A fortnight later.
Beyond the endless ocean at the southernmost edge of the world, hidden behind layers of barriers, lay the beautiful Mikazuki Island.
On this secluded island stood the Penglai Ninja Village, founded by Uzumaki Heiyan.
The sky was clear and cloudless, its pure blue stretching endlessly above.
For the villagers of Penglai, today felt like a blessing—a truly beautiful day.
At dawn, members of the fishing tribe climbed aboard their boats, singing cheerful sea shanties as they sailed out in hopes of a bountiful catch.
The Uzumaki clan, as always, took on the duty of guarding the village. They dispatched ninja to patrol the surrounding seas, inspect the seawalls, and check the sealing barriers.
Working alongside them was Samehada, which had absorbed the Dragon Vein and become the sovereign of the ocean. Its mere presence kept all hostile intruders far from these waters.
Within the village, the Loulan clan showcased their architectural talents through large-scale construction projects. Following scientifically sound urban planning, they expanded the village further to prepare for future residents.
There was also the newly arrived warrior clan. Many among them were injured and required recovery, but some lightly wounded warriors, led by their leader Mifune, had already volunteered to help with various tasks around the village.
Before coming to this island, these different clans had been marginalized groups within the world of *shinobi*—either seen as enemies, discriminated against, or simply ignored.
But at the call of Village Headman Uzumaki Heiyan, they gathered here in this peaceful haven far removed from the conflicts of the shinobi world, united under the ideals of unity and harmony to build a new home together.
Now, one year after the founding of the Penglai Ninja Village, the entire settlement flourished, vibrant and full of life.
At ten o'clock in the morning.
"What is that?"
Many villagers looked up toward the distant half-sky, filled with confusion and curiosity, murmuring amongst themselves.
They watched as a massive box soared across the sea, then hovered over the mountaintop villa before slowly descending.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Ashina Uzumaki, Haruko, the Queen of Loulan, Mifune, and others rushed up from the foot of the mountain. Minutes ago, they had received word from patrolling warriors that the Village Headman had returned.
[Boom!]
The ten-meter-high [Paradise Box] landed steadily with a heavy thud.
With eyes filled with joy and curiosity, everyone's gaze turned toward the top of the box, where Uzumaki Heiyan and Pakura leaped down.
"Everyone, it's been a while."
Uzumaki Heiyan smiled and greeted them warmly.
Then he explained how Pakura had been wrongfully imprisoned by Sunagakure and later rescued from Hozuki Castle. He announced that from today onward, she would officially be a member of Penglai.
"Welcome! Welcome indeed!"
Upon hearing this, everyone immediately gathered around her joyfully, chatting warmly with Pakura and introducing her to life in the village.
Pakura felt overwhelmed with gratitude.
She could feel the warmth in their smiles—and it was undeniably sincere.
Even more surprising was how quietly Heiyan had built this village in such a paradise-like place.
If the existence of Penglai were to spread beyond its borders, it would surely shake the entire *world of shinobi*.
While everyone gathered around Pakura, Heiyan stepped aside with Mifune and kindly checked in on him.
From Mifune, Heiyan learned that the warrior clan had arrived safely in Penglai without a single loss. The villagers welcomed them warmly and provided proper accommodations, helping them adapt quickly to their new lives here.
"That puts me at ease."
Heiyan patted Mifune's shoulder, encouraging him—as the representative of the warrior clan—to actively participate in meetings with the village elders and contribute ideas for Penglai's future development.
Next, Heiyan approached the Paradise Box, briefly explained its situation to everyone, then dismissed them.
"Oh, right. Haruko, why don't you show Pakura around the village?" He specially instructed Haruko, watching as the two girls linked arms and cheerfully headed down the mountain together.
After everyone left,
Heiyan turned around, cupping his chin thoughtfully as he examined the Paradise Box before him.
He planned to dig out a basement here—a hidden underground chamber—to seal the box away for now. He'd wait until he fully achieved the perfect Sage Transformation before opening it again.
There were two reasons behind his decision: one was to avoid disaster, as "Satori" inside the box was the ultimate weapon from the Sage of Six Paths' era—a formidable entity;
the other reason was time itself—he needed time to decide how best to handle "Satori." Simply killing or resealing it wouldn't make sense; otherwise, what was the point of going through so much trouble to bring the box all the way here?
Unfortunately, his Parasitic Spores had already been used up. Otherwise, he could have tried subduing Satori and then controlling it using spores.
Thinking about the spores made him think of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
Come to think of it, it had been a while since he last paid attention to Madara Uchiha's movements in Kiri.
With that thought, Heiyan immediately closed his eyes and activated his sensing ability through the Parasitic Spores embedded within the body of the Demonic Statue.
"Huh?"
"Madara Uchiha still has the energy to stir things up despite barely holding onto his last breath..."
He murmured, frowning.
Inside the Mizukage building in Kiri, deep within a hidden underground chamber,
A complex seal pattern extended from beneath Madara Uchiha's feet outward across the floor. On either side of the circle were the two kanji characters "Impure" and "Earth".
Exactly at the center of this formation knelt a tall White Zetsu, bowing his head low.
"It's almost time," Madara Uchiha muttered to himself.
The [Impure World Reincarnation] technique was simple in theory—it used a living human body as a vessel to summon the soul of a deceased individual from the underworld back into the living realm.
Madara swiftly formed Hand Seals—Tiger (In), Snake (Ja), Dog (Ken), Dragon (Ryu)—and finally pressed both palms together, uttering a quiet incantation.
Buzzzzz...
Instantly, the seal array blazed with dazzling light, vibrating violently as it activated.
A thick cloud of dust slowly rose from the ground, enveloping White Zetsu and wrapping around him before starting the transformation.
Finally, a short-haired man with a bandage over his right eye and a cross-shaped scar on his chin got up, clearly confused.
It was Danzo Shimura.
It worked.
Madara watched the scene with a slight smirk tugging at his lips.
One reason Madara chose Danzo as the first test subject for [Impure World Reincarnation] was that the jutsu required a certain amount of physical remains from the deceased before it could be performed. Since he had once been Danzo's mentor, he happened to have some of his cellular tissue.
So, Madara decided to use Danzo for the test of [Impure World Reincarnation] — and to his surprise, the first attempt worked perfectly.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>