Chapter 241

"Everyone, long time no see!"

"Leaf Village, ninja gathering place."

"Naruto, Sasuke, and Gaara ran over excitedly; he glanced at the crowd, his eyes lit up, and he happily waved."

"His action drew the attention of the surrounding ninjas, but soon everyone stopped paying so much attention."

"Everyone knows Naruto's team; their abilities are recognized, and everyone actually likes them."

"Moreover, it's touching that they seem to have run into classmates; although this isn't rare, it's not often that everyone reunites after three years of war."

"Thus most ninjas just smiled and didn't bother them."

"\"Naruto, long time no see! \""

"Ding Ci saw Naruto and them coming over; the little fatty smiled and waved."

"\"Too bad there are no chips for you; we're leaving soon. \""

"\"Tch, who wants your chips? \""

"Naruto laughed as he put his arm around Ding Ci's neck, then laughed and said."

"\"I heard you all became jonin; congratulations! \""

"\"What a hassle; being a jonin isn't that big a deal. \""

"Shikamaru hearing this couldn't help but mutter a complaint, though he deliberately lowered his voice, not wanting to become the target of everyone."

"Being a jonin might not be that hard for them, but for many ninjas it's a lifelong unattainable goal."

"\"Sasuke, long time no see! \""

"Naruto, Shikamaru, and Ding Ci were chatting idly; Ino then laughed and ran to Sasuke's side, making him a bit embarrassed."

"Sasuke is quite handsome, and at sixteen his strength is outstanding, which makes the already eager girls even more excited."

"Before, nobody expressed much opinion, partly because Sasuke only played with Naruto and them, and partly because his father was the Hokage, so no one dared to overstep."

"But now it's different; even without encountering those lovesick fans, those lingering gazes are hard to bear."

"\"Long time no see, Ino. \""

"Sasuke forced a smile, then subtly moved closer to Gaara's back, making Gaara a bit silent."

"He doesn't envy Sasuke's high popularity; rather, he feels Sasuke's handling seems lacking compared to the Hokage."

"\"You're here, why are you making such a fuss? \""

"Just then, Ning Ci came over with Xiao Li and Tiantian, seeing the noisy Naruto he shook his head and said."

"\"We're about to leave; acting like this makes our Leaf Village look unprofessional. \""

"\"If other ninjas laugh at us, it'll embarrass the Hokage. \""

"\"Tch, you guy really... \""

Naruto glanced at Neji with some displeasure, pouting as he spoke.

"Now you haven't even run into those guys, and besides, we haven't seen each other in so long—what's the point of lecturing?"

"Just reminding you to keep this in mind, so you don't end up still like this when you encounter ninjas from other places."

Neji was a bit overly strict, which made Naruto roll his eyes; he thought this guy was really annoying, even though he knew Neji was right.

They've carried out joint operations countless times; after other villages fell, they basically stopped using the original village names.

Everyone refers to it as Leaf Village, but since we're not in the Land of Fire, people still use "region" or the village's original name.

Leaf Village hasn't enforced this yet, because some things need to be done step by step, and war is the best way to do that.

This time, all ninjas will be called the Shinobi Army, their forehead protectors will all be changed to the "ninja" character, and this deployment will continue onward.

Thus further erasing everyone's memory of the "ninja village," replacing it with the shinobi world.

"Alright, Father doesn't have that many strict demands, and besides, we haven't even set out yet—don't rush."

Sasuke saw Neji like this, knowing he was doing it for his father's honor, but he knew his own father too well, so he simply spoke up to mediate.

"Besides, if you truly want to follow your father's wishes, you shouldn't use 'region' either, after all, we're all shinobi, right?"

"Neji, you don't have to be so serious."

Tenten and Lee also nodded at the side, which made Neji press his lips; with others he could still say a couple of words.

But when Sasuke spoke, he had no retort, especially since Lee and Tenten are his good teammates, so he naturally would listen.

"Well, my question, I just—"

"You just don't want to embarrass the Hokage, we all know that, Neji."

Neji had just opened his mouth when another voice came from behind; turning his head, he saw Shino, Kiba, and Hinata walking over.

The speaker was obviously Kiba, who grinned with a carefree expression, while Hinata ran to Neji's side and whispered.

"Neji-brother, long time no see."

"Long time no see, Hinata."

Upon seeing Hinata, Neji's previously tense expression instantly softened, and he reached out to ruffle her hair.

He's now a total sis-con.

"How did you also come here? It's so dangerous—honestly, remember to stick with me."

"Hey, Neji, are you looking down on us? We can protect Hinata just fine."

Hearing that, Kiba rolled his eyes, he said, and Shino beside him also nodded.

"Exactly, this guy Neji is too arrogant."

Naruto immediately fanned the flames from the side; he's the type who isn't afraid of making a big deal.

As expected, Neji, who couldn't hold back, immediately started arguing with Naruto, and the place became lively in no time.

But soon the arguing turned into laughter; everyone, being from the same generation, already had a good relationship, so a few jokes were harmless.

"Speaking of which, it seems we didn't bring any jonin leaders this time."

After the initial uproar, Naruto glanced left and right and suddenly spoke, while Sasuke beside him was about to lose his composure.

"Idiot, we're Jonin ourselves; it's already good that they didn't separate us. Can you use some brain!"

"Exactly, damn it, how could I have been worse than this idiot on the exam back at school."

Ya pursed his lips beside them, and Shikamaru shrugged.

"Maybe, you're not good at memorizing."

"Tch, I'm just talking about what our leading Jonin would do."

Naruto was also being stubborn, but his eyes quickly showed excitement.

"Still, that's fine; later we can get closer, and we can have a little competition!"

"Compete—who can take down more enemies?"

Ya became interested and asked quietly; Ning Ci raised an eyebrow beside him, and Xiao Li showed an excited expression.

Only Shikamaru seemed somewhat uninterested; he didn't think this was anything fun.

Uhh—

But just as he was about to say something, a deep horn sounded, meaning they were about to mobilize to the front line—

"Finally it's happening; I have no idea what we'll encounter this time."

On the sea, countless ships headed toward the Wind Country's port; Gui Jia stood on a ship, watching the coastline become clearer in the distance, and laughed as he spoke.

"Anyway it won't be a good job; maybe you guy will die right here."

Behind him, Zai Bu Zhan couldn't help but retort.

"You too, I feel I'll die later than you."

Gui Jia didn't take those words to heart; after all, as ninjas they already knew they could die at any moment.

Even though they are now senior officials of the village, it doesn't change their mindset.

Mist Village is the place most thoroughly altered by Leaf Village, and also Leaf Village's staunchest ally.

Whether the other deity has become ineffective is unclear, but at least Yuan Shi's performance has always been satisfactory.

And with Leaf Village's ideology spreading, everyone has accepted it; they sincerely identify with Leaf Village's ideas.

It's also heartfelt support; they are the same people, and past conflicts were merely disputes over interests and village choices.

Now everyone is united, and their lives have improved; how could they possibly oppose it?

Moreover, they hardly ever mention 'Mist Village' or 'Land of Water' now; they mostly refer to it as the eastern island of the Ninja World continent, or the Water Province.

And that terminology aligns best with Yuzhi's thoughts.

In Yuzhi's plan, the Land of Fire will eventually disappear, gradually transitioning to be called the Fire Province, and the others will change similarly.

"Hey hey hey, you two, what's the point of saying stuff like that?"

As the two were talking, Gui Deng and Man Yue came out, bringing along their little brother Gui Deng Shuiyue.

Man Yue glanced at the two guys and, irritated, said.

"And I also want to be a ninja chief or a governor; don't disgust me."

"Are you dreaming?"

Zai Bu Zhan, hearing Man Yue's words, couldn't help rolling his eyes.

"Not to mention that the ninja chief or governor positions might be filled by people parachuted in from other regions; if you stay in the Water Province, you can only take other administrative posts."

"Even if you can stay in the Water Province, the competitor would be that woman Jiao Meiming; can you outcompete her?"

"Damn, you look down on me, don't you?"

Man Yue suddenly lost his composure, craned his neck to look at Zai Bu Zhan, but didn't expect Gui Jia beside him to also nod.

"This isn't looking down on you; it's just that you truly have no chance to contend with her, after all she's the Mizukage, not someone the current ninja chief values."

"And she's also a woman."

Zai Bu Zhan added another jab, smiling mischievously at Man Yue as he continued.

"Right now he doesn't even have a boyfriend, and that Hokage only has one wife."

"You, being from a great clan, should know about such Clan Leaders, such powerful individuals."

"Having more wives means more offspring, which is exactly what your great clan desires, so—"

"Asshole, you two staying silent… nobody will think you're mute!"

Man Yue completely lost it; how can these two bastards not speak properly?

Although their relationship used to be poor, following Yuan Shi has eased it and made it better.

Now they hold significant power, after all they 'invested early', and as their status climbs, they gradually pull away from other ninjas.

On the contrary, they communicate more, and their relationship improves, since there are only so many people who speak.

"What are you talking about, we're about to land and you're still arguing here?"

As the three were in the middle of their quarrel, the excited youngster Shuiyue watched the scene, when Jiao Meiming suddenly emerged from behind.

Looking at the noisy trio, she frowned and said.

"Tch"

As soon as she spoke, the three Gui Jia fell silent, and Man Yue pursed his lips and whispered.

"Manly woman, no wonder you can't find a man."

"What did you say?"

Jiao Meiming suddenly looked at Man Yue and immediately gave a sweet smile.

"I didn't catch that, could you say it again, please?"

"No time, I have to prepare for the landing."

Man Yue shivered, too lazy to deal with the woman; when she goes crazy, it's not easy to handle.

Speaking of which, I'm going to take those squads, and also where to meet up with Leaf Village?

We held a meeting, you didn't listen at all—how exactly do you handle things, you guy?

Mei Terumi raised eyebrows, the originally sweet smile vanished instantly, and immediately turned stern.

Such a quick change of expression really leaves people dumbfounded, but those three of them still dare not say a word.

But fortunately, just then a heavy horn blast suddenly sounded, shifting their attention.

Because they knew they had already arrived at the battlefield.

"You say, who will we encounter this time?"

Suddenly, Man Yue turned their head, a strange smile appearing on their face.

"For example, those guys who previously wielded ninja swords?"

"If it's them, I might get quite excited."

Zanjian, at this moment, also stopped spouting nonsense, and the expression turned stern as well.

"I will let them know that I am the most suitable person to wield these ninja swords, and I will let them know that they should have long been eliminated by history!"

"What a confident guy—whether you believe it or not, when you fight, I'll confiscate all your ninja swords."

Man Yue gave a weird laugh; as an elite of the Hozuki clan, they could potentially become clan leader, and they actually mastered the method to control the seven ninja swords.

"Rather than thinking about recalling the ninja swords to disgust us, you'd better think about yourself."

Kisame snorted contemptuously beside them, their shark-like face looking somewhat ferocious.

"For example, what if the opposing side summons your ancestors—like your father, or the Second Mizukage, etc."

By then, will you attack them, or will you first kowtow to them?

Kisame's words made Man Yue's complexion change, and they also suddenly realized this fact.

Those people over there really will use Edo Tensei to do various things, even if they've protected themselves well, but who knows if there will be any mishap.

Then at that time, it would truly be troublesome to deal with.

"Are you ready?"

"As long as your materials are fine, then I think there won't be any problems."

In the underground chamber on the border of the Wind Country, Orochimaru looked at Madara, licked their lips, and revealed a faint smile.

However, their gaze was mostly on the person in a black robe behind Madara, this mysteriously appearing person being the most worthy of attention.

"The materials I gave you won't be a problem; they were obtained from the Fifth Hokage's side, so you don't need to worry."

Madara crossed arms, completely ignoring Orochimaru's gaze, and then they said.

Orochimaru blinked, actually wanting to remind that not everyone here is one's own people, but Nagato beside them spoke up.

"Let's attack, perfect timing to see what good stuff there is."

"If that's the case, then let's do it."

Orochimaru nodded, then directly formed seals with both hands, chakra surging instantly.

"Edo Tensei Jutsu!"

In an instant, coffins kept appearing behind them, figures walking out one after another, their pupils beginning to glow with light and consciousness.

"Huh, where is this? I remember I wasn't dead, was I?"

The first to walk out was a small mustached person with yellow hair, who glanced around strangely and asked doubtfully.

Just upon seeing Madara, they suddenly froze, then pointed in terror at Madara Uchiha.

"Impossible, you weren't already killed by Senju ZhuZhang, were you?"

What place is this exactly, I.

"That's right, you really are dead."

Madara utterly disdained to answer, and behind them, a figure wrapped head to toe in bandages like a mummy walked out.

"You were killed by me, have you forgotten? You this early-dead loser."

"You"

The mustached person immediately turned their head, seeing the mummy before them, their temper flared.

"What nonsense, clearly I tore you mummy apart, you damned zombie!"

This mustached person is clearly the Second Mizukage, Hozuki Getsuga, who indeed was dealt with by the Second Tsuchikage Mu before death.

These two are also old rivals; upon meeting, it's naturally impossible to have any easing.

However, Hozuki Getsuga wasn't having their reason crushed by this anger; their gaze still occasionally looked toward Madara Uchiha.

This person is the most terrifying, the most frightening!

They don't know why they revived, nor why Madara Uchiha is here, but they feel somewhat worried.

After all, once this person is involved, nothing is simple at all.

"Moreover, I am obviously still being controlled, this feeling..."

Hozuki Getsuka feels somewhat uneasy, and besides Madara Uchiha, they noticed there are many people here.

Some people can even be considered his old acquaintances, such as the First and Second Tsuchikage, the First, Second, and even Third Kazekage, etc.

It can be said that, aside from not seeing the Hokage and Raikage, they have seen all the other Kage, and besides themselves, they also saw many people walking out of the coffins.

Among them, there is the First Mizukage, Byakuren, and also that junior with closed eyes—did they become the Third Mizukage?

Besides that, many ninjas wearing Mist Village forehead protectors appeared, making them frown deeply—is this a gathering of the deceased from Mist Village?

"Alright, the work is done, I'm handing it over to you."

Orochimaru licked their lips; no matter how many times, seeing this situation they would feel excited.

However, they also understand that it's better to hand the stage over to Madara Uchiha, as they really have no need to steal the spotlight.

"I think you all know each other, and you should also know me, so I won't give you introductions."

Madara Uchiha took a step forward; he was still as arrogant as ever, and that had never changed.

"This time I summoned you because the Leaf Village has a little brat named Uchiha Haori; as the Fifth Hokage he has almost swallowed the entire Ninja World."

"Such a situation obviously does not serve our interests; I suppose you dead ghosts, though all useless, would still be willing to do something for your own village."

Madara's words were blunt, yet everyone present, no matter how angry, dared not utter a single word, because it was Madara Uchiha!

Those present had either been beaten by him or had seen him beat others; no one dared truly provoke this guy.

But they were also somewhat puzzled: who exactly is Uchiha Haori?

Why would this Uchiha brat whose name they've never heard of cause Madara Uchiha to summon them all?

And that brat swallowed the entire Ninja World?

Wouldn't that mean their own homes are gone?

"A Uchiha brat capable of wreaking such havoc on the whole Ninja World is truly unimaginable."

After a while, First Mizukage Bai Lian let out a cold snort.

"Also, what exactly is our situation now? I'm curious about your purpose—why would someone as powerful as you seek us? Can't you handle it yourself?"

"A friendly tip: don't speak to me in that tone."

Madara glanced at Bai Lian, then continued in a detached tone.

"As for my decision, it's beyond your comprehension; that kid's current strength is not weaker than mine, and he controls over ninety percent of the Ninja World's resources."

"I can deal with him, but others cannot handle his subordinates, so I need some people to take on those ninja under him—nothing more."

"As for my goal, this world is so small it can't even occupy me alone; I don't want to see someone not weaker than me appear to contest my domination of this world!"

Madara didn't really want to waste words with them, but he still had a few things to say, and he didn't care about the final outcome.

In any case, expressing his attitude that they handle things themselves yields better results; their own initiative naturally makes them stronger.

Of course, if that fails, he'll have Orochimaru take control; even if the outcome falls short of expectations, he won't mind much.

"Consider it carefully yourself; the time left for you lot isn't much," he said.

Madara turned away, his peripheral glance sweeping everyone present.

"Also, many from each of your villages chose to surrender; those willing to resist are almost all here.

Whether to give them hope, whether to rebuild your villages—the decision lies entirely in your hands. Think it over."

When his words ended, Madara left without looking back, and the man in black behind him paced away, leaving only a group of grim‑faced silhouettes.

"Big brother, what kind of person is Uchiha Haori? Can you tell me now?"

When they left, the revived jinchuriki in the basement immediately began inquiring about Haori and the Ninja World's situation; coincidentally, the man in black behind Madara was also curious about Haori.

He gently lifted the hood from his head, exposing his face—he is Uchiha Quannai!

"Didn't I tell you? He's a brat with a sharp tongue, yet also the most gifted and potential‑filled brat after me."

Madara looked puzzled at Quannai behind him; he didn't understand why Quannai was so curious about Haori, especially since he'd already said many things.

"No, I want to know how he deals with the Uchiha Clan, not his strength as a ninja or Hokage."

Quannai shook his head, looked seriously at Madara, and spoke.

"How the family is now, or rather how it stands under his leadership—those are the things I'm most curious about."

"Instead of pondering that, think about the enemy we face, and you should also consider whether staying is better."

Madara pursed his lips and whispered, and to his surprise, Quannai laughed.

"I'll certainly think over those questions, but first I'd like to learn about the family's situation."

"Actually, big brother, you don't need to say much; I've already decided on some matters in my heart."

"Oh?"

Madara was a bit surprised, but quickly understood Quannai's meaning; Quannai lifted his head, a fierce glint in his eyes.

"After all, I heard from you, big brother, that that guy has awakened; this time I'll give him a proper lesson!"

——

"Move faster; I don't have time to waste with you."

"You bunch of bastards will eventually get retribution."

In a lush forest of the Wind Country, Senju ZhuZhang and Senju Fei Jian were escorting a group of jinchuriki, along with Luosha, Da Ye Mu, and the Fourth Raikage toward the border.

Their expressions were all grim, for aside from the three Kage, those jinchuriki had been imprisoned since failing the Chunin Exam and only saw daylight today.

Even though Leaf Village didn't torture them, merely sealing their chakra, it was still an unimaginable torment.

Luosha, Da Ye Mu, and the Fourth Raikage fared slightly better, as being Kage afforded them marginally better treatment, yet their mental anguish has only grown over the years.

Because Haori deliberately took them out when his forces captured their villages, forcing them to watch their own villages fall!

That feeling is unbearable for anyone; the fact they haven't gone mad already shows their resolve.

Now all of them have been released and dispatched to the front lines; they can't discern Leaf Village's purpose, yet their hearts are filled with hatred.

They will never forget that humiliation—witnessing their nation's ruin and their homes' destruction!

"Shut up; no one cares about what you say."

Senju Fei Jian frowned; he was extremely irritated by these guys—no real ability yet a particularly stubborn mouth.

"If you could have done something, you would have done it long ago; how could you have been captured by us? If I were you, I would have already smashed my head against the prison."

"Oh, sorry, I forgot—you can't even manage to die; that's truly pathetic."

"Fei Jian."

ZhuZhang awkwardly pursed his lips, feeling Fei Jian's words oddly reminiscent of Madara.

Nevertheless, he had no desire to argue; after all, they were enemies, and it was they who initiated the invasion of Leaf Village, so surviving was already good luck.

For them, life is probably worse than death.

Their mission this time is to escort these guys to the front lines, but that's not the main point; the crucial part is using these people as bait.

Yuzhi said those Great Timber would be interested in the tailed beasts, they would definitely attack them, so they all need to give it a try.

You are just a bunch of bandits, you only know how to loot others' things like this, you.

Dayemu lowly growled, seeming to want to vent all his inner anger, but Feijian would not indulge him.

He slightly tilted his head, strong chakra instantly swept out, fiercely knocking Dayemu to the ground!

Tsuchikage-sama!

Old fool

Hanhe and Laozi's faces changed instantly, they involuntarily shouted loudly, but they themselves could not move at all, only gazing resentfully.

Have you said enough?

Feijian contemptuously looked at the people present, facing their angry gaze, he spoke flatly.

Make clear one thing, where exactly were you captured? You are in the Land of Fire, you are around the Leaf Village!

It was you who actively attacked the Leaf Village, it was you who caused a series of incidents, it was you who caused this result.

Now you want to push the blame onto us, who gave you the courage to do this, who gave you the nerve to think this way?

Indeed, that little brat Yuzhi didn't get that one wrong, 'clear water has no fish, a vile person is invincible,' you really do have some invincible confidence.

Senju Feijian's words made everyone present blush with embarrassment, being mocked like this made them ashamed, yet they really couldn't come up with any rebuttal.

Indeed they actively attacked, indeed they caused the incidents, all of this is indeed them, but.

Moreover, do you think we shouldn't have breached your village?

Feijian seems to know what they're thinking, he still contemptuously speaks coldly.

Don't joke, to the Leaf Village you are nothing, even making you pay compensation is hard to satisfy our current appetite.

In that case, we can only take your village and land as compensation, and I also have a question I want to ask you.

Do you think the people live better under our Leaf Village's governance, or under your governance?

Again, it's a sharp question, again, it's a question that leaves them unsure how to answer.

Take a look around you, a bunch of idiots.

Senju Feijian continues with full force, madly mocking.

This place used to be the Land of Wind, what the Land of Wind is like, you surely know in your hearts?

This place was once a barren wasteland, this place was once utterly devastated, this place once rarely saw even an oasis.

But now, look at now, we only used three years to change everything here, three years!

Not only here, the former Land of Earth and Land of Lightning have also been changed by us, now the people live prosperously, possessing resources they once dared not believe.

They live in peace and contentment, they work diligently, this is something you lot of trash never gave them!

That's why your die-hard resistant ninjas have now fled to the borders, fled to places where people are scarce.

Those people are just as pitiful as you, they can only cling to fantasies to get by, they think they're doing the right thing, but actually they're just a bunch of pathetic idiots.

Senju Feijian's mockery's main point is a real hurt, his words fiercely stabbed the hearts of everyone present, also making who knows how many people's faces turn pale.

Could we be wrong?

Such thoughts madly began to consume them, this feeling made them truly extremely painful.

Alright Feijian, stop speaking.

At this moment, ZhuZhang couldn't bear to watch anymore, he could only speak to interrupt.

We still have our own things to do, don't pay attention to them, it's meaningless.

Tsk.

Feijian was scolding happily, he seemed to somewhat understand why Yuzhi and them always like to open their mouths to spray people.

Originally, this experience was so wonderful, but he still knew the priorities, so he also couldn't be bothered to continue talking to these trash.

Especially, his heart suddenly had a very subtle throbbing, as if someone had set their sights on him.

What a strange and awful feeling, what on earth is going on?

——

Deep in the starry sky, a shooting star streaked across the heavens.

Not long after, he steadily stopped at the outer edge of the azure planet, a figure appeared gazing at the planet before him.

I have finally returned.

The figure spoke indifferently, his voice full of anger and killing intent, the Hikari halo's reflection swept across his face, revealing his features.

This guy, is the Otsutsuki Urashiki that Yuzhi killed back then!

This time, I will definitely kill you all, especially you, Uchiha Haori!