Chapter 408

"Getting stronger…"

Ino wasn't entirely sure where Naruto and Sasuke's power came from. She only knew that Naruto's strength was heavily tied to the Nine-Tails within him, but beyond that, she wasn't very knowledgeable.

Sakura, however, knew a bit more. She had fought alongside Naruto and Sasuke against Kaguya and understood that their power had originated from the Sage of Six Paths. But the exact details were unclear to her.

Even if she did know, Sakura wasn't inclined to tell Yoichi. Right now, the only thing occupying her thoughts was Sasuke—though, despite herself, she still couldn't stop the memories of that night from creeping into her mind.

"I don't really know."

"If the Hokage doesn't have a way to get stronger, I do have a method that could significantly enhance his power."

Yoichi suddenly spoke, drawing the attention of both Ino and Sakura.

He wasn't trying to be mysterious—this was something he had long decided. He had already secured both Ten-Tails and discovered the location of Jigen's base. Now, all that remained was obtaining the body of Shibai Ōtsutsuki, and his journey through this timeline would be complete.

Since he had already reaped so many benefits from this world, he saw no harm in helping them deal with the Ōtsutsuki before leaving. Besides, enhancing their power wasn't even a personal effort—he merely had to act as a conduit for something that already existed.

"The Onmyōji tradition has always carried a method to defeat the Ōtsutsuki. I initially thought it would never be needed after Kaguya's sealing and had planned to pass it on to the next generation. But now that another Ōtsutsuki has appeared, that plan is back on the table."

Yoichi sighed as he spoke. Ino and Sakura, listening to his words, couldn't help but believe him. Ino, in particular, fully trusted Yoichi and didn't doubt his sincerity.

"Yoichi, what method is it? Something like the Secret Jōnin Pill?" Ino asked curiously.

"Of course not. The Jōnin Pill is incredibly difficult to refine, and we don't have the necessary materials anymore—unless we somehow acquire more exotic creatures from other worlds."

Yoichi smirked, then continued, "The method is simple: use the energy that has been accumulating for thousands of years to enhance oneself, granting the power necessary to defeat the Ōtsutsuki.

"This was something the Onmyōji planned long ago, and by now, the accumulated energy must be vast. There should be no problem in using it to take down an Ōtsutsuki."

Sakura furrowed her brows. "What kind of energy could be stored for a thousand years?"

Yoichi pointed a finger upward. "The energy of the deceased souls within the Pure Land."

...

Konoha, Hokage's Office

After returning to the village, Ino and Sakura went straight to the Hokage's office to relay Yoichi's words to Naruto.

Naruto fell into deep thought upon hearing it. Uncertain of what to make of it, he called for Shikamaru to hear his opinion.

Shikamaru, however, wasn't entirely sure either. He didn't know much about the Onmyōji's traditions, nor did he have a solid understanding of the Pure Land.

After a moment of contemplation, Shikamaru shook his head and suggested, "I'm not sure, Naruto. Maybe we should ask Mount Myōboku? They might have some knowledge about the Onmyōji's techniques."

Hearing that, Ino frowned slightly. "Shikamaru, you're not still suspicious of Yoichi, are you?"

"This isn't about suspicion—it's necessary due diligence. Naruto is the Hokage. This concerns the entire village's safety."

Shikamaru shook his head. He then sighed inwardly. He had noticed the shift in Ino and Sai's relationship but had chosen to stay silent out of respect for his decades-long friendship with Ino. However, he did feel that Ino was getting too close to Yoichi—an outsider at the end of the day.

"In that case… I'll ask the elders of Mount Myōboku."

Naruto nodded and channeled some chakra, performing a summoning jutsu. Soon, a small, unfamiliar toad appeared on his desk.

The little toad looked around in confusion. "Where is this?"

Naruto gave an apologetic smile. "Sorry for disturbing you. I'm Naruto. Could you help me deliver a message to Elder Fukasaku? I have something important to ask him. I might need to use the Reverse Summoning Technique."

"Oh, if it's about that, leave it to me!"

With that, the toad immediately dispelled the summoning and returned to Mount Myōboku to relay the message.

After a short while, Naruto performed the summoning jutsu again, and this time, Elder Fukasaku of Mount Myōboku appeared.

Upon seeing Naruto, Fukasaku asked, "Little Naruto, what's the matter?"

"I wanted to ask you something, Elder Fukasaku."

Naruto scratched his head, then his expression turned more serious. "It's about the Onmyōji I mentioned before. He claims that he can use the energy of the Pure Land to help me grow stronger."

Fukasaku furrowed his brows. "The energy of the Pure Land, huh… That's not something I know much about. But I can tell you this—Naruto, the Pure Land isn't a naturally occurring realm. It was created by the Onmyōji."

"What?!"

Naruto was stunned. Even Shikamaru, Ino, and Sakura were visibly shocked. None of them had expected that the Pure Land—the resting place of the deceased—wasn't something that had always existed.

"Is that really true, Elder Fukasaku? The Onmyōji were capable of something like that?"

"For them, it wasn't anything extraordinary. While I've never seen an Onmyōji in action, I do know that their specialty was raising and controlling shikigami—spiritual entities that fought on their behalf. And their shikigami were essentially the spirits of the dead."

Fukasaku continued, "As for the power that person mentioned, it's likely related to those shikigami in some way."

Naruto frowned in thought. "Shikigami, huh…? But I don't know how to control them. Why did Yoichi say that this power could make me stronger?"

"Why don't you just ask him directly? I don't know much about the Onmyōji, and even the Great Elder might have more insight—but he's currently asleep."

Fukasaku prepared to return to Mount Myōboku but gave Naruto one final message. "Little Naruto, when the Great Elder wakes up, I'll inform you."

Poof!

With that, Fukasaku vanished, leaving behind a heavy silence in the office.

Naruto, Shikamaru, and the others had learned quite a few shocking truths today—not just about the Ōtsutsuki, but also about the Onmyōji.

"I don't think Yoichi has any reason to harm me. We should invite him over and hear him out. His identity has already been verified, so there's no way he's working with the Ōtsutsuki."

Naruto spoke with conviction, finalizing his decision. Shikamaru opened his mouth as if to argue but ultimately said nothing.

Something about all of this felt wrong to him. He was certain Yoichi had deeper motives.

When Naruto invited Yoichi over, he didn't beat around the bush. He politely but directly asked what method he had to deal with the Ōtsutsuki.

Yoichi chuckled. "It's actually very simple. You just need to become strong enough to kill an Ōtsutsuki. The Pure Land has that kind of energy."

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise. "Huh? It's that straightforward?"

"That's right. The Pure Land was originally meant for cultivating shikigami. But its operation also requires energy. Energy doesn't appear out of nowhere—it has to come from somewhere."

Yoichi paused, noticing that some people in the room had already figured it out. He then continued, "The energy within the Pure Land is the accumulation of spirits that have dissipated over the past thousand years."

(End of Chapter)

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