"Tsk tsk tsk, what a tragedy. Black Zetsu, why do you think Sunagakure decided to launch an attack?"
"Who knows? Maybe it was out of overconfidence."
Black Zetsu watched the battle unfold in Sunagakure, where the fighting was heavily one-sided. Konoha had deployed fewer than two thousand shinobi, and combined with the thousand or so Sunagakure shinobi, there were less than three thousand participants in total.
"It seems like Hashirama's strength has almost fully returned. I wonder if he can still use Sage Mode. Madara-sama would be thrilled to know this."
"This is becoming a problem. How exactly did Hashirama revive? Aside from the Rinne Tensei, there shouldn't be any other resurrection techniques in the shinobi world."
This question troubled Black Zetsu, especially since the revival of the Four-Tails and Five-Tails had been delayed for too long. If they could be revived sooner, there might still be a chance for Madara to gather the Ten-Tails.
The longer it dragged on, the stronger Konoha would become. Black Zetsu no longer dared to send White Zetsu clones into Konoha to gather information, especially after learning that the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki had gained control over the tailed beast's power. The golden chakra mode now allowed him to sense malice, much like Uzumaki Mito had in the past.
There was one instance where Black Zetsu thought it would be captured while outside Konoha, but fortunately, Fugaku and Tobi created enough of a distraction for it to escape.
"It looks like the war is about to end. Hashirama is too strong. Pakura's Scorch Release alone has left the Fourth Kazekage struggling. Look, Rasa is about to die!"
"There's nothing more to see. Let's report back to Madara-sama. We've learned enough about Hashirama's situation."
After saying this, Black Zetsu urged White Zetsu to leave immediately.
Though they hadn't witnessed Hashirama using Sage Mode, the fact that he had created several wood clones during the battle and set up two barriers to protect Sunagakure's civilians suggested that he was still the same Hashirama in both strength and character.
Konoha's power was not to be underestimated.
After Black Zetsu left, the war in Sunagakure reached its conclusion.
In this small village, with four to five thousand shinobi fighting, the battle was fierce, but Konoha, having anticipated the attack, ultimately claimed victory.
When it came to reconnaissance, Konoha had the upper hand due to its many clans specializing in secret techniques and Kekkei Genkai. The Hyūga, Inuzuka, Aburame, and Yamanaka clans were all skilled in reconnaissance, so Tobirama had known about Sunagakure's movements well in advance.
This allowed him to set up the trap for tonight's ambush.
As dawn broke, the battle came to a close. Most of Sunagakure's leadership had been killed. Ebizō died trying to save Chiyo, cut down by Tobirama's Flying Thunder God Slash.
Though devastated by her brother's death, Chiyo managed to organize a group of Sunagakure shinobi and retreat from the village.
Rasa, meanwhile, couldn't escape Pakura's pursuit. Since their last encounter, Pakura's strength had grown thanks to the enhancements from the Sage Curse Seal, while Rasa's abilities had stagnated.
This led to Rasa's crushing defeat at Pakura's hands.
However, Pakura wasn't in great shape either. She had exhausted nearly all her chakra and could no longer maintain her Sage Curse Seal after defeating Rasa.
Approaching the immobilized Rasa, Pakura formed a Scorch Release fireball in her hand and asked, "Rasa, any last words?"
"It... has nothing to do with Temari and the others..."
"Do you think I'm like you?!"
Boom!
The fireball fell, and Rasa was instantly reduced to a dried corpse. From a distance, Hashirama, who had been managing the barrier, remembered Tobirama's warning but realized he had forgotten in the heat of the moment.
With Rasa dead and Chiyo fleeing with a handful of loyalists, the other high-ranking Sunagakure shinobi were either dead or had surrendered. Without a leader, and with Pakura's forces loudly calling for them to surrender during the attack, the battle finally ended just before dawn.
Thanks to Hashirama's barrier, nearly all of the civilians were protected.
The barrier also played a role in the surrender of Sunagakure. If they wanted to retreat, they had no choice but to flee sideways, as the barrier completely blocked their rear exit. Outside the village, over two thousand Konoha shinobi lay in wait.
With Sunagakure's resistance crushed, the next step was to organize and manage the surrendered shinobi, fully occupying the village.
Once Sunagakure was dealt with, it would be time to address the Land of Wind itself. According to Yoichi's plans, the Land of Wind would not be handed over to the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. Although the Land of Wind was largely desert, its underground resources were abundant.
The Land of Wind, the Land of Rivers, and the Land of Rain were the first steps in Konoha's integration of military and government.
...
Kumogakure, Hero Memorial Garden.
This was the place where Kumogakure honored their fallen shinobi—the village's cemetery.
Suddenly, the space distorted, and a figure appeared in the Hero Memorial Garden of Kumogakure.
It was Yoichi's Kamui clone, who had infiltrated Kumogakure to gather information about the previous Two-Tails Jinchūriki, and now stood in the cemetery.
"Aside from the Two-Tails Jinchūriki, I should be able to revive the Second and First Raikage as well, assuming their bodies are well-preserved."
If the bodies had completely decomposed, it would be impossible to use them for the Edo Tensei. The reason Tobirama and Hashirama could be revived was due to the excellent preservation of their bodies.
After returning to Konoha, Tobirama had even ensured that his own body was preserved in a special way.
"Found it—Timuyi, the previous Two-Tails Jinchūriki. This is the one."
The Kamui clone found the grave marker for Timuyi, the former Two-Tails Jinchūriki, and used Inorganic Reincarnation to lift the coffin from the ground. Upon opening it, the stench of decay filled the air, revealing the rotten corpse inside.
"Tch, this is a nasty job... but at least the body is still usable."
Shaking his head, the clone cut off a small piece of flesh and prepared to leave.
However, before leaving, the clone noticed two nameless gravestones behind Timuyi's. After looking around the other grave markers, he found one for Blue B, the previous Eight-Tails Jinchūriki.
"Could those be the graves of Kinkaku and Ginkaku? Since they used the Nine-Tails' chakra, maybe they were buried here as Jinchūriki as well?"
Rather than speculate, the Kamui clone decided to check for himself. Using Inorganic Reincarnation once more, he lifted three coffins from the ground, including Blue B's.
When he opened the coffins, the sight of two horned figures confirmed his guess. Their appearance was clearly not human.
"Not bad, even got my hands on some Nine-Tails Jinchūriki for the Edo Tensei."
After taking samples of flesh from each, the clone carefully returned the coffins and graves to their original state. He planned to gather more strong candidates for Edo Tensei and use them to build infrastructure for the Land of Fire.
However, just as the clone was selecting more materials, several shuriken flew toward him, accompanied by a shout: "Who goes there!?"
The shuriken passed through the clone as though they had struck air, embedding themselves in the gravestones behind him.
Several Kumogakure shinobi appeared and surrounded the clone. One of them fired a signal flare into the sky.
The clone, slightly annoyed, muttered, "You noticed me this quickly? I didn't even make much noise."
One of the shinobi, recognizing the clone's appearance, pointed in fear, stammering, "It's... it's Konoha's Thunder Fang!"
Though the clone's appearance wasn't an exact match for Yoichi's, it was close enough that only small differences in height and facial features would distinguish them.
"No, no, that can't be right. This is a kid, way too young!"
Another shinobi, a jōnin, noticed the clone's age and breathed a sigh of relief, though he remained wary. "Even if he's not Thunder Fang, he's got the Mangekyō Sharingan! Stay alert and wait for reinforcements!"
"You can wait for your reinforcements all you like."
The clone spoke calmly before vanishing into the Kamui dimension. His mission was complete, and there was no need to waste time with the Kumogakure shinobi.
After all, the clone only had the chakra reserves of a Kage-level shinobi and wasn't as invincible as the original.
Upon returning, Yoichi planned to use Edo Tensei to revive the previous Two-Tails Jinchūriki, as well as Kinkaku and Ginkaku. With their Nine-Tails and Two-Tails chakra in the Edo Tensei bodies, Yoichi could simply flaunt them in front of Uchiha Madara.
Madara would likely rush to complete the Ten-Tails' revival and become its Jinchūriki, before attempting to reclaim the Nine-Tails and Two-Tails from Konoha. But by then, it might no longer be Madara he was dealing with.
Before, Yoichi had taken Uchiha Madara's Ten-Tails Jinchūriki form seriously, but with the Potara earrings, even the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki couldn't intimidate him anymore.
The Potara earrings had given Yoichi a power boost equivalent to consuming the entire Nine-Tails.
What's more, Yoichi had noticed that his body was undergoing changes, seemingly related to his genetic energy and the Godzilla power within him.
Godzilla would be key to breaking through to the planetary level in his genetic energy.
...
Konoha Village.
The space distorted as Yoichi arrived in Konoha, using his Kamui clone to transport him. This time, he was here to borrow some Nine-Tails chakra from Kushina, as well as check in on the village's stunning widow.
As Hokage, Yoichi made it a point to stay connected with the people, even making time for more "personal" matters amidst his busy schedule.
However, Kushina wasn't home at the moment, though Yoichi could sense that she would be back soon.
"She should've finished the vitamins I gave her last time... Wait, why is there an extra bottle?"
Opening the bedside drawer, Yoichi noticed two bottles of pills. Had Kushina noticed?
"That doesn't seem right... This looks like... Oh, taking too much of this isn't good for the body. Better replace it with vitamins."
After swapping out the bottles, Yoichi heard the sound of the door opening downstairs.
It seemed the Uzumaki mother and son had been frequenting his house lately. They had probably just returned from lunch, ready to rest for a while.
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My Patreon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!! For Only $5!!][www.p@treon.com/zaelum]
[+500 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]
[Thank You For Your Support!]
Kushina opened the door and was immediately taken aback by the scene in the bedroom.
She stomped over angrily, snatching the videotape from Yoichi's hand, and with a restrained voice, she said, "If you're going to visit, don't go snooping through other people's things. It's common courtesy."
"Sorry, Kushina. It just looked familiar. I thought you would've destroyed it by now. Why keep it?" Yoichi replied, unable to suppress the grin creeping up on his face as he looked at Kushina.
The tape she had grabbed was the one Yoichi always gave her.
"I just forgot to destroy it. What are you smiling at? Do you really think I'd watch something so filthy?!"
In her moment of flustered anger, Kushina grabbed Yoichi by the collar, her fiery temperament showing as she intended to warn him. However, before she could finish her warning, Yoichi silenced her with a kiss.
"Mmph... Don't... Naruto is still in the house… Mmph..."
"Naruto is taking a nap right now. I can sense him."
With Yoichi's strength, Kushina had no hope of breaking free unless she activated her Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, but doing so would make too much noise. Reluctantly, her resistance turned into a reluctant embrace as she wrapped her arms around his waist.
Before long, Yoichi skillfully undid her green dress, followed by her white shirt and undergarments.
With Kushina now fully exposed, Yoichi used chakra to bind her wrists and ankles before getting off the bed and moving toward the TV and VCR in the room.
These were items he had left at Kushina's place, and though she hadn't dared to throw them away at first, she now seemed reluctant to part with them entirely.
"You... what are you doing... you jerk!"
Seeing Yoichi insert the tape into the VCR, Kushina struggled in a panic, rolling around on the bed, but the chakra restraints on her wrists and ankles were far too strong for her to break.
Embarrassment and anger filled her heart. This jerk only ever found new ways to humiliate her.
"Naruto is still asleep. Let me release the barrier!"
"Don't... don't do this... release the barrier... please, Anata... Anata, please!"
Kushina suddenly gasped as Yoichi made a sudden move, nearly making her cry out. At the same time, the TV lit up with the video, increasing her fear that Naruto might overhear what was happening in the room. In desperation, she softened her tone.
The term she once reserved only for Minato now escaped her lips, directed at someone she detested.
"Put up the barrier, quick!"
"Don't worry, Kushina. But I want to hear you call me that again later. Otherwise, the barrier might not hold..."
With that, Yoichi activated a soundproof barrier, and Kushina sighed in relief.
She wanted to scold him again, but the words turned into something more like a playful complaint.
More than two hours later, Yoichi relaxed a bit and shifted the conversation to something more serious.
"Kushina, give me some of the Nine-Tails' chakra."
The exhausted Kushina couldn't help but lash out, "You jerk! So all of this was just to get some chakra? What a bastard! This village never should have made you Hokage!"
"But you can't deny that ever since I became Hokage, the village has improved. Think back to when you were a kid, and then look at Konoha now. Whose efforts do you think made that happen? Wasn't it your husband's doing?"
"What does this have to do with Minato...?! And those names I called earlier don't count! You forced me to say them!"
Kushina was furious, momentarily attempting to rise from the bed and punch Yoichi, but her legs gave out and she collapsed back down. Her body was sore from all the intense movements she had been subjected to, leaving her too weak to even move for a few minutes.
"And do you think I'm asking for the Nine-Tails' chakra for myself? You, as the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki, have been targeted. I need to create a substitute Jinchūriki to divert Uchiha Madara's attention. Otherwise, even within the village, you're at risk of being captured."
Yoichi explained, feeding her a glass of water as she lay there, and continued, "Remember what happened with Yugito? Even the Two-Tails was targeted. How could you, as the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki, possibly escape that fate?"
"Unlike Yugito, you can't reconcile with the Nine-Tails, and there's no way for you to access the higher level of Tailed Beast Sage Mode. I'm only looking out for your safety, yet all I get in return is suspicion and insults."
Kushina's thoughts drifted back to Yugito's experience, and she felt a pang of guilt. But her sympathy quickly vanished when she realized Yoichi's hands were wandering again.
"You really are a jerk! No matter how much you talk, that doesn't change anything! Take your chakra and go! Naruto will wake up soon."
"Alright, alright, I'm leaving."
Yoichi gathered a substantial amount of the Nine-Tails' chakra from Kushina's abdomen. The sealing technique on her body had changed, reinforced by the Yin-Yang Release he had applied earlier.
Now, Kushina could freely access the Nine-Tails' chakra without worrying about it breaking free. No Tailed Beast could resist a Six Paths-level Yin-Yang Release, and the Nine-Tails had essentially become a convenient power source for her.
With the chakra in hand, Yoichi used Hiraishin no Jutsu to leave Kushina's bedroom.
Once alone, Kushina sighed deeply. As she regained some strength, she couldn't help but slap her own cheeks.
Seeing the red marks on her face, Kushina muttered to herself, "I was coerced... yes, that's it. My husband is Minato, and it can only ever be Minato!"
Once her strength returned, Kushina got out of bed, tidied up the room, and replaced the bed linens. She then walked over to the VCR, her face flushing red as she removed the tape. She hesitated for a moment, thinking about smashing it to pieces.
"No, it must be destroyed... But I'll wait until I've gathered all the tapes. Then I'll destroy them all at once!"
She placed the tape in a box, stashing it in a hidden spot in the room. After finishing her task, she left the room to wake Naruto, who had been napping for over two hours.
...
"Edo Tensei!"
Four coffins appeared—those of Kinkaku, Ginkaku, the previous Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, and the previous Two-Tails Jinchūriki—all summoned by Yoichi's Kamui clone.
The clone then inserted control tags into the four Edo Tensei bodies. Once that was done, Yoichi sealed both the Nine-Tails and Two-Tails chakra into the resurrected bodies.
"That should do it. Now all I need to do is parade these Edo Tensei bodies in front of Madara or Black Zetsu."
Before that, however, Yoichi hoped that Madara would first create chaos in Kumogakure, just as he had done in Kirigakure, causing them to lose at least a thousand shinobi.
The shinobi world needed a villain to instill fear—only then could he play the role of the hero.
"It's up to you now. Find Uchiha Madara and unleash the Edo Tensei. It feels strange giving orders to myself," Yoichi mused.
Without a word, the Kamui clone stored the three Edo Tensei bodies in the Kamui dimension and departed. It intended to first hand over the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki's body to the Uchiha Corporation to increase their manpower.
As the clone disappeared into the Kamui space, Yoichi received a surge of chakra and memories, understanding what had occurred.
He used Hiraishin no Jutsu to return to the Hokage's office.
Upon his arrival, Rumi stepped forward and said, "Yoichi-sensei, the intel from Sunagakure has arrived. It's on your desk."
"I see, thank you, Rumi."
Yoichi quickly scanned the report. The war had ended earlier that morning, and by noon, Tobirama had compiled the battle results.
Konoha had suffered 135 casualties, with 24 fatalities—a result Yoichi could accept, considering the much heavier losses on Rasa's side.
Sunagakure had been pacified. Tobirama carefully screened the surrendered shinobi, identifying the hardliners and sealing their chakra, while the remaining shinobi were divided into ten teams for further management.
Sunagakure shinobi with families were allowed to return home. The family bonds would reduce the likelihood of future uprisings, as few would risk their lives and those of their loved ones.
"4,132 Sunagakure shinobi, plus Pakura's 1,080... Over 5,000 shinobi. I think we need to streamline this. Rumi, how many graduates from the special talent class, particularly in administration, do we have?"
"We currently have only one class of graduates, and in administration, there are only thirty people, Yoichi-sensei."
"That's far too few. Oh well, we'll start with Sunagakure... No, I don't like that name anymore. Let's change it to 'Sate Oasis District.'"
Yoichi finished writing his orders and handed the document to Rumi to rewrite and send to Tobirama.
The plan was to establish a new oasis town, incorporating the two existing settlements and Sunagakure. Nearly 100,000 civilians and shinobi from Sunagakure would be divided into four regions.
Yoichi also ordered the delivery of Konoha forehead protectors to the newly assimilated shinobi and civilians, and a census to be conducted. Those with clean records would be allowed to join Konoha, shedding their Sunagakure affiliations.
The Uchiha Corporation was tasked with dispatching construction teams to the Land of Wind. Once the oasis towns were built, the people of Sunagakure would become fully dependent on Konoha, as they would recognize who had truly improved their lives.
Once the civilians aligned with Konoha, the shinobi families would follow. With the right policies in place, the risk of rebellion would be greatly reduced.
Only a handful of people clung to blind faith.
Yoichi spent a great deal of time handling the affairs of Sunagakure, even summoning Sakumo and promoting him to Konoha advisor, despite his reluctance.
Though Sakumo initially wanted to refuse, Yoichi overruled him in the name of the village, and Sakumo began fulfilling his new duties.
Across the Land of Wind, every town had its own mayor or overseer, none of whom had ever been shinobi. But Yoichi intended for Konoha to take control of everything, meaning he would have to establish a new governmental department.
That would take time, even though they had already begun emergency training for some personnel. For now, the former town mayors would continue to manage affairs, while Konoha would take over security and tax collection.
Those who resisted would be considered enemies of Konoha. Many towns in the shinobi world were run by local landowning families. While these towns were technically part of the Land of Wind, the families had absolute control.
Yoichi had no intention of letting that continue. The shinobi world would have only one authority. Those who wanted power would have to be prepared to sacrifice their lives, and they could take their families to the afterlife to rebuild their little towns in the Pure Land.
As the sun set, Yoichi finished his day—not his whole day's work, just half—and prepared to head home.
He had already begun thinking about his successor. The process of annexing the Land of Wind was troublesome enough, and there was still the Land of Rain, the Land of Rivers, and the Land of Water to deal with.
He would need a few candidates to help him.
"Shisui would be one. Nawaki, maybe. And Kakashi... but I doubt Kakashi would want to be Hokage."
Yoichi considered Kakashi's personality. Although he had moved past his issues with Obito, Kakashi's laziness hadn't changed.
"Rumi, do you want to be Hokage?" Yoichi suddenly asked, considering Hyūga Rimi as a candidate.
Rumi would be a good fit, better than Kakashi. She was hardworking, knowledgeable in administration, and strong enough to be a serious candidate. She would have to compete with Shisui and Nawaki, but she had the potential.
"Hokage?" Rumi pondered for a moment before asking, "Yoichi-sensei, if I became the Sixth Hokage, could I make you my secretary?"
"???"
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My Patreon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!! For Only $5!!][www.p@treon.com/zaelum]
[+500 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]
[Thank You For Your Support!]
Paragraph comment
Paragraph comment feature is now on the Web! Move mouse over any paragraph and click the icon to add your comment.
Also, you can always turn it off/on in Settings.
GOT IT