The Temple of Fire was built a century ago, and its architecture carried a rich sense of history. Fūmori Masaki and the others followed behind the Abbot, listening as he introduced the Temple of Fire.
Although Ninjas regarded the Shinobi Sect as their origin, they had long since forgotten its teachings. They had merely inherited the Secret Techniques of the Shinobi Sect and were uninterested in its philosophy.
The Abbot of the Temple of Fire understood this, so he did not dwell too much on the philosophy of the Shinobi Sect with those behind him. His words were just right—neither boring them nor failing to impart some of the historical origins of the Temple of Fire. Of course, he also made sure to tell them which places they should not visit.
Since Fūmori Masaki had already come to the Temple of Fire, he naturally could not pass up this opportunity to learn about the Secret Scriptures of the Shinobi Sect. Therefore, after the Abbot had briefly introduced the entire Temple of Fire, he said to the Abbot, "Abbot, would you be willing to tell me about the doctrines of the Shinobi Sect?"
The Abbot was somewhat surprised; he had not expected that among these young people, there would actually be someone interested in the doctrines of the Shinobi Sect. It was truly incredible. However, since the other party was willing to listen, he was also willing to preach his faith to him.
The others were uninterested; after all, Ninjas were not believers. If it weren't for the fact that their Secret Techniques originated from the Shinobi Sect, they wouldn't even want to have anything to do with it.
Nevertheless, Satomi, Uchiha Kagami, and Hyūga Kei were interested in listening along with Fūmori Masaki.
The Senju Clan had always respected the Temple of Fire, and Satomi was not unfamiliar with it. She was willing to accompany her husband to listen to the doctrines of the Temple of Fire.
Hyūga Kei did so for the same reason. The Hyuga Clan had deep ties with the Temple of Fire. The Hyuga Clan, which had always maintained ancient etiquette, was not as resistant to the Shinobi Sect as other Ninjas. On the contrary, the Hyuga Clan was likely the family most willing to be associated with the Shinobi Sect among all Ninja clans.
Uchiha Kagami did not have a clan-related reason. The Temple of Fire might not have truly inherited the Shinobi Sect, but at least it had not gone against it; the philosophy it preached was still based on kindness. The Uchiha Clan, which favored the battlefield, naturally would not revere the Temple of Fire.
The reason he was willing to listen was that Fūmori Masaki was interested in it. He felt that Fūmori Masaki was not the type of person to waste his time, and there must be something worth hearing in the doctrines of the Temple of Fire.
After the four of them expressed their desire to listen to the doctrines of the Shinobi Sect, Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others prepared to return to their rooms to wait, as they truly had no interest in the doctrines of the Shinobi Sect.
The Abbot nodded with a smile and said, "Please, follow me."
The Abbot led the four of them toward a room, preparing to preach to them properly. Konohagakure was now an important force within the Land of Fire. Although the Temple of Fire did not have much of a vested interest in it, it was naturally a good thing that there were people in Konohagakure willing to be friendly toward the Temple of Fire.
On the way, the group saw two young women walking toward them. One walked in front, and the other followed behind. The young woman in front was dressed simply, yet she could not hide her noble temperament. Her face was fair, and she was clearly from an excellent background. Seeing the Abbot leading the way, she bowed and said, "Abbot."
The Abbot returned the greeting, but his address to the young woman made the hearts of the four skip a beat, for he addressed her as "Your Highness, Princess."
Although they knew the young woman was of extraordinary background, they had not expected her to be a princess of the country. Judging by her age, she should be the daughter of The late Feudal Lord, and thus the sister of the current New Ruler.
The young woman looked at Fūmori Masaki and the others, and from the forehead protectors they were wearing, she knew their identities. The Abbot then introduced them. Upon learning that they wanted to listen to the doctrines of the Shinobi Sect, the young woman was also very surprised. Seemingly busy with something, she told everyone that the doctrines of the Shinobi Sect were profound and required careful study, and then she left.
After the young woman left, Fūmori Masaki and the others breathed a sigh of relief. They were a bit curious why a princess of the country would appear in the Temple of Fire. Could it be that she was also a believer?
As they walked, the Abbot told everyone about the princess. The princess was called Senhime, the third daughter of The late Feudal Lord, and was deeply loved. After The late Feudal Lord passed away, Princess Senhime came to the Temple of Fire to pray that The late Feudal Lord could enjoy happiness in the Pure Land World.
In the doctrines of the Shinobi Sect, a place called the Pure Land was described. It was said that when a person died, they would go there. In the Pure Land World, the soul would review the best memories of their life, and after the soul was redeemed, it would be reincarnated and come into this world as a pure life.
Satomi, Hyūga Kei, and Uchiha Kagami were skeptical. If such a world really existed, there would be no need to fear what happens after death, but did such a world really exist?
Fūmori Masaki could be certain that the Pure Land World really existed. In the past, no living person could prove the existence of the Pure Land World, but in this era, whether it was the Reaper Death Seal of the Uzumaki Clan or the Edo Tensei created by Tobirama, both proved the existence of the Pure Land World.
Rather than worrying about the Pure Land World, Fūmori Masaki deduced from the Abbot's words that Princess Senhime was a believer of the Temple of Fire—no, he should say, a believer of the Shinobi Sect.
When he realized this, a flash of inspiration crossed Fūmori Masaki's mind. It passed too quickly for him to grasp, but he vaguely felt that the princess's faith should be of some use.
The Abbot brought everyone into the room and had them sit down. Fūmori Masaki could not figure out the inspiration that had just flashed by, so he temporarily put it aside and turned to listen to the Abbot's teachings.
The Temple of Fire was very similar to temples in another world, but there were some differences. The most obvious difference was that its doctrines were closely related to the Shinobi Sect. After the Shinobi Sect disappeared that year, the Secret Scriptures were scattered across the continent. The information was fragmented, making it impossible for people to know the full picture of the Shinobi Sect, but based on what remained, it was still enough to reveal a mythical world.
The objects worshiped in the Temple of Fire were naturally the Six Paths Sage and the followers who followed him. Just like how the names of the Six Paths Sage's two sons were the same as mythical figures in another world, one could often hear names that sounded familiar to Fūmori Masaki in the doctrines of the Temple of Fire.
For instance, Fūmori Masaki heard several titles that were mythical figures in another world, and in this world, they were also the names of Dōjutsu for the Mangekyo Sharingan.
Just like their status in another world, the possessors of these names were pivotal in the Shinobi Sect and were important members of the Shinobi Sect's worldview. Perhaps that was why they could become the names of the powers of the Mangekyo Sharingan; as descendants of the son of God, they naturally had the qualifications to use them.
Fūmori Masaki thought to himself that although the Shinobi Sect had long since disintegrated, everything about it was invisibly influencing every aspect of this world, even the descendants of the Sage who had forgotten their ancestors.
During the Abbot's narration, although Fūmori Masaki did not get any information about Sage Arts, in one story, there was a short passage where the Six Paths Sage talked about matters of Sages. This made Fūmori Masaki feel a little excited; perhaps the Secret Scriptures of the Shinobi Sect really did contain records of Sage Art Secret Techniques.
Seeing that it was getting late, the Abbot stopped and indicated that if they wanted to continue listening, they could come find him again. Fūmori Masaki and the others bid farewell to the Abbot and returned to their rooms to rest. Along the way, they discussed the doctrines of the Shinobi Sect and could not help but secretly marvel that these ideological theories had a unique charm of their own.
Because Hashirama and Tobirama were hosted by the Feudal Lord, they did not return to the Temple of Fire but stayed at the accommodation arranged by the Feudal Lord. Therefore, only Fūmori Masaki and the others, along with the three captains, were staying in the Temple of Fire. After the funeral ended, they would return to Konohagakure.