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The ninja world was a sick and twisted one.
In this extraordinary world, the uppermost rulers were nothing more than ordinary mortals who couldn't even tie up a chicken.
And yet, the ninjas, who possessed the power to reshape the heavens and the earth, remained blindly loyal to them.
The reason? Ninjas supposedly didn't engage in production and relied on these mortal nobles for support.
But modern ninjas had forgotten that the origins of the ninja sect, the Shinobi Order, allowed them to be self-sufficient through the power of chakra.
It was time to set things right.
The notion that the Hokage's succession required the approval of the Fire Daimyo was utter nonsense.
Only someone like Hiruzen Sarutobi, the weakest Hokage, would rely on the Fire Daimyo's name to bolster his authority—a truly laughable situation.
While Kakashi worked to consolidate control over Konoha, he also dispatched some of the village's strongest genjutsu specialists to take control of the Fire Daimyo and the various noble families.
The outcome was unsurprising—it went smoothly.
Continuously absorbing the knowledge Ye Wen had provided him, Kakashi deeply resonated with one particular saying: "In prosperity, the common people suffer; in decline, the common people suffer."
Thus, this war among ninjas should not involve innocent civilians.
After undergoing massive changes, Konoha proceeded with its preparations for battle in an orderly fashion. Seeing that there was no more drama to watch, Ye Wen decided it was time to focus on his main tasks.
However, before leaving, Ye Wen remembered the neglected Naruto. In the end, he instructed Kakashi to adopt Uzumaki Naruto as his younger brother and reveal Naruto's true identity to the public, exposing Hiruzen Sarutobi as the deranged, power-hungry scoundrel he truly was.
Kakashi, now a ruthless figure, readily agreed. He even carved away Hiruzen's face from the Hokage Monument, reasoning that such a disgraceful man didn't deserve the admiration of Konoha's villagers.
During this time, Jiraiya returned to the village. Witnessing how his teacher had been treated, he tried to persuade Kakashi to let it go—for old times' sake.
But Kakashi, now at the point of disregarding all personal ties, was solely focused on achieving the vision of a better world. He refused to listen to anyone.
He loudly rebuked Jiraiya over Naruto's mistreatment, leaving the perverted sage speechless. With a heavy heart, Jiraiya left the village to search for the prophesied child of destiny.
After all, Kakashi had shown restraint by not parading Hiruzen through the streets—already a significant act of mercy.
The ninja world was actually quite small. A powerful ninja could circumnavigate it within a month.
Now, Ye Wen was walking across a desolate desert.
The universe contained trillions upon trillions of stars—an immeasurable number. Among this vast array of planets, naturally, some strange and wondrous treasures would emerge.
Those familiar with Naruto would know about the Ley Line—a treasure capable of transcending time.
Such treasures had a specific name in the Dragon God's inheritance Ye Wen had obtained: "Cosmic Wonders."
The formation of Cosmic Wonders was incredibly unique, almost impossible to replicate, which made them so precious.
Though Ye Wen wielded divine powers over time and space, he still couldn't travel back in time.
But the Ley Line could fulfill that vision for him.
"So this is Rouran, huh? The energy beneath the ground is truly terrifying."
Faced with such a Cosmic Wonder, Ye Wen couldn't help but feel a wave of emotion and began studying it on the spot.
An immense, nearly tangible primordial aura condensed into a constantly writhing patch of land in this lifeless desert. Touching it would cause temporal distortions, sending one into the past or future.
"There are still aspects I don't fully understand.
This Ley Line isn't just entangled with the spiritual energy of the current ninja world—it's also connected to the primordial energies of other timelines. That's why such an incredible Cosmic Wonder exists in this tiny ninja world.
No wonder it's called a Cosmic Wonder. Its logic is as bizarre as the chicken-and-egg paradox—completely impossible to replicate.
Unless I become strong enough to turn the entire timeline into a massive cycle, where 0 equals 1 and 1 equals 0. But if I reached that level, why would I even need this Ley Line?"
Ye Wen felt somewhat exasperated. Originally, he had hoped to study the time-related principles of the Ley Line to further his own abilities. He hadn't expected it to be such a bizarre existence.
For now, it seemed his hopes rested on another time-related or space-related artifact.
As Ye Wen contemplated how to transplant this Cosmic Wonder to the Douluo Continent as his private collection, a sudden surge of divine energy rippled through the air.
"This presence… it's Zhuqing."
The moment Ye Wen identified it, a voluptuous, alluring woman with a cold demeanor appeared before him.
Zhuqing bowed respectfully and said, "Master, the special-grade target you assigned me has been successfully captured. Please give your orders."
The so-called special-grade target was none other than Isshiki Ōtsutsuki. After all, in this timeline, the only person worthy of Ye Wen's attention was him.
Although Isshiki Ōtsutsuki had initially displayed immense strength, his abilities were rather singular. His combat style was simple and brutal, relying on overwhelming force to crush his opponents. Compared to Kaguya in her Ten-Tails Jinchūriki form, his powers paled in significance.
Yet, no one dared call him weak. Even in an incomplete state, he could easily overwhelm the two protagonists.
His abilities, though straightforward, were extremely troublesome. One of his divine techniques, Sukunahikona, allowed him to shrink himself to the atomic level, making him nearly impossible to hit.
Another technique, Daikokuten, unleashed weapons stored in his dimensional storage space to attack enemies unpredictably, making it nearly impossible to defend against.
But alas, he had encountered the elite expeditionary force led by Ye Wen.
Zhuqing wasn't particularly gifted. Even after all these years, she had only reached the peak of Tier 1 godhood, failing to ascend to the level of a God King.
Yet, even God Kings didn't dare underestimate her. As the Goddess of the Underworld—or Death Goddess—she was a master of shadowy assassination techniques, striking without form or trace. Armed with the super divine artifact Judgment of the Underworld, bestowed upon her by Ye Wen, she struck fear into even the mightiest of gods. Ordinary God Kings wouldn't dare provoke her.
In this operation, Zhuqing served as the vanguard leader, commanding elite forces to secretly track down Isshiki Ōtsutsuki's whereabouts.
Now, her mission was complete.
After all, this was a rare task personally assigned to her by her most admired master in a thousand years. She had to execute it flawlessly.
"Release Isshiki," Ye Wen calmly ordered.
Though Isshiki Ōtsutsuki excelled in escape abilities, Zhuqing didn't believe someone whose overall combat strength barely reached Tier 3 godhood could escape under Ye Wen's watchful eye. Without hesitation, she released him from the specially prepared spatial restraints Ye Wen had devised.
Pale skin, a single horn protruding from one side of his head, one Byakugan, and a golden eye marked with an intricate cross-like pattern—this was Isshiki Ōtsutsuki.
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