Start with a Zanpakuto and build the strongest Mist Village.

"Really, no, I can't take it anymore..."

At this moment, Maitreya stared blankly at the sky, weakly slumped on the beach.

Every energy conversion and every power absorption that the night exerted on her was extremely painful.

He forcibly separated the chakra from her Sage Power and then merged it with the Shinigami Power.

This practice is like cutting a complete person in half, piecing them back together, then cutting them in half again, and so on.

However, as the power of the Shinigami replaced the chakra and merged into Miroku's body, it became part of the Sage's power.

The sensation it brought, so different from chakra, kept stimulating Miroku, allowing him to find a strange feeling even amidst the intense pain.

Time passed in this ineffable process.

Logically speaking, Maitreya in his sage form would not experience fatigue or exhaustion due to this level of experimentation.

But Maitreya's mind was ultimately not that of a true 'immortal' who had lived for thousands of years.

However, after three days and three nights of energy transformation and fusion, she, the inheritor, finally could not withstand it and collapsed to the ground.

"I'm so sorry... I really, really can't..."

"Ok."

Seeing that Maitreya looked completely ruined, Ye, who was thinking of not exhausting the resources, also stopped what he was doing.

The surprise that Maitreya brought him was truly immense.

Balancing the four forces with a living human body is something that is completely beyond the current research scope of Night and Mist Shadow, bringing Night a completely new research path.

If this path can be successfully established, then Yoru can fully promote the power of the Shinigami, instead of using one or two souls to create some kind of Seireitei.

He could create an empire!

Create a transcendent empire that stands alone in this world filled with chakra, and belongs only to him!

“You are truly amazing, Miroku. You will be the core of my future plans. Everything you have given now will be cherished by me and by the future citizens of the empire.”

Night gently pinched Miroku's chin, and a smile appeared in his dazed eyes: "I can allow you to spread your teachings in Kirigakure, establish a 'Holy Land', and I will even support you to become the sage of the 'Fourth Holy Land of the Ninja World'."

"The major ninja villages in the ninja world will not sit idly by while a country or a power rises, but they are absolutely willing to see the emergence of a new place of inheritance."

"The spirits of mountains and rivers, the shadowy god of plague, from now on you shall be called the Witch Shadow Immortal."

"Ah, Ah Rigato"

Miroku didn't understand anything Ye had said at the moment; all she knew was that this inhuman torture had temporarily come to an end...

……

The matter of the shrine maiden has come to a temporary end, but how to deal with the lost boy on his life's journey is still a significant problem.

When Kisame Hoshigaki returned to the village, this elite of Kirigakure didn't even know how to get to the Mizukage Building. He hesitated for a long time in the village before finally making up his mind and going to the Mizukage's office.

"What's wrong, Kisame? You're one of the newly appointed Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist! Why are you looking like this? Even if the mission failed, you should at least keep your spirits up and not embarrass yourself!"

Hozuki Mangetsu, who had just come out of the Mizukage's office, looked at Kisame Hoshigaki, who had a strange expression, with some surprise.

This was the first time he had ever seen such an expression on Kisame. In his memory, this guy had always been an extremely calm person, and could even be considered a mission machine!

Why do you seem so preoccupied today?

"A full moon?"

Kisame Hoshigaki instinctively wanted to ask something, after all, Hozuki Mangetsu had always been one of Yoru Minazuki's people, and was the person in Kirigakure who had been in contact with Yoru the most. If there was any information related to Shinigami, Hozuki Mangetsu would definitely know something.

But after hesitating for a moment, Kisame still didn't speak.

We've already arrived at the Mizukage's office. If we still have doubts, we can simply ask him directly!

"Hehe, let me tell you, Kisame, my little brother was born. We hadn't even chosen a name yet, but the Fourth Hokage named him Suigetsu." Hozuki Mangetsu grinned from ear to ear, his mouth practically stretching to the back of his head.

"younger brother?"

Kisame was taken aback, and a smile appeared on his gloomy face: "Congratulations, Hozuki Suigetsu, it really is a good name."

"That's right! It was the Fourth Hokage who named it!"

"He will definitely be a genius like you in the future."

"Hehe, never mind, I'm going back to see my brother." Full Moon's face was full of undisguised smiles. As if she had thought of something, she looked at Kisame with a teasing expression: "By the way, you're quite something, kid. When did you hook up with that girl in my cipher department?"

"what?"

Kisame was stunned.

"Don't try to fool me, Ayako, Ayako Mizuchi!"

Hozuki Mangetsu snorted. He was now the deputy head of the Anbu, having taken over Yoru's original position. The Cipher Department was a branch of the Anbu, so it was naturally under his jurisdiction.

“That girl came back with Deng Pao Taro. After she came back, she kept asking me about your situation. I told her that you were still on a mission and hadn’t returned yet.”

"You have no idea what a worried look that was in your eyes! You usually seem so unassuming, but you managed to snag the prettiest girl in the code department without making a sound. You're something else!"

"This……"

Kisame instinctively wanted to deny it, but the gentle smiling face of Ayako Mizuchi immediately appeared in his mind.

"Kisame-san, I'm still waiting for you to treat me to dinner."

'Kisame-san, please come back safely!'

"Alright, alright, I'm going back to see Xiaoshuiyue. You should go report your mission to the Fourth Hokage and remember to keep your appointment; she is indeed a nice girl."

Hozuki Mangetsu patted Kisame on the shoulder and left cheerfully, while Kisame stood there stunned, not knowing what to do, or even when he had pushed open the door to the Mizukage's office.

It wasn't until the sounds of night that he was pulled back to reality.

"The ability to think critically is a mindset that a successful ninja should have."

Night sat behind his desk, looking at the peerless genius of Kirigakure with a half-smile: "But what I'm curious about is, are you thinking about that girl, or about what the Second Hokage told you?"

"Yes, all of them, the Fourth Generation Lord..."

Kisame Hoshigaki snapped out of his daze and looked at the Fourth Mizukage in front of him, who had overthrown the Blood Mist and led Kirigakure into a new chapter.

"Then think it over carefully, and then take it one step at a time," Ye said with a smile.

"She's a good girl. Go on your date and enjoy the sweetness of love and the flavors of life."

"But!"

"No buts, Kisame."

Ye shook his head and said, "That's life. No one knows whether an accident or tomorrow will come first. Solving the present and looking to the future is what we should all do."

"You're not ready to face those things yet, not because you're not good or outstanding enough, but because you deserve to enjoy something better before facing the bloody reality."

Everyone deserves it, just like the full moon, just like you.

"But I can't turn a blind eye to those things, especially now that I know!" Kisame growled. "The deception of chakra, the Shinigami and the Seireitei, the burdens you carry, Fourth Hokage. I am a member of Kirigakure, a member under your command, Fourth Hokage. I cannot ignore any of this!"

"So what do you want to know, or what do you want to do?"

Night spoke softly, "Are you driven by curiosity, wanting to open the door to a new world and explore the unknown world and its secrets, or are you unable to bear the immense pressure we face and want to join us and become one of us?"

"I……"

Kisame paused slightly.

He didn't know if it was curiosity or something else, maybe both.

"If what I'm saying is true, if you really want to know all this and want to join us, you need to give up everything you currently have. Are you willing to accept that?" Night asked again. "Give up your newly acquired identity as one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, give up all the power, authority, and emotions you possess, including the girl waiting for you to keep your promise."

"Give up everything and become a spirit of the dead like the second generation, and you will be able to access a completely new world. Are you willing to accept this condition?"

"I……"

Kisame's expression froze.

Is he... really able to accept these conditions?

He lived a life of confusion, nearly losing his way in a distorted world shrouded in blood mist, but now he has finally found his own existence and sense of belonging in the new era led by the fourth generation.

Now, however, he is willing to give up everything, just to uncover that unknown mystery...

Kisame hesitated, torn between words and inner conflict.

"I……"

"Alright, alright, stop joking around."

Yoru interrupted Kisame's emotional buildup with a smile: "The Seireitei exists as the vanguard against chakra, but that doesn't mean there's nothing else."

"You are a genius of Kisame. Whether it is your talent, temperament, or character, you are someone I acknowledge. Therefore, I have long had plans for you."

"Really, really?!"

Kisame looked up in surprise.

"Of course, but the time is not yet right, and we still need some time to prepare."

Yoru had initially considered whether to directly transform Kisame Hoshigaki and Mangetsu Hozuki into Shinigami.

Whether it's Kisame or Mangetsu, in terms of talent and ability, they are the most outstanding geniuses in Kirigakure and the entire ninja world. Apart from those with the Six Paths bloodline, they are the most exceptional geniuses in the world.

If they can become Shinigami, then they will inevitably become captain-level beings no less than Yagura in the future.

But after careful consideration, Ye gave up on this option.

In an era where concepts of life and death are already fixed, it is obviously much more difficult to get people to give up everything they have, even their lives, and then go out into something completely new than to bring the dead back to life and let them start a second life.

therefore.

Ye had originally planned to wait a little longer.

They should do those things after their lives have ended, or after they have reached a point where they have a clear understanding of life.

After all, it's still decades away from the Otsutsuki era of Lord Bo.

But it's different now.

As he explored the power of death and gained insights into the fusion of various forces in this world, Night found a completely new direction!

"Once everything is ready, it will be your turn to step forward. I hope you won't refuse me then."

"I could never refuse any of your orders to rescue me from the mist," Kisame Hoshigaki said solemnly.

"Alright, alright, relax and get yourself together. I heard from Manyue that you have an appointment to keep, and your sister doesn't like you with that long face." Ye Tiao chuckled, "I've already filed the mission, and the reward will be delivered to you by the Anbu later."

"Take a good rest these two days, seize the opportunity, she's a great girl."

"Lord Fourth Hokage, actually, she and I..."

"What do you mean 'her'? Have you forgotten the policy I set? The Kirigakure Revival Plan relies on geniuses like you from Kirigakure. The Hoshigaki clan doesn't have many people to begin with. If you don't work harder, how will Kirigakure revive, and how will your Hoshigaki clan revive?!"

Ye said with a stern face, "Go back and adjust yourself, change your clothes, and have a good talk with that girl."

"This……"

"This is a mission, Kisame Hoshigaki."

"Yes, Fourth Hokage!"

Hearing Kisame agree, Yoru's face lit up with a smile again: "Alright, go ahead."

"Yes...right, Fourth Hokage, that Kakuzu and Sasori..."

"Leave it to Yukiko."

"Yes!"

……

Thanks to Yoru's intervention, the Land of Demons incident didn't cause much of a stir in the ninja world and came to an end quickly.

Although the new priestess Shion is young, her unique status makes her irreplaceable. Therefore, she will never experience the coup d'état and power struggles that occurred in the Land of Snow, where brothers usurped the throne and uncles and nephews fought each other.

Fine, you can have the throne. Just don't come looking for me when the demons arrive.

The appearance of the demons will only further enhance the priestess's status in the Land of Demons, and it also relieved Miroku, who was far away in Kirigakure, to finally settle down in Kirigakure.

Kirigakure returned to peace.

Outside the Land of Water and the Hidden Mist, the entire nation is dedicated to developing industry and commerce, vigorously promoting the Land of Water's fishery resources, and engaging in trade with other countries. By using the City of Waves as a base, various delicious seafood products have been served on the tables of major nations.

Inside, the Hidden Mist Duel Tower is becoming increasingly popular, with more and more Hidden Mist ninjas entering to hone their skills. While improving their combat power, their soul strength is also quietly increasing.