The establishment of a new order inevitably leads to a certain degree of chaos—this is unavoidable.
As waves of elections sweep across the Ninja World, accompanied by profound adjustments in administrative boundaries, the existing ruling structure of the ninja realm undergoes unprecedented challenges and reshaping.
This series of changes not only disrupts regional balances of power but also forces many responsible ninja to divide their attention between heavy operational tasks and political strategizing.
Consequently, for a period of time, management at all levels throughout the Ninja World inevitably experiences some laxity, with daily operations losing a degree of tight coordination.
However, viewed from a broader perspective, this temporary slackening does not pose any real threat to overall stability.
The core reason lies in the unwavering loyalty of elite ninja groups who hold overwhelming military strength—they all stand firmly under the banner of Hyūga Sōshu. Their loyalty and might serve as the backbone maintaining order in the Ninja World. The current slight looseness mainly stems from eager anticipation toward the upcoming redistribution of power and resources, along with inevitable temporary psychological fluctuations and strategic readjustments during this process.
With one official proclamation after another being issued, the previously restless atmosphere across the Ninja World gradually calms down.
According to instructions from Hyūga Sōshu, the old designations of the Five Great Countries and various smaller nations are permanently abolished, and a new administrative district plan is established:
Hakone Prefecture city will remain as the central government hub—the former seat of the Shogunate. Plans propose merging the central and southern regions of the Land of Lightning along with numerous original buffer states into a centrally administered metropolitan zone.
The former Lands of Fire, Water, and Wind, along with a number of buffer states, are reorganized into eight administrative zones; the former controlled areas of the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth are reclassified into five Control Zones.
In this way, a governance framework emerges consisting of nine administrative zones and five Control Zones directly under the Ninja World government.
However, because the Ninja World Parliament has yet to elect Jonin representatives, each region remains at most a rough structural outline. In essence, local administration continues to be dominated by previous clan leaders, though many officials now merely occupy positions without true capability.
Precisely due to this situation, Asura's journey goes off without a hitch—he simply joins a merchant caravan and crosses through Uchiha territory straight into Konoha Village—officially known as the Hidden Leaf Village.
Nowadays, Konoha has turned into a huge construction zone. The original defensive walls are completely torn down, with bustling development scenes stretching from the village's old districts all the way to the banks of the Naha River, where high-rise buildings unlike anything previously seen in the Ninja World are rising rapidly.
So, Asura—who had died pretty young—comes to a stop in front of a skeletal framework of a building over sixty meters tall and gasps in amazement.
"Unexpected, right? You won't see anything like this anywhere else!"
Perhaps due to Asura's approachable appearance, a nearby Konoha construction worker immediately strikes up a conversation: "Let me test you—can you guess what these buildings are called?"
"I don't know."
Asura shakes his head immediately.
It had just become a habit ever since he entered Uchiha territory.
As long as he wore that wide-eyed, astonished expression of a country bumpkin, some nosy local would immediately come over and start showing off with elaborate explanations—no need for him to go through the trouble of prying information himself.
Therefore, Asura hadn't raised any suspicion at all during his entire journey here. After all, people like him—rustic types—were simply too common, and the local busybodies were even more plentiful.
"This is a symbol of the Ninja World entering a new era," said one such chatterbox. "Twenty floors stacked together, with four living units on each floor!"
"Know how many people this building alone can hold?" the talkative fellow continued proudly.
"No idea."
Asura shook his head again.
"If you count four people per unit, that's sixteen people per floor! And for the whole building... uh..." The bragging man suddenly got stuck—probably due to calculation issues.
A moment later, he loudly declared, "Anyway, it can house a huge number of people! Why are you asking so many questions anyway?"
"I didn't ask anything," muttered Asura dryly.
Still, he made no move to argue further because there were quite a few ninjas around on guard duty. Although they glanced over when hearing the commotion, they soon returned to their naps.
These days, loud arguments were endless. Even more common were cases where locals boasted endlessly in front of outsiders, only to be exposed and publicly humiliated. If the guards tried to intervene every time something like this happened, they'd be working nonstop—no time left for napping or goofing off.
"You must be a spy—an agent of hostile forces!" the same chatty fellow began throwing wild accusations.
"And who exactly are these hostile forces in the Ninja World? Are you suggesting you're unsatisfied with Honorable Lady Soushu's governance?" countered Asura smoothly, turning the accusation right back. "Or perhaps you believe there are problems in the borderlands? Such malicious intent—you clearly have ulterior motives, don't you?"
"Don't make wild accusations!" the poor guy panicked immediately and turned tail, fleeing on the spot for fear that if he stayed even a second longer, the nearby patrol ninja might take him away under false pretenses.
After all, although Konoha's Security Force wasn't particularly interested in ideological differences and disputes, if they could find solid excuses to use against someone, they wouldn't hesitate to throw them into prison—for some extra income generation.
"You've still got a lot to learn before taking me on!"
Victorious and smug, Asura wore a smug look of triumph and strutted forward with arms akimbo, heading toward the old district of Konoha.
His smug expression caught the eye of a few hidden Security Force ninjas for a moment, but after giving him a few extra glances, they just went back to dozing off again.
Entering the inner part of Konoha with an air of petty triumph, Asura felt rather pleased with himself.
Although large-scale development across the Ninja World had diverted much traffic, and mass departures of ninja personnel had somewhat weakened village consumption, overall, Konoha remained among the most prosperous and culturally rich towns in the entire Ninja World.
Asura couldn't help but admit—even though the former Hakone Castle had been renamed Heiankyo and served as the seat of the Ninja World Coalition Government, its only advantages were a slightly fresher cityscape, relatively more active commerce, and denser foot traffic. Compared to Konoha, it lacked that deep sense of history built over time. Of course, this so-called "rich historical depth" was really just the villagers' own flattery; put less kindly, it meant they carried too much historical baggage to tear things down, forcing new construction into separate districts.
After wandering around Konoha all day, Asura had to admit—he couldn't find a single opening, not even in the heart of the village itself. So he stayed the night and then caught a ride with a merchant caravan heading east—to what used to be the Land of Fire's eastern provinces.
As one of the Hyuga Clan's traditional strongholds, the eastern region naturally adopted a construction style favored by the Hyuga—large mansions and deep courtyards. Not until he reached the coastal garrison town did Asura finally see signs of change; until then, everything was big estates and deep courtyards, nothing like the newly constructed high-rises back in Konoha. The proportion of standalone houses also seemed significantly higher here.
But naturally, the Hyuga-controlled areas received more trust. Along the way, Asura noticed many heavily guarded clusters of buildings. Judging from the strength of their sealing barriers, these were clearly military-secured zones—possibly arms production workshops operated by the Ninja World Coalition Government.
Without drawing attention, Asura memorized each location before continuing his casual strolls within the city, subtly gauging the general sentiment of the Ninja World through local experiences.
Yet in the end, he still chose to leave.
Because just like Konoha's core district, the eastern region remained firmly under the Coalition Government's control—offering him no suitable entry point whatsoever.
This rock-solid unity left Asura feeling a bit deflated.
However, just as he returned to his inn room's door, he suddenly sensed something unusual.
Still composed, he unlocked the door and quickly locked it behind him.
Inside the corner of the room coiled a white snake roughly two fingers thick.
Asura and the serpent locked eyes in silence.
After a while, Asura finally spoke: "Did the White Snake Sage send you?"
Although the small white snake was doing its best to suppress the spread of its aura due to being deep within enemy territory, it unmistakably carried the wild, restless Sage Chakra energy characteristic of Ryuchi Cave—the kind that constantly seemed on the verge of devouring anything nearby.
"That's right."
Though this little white snake emitted a strange and unpredictable presence, its voice was surprisingly gentle: "The White Snake Sage has sent me to see you. If the timing is right, he hopes you might consider paying Ryuchi Cave a visit."
"Oh, and how should I address you? If possible, may I ask—"
"A name is merely a label. You may call me Asura if you wish. Or Jiraiya—if that feels more suitable to you."
Asura cut straight to the point.
"I see… Asura. Quite an ancient-sounding name indeed!"
The white snake seemed lost in thought.
"There's no need to doubt or probe further. It's exactly as you know it."
Asura made no attempt to conceal his identity, yet he didn't directly reveal who he truly was either.
Those who needed to know would already know, and those who shouldn't know wouldn't understand even if told.
Besides, for the New Generation, events from the time of the Sage of Six Paths were simply too ancient, shrouded in bizarre legends that hardly seemed credible.
But Asura's intention wasn't about convincing others of his identity; as always, he merely hoped to change something through his own ideals and actions.
"Then, would Lord Asura be interested in paying a visit to Ryuchi Cave?"
The white little snake set aside those peripheral matters and returned to the original topic—inviting Asura to Ryuchi Cave to meet the White Snake Sage.
"Has the White Snake Sage Master still got fighting spirit left?"
Asura pointed out an issue: "During the most dangerous moment of the battle at Mount Myoboku, had the White Snake Sage Master and the Three Goddesses not fled midway, perhaps the outcome would not have resulted in the total defeat and eventual extinction of the Ninja Frogs of Mount Myoboku?"
"The Sage Master believed the loss of Mount Myoboku was inevitable, beyond human power to resist."
But the white little snake disagreed.
However, its tone clearly lacked confidence, and its persuasiveness was severely lacking.
So Asura simply shook his head silently, continuing to stare at the white little snake without a word.
"If you're willing, I can request the Sage Master to manifest his will in person."
After much hesitation, the white little snake finally said slowly: "Furthermore, everything Lord Asura just said is beyond the authority of this humble servant of Ryuchi Cave to judge. I beg for your forgiveness."
"Hehe,"
Asura let out a cold laugh and helplessly shook his head.
"In that case, may I take my leave?"
Seeing this, the white little snake wisely prepared to take its leave.
"Leave the scroll of Ryuchi Cave behind!"
But Asura suddenly interrupted its polite gesture.
"Eh!"
The little white snake was first startled, then overjoyed: "Alright!"
Immediately after, it opened its mouth wide, pulling out a slimy scroll from deep within its throat, then flicked its tail to push the scroll toward Asura's feet: "This is the core Summoning Scroll of Ryuchi Cave. If Lord Asura wishes, he could even enter into a Summoning Contract with the Three Goddesses."
"I understand. Perhaps one day I will pay Ryuchi Cave a visit."
Asura made his position clear as well.
Of course, not right now.
If he appeared overly eager, the White Snake Sage would surely find another way to manipulate him again, treating him like a so-called partner.
Meanwhile, while Asura wandered across the ninja world collecting inspiration, the first election of the Ninja World's Top Ruling Assembly was completed amid noise and commotion, finally selecting seven hundred Jonin representatives from across the Ninja World.
Among them, all the Jonins from the Hyuga Clan—the supreme ruling family—were elected, securing one-seventh of all seats. The Uchiha Clan secured just five fewer seats than the Hyuga. As for the remaining less-than-five-hundred positions, they naturally went to old powers from various regions and different ninja clans throughout the ninja world.
Even though its members came from vastly different backgrounds with conflicting interests, the establishment of the Ninja World Parliament still brought a fresh change to this once blood-soaked world.
In short, it had simply become a place where people could quarrel and compromise.
As the Ninja World Coalition Government gradually implemented its meticulously planned Administrative Zones, and wave after wave of Administrative Ninja rotated into their posts, the Ninja World was quietly experiencing an unprecedented wave of transformation. These measures not only marked a profound adjustment and optimization of the governance system, but also heralded the arrival of a new era that would be more harmonious, efficient, and orderly.
Amid this tide of change, the Ninja World was slowly breaking free from its old constraints and limitations, becoming something completely different from what it once was in the eyes of Asura and other remnants of the old era.
"This is not the world I wanted!"
After wandering through the Ninja World, Asura made his final judgment.
And the sole result of his journey through the Ninja World was the recruitment of a single subordinate, through means somewhere between persuasion and coercion.
"What do you think, Kakuzu?"
Asura asked his follower.
"Maybe. Perhaps it's better, perhaps worse, but does anyone really care anyway?"
Kakuzu replied indifferently, brushing him off.
"You care, I care, and there are many more who can't speak out but care deeply!"
Asura's will remained firm, his fighting spirit undiminished.
Then, he pulled out Summoning Scroll from Ryuchi Cave, spread it flat on the ground, bit his finger, and began drawing blood to form the Summoning Contract.
"This is..."
Kakuzu noticed the unusual chakra fluctuation radiating from the scroll.
"This is Ryuchi Cave's—"
But before Asura could finish speaking, [Reverse Summoning Jutsu] chakra light shimmered over his body, and in an instant, he vanished along with the scroll.
"Just like that?"
Kakuzu couldn't help but feel perplexed.
He then wondered if the Ninja World Coalition Government would lift the seals binding him and offer a generous reward in return for reporting this incident voluntarily.
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