Chapter 395: Intelligence Regarding the Pure Land
Taruho reached out and gently pushed open the wooden door.
Squeak~
The door hinges let out a faint sound.
An even denser fragrance of medicinal herbs and a certain unfamiliar scent wafted out from within the room, seemingly mixed with a light sandalwood aroma that could soothe the Soul.
At the same time, the voice of a girl came through; it sounded slightly immature, yet she was trying her best to maintain a sense of solemnity and majesty as she recited some sort of incantation or scripture.
Accompanying it was a male voice that, although weak and unsteady in breath, was exceptionally gentle and clear, patiently providing explanations and guidance.
"Lady Priestess, Hidden Leaf Village's Hokage wishes to see you and Mr. Kato."
Taruho entered the room first and announced respectfully.
His voice interrupted the teaching inside.
The sounds within the room ceased instantly.
Jiraiya followed closely behind Taruho and stepped into the room.
This was a side hall decorated in a very elegant and solemn manner. A soft carpet was spread in the center of the room, with low tables and cushions placed upon it.
A little girl who looked to be only in her early teens, wearing priestess attire and possessing long pale-blonde hair and delicate features, was sitting upright in the seat of honor.
Jiraiya instantly concluded that this must be the current Priestess of the Land of Demons, Shion.
And opposite her floated a translucent Soul of a man whose figure was somewhat blurred, yet one could still discern his appearance and gentle temperament from when he was alive.
It was indeed Kato Dan.
Hearing Taruho's words, both Shion and Dan turned their heads simultaneously toward the doorway.
Seeing the tall, burly man with flamboyant white hair and a heroic aura behind Taruho, Kato Dan was stunned for a moment, and then an uncontrollable joy and excitement appeared on his face.
"Fifth Hokage-sama," his voice trembled slightly due to weakness and excitement, "it's been a long time!"
His translucent figure struggled to stand straighter to offer his greetings to Jiraiya.
Meanwhile, the Priestess Shion's brows were slightly furrowed, her large purple eyes scanning Jiraiya up and down, her small face showing a hint of obvious confusion and... disappointment?
This was the Hokage that Mr. Kato had mentioned before, the one who was supposedly "very handsome"?
But this uncle in front of her looked so old; even his hair was white.
And his smile was a bit strange.
The fantasy Shion had in her heart about the "Hokage" seemed to have shattered.
Wait, Mr. Kato mentioned the Sixth Hokage before, while this one seems to be the Fifth Hokage.
Then it's not surprising, it's not surprising at all.
"Dan."
Jiraiya's attention was now entirely focused on Kato Dan.
He stepped forward quickly, carefully observing Dan's weak spiritual body, his eyes filled with worry and concern.
For Kato Dan to come out of the Pure Land, unless someone had used a technique to summon him, he could only have crossed through Izanami Slope.
Seeing Jiraiya appear, Kato Dan also seemed to feel at ease.
He turned and spoke respectfully to Shion:
"Lady Priestess, I wish to speak privately with the Fifth Hokage-sama about some important matters regarding Hidden Leaf Village and the Pure Land. Please excuse us for a moment."
Although Shion was young, as a Priestess, she possessed the ability to read the situation.
She saw the urgency and solemnity on Kato Dan's face and nodded:
"Please go ahead, Mr. Kato. Taruho, take the two of them to Mr. Kato's room."
"Yes, Lady Priestess," Taruho replied with a bow.
Kato Dan nodded slightly to Shion in acknowledgment and then impatiently led Jiraiya, guided by Taruho, out of the side hall toward the guest room specifically prepared for him within the palace.
The guest room was simply but cleanly furnished, also permeating with the scent of soothing incense.
Even though Kato Dan was only in Soul form, the Priestess had still arranged a room for him.
After Taruho brought the two of them there, he tactfully withdrew from the room, closed the door, and stood guard outside.
As soon as they entered the guest room, Jiraiya could no longer contain himself. He waved his hand to set up a simple soundproofing barrier, then lowered his voice and asked urgently:
"Dan, how did you get out of the Pure Land? Is Izanami Slope really in the Land of Demons?"
Hearing the name "Izanami Slope," Kato Dan was slightly stunned, then nodded with understanding:
"You know about Izanami Slope? Well, I heard you've traveled the Ninja World for decades and are very knowledgeable; it's normal for you to have heard of Izanami Slope."
His spiritual body floated slowly in the room, seemingly organizing his words, a look of reminiscence and gravity appearing on his face.
Then, he began to recount his incredible experience of "escaping" the Pure Land.
"First, the most important piece of information: the Six Paths Sage is within the Pure Land. Moreover, the Pure Land seems to be entirely under his control."
The very first sentence caused Jiraiya's expression to instantly become extremely grim.
The legendary Six Paths Sage had actually been in the Pure Land all along, holding that world of the deceased firmly in his grasp?
This news was simply too shocking!
But thinking carefully, it didn't seem entirely unexpected.
The so-called Six Paths consisted of the Heavenly Dao, Asura Path, Human Path, Naraka Path, Animal Path, and Preta Path.
Since the Six Paths Sage was called the "Six Paths" Sage, he must have an extremely close connection to this cycle of Reincarnation.
And the legendary "Sanzu River," which is closely related to the land of the deceased—the "Three Paths" in its name refers to the Naraka Path, Animal Path, and Preta Path.
It wasn't strange for the Six Paths Sage to have a connection with the Pure Land and the cycle of life and death, or even to control part of it.
However, having this fact confirmed still made Jiraiya feel a heavy pressure.
Kato Dan continued his narration:
"Senior Sakumo Hatake and I were arranged by the Six Paths Sage to fight against some of the deceased from the Hidden Sand Village in the Pure Land."
"During the battle, I discovered that when I tried to use the Spirit Transformation Technique, my perception changed. I vaguely'saw' a blurred path leading to the Ninja World!"
"It should be because my Physical Body is still alive."
Dan explained, "When using the Spirit Transformation Technique in the past, I could also clearly feel the existence and location of my body. In the Pure Land, although this connection was greatly weakened and interfered with, it was not completely severed."
"It was by relying on this faint connection that I was able to capture the trace of that 'path' back to the Ninja World while in the Spirit Transformation Technique state."
"With Senior Hatake's help and cover, I seized an opportunity to break away from the battle and fled toward the outskirts of the Pure Land—which is the direction of the legendary 'Sanzu River'."
His description began to become even more eerie and bizarre:
"Within the Sanzu River, there are some strange ninja beasts."
"Their appearances are varied and bizarre: there are ferocious three-headed hounds, giant pandas covered in cracks, rampaging rhinos, strange large-footed birds with green feathers, and even a weird existence with a high collar that only reveals a human head..."
"They all look very dangerous, and they all possess the same Rinnegan as the Six Paths Sage, with many black rods on their bodies."
"But strangely, they were all tightly entwined by Wood Release, as if they were sealed or bound. Their movements were sluggish, and their aggressiveness was greatly reduced."
"It was precisely because these ninja beasts were bound by Wood Release that I was able to cross the Sanzu River relatively easily."
Wood Release?
Jiraiya's heart skipped a beat, and he blurted out:
"Was it the First Hokage-sama?"
Among those in the Pure Land who knew Wood Release, Jiraiya only knew of the First Hokage.
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