Naruto: From Fake to Real, Deceiving the Ninja World

Chapter 560 The light and pure rise to become the sky, the heavy and turbid sink to become the earth.

Chirp! Chirp!

The cicadas were chirping desperately, and the blazing sun hung high in the sky, casting a scorching and dazzling light that gilded the land where the Ninja Sect was located with a dazzling gold.

According to past practice, this should be a time for everyone to connect their chakra under the shade of trees and by the stream, and to try to improve their understanding through mental communication.

However, today, this former tranquility has been replaced by a silent tension.

Most of the members of the Ninja Clan, regardless of age or gender, were absent-minded.

Whether they were standing or sitting, their gazes always involuntarily drifted toward the tallest and most solemn building in the center of the settlement.

That is "Lord Feather Robe," their revered founder and guide, now their residence and place of meditation.

"Cough cough—cough—"

Inside the building, on his sickbed, Hagoromo Otsutsuki lay quietly, coughing a few times.

That once imposing body has now been drained of its flesh and blood by time, becoming shockingly emaciated, with skin clinging tightly to the bones, and heavy shadows surrounding its deeply sunken eye sockets.

He lay there like a piece of dead wood about to burn out completely, with only the extremely faint and prolonged rise and fall of his chest proving that his breath had not completely ceased.

"Father, please rest assured—"

His second son, Ashura, knelt near the sickbed, tightly holding his father's withered, cold hand, as if trying to hold onto something with his own warmth and strength.

"Since my brother's soul will be resurrected countless times, then my soul will also be resurrected countless times. I will spread my father's will to more people!" Ashura said firmly.

Behind him, Ashura's wife and children, as well as several senior members of the Ninja Clan, were also kneeling.

"Ah—Shura—"

A hoarse voice escaped from Yu Yi's chapped lips, causing Ashura to tremble and his bloodshot eyes to fixate on his father's face.

Yu Yi's cloudy eyes, which seemed to be covered by a layer of white film, slightly opened and fell on the second son's face, which was filled with grief.

"The future of this world—" Hagoromo said hoarsely, "is entrusted to you—and your descendants—"

As soon as she finished speaking, Yu Yi's chest rose and fell one last time before returning to complete calm.

The faint, wispy breath that had been barely held on dissipated.

The hand that Ashura had been holding tightly lost its last bit of strength and fell heavily to the ground.

A dead silence.

Immediately, a long-suppressed cry of grief suddenly erupted.

"Father!" Ashura cried out in anguish, collapsing to the side of the bed, clutching his father's cold hand tightly, tears streaming down his face.

"Lord Yu Yi!"

"Father!"

"Grandpa! Waaaaah—"

The mournful cries and sobs echoed in the dimly lit room.

Those present either pounded the ground and wept, covered their faces and sobbed, or sat blankly, unable to accept that this "immortal," who was like a pillar supporting the sky, had really fallen and his life had ended.

However, in the midst of this pervasive sorrow, in a place where no one can see, where no one can perceive—

A soul radiating a warm glow emerged from Yu Yi's aging body, which had completely lost its vitality.

Hagoromo Otsutsuki's soul floated gently up, passing through the roof of the building, and rose directly above the ninja clan's settlement, bathed in the scorching and bright midday sun.

He sat cross-legged in the air, sunlight passing through his soul without obstruction or casting any shadow on the ground, quietly looking down below.

He saw Ashura, who was weeping uncontrollably by his bedside in the building below, and his descendants and close disciples who were also immersed in grief.

That grief was genuine and heartfelt, bringing a pang of sorrow and solace to Yu Yi as well.

Ashura, in the end, understood and upheld the ideals he aspired to.

But his gaze did not linger there.

The soul's vision is broader and clearer.

He looked out of the building and saw the Ninja Clan members who had gathered after hearing the bad news, kneeling on the ground near and far.

He saw sadness, he saw disorientation, he saw unbelievable grief, and he sincerely mourned the passing of the "immortal" who had guided them.

But he also saw more.

He saw at the edge of the crowd that some people had their heads down and their shoulders were trembling slightly, as if they were also crying.

But beneath those lowered eyelids, his gaze was not sad, but rather flickering, and he was even secretly exchanging glances with the person next to him.

He could even sense, beneath those seemingly sorrowful faces, a sense of relief and barely suppressed excitement.

"well----"

Yu Yi let out a soft sigh.

He certainly knew why these people were behaving this way.

Since the eldest son Indra created the first true "ninjutsu" that uses chakra as a means of attack.

Although the Ninja Cult still outwardly promotes chakra as a "bond connecting people," undercurrents are already surging beneath the surface.

The allure of power, the desire for convenient solutions, and a growing impatience with the "principles" advocated by the "immortals" that require a long period of self-cultivation and mutual understanding to be effective —

It grows in the shadows like weeds.

More and more people began to secretly study and practice "ninjutsu" in private.

How could this possibly escape the notice of the perceptive Hagoromo Otsutsuki?

He simply chose to remain silent, to believe in the inherent goodness of humanity, and to believe that "love" and "understanding" could ultimately resolve the wrong path.

However, once the seed of power is sown, it will take root and sprout in the hearts of humans who possess chakra.

This "immortal" is, in theory, an existence with unquestionable authority and overwhelming power.

His very existence was like an invisible mountain, pressing down on these restless minds and forcing them to act only in secret.

Only when he is completely dead will the mountain be moved.

Only then will those hidden thoughts and pursuits of individual power be laid bare without restraint.

"Sigh—" Yu Yi sighed again, her expression complicated.

In the end, he still failed to eliminate the threat posed by Indra.

Or rather, he has realized that this is not a hidden danger that can be eliminated by dealing with a single person.

The Ninjutsu he founded, the path he advocated for connecting with each other through chakra and promoting understanding, was created by Indra.

They seemed so powerless in the face of "ninjutsu".

He wasn't unaware of the undercurrents, nor did he fail to try to guide them, but the outcome has already proven otherwise.

His philosophy, based on the idea that "human nature is inherently good" and "understanding is paramount," may be too idealistic, even—

That's a bit naive.

He placed too much faith in the possibility of humanity spontaneously turning to good and understanding each other, but overlooked the almost instinctive yearning for individual power hidden deep within people's hearts.

Just like what Indra said last night when he quietly crept to his bedside.

"You fear your mother's power, yet dare not confront the true nature of that power, using 'love' and 'bondage' as excuses for escape."

His words were sharp and full of resentment, but Hagoromo had to admit that Indra's words touched on some contradictions that even he himself was unwilling to face.

He was indeed afraid—afraid that, like his mother Kaguya, his relentless pursuit of individual power would ultimately bring disaster to the world.

So he went to the other extreme.

They attempted to completely dissolve the aspect of chakra as "power," emphasizing only its attributes of "connection" and "understanding."

He ignored Indra's demands and never truly considered whether there was any merit in the eldest son's ideology, but simply regarded it as a wrong path.

It is this neglect that has pushed Indra further and further away, leading to the ideological rift within the Ninja Sect today, and even becoming the root of future troubles.

His attempt to guide the world failed.

"Fortunately, I didn't do what my mother did, and I didn't try to forcefully correct this world, to stifle all different voices and paths—"

Yu Yi whispered, a bitter self-mockery in her voice: "Otherwise, perhaps an even more terrifying disaster than what my mother did would have been brewing—"

Forcibly unifying thoughts and suppressing desires will only lead to more intense backlash and distortion, as he has already proven in the past.

"However, as someone who is already dead, I can only watch quietly as the future unfolds—" Hagoromo frowned, his brows furrowed with a deeper worry.

The worry about those "kindred spirits" mentioned by her mother, Kaguya.

If those people truly possess power like a mother's, or even greater, and harbor greed for this planet and the divine tree—

That would be an unimaginable disaster for the world.

He did not want to repeat his mother's mistakes, to rule and coerce with fear and power, but he also could not stand idly by and watch potential disasters unfold.

While pondering, Yu Yi glanced at herself unintentionally, at her solid soul that radiated a warm glow, and a thought suddenly became clear to her.

"If only we could preserve, in some way, those departed souls who possessed great power and unwavering will—"

Yu Yi's eyes flickered slightly as she pondered, "It won't interfere with the present world; it's a reserve, a last line of defense to be activated in a true crisis of world survival—"

In today's world, after a person dies, their soul dissipates, transforming into pure spiritual energy that vanishes into the universe, giving back to the world.

However, Hagoromo Otsutsuki has a far greater understanding of spiritual energy than ordinary people.

His current state is proof that a powerful soul can maintain considerable independence and integrity after being separated from the physical body.

So, theoretically, is there a method that can actively guide and preserve the soul of a specific powerful individual in a special, independent space at the time of their death?

"Perhaps, it's feasible?" Yu Yi asked herself softly, a spark of hope beginning to ignite within her.

He wanted to witness firsthand the path of pursuing power represented by Indra and the path of emphasizing connection and cooperation inherited by Asura.

Which one is more likely to lead the world to a better future?

So, after I die, perhaps I can make some preparations for this world within my power.

For example, gathering souls with great power and will to form a defensive line to deal with potential crises.

Instead of forcibly guiding or interfering as the living, we build a final haven and fortress as the deceased.

With this in mind, Hagoromo Otsutsuki reached out and grasped the staff that was floating above his knees. He then made a gentle slash in the empty space in front of him.

Sizzle————

A fissure, as if the water's surface had been sliced ​​open by an invisible blade, appeared before him.

It was a different space that he discovered by chance during his travels in his lifetime. It was attached to the ninja world but was relatively independent and not occupied by any other entity.

It is desolate and chaotic, but structurally stable, and has a natural affinity with the ninja world.

"Using this as a foundation is the most suitable option." Without further hesitation, Yu Yi floated into the spatial rift, and the rift behind her silently closed.

Before me lay a boundless, murky, churning chaos, devoid of any sense of up, down, left, or right.

Yu Yi's soul floated in this chaos, her hands slowly clasped together in front of her chest.

hum!

A spiral-shaped device, resembling a double helix, slowly grew out from between his clasped hands.

One day, a swamp spear.

Also known as the "Heavenly Swamp Spear Sword", it is called the "Sword of the Heart".

This technique evolved from Yin-Yang Escape Technique. Its power originates directly from the user's "willpower." The stronger the will and the purer the goal, the greater the power.

Yu Yi grasped the Heavenly Swamp Spear with both hands, slowly raised it, and then slowly swung it down towards the boundless chaos in front of her.

Along the trajectory of the Heavenly Swamp Spear, the turbulent chaos began to differentiate.

Those that are light and pure rise to become the heavens.

Heavy and turbid substances sink to become the earth.

Heaven and earth gradually took shape.

The feathered robe floats between this newly born world, using the Yin power, which is the source of the spiritual energy that governs imagination, to "create form from nothingness" for this new space.

Then, using the Yang energy, which is the source of the body's energy that governs life, this newly born space is "given life and form".

In this way, it becomes a "place of refuge" that can exist for a long time and naturally attract souls that meet certain conditions.

The next moment, under Hagoromo Otsutsuki's gaze, this newly opened "pure land" space began to generate a faint attraction.

Several translucent souls, like dandelions blown by an invisible wind, were gently drawn into this newly born pure land.

"It's a success." A smile appeared on Hagoromo Otsutsuki's face.

Although it was just the beginning, and although it only attracted the most ordinary souls, it proved that his idea was feasible and could indeed attract and accommodate souls!

He can use this as a foundation to gradually improve it, and in the future, it can truly attract those powerful and determined souls from their previous lives to remain here, becoming a hidden line of defense.

"Perhaps, it could be called—" Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki murmured, "The Pure Land?"

However, just as Hagoromo Otsutsuki's mind began to relax slightly.

hum! !

A buzzing sound suddenly rang out.

A terrifying force crashed down.

"What?" Yu Yi's expression froze instantly, turning into surprise and doubt.

He suddenly raised his head and looked up at the sky above him, a sky he had created with his own hands.

In the sky above, a deep, dark crack gradually appeared and expanded.

A chilling aura, cold enough to freeze the soul, surged forth, beginning to erode this space and usurp control of the feather robe.