The History of the Shinobi

Minato Meijin and his two companions discovered that the jade talismans were endless; they could not possibly carry them all away by themselves. Trapped within the great hall with no way to leave, they had no means of discerning which talismans held any value. Their only option was to continuously channel their chakra into the talismans, hoping to extract useful information from the endless garbled data.

"This is a job for scholars, not us!" Haruzakura sighed in defeat, plopping down onto the floor.

Misuke said nothing, mechanically repeating the process of injecting chakra like a mindless robot. Haruzakura shot him a resentful glare, finding the monotony unbearable, and threw the jade talisman in her hand at his head. Misuke didn't even look up; he simply reached out, caught the talisman, and reflexively injected his chakra.

This time, the visions in his mind were not just gibberish—there was a familiar symbol.

"Meijin, look at this."

After Meijin injected his chakra, he too saw the familiar mark. "This symbol represents a ninja. Why would there be something related to us in the books of a Huaguo immortal? Look for more like this!"

The three of them searched again, and their efforts were rewarded; they eventually found two other jade talismans bearing symbols they recognized. "This one represents an Onmyoji, and that one represents a samurai."

Ninjas, Onmyoji, and samurai were the most prominent professions on the island of Fusang. Becoming one of them was the dream of every person in Fusang.

"Could it be that we need to channel the powers of an Onmyoji and a samurai?" Misuke blurted out.

Haruzakura retorted with disdain, "Samurai are just brawny pigs, and Onmyoji are all twisted, eunuch freaks. My own family was slaughtered by samurai, and I myself was cursed by an Onmyoji!"

As she spoke, her agitation grew. She gripped the three talismans so hard that she shattered them! Before Minato Meijin and Misuke could complain, a vision flooded their minds. As the symbols for ninja, samurai, and Onmyoji fused together, a slow, ancient voice echoed—a language they had never heard before, yet they understood it perfectly.

"How many years has it been? Who has discovered me? Hehehe..."

"It is a familiar power; it must be one of the three lineages I left behind. What era is this?"

The owner of the voice did not wait for their reply; he seemed to scan their memories directly.

After a long while, the ancient voice sighed with deep emotion. "To think that in my time, the cultivation of immortality was so prosperous, with countless beings ascending to divinity. Yet now, the spiritual essence is severed, and the path to immortality is nearly extinct. Is this the will of heaven?"

"Interesting. The three branches I left behind call themselves ninjas, samurai, and Onmyoji. The paths I pioneered outside of traditional immortality cultivation have actually thrived in this age. This cycle of cause and effect is truly the will of heaven!"

Minato Meijin was the first to recover from the shock. "Who are you?"

"Little one, you ask who I am? I shall let you know: I am your ancestor—the Fusang Daoist, Xu Fu!"

This short sentence carried a massive amount of information, enough to leave anyone reeling.

"You are a Huaguo immortal?" Haruzakura asked, incredulous.

"Little girl, you are correct. You possess quite a bit of resentment for one so young. If you do not resolve it, you will suffer greatly in the future."

Haruzakura ignored this, asking instead, "You say you are the ancestor of ninjas, samurai, and Onmyoji? Doesn't that make the Huaguo people our ancestors?"

"Hehehe, you are not wrong to say so," Xu Fu replied merrily.

"Why are you here, and what do you want?" Minato Meijin asked the critical question.

Xu Fu pondered for a moment. "Why am I here? Victors are kings, and the defeated are bandits; I am merely a failure. As for what I want, if you offer me the Ninja Heart, the Samurai Body, and the Onmyoji Soul, I will grant you benefits beyond your imagination."

Ninja Heart, Samurai Body, Onmyoji Soul. The three ninjas were struck with horror. The leader of the ninjas was the Ninja Overlord, and his essence was the Ninja Heart. The leader of the samurai was the Shogun, and his essence was the Samurai Body. The leader of the Onmyoji was the Grand Onmyoji, and his essence was the Onmyoji Soul. Whenever a new leader emerged, heaven would bestow these divine gifts upon them, making them as strong as gods, impossible for mortals to defy. To offer these items meant killing the three strongest individuals in Fusang. They were no match for even a B-rank elite ninja like Zan-Ichito, let alone the "heavens" of Fusang.

"You... you are delusional!" Misuke shouted. "Never mind the lives of the Ninja Overlord, the Shogun, and the Grand Onmyoji; any one of them could crush you like an insect!"

Xu Fu laughed heartily, not the least bit offended. "Summer insects cannot speak of ice. You have never seen a true master; I do not blame you."

"What do you want to do?" Minato Meijin asked again.

Xu Fu smiled. "To be resurrected, of course. The ninjas, samurai, and Onmyoji were merely the tools I prepared for my own revival."

The three felt a loud buzzing in their ears; the information exploded like a bomb. The faith they held as divine was collapsing. Minato Meijin was a descendant of a prestigious Fusang family; he had studied the classics since childhood and knew every piece of Fusang's history and mythology by heart. He took pride in his family and even more in Fusang. To be an excellent ninja was his goal, and he carried the hopes of his clan. In his eyes, everyone outside of Fusang was a lowly barbarian. But now, he was being told he was merely a pig or dog kept in a pen, and his pride was born of ignorance. He collapsed to the ground, clutching his head in despair.

"Ninjas, samurai, and Onmyoji do not exist! Fusang does not exist!"

Misuke and Haruzakura were shocked by his reaction. "He might be lying to you, Meijin! Why would you believe him so easily?"

Fusang's history had no clear origin, and its myths were riddled with implications—these were the inescapable doubts in any study of Fusang. Minato Meijin knew this, but he had always deceived himself into believing that Fusang's history simply hadn't been discovered yet. Xu Fu's words confirmed the truth, and Meijin's faith shattered.

"My time here is nearly up. This brat looks like he's lost his parents, which I find somewhat pleasing. I shall possess your body."

Xu Fu's voice vanished, and it felt as if nothing had happened, as if it were all a dream. Moments later, "Minato Meijin" stood up and stretched. "It has been so long since I've moved my bones; I must have a good stretch."

His voice and aura were completely different.

"Who are you!" Haruzakura shouted sharply.

Misuke, ignoring everything, struck first. Three large snakes shot from his sleeves, lunging at "Minato Meijin."

"Minato Meijin" chuckled, letting the snakes bite him without consequence. Instead, the snakes seemed to have their strength drained away and fell to the ground.

"What did you do!" Misuke was shocked.

"Minato Meijin" licked his lips. "I am your ancestor. In your terms, whether it is the system of ninjas, samurai, or Onmyoji, I am the only super administrator. I am your source. With a single thought, I can turn any of your attacks into nothingness."