Sixteen years old, the Fourth Mizukage

“We are going to find Gaara? Why?”

After breakfast ended, and after exchanging tasks with the people in the village, Rei Kaguya and Naruto Uzumaki made use of their mobility, which far surpassed ordinary shinobi, and flew straight through the sky toward the Land of Wind, where Sunagakure was located.

The question above was something Naruto Uzumaki could not help asking after the two entered the Land of Fire.

“Because the One-Tail is sealed inside Gaara’s body by Sunagakure. If we want to borrow some of the One-Tail’s chakra to charge the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, we need that boy to cooperate with our actions.”

Hearing Rei’s answer, Naruto Uzumaki froze on the spot.

Memories quickly surfaced in his mind of what kind of situation Gaara should be in on the worldline from his side at this time. Then he frowned and asked with some concern, “Will that be all right? If I remember correctly, Sunagakure’s seal on Shukaku was not very tight. Gaara’s relationship with Shukaku at this age should still be quite terrible…”

“That is your side’s Gaara, not ours.”

While adjusting the flight path of the two of them, Rei answered casually.

“After discovering that the seal on Gaara’s body was insufficiently perfected, Sunagakure proactively submitted a request for assistance to Kirigakure and Akatsuki. In the end, at the cost of externally exporting some high-quality minerals that are specialty products of the Land of Wind, they asked Nagato and the Priestess of the Land of Demons to act together and redesign Shukaku’s seal. After that, there has been no news of Shukaku rampaging or anything of the sort.”

“…Although I heard from you that Akatsuki became a platform uniting the entire shinobi world for the discussion of all kinds of matters, large and small, this still exceeds my expectations a little.”

After Naruto Uzumaki was stunned for a moment, he spoke with a complicated expression.

“Putting Nagato aside for the moment, if Yahiko had not died and Akatsuki’s other companions had not been schemed against and killed, he might indeed have become a Child of Prophecy who would have allowed Jiraiya-sensei’s ideals to take a huge step forward. But… the Priestess of the Land of Demons? If I remember correctly, that priestess should have already sacrificed herself in the battle to seal Moryo, right?”

“At the time, Akatsuki received the Land of Demons’ request for help, then smoothly transferred it to Kirigakure… Out of considerations such as fighting for allies and improving the stereotypical impression of Kirigakure as the Village of the Bloody Mist, I had Kisame and Shisui go solve the Moryo problem. As for the priestess herself, she is still properly leading the people of the Land of Demons, and she is currently preparing for deeper development of Moryo’s power.”

Listening to the intelligence Rei revealed in a completely calm tone, the corner of Naruto’s mouth twitched violently once more.

After finally calming his emotions down, he asked in complete confusion, “I can understand the priestess surviving… But developing Moryo’s power? Can that kind of chakra, filled with malice and strangeness, really be developed and used?”

“Moryo itself is a part of the Priestess of the Land of Demons. It is nothing more than the previous priestesses not having the confidence to suppress their own ambition, so they chose to peel Moryo away together with their own negative chakra in order to keep their original hearts from wavering.”

Rei looked at the mountains, rivers, and towns rapidly passing beneath them. His eyes were calm, and his tone indifferent.

“But that kind of separation is meaningless… After separating from Moryo, the priestess is left only with abilities in sealing techniques. She has no way to crush enemies when foreign foes invade, nor any way to use the power she should have possessed to develop the Land of Demons’ environment and turn the Land of Demons into a more prosperous country.”

“Power is power. If she is worried she cannot guard her original heart and will be tempted by Moryo’s power, then let her truly realize that her power is not that strong. It is neither omnipotent, nor can it overturn heaven and earth and destroy the world…

“As long as she maintains the awareness that she is very weak, then controlling Moryo’s power becomes possible.”

“But how can Moryo’s power be controlled and developed?”

Naruto Uzumaki still did not quite understand how something like Moryo could become a force that assisted a nation’s development.

“Although I only had contact with it once, given that evil and cold chakra nature of its, what kind of use could it be put to without endangering the world?”

“Since you have seen Moryo, then you should know that it can summon a group of undying, tireless terracotta soldiers, correct?”

Rei whistled lightly and said calmly, “Just treat those things as an alternative kind of puppet and use them that way, no? Although they cannot do any especially delicate work, using them to carry out simple, repetitive, and somewhat dangerous physical labor is incredibly cost-effective.”

“It can actually be used like that!?”

Naruto Uzumaki widened his eyes, revealing an expression of sudden realization—or rather, complete astonishment.

Rei speechlessly rolled his eyes at him and could not help sighing.

“You have never thought about that side of things, have you, Naruto Uzumaki?”

“No. I really have not.”

Naruto Uzumaki honestly admitted this.

“Even though, before your decisive battle with Six Paths Madara Uchiha and Kaguya Otsutsuki, you once came into contact with the chakra the Sage of Six Paths left behind in the shinobi world, you still think like that?”

Rei continued asking.

“Why… are you specially bringing that up?”

Naruto still looked as though he did not understand.

“You have already met the Sage of Six Paths, so no matter what, he should have told you about the founding of Ninshu, right?”

Rei let out a long sigh. Speechlessly, he led Naruto Uzumaki away from their original direction and toward another country located on the route from the Land of Water to the Land of Wind.

“Ninshu… I think I did hear the Sage of Six Paths mention it. The conflict between Ashura and Indra was also caused by the problem of inheriting Ninshu.”

Naruto Uzumaki revealed a thoughtful expression.

“Then here is the question. When the Sage of Six Paths created Ninshu, why did he return to the earth the chakra he had taken back from his mother, Kaguya Otsutsuki, and distribute it to everyone?

“Was it so they could slaughter each other with all kinds of flashy ninjutsu, like the shinobi of today?

“Or was it so these people, who had just escaped Kaguya Otsutsuki’s oppression, could obtain a brand-new power—one they could use not only to protect themselves, but also for production, allowing everyone to work together and rebuild the shinobi civilization that had already been pushed to the verge of destruction?”

Rei looked toward the distant border of the Land of Demons, which was gradually coming into view, and asked calmly.