In the world of cultivators, strength was everything. The weak perished daily, forgotten by the tides of power and ambition. But for Wang Lin, returning to his village was not a loss—it was a homecoming.
The ridiculing whispers of the villagers followed him like shadows.
"A failure… couldn't even enter a sect."
"What a shame for his family. All that effort for nothing."
"He should just accept his fate as a farmer."
Yet, Wang Lin paid them no heed. In his heart, he had already won.
He had something greater than any sect—a master whose strength surpassed the heavens themselves. And unlike those arrogant elders at the sect, his master had chosen him.
The training was brutal. Day after day, his body was pushed beyond its limits. The early morning sun found him practicing stances, and the moon bore witness to his exhausted frame collapsing into bed. His hands grew calloused, his muscles hardened, and his once frail body was now brimming with power. Though he had not yet touched upon the mystical arts of cultivation, he could feel the change.
His body was stronger. His will was sharper.
As days passed, he found joy in the simplicity of life—talking with his parents, feeling the strain of hard work, and sensing his own growth. It was a life of purpose.
One evening, as he sat drenched in sweat from his training, his father approached, concern etched on his weathered face.
"Son, are you really okay? You don't have to push yourself so much."
Wang Lin looked up, his smile as bright as the stars above.
"Thank you, Father. But I'm happier than I've ever been. More than anything, this training makes me feel complete."
His father's heart warmed at those words. The past years had been filled with worry—watching his son struggle, watching him yearn for something more, only to face disappointment. But now, Wang Lin's eyes no longer held shadows of doubt or sadness.
"That's good," his father said, smiling with relief. "Just don't hurt your body."
"I won't," Wang Lin promised, his heart firm with determination.
He clenched his fists, feeling the strength surging within him.
'Soon, I will make my parents proud. I will lead them to a better life.'
The world had turned its back on him.
But Wang Lin had no intention of staying down.
He would rise—higher than any of them could ever imagine.
Naruto leaned back against the wall, a slight chuckle escaping his lips as he glanced at Kurama, who had been making light of the situation in the chat group. The conversation had veered wildly off course, shifting from serious matters about dragons to playful teasing and advice that wasn't exactly requested.
"Kurama, do you want your own account?" Naruto asked, raising an eyebrow as he scrolled through the latest barrage of messages. He could feel the amusement radiating from his old partner, who had always been the one to stir the pot, even if just for entertainment.
Kurama, however, merely snorted, his voice carrying that familiar mocking tone. "Nah, I like messing around like this. It's fun when people get confused." He gave a virtual snicker, his chakra presence practically vibrating with mischief. "You'd be surprised how many of them get worked up over the smallest things. It's better this way—I get to watch the chaos unfold and still have a good laugh."
Naruto smirked, shaking his head as he rested his arms behind his head, more amused than anything else. "Even though you're just a chakra construct, you've really become too foxy for your own good. You might even start asking, What does the fox say? to complete the package."
"Ha! I can always leave a bit of mystery," Kurama responded, practically oozing confidence. "Besides, I prefer to be the one who keeps everyone guessing. Unlike someone I know, who's too busy looking at SM orders instead of thinking about more important things."
Naruto couldn't help but laugh outright, the sound of it filling the otherwise quiet space. "Touché," he conceded with a grin, raising his hands in mock surrender. "I'll give up on that, but seriously, what's up with these kids? They have too much free time on their hands or what?"
Kurama's deep voice hummed with amusement, clearly enjoying the playful banter. "Oh, you mean the ones who get so excited about your life, huh? It's like they're constantly trying to live vicariously through you. What happened to just enjoying life and leaving others to do the same?"
Naruto leaned forward slightly, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "How did this go from a discussion about dragons to giving me advice about not cheating on my wives? It's like the universe decided, 'Hey, let's throw in some relationship advice for good measure.'"
Kurama growled softly, a sound that was more playful than menacing. "Hey, you're the one who started discussing all this dragon nonsense. I just decided to toss in a bit of advice while I was at it. You really think you can get away with all that extra attention and not have to answer to anyone?" Kurama's voice dripped with exaggerated sarcasm.
Naruto couldn't help but grin even wider. "I'm not that bad, am I?" His tone was light, but the question was genuine, as he honestly wondered if he had been too much of a show-off.
"Please," Kurama scoffed. "The way you flaunt it, you might as well be wearing a flashing neon sign that says, 'Look at me, I'm the Emperor of Mankind!'"
"Hey, no need to point out the obvious," Naruto retorted, crossing his arms. "I do have a reputation to uphold, you know."
The two shared a moment of comfortable silence, the playful back-and-forth having settled into a warm camaraderie. Kurama's chuckling continued in the background, but it was quieter now, almost affectionate.
"You know," Kurama finally said, his voice softer, "if you ever want to take a break from being the Emperor, just remember I'm always around to mess with you. I might even help you with that," he added, referring to the SM order situation from earlier.
Naruto's eyes widened. "No, no, no more talk about that, Kurama! You're not helping me get into any more trouble than I'm already in."
Kurama's laughter was full and hearty, a rare sound that echoed through Naruto's mind like a long-lost treasure. "Alright, alright, I'll let it go for now. But remember, I'm always here to stir things up if you ever get too comfortable."
Naruto shook his head fondly, a grin on his face as he responded, "Just don't make me regret giving you this much freedom."
"Oh, you know I'll only make it better, Naruto," Kurama said, a mischievous twinkle in his voice. "After all, what's life without a little fun?"
Naruto let out a content sigh, shaking his head. "I swear, you're worse than I am sometimes."
"Probably," Kurama responded, clearly enjoying the fact that his antics were as entertaining as ever. "But you love me for it."
In every chat group, there are creatures known as lurkers. These fiends slither in the shadows watching and listening while never taking part.
One of these beings was known as Usopp, he was one of the members of the Straw-hat Pirates. He was holding the phone and watching the conversation while being unable to take part as he was not the real owner of the device.
The sun was high above the horizon, casting a warm golden hue across the deck of the Going Merry. The gentle sway of the ship on the open sea mirrored the laid-back atmosphere of the Straw-Hat Pirates, as most of them enjoyed their usual tasks—Sanji cooking, Zoro training, and Nami plotting their course. Yet, in the shadows of the ship's lower deck, one figure stood alone, engrossed in the device that had appeared seemingly out of nowhere.
Usopp, the sharpshooter and self-proclaimed liar of the crew, squinted at the phone in his hands. His brow furrowed as he scrolled through the endless barrage of messages in the chat group. He could feel the weight of his frustration mounting, but he was also curious. How could he not be? There were so many strange names and even stranger titles floating across the screen. Emperor of Mankind? Hybrid? Ruin Princess? None of it made sense to him, but something told him these people could be useful. They were powerful, that much was obvious. But how did one even approach people like that?
His eyes flickered towards the deck where his captain, Luffy, was stretched out on the ground, a lazy smile plastered across his face as he caught some z's. Usopp's eyes narrowed in determination. It wasn't like Luffy was going to figure out how to use the phone on his own. Usopp, despite his reluctance, was the one who had to take charge of this situation.
Stepping out from the shadows, Usopp walked over to Luffy, who was blissfully unaware of the impending exchange. He gripped the phone tightly and tossed it into the air with a little more force than necessary.
"Luffy, catch!" Usopp yelled, the urgency in his voice belied by the casualness of the task.
Luffy, still half-asleep, barely reacted at first. Then, with a sleepy grunt, he lazily raised his hand to catch the phone. The phone collided with his face instead, and he blinked in confusion, staring at the device in his hands as though it had appeared from nowhere.
"What?" Luffy groaned, his voice groggy as he rubbed his eyes. "What's this? I was napping, Usopp..."
"Don't play dumb, Luffy!" Usopp snapped, still adjusting to the strangeness of the situation. "Just look at the phone and pay attention! It's important!"
Luffy, now fully awake and still holding the phone, frowned as he turned it over in his hands. "Okay, okay, what's this all about?" he mumbled, only half-focused on the device, more interested in his next meal than whatever mysterious message Usopp was trying to convey.
Meanwhile, Usopp couldn't help but feel a twinge of irritation, rubbing his stomach where Luffy's accidental knock had left a bruise. "Oww, what was that for?" he groaned, glaring at his captain.
"For almost giving me brain damage!" Luffy said, his voice playful but laced with mock seriousness. He grinned, his childish humor coming through as he pointed at Usopp. "I mean, I didn't know phones could hurt that much."
Usopp's eyebrow twitched in exasperation, his hands on his hips as he tried to keep his composure. "But I thought you didn't even have a brain," he shot back, his usual teasing tone slipping into his words.
Luffy blinked slowly, his grin widening, clearly unaware of the sarcasm. "Well, now I do!" he said, matter-of-factly, before suddenly counting down with exaggerated slowness. "One... two..."
Usopp's eyes widened. "Wait, no! I wasn't ready! I wasn't ready!" He began to back off, but it was too late.
"Three!" Luffy yelled.
Before Usopp could even react, Luffy grinned mischievously and swung his arm out, sending Usopp flying off the side of the ship. "Cheater!" Usopp shouted as he flailed in the air, his voice growing more panicked by the second. "I can't believe you did that!"
Luffy stood at the edge of the ship, laughing so hard that he had to hold his stomach. "You're too easy, Usopp!" he yelled back, still chuckling as Usopp sputtered and kicked in midair, only to land with an exaggerated splash into the water below.
As Usopp surfaced, sputtering and spitting out seawater, he could faintly hear Luffy's voice calling down to him from above.
"Come on, Usopp! You were talking about helping with the chat group, remember? If you want me to help, you gotta work harder than that!"
"You're impossible!" Usopp shouted back, but even as the words left his mouth, he couldn't help but laugh. Despite everything, Luffy was the most reliable (and unpredictable) captain he could ever ask for.
Didi, also known as Death of the Endless, sat alone in a vast, ethereal space. Time and space swirled around her, distant stars twinkling in the void like forgotten memories. Her fingers gently traced the screen of a strange device, the phone that had appeared in her hands. The glowing symbols and messages from the chat group were unfamiliar, yet captivating, their meaning lost in a swirl of abstract words. She was accustomed to observing the mortal world, watching as lives began and ended, but something about this device intrigued her.
"Should I actually take part in this?" Didi muttered, her voice like a soft whisper carried on the wind. She had never been one to meddle in the affairs of the living. Her role was to guide souls, not to interact in such mundane matters. Yet, here she was, contemplating whether or not she should engage in something so trivial.
The screen lit up again, a new message flashing across it, pulling her attention.
"Why did he actually send it to me, when I am not supposed to interfere?"
The voice that answered her was familiar, rich with a calm, almost mischievous tone. "Because you are alone," it said, filling the space around her.
Didi's lips curved into a small smile, a faint glimmer of amusement in her eyes. "I thought you were busy," she replied, her voice light, almost teasing.
The voice chuckled, a sound that reverberated throughout the cosmos, echoing in places even Didi couldn't fathom. "I am, but I can also be in many places at the same time."
She raised an eyebrow, her amusement growing. "So you wish to pass time with me."
"Why not? And you can still interfere with other worlds, which are out of your jurisdiction." The voice was playful, yet there was an underlying sincerity to it that made Didi pause for a moment.
The phone glowed brighter, a silent invitation to engage. Didi pondered for a moment, then let out a soft, resigned sigh. "I will see if I can do that," she mused aloud. "But do you really dare to keep death as company?"
A long silence followed, but then the voice responded with a warmth that sent a ripple of curiosity through her. "Why not? Will you take my soul?"
Didi's smile deepened, her eyes reflecting the depth of the eternal cosmos around her. "I certainly can, but the time is not yet over."
For a brief moment, the cosmic space seemed to freeze, the weight of those words hanging in the air. Death, as ever, was patient—eternally so. And yet, there was something about this moment, this conversation, that made it feel less like an inevitability and more like a choice.
The voice softened, an almost wistful tone now in its words. "I am glad about that. But I would certainly be entertained, if we could go down memory lane. What say you?"
Didi chuckled, her form shifting slightly, as if her very being had become lighter, more in tune with the voice that spoke to her. "Memory lane, you say?" She raised an ethereal hand, her fingers brushing the cosmic fabric as she spoke, the void around her seeming to pulse with life. "I suppose it's been a while since we've taken a stroll there."
A thread of familiarity wove through the conversation, one that spanned decades, even centuries. The voice belonged to someone Didi had known longer than most, someone she had shared countless moments with. Naruto, her close friend, had always been a being of contradictions—light and shadow, life and death, everything in between. And yet, despite his strange, sometimes reckless behavior, he had always brought warmth to her existence, a touch of something unfamiliar in her timeless journey.
And so, in the boundless expanse where time and space stretched infinitely, two old friends, Death and the Emperor, began their conversation once more, their laughter and stories filling the empty void with the warmth of their shared history. For even in a world ruled by inevitabilities, there was always room for a little bit of lightheartedness between friends.