439 Learning Ninjutsu in a Glance

After tidying up the bodily remains of the man with the middle-parted hair, Shinju looked at the ANBU waiting nearby and asked,

"Tell me everything in detail. Why did you run into this guy, and why did he attack you?"

...

Hokage's Office.

The ANBU knelt on the floor and carefully recounted what had happened during the attack:

"We followed the Hokage-sama's orders and kept close watch on every move made by Victor Company. Not long ago, we discovered that Victor was secretly meeting with that man who had his hair parted down the middle. Shortly after that, we were attacked by him..."

"Did Victor attack you as well?" Shinju asked.

The ANBU shook his head.

"As soon as the fight started, he disappeared..."

Shinju frowned.

"I see... Since it's now confirmed that Victor is connected to the middle-parted guy, it looks like we need to pay Victor Company a proper visit."

With that thought, Shinju took out the man's bodily tissue, created a Wood Clone from it, and then used Edo Tensei...

A few seconds passed.

Nothing happened to the Wood Clone.

Shinju immediately realized something was wrong.

Σ( ° △ °|||)︴

"Why can't I establish contact with his soul? Don't tell me it's also inside the Shinigami's stomach?!"

Shinju frowned deeply.

"But back then, he clearly didn't use any technique like the Netherworld Seal... (°ー°〃)"

This was the first time Shinju had ever encountered something this bizarre.

He had never been someone who believed in bad luck or taboos.

So he decided to summon the Shinigami and check whether there was any extra 'stock' inside its stomach...

...

Somewhere in a different dimension.

Several black-robed figures were gathered together.

The one who looked like the leader, seated in a chair, spoke:

"Deepa is already dead. His body contained far too many of our organization's secrets. Not just his modified body, but also his memories related to Kara."

"The Sixth Hokage of Konoha can casually resurrect people. Combined with Konoha's clan-based memory-reading techniques, he could practically uncover every secret in the ninja world..."

"The Outer members don't know much, so they're not a problem."

"But if an Inner member is captured, you must ensure that your soul perishes along with your life..."

"This time, Amado did well. He planted the talisman inside Deepa's skull ahead of time. Otherwise, Kara would have been in danger."

As he spoke, the black-robed leader took out several scrolls.

"These scrolls contain a secret technique. Once activated, the soul will be sacrificed to the demon gods of the Pure Land. That way, the Sixth Hokage won't be able to use Edo Tensei..."

After the leader finished speaking, another black-robed figure stepped forward.

"I still think there are some issues. Quite a few Outer members also know many secrets. We can't ignore them so easily."

The leader nodded.

"Alright. Then have Amado equip all the Outer members you think are important with these scrolls as well."

"Kara isn't at the stage where it should be exposed yet. This is to protect the organization, preserve our secrets, and accomplish our shared objective..."

"Of course, if someone gets caught and refuses to end themselves, I'll step in and help."

...

Hokage's Office.

Shinju and the Shinigami stared straight at each other.

Shinigami: 눈_눈

It was tired.

There were so many ghosts and monsters in the Netherworld, yet this red-haired kid kept singling it out every single time!

Calling it up to the living world at the slightest excuse—he really didn't treat it with any respect at all! (눈‸눈)

Across from it, Shinju finally realized something.

"So his soul really isn't in your stomach, right? ⊙_⊙"

The Shinigami maintained its image, blade clenched in its mouth, staring straight ahead without moving an inch.

Honestly, it really wanted to grab this red-haired guy and give him a good chewing—maybe even drag him down to the Netherworld for a little tour!

But right now, it truly didn't have the strength to do that...

After all, this red-haired menace had placed a thousand-meter-tall Buddha statue in the Netherworld. It had been basking in Buddhist light every single day, and its power had declined drastically...

Across from it, seeing that the Shinigami wasn't answering, Shinju continued talking to himself.

"If it's not in the Shinigami's stomach, then could it be in the King of Hell's stomach instead? (°A°`)"

"That doesn't seem right..."

After thinking it over, Shinju felt that since he had already troubled the Shinigami by making it come all this way, it would be rude to let it leave empty-handed.

So he gave it a chicken...

Shinigami: (✘_✘)

Back in the day, whenever it came to the living world, the minimum 'appearance fee' was a human soul!

Now the pay was getting lower and lower, damn it! ꐦ≖ ≖

Nearby, the ANBU who witnessed the Hokage negotiating with the Shinigami were so shocked their jaws nearly dropped.

Of course, they were all wearing masks, so Shinju couldn't see their expressions anyway.

"Let's see if I can summon other ghosts from the Netherworld..."

Shinju muttered to himself, then suddenly turned around and noticed the ANBU still standing there.

"You don't need to stand around like idiots. Go back and get some rest."

The ANBU were startled.

"We don't need to keep monitoring Victor Company?"

Shinju shook his head.

"He already noticed you last time, so he's definitely on guard now... You don't need to worry about this anymore. Go back and rest properly. I'll go over there myself later."

The ANBU obeyed and withdrew, a warm feeling flowing through their hearts.

Hokage-sama is the best! ❛‿˂̵✧

...

The next day.

The Land of Valleys.

Inside Victo Company.

Deep underground, behind layers of sealed security, lay the greatest secret of Victor Company.

A half-finished Divine Tree was being cultivated here!

Victor had once been a ninja and had participated in the Fourth Great Ninja War.

He had witnessed the might of the Divine Tree firsthand and understood the terrifying power of its fruit. Secretly, he collected tissue from the Divine Tree on the battlefield...

After the war ended, he founded Victor Company. While amassing wealth like a madman, he also began cultivating a Divine Tree of his own!

The Hashirama cells from before were something he had obtained specifically for cultivating the Divine Tree.

Moreover, all the recent disappearance cases in the Land of Valleys had been his doing as well—everything was to find nourishment for his low-grade miniature Divine Tree!

At this moment, inside the underground facility, there was a massive open cultivation tank at the center.

Inside it stood the small Divine Tree that Victor had painstakingly cultivated.

Around it, hundreds of people lay neatly arranged!

All of them exhibited the same symptoms as those affected by the Infinite Tsukuyomi, their bodies wrapped into human cocoons by white vines extending from the Divine Tree.

If a member of the Hyuga clan were present, they would definitely be able to see with the Byakugan that the Divine Tree was continuously siphoning life energy from these human sacrifices through the vines!

Nourished by their lives, a flower bud had already grown at the very top of Victor's small Divine Tree—two petals had even begun to open!

Standing beside the Divine Tree, Victor stared excitedly at the tiny flower at its peak.

"Just a little more—just a little more!"

"My Divine Tree is about to bloom and bear fruit... Even though an artificially cultivated miniature Divine Tree can't compare to the original, it'll still be enough to grant me tremendous power! ୧⍢⃝୨"

As he spoke, Victor thought of that red-haired guy from Konoha.

On the battlefield of the Fourth Great Ninja War, that guy had sealed Ōtsutsuki Kaguya by himself...

"To be his enemy... just how many Divine Tree fruits would I need to eat?"

Still, when he thought of the rewards he would receive once the organization's mission succeeded, Victor straightened up again.

"You have to climb step by step."

"And that Hokage isn't truly invincible."

"Maybe the Kama could work... or perhaps Amado's technology..."