At the very top of the Divine Tree, a smooth, round fruit of dark red and deep purple hues had ripened.
After completely draining Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's energy, the fruit no longer appeared shriveled and lifeless as before. Instead, it now gleamed with a crystalline fullness, exuding an aura of vitality.
Sōmi extended his right hand and plucked the fruit effortlessly.
Crunch!
The crisp sound of a bite echoed.
Surprisingly, despite its sinister appearance, the fruit was not unpleasant to eat. As Sōmi bit into it, a fresh, woodsy fragrance filled his mouth, rising to his nose.
However, as he savored the taste, a faint, primal tang of blood spread across his palate. This was soon followed by a subtle bitterness and a salty-sweet aftertaste, reminiscent of highly concentrated human blood.
A strange flavor...
Sōmi furrowed his brow slightly before swallowing the fruit in one gulp, choosing not to chew further.
Thump!
Sōmi's body trembled violently. His heart began to beat with a powerful rhythm, pounding like a war drum. The blood coursing through his veins surged with the force of a raging river.
The overwhelming surge of blue Chakra radiated from Sōmi's body, swirling chaotically around him. The power of the fruit erupted so quickly that even Sōmi struggled to contain it for a moment.
High above, Sōmi sat cross-legged in meditation, his eyes closed. His hands formed a lotus seal while nine Truth-Seeking Orbs orbited around him.
Buzz! Buzz!
The space around Sōmi seemed unable to withstand the immense energy, trembling and emitting a mournful hum.
Gradually, as time passed, the vibrations subsided.
The blue Chakra surrounding Sōmi's body receded entirely, vanishing without a trace.
For a long while, Sōmi remained motionless.
Then, suddenly, he opened his eyes, and the brilliance of his Rinnegan flared intensely.
Within the purple glow of his Rinnegan, the scenery seemed to shift and distort, as if connected to an alternate dimension.
"Exhale..."
Finally, Sōmi let out a long breath.
After "digesting" the Chakra Fruit, he turned his gaze toward the blood moon hanging in the sky.
"The remnants of the Ōtsutsuki clan..."
"Perfect..."
"Time to plant a tree on the moon as well..."
Sōmi murmured softly to himself.
Moments later, standing atop a miniature spatial array, Sōmi activated the Rinne Sharingan on his forehead. A crimson beam of light shot from his eye into the array, and in the blink of an eye, his figure dissolved into blue light particles, "ascending" away.
...
It was unclear how much time had passed, but the sprawling roots of the Divine Tree that had ravaged the land had vanished. The once-mighty Konohagakure had been reduced to a barren wasteland, including the bottomless chasm that had scarred the earth.
The night sky had given way to daylight. As the "black walls" and "purple veil" that had shrouded much of the Land of Wind dissipated, the blinding sunlight startled the citizens and shinobi of the land back to awareness.
"Huh?"
"Why are we all here?"
Amid the crowd, a middle-aged man with a simple and honest demeanor looked around in confusion, scratching his head as if trying to dispel the question marks lingering in his mind.
"What's wrong with your memory?!"
"Last night, the entire nation gathered here to witness the sacred ascension of the Wind God! Did you forget?!"
"Tch, tch, tch..."
"That scene last night..."
"Under the radiant moonlight, the Wind God's majestic figure walked, step by step, into the night sky..."
"Truly a mythical figure, capable of ending a thousand years of war and uniting the shinobi world in one stroke..."
Next to the middle-aged man stood an elderly gentleman with a goatee and glasses. He wore a smug expression, as if witnessing the "Wind God" in person had been the greatest honor and blessing of his life.
"Oh... Oh..."
"Yes, yes! I remember now!"
"Before ascending to the moon, the Wind God even smiled at us..."
The simple man responded in a muffled voice, his mind seemingly flooded with vivid recollections of the event.
"Alright, alright..."
"It's time for this old man to head back..."
"Unlike you young folks, I don't have to line up at the hospital for 'birth control procedures'..."
The elderly man pounded his slightly sore back, a sign of fatigue from standing for too long.
However, when he mentioned birth control, a mischievous grin spread across his face.
"What?!"
"Birth control?!"
The simple man instinctively clutched his pants, his mind filled with the agonized cries of male livestock being castrated back in the village.
"Sigh..."
"Think carefully..."
"The Wind God has already implanted the entirety of the 'Divine Decree' directly into our minds..."
"It's impossible to forget, no matter how hard you try!"
"It's like..."
"It's like an indelible seal of thought!"
"This is the mark of us being the chosen people of the Divine..."
The elderly man twisted his neck before continuing, "Our species' ability to reproduce is far too potent. If left unchecked, this planet would be devoured by our overwhelming population in just a few centuries..."
"That's why the Wind God enacted the 'End of the World' decree, eradicating all intelligent lifeforms that do not belong to the Land of Wind!"
"So that we, the chosen people, may live eternally on this beautiful planet."
"Even as the chosen people, we must undergo rigorous training and testing by the Medical Department. Only when both parents are proven to possess healthy bodies, minds, and the necessary knowledge to raise children will the Medical Department restore their fertility..."
"Don't worry!"
"The Medical Department's procedures are highly advanced. It won't take more than a few minutes, and even if you fail the 'parenting test,' it won't stop you from enjoying the process of procreation!"
The elderly man cast a teasing glance at the middle-aged man's lower body.
"The Divine Decree is absolutely correct. The idea of becoming a parent without passing any kind of exam is truly terrifying!"
"In the past, there were so many who spent their days drunk, gambling, or frequenting brothels. Some even sold their children for their own desires. How could such people be fit to have children?!"
"You lot..."
"Should spend more time understanding the Divine Decree imprinted in your minds..."
"From now on, our Land of Wind will be the only divine nation on this planet!"
"We won't need to exploit our children as labor, nor will we need to oppress our fellow man..."
"Everything we need for life will be granted to us by the Wind God's blessings!"
"We'll no longer have to worry about food or shelter..."
"We'll no longer fear being bullied by evildoers..."
"Good and honest people will live freely in this divine kingdom!"
"As for those who dare to disrupt or commit evil..."
"Look there!"
The elderly man gestured subtly toward the line of shinobi wearing demonic masks atop the village's buildings.
"The guardians of the shadows..."
"The Wind God's most loyal servants..."
"They will eliminate anyone who dares to defy the 'Divine Decree,' condemning their souls to become 'Immortal Slaves,' forced to labor for eternity in service of the kingdom..."
As the elderly man tilted his head upward in prayer, his hands clasped devoutly together, he gazed at the faint white streak in the sky.
"Ah..."
The middle-aged man, now enlightened by the elder's words, finally "found" the radiant, golden-purple "wall of light" shimmering in his mind.
At that moment.
The middle-aged man froze, his eyes vacant. If a Six Paths-level shinobi were present, they would notice a strange pattern reflected deep within his pupils—a square design with curved lines.
This pattern, along with the entirety of the "Divine Decree," was now deeply etched into the minds of every citizen of the Land of Wind, like an eternal soul imprint—indelible and unbreakable!
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