Starting as a pirate, he rose to become the strongest Shinigami in Soul Society.

Chapter 326 Don't send me away, let me eat for two more minutes, please, Pure Land!

Although it has been basically determined what kind of place this is.

But Bane asked this question first.

"Just as you guessed, this is indeed the Pure Land. Or rather, it is the path for souls to return to before they reach the Pure Land. If you continue along this path," Hatake Sakumo said, pointing in the direction for Bane, "you will soon reach the Pure Land. Of course, this is just my personal understanding. Normally, only I can walk this path into the Pure Land. I don't know about you."

As for how this information came about, in Hatake Sakumo's words, it's something you learn after dying once. It's like an instinct; you naturally learn these things when you die.

"The Pure Land?" Bane looked in the direction Sakumo Hatake pointed, muttered to himself while stroking his chin, and then asked, "Then how can I return to the mortal world now?"

Although he was also interested in the Pure Land, Bane still preferred to return to the present world first.

No matter how interested I am, the Pure Land, a world of the dead, is bound to be dangerous. It's not appropriate to come here unprepared. Let's talk about it another time.

"Hahahaha." Hatake Sakumo laughed and shook his head upon hearing this, saying, "Sorry, I don't know the answer. After all, if we knew how to get back, it would probably cause a huge mess."

"That's true," Bane smacked his lips.

Sakumo Hatake was clearly only answering Bane's question "as best he could." In reality, as an elite of Konoha, he had at least heard that the Second Hokage had researched some forbidden techniques related to the dead.

But this involves Konoha's ninjutsu secrets. Information about forbidden techniques cannot be leaked casually. Even though he is now dead, he would not tell Bane these things.

For example, if someone outside uses the Impure World Reincarnation technique, he might be able to get out.

Of course, Bane was well aware of all this. Although he was somewhat irritated by being inexplicably brought to the Pure Land, he actually felt a little more relaxed after confirming the situation here.

If Nami, Zoro, and the others hadn't been forcibly drawn to this godforsaken place like he had, they definitely wouldn't have given up on saving him.

With their strength, they should have little trouble in this ninja world as long as they don't come into contact with people like the Sage of Six Paths, Kaguya, or the Otsutsuki clan.

With their strength and ability, they will find the answer sooner or later and "rescue" themselves.

Aside from being rescued, Bane felt he should still have a chance. He was just on his way, and perhaps he could find some answers and solutions when he reached the Pure Land.

Furthermore, besides these options, Bane actually had another trick up his sleeve. He had already experimented with it when he first arrived in this godforsaken place, and the portal within his body could still be opened.

In other words, although he can't wear the body anymore, he can still possess the soul!

If you return to the pirate world or the Empire in your soul form, and then open the door to return to this ninja world, perhaps everything will return to normal once you arrive, using your physical body as the coordinate.

In short, because he knows what's going on, he's still quite calm.

After talking with Hatake Sakumo for a while, Bane got a general understanding of the situation here. It was clear that Hatake Sakumo's knowledge of this place was also very limited.

Bane was not surprised by this; this was the normal phenomenon.

It would be strange if Sakumo Hatake knew a lot about Pure Land.

Aside from the information about the Pure Land, Bane had nothing else to ask Hatake Sakumo. Now that he knew the direction to go, Bane didn't plan to linger here any longer.

Sakumo Hatake is waiting here for his son Kakashi, so the two of them can go to the Pure Land together. What is Bane doing here? Is he going to be a third wheel?

Clearly, Sakumo Hatake, who had been lonely for a long time, was somewhat reluctant to leave. He hoped that Bane could stay, which would make him feel much better.

But in the end, he didn't make those unreasonable demands, knowing that the other party would never agree.

"Here, take this. This firelight will guide you to the Pure Land." Hatake Sakumo took a piece of firewood from the campfire and handed it to Bane like a torch.

Bane took the torch, smiled, and said, "Thank you. If I can go back, is there anything you want me to tell Kakashi?"

Sakumo Hatake paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Although I estimate it will be a long time, I will continue to wait. I still hope to tell him what I want to say in person."

"I see." Bane nodded upon hearing this. "In that case, I won't bother you any longer."

"It might not be appropriate to say these things in this environment, but I still wish you a safe journey," Hatake Sakumo said with a smile.

Without any reluctance, Bane decisively took the torch and walked in the direction pointed out by Hatake Sakumo.

As Bane's figure and the firelight gradually disappeared from sight, Hatake Sakumo slowly sat down on the stone stool, closed his eyes slightly, and seemed to fall into a deep sleep, soon becoming still.

Perhaps when he wakes up next time, he will really be able to see Kakashi?

On the other side, after saying goodbye to Hatake Sakumo, Bane didn't know how long he had been walking. Anyway, the firewood torch in his hand didn't change much, as if it would never burn out, emitting flames.

Just as Bane stepped onto the barren sand as he had countless times before, this time, Bane paused slightly, and a look of surprise appeared in his eyes.

Something has changed!

It wasn't the scenery that changed; the surroundings remained the same, stretching as far as the eye could see, with no signs of a pristine land to be found, just endless desolation.

However, as if this step had finally entered some kind of territory, these barren areas seemed to have "come alive."

He quickly squatted down, grabbed a handful of fine sand from the ground. It looked the same as before, but in essence, it had changed.

The power of the soul!

As a user of the Soul-Soul Fruit, Bane sensed the power of the soul within these grains of sand, as if their very essence was composed of soul power!

Moreover, it is a very pure soul power, white and pure.

Bane, who was already a soul, slowly raised the fine sand in his hand and brought it to his nose. Then, with a strong inhale, the originally distinct grains of sand instantly transformed into pure soul light, which Bane inhaled into his body in one breath.

Although it was small in size, Bane could feel that his soul had grown stronger.

This growth was insignificant, but Bane's eyes lit up with excitement. He looked up again at the endless wasteland, where the fine sand shimmered with an alluring luster, like gold.

"Thank you for the gift of the Pure Land. I misunderstood you." Bane stood up and prayed devoutly.

He initially thought that the Pure Land was trying to attract him but was actually harming him. Now it seems that it wasn't harming him at all, but rather loving him!

Without wasting any time, Bane quickly grabbed another handful of fine sand from the ground. This time, he didn't bother with any fancy stuff; he just shoved it into his mouth and ate the dirt in big gulps.

The fine sand that was ingested quickly merged with Bane's soul after entering his body, enhancing his soul power.

At the same time, Bane could sense that the deeper he went into this area, the more soul power was contained in the fine sand.

Therefore, Bane was frantically shoveling fine sand as he went deeper in that direction.

He felt a deep sense of regret. It was such a pity that this godforsaken place had nothing but barren sand. Otherwise, if some wild boar or wild oxen appeared here, eating them would definitely be a great source of nutrition!

"Huh?" Bane took a bite of the fine sand, then suddenly stopped and looked back.

Is it safe to eat Sakumo Hatake?

However, Bane quickly abandoned the idea. Forget it, it's too cruel. Besides, Hatake Sakumo's soul probably isn't as pure as these grains of sand. His obsession with his son alone would probably be hard to 'digest'.

Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!

At the same time, in front of the campfire, Hatake Sakumo, who had just fallen asleep, was suddenly startled open and looked around. Nothing had changed, but for some reason, he had suddenly felt a chill.

"How strange." Hatake Sakumo rubbed his nose, not thinking much about it, and closed his eyes again, falling asleep.

On the other side, Bane was eating dirt like crazy, gradually going deeper into that area. The purity of the fine sand in his mouth was also getting higher and higher, but due to his size, it didn't actually give Bane much benefit, but it was almost endless.

Bane felt that as long as he consumed all the soil in this area, the strength of his soul would increase by at least several levels.

Even with my own appetite, I don't know how long it would take to finish eating all this land. It would definitely take years.

With these random thoughts swirling in his mind and dirt in his mouth, Bane didn't know how much time had passed before he suddenly stopped.

He glanced back at the ground, then looked down at his feet again. There was no difference, but at that moment, he knew he had entered the "Pure Land".

After a brief pause, Bane turned around and tried to return to the position he had just been in.

But as soon as he took a step, it was as if the space itself had changed. He seemed to have taken a step, but in reality, he was standing still.

"Interesting. Once you enter the Pure Land, you arrive at the world of the dead and can never leave again?" Bane pondered, stroking his chin.

Without dwelling on these things, he turned back to look at the Pure Land, observing whether there were any changes, and began to walk again.

This time, after walking silently for about half an hour, Bane stopped, picked up a handful of dirt from the ground, and stuffed it into his mouth.

It's called a pure land, but in reality, the scenery is no different from the 'area' where Hatake Sakumo was just now. It's still a desolate place, and you can't see any other dead souls at all. The only change is that the sand on the ground is purer, and even after walking so far, the purity hasn't changed. It's very likely that this is the limit.

"So, is the Pure Land just an empty, endless desert? After souls arrive here, they wander around, or like Hatake Sakumo before, they fall into a deep sleep until they are assimilated and swallowed by this desert, turning into the purest fine sand?" Bane pondered to himself.

His speculation is actually unfounded. Moreover, considering the "battlefield of the living dead" during the Fourth Shinobi World War, even ninjas who had been dead for decades could have their souls pulled out of the Pure Land by the Impure World Reincarnation technique. Therefore, it is uncertain whether the Pure Land can assimilate the souls of the dead.

It could be a matter of differentiation, or it could take far longer than Bane had previously anticipated—hundreds of years? Thousands of years?

With these thoughts in mind, Bane instinctively grabbed another handful of soil, stuffed it into his mouth, and absorbed the soul power within.

This time, perhaps it's reached a limit? Or maybe it's something else entirely.

Suddenly, the dark sky, which had been gloomy and like a starless night sky, suddenly brightened.

This naturally attracted Bane's attention. He quickly looked up at the sky, and in an instant, with the help of the light, he seemed to see a hideous ghost face. At the same time as he saw this face, he felt that there seemed to be an additional connection between himself and the Pure Land.

Not only with the Pure Land, but also with the ghostly shadows in the dark sky, he has become more connected, although he is still unable to activate this connection.

At the same time, although Bane only saw it for a moment, he was absolutely certain that the ghostly face and shadow were Death!

The Grim Reaper summoned by the Reaper Death Seal technique!

However, it seems that the guy is not conscious?

Before Bane could think any further, suddenly, the pressure from the surrounding environment increased dramatically, and waves of repulsion began to surge from all directions, constantly crowding towards Bane.

"Damn it, I'm still not full!" Bane knew he would soon be ostracized and squeezed out of the sanctuary, so he complained as he frantically grabbed handfuls of dirt from the ground and stuffed them into his mouth.

The main idea is to eat as much as you want!

As Bane frantically ate dirt here, the sense of rejection intensified again. It was as if Pure Land had invited a guest to his home to talk things over, but the guest was so vicious that he ate the floor tiles and furniture as soon as he entered the door, which made Pure Land so angry that he didn't want to talk anymore and tried every means to drive the guest away.

"I'm not full yet, give me some face, my brother is red-haired, give me two more minutes." Bane felt that his soul strength could no longer resist the rejection of the Pure Land, and shouted that he hoped the Pure Land would give him some face.

After shouting, he found that the scene in front of him had completely changed. Nami, who was holding a towel and wiping his face, was looking at Bane with a very strange look.

"So, you're dreaming, Bane? Still not full? And when did you become brothers with Shanks?" Nami's lips twitched as she spoke.

Bane froze for a moment, then slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "Damn it, I might have missed my chance to become a god!"

"What chance to become a god?" Fubuki and the others heard the commotion and excitedly gathered around.

I'll only be posting two chapters today. I've finished what I needed to do and am heading home. Tomorrow's update should be in the afternoon, and I expect to resume posting 10,000 words a day the day after tomorrow. Brothers, please give me some votes to support me!

(End of this chapter)