That creator came from a nation whose culture had been deeply influenced by Buddhism.
Over the course of a thousand years of history, Buddhism repeatedly overshadowed the natives' faith and became the dominant religion.
Naturally, when constructing the Shinobi World, such an author would incorporate various elements from his own cultural background.
Temples, monks, scriptures, stories about the Buddha, none of these required additional explanation.
Just as many Xianxia novels casually quote passages from the Dao De Jing or include concepts such as the highest good is like water, and the Dao follows nature.
Readers would not ask, "But Laozi doesn't exist in this world, so where did these sayings come from?"
Because everyone understood that the author had infused the cultural foundation of reality into the flesh and blood of the fictional world.
However, once a fictional work became a real world, everything changed completely.
A real world must possess its own independent and complete history; everything should leave traces that can be followed.
Even the most distant myths should contain a faint thread leading back to some genuine origin.
Therefore, in this real Shinobi World, Buddhism, an ancient religion that has existed for countless years, spread across many nations, had innumerable believers, and whose scriptures and terminology had permeated the ninja combat system itself had an origin.
The most obvious example is the Senju clan.
It had even directly influenced the Sage of Six Paths, the progenitor of Ninjutsu.
So, where exactly had this ancient religion originated? Was the founder of Buddhism, the world-honored one, truly a historical figure? Or was he merely the projection of some even older power?
Elements that originally existed only as part of a work's cultural background had now become questions that demanded serious consideration.
Although Shinichi had not yet decided which talent he would sacrifice to upgrade his Clone talent, he had already entertained a certain idea: his new clone would be named after the historical Buddha from his previous life.
However, now, he was somewhat hesitant.
After all, in the various legends and works from his previous life, this world-honored one was basically a top-tier wielder of great divine powers.
Who knew what kind of status that person held in this world?
What if he really existed and was extremely powerful?
The Buddhist sect valued karma above all else. If he used that person's name to swindle and deceive people, he might end up being thoroughly dealt with one day.
"Still, what name should I choose?"
As he walked, Shinichi pondered inwardly.
Naming was not a trivial matter.
A clone traveling the world represented more than just a codename.
It would be an existence that would independently accumulate recognition in the Shinobi World, travel across various lands, and perhaps even establish its own legacy in the future.
If the name was chosen well, spreading it later would require half the effort for twice the result.
Win! Win! Win!
At that moment, it was as if the voice of a certain golden-haired know-it-all, constantly shouting, winning big, suddenly rang out, interrupting Shinichi's thoughts; it was the cicadas.
It's August now, the hottest time of the year, and the loud, clear cries of cicadas filled the air without end.
This sound should have been nothing more than the most ordinary background noise of summer.
So ordinary that most people walking this road would never pay attention to it, yet the moment he heard this particular cicada cry, Shinichi's footsteps suddenly halted, and he turned his head.
Under an old roadside tree, a cicada clung to the rough bark, vibrating its wings and singing loudly.
Sunlight filtered through layers of leaves and happened to fall upon its translucent wings, refracting a nearly golden luster.
Brilliant and clear, especially eye-catching amidst the mottled shadows.
Seeing Shinichi suddenly stop, the Konoha ninjas behind him also came to a halt.
The entire procession gradually stopped moving, and for a moment, only the cicada's cry continued echoing through the forest.
'Hm? What's going on?'
Standing in the middle of the group, Mei Terumi felt curious.
She rose on tiptoe and strained to look past the shoulders of the ninjas in front of her.
Following the boy's gaze, she searched for quite a while before finally finding the thing that had caused the entire procession to stop, a golden cicada.
It rested peacefully on the tree trunk, singing.
Sunlight leaked through the leaves and illuminated it, making it seem like a piece of amber lit by the sun itself.
Pure in texture, with flowing light shifting within.
'What a beautiful golden cicada.'
Mei Terumi could not help praising it inwardly.
"What's wrong, Captain Shinichi?" A Konoha ninja beside him asked.
"Nothing."
Shinichi withdrew his gaze and resumed walking.
"Let's continue."
The procession slowly started moving again.
Following the crowd forward, Mei Terumi could not resist looking back once more when passing the old tree.
The cicada was still there, and its wings trembled slightly before releasing another clear cry.
Golden cicada.
Shinichi silently repeated the name in his mind.
Perhaps he had already thought of what his new clone should be called.
(Note: Want me to change it to Fang Yuan or Spring and Autumn Cicada (Chun Qiu Chan)? Just kidding, it would not be appropriate since it's a Chinese name.)
...
One day later, at Taiyoto, the Konoha group passed through the capital of the Land of Fire and once again paused their journey.
As the commander of the victorious force, Shinichi entered the magnificent Daimyo palace on behalf of Konoha.
Under the gaze of numerous court officials, he received cordial condolences and lavish praise from the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.
The Daimyo's words were filled with encouragement and commendation.
He called Shinichi the pride of the Land of Fire and spared no praise regarding his glorious achievements on the frontlines.
As for the fact that the entire Rinkai City had been reduced to ruins during that battle, the Daimyo did not mention a single word about it.
After the meeting ended, the group was personally escorted out of the city by the Daimyo's chief butler, Sosho.
Outside Taiyoto's gates, a large crowd of citizens had already gathered after hearing the news.
More than a dozen newspaper reporters crowded the front rows, carrying all kinds of cameras.
The sounds of shutters clicking echoed continuously; however, just as the group exited the city gates, they saw someone they didn't expect: Isshin.
This tall young samurai from the Land of Iron stood boldly in the middle of the road. He held a sword in one hand, while his iconic halberd rested on his shoulder, and he just happened to block Konoha's path back home.
No one knew why he had appeared here.
No one knew what Shinichi said after walking up and exchanging a few brief words with the samurai.
The only thing everyone saw was Shinichi turning back and saying, "Wait a moment."
The next instant, both figures flashed away, disappearing into the distant mountains and forests.
Moments later, thunderous explosions of lightning and fire erupted deep within the forest.
The commotion was so great that even the ground beneath the spectators outside the city gates trembled faintly.
Countless birds were startled into flight, circling above the forest without dispersing.
About ten minutes later, a wild and uninhibited laugh echoed from deep within the woods before gradually fading into the distance.
Shinichi's figure then reappeared before everyone, several new tears had appeared in his clothing, and fresh traces of battle marked his exposed arms and neck, yet his expression remained as calm as ever.
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