Uchiha Yoru knew nothing about Orochimaru's help. Following Miwa Masayo's vague feeling, he finally tracked down a target.
Miwa Masayo suddenly pointed at a small forest they had just passed sideways through and said, "Yoru, I feel it. That thing is here, nya."
Uchiha Yoru stopped and asked doubtfully, "Rika-chan, are you sure?"
The tabby cat hesitated and said, "That's right. It's here."
"This is troublesome…" Uchiha Yoru sighed deeply.
He placed both hands on his waist, lowered his head, and deliberately avoided looking at the shinobi walking out of the woods. Very seriously, he suggested, "If I say we were just passing by, would you believe me?"
The young female shinobi at the front scolded him in a clear, sweet childlike voice, "You followed behind us for so long. How could I possibly believe you?"
Uchiha Yoru struggled again. "Whether you believe it or not, how about we pretend neither side saw the other?"
The girl rolled her eyes and asked irritably, "Who do you think you are? Why would I give you face?"
Uchiha Yoru felt utterly helpless. His reputation in the shinobi world had not spread yet, and he had not eaten the Face-Face Fruit either. They truly had no reason to give him face.
In the shinobi world, face depended on your reputation and the other party's reputation.
He and Miwa Masayo had never expected that the target they were tracking would actually be Yugito Nii, the jinchuriki of the Two-Tails, Matatabi.
Although the Two-Tails ranked near the bottom among the Tailed Beasts, and the blond girl was only a little loli, possibly not even twelve years old, she was still the Two-Tails' jinchuriki and could communicate with Matatabi to cooperate in battle. Her strength was far superior to Kirigakure's previous jinchuriki.
Yugito Nii was a genuine Kage-level shinobi. For her to give face, the other party would have to be a powerful shinobi famous throughout the shinobi world.
If the Konoha shinobi standing here were Orochimaru, Jiraiya, or Tsunade, the blond loli would take the initiative to retreat without any of the three needing to speak.
He looked at Miwa Masayo on his shoulder and asked, "I remember Cat Castle has some old ties with Matatabi. Rika-chan, can you mediate?"
The tabby cat shook her head and said, "No, nya. Matatabi's relationship with Cat Castle is very faint, nya. At most, it won't attack me, but it won't stop its jinchuriki from attacking me either, nya."
"Tch. Seriously. I'm clearly about to leave, yet I still have to help Orochimaru for free."
"Yoru, are we really going to fight, nya?"
"No. We came to confirm who was making you uncomfortable, not to kill it."
"I understand, nya. Where can we go, nya?"
"Hot Spring Street, Octopus Island, or the ruins of Kubota. Where does Rika-chan want to go?"
"Hot Spring Street is boring. The giant octopus legs aren't mature yet. Let's go to Kubota ruins, nya."
"Alright."
On the other side, Yugito Nii and Matatabi were also discussing. Mainly, Matatabi was worried the blond loli would kill the cat sage.
"That is Cat Castle's first cat sage. Be very careful, nya."
"So wordy. Fine, as long as it doesn't attack me, I won't attack that cat."
"Yugito, you should use 'she' when referring to the cat sage. That's polite, nya."
"Matatabi."
"Nya?"
"You're so annoying."
"!"
Matatabi, residing within ghostly blue flames, immediately went mad. It was a Tailed Beast feared by everyone, yet it was actually being disliked by a blond loli?
Did she really think the Two-Tails' claws were not sharp?
But after a few seconds, the Two-Tails actually swallowed this anger.
Yugito Nii had become a jinchuriki before she was six years old and had been raised under Matatabi's watch.
During their many years together, the blond child's innocence had dissolved the Two-Tails' hostility, making her the first human to possess deep feelings with a Tailed Beast.
Although the sealing technique had problems, Yugito Nii still became close to a perfect jinchuriki, providing important reference for the success of the Eight-Tails jinchuriki, Blue B.
Yugito Nii keenly sensed Matatabi's depression and hurriedly comforted it, promising she would not attack the tabby cat. Even if she fought the enemy, she would be gentler.
Matatabi immediately did not know whether to laugh or be angry. It scolded her, "Idiot, I'm telling you to be careful and not provoke a powerful enemy, not telling you that you can't fight seriously."
"Sages are very powerful existences in the shinobi world. Every sage is extremely dangerous. If you can avoid provoking one, don't provoke one."
Yugito Nii asked, "Then are we still fighting today?"
Matatabi said indifferently, "Of course you can fight. Isn't this me here, nya?"
The blond loli cheered. "Matatabi is the best!"
"But you still need to be careful, nya. The contractor of Cat Castle's cat sage must be an outstanding shinobi of the Uchiha clan. His strength should be very powerful."
"Relax, relax. I'm also very strong."
Just as Yugito Nii was eager to attack, Uchiha Yoru had also finished discussing their destination with Miwa Masayo. He waved at the little loli, then activated the Flying Thunder God Technique.
The shinobi and the cat sage suddenly vanished.
The Kumogakure shinobi were shocked. The two Kumogakure shinobi who had originally been standing behind immediately drew their weapons and jumped directly in front of Yugito Nii, blocking her behind them and staying alert nervously.
These were jonin specially sent by the Third Raikage to protect her.
As a jinchuriki, Yugito Nii was qualified. But after all, she was only twelve years old. Her mind and strength were still far from their peak.
Moreover, real combat had long proven that jinchuriki were unstoppable on the battlefield and could cause tremendous slaughter, but their own fragility could not be changed. When ambushed by jonin, they could also easily get into trouble.
The Third Raikage had also thought carefully before sending two jonin to protect her, forming an extraordinarily powerful combat team.
This was like combining tanks and infantry. Tanks broke through hard targets, while infantry protected tanks from attacks.
Of course, as a jinchuriki gradually grew, Yugito Nii's strength would explosively increase. Her adaptability to Tailed Beast chakra would increase, the number of ninjutsu she mastered would increase, and her combat experience would become abundant.
When she reached adulthood, she would become a genuine Kage-level shinobi and no longer need jonin protection.
No matter how the two jonin searched, they could not find any trace of the enemy. This made them more and more nervous, until their palms were covered in cold sweat. They had to frequently switch hands holding their weapons to prevent sweat from making them slip.
At first, Yugito Nii did not think there was a problem, but as time passed, she also became extremely nervous.
This blond loli had always destroyed Kirigakure shinobi with overwhelming force. Only in real combat tests against the Third Raikage would she experience defeat.
And the prelude to being defeated by the Third Raikage was often the Third Raikage suddenly vanishing from her field of vision. Therefore, being unable to find the enemy naturally made the little loli extremely nervous.
Just as all three shinobi were drenched in cold sweat and tense to the point of not knowing what to do, Matatabi suddenly spoke.
"It's fine. They've already left."
Yugito Nii froze and asked, "They already left?"
Matatabi confirmed, "Mm. I just sensed the cat sage's aura. She is now at least several hundred kilometers away from me. The ninjutsu they used when leaving is very unusual. It is very likely space-time ninjutsu."
"Hiss—"
The blond loli sucked in a cold breath, but she also relaxed.
When she relayed the intelligence to the two jonin, they were also shocked, then relaxed. Afterward, they immediately demanded they leave quickly.
The oldest jonin said, "Lady Yugito, if the other party is a shinobi who has mastered space-time ninjutsu, then he can return at any time. This place is already very unsafe."
The other jonin also agreed. "Senior is right. We should transfer immediately."
The blond loli, however, seemed unwilling to lose face and forcefully retorted, "Hmph, he's only a shinobi who mastered space-time ninjutsu. What's there to fear?"
Although Yugito Nii's mouth was tough, her body was extremely honest. Without stopping for a step, she followed behind the two jonin and quickly moved away.
…
"As long as I don't want to fight, no one can stop me." Uchiha Yoru chuckled. "The Flying Thunder God Technique really is a divine technique. It lets me hold absolute initiative at any time."
"Even in a true immortal cultivation world, this technique would be a divine skill all cultivators dream of."
Miwa Masayo, however, was very unhappy and complained, "Why does Matatabi make me feel oppressed, nya? Does that mean I can only avoid it from now on? That really makes this cat unhappy, nya."
Uchiha Yoru also could not figure out why. He could only say, "Maybe your compatibility is bad."
"Don't worry. Although right now Rika-chan has to avoid the Two-Tails, its strength is already at this level, while you are still improving quickly."
"That's right, nya. That means when my strength surpasses Matatabi's, it'll be its turn to feel oppressed and uncomfortable, and it'll have to avoid me, nya!"
The tabby cat's mood instantly turned from cloudy to sunny, happily imagining herself bullying Matatabi in the future.
The area near Kubota Village was a small highland. The land had not been damaged by sulfur hot springs, so it could be farmed normally. Because of this, food production had been abundant and the population large. It had once been a great village with ten thousand people.
Unfortunately, a great battle six months ago had completely turned this village into ruins.
Most fatal of all, the farmland outside the village had been washed by a Water Release flood. The fertile soil had been scraped clean, and crops could no longer be planted.
This village was completely finished.
But as humans retreated, the power of nature swiftly covered it again. In just half a year, grass had grown tall and birds flew freely. It had become a home for wild animals.
Because various birds returned the fastest, Kubota Village became Miwa Masayo's favorite hunting ground, to the point that Uchiha Yoru had set up a stable Flying Thunder God mark here.
After returning to Kubota Village, Miwa Masayo greeted her litter-scooper, then slipped into the grass taller than a person like a wisp of smoke, chasing after all kinds of birds.
Uchiha Yoru came to the center of Kubota Village's ruins. Here, there was an empty space he had cleared out. The ground had been hardened into stone, and a very simple shelter had been built.
Because they had done barbecue here many times, Uchiha Yoru and Miwa Masayo had modified it several times, completely turning it into a barbecue shelter.
Uchiha Yoru sat here. Unaffected by the environment, he naturally calmed his mind and entered the new world of his Purple Mansion.
He wanted to continue studying the Purple Mansion, studying gods, and studying how to realize his plan.
After entering the Purple Mansion, Uchiha Yoru directly appeared on the cloud layer high in the sky. The environment here had already changed beyond recognition.
Now, above the white clouds, continuous palaces filled the area. They appeared and disappeared amid lingering clouds, truly resembling an immortal realm.
The central palace where Uchiha Yoru appeared was incomparably towering. The white cloud base alone was far higher than the roofs of the other palaces.
The building materials of this palace were even more luxurious. White jade formed the steps, fragrant wood formed the rafters, apricot wood formed the beams and pillars, the doors were inlaid with gold, the door panels were decorated with green jade, and the rafter ends were ornamented.
The lattice windows were cyan, the palace tiles golden, pine-green painted belts decorated the walls, and rare jade stones were placed between them.
When a clear breeze arrived, exquisite and empty echoes lingered beside the ears.
On the high platform in the center of the great hall sat a golden throne and a long golden-threaded wooden table. This was the throne Uchiha Yoru designed for himself.
Beneath the high platform, in the middle of the great hall before the golden throne, two rows of low seats and tables were arranged. These were prepared for future divine members.
Because in the foreseeable future, unless he made up his mind to burn his boats, Uchiha Yoru would fall into a state of unfreedom. Even the construction of his three rabbit burrows would be greatly affected.
Although the visible future was not comfortable, after careful thinking and comparison, Uchiha Yoru confirmed that this was already his best future.
But in the end, he did not want to be trapped inside the Uchiha clan. He needed to create a hidden force to serve him, acting as his claws and teeth, plundering the shinobi world's resources and exploring its secrets.
As an Uchiha shinobi who had enjoyed many benefits from Konoha and the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Yoru's identity was public. Many eyes watched him. It was impossible for him to hide in the shadows like Nagato and silently establish an organization like Akatsuki.
Therefore, the construction method of this hidden force had to rely even more heavily on mysterious power. Only then could it truly be unknown to others while spreading across the world.
Uchiha Yoru's initial idea was to create a chakra platform. For example, developing ninjutsu similar to the Projection Jutsu, building a chakra communication server, and manufacturing ring-type ninja tools similar to smartwatches.
Using a rapid information exchange platform as the foundation, he could replace or swallow the bounty station and become the largest employment and intelligence trading platform in the shinobi world.
From then on, with the trading platform as the foundation, he would become the hidden big boss behind the world. With just a slight change to one transaction parameter, he could destroy a country.
Ah, the feeling of being a shinobi world megacorporation tycoon. Just thinking about it made his heart feel wonderful.
Unfortunately, this plan fundamentally could not be carried out.
From hardware such as the Projection Jutsu, communication ring ninja tools, and chakra information servers, to the social foundation and manpower foundation needed to establish a trading platform, he could not accomplish a single one.
It could be said that the platform plan had completely ended before it even began.
But after the river god fell into Uchiha Yoru's hands, another plan seemed to naturally take shape.
Through studying and interrogating the stitched-together river god, Uchiha Yoru grasped many secrets of gods. Those divine powers that seemed out of place represented infinite possibilities in his eyes.
Gods could establish faith, obtain the power of faith through belief, and communicate with believers regardless of distance.
Was this not natural satellite communication?
Gods could set sacrificial rituals, accept offerings from believers through rituals, and grant believers divine power as rewards through rituals.
No matter how one looked at it, this was a spacetime logistics system.
Uchiha Yoru quickly thought of a brand-new plan: establish a divine court in his Purple Mansion world, recruit members through the method of believers, establish the most hidden divine power organization, and drive believers to serve him.
Moreover, Uchiha Yoru, who established the divine court, would naturally obtain the identity of a Divine Emperor. No matter how one looked at it, this style completely crushed that of a chakra platform boss.
Plan approved. Construction began.
Thus, above the white clouds of the Purple Mansion, a residence of gods and immortals was swiftly established according to Uchiha Yoru's will.
In order to express majesty and authority, he deliberately built every palace incomparably enormous, like architecture meant for giant spirit gods.
Even the golden throne and the long golden-threaded table were enormous. Only a giant over three zhang tall would feel comfortable using them.
But the low seats and tables below were the size of normal humans.
When members of the divine court gathered for meetings, the giant-like image of the Divine Emperor would make members feel endless majesty through size alone.
Uchiha Yoru stood in the center of the great hall, looking at the river god swimming lively back and forth inside the water vat, and thought about the next question.
How should he obtain the god's abilities?
Should he just eat the river god directly?
The strange fish with four heads suddenly stiffened, immediately sinking to the bottom of the water vat and trembling against the base.
Uchiha Yoru shook his head. His current self was not a real body, and the river god had no flesh for him to digest. Even if he ate it, he could only eat the spirit body.
But after careful research, a god's power lay in its spirit body, while its abilities were rooted in its divine soul. The two had no relation. There was fundamentally no way to obtain abilities by eating.
After thinking it over, then thinking of the birth of the Tailed Beasts, Uchiha Yoru developed a bold idea.
It was useless for him to eat the river god.
But what kind of wonderful change would occur if, in reverse, he made the river god eat this great hall?
The Purple Mansion was part of Uchiha Yoru, but the mystery and power it contained even surpassed Uchiha Yoru's understanding. If the river god fish swallowed a creation of the Purple Mansion, it absolutely would not be able to digest it.
And the river god with indigestion would fall into a state where its spirit body was completely trapped by the divine palace. At that time, the hidden and invisible divine soul might appear.
As long as the divine soul appeared, Uchiha Yoru would have many more operations he could perform.
For example, he could take the opportunity to wash the river god's divine soul with the hearts of the mortal world.
A god whose divine soul had been erased would no longer be a life, but a living tool. It would become a divine artifact whose abilities Uchiha Yoru could use.
There was also the best possible lucky outcome. When the divine soul was exposed, abilities such as faith acquisition, faith communication, sacrificial offerings, and divine power bestowal might also manifest, allowing Uchiha Yoru to learn and master them.
In that case, there would be no need to shout about killing the river god. He could raise it inside this great hall and add a little vitality to the deathly silent White Cloud City.
Once he thought of it, Uchiha Yoru acted.
He fished the river god out of the water vat. In the next instant, he appeared outside the divine palace. Then he enlarged the river god in his hand and shrank the divine palace on the clouds.
The volume of the two continued changing. When the divine palace could be thrown into the river god's mouth, Uchiha Yoru did exactly that.
Then he released the power changing their sizes.
In an instant, the river god was stretched into a thin membrane, evenly covering the outside of the divine palace.
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