♪When hope seems lost,
We find our strength, no matter the cost♪
A vast expanse of endless land, where busy workers could be seen everywhere, as well as genin wearing cloud-emblazoned forehead protectors, pants rolled up, working in the rice fields.
The flames of the Second Great Ninja War seemed not to have reached this place.
Villagers and ninjas were united as one, each face filled with hope for a better tomorrow.
♪Under the bright morning sun, we work as one
Building dreams for everyone♪
In the fields, a girl with bluish-purple hair hummed a tune of "Together We Rise," as she carried food, heading to visit someone.
The busy villagers, seeing her, quickly pointed in a direction, their faces blooming with knowing smiles.
Every day around this time, Konan came to visit the village leader, rain or shine.
"Yahiko, I came to see you!"
An orange-haired boy, with some dirt smudged on his face, was sweating as he worked in the fields. Upon hearing her, he looked up.
"Why did you come? Didn't I tell you to wait for me at the canteen?" Yahiko immediately dropped his sickle and rushed over.
"Yeah yeah..." Konan sighed, helpless yet indulgent.
"They've got your favorite braised beef at the canteen today~" she said, lifting the lunchbox and smiling warmly at him.
"There's meat at the canteen today? Really? Is today a special day or something?" His eyes lit up as he quietly swallowed a bit of saliva. Clearly, it had been a long time since he'd last eaten meat.
Let's do the math.
Today marked his third year since transmigrating into the Naruto world.
Three years ago, the moment he opened his eyes, Konan was crying, and he found himself inside the body of Yahiko, a boy with the face of a protagonist but not the fate of one, stabbed to death by a kunai.
Apparently, his predecessor had gone out to "borrow" fish because he was starving, got caught, beaten half to death, and that's when his soul crossed over.
Still injured, he had no choice but to rely on Konan's support for several days.
As in the original story, he and Konan picked up a boy named Nagato who had passed out from hunger with his dog.
The three of them, and the dog, later sought out Jiraiya as their mentor.
Then, about a year ago, his system activated: The Village Growth System.
The stronger the village, the stronger he became.
The system would enhance his physical potential based on the overall strength of the village's ninja.
Not too strong individually, but if he gathered enough people, it could stack into something terrifying. He, too, could eventually become a Sage of Six Paths–level powerhouse.
No more worrying about being killed by a kunai.
So, Yahiko said goodbye to Jiraiya and, along with Konan and Nagato, established a village at the border region between the Land of Fire, the Land of Rain, and the Land of Grass.
They named it Yoakegakure no Sato, symbolizing the break of dawn, bringing hope and peace to the shinobi world.
A village was established, yes, but he realized he'd been too hasty.
Being a village leader wasn't easy. They lacked money, people, and knowledge, they lacked everything.
Still, overall, life was relatively stable.
Even as the Second Great Ninja War raged outside, with flames lighting the skies and chaos everywhere, the fragile Yoake had remained undiscovered.
Maybe someone saw something in Nagato's eyes and secretly helped shield them?
After a year of peaceful development, they'd taken in many homeless wanderers.
Now they had over 700 permanent residents, including 7 genin and 5 chunin ninjas.
Plus himself and Nagato, both only 12 years old but already with jonin-level combat strength.
Fending off wandering ronin and missing-nin wasn't a problem.
But let's not even talk about fighting villages from the Five Great Nations, even the crumbling nearby Kusa could erase Yoake from the map in mere minutes if it wanted to.
Konan reached out and gently smoothed his furrowed brow, reminding him, "Don't overthink things while eating. Oh right, Nagato came back. He's still out looking for a family member."
She opened the lunchbox, revealing fragrant braised beef.
Not much, barely enough for one person.
Can't be helped, Yoake was poor.
Even during harvest season, the village leader still had to work the fields.
"Nagato still has relatives alive?"
"Yeah. Back when Uzushio was destroyed, his mother got separated and went to Ame. According to information, most of the Uzumaki refugees were tricked by Kusa."
Yahiko took a few small bites, greeted the villagers harvesting vegetables, and then left.
With the village still newly established, there was simply too much to do.
Konan tidied up the leftovers and followed him as they departed.
The men working in the fields watched them go, each secretly wishing they could ease their village leader's burdens.
At present, the Third Kazekage was still alive, and Rasa had yet to head into the desert to mine for gold.
In the eyes of the villagers, Yahiko was practically the hardest-working figure in the entire shinobi world. He was diligent and devoted, personally recruiting refugees, farming the land, building irrigation... Everything he did proved that he was a village leader superior to the heads of the Five Great Nations.
Almost comparable to... that so-called "God of Shinobi" next door.
Unfortunately, Yoake lacked the deep foundation of the Five Great Nations. Their roots were too shallow.
"You all keep busy. Looks like I need to head to a meeting too."
"Nobi, let's go together."
"You all go ahead, don't delay Yahiko-sama's work."
At that moment, several genin said their goodbyes to the villagers, they were on their way to attend the village's internal meeting.
In Konoha, only jonin had the right to participate in village meetings, but this was Yoake!
Yahiko had declared, "No matter who you are, if you have the brains and the guts, you're welcome."
---
In the earthen-walled meeting room, after cleaning themselves using water jutsu and drying off with wind jutsu, Yahiko and Konan hurried straight over.
At that moment, the other major figure of Yoake, Nagato, was already waiting in the meeting room with an elderly red-haired man.
He'd been out on a long secret mission. Nagato's face had now tanned into a wheat-colored hue. Seated in the deputy's seat, he looked up at Yahiko entering and heading toward the main seat, and nodded with a smile.
Seeing this, Yahiko felt delighted.
Lack of talent in the village? Simple, just recruit some.
A few days ago, he had instructed Nagato, now acting as the new clan leader of the Uzumaki clan, to go out and gather people.
During the Second Great Ninja War, the powerful fuinjutsu of the Land of Whirlpools had made other nations wary, leading them to unite and destroy it.
The nation was destroyed, and its people scattered.
Could the once-thriving Uzumaki clan still have enough survivors to rebuild a nation?
No one knew why Konoha had only managed to recover one Uzumaki member alone.
But judging by the slight smile on Nagato's face, his mood was clearly good, he had likely found some surviving clansmen out there.
"May I ask who you are? Don't worry, please, have a seat." Yahiko gestured for the elderly man behind Nagato to sit down. The man looked about sixty or seventy years old.
Wow... how much experience must be stored in that mind of his?
"Yahiko-sama..." The old man seemed a bit nervous. He didn't quite know what kind of person this twelve-year-old village leader was.
But on the way here, Nagato had constantly praised him. "Yahiko is amazing," he said.
"Since you are related to Nagato, just call me Yahiko."
Yahiko smiled warmly at the Uzumaki member.
His humble and respectful manner instantly calmed the old man's uneasy heart. Nagato had found him in Kusa.
There, the Uzumaki were treated bad. Many of them possessed unique constitutions, just a bite of their flesh could heal external and internal injuries. In the past, Kusa would summon or dismiss them as they pleased, forced to live under others' roofs, they'd endured as best they could. But things had worsened. Now, even a scraped knuckle meant they'd be dragged over to be bitten.
No consideration was given to the fact that healing this way consumed huge amounts of life energy. The Uzumaki weren't treated like people at all.
Now, feeling Yahiko's genuine sincerity from the heart, the man's cloudy eyes welled up with tears.
Although it was just a simple smile from Yahiko, for him, who hadn't seen a kind face since their nation fell, it felt like seeing an angel.
"I am Uzumaki Shuzen, at your service."