At the same time, in the Land of Rain, beneath the cave that housed the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, the figure known as Shadow appeared silently. Feeling the vibrations from above and the constant falling of Gravel, he raised his head as if seeing the gathered Konoha Ninja and Sunagakure Ninja within the Land of Rain.
The reason Hanzo and Nagato remained silent and had not acted against the Konoha and Sunagakure forces invading the Land of Rain was naturally due to his orders and promises. As for the purpose, it was simple. The more, the better.
"Come, Box of Ultimate Bliss," Shadow said softly.
He took out the Box of Ultimate Bliss from the darkness of his sleeve and smiled. "Let me see what you can do under my modifications." With that, he focused his mind and silently recited, "Manifestation, modify Box of Ultimate Bliss."
Shadow walked out from the underground space.
There was no doubt that the modification of the Box of Ultimate Bliss was complete. What he needed now was a test subject, something to verify the effects of the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
"Manifestation. Enter the gap between Pure Land and Ninja World in one step," he recited silently.
[Spend 1000 points. Confirm manifestation]
"Manifest."
As the thought formed, Shadow felt an intense tearing force. It did not tear at the body of this clone, but at the soul fragment bound within the wedge in his hand.
This Shadow, a clone belonging to Yunchuan Hyuga, had been created by planting a wedge on the basis of Shadow Clone and refining it with the Shadow Cloak. That was why it was so special.
He did not resist the force that tore at the soul. The core soul naturally flowed out from the wedge.
The soul bore the face of Yunchuan Hyuga, yet it was still shrouded by the Shadow Cloak condensed through Yin Release. Along with that force, it gradually sank into the ground.
It was as if he crossed an invisible and colorless boundary, then stepped into a space that defied common sense.
"So this is the gap?"
Yunchuan Hyuga narrowed his eyes as he looked at the scene before him. He thought to himself that Sakumo Hatake had been able to wait for Kakashi Hatake in a place like this for over twenty years, which was truly impressive.
Before him was a deathly stillness unlike any place he had known. All around was a chaotic Xu void that seemed to swallow all light.
There was no sense of direction, no up or down. Beneath his feet was solid and flat, yet unreal, stretching into endless darkness.
There was no air movement and no change in temperature, only a silence that belonged to death. Time had lost all meaning here.
This was the gap between Pure Land and Living World. A completely empty, flat, and barren Xu void.
"In a place like this, finding someone is not easy."
Yunchuan Hyuga smiled lightly, without much surprise, as the Shadow Cloak around him began to surge. If a Ninja with extremely sharp perception were present, they would notice his Chakra aura slowly changing and drawing infinitely closer to that of Kakashi Hatake.
Yunchuan Hyuga understood clearly that if everyone with lingering attachments stayed here, then given the chaotic and twisted nature of the Ninja World, this gap should be extremely crowded. The entire Ninja World could not possibly have only Rin Nohara and Sakumo Hatake with unresolved obsessions.
Therefore, after Kakashi Hatake was killed by Pain, the reason he was able to accurately encounter Sakumo Hatake must have been due to other necessary conditions. And according to Root records of the Sage of Six Paths's long-held wish to "turn Chakra into a bond connecting people," that condition was self-evident.
The moment the Chakra aura belonging to Kakashi Hatake that Yunchuan Hyuga simulated began to ripple outward, a low hum sounded.
It was like a pebble dropped into a lake, sending rings across the calm surface. The ripples spread toward the boundless darkness.
At last, a smile appeared on Yunchuan Hyuga's face. He whispered softly, "Found you."
He felt the ripples strike something like a reef, sending back a faint yet extremely clear response. Without hesitation, Yunchuan Hyuga followed that fragile connection and stepped forward.
Moving through this flat and reference-less Xu void was not done by walking, nor by sight or sound. It was a kind of approach on the level of the soul.
His movement did not last long. Deep within the darkness ahead, a faint point of light slowly appeared.
The light carried a warm orange-red hue. It was the color of fire.
As Yunchuan Hyuga drew closer, the firelight became clearer and larger. A solitary campfire burned quietly in the darkness, its flames swaying without wind and driving away the surrounding chill.
The few pieces of firewood seemed endless, serving as the only light source in this Xu void. They opened up a visible area of just a few meters across.
Beside the fire, on a stone, sat a lone figure. The person had his back to Yunchuan Hyuga, with a white armband embroidered in red on his left sleeve and short silver-white hair reflecting the warm glow.
He sat there motionless, like a statue frozen between life and death. The firelight stretched his shadow far behind him, casting it into the endless darkness and silence.
That silhouette overlapped perfectly with the one in Yunchuan Hyuga's memory. Konoha's White Fang, Sakumo Hatake.
He was a powerful soul who should have entered Pure Land to rest, yet was bound here by regret and guilt that he could not let go.
"Is that Kakashi?"
Sakumo Hatake still faced the fire, his voice calm, numb, and faintly relieved all at once. The words drifted into Yunchuan Hyuga's ears.
Yunchuan Hyuga did not answer. He walked to the stone beside him, brushed away dust that did not exist, and sat down at his side with a natural ease.
"You…"
Only then did Sakumo Hatake realize that this presence, though identical to Kakashi Hatake's aura, was not the person he knew. He froze briefly, then opened his mouth in shock.
"To endure more than twenty years of loneliness and pain in a place like this."
Yunchuan Hyuga looked at the stubbornly burning flames. It was unclear whether he was speaking to the fire or to himself as he sighed that it was truly remarkable.
This space was undoubtedly a place every dead soul had to pass through briefly before entering Pure Land to sleep. Normally, no one would linger long in such an empty place without even a sense of time.
There was no light, no sound, no flow of time, and no feedback from the senses. Staying here even for a second was like being locked in a silent, lightless room, a form of torment.
That Sakumo Hatake could remain here for over twenty years showed how deep his obsession with Kakashi Hatake ran. Even Yunchuan Hyuga could not help but sigh at such will born of fixation.
A person nearly mad like this, if converted into a Xu…
"Over twenty years?"
Sakumo Hatake's body trembled slightly. Time here had long been confused and distorted, and without Yunchuan Hyuga pointing it out, he could not have known how long he had stayed.
Soon, a deeper chill rose from his heart, and even the fire before him could not bring warmth. "Who are you?"
Sakumo Hatake spoke again, his voice drier than before, slowly turning half his face. The firelight outlined a resolute profile marked by endless hardship.