readbooksol Chapter 341 341: Izanami Slope
Chapter 341 341: Izanami Slope
"So, the 'path' you remembered, or rather, the entrance mentioned in those ancient legends—where is it?"
Naruto urgently pressed for the core information.
Asura's consciousness paused, as if retrieving more specific memory fragments:
"According to those ancient legends..."
"The Pure Land is considered to be a part of the 'Land of Yellow Springs,' or closely adjacent to it. It is the realm of the dead."
"And the boundary connecting the living world and the Land of Yellow Springs is called 'Yomotsu Hirasaka' in ancient songs and sacrificial texts."
"Later, as time passed, many places in the Ninja World changed their names. The boundary between life and death came to be known as 'Izanami Slope,' located within the territory of the ancient 'Land of Izumo.'"
"Land of Izumo... Izanami Slope..."
Naruto quickly recalled knowledge regarding the history and geography of the Ninja World in his mind.
The Land of Izumo existed before the Sengoku era, and its scope and specific location had become largely blurred through historical changes.
Asura didn't know much more beyond that.
Naruto had no other choice; continuing to press for more information would be useless.
If he wanted to fight the Six Paths Sage, going without reaching the Dao-Grade would be nothing more than a suicide mission.
This matter could not be rushed.
Naruto soon gathered the remaining high-ranking officials in Konoha Village and those whose relatives had been resurrected; even the Third Hokage was temporarily pulled out.
It couldn't be helped; although the Third Hokage had lost his former ambition, he was still one of Hidden Leaf Village's top combatants.
They were short-staffed everywhere now; hearing that there was work arranged for him, the old man was overjoyed.
When the people were gathered, they discovered that Might Duy, Nawaki, and Mikoto were actually still there.
Fugaku had been taken away, yet Mikoto was still here?
The Six Paths Sage had taken away everyone who could reach the strength of an Elite Jonin in their base state!
If he only took those who died of old age, then it should only be Mito and Hashirama; the others did not die of natural causes.
Might Duy's base strength only reached between Chunin and Special Jonin; otherwise, he could have driven off the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist by opening the Seventh Gate, without needing to open the Eighth Gate.
At the hospital, Tsunade only just learned that something had happened to Kato Dan.
Even Orochimaru was helpless.
"Let's adjust Hidden Leaf Village's offensive strategy this time; let's seek progress through stability."
Naruto looked at everyone present.
"Naruto..."
The Third Hokage was about to speak, but Jiraiya pulled him back.
"If it's about Utatane and Homura Mitokado, then forget it. I'm afraid that if I leave, the internal situation won't be stable."
Naruto naturally guessed what the Third Hokage wanted to say and interrupted him without hesitation.
It was already good enough that he hadn't dealt with those two old fossils yet; he was supposed to let them continue participating in politics?
In their dreams.
Naruto had been too busy lately to even bother with them.
When he had time later, he would deal with the Utatane and Mitokado families and make them spit out everything they had taken from the Village.
There would be many more places to spend money in the future!
Next, Naruto asked them about the place Asura had mentioned.
"Additionally, everyone here is a knowledgeable and experienced Senior."
Naruto looked around at the crowd.
"I want to ask you about a place..."
He paused and slowly spoke the ancient place name he had obtained from Asura's memories:
"Have you... heard of the 'Land of Izumo'?"
"Land of Izumo?"
As soon as the name was mentioned, everyone in the meeting room looked at each other, most of their faces showing confusion and contemplation.
This name sounded... ancient, unlike the formal name of any country or region in the current Ninja World. It sounded like a term that would only appear in history books or ancient legends.
For a moment, the meeting room fell into a brief silence.
However, a moment later, both Jiraiya and Orochimaru, almost simultaneously, showed thoughtful and even slightly enlightened and solemn expressions.
Jiraiya was the first to speak, his voice tinged with reminiscence:
"'Land of Izumo'... that name, I seem to... have heard the Fukasaku Sage of Mount Myoboku mention it."
Everyone's gaze immediately focused on him.
Jiraiya tapped his finger on the table, recalling:
"That was a long time ago, when I first started learning senjutsu.
The Fukasaku Sage once mentioned the 'Land of Izumo' while talking about natural energy, the cycle of life and death, and some ancient forbidden places."
"He said that place... seems to be the 'intersection of life and death,' a strange zone where the living world and the realm of the dead vaguely overlap."
Jiraiya's tone became serious:
"In a certain secret location in the Land of Izumo, there is said to be a boundary passage called 'Izanami Slope.'"
"That passage connects the world of the living with the realm of the dead."
"However, the Fukasaku Sage warned me very solemnly at the time." Jiraiya looked at Naruto, a hint of lingering fear in his eyes.
"'Once a living being approaches or even attempts to cross Izanami Slope, their Physical Body will rapidly decay and crumble, and their Soul may be forcibly stripped away and dragged into the depths of the Yellow Springs, resulting in certain death!"
"That is a power that even Senjutsu Chakra can hardly withstand completely!'"
"Therefore, that place has always been listed by Mount Myoboku as an absolutely inaccessible forbidden land."
After listening to Jiraiya's account, the atmosphere in the meeting room became even more solemn.
The boundary between life and death?
Why did Naruto mention that place? Could it be that he already knew what was going on?
And at that moment, Orochimaru's voice also slowly rang out:
"Jiraiya is right."
"Regarding the 'Land of Izumo' and 'Izanami Slope,' I also heard similar warnings when I was studying senjutsu with the White Snake Sage at Ryūchi Cave."
"The White Snake Sage told me that it is the 'rift in the living world closest to the essence of death.'"
He looked at Naruto, a hint of inquiry in his gaze:
"Furthermore, the White Snake Sage specifically warned me that if I wanted to pursue 'immortality,' that place is 'absolutely forbidden' to visit."
In this regard, Orochimaru was still very receptive to advice.
The White Snake Sage told her not to approach, so Orochimaru didn't even inquire about it.
If asked, she had an impression; if asked for details, she was unclear.
Naruto had no choice but to ask Jiraiya to consult the two Toad Sages, Fukasaku and Shima.
Orochimaru had more important things to do, and her relationship with the White Snake Sage wasn't exactly good.
"Also, Hidden Stone Village and Sunagakure already belong to Hidden Leaf Village."
Naruto's index finger tapped lightly on the table, delivering a piece of good news.
This meant that nearly two-thirds of the Ninja World's territory was already in the Land of Fire's pocket.
This news calmed the people present quite a bit; if this was the case, it was only a matter of time before Kumogakure and Kirigakure were annexed, as they had no power to resist Naruto.
Unifying the entire Ninja World was only a matter of time.
"Although it might be inappropriate to say this now, Naruto, there is no rush to find the Souls of the deceased."
The Third Hokage looked into Naruto's eyes.
"I know, Third Hokage."
Naruto nodded.
"Orochimaru has also experimented with Edo Tensei, and no matter what, he cannot call back the Souls of the First Hokage and the others. It is already midsummer;
Let's announce the news that the Land of Earth and the Land of Wind have been annexed by the Land of Fire during the upcoming fireworks festival. It is time to use news of victory to soothe the unrest within the Village."
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