Shinigami in the Ninja World

He sighed in relief, realizing it wasn't a "declaration" from that overwhelmingly powerful individual, but just a simple "wanted list."

The Akatsuki organization had been destroyed, with most of its strength lost. However, a few fortunate individuals who hadn't participated in the battle managed to escape.

"S-rank rogue ninja, Uchiha Itachi."

"An unknown Uchiha."

"Zetsu."

These were the three main individuals listed on the wanted notice.

"Those who capture them or provide useful information will be rewarded with a jutsu," Kurotsuchi, more interested in the reward than Ōnoki, read out the relevant part, raising an eyebrow. "Just one jutsu?"

"Isn't that reward a bit..."

Mindful of her grandfather's health and feelings, she didn't voice her thoughts too bluntly.

"Even if it's just their bodies, the research benefits would far exceed the value of a single jutsu."

Ōnoki shook his head, speaking in a grave tone: "It's different. This is a jutsu from Uzumaki Naruto."

"The intelligence did mention that his ninjutsu is very unusual," Kurotsuchi shrugged, her tone and attitude indifferent. "But there are plenty of strange secret techniques out there. Can his even compare to the Sharingan?"

Ōnoki tapped the table: "The focus isn't on the jutsu."

"It's on Uzumaki Naruto."

He sighed: "You're too young. You haven't encountered a truly powerful individual."

Kurotsuchi tilted her head in confusion.

A truly powerful individual?

"Even if Uzumaki Naruto is strong, there's no way he's stronger than you, Grandpa," she quickly denied.

Ōnoki gave a bitter smile: "I'm no match for him."

"This is something I haven't mentioned in a long time." He stared at the scroll, as if the past was replaying in his mind. In the haze of memory, he could almost see those terrifying eyes that once filled him with fear. "In my youth, I faced Uchiha Madara directly."

"Even with my current mastery of 'Dust Release'..."

"I'm still far from being a match for that man."

"And Uzumaki Naruto, even if he hasn't yet reached Madara's level, is still so young! He's only fourteen or fifteen years old. What will he be like when he's twenty or thirty? Wouldn't he be another Uchiha Madara?"

Ōnoki paused, his tone cautious.

"And the most frightening thing is..."

"He has no allegiance."

"He refuses to identify as a Konoha ninja and even rejects the title of 'ninja.'"

Kurotsuchi was left puzzled and uncertain.

"How can I trust you with this village when you're like this?" Ōnoki sighed again, speaking more openly. "His lack of allegiance means he can't be held back."

"Between villages and nations, there are so many intertwined interests."

"War doesn't start easily."

"But if Uzumaki Naruto is provoked, nothing will hold him back, and he would retaliate without restraint."

"That's why earning his friendship is more valuable than anything."

"Can a pair of Sharingan, or even a pair of Rinnegan, create a ninja more powerful than Uzumaki Naruto?"

Kurotsuchi nodded thoughtfully.

Ōnoki continued unrolling the scroll, and as he reached the end, his pupils dilated, and his emotions surged briefly.

"What's wrong?" Kurotsuchi noticed and leaned over to look. "Uzumaki Naruto wants to visit Rock Village?"

"Why are you so shocked? It's not that big of a deal."

Ōnoki frowned, feeling a headache coming on.

Not that big of a deal?

A person who could easily destroy an entire village suddenly requesting to visit... that's practically a horror story.

Ōnoki's face remained tense as he muttered to himself, as if speaking to Kurotsuchi but also trying to reassure himself.

"I've already shown goodwill towards him."

"This time, it should be..."

"It shouldn't be a bad thing."

Somewhere in a remote part of the continent, where ninja activity was almost nonexistent...

Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Obito sat in a cave.

Zetsu emerged from the ground, his voice grating: "I've got some bad news."

"That Uzumaki Naruto has shared our information with every nation."

"I found this in a small nearby ninja village."

He pulled out a scroll and tossed it into Obito's lap.

When he unrolled it...

The first thing that caught his eye was three portrait sketches.

They were exact likenesses of the three of them.

"So detailed," Uchiha Itachi remarked, scrutinizing his portrait. "I didn't realize my face had so many details."

"Nagato actually leaked this information before he died!" Obito's voice was filled with anger. "As the vessel of the Rinnegan, his capacity was limited after all!"

If he had known...

He should have been more ruthless that night.

He should have killed that kid too!

The Fourth Hokage had been a difficult and clever opponent.

But compared to Uzumaki Naruto...

He would rather have faced the former.

No one echoed his thoughts.

Each of the three was lost in their own thoughts.

In the Land of Sound, at the Sound Village.

In the training grounds, Sasuke sheathed his sword, having finished a sparring match.

Orochimaru clapped his hands: "As expected of the Uchiha clan, your progress is impressive."

Sasuke glared at him coldly.

"I came here today with two pieces of news," Orochimaru said, licking his lips, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

Sasuke's attitude remained icy.

"The organization Itachi belongs to, called 'Akatsuki'..."

"Naruto destroyed it."

"That really surprised me." Orochimaru seemed to relish this news, his voice brimming with excitement. "Akatsuki's leader, a man named Pain, claimed to be a god."

"I fought him, and I must admit that those eyes of his did give him the bearing of a 'god.'"

"But even someone like him was killed by Naruto."

Uchiha Sasuke instinctively activated his Sharingan, the three tomoe spinning.

Over this time, he had sparred with Orochimaru.

He had to admit...

The man whom Naruto had killed—a man who seemed weak—was frighteningly strong.

Even without the use of his arms, Orochimaru could still easily crush him.

Yet, even this person whom Orochimaru referred to as a "god" was defeated by Naruto.

Just how far has he grown?

"And what about Itachi?" Sasuke asked, the thought of Itachi second only to Naruto in his mind.

Orochimaru shook his head: "Itachi is indeed very strong, but he was quite fortunate."

"Not only did he survive, but he also managed to escape."

"However, he's now wanted by Naruto, so the time left for you, Sasuke-kun, is running out."

Sasuke gripped the hilt of his sword tightly: "Orochimaru, I want to learn Sage Mode."

"I think the Cursed Seal would suit you better," Orochimaru replied softly, narrowing his eyes slightly. "Sage Mode... is a very dangerous technique."

This wasn't a lie.

Sage Mode had elevated Jiraiya from being an "underachiever" to a strong opponent, almost on par with Orochimaru, so of course, Orochimaru had been interested in it.

With the "Ryūchi Cave" scroll in hand, he naturally had the opportunity to learn it.

However...

He paid a certain price for it and ended up mastering only a "flawed version."

It couldn't even compare to Jiraiya's Sage Mode, and it was inferior to Minato's version as well. In actual combat, it was practically unusable.

For this reason, he sought out the Jūgo clan and began researching the secrets of "natural energy."

"This is my choice, Orochimaru," Sasuke interrupted him, showing no courtesy. "I'm prepared to give everything for power."

Orochimaru replied softly, "Is that so?"

"Then, Sasuke-kun, don't disappoint me."

At the border of the Land of Rain and the Land of Grass...

In a temporary shelter...

"Trust me, you're a perfect fit for our religion," Hidan said, his head placed on a tray, though his voice lacked its usual energy. "To do something like that without batting an eye."

"You were born to be one of us!"

At the lab table, Naruto was busy, his shadow clones assisting and recording data.

On the table lay a body.

But...

It wasn't Hidan's body; it was the body of "Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto ignored him.

Hidan kept rambling: "But what's going on with you now?"

"That's not a shadow clone, is it?"

"A side effect from fighting Pain?"

One of the shadow clones couldn't resist and punched Hidan's head hard: "Shut up, you're too noisy!"

"I'm so bored just being a head here," Hidan pouted, "and you're not even reattaching my body."

The shadow clone clapped its hands, sealing Hidan's mouth with a jutsu.

"Naruto, are you sure you don't need my help?" Karin asked from behind him, eager to assist.

Naruto shook his head: "No, let's wait until you're more adjusted."

Karin was a good assistant.

But... when it came to researching his own body, she was quite ineffective.

The separation of body and soul, with the soul studying the body, seemed too overwhelming for her to handle.

She was often distracted during research, sometimes just holding onto a part of the body—be it the face, hand, or any other part—and not knowing what to do.

Karin sighed in disappointment.

She felt she wasn't living up to expectations!

If she performed better, wouldn't she get more time...

She realized she had been a bit too complacent and had missed a great opportunity!

After all, it was his own body, so Naruto didn't go too hard on it.

He only extracted some cells for basic analysis.

The vitality was extremely strong.

Although the sealing jutsu played a role, the chakra within the body remained persistent.

It gave Naruto the illusion that this body was still alive.

Moreover, the chakra within it felt almost "Asuyra-like."

It seemed to have a consciousness.

This didn't mean it had "come back to life" or possessed a "soul or thoughts," but it bore the imprint of "Uzumaki Naruto." As for what effect this imprint might have, Naruto didn't know yet.

Hidan's body wasn't suitable for this kind of research.

Naruto completely sealed his body, cutting off all interaction with external energy, to test the duration of his "immortality."

Kakuzu's body wasn't suitable either; it wasn't a true body but was made entirely of "black threads."

Meanwhile, in Rock Village, anxiety was high.

Naruto had said he wanted to visit, but without specifying a time, every day felt like an ordeal for them.

As for Naruto...

He continued to study his body and the mysteries of the Rinnegan.

Three months passed in this way.

Naruto woke up one day.

The scent of irises filled the air, and the bright sunlight poured in.

He had returned to the Soul Society.

~~~

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