Mōryō.
A legendary demon from a thousand years ago. It once plagued the world, seizing territories and ruling as a dark sovereign. It was eventually defeated by the Sage of the Six Paths; its physical body and soul were forcibly severed, with the body sealed within the lineage of the Priestesses of the Land of Demons.
As for its soul, it was sealed on...
Whirlpool Island.
In a world now unified under one rule, the Land of Whirlpools had been renamed Whirlpool Island. This was once the ancestral home of the Uzumaki Clan.
"Yo—Your Majesty, it is here."
A blonde woman dressed in white looked flatteringly at Kakashi, who stood before her. Behind Kakashi stood Shion, Naruto, and Sakura.
"Mm," Kakashi responded, his tone neither warm nor cold.
It was within his expectations that Mōryō's soul had been sealed by the Sage of the Six Paths in the Land of Whirlpools. However, this land was truly peculiar. The Uzumaki Clan's shrine held not only the masks of the Reaper but also an ancient demon beneath its soil. Even his own wife, Hikari, had been sealed within the depths of the Whirlpool Abyss five hundred years ago.
If left undisturbed, it was likely that one day, if one of these entities broke free, it would trigger a catastrophic chain reaction.
"You're finished here. Leave."
"Keep your head down from now on."
Kakashi gave the blonde woman a dispassionate glance. She was one of the four subordinates of the man known as Yomi and one of the shinobi who had recently been monitoring Shion. While the other three possessed a spirit of "death before surrender," she alone knew how to read the room and had surrendered decisively.
"Yes, yes! Of course!"
As if granted a divine reprieve, the blonde woman thanked Kakashi frantically and fled into the distance as fast as her legs could carry her. Naruto watched her retreat before looking curiously at Kakashi.
"Kakashi-niisan, what do we do next?"
Kakashi didn't answer. He looked out over the land, a hint of reminiscence surfacing in his eyes. He remembered the first time he had met Hikari.
As Kakashi walked forward, the trio of Shion, Naruto, and Sakura followed, peering around with curiosity. Although the Empire was thriving, it had only been established for three years, and many places still retained their former appearance. Though the Hidden Eddy Village had been destroyed decades ago, one could still see traces of its former glory amidst the ruins.
Walking through the rubble, Kakashi arrived at a deep pool. Staring into the dark water, he crouched down and reached out, dipping his hand in. Feeling the water's familiar, bone-chilling cold, Kakashi smiled.
Naruto scratched his head at the sight. He didn't quite understand why, but Kakashi seemed deeply immersed in the past.
At that moment, the sound of rustling came from behind them. Naruto and Sakura immediately turned around, dropping into defensive stances.
"On behalf of my Master, I welcome the first Sovereign of the Radiant Human Empire."
Accompanied by a fanatical, gravelly voice, a man appeared before the three young shinobi. He had messy long black hair, a weathered face, and wore black robes. He knelt on one knee toward the crouching Kakashi, speaking with respectful fervor.
"Yomi?" Sakura noted, her expression grim.
"It seems you already know my objective," Kakashi said, slowly standing up and turning toward the man. "I trust there is no need for further explanation."
"Naturally, Your Majesty. In a thousand years, there has never been a day like this—the day the Demon Sovereign of a millennium ago meets the Human Sovereign of a millennium later. Such a scene deserves to be recorded in history for all to admire!"
Yomi spoke with madness in his eyes, his face flushed with excitement as if witnessing this moment was worth dying for.
"I'll give you ten minutes," Kakashi said calmly, ignoring Yomi's attitude. "Bring Mōryō to see me."
"As you wish, Your Majesty."
A twisted smile played on Yomi's face. With a poof, he vanished in a cloud of white smoke.
"A Shadow Clone?" Sakura remarked. "He's cautious."
The Shadow Clone was a peculiar technique. Despite being only a B-rank jutsu, neither the Byakugan nor the Sharingan—nor even the Rinnegan or the "Goddess of the Moon" Kaguya Ōtsutsuki—could easily distinguish it from the original body.
"Well, he is facing Kakashi-niisan," Naruto said matter-of-factly.
As someone who lived with Kakashi, Naruto was perhaps the person most aware of his true strength. Especially after the unification of the Shinobi World, Naruto perceived Kakashi's chakra as something as unfathomable as the deep ocean. If Naruto's own chakra was a towering mountain, then Kakashi's was a vast, endless mountain range—and it was growing every second.
The "cheat" that once only added a tiny bit of chakra at a time had finally revealed its true power.
As the Lord of the Empire, even if Kakashi did nothing, every time a person felt moved by his achievements, his chakra would increase by one point. Now that Kakashi was constantly implementing policies to improve the people's livelihoods, the entire Shinobi World felt a sense of gratitude toward him.
In the past, Kakashi's influence was limited to the shinobi system. No matter how strong he was, he was confined to that world, with only occasional admiration from commoners. But now, his every move affected the entire world. Every human on the planet was changed by his actions.
By striving to improve the quality of life for all citizens, the citizens in turn provided Kakashi with chakra. The notifications in the back of his mind, which he deliberately ignored, were scrolling non-stop.
[Koyuki Kazahana's emotions fluctuate +1][Chakra +1][Current Chakra: 150,000,000%]
This was the result of only three years of the Radiant Empire. The population of the world was far more than 150 million; the Land of Fire alone had over 100 million people. This was why Kakashi spared no effort in domestic policy—it was both a way to let the world recover and a means of becoming stronger.
It was a win-win. Kakashi improved lives, and the people's faith empowered him. Had he not been worried about overreaching and causing instability in the newly formed Empire, he could have pushed these numbers even higher.
The current Kakashi had completely transcended the concept of a "ninja."
Mōryō? Satori? Nagato? Obito? Madara Uchiha? Or even Isshiki Ōtsutsuki?
Even if Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki stood before him now, Kakashi had the capital to face him. Yet, despite such power, Kakashi never stopped his pace. He knew there was still an enemy waiting. It wasn't Kaguya on the moon, nor was it Toneri.
It was Shibai Ōtsutsuki. The one called the "God of the Ōtsutsuki," a powerhouse said to be able to traverse dimensions.
But regardless of what was to come... at this moment, Kakashi was the strongest. Even the title "God of Shinobi," once used to describe Hashirama Senju, was insufficient.
The current Kakashi was a True God walking among mortals.
Meanwhile, Yomi's original body was deep within an underground palace. Despite a thousand years passing, the palace used to seal Mōryō's soul looked brand new. Sensing his Shadow Clone dispel, Yomi knelt and began weaving hand signs.
He was going to release the seal on Mōryō's soul. A millennium had passed, and the techniques used to bind the demon had grown weak with time. Otherwise, for someone of Yomi's level to break a seal left by Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki would have been an impossible dream.
"Seal—Release!"
As the final seal was completed, a wave of sinister purple chakra surged through the palace. Simultaneously, above ground, Kakashi narrowed his eyes. The moment Yomi broke the seal, he sensed it.
That ominous power.
"The natural energy... it's becoming turbulent," Naruto noted, his affinity for Sage Mode allowing him to detect the anomaly instantly.
"Eh?" Sakura looked at Naruto, confused. Compared to him, her talent for Sage Mode was average, and she couldn't yet sense the subtle shifts in natural energy.
"It seems the demons from a thousand years ago were entities that utilized natural energy," Kakashi said calmly.
Chakra was brought by Kaguya Ōtsutsuki and technically did not belong to the Earth's original power system. Natural energy was the true local power of the planet. The demon Mōryō was a monster born from that very system. Likely, the so-called Evil God, the Reaper, and Satori were all branches of this same power.
However, this power system was not friendly to humans. If not for Kaguya and Hagoromo, humanity would likely still be groveling under the claws of demons.
Suddenly, the ground beneath them began to tremble. Eerie buildings and statues erupted from the earth, and the ruins of the Uzumaki Clan were completely swallowed by the transformation. Shion closed her eyes tight, her body trembling with fear.
"Don't worry. With Kakashi-niisan here, everything will be fine." Naruto stepped forward to comfort her, his confidence in Kakashi absolute. Sakura watched them, a thoughtful look in her eyes.
Kakashi remained unmoved by the shifting landscape, waiting for Mōryō to appear. As the twisted architecture rose, a thick purple-black miasma began to spread. The tremors intensified, and the dark mist enveloped the entirety of Whirlpool Island, turning the once-clear sky pitch black. Dark, ink-like clouds blotted out the sun, plunging the world into artificial night.
"It's here!" Naruto shouted. He could feel something nameless emerging.
Following Naruto's cry, a massive tentacle covered in suckers and dripping with slime erupted from the distant sea! It was at least dozens of meters long. Then a second, a third, a fourth! Within moments, Whirlpool Island was surrounded by these grotesque limbs.
The moment the tentacles appeared, Shion—who had been trembling with fear—suddenly went silent. Her pale purple eyes snapped open, now turned a void-like black.
Kakashi turned his gaze toward her.
"Human powerhouse... I truly thank you for bringing my body before me."
The voice coming from Shion's mouth was a terrifying cacophony—it sounded like a weathered old man, a young girl, a mature man, and a seductive woman all speaking at once. It was bizarre, yet it carried an eerie sense of authority.
"I see," Kakashi said, seeing through the truth instantly. "The moment the soul and body are in proximity, you can use your will to fuse them instantaneously."
"What?!" Naruto stared at Shion in disbelief. "Then Shion—!"
"What an exceptional human, to be able to see the essence of the soul and flesh."
Shion... or rather, Mōryō, looked at Kakashi with a twisted, enchanting smile. As they spoke, Shion's pale blonde hair was stained a dark purple-black, and her clothes began to disintegrate under the erosion of natural energy.
"The seal on my physical body within this vessel hasn't been fully broken yet," Mōryō continued unhurriedly. "But how can a mere physical seal withstand the combined pressure of both soul and body? Given a little time, I shall return to my peak form."
Naruto didn't hesitate. He entered Sage Mode immediately, glaring at the girl whose skin was now deathly pale. "So, if I defeat you now, Shion will return to normal, right?"
Mōryō chuckled and tapped a finger against Shion's heart. "Go ahead. Kill this body, and you will naturally defeat me."
In just a few breaths, flower-like purple-black patterns spread across Shion's skin. As the markings appeared, a suit of pitch-black, European-style heavy armor materialized over her body. When the final piece of plate covered her feet, the young girl looked like a dark knight.
"You bastard..." Naruto looked at the demon, then turned to Kakashi, unsure of how to proceed.
"And what if I simply destroy your soul?" Kakashi asked. He wasn't moved by Mōryō's taunts. Killing Mōryō—or Shion—was easy for him. But that would defeat his original purpose. He needed Shion with Mōryō's power, not a corpse.
"You think you can do what even Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki could not?" Mōryō lifted Shion's chin, exposing her swan-like neck, her face full of mockery.
Upon hearing this, a terrifying amount of chakra surged within Kakashi. A beam of pure white light gathered in his hand, illuminating the surrounding darkness. This flawless light seemed like the only hope in a world of shadows.
"Was it that Hagoromo could not do it..." Kakashi said softly. "...or that he chose not to?"
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