“When one seeks to take the world and rule it, I see that it cannot be done. The world is a sacred artifact, and one must not act upon it; those who do will fail. Therefore, it is called a sacred artifact.”
This was Laozi’s concept of a divine artifact.
Put into simpler terms, it meant a divine object capable of conquering the world.
The Great Land Master God had truly lost both the wife and the army on this trip.
It had started out by trying to steal a Heavenly God’s divine artifact, yet it had gained nothing from the journey. Instead, it had lost face and, worse still, added another layer of momentum to the growing prestige of the Uchiha Clan.
Within Nanga, the Kōga Group had forged a personalized weapon for every shinobi serving the Uchiha Clan.
These weapons were cherished by the Uchiha, the Red-Eyes, and the students of the Iga Group.
“The blade cuts the flesh; the heart cuts the soul!”
This was the highest realm of swordsmanship invented by the Uchiha as a joke.
Thus, these weapons were given their own unique names.
Zanpakutō!
With the birth of the concept of divine artifacts, the people of Nanga, whose faith had become even firmer, began to sense changes within their weapons.
They seemed to be able to achieve Shikai.
The powerful captains and seated officers of the Thirteenth Division could even achieve Bankai.
That had once been the exclusive privilege of the Uchiha Clan’s main family!
Tianzen, who was organizing his forces and preparing to head for the front lines, felt the change most clearly.
After all, his sparring partner, Hyōma, had experienced a tremendous increase in strength!
“Cry out, Suzumushi!”
The old blind man suddenly exploded with power, nearly making Tianzen stumble.
Those red eyes, which had almost reached the Three-Tomoe Sharingan stage and beyond, allowed Hyōma’s swordsmanship to carry ninjutsu-like destructive effects.
But now, he could manipulate ninjutsu through his swordsmanship itself.
“Tianzen, you’d better be careful. I feel like I’ve become much stronger!”
The old blind man warned Tianzen without the slightest good intention.
At the same time, he made even more underhanded moves.
Using his Zanpakutō, Suzumushi, he interfered with Tianzen’s senses.
The spiritual pressure surrounding the surface of the Zanpakutō vibrated rapidly, producing a buzzing sound. The sound waves entered Tianzen’s ears, lulling his consciousness into sleep.
Countless blades, each pointed at both ends, rained down from the sky and attacked the drowsy Tianzen.
Fortunately, the two were merely sparring in private.
Had they been enemies, Tianzen would have suffered badly.
Facing Hyōma’s inexplicable surge in strength, Tianzen asked in confusion,
“Old Blind Man, did you secretly go to train with the Iga Group behind my back?”
Having gained the advantage, Hyōma withdrew his attack and answered disdainfully,
“Hmph. This is the power of the divine artifact forged by our Kōga Group. What does it have to do with your Iga Group?”
Unconvinced, Tianzen retorted,
“That’s nothing more than a trick adults use to fool children. Do you think I’m stupid?”
Hyōma shook his head.
“See? You’re being too rational. You’ve forgotten that adults can always turn something rotten into something miraculous! What’s wrong with believing a little more? You won’t lose a piece of flesh for it!”
Looking at Hyōma seriously polishing his weapon, Tianzen hesitated.
Maybe I should try it too.
With that thought, he unconsciously began carefully polishing his own weapon.
Then—
A brilliant flash of sword light erupted.
Tianzen exclaimed in delight,
“Nozarashi! Your name is Nozarashi!”
Another Zanpakutō had awakened.
And scenes like this continued to unfold throughout Nanga.
Watching the dazzling radiance appearing everywhere, Tianzen hesitated for a while before saying to Hyōma,
“Hyōma, don’t you think we should let the children go to the front lines and gain some experience? They should use the power Nanga has bestowed upon them to distinguish themselves through great achievements and repay Nanga.”
And so, Might Guy, Kakashi, and Kabuto, who had failed to pass the Chūnin Exams, joined the Western Expedition as graduates of Nanga.
They became seated officers of Uchiha Chikudo’s Hachiman Division.
At this very moment, however, Uchiha Kei had developed a new idea while facing the divine artifact.
The Uchiha on the ground in the Land of Grass were all arguing over the identity of the deity who had saved the world.
Although everyone had more or less determined which god it was, there were simply too many powerful deities occupying high positions within Uchiha mythology.
The Uchiha wanted to let the ignorant Red-Eyes learn about the supreme gods who protected the Uchiha Clan.
This would strengthen their sense of belonging to their people.
After all, wasn’t a nation essentially composed of people who shared the same mythology, common culture, similar language, and the same written script?
But Uchiha Kei, the one who had started all of this, did not care about those things at all.
Kei gently touched the Box of Ultimate Bliss with his finger, marveling at the greatness of humanity.
Although the box had been created by the Sage of Six Paths, its source of energy was human emotion.
“It has devoured so much faith and absorbed so many emotions. With the additional enhancement of the laws, the Box of Ultimate Bliss has finally transformed…”
The Box of Ultimate Bliss cracked.
Four masks gradually transformed into four tiny spirits, each about the size of a thumb.
They began flying around Uchiha Kei.
They were confused and innocent, like newborn babies.
All the energy they had received had come from Uchiha Kei’s carefully orchestrated performances involving the external gods and the Buddha.
Therefore, they instinctively felt close to him.
The one who gave them life was their father.
That was both human nature and a law of existence.
Kei extended one hand.
The four little spirits immediately settled upon his fingers and began sucking on them.
The emotions of joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness flowed through Kei’s fingers, forming swirling vortices of energy.
This energy was formed from the basic emotions of mortals throughout the entire shinobi world.
It was the first time all of those emotions had gathered together.
The result was a vortex resembling primordial chaos.
It seemed to contain an entirely new universe.
The power, ambition, and desire brought about by this gathering of energy nearly caused Uchiha Kei to lose himself.
No one could easily refuse the power to control an entire universe.
This intoxicating power frightened Kei enough that he quickly shook his hand, sending the four little spirits flying into the sky.
“No wonder the Sage of Six Paths abandoned this tremendous power. To possess it is to possess the power of creation itself. But to possess it also means losing yourself.”
The four little spirits floated unsteadily through the sky.
They could not understand why their Father God had abandoned them.
One was expectant.
One was angry.
One was sorrowful.
One was understanding.
For a moment, things became complicated.
Kei looked at them.
These newborns appeared weak, yet each contained tremendous energy.
Their defining ability was to collect human emotions and transform them into power.
Perhaps, through them, he could truly establish the concept of appointing gods on behalf of Heaven.
And it would also deepen the bond between himself and them.
Once he had an idea, Kei acted immediately.
He abandoned the Heavenly Everstanding Kingdom and the Sanike Sword, then pointed toward the spirit wearing an expression of deceit.
“From this moment onward, you are Tzeentch, Lord of the Changer of Ways, the Lord of Hope, symbolizing the wisdom of Chaos. You shall govern the joy of all things and represent the hope of all living beings.”
“Thought seeks knowledge, knowledge breeds endless desire. Only Tzeentch knows the truth; let none be trapped by ignorance.”
“Talent, destiny, schemes and conspiracies, the changes and laws governing all things in the universe—even the ultimate fate of the most distant star and the final destiny of every individual shall be known to you.”
“You shall see through everything. All things will rise and fall upon your chessboard. Your followers will use limitless wisdom to please you, and you will grant hope to your believers when they stand at the edge of despair!”
As Kei spoke, countless forbidden fragments of knowledge gathered into an ocean and poured into the expectant little spirit.
The spirit transformed into a cloud surrounded by lightning and constantly shifting forms.
The twisting flames of change became its runes.
Its skin and armor flowed continuously, its form changing without end.
Strange, grotesquely smiling faces appeared and disappeared amid dazzling, kaleidoscopic colors.
Messenger of Hope. Weaver of Fate. Scheming Deceiver. Exalted Eagle. Lord of the Changer of Ways. Lord Fuli.
Countless divine aspects poured into it.
The newborn spirit became a god.
Its divine flame was ignited by the joy contained within human emotions, while its divine essence was condensed from hope.
Aside from lacking an established divine seat, it had already become a prospective god.
Seeing one of their companions transform from the spirit of a divine artifact into a true divine being, the other three little creatures became even more excited.
They began circling Uchiha Kei frantically, urging him to hurry.
Faced with the little creatures behaving like pets demanding to be fed, Kei could only comply.
He pointed his finger toward the angry little spirit.
This time, he was already an expert at the process.
“Then you are Khorne, the Blood God, Lord of Destruction, symbolizing violence, anger, and savagery. You shall govern the rage within all things and represent the cruelty of all living beings!”
“Blood for the Blood God! Skulls for the Skull Throne!”
“Uncontrollable bloodlust, madness that strips away reason, and endless seas of blood flooding the battlefield.”
“Your followers shall possess an insatiable thirst for blood. Whoever takes up a weapon and commits slaughter in your name shall earn your favor!”
“Khorne’s savagery and rage make no distinction between friend and foe. You shall watch every massacre and every atrocity with joy.”
“When your war horns sound across the Chaos Wastes, everyone caught within the flames of war will erupt with even greater fury.”
“At the height of destruction and slaughter, Khorne’s roar will echo throughout the entire wasteland. Anyone who hears that roar shall descend into eternal madness.”
As Uchiha Kei spoke, hatred, bloodlust, and other negative emotions gathered within the angry little spirit.
Its form began to change.
It became a humanoid god with blood-red skin.
Beneath it appeared a massive brass throne, its base constructed from bloodstained corpses and piles of skulls.
“I desire nothing but to witness the old world forever consumed by chaos and war. When the seas of the world are replaced by blood and the mountains are buried beneath towers of corpses, my glorious name shall resound throughout creation.”
With anger from human emotion igniting its divine flame and hatred condensing its divine essence, the Blood God Khorne, Lord of Blood and Rage, was born.
It even came with its own doctrine straight out of the box.
This new god is really putting on airs.
Kei turned away from the pretentious fellow and pointed toward the little spirit wearing a sorrowful expression.
“Then you shall be Nurgle, Father of Decay, the embodiment of despair. You represent the ultimate state in which sorrow overwhelms the heart and hope dies. You shall govern the grief and resentment of all things, embodying the sorrow of all living beings.”
“Viruses invisible to the naked eye and every plague in the world shall be produced under your careful design. You possess the kindness of a grandfather toward disease. Therefore, you also love humanity. Regardless of age, appearance, good or evil, you embrace everyone with tolerance, like a kindly elder guiding his beloved children.”
“All things decay, yet all life endures!”
“You shall be the god of the fundamental force driving all things, possessing endless energy and loving life. Whether it is a crying infant or a rampant plague bacterium, you will see both as manifestations of life infecting the will of the universe.”
“Your followers shall gaze upon worlds ravaged by disease with reverence. They will rejoice at every helpless life that groans in suffering, imagining how mighty their master must be.”
“They will look upon disease and ruins, upon the endless cycle of life and death, as though watching time mercilessly slip like grains of sand through their fingers.”
The little spirit began evolving.
A decaying creature appeared, its body swollen and overflowing with rot and foul stench.
A black cloud of demonic insects surrounded it, each insect carrying deadly plague pathogens upon its back.
With sorrow from human emotion igniting its divine flame and despair condensing its divine essence—
“Come and experience Father’s love.”
With his birth, the shinobi world gained something it had never possessed before.
Disease.
Kei then turned his attention to the final spirit.
The little creature wore an expression of understanding.
“Finally, you are Slaanesh, the Prince of Pleasure. Happiness, indulgence, delight, and even love shall fall under your dominion. You are the pleasure of all living beings. No one can resist you!”
“You shall possess the ultimate power of attraction. Every living creature will, to one degree or another, pay a price for spiritual pleasure. This instinct is what created you.”
“Your followers shall please you by overturning values and corrupting others. Through hedonists pursuing strangers and increasingly extreme forms of pleasure, they will seek ever-new sensations and stimulate their exhausted bodies and minds to new heights of ecstasy. These are your followers!”
“Eventually, they will abandon all morality and restraint, committing murder and depraved acts in the name of the God of Excess.”
“Those who indulge in the pleasures of the flesh shall regard you as supreme!”
Under these words, the little spirit representing understanding began to transform.
A solemn yet extraordinarily alluring deity appeared.
Its limbs were long and elegant.
Its beauty was both masculine and feminine, possessing an unforgettable and almost impossible charm.
Its pristine appearance and youthful vitality made people lower their guard, allowing themselves to be completely deceived by its graceful demeanor.
“Cast aside restraint. Become one of the condemned!”
The moment this being appeared, it was the strongest of the four.
This showed just how deeply Slaanesh’s fervent believers had already infiltrated the upper classes—and how popular that god was among them.
The adults who possessed the greatest share of society’s resources, along with artists and poets, had already begun shutting their doors and seeking ever greater pleasure even before Slaanesh existed.
They had sought novel and stimulating sensations at decadent gatherings.
After the Old Gods disappeared, the faith contained within the prayers of the shrine maidens was absorbed by the newly born Slaanesh.
Seeing the newborn spirits transform into false gods through faith, Uchiha Kei realized that all that remained was to kill the gods occupying the corresponding divine seats.
Once they seized those divine seats, they could become true gods.
For now, they were merely weak false gods, prospective gods, or Great Yokai.
But they were also the first gods Uchiha Kei had created himself.
That represented the hope of establishing his own divine system.
Kaguya’s did not count.
That had merely been an illusion created through the aggregation of faith.
Uchiha Kei did not yet possess the ability to truly manipulate Her.
He had merely used Her image to draw faith into Her embrace, thereby reducing the share of faith belonging to the gods of this world.
In simple terms—
He was using the Sage of Six Paths’ money to bribe his own boss.
Uchiha Kei believed that if he maintained this steady flow of faith, the Eastern gods would eventually notice him.
After all, once you had accepted someone’s offerings, it was difficult to ignore the obligation that came with them.
It was simply another precaution Kei had prepared.
And now, by using the power abandoned by the Sage of Six Paths, Kei had genuinely created gods.
So naturally, he had no intention of holding back anymore.