Controlling a god was undeniably a huge advantage.
But it also meant that Aoba couldn't get the answers he needed from the Evil God.
After all, the entity inside Shin was nothing more than a newborn deity.
It likely knew even less than Aoba himself.
Still, his control over the Evil God gave him an intriguing idea.
If he continuously imprinted his own thoughts and consciousness into the young god…
Would it eventually become an extension of himself?
A true divine clone?
The thought was impossible to ignore.
But executing such a plan would require prolonged mental conditioning.
With his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, Aoba could achieve it, but with his chakra currently sealed, he couldn't afford to attempt it now.
With if Jashin yielding nothing, Aoba had one last option, The Death God, Shinigami.
But compared to Jashin, this would be far more dangerous.
He had cheated the Shinigami multiple times, stealing from its grasp again and again.
If he awakened it, there was no telling what would happen.
But Aoba had come too far to stop now.
At times, he had questioned himself. Would it have been easier to just follow the original script?
To simply seal Kaguya? To stop her resurrection altogether?
To leave the world as it was, five villages perpetually divided?
Would that have been a better choice?
Each time, he rejected that thought.
He had come to this world. He had gained this power. He would never accept being someone else's pawn.
And besides, the five-village system was something he could never tolerate.
No true child of the modern era could ever accept such unnecessary division.
A land split into countless warring factions, for a transmigrator, that was an opportunity too obvious to ignore.
Aoba had long understood, the moment he sought unification, he became the Sage's enemy.
This conflict was inevitable.
Summoning the Shinigami was infinitely more perilous than waking Jashin.
As far as Aoba knew, the only way to summon Shinigami was through Shiki Fūjin, or techniques derived from it.
And either way, once the Shinigamiappeared, it would always claim a soul.
Its actions were mechanical, automated, it didn't even possess the instincts of the newborn Jashin.
Despite the risks, Aoba proceeded with the ritual supported by Konoha's sealing experts.
The modified version of the technique did not summon the Shinigami directly onto the caster, as Shiki Fūjin would.
Instead, it forced the Shinigami to manifest through a prepared vessel.
The traditional approach was to force the Shinigami to release its devoured souls, by cutting open its spectral body.
But Aoba had a different idea.
Instead of trying to steal from it, he would offer sacrifices. A show of goodwill. He wanted to see if Shinigami would actually communicate.
But before the ritual could reach completion, something went wrong.
Aoba's chakra was sealed, but he was still in Sage Mode. His sensory perception remained as sharp as ever.
And at that moment, he sensed a massive chakra signature approaching Konoha's borders.
The very next second, Konoha's defensive barrier activated.
"That chakra…!" Every shinobi in Konoha witnessed the unthinkable.
The entire village was being swallowed whole by a colossal forest of trees.
A technique only one man could use, Wood Release: True Deep Forest Emergence.
Konoha was instantly entangled in a vast, raging forest.
But thanks to years of defensive upgrades, the barrier held firm.
"It's him…!" Aoba's expression darkened.
"Hashirama."
There was no mistaking it. The timing was too perfect.
The Sage of Six Paths had sent Hashirama at the exact moment Aoba was summoning the Shinigami.
This wasn't just an attack.
It was a calculated disruption.
The barrier had barely withstood Hashirama's first strike.
But the force of the impact had shaken the entire village, and disrupted the sealing team's technique.
The ritual failed at the most crucial moment. Before the Shinigami's spectral form completely faded, Aoba could have sworn it looked at him.
Right at him. But there was no time to dwell on it.
Because Hashirama was attacking again.
A colossal wooden golem, hundreds of meters tall. Wrapped in a massive wooden dragon descending upon Konoha. The sheer pressure of its presence, made every shinobi in the village shudder.
Aoba clenched his fists. He could sense it clearly. Hashirama was completely serious and his timing was not a coincidence.
"So… once again, I've struck a nerve."
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Currently on Chapter 359 - The Sage of Six Path's Attack on Kaguya