Chapter 438: The Sage of Six Paths
On the Underworld Road, a dreary rain fell ceaselessly. Obito, living in the Land of Rain, often said he was living in hell, and there was some truth to that. Ino had been to the Underworld Road several times now, and every time she came, it was raining.
It was said that these raindrops were formed from the grievances of the living world. The rain would only stop when there were no more grievances in the world of the living. By Ino's estimation, it wouldn't stop for another thousand or two thousand years.
Ninety-nine percent of the spirits here were indistinct, their forms flickering like will-o'-the-wisps.
Only a very small number could maintain a human form, and someone like Ino, who entered with her physical body, was rarer than a giant panda.
With a shout, a palanquin with a golden roof and bright yellow curtains broke through space and stopped before her.
An eight-bearer or sixteen-bearer palanquin was out of the question. There were simply too few "people" on the Underworld Road who were whole and intact. The workforce was not liberated enough for anyone to be on standby twenty-four-seven to carry her.
Ino stepped inside, and two tall ghost soldiers lifted the palanquin, and that was that.
Beside the palanquin was a ghost hag, a "servant" she had recently acquired.
The ghost hag was quite fawning. "Where would you like to go, miss?"
"To see my father."
"Please sit tight."
Her entourage was so grand that any ghosts with consciousness stayed far away. Even the wraiths acting on instinct, wanting to devour her flesh and blood, were suddenly startled into awareness and hastily retreated. It's an underworld big shot, can't afford to provoke her.
The ghost soldiers carried the palanquin, flying off into the distance in their spirit forms.
At the top of an earthen hill, Ino saw Inoichi Yamanaka diligently practicing the Spirit Transformation Technique.
The Yamanaka clan had adopted a son for Dan Katō to continue the Katō family name. In return, Shizune permitted the Yamanaka clan to practice the Spirit Transformation Technique.
Now, half a year into the Great Ninja War, the brutal battlefield had forced many ninja clans to consider their future paths.
The Hidden Cloud Village marrying Karui into Konoha was not an isolated case.
Even within Konoha, the various ninja clans had their own ideas.
Loyal to the village, but even more loyal to the clan.
Supporting their village in the war to gain more benefits while also looking for a way out was the norm for ninja clans.
The Nara clan had recently set its sights on the southern continent. If Konoha were to be defeated and the Nara clan suffered heavy losses, the clan members could seek temporary refuge on the southern continent.
No matter how harsh the living conditions, it was better than being dead.
The Yamanaka clan, of course, had its own backup plan. Their backup plan was to come to the underworld and become kings... A person's life is but a little over thirty thousand days. The things of the living world are but a fleeting cloud. The underworld is eternal.
To say they would be immortal was a bit of a stretch, but as long as their consciousness did not dissipate, "living" for three or four hundred years was no problem.
How many years had it been since Konoha was founded? After Inoichi resigned from his position in the village, he was "introduced" to the Shinigami by Ino. Now, he occasionally showed up in the village to have tea and chat with old friends, spending the rest of his time on the Underworld Road practicing the Spirit Transformation Technique.
The environment here was perfect for practicing the technique, and he had already mastered its secrets.
With him were more than a dozen other Yamanaka clan members. At first, the Underworld Road seemed terrifying, but after getting used to it, they all thought it was quite nice!
There were also over a hundred villagers and ninja from the Hidden Mist Village who would often chant "Dharma King of the Ten Directions, Earth's Hidden Treasure." Ino didn't let any of them go, pulling them all to the Underworld Road. Here, it didn't matter if you were a Konoha ninja or a Mist ninja; from now on, you were all Yamanaka clan ninja. Coming here was like coming home.
The Yamanaka clan was putting their ancestral talents to good use here, claiming territory and setting up roadblocks.
Through negotiations between Ino and the Underworld Road, the not-so-high earthen hill under their feet was now considered Yamanaka territory. In return, the Yamanaka clan's duty was to help maintain order on the Underworld Road from time to time.
This hill, which Ino named "Mount Kongo," was planted full of white Udumbara flowers. These flowers could effectively mask the scent of the living. She also used Wood Release to build a temple on the mountaintop, named Senpō Temple.
Her father and some of the Yamanaka clan ninja could rest in the temple when they had free time.
After a brief visit, she saw no problems and spoke a few words to her father about matters in the village.
Then, she bid farewell to her family and officially set off to see the Sage of Six Paths.
She couldn't take the palanquin to see the Sage of Six Paths. If the old man saw that, he'd think, Hah? You're trying to show off in front of me? Get lost! She covered her entire body with Yin-attribute chakra and used the Spirit Transformation Technique to make herself look like a pure spirit. Then, she transformed into a rainbow-colored light and flew off into the distance.
Ino reached the end of the Underworld Road, crossed over to the other side, and officially entered the world of the Pure Land.
The King of Hell had been captured by the Rinnegan to be used as a tool, so this place was now running on a very inefficient system.
Those with lingering regrets went to the underworld; those whose wishes were fulfilled went to the Pure Land. It was that simple.
The Shinigami's "house," in the understanding of traditional cultivation and fantasy novels, was a small plane or pocket dimension attached to the Pure Land. Through the connection of the Mind Body Disturbance Technique, she could sense the Shinigami's location, but today she wasn't here to see the Shinigami.
Upon arriving at the other side, Ino found it somewhat difficult to fly. She knew it was the world's rules rejecting her; she was, after all, not dead. This reckless flying around looking for someone was a violation and disregard for the world's rules.
But again, the manager had been captured, so who was there to stop her? She could fly if she wanted to.
She had been to the world of the dead before. Her Underworld Water Colliding Wave had once drawn a great deal of water from here, so she wasn't too unfamiliar with the place. She continuously checked her bearings along the way and finally, at the foot of a lone mountain, she saw an old man meditating in mid-air.
"Great Sage... as you requested, I have come."
Naruto could call him "old geezer," but she really couldn't.
The Sage of Six Paths had his back to her. No matter how Ino changed her angle, all she could see was his back.
Fine, I can't see your face. She didn't dare to rashly use her sensory abilities to probe him.
With his back still to her, the Sage spoke. "There is only one way to save that boy, Naruto. However, this matter is extremely dangerous, with a ninety percent chance of death. You may choose to refuse."
I've come all this way, how could I refuse?
Ino said with great solemnity, "I stand by what I said before. I am the Jonin leader. Since I brought them out, I must bring them back safely. This is my duty."
She believed the Sage of Six Paths was of the Lawful alignment, so by aligning her words and actions with the Lawful camp, she would at least not provoke his dislike, even if she didn't gain his approval.
The Sage shook his head gently. "You have not understood the root and purpose of the matter. To agree blindly is not a sign of wisdom."
Ino: "..."
That was not an easy line to respond to.
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