Immortal Law: Inorganic Reincarnation
After Wu left, the usually lively Caoyin Village fell into an eerie silence.
The izakaya owner cautiously emerged from beneath the counter, carrying a tray of preserved plums and rice crackers. He ascended to the second floor, his voice trembling: "Lord Ninja, has that monster been dealt with?"
Naruto, his blue eyes calm but firm, met the man's gaze and shook his head. "Not yet. But the real crisis for Caoyin is only beginning. The coming years will be anything but peaceful."
The shop owner fell silent, then hesitantly turned to Karin. "It's because of this child, isn't it? She… reminds me of the red-haired medic we once had at the hospital."
Naruto gave no reply. Without another word, he took Karin's hand and leaped from the second floor, landing effortlessly in the moonlit street.
The villagers, who had initially sighed in relief, now exchanged anxious glances. They weren't sure whether to fear the return of the monstrous Satori—or the uncertain fate of their village.
Naruto strode down the main road toward the Bliss Box's location. This time, he didn't bother having Karin conceal her identity. As they passed, several Kusa-nin stiffened, recognizing her. Yet, with Naruto's presence exuding an overwhelming chakra, none dared to approach.
Watching the hesitating shinobi and regretful villagers, Karin murmured, "Why do they look at me like that?"
"They're mourning the loss of their disposable tool—someone they could exploit and drain dry under the guise of 'loyalty.'"
Naruto's voice carried a rare edge of bitterness. People like Karin weren't unusual in the shinobi world. Each village had its weapons: Konoha had its Jinchūriki, Sand had its puppeteers, and Caoyin had their sacrificial healers. They endured scorn, bore unbearable burdens, and yet, when the village needed saving, they were expected to stand in its defense.
Karin lowered her gaze. The weight of the past settled over her like a cold mist. Sensing this, Naruto suddenly chuckled, breaking the tension.
"So, what now? Do you want revenge? Or would you rather let them watch as their precious village crumbles?"
Karin paused before looking up at him. "And what did you choose, Lord Menma?"
Naruto blinked at the name, then smirked. "I let them destroy themselves. But you're not like me. They hurt you, truly hurt you—not just your pride, but your body."
Karin clenched her fists, her voice steady. "I'll decide their fate myself. My mother wanted me to live a real shinobi's life, not just be someone else's tool."
Their conversation ended as they neared the battlefield. Before them, the chaos of battle raged: Konoha's elite and the Akatsuki had temporarily allied to combat the colossal threat of Satori.
Naruto's brows lifted slightly. "Huh. Even sworn enemies unite when facing a common nightmare."
Karin's eyes stayed fixed on the battle, particularly on Tsunade. With a single punch, the Hokage shattered the ground beneath her.
Karin muttered under her breath, "If I had strength like that… they wouldn't have been able to touch me."
Naruto, meanwhile, sensed a familiar chakra. His sharp gaze darted toward the distant treetops. Standing there, shrouded in the eerie glow of the moon, was a figure wearing an orange spiral mask—Uchiha Obito.
Obito, too, had noticed Naruto, but made no move. He had learned from experience: never engage unless victory was assured.
By the time Naruto arrived at the location, Obito's chakra had already vanished. Instead, he found a White Zetsu clone disguised as Obito. With a swift flick of his wrist, Naruto sealed the fallen clone's body into a scroll.
"Uzumaki Village has a whole stockpile of these things," he muttered. "The old patriarch made sure of that."
Naruto formed a hand seal, creating a shadow clone to guard Karin. His real body turned toward the Bliss Box's location. Something tied to the Sacred Tree was too valuable to ignore.
Within moments, Naruto locked onto his target's chakra and disappeared in a flash.
Deep within a dimly lit chamber, Wuwei sat alone, his mind unraveling. His resurrected son, longed for and mourned, had returned—but not as the boy he had lost. Instead, he was a hollow puppet, a thrall to the Bliss Box's will.
Wuwei clutched his head, his breath ragged. "Why? Why didn't it work? The Box of Ultimate Bliss grants wishes… doesn't it?"
A cold voice interrupted him. "It does. Just not in the way you imagined."
Wuwei spun around, startled by Naruto's sudden presence.
"Your son is alive," Naruto continued, his Sharingan glinting ominously, "but he will always be a slave to that cursed box."
The Bliss Box was twisted. It granted desires, but in ways that defied morality. Wish for world peace, and it would erase humanity itself—no people, no war.
Wuwei stiffened. "Who are you?!"
Naruto didn't answer. Instead, he cast a genjutsu with his Mangekyō Sharingan, extracting every bit of knowledge about the Bliss Box's sealing techniques. He then tossed the recovered documents into his mental link with Kurama.
"Kurama, do these files tell us anything about the Sacred Tree?"
Kurama hummed thoughtfully, scrolling through the information in Naruto's subconscious. Then, after a long pause, he muttered, "If this thing is really as twisted as you say… I doubt it has anything to do with the Sacred Tree. It feels more like something that's been lurking in this world since before the Sage of Six Paths."
Realizing he might have said too much, the fox abruptly fell silent.
Naruto's thoughts churned. If even Kurama, a being directly linked to the Ten-Tails, couldn't place the origin of the Bliss Box… then its history might predate the very foundation of ninjutsu itself.
That was a mystery for another time. First, he needed to seal the box and take it out of Caoyin's hands.
—
Meanwhile, on the battlefield, Konoha's forces and the Akatsuki launched another desperate attempt to restrain Satori. But no matter how many times they sealed him, the monstrous entity kept breaking free.
Frustration settled over Jiraiya and Itachi as they turned to Caoyin's leader for answers.
The leader's expression was grim. "The records only tell us how to open the Bliss Box… not how to close it."
Jiraiya swore under his breath. Their chakra reserves weren't limitless. No matter how strong they were, they couldn't keep this up forever.
And then—
The ground trembled. The battlefield itself seemed to come alive. Cracks spread like veins, and from the very earth, an enormous stone hand erupted, seizing Satori in an unbreakable grip.
The shinobi watched in stunned silence as the monster was dragged beneath the earth, vanishing into the abyss.
Subscribe to Patreon.com/Akeyno to get 30+ chapters