After murmuring to himself, Uchiha Gen began the final step.
He had already stepped into the threshold of the Dao half a year earlier. His speed wasn't just because of talent. In a way, creating an entirely new cultivation system had placed him under an unseen blessing. It was as if fate gave him a constant tailwind, letting him grasp the Dao again and again with effortless clarity.
A majestic glow unfurled between his brows. Golden light rippled across the secret chamber, coating everything in shimmering waves. The golden lines in his Rinne Sharingan rotated with steady force as his Pure Yang Primordial Spirit surged forward, guided by the intertwined Six Paths and Outer Path powers. His spiritual force pushed into the Pure Land, beginning its infiltration.
Three days later, on the border of the Pure Land, a figure emerged. He wore a loose white robe that exposed his pale chest; crimson ox-horns curled from his forehead, and a dagger was clenched between his teeth.
The Shinigami born from the Reaper Death Seal.
He hovered above the void and unleashed a harsh roar. An invisible tide of soul energy swept outward like a storm.
Golden light condensed in the air. Uchiha Gen's Pure Yang Primordial Spirit took shape, stepping forward with calm composure.
The Shinigami's arms snapped out in an instant, stretching unnaturally across the void. Blood-red nails shot toward Gen's heart and throat.
Gen's thoughts stirred. A golden ripple surged outward. Space froze. The Shinigami's extended arms halted mid-air, his body locked in place like an insect trapped in amber.
"Shinigami?" Gen's gaze was cold. "Just a Shikigami left behind by an Onmyoji, and you dare strike at me?"
"I was planning to grant you a position later, but since you insist on death, I'll oblige."
The ripple solidified into golden chains that wrapped around the Shinigami's limbs, torso, and head.
A low, ghostly wail echoed. A crack split open across the Shinigami's abdomen. Blue soul flames burst out in a rush, forming a flowing river of light in the void.
Gen gestured. One cluster of soul flame, stronger than the rest, froze mid-air.
The golden chains ignited, turning into Pure Yang Flame. The Shinigami's howls were swallowed by the burning light until his existence dissolved into nothingness.
With the threat gone, Gen withdrew the Pure Yang Flame and awakened the consciousness sleeping inside that isolated cluster of soul flame.
It shifted and reshaped itself into a translucent young man with golden hair and a warm, handsome face.
The young man blinked, dazed. His gaze swept the surroundings before finally landing on Gen.
"This is… the Pure Land?" he murmured. "How did I end up here? And Gen, why are you—did you also…?"
Gen gave a light smile. "Minato-senpai, this is indeed the Pure Land. And no, I'm not dead. Think of it as me using a secret soul technique. By coincidence, I managed to pull you out of the Shinigami's stomach."
Minato Namikaze laughed softly. "So that's how it is. Thank you. How is Konoha now? How are Kushina and Naruto?"
"I'm the Fifth Hokage. Under my rule, Konoha has already surpassed its former peak."
"Kushina-nee and Naruto are doing very well. Naruto has grown up… and he's exceptional, both in the academy and outside it."
Gen didn't bother explaining the entire transformation of the world; that would take too long. For Minato, knowing his family lived well was enough.
"It seems you're an excellent Hokage." Minato smiled. "Then I can rest easy. If possible… please look after Kushina and Naruto."
That was easy enough. One was a consort in his harem, and the other was almost his adopted son. Not to mention Kushina had two additional children besides Naruto.
"I'll treat them well," Gen replied simply.
"Thank you. Then… I should return to where I belong."
Minato dipped his head. His form dissolved into a pale blue stream and drifted off toward his small dwelling in the Pure Land.
Pulling Minato from the Shinigami meant freeing him from eternal entrapment, preventing him from being bound forever with tormented souls. Saving Kushina from early death and giving Naruto a far better childhood, those were enough reasons to stand before Minato with a clear conscience.
Gen let out a quiet breath and turned back into golden radiance, continuing deeper into the Pure Land.
Time flowed quickly. Sixty-nine days passed in a blink.
After seventy-two days in total, he completed his infiltration, taking full control of the Pure Land.
With that power reinforcing him, fatigue didn't touch him. He began at once to infiltrate heaven and earth.
Using the Pure Land as a medium made the process astonishingly fast. Working from both directions, earth and sky, he finished in thirty-six days.
Back in the Imperial Capital, at 8:30 PM, the city was still alight with energy. Lanterns and lamps shimmered across the streets, crowds filling every avenue like a river of life.
Then the sky sang.
Celestial notes rang across the heavens, a sound beyond mortal description. White divine flowers drifted downward, while golden lotuses bloomed from the ground. The entire capital glowed in white and gold, darkness unable to withstand even a breath of it.
Where the flowers and lotuses touched living beings, ailments faded, minds cleared, and bodies felt light enough to float.
For three heartbeats, the world was silent in shock.
When the light faded, excitement burst through the city. People shouted across streets, rushed to find family and friends, and tried to make sense of the miracle.
Within the palace, the reaction was even stronger. Gen's women and children raced toward the location above the secret chamber, where the phenomenon had been most intense. Their voices filled the night, bright with awe and joy.
A few minutes later, Uchiha Gen appeared.
That overwhelming, unfathomable aura he once carried had vanished. He now looked like an ordinary young man—ordinary only in the sense that his appearance, build, and temperament were merely exceptional rather than otherworldly.
His wives and children surrounded him immediately, asking questions in a cheerful jumble. Gen simply told them his cultivation had reached completion. Nothing more.
By the next day, the news spread across the empire. Cheers rose among the people. The stronger Gen became, the more secure their stable lives felt.
Not everyone was happy. A small number of ill-intentioned individuals were left despairing. The Daien Empire had already stood strong for ten years, growing more prosperous every season. With Gen's strength rising again, any lingering hope they once had was crushed.
After stabilizing his new realm, Gen handled government affairs, stayed with his family, and then brought Black Zetsu with him to the Moon.
Oxygen was no longer a concern; he simply crossed the void with his physical body.
Descendants of Ōtsutsuki Hamura still lived there. Gen subdued Toneri Ōtsutsuki with little effort. He didn't kill him, merely reshaped his ideology. It was, after all, a small courtesy to Hamura.
With minor matters settled, Gen headed straight for the center of the Moon…