Chapter 368: The Intelligence Brought by Shinju, Begin Training the Soul Transformation Technique!

A knife?

And not even the Kusanagi?

Uchiha Jin stared at the knife in his hand, furrowing his brows as he carefully sensed it.

Indeed!

Not the Kusanagi, not chakra metal, not even ordinary iron.

Even Uchiha Jin, who was already 60% Ōtsutsuki and on equal footing with Hagoromo, was momentarily uncertain what this thing truly was.

But…

Since it was preserved by the Wet Bone Forest, it must be an artifact from the previous era of the ninja world, before Kaguya arrived.

Store it for now!

Uchiha Jin placed it solemnly beside him; his subconscious compelled him to carry it with him, not simply lock it away.

“Thank Itachi all!”

“I’ve received your goodwill—just live well from now on. No need to worry about unnecessary matters.”

“As I’ve always said, I cherish peace!”

“As long as no one deliberately provokes us, the Hidden Leaf is willing to coexist with all living beings upon this ninja world.”

Without hesitation, Uchiha Jin reaffirmed it.

Then,

Uchiha Jin hosted a welcome banquet for the three sacred sites, after which the slug and the snakes of the Dragon Shrine returned to their respective sanctuaries.

Only the toads of Mount Myōboku could not return home—for now.

In the end, Uchiha Jin could only arrange for a plot of land within the Hidden Leaf Village for these toads.

…

Late night.

When Uchiha Jin returned home, he discovered that Shinju and Shimaru, the two sages, had quietly come to visit.

Looking at the two toads before him, Uchiha Jin frowned: “Do Itachi need the Hidden Leaf’s help with something else?”

“Thank Itachi, Hokage, but no,” Shinju shook his head. “We toads are deeply grateful that the Hidden Leaf has accepted Mount Myōboku.”

“We have intelligence to deliver to Itachi, Hokage.”

“Hagoromo today found the Great Toad Sage—he has now traveled to the other side of the planet, preparing to retrieve Hagoromo’s body to revive him. He will surely turn toward the Hidden Leaf next.”

Aside from the Great Toad Sage, Hagoromo’s allies will likely collect the souls of all surviving strongest ninja from the Pure Land—so Itachi must pay close attention to this.

“The latest it could take is one month.”

“But according to the Great Toad Sage’s estimate, Hagoromo will be revived in fifteen days.”

“Also…”

“Today, Hagoromo casually mentioned something at Mount Myōboku—his brother Hagane tried to steal the Shinigami’s authority, but apparently failed. He now has no consciousness left, fused with the Shinigami’s power, and Hagoromo remains dazed every day.”

“But whether it’s true or false, I’m not certain.”

Now that Shinju sensed Uchiha Jin’s sincerity, he revealed everything he knew.

And as for this,

Uchiha Jin sighed deeply.

This intelligence was truly vital—he increasingly felt that benevolence is invincible.

Had he rejected these toads of Mount Myōboku, he would have missed this precious intelligence. Now that he knew in advance, he could plan ahead.

But…

The fact that Hagoromo controlled the souls of the Pure Land’s strongest warriors didn’t surprise him; what startled him was Kaguya and the Great Toad Sage.

No wonder Hagane never appeared in the original story!

No wonder the Shinigami always felt more Ōtsutsuki than a traditional ninja world deity.

So…

That Hagane fool actually tried to fuse with the Shinigami’s authority!

This is troublesome.

He currently has no means to combat souls—his Ash Destruction technique is purely physical. If Hagane truly fused with the Shinigami’s power, he had no idea how to respond.

But luckily!

Luckily, Hagane seems to have failed. Even if the truth is uncertain, it’s still some comfort.

But to be safe, he must prepare in advance—what if Hagane regains even a sliver of consciousness and insists on fighting the Hidden Leaf to the death?

And…

The souls of the Pure Land’s strongest warriors are a problem, but to resurrect them, only Edo Tensei will work—where would Hagoromo find enough sacrifices?

Undoubtedly—White Zetsu!

He’d need to ask Uchiha Madara whether he knew where Black Zetsu hid the hundred thousand White Zetsu.

Finally…

Obito!

He’d had no time to deal with him yet, but to prevent Obito from being controlled by Hagoromo, he must act soon.

Yes.

For the sake of his wife, Hanabi, he could spare Obito’s life—but control was non-negotiable, especially reclaiming his Mangekyo Sharingan.

Thinking this through, things were indeed piling up.

After a long pause, Uchiha Jin slowly spoke: “Shinju, Shimaru, thank Itachi for bringing this information—it’s invaluable to the Hidden Leaf.”

“I’ve received your goodwill. Settle in peacefully here.”

Shinju and Shimaru exhaled in relief.

Then,

The two toads exchanged brief pleasantries with Uchiha Jin before taking their leave.

Uchiha Jin silently watched their retreating figures, then sat alone in the tea room, deep in thought.

What a hassle.

Though the ninja world appears unified, the problems haven’t lessened—they’ve only multiplied.

Headache.

Dealing with Obito or finding Madara about the White Zetsu won’t be difficult—these can wait until tomorrow morning.

But Hagane is a true problem—genuinely troubling Uchiha Jin, even more than Hagoromo himself!

Even if Hagoromo is powerful, Uchiha Jin can kill him.

But Hagane—

This unknown figure from the original story—if he hasn’t fused with the Shinigami, fine. But if he succeeds, he becomes a Damocles sword hanging over Uchiha Jin’s head!

But…

He could only consult Orochimaru—he’s the one who understands souls best. And there’s also the Hidden Leaf’s Soul Transformation Technique.

But unfortunately,

Even though he knew of the Soul Transformation Technique, he’d never considered practicing it.

He didn’t believe becoming a soul could defeat a Hagane fused with the Shinigami.

But… try it?

He had nothing better to do. He couldn’t sleep even if he returned to bed.

Thinking this, he immediately summoned the Anbu and ordered them to bring the forbidden scroll from the Hokage Tower.

Ten minutes later,

The Anbu delivered the forbidden scroll. Uchiha Jin found the Soul Transformation Technique and began practicing immediately.

Half an hour later,

He fully mastered the technique and activated it.

The next instant,

When his soul left his body, the world felt entirely different.

The sensation was hard to describe—he drifted through his courtyard, seeing Hanabi chatting with her maidservants, and Uchiha Tsuki learning flower cultivation in the kitchen…

Finally,

As Uchiha Jin’s soul prepared to return to his body, he suddenly noticed something odd about the sword the Slug Sage had given him.

The sword emitted a mysterious pull, urging him to lift it!

He hadn’t felt this before—but now, as a soul, the sensation was unmistakable.

Could it be…

Is this a weapon only usable by a soul?