--------------------------------------------------
Even so...
"That little girl was the main culprit behind Matatabi's death. Her Amaterasu caused Matatabi serious harm."
Manji shook his head.
Matatabi could not help asking, "Teacher, are you talking about that Uchiha girl? What did you do to her?"
Kurama answered before Manji could speak. "After you died, Teacher killed the entire shinobi alliance that surrounded you. Then he swept through the shinobi world as well."
"..." Matatabi's eyes widened in shock, but there was also a trace of happiness.
So she still mattered that much to Manji.
Still, she said, "Teacher, you didn't have to go that far for me."
"A lot of those people were innocent. That little girl really was innocent. When she used her Sharingan to control me, I could feel her grief. I could feel that she had no choice."
A trace of sympathy passed through Matatabi's eyes.
Kaguya spoke as well. "Manji, even the Two-Tails has no objection. With your ability, reviving her and bringing her here to keep me company should not be difficult."
Manji was quiet for a moment before raising his hand.
A moment later, he disappeared.
.....
The Pure Land
After five years of steady growth, the Pure Land that Manji controlled was no longer the small, cramped place it had started as.
As far as the eye could see, tens of thousands of souls from the shinobi alliance were scattered across the realm, swinging pickaxes in different directions as they widened the Pure Land.
Manji took in the sight and nodded with satisfaction.
He waved his hand, and an invisible force swept through the Pure Land, bringing the eight clan leaders to him.
A moment later, the leaders of the Nara, Shimura, Uzumaki, Sarutobi, Uchiha, Senju, and the other major clans stood before him.
Sensing Manji's presence, none of them hesitated. They bowed right away, speaking with respect.
"GREETINGS, SAGE!"
Manji glanced at the eight clan leaders and gave a small nod.
"You have done well. In five years, the Pure Land has become much wider, and it can now hold far more souls. But space alone is not enough. This place has no order. If that continues, it will become a problem sooner or later. Do any of you have suggestions?"
The eight clan leaders, who had been keeping their heads down, immediately perked up.
Everyone knew that the Pure Land belonged to the Sage.
They also knew the Sage disliked tedious administrative work.
Over the past five years, Manji had hardly checked on the Pure Land. If one of them could suggest a good system, he might earn the Sage's trust and get a role in managing the Pure Land. That would be a big advantage for their clan's future here.
The Nara clan leader, who was always good at reading the situation, noticed the opportunity first.
Back in the living world, Ino-Shika-Chō had always needed to pay attention to the moods of the powerful clans.
But this was the world of the dead.
The rules had changed.
Here, physical strength and bloodline power mattered less. What mattered more were connections and the Sage's trust. If they could earn that trust, Ino-Shika-Chō might even rise above the Senju and Uchiha in the Pure Land.
They knew they could not afford to be left behind.
The Nara clan leader stepped forward at once. "Sage, I have a suggestion."
Manji glanced at him and gestured for him to speak.
"Speak..."
The Nara clan leader steadied himself and began. "Sage, the living world has laws and systems to restrain people's behavior and preserve stability. Now that the Pure Land has become the destination for departed souls, it should have its own order as well."
"In the future, more souls will continue entering the Pure Land. If no one governs them, chaos will follow. Conflicts between souls and the collapse of order will only be a matter of time."
He paused, then continued. "I believe we should borrow from the governing systems of the living world, adjust them to fit the Pure Land, and build a proper administrative structure. We can assign offices, divide responsibilities, and place different matters under specialized management."
"That is the only way the Pure Land can remain stable and receive souls for the long term."
Manji nodded thoughtfully.
The Nara leader's idea was similar to what Manji had in mind.
He could use ideas from the underworld systems he remembered from his past life.
With the Rinnegan, Manji could already sense countless souls wandering.
War had taken too many lives, and most of those souls drifted in a fog, unconscious and homeless. In a way, the tens of thousands of shinobi alliance souls in the Pure Land were lucky. At least they had somewhere to stay.
But as the Pure Land kept growing, it would lose its purpose without order. Without a system, it would just turn into another chaotic wasteland.
Manji rubbed his chin and thought for a moment. Then his gaze swept across the eight clan leaders, and he immediately saw through their intentions.
Of course.
Men like these were never honest for long, no matter where they went.
"So," Manji said slowly, "from the sound of it, all of you want to help me manage the Pure Land?"
The question pierced straight through their thoughts.
The Nara clan leader's eyes lit up.
The Shimura clan leader could not hold back. Still hungry for power even after death, he stepped forward with a bold smile.
"Sage, if you do not mind, you may grant me authority over the Pure Land. I will handle all its affairs for you. I can prepare my own subordinates and take care of every mundane duty on your behalf."
"When I was alive, I was skilled at managing my clan and coordinating affairs. I have experience governing territory. I will surely keep the Pure Land organized."
The Shimura clan leader spoke very respectfully.
As soon as he finished, the Uzumaki clan leader sneered.
"Shimura, everyone knows what your so-called management looks like. You are stubborn, biased, and short-sighted. If the Pure Land falls into your hands, it will split apart within days. Wouldn't that betray the Sage's trust?"
"It was bad enough when you played political games in the living world. Don't drag that disgusting power struggle into the afterlife."
The Shimura clan leader's face grew dark, and he was about to argue, but the Sarutobi clan leader quickly stepped in to calm things down.
"Uzumaki, that is a little harsh. Clan Leader Shimura does have some shortcomings in management, yes, but no one is perfect."
Then Sarutobi shifted the conversation.
He finally got to his real point.
"But if the Sarutobi Clan and Clan Leader Shimura worked together, we could balance each other's strengths and weaknesses. We would surely bring order to the Pure Land and manage it in a way worthy of the Sage's trust."
After saying this, the Sarutobi clan leader turned to Manji with even more respect.
"Sage, my Sarutobi Clan has deep ties to you. Our ancestor received your personal guidance, and that became the basis of the Sarutobi Clan."
"If you grant me this opportunity, I will devote everything I have to guarding this Pure Land for you."
"..."
While the others tried to promote themselves, Uchiha Gen and Senju Shima stayed quiet.
They did not interrupt or try to show off. They stood quietly to the side, looking respectful as they waited for Manji's decision. As leaders of two old and powerful clans, they still had a calmness the others did not.
Manji looked at all eight of them.
Their schemes were obvious to him.
These men had ruled over others in life, and now they wanted to keep doing the same in death.
Manji shook his head inwardly.
None of the eight lived up to his expectations.
Uchiha Gen and Senju Shima might be useful, but Manji did not know enough about them. He had hardly interacted with this generation's Indra and Asura reincarnations.
At this point, he almost thought it would be better to bring in the soul of a previous Asura or Indra reincarnation and let them help manage the Pure Land instead.
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