Naruto: Legend of the Skylark

In this world, after death, a person's soul generally returns to the Pure Land, where it finds eternal slumber and enjoys perpetual tranquility.

However, for certain individuals who die in a more unusual way, their souls may be sealed in strange places, often within the belly of the Shinigami, where they endure eternal hatred, struggle, and torment.

From the moment Tobirama uttered the phrase "my research," Hibari had already largely guessed that his grandfather might have begun delving into the research of Impure World Reincarnation.

This jutsu required exploring the souls of the dead. Therefore, although Hibari didn't know what method Tobirama used to search, he wasn't at all surprised that he could find the Pure Land as the destination for the deceased. If even this concept couldn't be found, the Impure World Reincarnation jutsu would basically be impossible to achieve.

As for the Shinigami Tobirama mentioned... Hibari presumed he must have learned about that secret from Mito.

It was said that some sealing jutsu would deliver a person's soul to the Shinigami. Among them, the most "famous" jutsu was likely the Reaper Death Seal, which the Uzumaki clan developed a very long time ago.

This jutsu could be considered an extremely extreme and high-level sealing jutsu. Hibari himself believed this jutsu deserved at least an S-rank sealing jutsu classification.

This jutsu was generally used to achieve a mutual kill with a powerful opponent. Once used, it was unknown whether the opponent would die, but the user was certainly doomed.

It was likely that after Tobirama began pondering the Impure World Reincarnation jutsu, he also communicated with Mito, who possessed many secret sealing jutsu as well as other secret techniques and ninjutsu, and thus learned about the secret of the Shinigami.

But these were all later matters, and Hibari didn't inquire too much.

"Ojiisan, what does the world and destination of the dead have to do with my problem? Can you please stop getting off topic? Or rather, Ojiisan, you're not trying to create a jutsu to make me reincarnate, are you? Can you be more reliable?" Hibari said, teasing Tobirama with a smile.

Tobirama gave Hibari an exasperated look, then creepily stroked his chin and said, "Reincarnation... that's not a bad idea. Your words actually gave me some thoughts. Perhaps it might be useful for the jutsu I'm currently pondering..."

Hibari's eyes widened with curiosity upon hearing this. He looked at Tobirama and asked, "Ojiisan, are you really developing some strange new jutsu again? Are you interested in telling me about it?"

Tobirama, interrupted by Hibari, reined in his thoughts. He first glanced at Hibari's curious "baby" look, then smiled and said, "At your current level, you can't access these things, nor are you qualified to. However, if you're interested, then follow me and learn more. In the future, all these 'strange' things you speak of will be passed on to you..."

"My current level? Ojiisan, you're looking down on people too much! Although I haven't mastered Water Release chakra yet, I'm still a ninja with four nature transformations. I can even use A-rank sealing jutsu. Besides Water Release, I know more or less some ninjutsu of the other four elements. My physical condition is also good, and I'm skilled with ninja tools. I should at least be a competent shinobi, right? Is this level still not enough?" Hibari complained, feeling a bit displeased at Tobirama's 'disdainful' remarks.

In truth, for Hibari's age, his current strength was already extraordinary. He only lacked experience, otherwise, he could easily serve as a Jonin-level ninja in this era.

This might seem a bit behind compared to the future Itachi Uchiha and Kakashi Hatake, but that wasn't the case. The era Hibari was in was different from theirs. The entire Konohagakure didn't even have a complete system yet, let alone a Ninja Academy or ninja promotion examinations.

The institutions for cultivating and evaluating ninja ranks were still incomplete. How could one compare Hibari's strengths and weaknesses against theirs?

Only by placing them in the same era, at the same age, and having a real battle could one differentiate. But setting aside the impossibility of such a thing, even if time and space could truly be traversed, Hibari was confident he could win.

Tobirama listened to Hibari, then first glanced at him, before speaking earnestly, "Hibari, you haven't disappointed our expectations. You can be called a 'genius.' To have this level of strength at such a young age is indeed excellent. But... don't get your priorities mixed up. Is the strength you possess truly that related to the new things I want to teach you? Only knowledge and wisdom are the keys to entering the realm of developing new ninjutsu. The difference between 'knowing how' and 'understanding' is an insurmountable chasm..."

Upon hearing Tobirama's words, Hibari, who had been somewhat indignant, suddenly froze.

That's right, what Tobirama said was perfectly logical. In fact, he should have understood this long ago. His strength might be outstanding, but in this new field, it didn't hold much significance.

"Knowing how" and "understanding" were two completely different concepts...

Take Tobirama and Hashirama as a comparison. In terms of raw power, Hashirama's strength was indeed far superior to Tobirama's. But when it came to ninjutsu development and insight, it was likely that three Hashiramas couldn't compare to one Tobirama...

Then there was Orochimaru in the future. Although he held the title of one of the Three Sannin, and his strength was formidable, it was always somewhat lacking, suffering defeats against Pain and Itachi.

But when it came to his strength in scientific and ninjutsu research, Itachi and Pain combined probably wouldn't be enough to be his apprentices.

Thinking of this, Hibari nodded seriously, looking into Tobirama's eyes, and softly said, "Ojiisan, I've taken your teachings to heart. I won't be complacent because of this little bit of strength anymore..."

Tobirama was very pleased to see that Hibari had listened to his words. He loved Hibari's intelligence; with just a hint, he could understand what was meant.

Therefore, Tobirama nodded and continued, "Mm, you've been smart and sensible since you were a child, so I won't say more about these things. If you want to walk our path, remember to curb your pride and impatience. The mysteries of ninjutsu and the truths of the world are so vast that it's difficult to master them all even in a lifetime..."

At this point, Tobirama became somewhat pensive, and a hint of regret entered his words.

Hibari looked at him and then thought of the future Orochimaru. Perhaps those who pursued truth and mystery, like them, sometimes resented how quickly time passed and how short life was?

If Tobirama hadn't died in an ambush in the future, perhaps he would also have tried to extend his life or pondered immortality? Otherwise, why did he react when Hibari mentioned 'reincarnation' earlier? And why would he research Impure World Reincarnation for no reason? Was there a deeper meaning behind it?

Before Hibari could continue to speculate on Tobirama's deepest secrets, Tobirama looked at Hibari with a very gratified expression and said with a smile, "But thankfully, there's always a way in this world. The importance of inheritance is shown here. My time is limited, but I can teach a young fellow like you to continue on my behalf. And in the future, you will also find a suitable disciple to pass on your knowledge to. Generations upon generations, endlessly. I believe that one day, we will uncover the truth of this world..."

Then, without waiting for Hibari to respond, Tobirama waved his hand and continued, "Alright, let's not talk about such long-term matters. Let's get back to the point and discuss your problem. You just said I got off topic, but that's not true... Through my research, I found that when a person's soul enters the Pure Land, it is naturally cleansed. Therefore..."

Hibari shivered as he saw Tobirama's scrutinizing gaze and quickly interjected, "Ojiisan, you're not suggesting I die, are you? How is that different from telling me to reincarnate...?"

"Hahahahaha, practice makes perfect! How can we know without trying? But I won't be reckless. This is just a line of thought. If we truly research a stable method in the future, it wouldn't be a bad thing for you to try it according to this idea, would it?" Tobirama said with a loud laugh.

Hibari, seeing that he had no immediate intention of making him die, breathed a slight sigh of relief. Then he quickly asked, "That's for the Pure Land, but what about the Shinigami?"

Tobirama frowned slightly at that, then said, "Hibari, the Shinigami is something best avoided unless absolutely necessary. It's too dangerous; it will devour a person's soul... Once caught by the Shinigami, it's not so easy to get out... However, I do think that if one were to truly experience being in the Shinigami's belly, perhaps it would also 'cleanse' the soul, just like the Pure Land."

After speaking, Tobirama didn't give Hibari much time to think, patting his shoulder and saying, "These are the three methods I've thought of so far. However, it's clear that the second and third methods cannot be implemented yet. Therefore, to temporarily 'remove' this problem of yours, we should quickly develop a sealing jutsu to seal that thing in you..."

Upon hearing Tobirama's words, Hibari's face crumpled into a helpless grimace. "Ojiisan, your second and third methods are too unreliable. I think I might have to live my whole life with a seal on me..."

"Hahahaha, these are just my suggestions. Since you're the one with this problem, you naturally need to be more invested. Perhaps there are fourth, fifth, or sixth methods? Didn't I already say it? The mysteries of this world are countless. If you want to undo your curse, you have to put in more effort yourself. How can you rely entirely on your Ojiisan?" Tobirama said with a loud laugh.

Indeed, in Tobirama's view, if this issue could become Hibari's motivation to seek these mysteries, perhaps it should be considered a blessing in disguise? Truly, everything always has two sides.