Fumori masaki clicked his tongue softly. After all this time, he never expected that the secret of the Totsuka Blade was hidden in the Land of Demons, which appeared in the original theatrical version. That was truly unexpected.
Speaking of which, the Land of Demons holds significant meaning for Fumori masaki. It was there that he found the remnants of the Sage of Six Paths' scriptures, making a great contribution to the revival of the Sage of Six Paths' teachings. He also encountered a minor problem there, eliminating Kakuzu, who would have lived for another twenty years, prematurely.
"That place is really important," Fumori masaki thought.
"Are you sure?"
"Certain. I've investigated it repeatedly." Uchiha Kagami nodded, "However, to subdue the Totsuka Blade, a Mangekyo Sharingan user is required. I'm afraid I'll have to go personally."
"Going personally is appropriate. For something so important, only by going yourself can you ensure its safety," Fumori masaki said, hesitating for a moment, then making up his mind, "I'll go with you. I'd like to see what this legendary Kusanagi Blade looks like."
"You're going too?" Uchiha Kagami looked surprised, "Is that really alright? You're the Hokage. If you just leave the village casually…"
"A single shadow clone will suffice. With my strength, maintaining one shadow clone for this journey shouldn't be a big problem. And I generally won't encounter danger in the village, so maintaining the shadow clone won't be a big issue either," Fumori masaki said.
Shadow clones, as a ninjutsu that evenly distributes chakra, once used, will cause the main body's strength to decrease. Moreover, the main body's condition often affects the maintenance of the shadow clone. Naruto Uzumaki only left two shadow clones to absorb natural energy because, during intense battles, maintaining two shadow clones to absorb natural energy was already his limit.
Naruto Uzumaki, someone who can summon hundreds of shadow clones, could only maintain two shadow clones to absorb natural energy. Although it was because natural energy itself is more troublesome, it also indirectly shows how difficult it is to maintain shadow clones during intense combat.
When Hashirama was gravely ill, Tobirama, even though he wished to see his elder brother one last time, did not choose to use a shadow clone. This was because they were in the midst of a fierce battle at the time. If he were to suddenly encounter trouble, not only would his strength be diminished by using a shadow clone, but the battle affecting his main body's state would also cause the shadow clone to disappear midway.
It was precisely for this reason that Tobirama did not use a shadow clone to see Hashirama, thus leaving him with regret, unable to see his elder brother's last moments.
And currently, the ninja world is in a stable period.
Fumori masaki basically wouldn't encounter any situations requiring combat in Konoha Village. He usually only needed to handle documents, so maintaining just one shadow clone didn't seem impossible.
Uchiha Kagami considered it for a moment and asked, "Are you really going?"
"Of course." Fumori masaki nodded, "That way, we can also look out for each other."
"Since you insist, I can't very well refuse," Uchiha Kagami said, "Then let's do that."
"Alright, then let's set the schedule," Fumori masaki nodded, then left the room with Uchiha Kagami and headed towards the office.
Sitting at his desk, Fumori masaki was about to check his schedule when Uchiha Kagami suddenly asked, "Speaking of which, you've been on missions to the Land of Demons before, haven't you?"
"Yes." Fumori masaki replied, pausing slightly, and placing the document on the table, "Speaking of which, the legend you just mentioned gives me a sense of déjà vu."
"What déjà vu?" Uchiha Kagami asked curiously.
"Back then, there was a group of guys in the Land of Demons who worshipped a evil god (evil god) and planned to summon it through a ritual to gain power. Doesn't that sound a bit like the monsters that emerged from the Yomi world?" Fumori masaki said.
Actually, what Fumori masaki mainly recalled was Moryo from the original theatrical version. That guy was indeed somewhat similar to the Eight-Headed Serpent to a certain extent. Although Fumori masaki thought it looked more like a dragon, that wasn't important. What was important was that this guy indeed had similarities to the legend Uchiha Kagami mentioned.
"Oh, now that you mention it, it really does sound a bit similar." Uchiha Kagami pulled up a chair opposite Fumori masaki and sat down, saying, "But that incident was resolved by you, wasn't it?"
"Yes. The summoning of the evil god didn't succeed. Later, to prevent such incidents, I suggested to my teacher that we purge the evil god cultists," Fumori masaki nodded slightly.
"Ah, that incident caused quite a stir, but it truly did make the situation around the Land of Demons much cleaner. However, later during the joint Chunin Exams, the remnants of those evil god cultists still tried to cause chaos within the village," Uchiha Kagami recalled the situation at the time and couldn't help but smile.
"At that time, wasn't it you who personally led the team? But we found that guy because of a self-detonation incident, and we instinctively thought it was done by the evil god cultists. But now, it seems it might have been Uchiha Setsuna's doing," Fumori masaki's expression became slightly somber.
Uchiha Kagami sighed softly, saying, "It seems that's the case now. He was too deeply hidden back then, so it's no wonder we didn't discover him. Who knew that the evil god cultists would just happen to appear in the village, perfectly diverting attention to them."
"That guy was really lucky," Fumori masaki had been suspicious of Uchiha Setsuna at the time, but because there was no evidence, and precisely because of the appearance of the evil god cultists, it led him to doubt his own judgment for a time. Sure enough, these evil god cultists were no good.
"Are there still any traces of the evil god cultists?" Uchiha Kagami asked.
"I haven't heard much about them, anyway. That incident back then caused such a big stir, and after the evil god cultists attempted an attack during the joint Chunin Exams, the Anbu intensified their crackdown. These guys probably don't have much room to survive. Even if there are any left, they're hiding deep in the mountains and forests, not daring to show their faces," Fumori masaki thought for a moment and said.
"That's good. I certainly don't want to encounter those guys again this time when we go to the Land of Demons," Uchiha Kagami said.
"Haha, no, you won't. The area around the Land of Demons is a key target for suppression, and after the Land of Demons suffered that loss, they are very serious about preventing such a situation from happening again. If anything really happens, they'll notify us immediately," Fumori masaki waved his hand.
"Right, the Land of Demons should be one of the countries that maintains a relatively good relationship with our village, shouldn't it?" Uchiha Kagami recalled and said.
"Indeed. Among the northern countries, the Land of Demons is one of the few that intends to join the alliance," Fumori masaki nodded slightly. After the Southern Alliance was formed, the Hidden Cloud Village and Hidden Stone Village weren't entirely inactive. At least some of the northern countries were influenced by them and chose not to join the alliance. Only a few countries were willing to join, but they were still in the planning stages and hadn't taken action yet.
"That place is one of the holy lands of the Sage of Six Paths' revival. As a descendant of the Sage of Six Paths, I should also go and see it for myself. Do you know anyone there?" Uchiha Kagami pondered for a moment and asked.
"I don't know many people, but that country primarily reveres its priestesses, and I have some connections with them," Fumori masaki replied, "Now that I think about it, the current priestess should be the daughter of the priestess I met back then."
"Priestesses, huh? In legends, they assisted Susanoo in slaying the Eight-Headed Serpent. They should also possess some special abilities, right?" Uchiha Kagami asked.
"Yes, abilities related to prophecy." When Fumori masaki thought of the current priestess, Miroku, he once again remembered Moryo, but that guy should no longer exist.
"Prophecy, huh? That's quite mystical. If used well, it might have some good effects," Uchiha Kagami smiled. Although he was curious about this prophetic ability, he didn't consider it to be a very powerful one. Prophecy alone didn't have much use, and there might be various limitations.
"If you want to witness it, you can take a good look when we go to the Land of Demons. This prophetic ability can only predict situations when people related to oneself encounter danger, so it is somewhat useful. This ability helped me a little back then," Kazama Masama said.
"Then I really don't want to see this ability. If this ability works, wouldn't it mean that this trip to the Land of Demons will encounter danger?" Uchiha Kagami shook his head.
"That's true." Fumori masaki couldn't help but laugh when he heard that. Uchiha Kagami saw this and laughed along with him.
So, after arranging the upcoming itinerary, Fumori masaki summoned a shadow clone and went to the Land of Demons with Uchiha Kagami. This time, Uchiha Kagami went under the guise of discussing certain matters in the Land of Demons, giving him, the captain of the police force, a reason to leave. Although the Land of Demons was not far, it was not a place one could just casually reach.
Of course, this was not an official visit, but rather a private visit, perhaps more like a business trip. Therefore, Uchiha Kagami was not accompanied by anyone else, only Fumori masaki's shadow clone.
The Uchiha clan, having undergone internal rectification and with the Psychology Department curbing the malignant influence of the Sharingan, had greatly improved its situation. Uchiha Kagami was not worried even if he left for a period of time.
The two quickly rushed to the Land of Demons. Although it was only a shadow clone, with Fumori masaki's strength, even after evenly distributing his chakra, he still possessed sufficient power and did not fall behind Uchiha Kagami at all.
Uchiha Kagami also wanted to test Fumori masaki's current strength, so he was very serious during the journey. Seeing that Fumori masaki's shadow clone could keep up so easily, and even looked very relaxed, made him increasingly curious about Fumori masaki's strength.
During a break, Uchiha Kagami said to Fumori masaki, "Did you find any inspiration from the tailed beast chakra you obtained earlier?"
"Yes, some." Fumori masaki smiled slightly. The Four-Tails and One-Tail chakra he had obtained in the past indeed gave him some insights, and his Sage Mode, which had been stagnant for a long time, once again improved.
Although there was still a relatively long distance to the realm of Six Paths Sage Mode, Fumori masaki was very satisfied with his current power. According to his estimation, he might already be stronger than the Six Paths of Pain.
Of course, this was just Fumori masaki's own feeling. After all, there was no such thing as the Six Paths of Pain now, but he truly felt that way. Even if he were to encounter the Six Paths of Pain, knowing their intelligence, he would not possibly lose.
"Although I have the Mangekyo Sharingan, I don't feel like the distance between us has closed. Sage Mode is indeed a power not inferior to the Mangekyo Sharingan. Lord Asura back then must have defeated Lord Indra in this way," Uchiha Kagami gently stroked the corner of his eye. In reality, he shouldn't have been able to touch it, but he seemed to feel the meridians of the Mangekyo Sharingan stirring.
"Your Mangekyo Sharingan is not simple. I might even capsize if I'm not careful." Although he spoke in a joking tone, Fumori masaki understood that Uchiha Kagami's Mangekyo Sharingan was indeed terrifying. Just look at the paralyzed Ebizo, who required care from others. Chiyo's willingness to step down from the stage, apart from external pressure, might also have been due to her desire to care for her younger brother.
Fumori masaki hadn't seen the two of them for a long time, and he barely encountered them during the war. Thinking of their current situation, he felt somewhat pitiful, but compared to the results they had caused in the past, it couldn't be said that it wasn't their own doing.
"Kagami, you should know the side effects of the Mangekyo Sharingan. Do you... have any thoughts?" Fumori masaki paused, then suddenly asked.
"I don't have any siblings, so even if others gave me a Mangekyo Sharingan, it's unlikely to evolve successfully," Uchiha Kagami said calmly, "By the time these eyes are nearing their limit, I'll be close to retirement anyway. That's fine, leaving behind overly powerful abilities isn't necessarily a good thing."
Fumori masaki knew what Uchiha Kagami was worried about. The Mangekyo Sharingan was an inheritance that could be preserved. In the past, because they were basically ordinary Sharingan, even if transplanted from someone else, they wouldn't adapt very well. However, with the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, even if it wasn't a perfect fit, there was no guarantee that someone wouldn't become greedy.
Fumori masaki had used this reason to persuade Uchiha Kagami to attack Madara, thereby eliminating Madara, a dangerous enemy. Uchiha Kagami still remembered this point.
"That's the right choice, Kagami," Fumori masaki said.
"Of course, it's mainly because it's currently impossible to evolve a Mangekyo Sharingan that won't lose its light. If it were possible, I wouldn't refuse to increase my strength. When I'm old, I'd simply destroy these Mangekyo Sharingan to prevent them from being misused by those with ulterior motives," Uchiha Kagami smiled. "Even the Sage of Six Paths didn't pass down his Rinnegan. I think the Sage of Six Paths probably thought the same way."