It's normal for a demon to want to stir up trouble—that's just in their nature.
However, now that the moment had come, he found himself hesitating. It wasn't that he'd suddenly grown a conscience. He simply hadn't yet decided which method to use this time.
Should he release a zombie virus? Or maybe summon a meteor strike?
It all felt so uninspired—played-out tricks he'd used far too often.
"Ninja chase after peace… so why don't I give them eternal and stable peace?" The demon's expression was one of false compassion, like some benevolent sage. He turned to ask the Lamp God, "If someone made a wish to you, asking for peace, how would you fulfill it?"
"Global nuclear war," the Lamp God replied calmly.
The demon smirked with a look that said, I knew you'd say that. The Lamp God, apparently a bit annoyed, added,
"There was once a time when I witnessed eternal and stable peace..."
Now it was the demon's turn to be surprised.
The Lamp God let out a snort of laughter.
"The universe is vast—nothing is impossible~"
The demon responded playfully, "I'd love to hear the tale, sensei. Please, do enlighten me."
The Lamp God began to speak slowly and deliberately:
"A long time ago, I drifted into a world called the Heavenly Continent. That world was filled with mystic arts and extraordinary beings. People could cultivate to extend their lives, even become gods or sages, capable of moving mountains and filling seas. But the righteous and demonic sects were in constant war, bringing untold suffering to the land.
"The story's protagonist was born in a remote village. From a naive child to a shy teenager, he grew up peacefully and normally. If nothing had gone wrong, he would've spent his entire life laboring in the fields like his parents, never leaving that land.
"But fate is cruel. Two righteous sects clashed over a rare treasure. Their conflict, tiny by their standards, accidentally swept through the boy's village. Everyone was killed—only the boy, who was out gathering herbs, survived.
"Grief-stricken and terrified, he was forced to leave his homeland. Perhaps it was destiny, perhaps pure luck—during his escape, he fell off a cliff while fleeing from a beast and landed in a cave, where he discovered a peerless cultivation manual. That was the start of his legendary path.
"The boy turned out to be a true prodigy. What took others ten years to master, he could grasp in a single day. As his power grew, he began to see more of the world's true nature.
"Some righteous sects tried to recruit him, but he discovered they weren't much different from the demonic sects—murder for treasure, political intrigue, disregard for the lives of the common folk. The so-called righteous path was just evil wrapped in hypocrisy.
"But the boy didn't give up. As the saying goes, 'Hypocrisy is evil's compromise with justice.' It was precisely because of the righteous sects' hypocritical codes that the weak could still survive in the cracks of this world.
"The boy wanted to change things. He traveled far and wide, trying to convince the powers of the land to lay down their arms and bring peace to the world.
"He visited all the major sects, both righteous and demonic. Some laughed at his naivety. Some mocked his delusions. How could wars waged for centuries suddenly end? But others admired him, because he really did use his strength and intellect to prevent war after war, saving countless lives.
"Over time, many like-minded people gathered around him—people who longed for peace and tranquility. Together they worked tirelessly to reduce conflict. Perhaps it was fear of his power, or perhaps his ideals genuinely moved them, but in the end, a rare era of peace descended upon the Heavenly Continent.
"The boy's fame spread throughout the world. To ordinary people, he was the symbol of peace. Riding this momentum, he decided to found his own sect, to pass on his ideals of peace.
"But that move sparked a violent backlash.
"Many sects had long yearned for peace—but the kind of peace where they were in charge, ruling from above. That was the only peace that mattered to them. After all, hadn't they fought each other for centuries to secure that control?
'The nail that sticks out gets hammered down.' Once the boy's sect took root, it threatened the authority of the top sects. Resources were limited, and the boy had dared to touch what others considered theirs. Naturally, they pushed back. Neither the righteous nor the demonic factions would allow him to rise.
"The conspiracy began quietly. His followers died from a series of 'accidents.' Soon, the boy himself was hunted by killers from all sides. He was strong, but couldn't withstand endless ambushes. Amid flashing blades and battle cries, his sect was uprooted, his comrades exterminated, and his life reached its end.
"He died before fulfilling his dream. No one knows what went through his mind in those final moments. The symbol of peace was erased from history, and he was slandered as a demon who had thrown the world into chaos.
"The righteous and demonic sects united to destroy a common enemy. Once he was gone, they immediately resumed their old battles. The smoke of war once again covered the land, and the boy's efforts turned to dust.
"Yet many still mourned the fleeting peace he'd brought. They prayed in silence, worshipped his memory. And then—a miracle. The boy was resurrected by faith itself. He swore to bring the world eternal and stable peace.
"The reborn boy was no longer the gentle and humble youth he once was. With sword in hand, he made no distinction between righteous or demonic. All who resisted, all who surrendered—they were slaughtered just the same. Plots, schemes, wars, and chaos—all erased by the sheer force of his absolute power.
"Half the population of the Heavenly Continent perished. Anyone who had ever started a war was hunted down—along with their cousins, great-aunts, and in-laws. Under his iron-fisted rule, the continent finally achieved peace!"
At that point, the demon interrupted, frowning,
"Isn't that just nuclear peace? I could've done that too."
The Lamp God shook his head. "That was only the beginning."
"The boy, now an emperor by strength alone, enacted strict laws and harsh punishments to fully enforce his version of peace. During that time, not only war, but even arguments became a thing of the past.
"Because his laws were so severe, even minor infractions were met with ruthless punishment. The boy, once a symbol of hope, had become a figure of terror—a tyrant. Rumors spread that the real boy had died, and the one who returned was a demon born from his resentment and obsession. No one knew who started the rumor, but as time passed, it spread like wildfire.
"The remnants of the destroyed sects—both righteous and demonic—rallied under a new cause: the liberation of the people from the tyrant.
"How ironic. These sects who once tore each other apart now stood shoulder to shoulder, waving banners of justice and salvation!
"His rule was truly despised. The moment the rebellion banner rose, it spread like wildfire. The people, long simmering with discontent, joined the cause. Together with the remnants of the sects, they rose against the tyrant.
"The tyrant-boy fell under their combined assault. He didn't resist. He simply accepted his fate and died—with a strange smile on his lips. His body was cut to pieces.
"The people rejoiced. They had finally won their freedom, their liberation. The tyrant was dead.
"Next came the most predictable part—dividing the spoils."
"At that time, the once-united rebel alliance broke into internal conflict. After all, they had originally come from opposing factions—orthodox and demonic sects that were fundamentally at odds. Even between different sects, long-standing grudges remained. With the tyrant, the primary enemy, eliminated, those secondary contradictions escalated into new primary ones.
"It was as if everything had reverted to the past—warring states and constant strife. The common folk discovered that, even after following those mighty figures to overthrow the tyrant, they hadn't achieved what they hoped for. Most people's lives hadn't improved; they remained lowly and expendable. Only a few managed to rise above, joining sects and becoming elites.
"Some even claimed that life under the tyrant was better. At least then, despite the harsh laws, as long as one obeyed them, one could live in peace. But such talk quickly vanished. Learning from the lesson of the boy's reincarnation, they forbade any mention of him. Suppression of the lower class became even more severe than before—they were terrified that another boy tyrant might arise.
"But, unfortunately, the unimaginable still happened. The boy did not revive again, but his shattered corpse mutated. The fragments of his remains became bizarrely active—splitting, multiplying, transforming into true demons!
"These demons all bore the boy's face, and each possessed the terrifying ability of rebirth from a single drop of blood. Even when truly killed, countless offspring could spawn from the corpse. There was once a man who ground a demon's bones into ash, but after some got on his hand, he gradually transformed into a demon within three hours.
"The demons' insane rate of reproduction spread like a plague—unstoppable and despair-inducing. The good news was: demons didn't harm people at random. The bad news was: they inherited the boy's will.
"The tyrant boy's harsh legal code became the demons' doctrine. If a village had a population of ten thousand, there would be at least twenty thousand demons patrolling its surroundings. Every person was watched day and night by at least two demons. The moment someone broke the law, demons would pounce and execute them without hesitation!
"Eternal and stable peace descended—though in a bizarre and eerie way! From that point onward, no war ever broke out again on the Heavenly Continent. Even uncivilized or immoral acts disappeared. The new generation of humans gradually adapted to the demons' mode of governance. Since demons didn't eat or drink, they could survive indefinitely. So people just pretended they weren't there..."
"This story is ridiculous," the demon couldn't help but complain. "That boy you mentioned randomly gained the power to crush the entire world. Are you saying you gave it to him?"
The lamp god shook his head.
"Everything I said is true. That boy was the most brilliant jewel in Heavenly Continent's history—unprecedented and unrepeatable. He held too many secrets. Generations after him tried to unravel those mysteries, hoping to become the next immortal at the peak of all existence.
"As for the so-called demons, they are all his clones. At first, people thought demons had no intelligence and simply followed their programming. But one day, a demon casually chatted with someone. That's when people realized... the boy tyrant had never actually died.
"News that the tyrant was still alive spread like wildfire. Those who had risen to power after overthrowing him immediately fell to their knees, donating all their wealth and swearing lifelong loyalty and devotion..."
The demon snorted with a laugh.
"Oh, how 'voluntary.' That imagery is just too vivid. Those people wanted peace, wanted to escape the shadow of the boy, wanted to regain their former glory—and the boy fulfilled all their wishes. Too bad... it was pointless!"
The lamp god sighed and nodded.
"The truth is, on the grand stage of history, there was only ever one true protagonist. Some side characters thought they had stepped into the spotlight, becoming stars. But they never realized they were merely dancing in someone else's palm, from the very beginning until the final curtain."
"It's been over 800 trillion years now, and Heavenly Continent remains absolutely peaceful. That boy is now a legendary figure among the heavens. He symbolizes █████. As long as the mortal world endures, he shall never perish, and Heavenly will know peace for all eternity."
The lamp god had deliberately left out many key pieces of information. The demon didn't press further, instead becoming intrigued by the idea of such eternal and stable peace. A wicked idea began to form quietly in his heart...
...
The Nine-Tails, having been completely hoodwinked, stepped onto the path of a tragic tabloid headline character.
Naruto had mistaken the Nine-Tails for his mother, and with just a few casual lines of nonsense, the Nine-Tails had nearly convinced him to tear off the seal.
But just as Naruto was about to act, two hands suddenly appeared and stopped him.
"Minato Namikaze."
"Kushina Uzumaki."
The Nine-Tails bared his fangs and angrily shouted their names, but in truth, he wasn't actually mad. If anything, he felt a bit excited.
—If Minato and Kushina heard Naruto calling the Nine-Tails "Mom," what kind of reaction would they have? Oh man!
"Who are you?" Naruto stared blankly at the two before him, his brain momentarily stalling. Why were there so many strangers suddenly appearing in his mental space?
"Naruto..." Minato and Kushina were visibly emotional. However, a hint of confusion flashed across Minato's face. Theoretically, Kushina's chakra shouldn't have appeared alongside his at this point in time. What had gone wrong?
A string of questions flickered through Minato's mind, while Kushina didn't bother thinking at all. She immediately tried to hug Naruto—only to be rejected.
"Naruto, they're the couple," the Nine-Tails' voice sounded at just the right moment.
"You!"
"Nine-Tails!"
Minato and Kushina stared at the Nine-Tails inside the cage, stunned by his brand new appearance. For a moment, they thought they'd fallen into a genjutsu.
The foxy "Nine-Tails" flirtatiously winked at Minato, prompting Kushina's hair to fly up like a furious octopus.
Where the hell did this cheap little vixen come from!?
Just as Kushina was about to unleash her Adamantine Sealing Chains, the Nine-Tails instantly transformed into a handsome blond young man—with a certain resemblance to Minato. He even had a kind of "Minato-style foxiness" to him.
"My dear~ Why do you want to hit me the moment we meet?"