Sasuke frowned as he looked at Neji, and couldn't help but speak up.
"Don't worry about it, Neji. If it really comes down to it... just 'cherish your life and stay away from Naruto.'"
Neji shook his head helplessly.
"Promise me, Sasuke... if the day ever comes when I'm 'redeemed' by Naruto, and I forget my father's death... don't hesitate. The Neji who would be brainwashed like that—he wouldn't deserve to live."
Sasuke echoed the sentiment.
"If the future me forgets the Uchiha massacre and tries to 'atone' for it... then you mustn't show mercy either."
Whether it was the effects of Kotoamatsukami or something else, Sasuke loathed that future more than anything. His entire clan had been slaughtered—he refused to end up a dog wagging his tail for Konoha, seeking forgiveness. If that was his fate, he would rather die.
Before leaving, Neji casually asked,
"Need me to get rid of this batch of experimental trash for you?"
"No. I still have follow-up experiments to run."
"Follow-up experiments? Don't you need fresh material?"
"No... these two groups of ants are just right. From today onward, I won't inject them with any more foreign chakra. I'll let them reproduce on their own."
"And what exactly are you trying to do this time?"
"I want to see if the offspring of these naturally bred ants will retain the mutations induced by chakra manipulation."
"If they do, it would mean that personal will imprinted into chakra could be inherited even without direct intervention... and permanently embedded into genetic lineages."
"If that's true, then the depths of the shinobi world... are far beyond what we imagine."
Many of the "rules" in the shinobi world—strange, deep-rooted conventions—might actually be remnants of ancient powerhouses' wills.
For instance, powerful shinobi adamantly seeing themselves as 'tools' to be ruled over by civilians—such twisted logic could be the result of such ancient contamination. Once tainted by a strong will, it was as if a "thought brand" was etched into one's very bloodline. Perhaps that was why so many ninja were obsessed with the idea of peace—even warped, self-destructive versions of peace.
Since chakra originated from the Sage of Six Paths, and all chakra carried his yearning for peace, only those with truly strong wills could break free from that mental chain.
Of course, all of this was still just conjecture. But Sasuke wasn't in a hurry—he had plenty of time.
Years ago, Sasuke had ventured into the Black Lake of his spiritual world to seek the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan. After enduring agonizing trials, he finally awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan.
But even then, he had been disappointed. So he repeatedly returned to the Black Lake, immersing himself again and again, until finally, he awakened the long-awaited Mangekyō Sharingan. Yet, new problems arose.
His rationality remained intact—but much of his humanity was stripped away. What replaced it was something closer to divinity... or perhaps demonhood. He began to see all life as insignificant insects. It was as if a monster in human skin was clumsily imitating human emotions. Only when he thought of "hatred" could he still stir genuine feelings.
And the longer time went on, the deeper Sasuke sank into this path. It might have something to do with his ocular powers. Even though his Mangekyō was technically 'fake'—a product of deliberate soul distortion by the Black Lake—there was no denying that the 'devil' had granted him two extremely potent abilities.
His left eye, Enkō.
His right eye, Jibaku.
Enkō: Randomly inflicts a permanent negative status effect on the target.
Jibaku: Turns the dead into bound spirits, forcing them to endlessly relive the agony of death without end.
These abilities were tailor-made for torture and revenge. Inflicting suffering on others gradually twisted Sasuke's own heart as well.
Enkō was particularly chaotic—it could bring about curses like "eternal misfortune," "mental degradation," or "shortened lifespan."But it could also cause less harmful effects, like "hair loss," "nearsightedness," or "shrinkage" in rather humiliating ways.
It was like opening a cursed mystery box—full of grim surprises. Even now, Sasuke hadn't found the limits of Enkō. The devil who had twisted his soul hadn't warned him, either—he didn't know what kind of powerhouse might be immune to or capable of repelling the curse.
...
Neji walked down the streets of Konoha, his mood lifting at the sight of the pervasive decay.
The buildings along the commercial streets hadn't changed for years—no renovations, no improvements. Everything looked worn and dilapidated. That fact alone said enough.
Over the past few years, the Land of Fire's hard and soft powers had been in steady decline. On the surface, everything appeared calm. But behind the scenes, wars raged invisibly—information warfare, cultural conflicts, economic battles. There was never true peace, only shifting battlefields.
In truth, the Land of Fire was still relatively stable. The ones truly suffering were the Lands of Wind, Lightning, and Water.
A few years ago, a strange crimson ice began appearing along the coasts of the Land of Water. Chemically, it was identical to regular water. But physically, it was the opposite: it solidified at high temperatures and evaporated at low temperatures.
The terrifying part was that Crimson Ice could somehow erode and assimilate normal water—including the water inside living organisms.
There's a saying—when you spot one cockroach, there are a hundred hidden in the dark.
The ocean had always been a mysterious frontier for the shinobi world. When Kirigakure finally noticed the abnormalities caused by Crimson Ice, they expended massive resources investigating it—and what they discovered was horrifying.
The Crimson Ice likely originated from the deep sea. What had surfaced was only the tip of the iceberg. Over a quarter of the world's oceans had already turned red.
It was only a matter of time before the ice invaded the continents.
The good news was that the worst-affected seas were still far from the Land of Water. The coastal Crimson Ice was mainly brought inland by fish. The bad news—ninja were helpless against it.
The Crimson Ice was too widespread. It blended seamlessly with normal water, at the molecular level—impossible to separate. Even the so-called all-powerful sealing techniques were ineffective!
Sure, sealing could isolate small areas of Crimson Ice—but miss a single drop, and all their efforts were wasted.
Because the Crimson Ice reversed the normal properties of water, once it contaminated large swaths of the ocean, the natural energy exchange and water cycle were disrupted. Ocean currents broke down, rainfall decreased, and inland droughts became even harsher. The Lands of Wind and Lightning were hit the hardest.
The Land of Fire, rich in resources and fertile land, survived the first wave of climate catastrophe. Only the Land of Earth seemed completely unaffected—their environment actually grew stronger.
"When granaries are full, people know propriety; when food and clothing are sufficient, they know honor and shame."
Now that their material needs were unmet, Konoha's ninja were visibly lowering their standards.
Neji could see it with his own eyes. With just a little nudge, those once-high-and-mighty "righteous heroes" would quietly don masks and turn to banditry.
Neji was more than happy to play the role of the nudger. After all, Konoha had always preached from its high horse about their "love of peace" and "moral superiority."
But now, facing the same desperate poverty that had once plagued Sunagakure, they weren't nearly as noble as they used to pretend.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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