The ceremony concluded, but its lingering echoes resonated deeply.
In the Holy City plaza, the million civilians receded like the tide.
Their footsteps were light as they chattered excitedly about the divine miracle and the food rations distributed to them. Notably absent from their conversations were any mentions of the "Land of Fire" or the "Land of Lightning"—nations that had already crumbled into the dust of history.
To the insignificant masses of the world, the sky had simply changed colors. As long as it didn't strike them with lightning, it was a golden age of peace.
In a corner of the viewing platform, Tsunade stood frozen in place, her fingers digging fiercely into the marble railing.
She had long since removed her forehead protector. The blue diamond seal on her forehead gave off a faint glow in the moonlight. Behind her, the gathered Konoha ninjas were entirely silent.
"It's over." Shikaku Nara exhaled a heavy breath of stale air, his voice hoarse. "From today onward, there is no more Hidden Leaf Village. There is only an inner district within the Nation of Dawn."
He turned his head to look behind him.
Choza Akimichi was staring blankly at the brightly lit streets in the distance, while Inoichi Yamanaka was looking down, fidgeting with his fingertips. These brilliant men, who had once held the absolute highest secrets of the ninja world, now had eyes filled with nothing but self-mockery.
Ohnoki had died amidst a chaotic army. The Fourth Raikage had been burned to ash.
Mei Terumi had become a personal servant to His Imperial Majesty. The Kazekage was already a relic of the past.
This entire land had been utterly, completely reshuffled.
"Rather than calling it a fallen nation, it's more accurate to call it a rebirth," Orochimaru's hoarse laughter rang out from the back of the group, his golden eyes flashing. "Look at those commoners. They smile much more genuinely than they ever did in Konoha. Tsunade, your 'Will of Fire' is as fragile as a piece of scrap paper when placed in front of the absolute guarantee of food, warmth, and equality."
Tsunade whipped her head around, her glare as sharp as a blade. "Orochimaru!"
"Don't look at me like that." Orochimaru licked his lips, shifting his gaze toward the top of the grand staircase. "Compared to that, aren't you far more curious about that final scene? Yahiko, Nagato... people who died decades ago, their flesh restored to perfection, their souls returned to their bodies. That kind of jutsu is not ninjutsu. It is a divine miracle."
Tsunade's heart skipped a violent beat.
The dead awakening.
That scene was seared into her brain like a branding iron.
When Yahiko stepped out of the void, the rhythm of his rising chest and the vibrant life force surging through his veins could not be hidden from the eyes of a medical saint like her.
That wasn't some inferior knock-off that toyed with souls like the Edo Tensei.
That was true, absolute resurrection.
...
Along the central axis of the Holy City.
Yahiko and Nagato walked side-by-side.
The road beneath their feet was astonishingly wide. The smooth stone surface was illuminated as brightly as day by the technique known as the "Lightning Glow Formation".
"So this is the Holy City Konan mentioned." Yahiko stopped walking. He looked up at the towering spires piercing the clouds, his eyes slightly dazed.
The Amegakure in his memories consisted only of endless mud, freezing steel pipes, and rain that could never be wiped dry.
But here, the air was dry and crisp. Exotic, unnamed flowers and plants lined the streets, exuding a calming, elegant fragrance.
"Nagato, I really thought I was going to hell." Yahiko flashed a grin, his smile just like the hot-blooded youth he had been back then. "I didn't expect to skip hell entirely and end up in heaven."
Nagato's red hair fell past his face. His eyes were clear. Having lost the Rinnegan, his aura was much more subdued, replaced by a profound steadiness of someone who had seen through the ways of the world.
"Heaven is also man-made," Nagato said. He reached out to touch an energy transmission pillar beside him, sensing the vast chakra flowing within. "Konan... the one people are calling the Angel God. She and His Majesty used brute force to crush this broken world to dust, and then molded it into this exact shape according to their own desires."
The two moved through the flow of the crowd.
By the side of the road, several ninjas who previously belonged to the Sand and Cloud were sitting together drinking and chatting merrily.
In the plaza far away, children were chasing each other playfully around the Angel Statue. There was no war. There was no military mobilization. There were no assassinations that could drop from the shadows at any moment.
"This kind of peace... is far too extravagant." Yahiko crouched by a fountain, watching the koi fish swimming in the water. "It's so extravagant that it makes me feel like all our sacrifices back then were simply laughable."
Nagato remained silent for a long time. He cast his gaze toward the top of the shrine.
He knew about the relationship between Konan and Alex.
When those memories were injected into his mind, he had seen a sense of peace in Konan's eyes that had never existed before.
"That is where she belongs," Nagato said softly. "Yahiko, our dream was to stop the world from crying. Now, the world isn't just not crying; it's smiling very happily. As for who brought it into reality... it doesn't matter anymore."
Yahiko stood up and dusted off the hem of his clothes. A vibrant, energetic light returned to his eyes. "You're right. Since we're alive again, we have to do something. Let's keep walking. Let's see where the Holy City needs a few extra hands to haul bricks. With bodies like ours, we can't just sit around eating free food."
Looking at his best friend's back, the corners of Nagato's mouth curved up slightly.
This new world... was indeed much better than he had ever expected.
...
In a VIP room on the top floor of the Holy City's recreation center.
The core group of the former Konoha was gathered in full.
The clinking of sake cups sounded heavy and muffled.
Anko grabbed a skewer of dango but didn't take a bite. Her eyes were fixed on the empty void outside the window, lost in thought. Kurenai Yuhi sat by the low table, her brows knitted tightly together.
"Let's hear it, then," Tsunade broke the silence, her sake cup already empty.
"I analyzed that jutsu the entire walk over here," Shikaku Nara spoke first, tapping his finger lightly against the table. "The more I analyzed it, the more despairing it felt. Nagato and Yahiko's state was a complete material reconstruction at the fundamental chakra level. It didn't rely on a physical body, nor did it require a medium. As long as He wills it, He can resurrect anyone who has died in the long river of history."
"And what does that mean?" Tenten couldn't help but ask.
"It means He holds the ultimate power of reward and punishment," Inoichi Yamanaka answered, his voice low and heavy. "The loyal can achieve eternal life, or even resurrect their beloved. The traitors will not only suffer in life, but their souls will never escape His grasp even in death."
The moment he said this, you could hear a pin drop in the room.
"I want to resurrect my father," Kurenai Yuhi suddenly spoke.
Her voice was very soft, but it landed like a bomb. The dango slipped from Anko's fingers, splattering onto the floor.
Tsunade's eyes widened in shock as she locked gazes with Kurenai.
Kurenai's eyes were red, but she stared right back at Tsunade. "Lady Tsunade, don't you want to resurrect Nawaki? Don't you want to bring back your loved ones?"
And everyone else... who didn't have a few ghosts hidden in their hearts, loved ones who had died on the battlefield?
Sakura bit her lower lip, twisting her fingers together.
She thought of that blonde idiot. Even though Naruto had died trying to stop the Akatsuki and was classified as a rebel, what if... what if she could beg for His Majesty's forgiveness?
And Sasuke...
Tenten kept her head down, the faces of her family flashing through her mind.
Yugao Uzuki gripped the hilt of her sword tightly at her waist, her fingertips tracing the edge of the blade.
She too had someone she wanted to bring back.
"Resurrection requires a price," Shizune said rationally, though her tone carried a tremor even she didn't notice. "Why would Lord Alex help us resurrect our loved ones?"
"Because of your value," Orochimaru sneered from the shadows, his tone dripping with mockery. "That old fox Hiashi Hyuga donated his clan's entire foundation. Hinata and Ino have already walked straight into His Majesty's bedchamber. Everyone, if you want to resurrect the dead, sitting here drinking sake isn't going to cut it."
Orochimaru walked to the window, pointing at the magnificent Angel Shrine in the distance.
"Go beg the God. Or, become the God's pawns. In this new Empire, dignity is an entirely useless luxury. If it can buy back the lives of the dead, what does kneeling matter?"
Tsunade abruptly stood up and pushed the window wide open.
The night breeze rushed into the room.
She looked at this brightly lit city. This wasn't just a city; it was a massive, inescapable cage, and simultaneously, an overwhelmingly tempting wishing well.
She thought of Nawaki.
That child who died in his early teens, who never even got to become Hokage. If he could stand on these broad streets and witness this peace, he would definitely smile so brightly.
"I'm going to find Konan," Tsunade dropped the sentence and strode out the door.
Her back revealed absolute resolution, along with a deep, sinking surrender to something called "desire."
Inside the room, the group exchanged glances.
Shikaku sighed, stood up, and followed her. Inoichi Yamanaka and Choza Akimichi also stood up in silence.
Who could possibly resist the temptation of resurrecting the ones they loved?
When God bestowed His grace, the only choice left for mortals was to scramble over each other to sacrifice their absolute loyalty.
The moonlight bathed the room in a heavy, luminous glow.
Orochimaru was the last to remain. He looked at the leftover sake on the table.
"Resurrection... Samsara... What a grand, magnificent script." He muttered softly, his eyes cold yet burning with a snake-like fervor. "Your Majesty Alex... just how many more surprises can you bring us?"
...
Meanwhile, deep within the Imperial Palace.
Konan leaned against Alex's shoulder, watching the two seeds of life pulsing steadily before them.
"Now that they've been resurrected, those old ninjas are going to get restless," Konan said softly. "The intense longing in their eyes couldn't be hidden."
Alex rubbed his fingertips together.
"It's better that they can't hide it. Only when they have desires is it easy to slip the reins on them. Too much peace for too long breeds chaos. We have to give them something to strive for."
He raised his eyes and looked out the window. His gaze bypassed the Holy City, staring out into the boundless, deep darkness of the universe.
The embers of the old era were finally extinguishing, but the raging inferno of the new era was burning brighter than ever.
----
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