The Land of Demons and the Land of Swamps.
In this world, their geographical locations differ from the map Tsunade once showed in the anime. Instead of being separated by two unknown small countries, these two countries are directly adjacent to each other.
Moryo, from the outside, looked like a strange dark purple mass of chakra that could freely split into snake-headed tentacles.
At the border where the Land of Demons, the Land of Swamps, and the Land of Wind meet.
What remained of Moryo was a small, flickering wisp, like the ghostly lights sometimes seen in old cemeteries at night, wavering precariously in front of Shinji, who was exuding an aura of menace.
Shinji was exasperated. This Moryo really wasn't too bright. After barely surviving, instead of hiding in some dark corner of the ninja world to bide its time and plot in secret, it wanted to return to its homeland!
"I... I am merely a wandering soul, a traveler who died with unfulfilled wishes. I beg you, mighty warrior, to spare me..."
Moryo's voice trembled with panic. It knew this lie was full of holes. Even though its shape had changed and its color had faded, its chakra nature remained the same!
"Is that so? What is your wish? Tell me."
Shinji squatted down, smiling broadly, revealing a set of gleaming white teeth. To Moryo, this was the smile of a demon!
"Huh? My wish...?"
"Yes, your wish. I'm in a good mood today, so I might help you fulfill it so you can pass on without any regrets."
Watching Shinji's clean and sunny smile, Moryo's flickering form trembled even more violently.
"Really... there's no need to trouble you, mighty warrior! A wish is only meaningful if one fulfills it oneself! Please, I beg you!"
"Is that so? But isn't your wish to destroy the Five Great Nations and establish a millennium kingdom of the unified ninja world? You can't achieve that alone, can you?"
Realizing that its poor acting had been seen through from the start by this supreme being, Moryo felt a deep sense of helplessness and bitterness.
Just over a month ago, Moryo had resurfaced, unable to contain its excitement and immediately sought out the shrine maiden for a reunion.
However, just as it was reveling in its return, this young man appeared out of nowhere, claiming Moryo was blocking his path and promptly beat it down!
Barely escaping with just a wisp of its soul, Moryo intended to return home to find a suitable body to nurture. But it encountered Shinji again!
Knowing it was doomed, Moryo decided that if it had to die, it would die with dignity and put on a grand show. It gathered its remaining strength and...
Collapsed on the ground.
"Please, spare me, mighty warrior! I won't do it again, I promise!"
Seeing Moryo sobbing pitifully on the ground, Shinji was momentarily stunned.
Is this the legendary tactic of surrendering quickly to avoid being defeated?
The tears it shed, seemingly produced by some Water Release technique, were impressively realistic. Combined with its pitiful sobbing, it could move anyone to tears.
"How boring..."
Shaking his head, Shinji sighed, stood up, and ignored the crying Moryo, stepping into the territory of the Land of Swamps.
It wasn't until Shinji was far away, almost out of sight, that Moryo stopped sobbing. Looking in the direction Shinji had left and then at its own now semi-transparent body from overusing chakra, it cursed inwardly.
Damn bastard! Just you wait!
Looking at the Land of Swamps and then back at the Land of Demons, Moryo decided to go nowhere. Staying in this area, there was a risk of encountering Shinji again. Its fragile body wouldn't survive another encounter!
After much thought, Moryo decided to leave this wretched hemisphere. It didn't believe it would run into Shinji on the other side of the ninja world!
Just you wait until I recover!
...
"Master, why did you let that guy go?"
A small figure of White Zetsu emerged from the ground, half-exposed, and asked. According to White Zetsu's investigation, as long as Moryo wasn't killed, it could theoretically become infinitely stronger.
Such a potentially threatening entity should be eliminated early to prevent future trouble.
"White, don't you think it would be interesting if Moryo caused some trouble for Obito and Madara?"
White Zetsu thought for a moment and realized the truth in Shinji's words. As long as Obito and Madara wanted to realize the Infinite Tsukuyomi, they would inevitably clash with Moryo.
Their goals were fundamentally different, though neither were exactly good people. Understanding this, White Zetsu nodded in realization.
"I see! You want Moryo to keep Madara and the others busy, right?"
Shinji smiled faintly without directly answering, instead changing the subject, "Anyway, I've temporarily sealed the connection between the shrine maiden and Moryo, but it might recover at any time. If that woman finds out Moryo is still alive, it will be troublesome. What we need to do is..."
"Help Moryo completely sever the connection!" White Zetsu quickly understood.
"Something like that. Completely severing it is difficult since the shrine maiden and Moryo are intrinsically linked. What we need to do is add another layer of sealing to ensure Moryo isn't exposed until it has fully grown."
"I understand. And there's one... no, two things I need to tell you."
Seeing White Zetsu suddenly hesitating, Shinji asked curiously, "What is it?"
"Come out."
At White Zetsu's call, a dozen or so White Zetsus emerged from the ground.
"They, like me, want to regain their human identities, memories, and names, so..."
Seeing the group of White Zetsus murmuring among themselves, Shinji mentally applauded White Zetsu's capability. It must have been incredibly difficult to secretly pass on information within the ranks of White Zetsu!
"Alright, alright, I'm naturally someone who loves... ahem, loves to help! From now on, you're all my comrades! White Number One to White Number Fifteen!"
"Isn't that name a bit..." White Zetsu looked troubled. "The second thing is, can you give us proper human names?"
"No problem. You're Er Gou (Second Dog), the one next to you is Ma Zi (Pockmarked), and the one behind you is..."
"Master Anri! Those don't sound like human names!"
"What are you talking about? These are names filled with poetic meaning that I thought up... uh, I mean, after much deliberation. Er Gou represents the loyalty of a dog in the deep alleys, and Ma Zi represents the beauty of spring breezes. Don't you want them? If not, I can think of new ones."
"Wait! These names are fine, Master Anri, don't trouble yourself further."
Satisfied with his poetic name, Er Gou quickly accepted it, realizing he could recite poetry all his life!
"Master Anri, I want one too!"
Seeing the White Zetsus eagerly competing for names, Shinji genuinely felt that White Zetsu was quite pure-hearted.
...
Now truly having insiders within the ranks, Shinji quickened his pace, knowing that with so many White Zetsu spies, he wouldn't need to personally investigate every situation.
Gathering various information and trends is always the first step to remaining undefeated. White Zetsu mentioned that Obito was still unaware of Shinji's existence, spending his days amusing himself by tormenting Kirigakure.
Frankly, hearing White Zetsu's reports on Obito's actions, Shinji couldn't help but think Obito was somewhat of a psychopath, using every possible method to torture Kirigakure for his own pleasure.
In Amegakure, the Akatsuki, controlled secretly by Obito, had recruited new members, including Kirigakure rogue ninja Juzo Biwa, Sunagakure rogue ninja Sasori, and Orochimaru.
Orochimaru joining Akatsuki earlier than expected surprised Shinji. He had thought Orochimaru would join later after settling down.
Akatsuki's leader, Pain, was currently targeting a rogue ninja from Takigakure named Kakuzu, intending to invite (or rather, coerce) him to join Akatsuki in the coming days.
Listening to Er Gou's detailed report, Shinji was amazed by the honesty. Er Gou had revealed everything, including Pain being a puppet of Nagato, Obito being Madara's pawn, and Madara being a pawn of Black Zetsu!
As for the intelligence on other ninja villages, nothing was left out.
For instance, Iwagakure, which had been planning to cause trouble for Konoha earlier in the year, had inexplicably become unusually quiet lately. Kumogakure's troublemaking had decreased significantly after being disrupted by the Two-Tails Jinchuriki.
As for Sunagakure, they were still struggling with basic necessities, tightening their belts daily, making it impossible for them to cause trouble even if they wanted to.
"Rest assured, I will do my utmost to help you regain your human identities, memories, and names."
Shinji, feeling a bit emotional, patted Er Gou's shoulder. This kind of spy who trusted him so much after just a few months was truly unique in the ninja world!
"It's okay if we can't recover our names. Regaining our identities and memories is enough."
Er Gou, satisfied with his new name, sought to ease his master's burden, not wanting to overwork him!
"By the way, we're running low on White Zetsu materials. Try to persuade Black Zetsu to send another batch."
"Leave it to me, Master Anri!"