Chapter 627: The Bon Bridge
Ino read the instructions for the "Bon Bridge" from her bloodline. After a moment of careful thought, a flower bridge materialized out of thin air, connecting her to a distant mountain peak.
The Fourth Raikage, Killer B, and the other "people" stepped onto the bridge. They lined up and walked to the other end, where the earth churned, automatically digging graves over two meters long and one meter wide. This group of fallen ninjas walked quietly into their tombs, lay down, and were buried by the earth. Stone monuments of a uniform size rose up to mark their resting places.
Not only was it fully automatic, but it was also processing them in batches.
Didn't Killer B want to hold a concert?
Ino singled him out. His grave was placed in the "stage" position, with the "audience seats" directly opposite. The Fourth Raikage's grave was placed front and center.
You can listen to your sworn brother's awful rambling for all eternity. This was your wish, after all. I'm just fulfilling it for you.
Afterward, she "assigned" Killer B 1,500 "fans." There were ninjas and villagers, men and women, young and old. She did her best to "assign rooms" based on their living relationships. If they were a couple, they lay side-by-side. If they were a family, the children were in front, with the parents guarding them from behind. As for neighbors, like the proverbial 'Old Wang' next door, their placement was completely random.
Although Ino was Konoha's intelligence chief, she didn't know everything. It was enough to remember the ninjas who had made a name for themselves; she couldn't possibly know every Kumo shinobi and villager. This was just an approximation. Close enough.
It's not like you can climb out and complain if I get it wrong, can you?
Rows upon rows of graves fanned out, surrounding Killer B's tomb.
Listen closely! No need to thank me!
Ino calculated that she had enough chakra to bury ten thousand people at once without a problem, guaranteed to be fast and neat. Anyone who saw it would have to give her a thumbs-up. If the Underworld held a "Top Ten Youth Shock Trooper" award ceremony, she would definitely get a spot.
"That's it?" She crossed her arms and waited for a moment.
Her spiritual realm was high, after all. She quickly sensed something unusual from the earth covering the corpses. The flow of time within the graves was different; one year buried inside was equivalent to ten normal years. But what was the use of that?
From the Underworld's perspective, this ability could effectively dissolve resentment. If the dead were unwilling to rest in peace—which allowed them to be summoned by techniques like Edo Tensei or her own Summoning: Dead Souls—this would pacify them.
Once the resentment vanished, they would naturally enter a state of rest.
If she were competing for that Top Ten Youth Shock Trooper award, this could all be written in her presentation materials, to be shared and promoted as "advanced experience" at the awards ceremony.
"Respected leaders, esteemed guests, good evening! And now, let's welcome this year's Top Ten Youth Shock Trooper, Yamanaka Ino, to the stage to present her keynote report: 'The Underworld's New Journey: Scientific and Rational Burial and Harmless Corpse Disposal, Striving for a Double Victory'!"
Ino shook her head hard, chanting "Down with Uchiha Madara" three times to clear the ridiculous thoughts. This must be a side effect of forcibly opening the three-tomoe Rinnegan. My mind is way too active.
She had seen the effect on the dead, but what about the living? She had no idea. She was the only living person left in Kumo.
"I'll try it on Madara later. That guy sure runs fast..."
After entering this new state, Ino found she could fly. She no longer needed to use the Rinnegan's repulsive force to propel herself. Her flight speed was significantly faster. She prepared to fly off and chase down Uchiha Madara.
She had barely flown fifty meters when she stopped.
"Wait."
Barring any surprises, Grandma Ōtsutsuki will almost certainly appear. And then what? Theoretically, Teacher Six Paths shouldn't just pack up and bail. But without the savior duo of Naruto and Sasuke, I have no confidence. He expects me to fight Kaguya Ōtsutsuki one-on-one, while Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi cheer from the sidelines? Teacher Six is seriously overestimating me! I can't handle that!
If she got hit by the All-Killing Ash Bones, she was finished. She wasn't afraid of death, but she didn't want to make Hinata a widow. She didn't want Hinata to be mocked by random passersby, knowing her pushover personality meant she wouldn't fight back; she'd just go home and cry into her pillow alone. The very thought of that scene was heartbreaking.
What should I do?
Ino looked into the distance. Sigh. It's not that I want to be the bad guy, but the world is forcing my hand! I don't want to do this either!
She turned, opened the "Moon-Crossing Bridge," and headed for the Shinigami's dimension.
The Third Hokage was leisurely supervising the work, overjoyed as he watched Danzō toiling away like an exhausted dog.
The Shinigami's "home" now had a large house. Seeing the surplus of "living pillars" Ino had sent, the Shinigami had them building pavilions and roads nonstop. It was a true 007 (non-stop) work schedule.
The group of living pillars had to endure heavy spiritual burdens every day while their bodies were forced to labor. They were all numb from exhaustion.
As they worked, a beam of white light suddenly descended from the sky. Within the pillar of light was a blurry, humanoid phantom. They could vaguely make out an ancient-style, moon-colored robe. The figure's gaze felt heavy, and as it swept across them, a tangible pressure knocked the living pillars off their feet. Some of the unreinforced structures collapsed like sandcastles, crumbling directly into dust.
"Who is that? An Uchiha?" Danzō asked his old partner.
The Third Hokage was also watching from a distance. As a spirit, this mental pressure was even more damaging to him.
He remained silent. Danzō, too, had the idea of letting someone else charge in first while he hung back to pick up the scraps. The two "men" immediately adopted a low profile.
But not everyone was so cowardly (Gǒu). Someone with a short fuse charged forward immediately.
A burly monk angrily grabbed a support beam, wielding it like an iron staff. He pointed it furiously at the figure in the light. "Was it you, you bastard, who brought 'Granddaddy Buddha' to this godforsaken place?!"
???
Ino glanced over casually.
"Rinnegan... Pressure!"
An formless, intangible pressure descended. The fat monk didn't even grunt. He felt as if a hand had seized his heart and squeezed. Under the immense pressure, his heart exploded from within, followed by his blood vessels, bones, and muscles.
A living pillar, who should have been immune to death in the Shinigami's dimension, had just exploded from the inside out, reducing him to a gory mass of flesh. He died in a place where death was supposed to be impossible.
"It doesn't look like ninjutsu—no hand seals. And it doesn't look like a Kekkei Genkai..." Danzō and the Third Hokage retreated even further, muttering as they ran.
Ino ignored them, scanning her surroundings.
The Shinigami's dimension was no longer the barren desert it had been. Countless white bones were mixed into the earth as decoration. Standing on the ground, her cells could feel the chill emanating from it. This was the Netherworld Soil that Kazuma had planned to use on Konoha long ago.
Ino hadn't been present when Ashura and Indra reconciled, so this was her first time seeing the Shinigami's "new home."
________________________________________
If you want more chapters, please consider supporting my page on Patreon. with 50 advanced chapters available on Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/GirlsLove1