In the mountain range along the border of the Land of Rain and the Land of Wind, countless figures were hard at work.
The sounds of ninjutsu and explosive tags detonating echoed continuously.
People moved tirelessly, transporting the shattered rocks—some were from the Land of Rain, others from the Land of Wind.
After the crisis in the ninja world was resolved, the three former members of the Akatsuki returned to Amegakure.
At the invitation of the daimyō, they became the new leaders of the Land of Rain.
Now overseeing all of Amegakure, Konan, Yahiko, and Nagato began working towards improving the country.
With Takuya's assistance, they successfully persuaded the daimyō of the Land of Wind and established a cooperation agreement.
The project was called North-to-South Water Diversion.
Both the Land of Rain and the Land of Wind contributed manpower and a significant amount of funding. They dispatched ninja to use ninjutsu and explosive tags to blast through the mountain range at their shared border.
Then, they constructed a large-scale drainage canal in the Land of Rain to direct excess water into the Land of Wind, improving its harsh environment.
The desert wasn't completely impossible to transform—it simply required an enormous amount of manpower and resources.
Most importantly, environmental improvement could only happen if there was a sufficient water source.
The Land of Wind, covered in desert, suffered from severe water shortages, whereas the Land of Rain was plagued by constant flooding. By constructing drainage canals to divert water from the Land of Rain to the Land of Wind, both nations stood to benefit.
Without the devastating floods, a large portion of the Land of Rain's land could be used to cultivate rice and other crops, transforming the nation from a poor minor country into a major agricultural producer.
Meanwhile, with a stable water supply, the Land of Wind could begin reclaiming its land from the desert.
As they looked at the drainage canals being carved into the terrain, watching the endless flow of fresh water streaming into the Land of Wind, the people of both nations wore smiles on their faces.
One side gained flood relief, while the other secured a crucial water source—this kind of collaboration was a win-win for both countries.
Previously, the balance of power had been too unequal. Even if the Land of Rain had been willing to cooperate, the Land of Wind wouldn't have bothered to engage.
But with Takuya, a powerhouse, serving as the intermediary, everything became much simpler.
All he had to do was take a short trip to the Land of Wind on behalf of the Land of Rain. After a brief and friendly discussion with Rasa, the deal was settled effortlessly.
The Land of Wind didn't even try to exploit the Land of Rain—after all, everyone in the ninja world knew that the three leaders of Amegakure were all Takuya's disciples.
Who would dare provoke them for no reason?
"Once the drainage canals are fully constructed, we can head to Konoha and ask Sensei to send some experts in rice cultivation to help us," Yahiko said.
After years of hard work, they had finally made progress. The mountain range at the border had been forcibly cleared, and now a 15-meter-wide, 10-meter-deep drainage canal carried the Land of Rain's excess water into the Land of Wind.
Covered in dirt and sweat, Yahiko beamed with satisfaction.
Without the burden of the Rinnegan, Nagato was finally able to return to being himself. He no longer needed to keep his hair long to hide his eyes, and he could now hold his head high with confidence, smiling freely.
Nagato nodded and sighed in relief.
"If Konan hadn't asked Sensei for help, it would have been nearly impossible to carve out such a wide drainage canal through the mountains."
"Speaking of Konan, she's gone to Konoha again."
At the mention of this, Yahiko sighed helplessly.
It was obvious that Konan had feelings for their teacher, but he could only suppress his emotions and silently wish her happiness.
Hearing this, Nagato just smiled and said nothing.
As long as his companions were happy and as long as he could help the Land of Rain emerge from its hardships, that was enough for him. Personal emotions weren't something he worried about.
With the mountains cleared, the remaining task was simply to continue constructing the drainage canals to transport water into the Land of Wind.
Yahiko wiped the sweat off his forehead with his dirt-stained hands.
"Sensei was right—if you want to stand firm in the ninja world, you must have enough power. If we had gone to negotiate with the Land of Wind ourselves, they never would have agreed."
The Land of Rain had too much rainfall, while the Land of Wind suffered from extreme drought—both were extreme conditions, and cooperation would benefit both sides.
But under normal circumstances, the Land of Wind wouldn't have cared.
The Land of Earth was in a similar position.
Yet, what the Land of Rain couldn't achieve, Takuya handled effortlessly.
It took him only a few minutes to settle the matter with the Land of Wind—including the time spent on pleasantries. The actual negotiation took even less.
Yahiko was eager to grow stronger, but Nagato had no such ambitions.
With Takuya as their backing, as long as the Land of Rain didn't do anything to provoke the entire world, they had a powerful protector. Not even the Great Shinobi Villages would dare to mess with them.
At the Border
The Land of Wind was just as busy as the Land of Rain.
Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage, personally led the efforts. Now that the drainage canals were functional, fresh water was flowing into the Land of Wind.
However, desert conditions meant that no matter how much water flowed in, it would evaporate quickly. If they wanted to retain the water, they needed to construct an artificial lake.
Only by storing the incoming water could the Land of Wind begin transforming its barren landscape.
Despite having lost one hand, Rasa wasn't significantly affected.
As a bloodline-limit ninja, he didn't need hand seals to fight.
His Magnet Release abilities were invaluable in constructing the artificial lake. Additionally, he had borrowed a large number of Earth Release users from Iwagakure and Konoha to help fortify the lakebed against desert erosion.
With Takuya leading the efforts, the newly appointed Fourth Tsuchikage, Kurotsuchi, had no reason to refuse.
If it weren't for the immense cost and the fact that the Land of Rain couldn't support further diversions, Kurotsuchi would have wanted to redirect some of the Land of Rain's water to the Land of Earth as well.
The Land of Wind's environment was harsh, but the Land of Earth wasn't much better.
Both nations suffered from severe geographic disadvantages—it was just a matter of who had it worse.
The Ninja World's New Era
With the major crisis in the ninja world resolved, the Five Great Nations had significantly strengthened their diplomatic and economic exchanges.
Even the usually proud Kumogakure had set aside its arrogance and engaged in a series of commercial agreements with the other villages.
Among them, the biggest economic winner was Konoha.
The Land of Earth and the Land of Wind, lacking in unique resources and having less hospitable environments, didn't benefit as much.
Meanwhile, smaller nations and minor villages found it increasingly difficult to survive.
The best example was the ever-annoying Land of Grass.
If not for the political consequences, Takuya would have long suggested erasing Kusagakure from existence to rid himself of their endless nuisances.
And he wasn't the only one with this thought.
Even the new Fourth Raikage, A, was considering it.
Kusagakure had always been an opportunistic, parasitic nation—useful when needed, but a nuisance otherwise.
Although the proposal to dissolve Kusagakure never officially came up, their situation worsened by the day.
Between the Five Great Nations' political maneuvering, Amegakure's growing strength, and the scorn of nearby small countries, Kusagakure had become nothing more than a rat scurrying in the shadows.
But that was their own fault.
The Peaceful Era
With the ninja world entering an era of peace, Takuya enjoyed a blissful life alongside his wives.
Snowy had grown even stronger, and even the Sage of Six Paths could no longer invade his dreams.
Takuya was more at ease than ever.
With Yagami Takuya standing as an immovable mountain, the ninja world entered an unprecedented golden age of peace, free from war.
And after Takuya and his wives' wedding, the Yagami Clan flourished.
Within five years, they had three sons and two daughters—and then, Kushina gave birth to twins.
The Yagami Clan had officially risen again, becoming a great shinobi clan.
[The End.]