Through the combined efforts of Uchiha Kaito and Pain, they finally managed to drag the over-300-meter-tall Spirit Tree out through the Mystic Realm Gate.

To the outside world, it appeared as though the two had pulled a bizarre plant from another dimension as they crossed the gates of the Rain Village.

After much exertion, they succeeded in hauling the tree out. However, the moment they stepped out of the Mystic Realm, Kaito spotted his father lying on the ground, forehead bruised and snoring loudly.

His gaze immediately shifted to his great-grandmother crouching beside the massive tree.

"My father—"

Hearing this, Hikari stiffened before hurriedly defending herself with a guilty tone, "It wasn't me! He knocked himself out by running into a wall!"

To divert suspicion, she quickly recounted what had happened outside and inquired about the nature of the 'Mystic Realm.'

"A projection appearing inside the Rain Village?" Kaito murmured, his eyes suddenly lighting up.

Combined with Hikari's earlier explanation that Fugaku had mistaken the Rain Village for the Pure Land, an excellent idea struck him.

Given the Uchiha clan's arrogant nature, if they were to stay in the Rain Village, they might provoke Nagato sooner or later. Moreover, Kaito couldn't keep an eye on them all the time.

Might as well commit to the deception fully.

By keeping the Uchiha clan hidden within the Mystic Realm while also having them explore it for him, it would be killing two birds with one stone.

Kaito glanced at the Rain Village's dilapidated gates, then at his unconscious father. After a brief moment of thought, he hauled the old man up.

Worried his father might still harbor doubts, Kaito had Hikari activate the Eight Thousand Spear Mark to reinforce his perception.

"Kaito?" Fugaku called uncertainly upon waking and seeing his son, before hissing in pain. The throbbing on his forehead still stung sharply.

"Wait—why are you in the Pure Land too?" Fugaku looked down to find Kaito supporting him. His gaze swept over the primeval forest ahead and the "nameless" figure beside them, confusion clouding his eyes.

"Father, don't worry about that for now," Kaito said, pointing toward the Mystic Realm entrance. "Your seventh-day memorial has passed. It's time to return to the Pure Land."

Fugaku: ???

What?

What was his son talking about?

What the hell was this "seventh-day memorial"?

Before Fugaku could voice his questions, Kaito's expression turned grave.

"Father, I don't have much time, so I'll keep this brief."

"The Pure Land holds treasures that can resurrect the dead and countless opportunities to grow stronger..."

For the next ten minutes, Kaito adapted the same explanation he'd given Nagato, replacing it with a "Pure Land" version, and began indoctrinating his father.

He claimed to have mastered a secret technique allowing brief travel between life and death. Now, all he needed was his father's cooperation to rebuild the Uchiha clan's influence within the Pure Land, search for its treasures, and eventually bring the deceased Uchiha back to the living world.

"Wait—"

"What are these 'secret manuals' and 'techniques' you're talking about?" Fugaku roughly grasped that his son wanted him to strive in the Pure Land, but some of the strange terms left him utterly baffled.

Thud—Kaito didn't offer much explanation. With one kick to his old man's backside, he sent Fugaku flying straight into the Secret Realm. Simultaneously, Hikari activated the Eight Thousand Spear Mark, rendering the airborne Fugaku unconscious.

However...

She still felt curious about that so-called Secret Realm.

From her perspective, the moment Fugaku passed through the Amegakure village gates, he vanished without a trace just like Kaito had earlier.

As for that so-called Mystic Realm gate...

She truly couldn't detect anything at all.

Hikari first glanced at the large tree by her feet, then raised her hand to point at the gate's location.

"Why… can't I see the Mystic Realm?"

Faced with this question, Kaito scratched his head awkwardly, sounding uncertain.

"Maybe… you're not chuunibyou enough?"

"Why don't you try shouting 'Mystic Realm, open!' a few times at the gate?"

Hearing this, Hikari suddenly recalled the foolish things she had done earlier, and her face flushed bright red in an instant.

"Tch."

She turned her head away, her eyes darting toward the gate repeatedly, though it was unclear what she was thinking.

"Hm? Kaito, where did you toss the clan leader just now?"

At that moment, Shisui suddenly appeared before the two in a shunshin, carrying a bundle in his hand.

Judging by the dried bloodstains on it, the contents seemed to be a severed head.

Kaito guessed that a certain "shadow of the pot" had likely chosen to part ways—literally—upon encountering Shisui.

"There's something I need you to handle."

He didn't bother confirming whether the head in Shisui's hand was Danzo's, instead briefing him on the general situation inside the Mystic Realm.

He also tasked him with keeping an eye on their clansmen inside while subtly guiding them to explore and gather resources.

"A place similar to the Three Great Sage Regions?"

Shisui showed no confusion upon hearing this, interpreting Kaito's words in his own unique way.

"Understood."

"Leave the clansmen to me."

Hikari: ???

Uchiha Hikari, who had been studying the Spirit Tree, suddenly whipped her head around, staring at Uchiha Shisui in shock.

Wait…

Why isn't this guy questioning anything at all???

Aren't you even slightly curious about the secret manuals, magical treasures, and demonic beasts Kaito mentioned???

Hikari was utterly baffled.

She truly couldn't comprehend…

How these people communicated so seamlessly.

Truthfully, Shisui didn't care whether Kaito's words were strange or not—the fact that the kid had abandoned his plans to destroy the Shinobi World was enough to make him sigh in relief.

After all…

The commotion Kaito had caused in Amegakure earlier had nearly scared Shisui into crushing the eyeball he'd just retrieved.

Even now, Shisui still couldn't figure out how Kaito had mastered such a terrifying large-scale Lightning Release Ninjutsu by training on a telephone pole…

So, in Shisui's mind, as long as he protected their clansmen, Kaito wouldn't wreak havoc in the Shinobi World.

As for the bizarre things the kid said, Shisui had long grown accustomed to them.

After finishing his discussion with Shisui, Kaito had Hikari take control of the unconscious clansmen. Under the mental suggestion of the Eight Thousand Spears, none of them doubted their own deaths.

Even after entering the Mystic Realm, they would only assume they had truly arrived in the Pure Land of the deceased.

As for his mother, Kaito had explained everything to her and even tried to persuade her to stay in Amegakure.

However, in response to his request, she insisted on entering the Mystic Realm with his father, leaving only the words "Take care of Sasuke" before stepping through the gate.

Two hours later, under Shisui's leadership, the entire clan entered the Mystic Realm, freeing Kaito from any lingering concerns.

Except…

There was one thing that still bothered him.As the Uchiha clan entered the Secret Realm, thousands of projections appeared throughout Amegakure. Fortunately, the light from the giant illuminated the village, preventing nighttime from falling.

Otherwise, come nightfall...

Facing a bunch of projections that were visible but untouchable, potentially appearing in any corner at any moment—

Well, let's just say it would have been downright terrifying.

Even for him.

Just imagining going to the bathroom at night only to find a clan member's projection suddenly appearing behind him—the mere thought sent shivers down his spine.

"Can't these projections be removed?"

Konan, who had rushed back to the scene, looked at Kaito with a troubled expression, her voice carrying a hint of pleading.

She had a feeling...

That the good days of Amegakure's villagers were over.

Soon, some bizarre and eerie legends about the Shinobi World would start circulating.

"It's fine." Kaito naturally understood her concerns and pointed at the still-glowing Tiga Stone Statue in the distance.

"Since it's broad daylight, people won't be too frightened even if they see them."

No sooner had he spoken than a familiar sound rang out once more.

"Cha—"

Whether triggered by something strange or not, the stone statue Kaito had just mentioned suddenly moved again, flying straight toward the coast of the Land of Hot Water.

With the light source gone, Amegakure plunged back into darkness.

And right at that moment, several agonized wails echoed through the village.

"We Uchiha died so tragically!!"

Konan: "..."

Hearing these ghostly cries, Konan covered her face and let out a heavy sigh. After a few seconds of silence, she finally spoke to Kaito and Hikari.

"You two."

"When are you leaving?"

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