Chapter 135: The Pure Land and the Moon

All men must die. This is an objective law of the world. However, in the Ninja World, death is not the final end. After a person passes away, they arrive in the Pure Land, where they sleep for eternity. The Pure Land is much like what is known as hell; it even has a "King Yama." Here, there is no concept of time, and no distinction between darkness and light.

The greatest difference between the Pure Land and hell is that there is no "reincarnation" in the Pure Land. In this respect, hell is at a higher level than the Pure Land, or perhaps its rules are more complete. Because there is no reincarnation, souls are left to wander aimlessly within the Pure Land. Such a flawed system might constrain ordinary people or even the vast majority of ninjas, but in the hands of true powerhouses, there are various loopholes to be exploited. The Reanimation Jutsu developed by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, is the most prominent example. Yet, beings like the Second Hokage can only exploit these loopholes through means in the living world, and they must, to a certain extent, abide by the principle of "equivalent exchange." After all, a reanimated body still requires a vessel to survive.

However, once one transcends the category of "human," even this principle of equivalence can be broken. The two brothers who possessed this exception were Otsutsuki Hagoromo and Otsutsuki Hamura. As descendants of Kaguya, they each inherited a portion of their mother's power and became what are known as "sages."

Just as Uchiha Li was being subjected to a backlash while devouring the "Lake of the Moon," deep within the moon, an old man dressed in the distinct style of the Otsutsuki clan opened his eyes from his slumber.

"These are Hagoromo's descendants? Strange..."

The awakened Otsutsuki Hamura’s face held a trace of surprise. He had suddenly felt a ripple belonging to the bloodline of his brother, Hagoromo. Two of his brother's descendants had arrived on the moon. Of course, if it were only that, it would not be worth his attention. Although one of the descendants had decent innate bloodline talent, in his eyes, that was all there was to it. What caught his interest was that the other descendant possessed a remarkably pure Otsutsuki bloodline and carried a power that even he found incredible. Such power should not exist in any of his or his brother's descendants.

"Interesting. What has happened to my brother's lineage that such a special case could arise?"

Otsutsuki Hamura fully awoke, his form becoming a phantom as he began to ponder silently. Like his brother, he had abandoned his physical body, wandering between the Ninja World and the Pure Land as a soul. He spent most of his time on the moon, as he needed to keep watch over his mother. The reason he maintained a soul-form was to guard against other members of the Otsutsuki clan. At their level of power, a Six Paths-level existence in the universe is like a beacon, acting as a signpost. Only by remaining in a soul state and sleeping for the vast majority of the time could he avoid detection by other Otsutsuki.

Of course, the soul state had its inconveniences and various limitations. For instance, the branch of his descendants he left on the moon had long since misinterpreted his "testament" and turned to killing each other. Now, this branch had reached a dead end, with only one individual left in the new generation. For this reason, he had become completely disappointed with this line and ceased to exert any control over them. Furthermore, refraining from acting rashly was also intended to minimize the possibility of being detected by the Otsutsuki main family.

But now, this sudden variable forced him to wake. He had to be prepared, for if an accident occurred and the seal was inadvertently broken, even the slightest disturbance could lead to unbearable consequences. Thinking of this, Otsutsuki Hamura sighed silently and began to withdraw the power he had scattered throughout the moon. He decided to wait a little longer; he would not take action unless necessary. In his soul state, his power could not support large-scale wastage. There was still a long time before his brother's grand plan was to unfold, and he could not exhaust his power now.

...

Uchiha Li was naturally unaware that his near-frantic absorption had not only triggered the backlash of the Lake of the Moon but had also caught the attention of a Six Paths-level being. Even if he had known, he was in no mood to care, for he was currently inside a space-time corridor.

The silver vortex that appeared at the bottom of the lake had drawn him and Itachi in, forming a silver protective bubble around them. Having used the Terra teleportation array many times, he understood that he and Itachi were currently undergoing long-distance transport. Soon, a bizarre spatial tunnel appeared, filled with all manner of strange phenomena. Uchiha Li could even see countless bubbles identical to his own, with scenes of himself being projected like a slide show. Many moments he had long forgotten or overlooked were now replaying before his eyes.

The most bizarre part was that, from his perspective, they should have been rushing toward the sky, as they were likely heading for the moon. Yet, in reality, they were moving downward at high speed, accelerating with every passing moment. At first, he could still make out the surrounding images, but within seconds, they seemed to become a streak of light, their speed doubling continuously. Finally, the extreme velocity turned everything into darkness, and nothing could be seen but the figures of himself and Itachi.

"Teacher, what should we do?"

Itachi, trapped in his own silver bubble, looked as if he were being imprisoned, and began to grow anxious. Uchiha Li’s Sharingan was spinning to its limit. After confirming in secret that the teleportation array could still be activated, he spoke. "Do not worry; we will be able to leave soon."

If an ordinary ninja had encountered the upheaval of the Lake of the Moon, they would certainly have been trapped and perished. However, for Uchiha Li, although he was not inherently skilled in space-time ninjutsu, the Terra artifact had forcibly granted him this attribute. Joining his hands together, Uchiha Li used Terra to lock onto the nearest area of the outside world and then let out a low shout: "Open!"

The fluctuations of the Terra teleportation array began to take shape, and the Lake of the Moon began to strike against it unconsciously. But such a collision was exactly what he needed; as the two types of space-time energies collided, the entire space began to collapse. Finally, a rift appeared, revealing the scenery outside. A desolate landscape appeared, covered with countless craters, clearly different from the environment of the Ninja World.

"Let's go."

Uchiha Li made a quick judgment, and after confirming that the rift was large enough for them to pass through, he spoke directly. With that, he stepped out from the protection of the silver bubble and jumped into the rift. Seeing this, Itachi gritted his teeth and took the leap as well. He could only rely on Uchiha Li now—this teacher of his who was anything but reliable!

...

The moment Uchiha Li and Itachi escaped, in a shrine at the center of the moon, several white-haired elders all opened their eyes. However, beneath their eyelids, there was only darkness; the eyes that should have been there were missing.

"The gate to the Lake of the Moon has been opened. How is this possible?!"

"Intruders have broken in. Investigate the situation immediately!"

As the elders issued their orders, the moon, which should have been peaceful and silent, suddenly began to stir with activity.