Half an hour later...

"Almighty Pull."

"Almighty Pull!!!"

The floating Pain still held his hands high, channeling the Samsara Eye's gravitational force in an attempt to uproot the tree.

But as Kaito had predicted, the so-called strongest power of the Samsara Eye in the Shinobi World only managed to rustle the leaves within the Secret Realm, though the commotion was impressive.

Standing under the tree, Kaito pursed his lips, took the shovel Runtu had just forged, and shouted up at Pain.

"God, maybe let's call it quits..."

He waved the shovel a few times. "Let's just stick to the old-fashioned way!"

Nagato: "..."Kaito tried to offer well-meaning advice, but Nagato, who had already spent over half an hour struggling, now only felt his pride wounded.

"I didn't rest well last night."

Pain's words were stubborn. After all, he had just boasted earlier about showing this kid the power of a god...

Yet after half an hour, his Almighty Pull had merely caused the tree to sway slightly.

It was truly humiliating, a complete loss of face.

Perhaps gods didn't care about mortal opinions, but deep down, Nagato felt utterly embarrassed.

So, he stubbornly continued channeling the power of his Samsara Eye in midair.

Seeing this, Kaito's lips twitched.

What did the power of the Samsara Eye have to do with not resting well the night before?

He didn't even want to call Nagato out on it. Instead, he raised a sword hand seal, channeling spiritual energy to manipulate several shovels and spades crafted by Runtu using the Sword Control Technique, beginning to dig around the Spirit Tree.

And so, while Runtu forged tools nearby, Kaito controlled multiple implements to excavate.

Just as he was manipulating the 123rd tool, Pain and two other Puppets suddenly appeared before him, interrupting the digging.

"Are there... any more tools?"

Even as Pain spoke, the puppet's expression seemed slightly unnatural.

Here he was, proclaiming himself a god, yet contributing nothing—while a six-year-old kid and that puppet dog did all the work.

The more Nagato watched, the more uncomfortable he felt. As the tree roots were gradually unearthed, to salvage what little remained of his dignity, he could only command his puppets to pitch in however they could.

No matter what.

A god does not freeload.

Kaito fell silent for a few seconds before reluctantly handing three tools to Pain, and the two of them resumed work.

"What are they...?"

"Actually doing?!"

Konan, even knowing the two had truly entered the 'Secret Realm,' found the projections displayed outside utterly baffling.

One stood in place, waving his arms wildly, while the other, accompanied by two Paths of Pain puppets, swung shovels and spades.

From a distance, one might mistake it for the god leading his subordinates in a village demolition project.

Konan sighed deeply, then glanced up at the glowing stone statue, feeling certain that the Hidden Rain Village was in for troubled times ahead.

"I'll have the villagers evacuate first."

After a long while, Konan estimated the two inside the 'Secret Realm' wouldn't emerge anytime soon. Concerned for the Akatsuki Organization's reputation, she began arranging for nearby villagers to relocate elsewhere.

After all, losing face was one thing, but having these intangible yet visible projections lingering around—what if some timid soul woke up to find shadowy figures doing strange things behind them...?

That would be truly terrifying.

After giving a few instructions, Konan quickly set about organizing the evacuation, while Hikari stayed behind to monitor them. If they emerged from the Secret Realm, she could at least figure out what had happened.

Hikari was deeply reluctant to take on this task, but for the sake of her apprentice's safety, she found a well-hidden rooftop with a clear view and kept watch over the projections.

Watching these two patients was pure torture. After three grueling hours, she couldn't take it anymore. Just as she lay down for a quick nap, a familiar figure suddenly appeared in her line of sight.

It was the current head of the Uchiha clan—Uchiha Fugaku.

"The Pure Land...""Is this what the Pure Land looks like?"

Fugaku wandered through the streets, muttering to himself while curiously examining the dilapidated houses around him.

The reason he was so certain he had arrived in the Pure Land was mainly because all his injuries had vanished—even his overused Mangekyō had fully recovered...

By all appearances, this didn't seem like a case of narrowly surviving severe injuries.

The world of the Pure Land felt novel to Fugaku. From the moment he woke up, he noticed that the sensations here were almost indistinguishable from being alive.

If he hadn't carefully recalled the past...

He might have doubted whether he was still alive.

Upon realizing he had arrived in the Pure Land, Fugaku suddenly remembered his son, who had also died in battle, and tears immediately streamed down his face.

"Kaito..."

"It's your father's fault..."

Fugaku repeated these words as he aimlessly searched the village for traces of his son and other clan members.

Lying on a rooftop, Uchiha Hikari glanced at the sobbing Fugaku before shifting her gaze away and closing her eyes, coldly muttering:

"The Uchiha clan should just hurry up and die already."

As the clan leader...

He still hadn't realized he was trapped in a Genjutsu.

This level of awareness was far worse than even the clan members during the Warring States period.

"KAITO!!!!"

Just as Hikari was about to fall asleep, Fugaku's sudden shout nearly startled her off the roof.

Upon seeing his son's figure, Fugaku was overcome with both excitement and boundless guilt.

This time, instead of maintaining his usual stern expression, he immediately spread his arms and ran straight toward Kaito the moment he spotted him.

He had even imagined the scene of their reunion in the Pure Land. But just as he was about to embrace his son, he passed right through Kaito's illusory form.

The sudden mishap sent Fugaku stumbling into a clothesline, knocking over the villagers' laundry.

The old father lay dazed on the ground for over ten minutes, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

"Wh... what's going on...?"

As he lay there, Fugaku watched Kaito seemingly patting the air, showing no sign of having heard his call, which only deepened his confusion.

"Keep it down. He's not dead yet."

Unable to tolerate the noise, Hikari, still lying on the roof, slowly offered an explanation.

"Huh?"

"He's not dead??"

Fugaku quickly noticed the "nameless one" on the rooftop, but his attention remained fixed on his son.

He suddenly recalled that before his own death, the "nameless one" had been struck down by Itachi's Totsuka Blade. If she was here now, that meant...

Kaito really wasn't dead!

The kid was still alive and well?

Hikari's brief remark sent Fugaku's mind racing, conjuring up a seemingly absurd yet somewhat logical explanation for the bizarre situation before him.

"So... the Pure Land can still connect to the living?"

The thought that he could still see his son from the Pure Land suddenly made Fugaku burst into laughter.

"That's not so bad."

Hikari: "..."

Infuriated by his words, Hikari grabbed a nearby rock and hurled it straight at Fugaku's forehead, hoping the pain would snap him out of it.

"Get lost!"

However, her throw was a bit too forceful, and Fugaku was still deep in thought. The impact sent him sprawling to the ground, where he promptly fell into a deep, infant-like slumber.

Hikari stared intently at the unconscious Uchiha Fugaku for several minutes before muttering to herself.

"No wonder Kaito is so stupid."

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