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Manji looked down at the many souls resting in his hand.
Indra. Asura. Hagoromo and Hamura. One by one, their souls rested within his palm.
He shook his head slowly and let out a sigh. "It's a shame I never managed to collect White-Brow and White Ape's souls."
There was a trace of regret in his voice. White-Brow and White Ape had just died at the wrong time.
If they had died a few centuries later—after Manji had mastered the Rinnegan and taken control of the Pure Land, he might have been able to reshape their souls and bring them back with his Six Paths-level Yin-Yang Release and authority over the afterlife.
After thinking this over, Manji stepped straight into the Pure Land.
As far as he could see, there was only endless white. The ground and sky blurred together without a clear boundary, creating a vast expanse wide enough to hold countless souls as more continued to arrive.
Standing in the center of the Pure Land, Manji stayed calm and pressed his palms together.
"Summoning Jutsu."
In an instant, the souls of the eight clan heads appeared before him, summoned from all corners of the Pure Land.
When Manji saw them clearly, he looked a little surprised.
Uchiha Gen and Senju Shima held the Akimichi Clan Head down on both sides—pinning him as he thrashed and struggled like a wild boar.
The Akimichi Clan Head's soul twisted wildly, his roars resounding through the white space. He looked completely out of control.
"..."
Nearby, the Sarutobi and Shimura Clan Heads both wore the same look that said, "not my problem."
The Uzumaki Clan Head stood a bit farther away and let out a relieved breath. Judging by his face, he had just finished a tiring struggle with the Akimichi Clan Head and had barely kept things under control.
The Nara and Yamanaka Clan Heads stood quietly to the side. They looked calm and composed, as if they were watching the chaos from a safe distance.
"Sage!"
As soon as the Uzumaki Clan Head sensed Manji's presence and looked up, his face lit up with delight. He hurried forward, sounding relieved to have someone in charge.
"SAGE, YOU'RE FINALLY HERE! THE AKIMICHI CLAN HEAD HAS LOST HIS MIND!"
Manji frowned a little. He didn't say anything, just lifted his hand and waved.
A powerful force spread out at once, holding the struggling Akimichi Clan Head in place. He couldn't move, and his roaring stopped immediately.
"Akimichi Clan Head!" the Sarutobi Clan Head barked at once, stepping forward now that the danger had been contained. "THE SAGE IS STANDING RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU. SHOW SOME RESPECT!!"
The shout, along with the intense pressure on his soul, finally snapped the Akimichi Clan Head back to his senses.
"..."
He froze and slowly looked up. As soon as he saw Manji, the madness left him. Fear and respect filled his face, and he started to tremble.
"Sage, forgive me. I wasn't thinking straight." The Akimichi Clan Head bowed his head right away, repeating his apology over and over.
Manji just shook his head and let it go.
Manji tapped his Six Paths staff, and Yin-Yang Release began to flow. Senjutsu chakra mixed with Yin Release, and soon, a large amount of spiritual food appeared in the air.
This food existed only in the Pure Land. It had no physical form, but it could feed souls and satisfy their hunger. It was made just for the dead who lived here.
Manji released the Akimichi Clan Head and then ignored him.
He turned his attention elsewhere.
Once again, he brought his hands together.
"Summoning Jutsu."
The towering Reaper slowly appeared from deep within the Pure Land.
"Grand Sage." The Reaper's huge ghostly form bowed before Manji, speaking with respect.
As soon as the Reaper appeared, the Uzumaki Clan Head's eyes widened in shock. The other clan heads quickly caught on too.
Their expressions changed as they looked at the Reaper. The old fear faded, replaced by a strange calm.
Of course... Even the Reaper, feared by all across the shinobi world, was just a subordinate of the Sage of Six Paths.
The Reaper bowed low, sensing the mood. It glanced at the eight clan heads, quickly understood what was happening, and lowered its head to wait for Manji's orders.
Manji looked down at the kneeling Reaper and spoke. "From now on, you will also be responsible for organizing the Pure Land labor force."
The Reaper's huge form shifted a little. For a moment, it looked troubled, as if the job might be too much for one being. But as soon as that feeling appeared, it was replaced by the command Manji had given it long ago.
The Sage of Six Paths' orders must be obeyed!!
"As you command." Without hesitation, the Reaper bowed deeply.
Manji nodded in satisfaction, then added, "I am not asking you to manage the whole Pure Land. You just need to oversee the people expanding it."
He never planned to give the entire Pure Land to the Reaper. He already had someone else in mind for that job.
He only wanted the Reaper to manage the shinobi coalition in charge of expanding the Pure Land.
Manji always followed one principle: Good deeds deserved reward. Sins deserved punishment.
Those shinobi had done a lot of evil while alive. Manji had no intention of letting them have an easy afterlife.
Making them expand the Pure Land forever was already an act of mercy.
He sent some Yin-Yang Release into the Reaper, pouring it straight into its soul. "I am granting you partial administrative authority over the Pure Land. You'll lead and help the eight clan heads set up a proper place for souls to live."
"I will not disappoint you, Grand Sage." The Reaper bowed again.
With everything settled, Manji didn't stay. He turned into a streak of light and disappeared from the white space.
..............
Once Manji was gone, the Uzumaki Clan Head quickly put on a warm smile and walked up to the Reaper like an old friend.
"Reaper, we meet again."
"..." The Reaper raised its eyes without expression and looked at him coldly. "Yes. It seems that in the end, none of you managed to survive—"
After hearing that, all eight clan heads looked downcast.
A silent sigh passed through them.
Thinking back on their choices and struggles in life, they realized that one mistake had led to regret that lasted even after death. Now that their souls were back in the Pure Land, there was no way to return to the Shinobi world.
The Uzumaki Clan Head's smile faltered for a moment, but he quickly recovered. "Reaper, we're still old acquaintances. Here in the Pure Land, I hope you'll guide us. We should look out for each other."
Inside, the Uzumaki Clan Head was already making plans...
The Uzumaki Clan had dealt with the Reaper many times in life. They hadn't really talked, but in a way, the Reaper was almost like a summoning beast for the Uzumaki Clan.
Of all the clan heads, he was closest to the Reaper. Naturally, he wanted to use that connection and build a good relationship early on.
The Reaper just looked away and stood silently, its face blank. It didn't say anything else.
..............
Somewhere else, Manji slowly brought out the souls of Hagoromo, Hamura, Indra, Asura, and the reincarnations from every generation.
"Now, all of you should stay here in the Pure Land too!"
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