How to tell if a man and a woman have been intimate? Namikaze Minato believed one glance was enough.
He followed Lord Fox into Princess Tsunade's office.
The way Princess Tsunade looked at Lord Fox was something Minato had never seen before. The normally forthright Lady Tsunade's gaze seemed somewhat like how Kushina looked at him.
As Tsunade's peripheral vision caught Minato following behind Fox, her eyes switched to calmness.
"Princess Tsunade, I need to see the Uzumaki clan's Sealing Scroll to understand a forbidden technique."
Tsunade said, "Kushina is still young. The Uzumaki clan's Sealing Scroll is in my safekeeping. Usually, I only show it to Kushina and Minato. Which forbidden technique do you want to see?"
"Dead Demon Consuming Seal."
Without asking further, Tsunade unsealed a large scroll half a person's height.
Fox took the scroll, spread it on the floor, and saw the various sealing techniques inscribed on it.
The introductions, principles, cursed seals, or incantations for the sealing techniques, some even included corresponding unsealing methods.
The Adamantine Sealing Chains series, the Two Forms & Four Symbols series, and the rarest of all, the Dead Demon Consuming Seal.
"Forming hand seals to summon the Shinigami? Does this world truly have a Shinigami?" Fox read the forbidden technique's introduction: "At the cost of one's own soul, devour and permanently seal the target's soul. Both souls are imprisoned within the Shinigami's stomach..."
Tsunade said, "Fox, even you must be careful with this technique. The Uzumaki clan's records state that using this technique inevitably leads to death."
"Hmm, I'll be careful," Fox said. "Minato, you must also be careful. After learning this technique, don't idly think about mutual destruction with enemies."
Namikaze Minato nodded.
Leaving Tsunade's office, Minato took Fox to the Uzumaki clan's Nademon Hall.
Looking at the wall full of masks, Minato thought Lord Fox was visiting the Nademon Hall for the first time. "The village has been very kind to Kushina, building this Nademon Hall just for her! All the masks here are from the original Uzushiogakure!"
Fox didn't correct Minato's statement. Kushina's control over the Nine-Tails wasn't sufficient yet. Now wasn't the time to tell her the truth. Only when Kushina could master six or even seven tails could she be told the truth.
Minato pointed to a mask diagonally above. "Lord Fox, that's the Shinigami Mask! When practicing the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, you need to use that mask."
Iron Vine flew from Fox's sleeve, coiling around the Shinigami Mask.
Holding the Shinigami Mask, Fox felt its weight. Not physical weight, but a weight upon the soul.
Slightly probing with chakra, the chakra flow became abnormally sluggish.
"Lord Fox, be extremely careful..."
Before Minato finished, he saw Lord Fox remove his fox mask and put on the Shinigami Mask! After forming the hand seals for the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, a change occurred in Fox's soul.
His soul felt very light, with an urge to leave his body. Just like when the Impure World Reincarnation was released in the original story, or like Kato Dan's Spirit Transformation Technique, Fox's soul drifted upward.
After his soul left his body, he saw Minato continuously saying something, seemingly urging caution. However, Fox had left the real world and could hear nothing.
His soul rapidly ascended, passed through the Nademon Hall's roof, and flew high into the sky. He flew for an unknown length of time. Konoha Village shrank from an initially vast settlement to a tiny black speck on the ground.
The soul rose so high that he saw the curvature of the earth. The curvature grew larger until, at one point, the earth seemed to become a droplet. And above Fox's head, another droplet shrouded in gray mist also appeared.
The droplet of the earth and the droplet shrouded in gray mist formed an hourglass. Reality and the Pure Land, the two poles of the hourglass.
Suspended right in the middle of the hourglass was the Shinigami! Before the Shinigami lay the ninja world's reality. Behind the Shinigami lay the destination for the souls of the ninja world's living beings, the Pure Land.
Souls emitting a hazy white light continuously passed through the hourglass's narrow waist, flying into the Pure Land. After death, souls would enter the Pure Land guarded by the Shinigami.
The moment Fox saw the Shinigami, he comprehended the method of using the Dead Demon Consuming Seal.
Normally, a soul only contacts the Pure Land after death. But the Dead Demon Consuming Seal allows one to sacrifice their own soul, actively die, and offer their soul to the Shinigami. The Shinigami would descend and seal the enemy's soul.
Between reality and the Pure Land, the Shinigami slowly turned its eyes, looking at the living person who should not be here.
Being stared at by the Shinigami, Fox felt his scalp go numb. The Shinigami's ghostly hand, covered in cursed seals, swiftly reached for Fox.
According to the Uzumaki clan's description, once the Shinigami touched one's soul, a contract could be formed, allowing one to sacrifice their soul when needed, inviting the Shinigami to seal an enemy.
But the current Shinigami was clearly not here to form a contract with him.
Just as well, Fox wasn't here to learn a forbidden technique. He wanted to investigate the secrets of the soul.
In the ninja world, after death, souls enter the Pure Land. Souls are not completely destroyed; using Impure World Reincarnation can summon a deceased person's soul. Even if sealed by the Shinigami, the soul merely enters the Shinigami's stomach.
Destroying the body is simple. So, how exactly does one completely eliminate a soul? Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's soul is immortal. Even if, following the original development, Fox helped Naruto and Sasuke seal Kaguya, she would still resurrect after a few hundred or thousand years. Ashura and Indra's souls are also immortal. They continuously reincarnate, continuously conflict, keeping the ninja world mired in war and destruction. The Sage of the Six Paths even considers himself the savior of the ninja world, wandering the world like Black Zetsu.
These specters looming over the ninja world gave Fox a sense of suffocation. He didn't like being "saved" by others. Why are you the savior? These specters must all be cleaned up.
The Shinigami before him was the graveyard keeper of the Pure Land. The Shinigami held certain secrets of the soul. The Shinigami's ghostly claw had already reached Fox's face.
At that moment, a blood-red hand grabbed the Shinigami's wrist! The Shinigami looked up sharply and saw the Evil God enveloped in crystalline blood!
"Thief who binds souls!"
Fox was extremely surprised. The Shinigami actually recognized the Evil God? The Shinigami called the Evil God a thief who binds souls?
Thinking carefully, the Evil God, through sacrificial means, traps souls within the Blood Altar Divine Realm. It indeed seems like binding part of the souls from the normal world. Hidan's soul is in the Blood Altar Divine Realm. Strictly speaking, Hidan is not Hidan, but a certain recombination of Hidan's soul and Hidan's body.
The Shinigami's other hand removed the short knife from its mouth and slashed fiercely at the Evil God.
At that moment, the Three Worlds Vidyārāja Form suddenly appeared! The Two hands of the Three Worlds Vidyārāja grabbed the Shinigami's arms.
Three semi-transparent deities or forms crashed together at the junction of reality and the Pure Land! The gray mist behind the Shinigami continuously surged towards it. Before the Pure Land, the Shinigami possessed absolute, overwhelming divine power.
[Detected host death. Mochizuki's Arc system activating...]
Fox returned to the previous full moon night, a few days ago.
He hadn't used the system for several months, never expecting the Shinigami would actually kill his soul.
Smelling a special fragrance, Fox found himself not in Tsunade's room, but in the Headmistress's office of the orphanage. Spreading affection evenly; his past self from a few days ago was still quite fair. Having Little Nine (Tsunade), he couldn't forget Little Seven (Nonō).
He and Yakushi Nonō were squeezed together on a small bed.
Reaching out, he turned Nonō around, facing away from him, making it easier to explore the high mountains and flowing streams.
Half an hour later, Fox sat up, panting heavily.
"I'll have Advisor Tsunade specially approve funds to expand the orphanage. The orphanage is so shabby, and your office is so cramped. It's a bit hard to maneuver."
Yakushi Nonō glanced slightly at Fox with Byakugan and said, "Won't Advisor Tsunade be jealous then?"
"You know about that?" Fox immediately said, "How could personal matters like romance affect Konoha's development? The orphanage is an important part of Konoha's internal affairs, isn't it?"
Leaving the orphanage, Fox composed himself and began checking the mission rewards.
[Mochizuki's Arc activated! Host has only one resurrection opportunity per month, reviving at the previous full moon night upon death. Reward: One draw opportunity:
1- Forbidden Technique: Dead Demon Consuming Seal;
2- Forbidden Technique: Dead Demon Consuming Seal Release;
3- Shinigami: Soul Capture Pure Land.]
The Dead Demon Consuming Seal and its release technique were useless.
The third option, Soul Capture Pure Land, sounded greatly related to the soul. Fox hurriedly chose this option.
Soul Capture Pure Land: Create a Pure Land for souls, sense wandering souls, attract wandering souls, imprison wandering souls, becoming the graveyard keeper of the Pure Land.
Fox closed his eyes. His soul world underwent a sudden change.
Originally, the Three Worlds Vidyārāja and the Evil God idol stood facing each other. But now, a patch of gray, mistyPure Land had appeared in his soul world.
The soul world was split in two: half was the Evil God's blood pool, half was the Soul Pure Land.
Following the Three Worlds Vidyārāja and the Evil God, Fox had obtained part of the Shinigami's abilities. Above the Soul Pure Land, the gray mist coalesced into the form of the Shinigami.
Shinigami on the left, Vidyārāja in the center, Evil God on the right.
The Evil God receives sacrifices, enhancing Fox's soul. When Fox's soul becomes strong enough, he can utilize the Shinigami's abilities.
The Shinigami imprisons souls, seeking opportunities to find the souls of Ashura, Indra, and the Sage of the Six Paths.
Finally, find a way to develop soul-attack type ninjutsu using the Three Worlds Vidyārāja to sever the past, present, and future lives of these Ōtsutsuki-line souls, completely eliminating them.
The Three Worlds Vidyārāja, the Shinigami, the Evil God—his soul-based ninjutsu system, a trinity! The construction of the soul system reached a temporary conclusion.
Fox began searching for dangerous individuals of the Ōtsutsuki line like Uzumaki Nagato, Tobi, Uchiha Obito, Black and White Zetsu, etc.
However, it seemed these people had been stimulated by Uchiha Madara's death and never showed themselves again.
Iwagakure Village.
Pain's Deva Path walked out of Iwagakure's main gate.
Black and White Zetsu appeared by the roadside.
"How did it go, Pain?"
"Ōnoki has recognized Konoha's strength and contacted the Raikage. Both sides agreed that once the Two-Tails is revived, they will initiate the Third Great Ninja War. A Great Ninja War jointly against Konoha Village. Konoha is... a bit too strong."
***
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(End of Chapter)