XX-level Hokage

Gaara, lost in thought, glanced at the sandstorm outside the window and nodded. The next day.

Mashiro issued a statement to the entire ninja world, expressing her views and her desire for peace.

"...Therefore, I felt extremely apprehensive about the daimyo's trust. I wanted to refuse, but my desire made me choose to accept. I longed for peace in the entire ninja world, and this was the best opportunity."

Over the course of a thousand years, ninjas fought for their respective masters, engaging in a long and arduous struggle. I feel a deep sorrow for this, as war has cost us our loved ones, our friends, and our comrades.

My wish is for the ninja world to be at peace. Therefore, I hereby announce my resignation as Hokage, and Naruto Uzumaki will serve as Acting Hokage.

From this day forward, the five great nations will be united as one, known as the Ninja Empire. I will become the first emperor of the Ninja Empire, and I swear by my own name that there will be no more war in the Ninja Realm.

Following this statement, the Hidden Cloud Village was the first to issue a statement of support, followed by the Hidden Sand Village and the Hidden Mist Village. Finally, the Hidden Stone Village also announced its agreement.

After the other four major ninja villages announced their agreement, other smaller countries, represented by the Land of Rain and the Land of Demons, also announced their joining the Ninja Empire and recognized Hyuga Mashiro as their emperor.

Thus, the Ninja Empire was born.

Chapter 219: The Birth of the True Self (Part 1)

After the birth of the Ninja Empire, Mashiro did not make any major changes. Apart from appointing Naruto as the temporary Seventh Hokage, Mei Terumi remained the Mizukage, Onoki remained the Tsuchikage, A remained the Raikage, and Gaara remained the Kazekage.

Regarding the specifics of the Empire, Shinji only made the necessary arrangements, as he had another matter to attend to at the time.

In the Land of Iron, atop a snow-capped peak. "Come out?" Mashiro whispered. A gentle breeze swept in, and the true self emerged.

"I didn't manage to kill you after all," Shingo said, looking at Mashiro with a hint of helplessness.

"Do you know me?" Mashiro suddenly asked. "Why do you say that?" Shingo countered.

“You seem to know me very well, and you also know Izumi very well. You appeared out of nowhere and you wanted to kill me. From any perspective, you know me,” Mashiro explained.

“I see. You’re right. I do know you, and we’re very close, extremely close,” Shinji said with a light laugh. “Who exactly are you?” Mashiro instantly activated his Otsutsuki Mode, his pale blue Rinnegan staring at Shinji as he asked coldly.

"I am here to correct history," the true self said calmly. "You? You think you can kill me?" Mashiro said softly.

“Of course, I alone am not enough, but perhaps you can do it with your own strength.” As he spoke, he stretched out his hand towards Mashiro, raising his thumb, pointing his index finger, and tucking in his ring, middle, and little fingers, making a gesture similar to a pistol.

"It's my true self," she whispered.

In an instant, Mashiro felt a strong sense of danger, but she was unable to escape it. Then she heard the sound of her soul shattering, and then she lost consciousness.

When Mashiro opened her eyes again, she found herself in a blank space. "Am I... dead again?" Mashiro muttered to herself.

She couldn't dodge the attack from True Self just now; it was as if it had directly struck Mashiro's soul.

"That attack was somewhat similar to Omikami, but if it really was similar to Omikami, when exactly did he leave his soul mark on me?" Mashiro said softly.

Regarding Kaguya Shinji, during the mission that Mashiro sent to Yukikaze, Yukikaze used his special ability to investigate Kaguya Shinji to some extent and learned that he also possessed the Sharingan. Therefore, Mashiro knew of his existence from the beginning and knew that he would be her greatest enemy, even guessing that he was the person who was prophesied to kill her by Shiwan.

Therefore, Mashiro had made many plans in advance, but once she actually faced him, all of her countermeasures failed. "What exactly is that divine strike?" Mashiro asked softly.

Just then, the surrounding pure white began to distort, and Mashiro suddenly appeared in a palace.

"We've discovered a new Otsutsuki, Otsutsuki Goshiki," a ninja said respectfully, bowing his head.

On the throne, a man dressed in a divine robe nodded slightly and asked, "Is it truly over?" "Your Highness has already gone to the Lost Lands," the ninja hurriedly replied.

“He’s just a reckless child. Tell Naruto and Sasuke to hurry over there,” the man said calmly. “Yes, Your Majesty,” the ninja replied respectfully, rising to leave.

"This is... me?" Mashiro muttered to herself, looking at everything that was happening in front of her.

The man sitting on the throne was her, or more accurately, her past life—Uchiha Zero. In Mashiro's consciousness, as Uchiha Zero, she ultimately only became the emperor of the Land of Fire.

She had no recollection of the palace, the respectful ninja, or even the names Amaterasu Migoshiki and Shin.

The surroundings distorted again, and the scene changed once more.

In a dilapidated ruin, a boy with short black hair is facing a boy with silver hair.

"You Otsutsuki are just one of a kind. When Momoshiki and Kinji died, then Kamashiki came. When Kamashiki died, then Ishiki came. And then there are some strange homunculus. Now, there's even Goshiki," the short-haired black boy said coldly.

"Let's clarify one concept first. Momoshiki is not dead yet, and his Karma still exists. Among the deceased Kinshiki, Urashiki, and Isshiki, only Isshiki is considered an Otsutsuki in my eyes. The other two are just servants who have some connection with the Otsutsuki." Otsutsuki Goshiki said seriously.

"I don't care about any of that. In short, I'm going to kill you before Father arrives." The short-haired black boy said. "Is that so?"

Otsutsuki Go's pale green Rinnegan suddenly flashed, looking at the short-haired black boy in front of him.

"Uchiha Shin, the child of Uchiha Zero and Uchiha Izumi, the next successor of the Ninja Empire, the successor of Otsutsuki Hagoromo, this is quite a surprise to me," Otsutsuki Goshiki said with a smile.

"What are you talking about?" Uchiha Shin asked, looking at Otsutsuki Goshiki with a puzzled expression. "You'll understand soon enough," Otsutsuki Goshiki said with a light laugh.

Then he pulled out a short sword and stabbed it into his heart.

"What is this?" Uchiha Shin instantly assumed a defensive stance, looking at Otsutsuki Goshiki with confusion. Otsutsuki Goshiki collapsed to the ground with blood flowing from the corner of his mouth, his body slowly turning into ash.

Just as Uchiha Shin was puzzled, a black diamond pattern appeared on the back of his hand, and then black lines began to cover Uchiha Zero's entire body.

"What...what happened?" With that, Uchiha Shin collapsed to the ground, unconscious, and the black patterns disappeared.

Soon after, Naruto and Sasuke arrived and, seeing Mashiro lying on the ground, quickly took him back to Konoha. Mashiro looked at everything that had happened and felt completely unfamiliar with it.

"Otsutsuki Goshiki? Uchiha Shin? And what is Karma?" Mashiro was utterly confused.

The surroundings distorted again, and the scene changed once more; this time, it was in a hospital ward.

"You mean you were really parasitized by Otsutsuki Goshiki with the Karma seal?" Izumi said calmly. "It seems so now," Uchiha Zero said coldly.

"What an incompetent father," Izumi said, looking at Uchiha Zero. Uchiha Zero didn't deny it, remaining silent as he looked at Uchiha Qi in the hospital room.

"Looking at Uchiha Shinichi, Izumi and I are indeed my child, but I have no recollection of it at all. Has my memory changed as well?" Mashiro muttered to herself, looking at the more mature Izumi before her.

The surroundings distorted again, and a new scene appeared. In a magnificent room.

“Father,” Uchiha Shin said respectfully.

"So, have Amado's studies been effective? How's the analysis of the Karma?" Uchiha Zero asked softly.

“Father, the Karma seal on my body hasn’t changed for a long time, and my own consciousness has never appeared,” Uchiha Shin said softly. “That’s fine. As long as we can successfully dismantle the Karma seal, the Otsutsuki clan will be nothing to fear,” Uchiha Zero said softly.

“Yes, Father, but you probably won’t have that chance,” Uchiha Shin suddenly said. Uchiha Zero turned to look at Uchiha Shin.

Uchiha Shin extended his hand. "God Strike!"

In an instant, Uchiha Zero's soul began to shatter.

"This is..." Uchiha Zero instantly knelt on the ground and whispered.

"It originates from Uchiha Izumi's ability, God Strike, which can directly attack enemies marked by Omikami, achieving a one-hit kill. It has a ten-year cooldown period. Unfortunately, you are the first person to be hit by this move," Uchiha Shin said softly.

"So that's how it is. Your Karma seal was decompressed a long time ago, Otsutsuki Goshiki?" Uchiha Zero asked.

“Otsutsuki Goshiki, that’s not wrong, but I’m more like a hybrid of Otsutsuki Goshiki and Uchiha Zero now, though Otsutsuki Goshiki takes up more of that part, so you can call me by my new name, True Self,” True Self said softly.

Chapter 220: The Birth of the True Self (Part 2)

The special eye techniques of the Otsutsuki Goshiki Rinnegan are Toki-oh and Ten-i-no-Mikoto.

The Emperor of Time can accelerate time to a certain extent, including the decompression speed of the wedge.

Ten-Yi-zun can read the identity information of beings other than the Otsutsuki, and can make the Karma he creates special. The special Karma does not need to be marked, and will automatically choose the nearest being to mark it after Otsutsuki Goshiki dies. Furthermore, this special Karma also allows Goshiki to use the original body's abilities.

Based on these two abilities, Otsutsuki Goshiki is practically immortal, and his fighting style is also incredibly unique. If an enemy cannot defeat him, Goshiki will choose to commit suicide after simultaneously activating Time Emperor and Heavenly Memories, thus achieving an alternative form of reincarnation.

Uchiha Shin was killed by Otsutsuki Goshiki, who used this fighting style.

After meeting Uchiha Shin, Otsutsuki Goshiki first activated his Heavenly Memory to understand his personal information, and then came up with a plan to use his identity to kill Uchiha Zero.

After all, Goshiki wasn't confident at all facing Konoha, which had defeated Momoshiki and Isshiki.

So Goshiki chose to commit suicide, thus reincarnating into Uchiha Shin's body. After making Uchiha Zero completely lower his guard, he used God Strike to assassinate him, hitting the target with a single blow.

"Looks like I've really fallen for it this time." Sensing the state of his soul, Uchiha Zero knew that if the true self in front of him hadn't gone easy on him, he would probably be dead already.

"So, what do you want to ask me now that you've spared my life?" Uchiha Zero said calmly. "Where did you hide the Divine Tree sapling?" True Self asked.

Aside from Kaguya, all the members of the Otsutsuki clan have only one goal: "to plant trees." "So that's what you're asking about? Want to know? Then guess," Uchiha Zero joked.

"If you tell me now, I'll spare the ninjas here. Otherwise, after you die, I'll raze the entire Hidden Leaf Village to the ground," True Self threatened.

Zero showed no fear in the face of the True Self's threatening words, and continued to look at the True Self calmly.

"Oh, that expression... Do you have some other tricks up your sleeve? Is it the Tailed Beast weapons buried deep beneath Konoha, or Izumi's Great God? Don't worry, these Tailed Beasts are nourishment for the God Tree, and I will handle them properly. As for Izumi, your wife, the mother of this body, I will go back and deal with her after you die," True Self continued.

Upon hearing this, Zero fell silent. True Self wasn't in a hurry either, waiting for his final answer. After a moment, Zero suddenly laughed.

"What are you laughing at?" I asked impatiently.

"It's nothing, I just didn't expect anyone to actually give me so much time to prepare." As he spoke, Zero's left eye turned into a dark purple Rinnegan. "Looks like I'll still have to find it myself." With that, Zero snapped his fingers, and instantly Zero's soul shattered.

But for some reason, Zero's body gradually disappeared, forming a dark purple vortex. Zero's soul fragments were instantly sucked into the vortex, along with the soul of his true self.

Before being sucked into the vortex, True Self used Heavenly Memory to glance at the pupil technique activated by Zero's left eye.

【Reincarnation on the Other Shore: One can reincarnate one's soul and relive one's life】So that's how it is? "The true self instantly understood Zero's thoughts.

Zero wanted to take a gamble and go back to the past to relive his life in order to find a way out, but because of the soul connection with God's Strike, Shinji, who was very close to the vortex of reincarnation, was forced to get involved.

"You will fail, I promise." As I said this, my soul was completely sucked into the vortex, which then disappeared. Immediately afterwards, the scene vanished, and the surrounding space became empty again.

"Have you learned the truth?" the system's voice suddenly came. "Are you awake again?" Mashiro asked calmly.

"There's no other way. To ensure the system's mission can be completed smoothly, I set up a forced awakening device before I went into slumber. Whenever you die, I will be forcibly awakened," the system explained.

"What are these scenes? Are they my memories? But I don't seem to have experienced any of these things." Without caring whether the system's explanation was true or false, Mashiro asked.

"What just appeared was indeed your memory, or rather, the memory of the original Uchiha Zero." The system spoke. "The original Uchiha Zero?" "I vaguely understand something, but I still have some doubts..."

"According to Uchiha Zero's initial development, he eventually unified the ninja world and became the King of Shinobi, but was ambushed and killed by Uchiha Shin, who was possessed by Otsutsuki Goshiki. Before his death, Uchiha Zero activated the Rinnegan's eye technique and restarted his life."

Thus, you were born as the new Uchiha Zero. Because Uchiha Zero's soul was shattered, you did not gain Uchiha Zero's memories, and thus the new Uchiha Zero was born.

As originally planned, you followed the same path as the First Hokage, Uchiha Zero. You two had the same appearance, the same personality, and experienced the same events. You would successively rule Konoha, the Land of Fire, and the entire ninja world, eventually becoming the biggest obstacle to the Otsutsuki's conquest of the world.

However, due to the existence of your true self, and because of the Rinnegan's eye technique, he came to your past. Under his behind-the-scenes influence, you failed in the Fourth Shinobi World War, failed to unify the Shinobi World, and were instead executed.

I only learned all this when I summoned you, because I summoned your soul, but there were some identical soul fragments. Since your soul was already quite complete, I threw those soul fragments into the system space.

"The scenes you just saw were memories stored in those soul fragments," the system explained.

"So that's how it is. So that's why I failed back then." Mashiro's tone was somewhat emotional. You see, he and Orochimaru had thought about that great battle countless times.

Unexpectedly, the final failure was caused by a person from the future.

"So it is also because of you that the execution still failed to truly kill me. You brought me to this human world. Similarly, as a soul bound to Izumi, he also came to this world."

"His only way to go back to the past is to kill me, and similarly, if I kill him, I can go to the future," Mashiro said softly.

"That's right. As long as you kill him, the portal will temporarily open. However, the difference is that the future that the portal leads to is not your future, but the original future, the future belonging to the two protagonists, Naruto and Sasuke," the system whispered.