"So this is... the Soul Society that Lord Kenma spoke of!"
Shisui stepped out of the Senkaimon, his feet landing on solid ground.
It was also nighttime in the Soul Society. The sky was cloudless, and the bright moonlight made the surroundings reasonably well-lit.
His crimson Sharingan activated, eventually shifting to his Mangekyo Sharingan. Shisui scanned the area, his expression cautious as he surveyed the new and unfamiliar world.
As far as he could see, it was a very typical courtyard with rows of wooden houses. The courtyard itself was empty and spacious, at least large enough to accommodate the entire Uchiha clan.
'Is the architecture in the afterlife like this too...'
Shisui looked at the courtyard and found it incredibly familiar, a style he recognized.
The courtyard was quiet in the night, empty of people. For now, there was no visible danger.
The moment he landed, Shisui felt a wave of relief wash over his entire being, as if the air was filled with energy. Every breath seemed to draw in that energy, replenishing his body's fatigue.
Although this feeling was very faint, with his keen senses, he knew he wasn't mistaken.
Compared to the ninja world, it felt like suddenly moving from a high-altitude, oxygen-deprived plateau to a low-altitude environment. It was a similar sensation.
"The air is full of this energy. This must be what Lord Kenma called Reishi... No wonder he said before that most souls in the Soul Society can survive just by breathing."
Shisui had died some time before the rest of the Uchiha, but his heart had been worried about Konoha Village and his clansmen. He had therefore begged Kenma to let his soul remain in Konoha, to quietly watch over the village and the clan.
Now, this was his first time coming to the Soul Society.
After confirming it was safe, Shisui returned to the Senkaimon and signaled to his clansmen.
One by one, the Uchiha clan members followed, passing through the Senkaimon and arriving in the courtyard.
Under Shisui's direction, a simple order was maintained among the clansmen.
"Tekka, Inabi, the clansmen are all through."
"Yashiro, let's go over too."
"Captain, all of us from the Military Police Force are heading out."
All the Uchiha clan members had entered the Senkaimon, followed by the Military Police Force members who had been maintaining order.
Finally, only Fugaku, his wife, and Shihoin Kenma, who was maintaining the spatial rift and the Senkaimon, were left.
Before entering the spatial rift, Fugaku and his wife turned to look back one last time at the clan grounds where they had lived for so many years, and at Konoha Village, which they had protected for generations.
A boundless melancholy rose in their hearts.
Itachi's actions must have been sanctioned by the village; otherwise, he would never have done such a thing.
They had never imagined that the most famous clan in the ninja world wouldn't fall on the battlefield, but would instead die at the hands of the comrades they had shed countless blood to protect. What an irony.
"The only one to pity is Sasuke, who will have to live alone in this cruel world from now on..."
"With Itachi around, Sasuke will be fine. Besides, it's not like we can't ever go back to see our child... Let's go."
Fugaku sighed, took his wife's hand, and stepped into the Senkaimon.
They were already dead. Thinking too much was useless; it was better not to interfere in the world of the living.
After everyone had entered, Kenma sheathed his Zanpakuto and pointed a finger at the kido in the sky.
"Disperse."
The barrier surrounding the Uchiha compound shattered like a bubble. He took the opportunity to step into the spatial rift, pass through the Senkaimon, and walk into the white light.
Without his power supporting it, the space instantly repaired itself, good as new, and the Senkaimon dissipated along with it.
Of course, this Senkaimon was not Kenma's ability, but rather a technology of the Soul Society.
He had just taken it and combined it with his Zanpakuto's ability, turning it into a direct passage to the Soul Society.
The Senkaimon used by ordinary Shinigami was located in a tall, gate-like building in the Seireitei. There were two towering square wooden pillars in front of it, and one had to submit an application to a superior to use it.
What Kenma used was not this, but a private Senkaimon that only noble families possessed.
As the son-in-law of the great noble Shihoin family, he could get his hands on such a thing with no effort at all.
As his figure emerged from the Senkaimon, the wooden door immediately closed, reverting to two square wooden pillars, each over three meters tall, that looked completely ordinary.
His eyes met with rows upon rows of Uchiha figures. Shisui and the members of the Military Police Force, who had arrived earlier, were maintaining order.
Uchiha Fugaku could also feel the wondrous power contained in the air. They had truly come to another world.
The Uchiha clansmen were all apprehensive, yet they also held a sense of longing for their future lives.
This was the world after death. There was no atmosphere full of hostility like in Konoha Village, and no persecution from the higher-ups. They would start a new life here.
This clan, which had been deliberately erased in the ninja world, had now completed a peculiar resurrection in the Soul Society, a gathering place for souls.
Seeing Shihoin Kenma emerge last, Fugaku reacted immediately. Without the slightest hesitation, he fell to his knees, his forehead striking the ground heavily, showing his heartfelt respect and gratitude to the Lord Shinigami who had given them this new life.
The Uchiha behind him followed suit, kneeling in unison like a wave of falling dominoes. Regardless of strength or size, man or woman, old or young, they all did the same.
Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud!
The dull sounds of foreheads hitting the ground rang out. As Kenma looked out, all he could see was a sea of backs and bowed heads.
"The Uchiha clan expresses its deepest gratitude for your grace of rebirth! From this day forward, we will follow you for all eternity, our loyalty unwavering. If we ever harbor betrayal, may we be cast into the eternal, unceasing hell, never to find release!"
Fugaku's voice was solemn, filled with a complex and resolute will that was hard to define, ringing with perfect clarity in the silent courtyard.
"The Uchiha clan greets you, my lord!"
The voices of over a thousand people—some strong, some old, some childish, some delicate—merged into one, erupting in a surging wave of sound like a tsunami, every word completely sincere.
They had already died once. Swearing by death again would seem casual and would be a slight to their lord's status as a Shinigami, so they used the name of the most painful and severe hell in Buddhism: Avici.
A thousand people swearing an oath of fealty to him—it was enough to make anyone's blood boil.
It was no exaggeration to say that these people were now his private soldiers.
An unprecedented sense of fulfillment welled up in his heart. Kenma quickly suppressed his turbulent emotions, extended a hand in a virtual "rise" gesture, and spoke in a steady, powerful voice that exuded the air of a great leader.
"Rise."
"As you command!"
The roar of the crowd rang out again as a thousand people rustled to their feet. They gazed at Kenma, their new master, with a complex mix of awe, gratitude, curiosity, and bewilderment.
Fortunately, the several courtyards in this vicinity were Kenma's private property, so the sound of the crowd was barely audible by the time it traveled outside.
"Shisui, Fugaku, and the management members of your clan, follow me."
With that, Kenma walked towards the outside.
Fugaku nodded to a few people in the crowd. Shisui and two white-haired old men stepped out and followed.
Leaving the courtyard, Kenma led the four of them and pointed out a large cluster of nearby courtyards.
"These places were all given to me by a friend. The Uchiha clan can live here for now. There are plenty of rooms, so it should be more than enough."
"This area isn't close to the central Seireitei, but it is on the outer edge of the prosperous districts. However, security can be guaranteed, and there is ample food and water, which will ensure your basic survival."
"This is the local money. It's enough for you to live on for a while. You should also use this time to get used to the environment here. The general customs are similar to your original world, so you should be able to accept it quickly."
Kenma brought out a small wooden box from one of the rooms and handed it to Shisui.
This money was also a gift from that friend.
"Besides needing you to become self-sufficient, I have one more matter."
The four of them immediately focused, listening intently for their master's next command.
"You must find out as quickly as possible which people in the clan can feel hunger. I will focus on training them."
"It's not impossible... for them to become Shinigami."