminished. "As long as the nine Ghost Emperor don't target us ninjas, I am willing to destroy my Pure Land and take all the ninja souls into Hell to cultivate the Oni Path. I am willing to fill the vacancy left by the deceased Blood Prison Emperor. From now on, I will be the tenth Emperor of Hell."
The nine emperors exchanged a glance and suddenly laughed simultaneously. The Flame Prison Emperor's flames leaped high. "Interesting. The Ten Great Ghost Emperors are naturally born and nurtured in Hell. A human soul as a Ghost Emperor? This is a first!"
"But you must remember," the Black Prison Emperor's voice turned cold, "the rules of Hell are ten times crueler than those of the human world. If you ninja souls dare to cause trouble in Hell— "
"I swear on the honor of the Six Paths." The Sage of Six Paths raised his hand to his chest, Rinnegan suddenly glowed faintly. "If any ninja soul dares to disrupt the order of Hell, let the nine Ghost Emperor deal with him as they see fit."
Tsubasa suddenly interrupted them, saying, "I have another condition." He stepped forward, blocking the Sage of Six Paths, "If the Ōtsutsuki attack and the Shinobi World needs support, Hell must send troops, and they must obey my command."
"You're dreaming!" the Earth Prison Emperor roared. "Why should we obey your orders?"
"Because I am the strongest in the Shinobi World, and I've been able to contend with you, the rulers of Hell for tens of thousands of years, in less than thirty years of training. Besides, we have a common enemy Ōtsutsuki Clan." Tsubasa retorted, "If the Ōtsutsuki Clan were to devour the entire Shinobi World, Hell itself wouldn't be spared. Do you think those aliens care about the cycle of reincarnation? They'll just refine all souls into Chakra Fruit!"
He pointed deep into the rift, "You should know better than I that Chakra creatures in the Shinobi World carry the Chakra mark of the Ōtsutsuki Clan?"
The Nine Emperors' expressions changed. The Black Prison Emperor crushed the Soul Pearl in his hand, black mist seeping from between his fingers. "Deal. But we'll only help you fight the invading aliens; don't even think about dragging Hell into the civil war on Earth."
"It's a deal." Tsubasa stretched out his hand through the spatial rift. Black Prison Emperor stared at his hand for a long time before finally raising his hand to shake his. The moment their fingers touched, golden runes and black Cursed Seal lit up simultaneously, climbing up their arms and necks before finally disappearing under their skin as marks.
"Now repair the crack." The Water Prison Emperor waved his hand, and the crack behind him suddenly shook violently. "Just leave a door, not too big, just enough for the souls of the dead to get through."
Tsubasa nodded, then turned and walked towards the center of the rift. The moment his longsword plunged into the ground, golden light shot into the sky. The Sage of Six Paths also transferred his remaining Chakra into the spatial rift. The Nine Emperors of Hell also acted simultaneously, black miasma intertwining with golden light, like two streams of water gradually merging. The torn space began to slowly close, the fragments at the edges reforming, leaving only a circular altar about ten feet wide in the very center. On the altar was a huge black stone door, covered with strange runes, like tightly closed eyes.
"This is called the Gate of Hell," the Black Prison Emperor said, his voice tinged with weariness. "From now on, the dead will pass through here, but no living thing can."
Tsubasa looked at the flashing runes on the altar and smiled, saying, "I left a teleportation mark here. In the Mirai, powerful human beings will come to Hell for training. I hope the Ghost Emperor will take care of them."
The Ghost Emperor frowned upon hearing this, but since they had already reached an agreement, they tolerated it, though they didn't want to bother with this shameless human.
Tsubasa turned to look at the Sage of Six Paths, who nodded at him, then turned and disappeared.
Before long, countless transparent souls gathered from the Pure Land World. These were the souls of ninjas who had died in battle throughout the ages. They lined up and silently Earth Flow into the runic light of the altar's stone gate.
"I'll be waiting for your good news over there." The Sage of Sage of Six Paths ' voice came, tinged with laughter. "Don't keep me waiting too long about the counterattack against the Ōtsutsuki Clan, Tsubasa. I'll get things organized in Hell as soon as possible. If needed, the army of undead can be mobilized at any time..."
Tsubasa smiled and waved goodbye. Until the last ninja's soul vanished from the altar.
After entering Hell, the Sage of Six Paths was filled with mixed emotions upon witnessing the malevolent aura emanating from Hell. He knew that this was indeed a more suitable place for soul cultivation, and from this day forward, the Shinobi World and Hell would usher in a new era. However, he also understood that this was only the beginning, and the real challenge lay with the Ōtsutsuki Clan.
After everyone had left, the Sage of Six Paths stood alone before the altar of the Gate of Hell. He gazed at the gate leading to the Realm of the Living, his heart filled with complex emotions. Suddenly, he felt a powerful and familiar force coming from behind him.
"Who is it?" the Sage of Six Paths asked warily.
A deep voice came from afar. "Long time no see."
The Sage of Six Paths' expression changed. "It's you? What are you doing here?"
A familiar figure quickly appeared before the Sage of Six Paths. It was none other than his supposedly missing younger brother, Hamura Otsutsuki.
"I've been waiting for this day, brother," Hamura said with a smile. "Now, we can finally fight the Ōtsutsuki Clan together again."
The Sage of Six Paths looked at his Hamura Otsutsuki, in astonishment. "You... you've been in Hell all this time?"
Hamura nodded. "Yes. I've been observing the changes in Hell's Demon Realm. To resist the invasion of the alien Ōtsutsuki Clan, Hell is the strongest force. Not only are there Ten Great Ghost Emperors here, but also thousands of Demon Kings. Hell is also the most suitable place for soul cultivation. Now I'm only one step away from becoming Ghost Emperor of Hell."
The Sage of Six Paths wanted to say something more, but Hamura interrupted him, "Good, good, good, we brothers have finally joined forces again. The opportunity to counterattack the Ōtsutsuki Clan will come soon. Tsubasa boy won't let us down. We must be prepared in Hell."
Hamura nodded and said, "Brother, I have built up a force of over two hundred powerful demon kings in Hell over the past few centuries, second only to the Ghost Emperor in strength."
The Sage of Six Paths took a deep breath. "Excellent, little brother. With your help, the billions of ninja souls I brought can grow rapidly. Let's join forces again to protect this world."