As Brook continued using the power of Six Paths chakra to construct more of Hell, the many sections of Pure Land Hell gradually took shape.
The Gates of Hell. The Road to the Underworld. The Bridge of Helplessness. The Soul Prison Grounds. The Eighteen Hells. The Department of Reward and Punishment. The Hall of Six Paths Reincarnation. Yama Hall. The Ghost Emperor Palace.
Using most of the natural energy, chakra, and soul power harvested from the accumulated souls and the recent wars, Brook nearly rebuilt Pure Land Hell from the ground up.
He had never expected the spiritual energy stockpiled inside a "Pure Land" over decades to be this vast.
No wonder the Sage of Six Paths had managed to maintain Six Paths level power for a thousand years.
Fortunately, in the Naruto world, the Sage of Six Paths had created a Pure Land where souls could linger for a time. Otherwise, after the Hell of the Northern Underworld had been destroyed and the cycle of reincarnation severed, this planet would have ended up like all the others.
The souls would have quickly dispersed in the mortal world and returned to nature, and it would have taken a long time for new souls to slowly form again.
Pure Land Hell, Hall of Six Paths Reincarnation.
These Kage level priests all wanted to push their relatives into the Heavenly Palace, but Brook refused. Most of those souls were simply not qualified to become priests of Pure Land Hell.
Left with no choice, they could only arrange for their loved ones to awaken through the other halls of the Six Paths.
By Brook's orders, most souls were transformed into ghost soldiers through the Hell Path, because that branch had the broadest responsibilities and its manpower could be used almost anywhere.
The Mizukage faction, which controlled the Hungry Ghost Path, immediately packed it full of Kirigakure people, turning them into punishment officers and ghost soldiers so they could firmly establish their own power there.
Madara could only make Izuna a demon general of the Asura Path. The rest of his clansmen became demon soldiers under the control of the Hell Path, which left him in a very foul mood.
Next time Brook reshuffled the structure, he had already decided that he would seize the Hell Path from the Kazekage faction.
The Senju brothers had already stuffed their own people into the Department of Reward and Punishment, and Tobirama immediately threw himself into work, determined to win Brook's approval.
Since Brook had emptied out Pure Land Hell, fresh souls had already begun entering again.
Tobirama judged only ninjas, people with some strength, and powerful beasts. As for ordinary mortals and common animals, they were sent straight to the Human Path and Animal Path.
Through the laws of the Department of Reward and Punishment, the priests could read a soul's memories and process them quickly.
Brook was satisfied with Tobirama's work ethic and, for the time being, allowed them to maintain their little family-run structure.
As long as nothing major happened, Brook would not purge them.
Seeing that Pure Land Hell was finally running in a workable state, Brook at last had the time to return to the ninja world after being gone so long.
All Nations, Fire Province, Flame Capital, Yan Palace.
Hiashi Hyuga, buried in state affairs, felt a bit troubled.
Since the end of the Fourth Shinobi World War, Emperor Brook of All Nations had not shown himself for over a month.
That absence had already begun to stir unrest across the newly founded empire.
Some ambitious people were secretly cursing Brook, hoping he had been devoured by the Ten-Tails during some secret training session and died somewhere no one could find.
But every time a rebellion surfaced, Orochimaru would lead the Edo Tensei corps with Minato Namikaze and crush those unstable elements without mercy.
Not long ago, Orochimaru had also announced the new queens of the major capitals, which promptly suppressed much of the unrest in the conquered lands.
But that announcement had left Hiashi both depressed and full of ridiculous thoughts.
Who would have guessed that even a little girl only a few years old would appear on Orochimaru's list of queens? It had truly stunned everyone.
Besides the original Queen Konan of Rain City and Queen Pakura of Wind City, Orochimaru had later announced several more queens.
Among them were Mei Terumi, Queen of Water City, and Samui, Queen of Thunder City.
Those two at least made some sense. Both were outstanding young female ninjas from Kirigakure and Kumogakure.
But why was Kurenai Yuhi the Queen of Flame City instead of Tsunade Senju?
That alone had already thrown Konoha into uproar.
Even Tsunade, now a prisoner, had been visibly shaken by the news. Whether what flashed across her face was regret or relief, no one could say, but her expression had been complicated.
The most outrageous choice of all, however, was the Queen of Earth City.
It was Kurotsuchi, granddaughter of the Third Tsuchikage and daughter of Kitsuchi, a little girl only a few years old.
That insane announcement made the ninjas of every nation think Orochimaru had simply picked names at random.
The Uchiha in particular would rather have selected a capable woman from Konoha and offered her to Brook, just so one of their own could take the position of Queen of Earth City, than acknowledge that little girl.
Even the Hyuga were stirred by the same thoughts.
Hiashi had even considered giving his newborn daughter, Hinata, to Brook.
Even if she could not become the Queen of Flame City, perhaps she could at least become a future queen of All Nations.
But with Orochimaru controlling all those Edo Tensei forces, no one dared challenge the decree.
During Brook's absence, the vast empire of All Nations had steadily carried out its transfer of power, dynasty change, renaming campaigns, and administrative replacement.
Orochimaru had already wiped out the daimyo bloodlines of every major country, ensuring that the queens installed in each region could smoothly take control of their respective provinces.
Mei Terumi, Samui, and Kurenai were still adapting to their sudden identities as queens.
Kurotsuchi, meanwhile, knew absolutely nothing, but with her father Kitsuchi backing her, her seat as Queen of Earth City had still been forcibly secured.
Even so, Brook's prolonged absence continued to create instability across the empire.
Following Brook's orders, Orochimaru had already relocated all bloodline limit clans from every country into Flame City.
Although Brook had not abolished the major hidden villages outright, their power had been heavily reduced. They were now nothing more than military institutions under All Nations, with no strength left to resist.
The ninja forces of the empire also continued bringing remote small nations under their rule, completing the full unification of the ninja world.
Everyone was waiting for Brook's return.
Only when he, the godlike sovereign of the ninja world, appeared again could the founding ceremony of All Nations and the formal enthronement of the queens be held, and only then could the whole world truly be suppressed under one rule.
Then, on that day, a terrifying aura descended upon the ninja world.
In an instant, everyone knew that Brook, the god of the ninja world, had returned.
Countless ninjas across All Nations erupted in joy. Their emperor had finally come back.
Meanwhile, the ambitious and resentful factions instantly shrank into hiding, not daring to provoke the god of the ninja world now that he had reappeared.
Deep underground, Black Zetsu also rushed frantically toward Flame City, desperate to demand that Lord Brook fulfill his promise and revive Mother Kaguya at last, bringing his thousand-year dream to completion.
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Meanwhile, near the sacred Shikkotsu Forest, the Hanyu brothers, Shiroi and Kuromura, awoke from their meditation and turned their eyes toward Flame City.
Neither of them wanted to see the sages of the Three Holy Lands again, especially the Great Toad Sage. But among the places in the ninja world, those three sacred lands still had the richest concentration of natural energy.
So in the end, they could only secretly train near Shikkotsu Forest, borrowing the abundant natural energy there to quickly master the original sage arts.
They carried a thousand years of memories and experience. Combined with their frightening talent, that was enough for them to learn Sage Mode at astonishing speed even after losing their Ōtsutsuki bloodline.
"He's even stronger now," Kuromura said calmly. "Stronger than Kaguya Ōtsutsuki ever was."
Like his brother, he had already chosen to cast aside the Ōtsutsuki identity completely and no longer regard Kaguya as his mother. Only then could he truly live a second life.
After all, if Brook really ended up taking Kaguya as his woman, they would have nowhere to put their faces.
Better to cut all ties cleanly.
Now, the only thing the brothers wanted was to train the original sage arts, become true long-lived beings, and continue chasing immortality.
"He won't be satisfied with just this planet," Shiroi said with a faint smile, flowers and grass blooming around him under the influence of his overflowing natural energy. "Sooner or later, he'll leave the ninja world and head for higher realms. The territory of the Ōtsutsuki clan is probably one of his future targets."
His brother nodded. He knew Brook's greed well, and he knew just as well how ruthless Brook could be in pursuit of greater power.
Maybe after Brook left, the ninja world would still need the two of them to protect it.
"The Pure Land Hell seems to have been perfected again. Should we go back and take a look?" Kuromura asked curiously.
Brook had given the two brothers their identities as Black and White Impermanence, soul reapers who could travel between the mortal world and Pure Land Hell. They were even allowed to enter Pure Land Hell in their physical bodies.
Of course, they could not remain there too long, or it would damage their bodies.
Pure Land Hell had now become Brook's private alternate dimension, and with his overwhelming power, he had already begun rewriting some of its laws.
For the moment, only the two brothers possessed the privilege of entering Pure Land Hell physically and returning to the mortal world afterward.
"Alright," Shiroi said. "Let's go see how this 'Pure Land Hell' created by an alien god differs from the Pure Land I once made, and whether it can truly achieve real reincarnation."
The swastika marks Brook had placed on their foreheads lit up, and a gate to Hell appeared before them.
The two stepped through it and entered Pure Land Hell.
Naturally, neither of them wanted Brook to think they had been slacking off. So they had come back dragging along the souls of a few rogue ninjas they had captured over the past several days, just enough to count as turning in a mission.
The moment they entered Pure Land Hell, Madara and the others were startled.
Other than Brook, someone else could actually move freely between the ninja world and Pure Land Hell.
That alone instantly stirred the hearts of the Asura Path demon generals.
Inside the Department of Reward and Punishment, Tobirama Senju looked curiously at the two living men who had returned while dragging several soul prisoners behind them.
"So you're the Black and White Impermanence directly under Lord Brook?"
"That's right," Shiroi answered calmly. "I am White Impermanence, Hanyu Shiroi. This is my younger brother, Black Impermanence, Hanyu Kuromura."
The brothers handed the souls of the rogue ninjas over to Tobirama. They already knew who these Kage-level priests were, so after turning in the mission, they left the Department of Reward and Punishment and began touring the current Pure Land Hell.
They were deeply interested in the new reincarnation buildings and their functions, and after seeing the system with their own eyes, they gained an even clearer understanding of Brook's design.
"Hey," Madara said at last, unable to hold back any longer. "How did the two of you brats convince Brook to give you the right to travel between Hell and the ninja world?"
Madara desperately wanted to return to the ninja world and see the situation there with his own eyes.
But Brook had not yet formally started the world's soul-harvesting missions, so the demon generals of Asura Hall were idle for the moment. They could only wander around and occasionally help collect souls.
"You seem pretty dissatisfied with Lord Brook," Shiroi said with a faint smile. "Aren't you afraid he'll throw you into the Animal Path?"
His words struck right where it hurt.
Speaking of it, Madara was also a descendant of Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki. Indra's chakra had reincarnated into him, so in a sense, Madara could even be called one of Hagoromo's descendants.
It was almost ridiculous that he now dared call the brothers, who had once stood above him in ancestry, "brats."
But the brothers had already abandoned their Ōtsutsuki identities and been reborn. Their strength had dropped greatly, and it was hard to say whether they could really beat Madara's soul, especially after his Heavenly Path enhancement.
Of course, they were not worried that Madara would actually attack them. The soul chains in their hands were extremely effective against spirits, and at any time they could return to the mortal world.
"You've got some nerve, provoking me like that," Madara said darkly.
The phrase he hated hearing most right now was being reborn as a pig through the Animal Path.
It was one thing when Brook or Tobirama said it. But these two unfamiliar punks dared to throw it in his face too.
"Madara! Don't act rashly!" Hashirama suddenly appeared, immediately restraining the furious Madara and even apologizing to the Hanyu brothers on his behalf.
That made Shiroi sigh inwardly. As expected of one of Asura's reincarnations, Hashirama was still just as soft-hearted as ever.
The brothers did not continue arguing with Madara. After one last glance, they turned and left Pure Land Hell again.
But that final look from Shiroi only made Madara angrier.
Still, what he truly envied was the authority of Black and White Impermanence, the power to travel freely between the worlds of Yin and Yang.
He had already decided that the next time he saw Brook, he would ask for it again.
Once the Shura of the ninja world, now the Shura of Hell, how could he stay trapped here forever?
"Madara," Hashirama said patiently, "if you keep showing Lord Brook that kind of attitude, you might not even keep your position as acting lord of the Asura Path the next time he reshuffles things."
As Hashirama put an arm around Madara's shoulder and tried to persuade him, Mito Uzumaki, standing not far behind, ground her teeth. Her husband's lingering attachment to Madara was still painfully obvious.
Meanwhile, Izuna kept running to the Department of Reward and Punishment to provoke Tobirama, only to be repeatedly suppressed by Tobirama calmly bringing up Brook's name.
After all, Brook had not truly accepted any of these priests, demon generals, ghost soldiers, or jailers yet. At any moment, he could strip them of everything and throw them into the Animal Path.
That meant they all had only one option for now.
Work hard.
Show their value.
And fight to become a permanent part of Pure Land Hell.
.....
[If you don't want to wait for the next update, read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon.]
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