"I didn't expect this guy's strength to reach such a level…"
After the battle, Orochimaru and Black Zetsu, who were hiding behind the scenes, were still shocked by Simu's terrifying display of power.
Compared to before, he had grown even stronger.
Even the renowned Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't last long against Simu.
"Next, Hanyu Simu will definitely begin hunting us down across the ninja world," Orochimaru muttered, already familiar with Simu's personality.
That guy never lets things slide.
"We have to relocate immediately," Black Zetsu agreed.
With just their current power, taking on Konoha head-on was a death sentence.
"Our next step should be to shift the target from Konoha to other great nations," White Zetsu added, "and use their strength to further weaken Konoha."
Suddenly, a wave of chakra fluctuation surged from deep within the base.
Black Zetsu and White Zetsu both frowned at once.
Orochimaru, however, seemed to have expected this. He licked his lips excitedly.
"You're finally awake?"
From the shadows emerged a man wearing a white haori. He had a single tuft of hair tied into a braid at the back of his head—vaguely reminiscent of Qing Dynasty hairstyles.
"It seems your recovery is going well… Cixian."
Orochimaru, currently in a female host body, looked at the man with unhidden desire.
This man—Cixian—was someone Orochimaru had met after one of his reincarnations. According to his analysis, Cixian was at least a thousand years old.
And yet he remained eternally youthful.
This fact made Orochimaru burn with hunger.
If he could obtain such a body, eternal life would no longer be a fantasy.
Unfortunately, the revived Cixian was far beyond Orochimaru's reach.
"Sorry to trouble you," Cixian said politely.
He actually respected Orochimaru to some extent.
Had Orochimaru not helped, his recovery would have taken another thirty years.
Cixian's gaze turned toward Black and White Zetsu.
Black Zetsu immediately sensed something ominous from his chakra.
"You bastard… you carry the aura of the Ōtsutsuki clan!" Black Zetsu shouted, suddenly on high alert.
He wasn't just the manifestation of Uchiha Madara's will—he was the son of Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.
And the one thing Kaguya feared the most was the return of other members of the Ōtsutsuki clan.
Cixian sneered.
"So… you're one of the remnants left behind by Ōtsutsuki Kaguya?"
There was no reverence in his tone—only disdain.
After all, his own master was a far nobler being than Kaguya.
If not for her ambush all those years ago, the ninja world would've been annihilated long ago.
Black Zetsu couldn't tolerate the insult.
As Kaguya's son, he would never let anyone slander his mother.
White Zetsu's arm turned into a massive tree and launched toward Cixian.
Anyone who posed a threat to his mother must die.
But Cixian remained calm.
A prismatic mark on his chin spread across his entire body in black lines, resembling a curse seal—though more advanced, more alien.
This was Kāma—the wedge.
In that instant, Cixian raised his hand.
A black vortex formed in his palm, absorbing White Zetsu's enormous Wood Style attack as if it were nothing.
Black Zetsu's face darkened. He tried other jutsu, but everything was consumed by the black hole in Cixian's palm.
"If that's all you've got, stop using the name Ōtsutsuki. It's embarrassing."
In a blink, Cixian disappeared—only to reappear behind them.
His speed was unimaginable.
Before Black and White Zetsu could react, two black rods pierced their bodies.
The chakra rods, similar to those Nagato used, interfered with chakra flow.
Although Black Zetsu was created with Yin–Yang Release, he still relied on chakra to act—so he was pinned down, helpless.
Cixian looked down at them like they were worthless insects.
And then he said something that caught Black Zetsu completely off guard.
"I can help you save Ōtsutsuki Kaguya."
Black Zetsu's first instinct was disbelief.
To him, every member of the Ōtsutsuki clan other than his mother was an enemy. Why would this man help save her?
Cixian noticed the doubt but didn't care.
He pulled the black rods out and said flatly, "Believe it or not, I need her help."
"On this planet, only I can unseal Ōtsutsuki Kaguya."
Back in Konoha Village...
Nara Shikahisa stood before Simu, reporting the results of the battle.
"We destroyed 23,554 White Zetsu, and neutralized 1,241 special individuals."
"In addition, 745 rogue ninjas who supported the Third Hokage's rebellion have been captured and imprisoned."
Simu leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled.
"Now that the Third Generation problem is mostly dealt with, it's time for sweeping reform."
"Reform?" Shikahisa was taken aback.
"What kind of reform?" Minato asked, his expression serious.
They had seen Simu's "creative" ideas before.
Sometimes, even brilliant minds like Minato and Shikahisa struggled to keep up with his pace.
"I'm going to abolish the current mission system."
"…What?"
Even though they were mentally prepared, both men were stunned.
After all, ever since the founding of the five great ninja villages, they had relied on a reward-based mission system.
And now, the new Hokage wanted to overhaul it entirely the moment he came into power. It was truly...
Faced with the shock on the faces of his two comrades, Rei said seriously:
"First of all, the system of 'one country, one village' cannot continue. All wars are fought by the ninja village alone, while the Daimyō's court stays comfortable and easily becomes corrupt. This imbalance has to end."
Minato and Shikahisa had already accepted this idea and found it reasonable.
With three great ninja wars having broken out over time, the casualties among shinobi had reached a peak.
In the beginning, many ninjas had questioned: why were they the ones dying, while the Daimyō and his men sat safely behind the lines enjoying luxury?
What's worse, the Daimyō of the Land of Fire had long since cut off economic support to Konoha.
Reform was no longer optional — it was essential.
Rei tapped the table.
"The first step is to support the revolutionary army in overthrowing the nobles' rule across the land, place these regions under Konoha's jurisdiction, and bring taxation under our control."
Minato and Shikahisa nodded.
This step made perfect sense. After everything they'd been through, there was no way they would entrust financial power to the Daimyō again.
"The second step: since we're collecting taxes, we must take responsibility for public security — eliminate bandits, enforce law and order. We can't let the people pay taxes and protection money to criminals."
"That's why I plan to abolish the mission system. With taxation in place, we can be fully self-sufficient."
Rei then proposed several further reforms — one of which was a ninja professionalization system.
Konoha would form an official ninja army. From then on, shinobi would no longer depend on missions for income. Instead, Konoha would pay them based on hours worked, with different roles receiving different salaries.
This way, ninjas would be able to focus more on training and improving their abilities, rather than wasting time chasing missions for pay.
Rei also intended to reform the entire ninja education system.
He proposed increasing the Ninja Academy training period to ten years.
Psychological education would be added to the curriculum to help students develop stable mental states and raise a new generation of emotionally balanced shinobi.
Ninjas would only be allowed to join the army after turning fifteen.
Of course, exceptionally talented individuals with strong psychological resilience could be allowed to graduate earlier.
Originally, Rei had intended to set the limit at eighteen.
But considering how children in this world develop physically and mentally, most reach adulthood at around fifteen.
Still, these proposals were incredibly radical in this world.
Minato said seriously:
"Rei, if you implement both these systems, the number of active ninjas in Konoha could shrink drastically."
Professionalizing ninjas would mean filtering out many existing shinobi.
And without missions, Konoha might not be able to afford so many salaries.
Even with tax control, estimates suggested they could only support about 15,000 ninjas.
Plus, if the academy graduation age was pushed back, the number of new recruits would also drop sharply.
Shikahisa nodded.
"The Fourth Ninja War isn't truly over. If we push this too quickly, Konoha's strength might decline rapidly."
That was what really worried him.
In response, the Fourth Hokage waved his hand confidently.
"No need to worry about combat strength. All kinds of ninja tools are already in mass production. Soon, every shinobi will be equipped with one. Even if the other four great nations team up against us, we'll still be fine."
Rei was very confident in his ninja tech.
"As for finances—just raise taxes."
Minato and Shikahisa exchanged looks.
Why did their Hokage sound like a classic tyrant?
Seeing this, Rei added:
"Do you think ninja tools are only for combat?"
"They can also be used for farming, irrigation, boosting agriculture, and accelerating industrialization!"
In the end, under Rei's persuasion, Minato and Shikahisa agreed to implement some of the reforms first.
Then came the move that shocked the entire world:
Konoha officially announced its severance of all ties with the Daimyō of the Land of Fire.
"The Daimyō and the nobles under him are ignorant and cruel, causing the people of the Land of Fire to suffer endlessly. Therefore, Konoha will formally sever all relations with the Daimyō's court and reestablish a new Fire Nation—united, peaceful, prosperous, and free from oppression and exploitation!"
The statement sent shockwaves through the world.
Since the founding of the ninja village system by Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, this was the first time a village had ever challenged a Daimyō.
Other nations quickly condemned Konoha and announced economic sanctions.
Konoha didn't care.
Meanwhile, revolutionary armies across the world celebrated as if they'd been injected with stimulants.
Konoha — one of the five great ninja villages — had declared war on the nobility of the Land of Fire. This morale boost was unprecedented.
Inside Konoha, the people were surprised, but…
It was an order from the Hokage, so they followed.
The entire ninja world was thrown into tension once again.
The Daimyō's court raged, but on every front, their forces were defeated by the revolutionary army.
Konoha no longer needed to pretend.
They openly began supplying the revolutionary forces with massive amounts of weapons.
[Thunder Type I], [Lightning Type I], [Armist Type I], and [Caster Type I] were all shipped out in the thousands.
The Daimyō's armies were left in disbelief.
How had Konoha developed such terrifying weapons?
Should something like this even exist in this era?
As the revolutionary army advanced, Konoha was busy too.
Under Rei's leadership, industrialization began in earnest.
With the blessing of the Nanao Fruit, one frightening design after another emerged from Konoha's research labs:
Steam engines, power plants, railways—even a sea railway!
Konoha's newly created science department analyzed the technologies and passed them on to the construction department.
With these dazzling innovations, massive buildings began rising across the Hidden Leaf.
Meanwhile, the revolutionary army delivered slaves captured from the nobility to Konoha.
These prisoners were either sent to the mines or used to build infrastructure like the railway.
In short, Rei didn't treat them as human beings at all.
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