"Do you think the Ten-Tails simply appeared out of thin air?" Naruto retorted.
Nagato was taken aback. Based on the Ten-Tails' ability to continuously absorb natural energy, he had always assumed it was a product of nature itself. But from the other's words, it seemed things weren't as simple as he thought. Naruto explained the matters concerning Otsutsuki Kaguya, the Sage of Six Paths, the Ten-Tails, and the Otsutsuki Clan one by one. After understanding the connections, Nagato realized the necessity of preserving shinobi.
"How should this thing be dealt with?" he asked, pointing to the behemoth beneath them.
"The body will be resealed. The chakra will be kept for my own use." Naruto naturally wouldn't let such a treasure go to waste. The way jinchuriki were utilized was far too crude. Using its chakra as an energy source for large-scale constructions was clearly a better option.
"I can't do it," Nagato shook his head. He had only managed to control the Ten-Tails by sealing and restricting it during its weakened state. To split it into nine Tailed Beasts like the Sage of Six Paths did—his mastery of Yin-Yang Release was insufficient for such a feat.
"I'll do it. Just keep it under control," Naruto said casually. The terrifying aura he exuded after entering Six Paths Mode made Nagato's eyelids twitch uncontrollably. Nagato asked himself honestly: even if he completely released the Ten-Tails' restraints, he had no confidence he could take down Naruto in his current state.
ROOOOAR!!
Sensing its life was threatened, the Ten-Tails broke free from Nagato's control and began to struggle frantically. But how could its underdeveloped form be a match for Naruto? Truth-Seeking Orbs transformed into sharp blades, pinning it firmly to the ground. Under the manipulation of Yin-Yang Release, the chakra within the Ten-Tails was slowly extracted. Without chakra to support it, its body gradually withered, becoming a husk like a stone statue.
Watching this, how could Nagato not understand? His ability to steamroll the Allied Shinobi Forces was entirely because Naruto had allowed him to act freely. Actually, Naruto himself was a bit surprised. He had been confident he could separate the Ten-Tails' chakra from its husk, but doing it so easily was unexpected. It could only be said that Nagato's seals had been quite effective; the Ten-Tails had had no chance to develop fully.
"Will this chakra be reshaped into Tailed Beasts?" Nagato asked, gazing at the terrifying mass of chakra that seemed to warp the very space around it.
"Let's leave it as is for now." Naruto temporarily absorbed it into his body. The quantity was substantial, but not unbearable for him.
...Land of Fire, Konohagakure.
Due to the delay in information, Jiraiya and the others remaining in the village were unaware of what had transpired on the front lines.
"Ehehehe..." Jiraiya lay perched above the women's bathhouse, his face as red as a monkey's backside.
"Jiraiya sensei!" Critically injured, Sasuke fell from mid-air. He had pushed his Puppet Otsutsuki Urashiki to fly from the Land of Water all the way to Konoha; both his body and spirit had reached their absolute limits.
"Sasuke?!" Jiraiya's expression changed drastically. He hoisted Sasuke up and ran straight to the Ninja Hospital. "What on earth happened at the front line for even you to be injured this badly?!" But Sasuke, already unconscious, obviously couldn't answer any of his questions.
"Gather all remaining ninja! Something's happened at the front!" Outside the emergency room, Jiraiya ordered an ANBU operative. "I never should have agreed to Tsunade back then! Who else could she not trust to guard Uchiha Itachi, that she had to pick me!" He was filled with immense regret. How had he been so bewitched and fooled by Tsunade at the time?
"What exactly happened?" Hearing his younger brother was critically injured, Uchiha Itachi immediately dropped what he was doing and rushed over.
"I don't know either." Jiraiya looked at Itachi's anxious face, and the words that had risen to his throat were swallowed back. If one were to seriously consider it, wasn't Itachi's current awkward position of being distrusted by both sides a mess of Konoha's own making?
When Sasuke awoke from his coma, it was already dawn. Seeing his teacher's shrunken face and his brother's concerned expression, his tense body relaxed.
"What happened at the front that made you choose to flee back to Konoha for treatment?" Seeing him awake, Jiraiya instantly jumped up from his chair and rushed to the bedside to ask.
With Uchiha Itachi's help, Sasuke managed to prop himself up against the hospital bed and recounted the events from the front line one by one.
"Nagato?" Hearing the root of it all, Jiraiya seemed to lose all strength and collapsed onto the floor. His own student was the main culprit of the Fourth Shinobi World War. As his teacher, he bore an undeniable responsibility. Tsunade and the others not allowing him on the battlefield also had this consideration in mind.
"According to Nagato's ideals, he likely won't continue attacking the Five Great Nations but will choose to lay low for now. So, our most urgent task is to gather the surviving Konoha shinobi," Itachi stated, remaining rational despite the major defeat at the front.
"Jiraiya sensei, the Fifth Hokage..." Sasuke looked at his teacher slumped on the floor, feeling quite distressed himself. During this time, Jiraiya had treated him like his own son, pouring all his lifelong learning into teaching him. How could he not be moved?
"Tsunade isn't dead. You understand Naruto (DH) better than I do; you should know he wouldn't deliver a killing blow. At most, she's been imprisoned somewhere," Jiraiya sighed.
"That's true." Sasuke paused, then considered Naruto's (DH) character. Indeed, he wouldn't kill acquaintances from Konoha. He too had been reeling from the barrage of information.
Time slowly passed, and news of the battle between the Four-Nation Allied Forces and Akatsuki spread throughout the shinobi world. Some were astonished, some were fearful, but for the ambitious, it was mostly a pleasant surprise. Apart from Konoha, the other Five Great Nations were nearly wiped out. Did this mean the history of their oppression by the Five Great Nations was gone for good?
One month later. Intelligence that left everyone breathless was laid on the desks of leaders of various factions. The Lands of Earth and Wind had been vanquished. Dragon Heritage had leaped forward, surpassing the Land of Fire to become the strongest nation in the shinobi world.
"Jiraiya, perhaps just as you said, the shinobi world is about to undergo an unprecedented great transformation," Orochimaru chuckled, looking at the intelligence report.
"Yes, an unprecedented great transformation." But Jiraiya, who had temporarily assumed the position of Sixth Hokage, couldn't bring himself to smile. Pressure from the Daimyo's office, horrific bereavement payments, border defense stress... one thing after another was crushing him, leaving him almost unable to breathe. If Orochimaru hadn't led a considerable number of ninja to support them, Konoha's situation would have been even more dire. Of course, he had asked Orochimaru why he chose to return at this time. Hadn't he once wanted to destroy Konoha? The answer he received was also very interesting: "Wouldn't it be better for an old man who has fought all his life to die as a hero? Besides, if an idiot like you can become the Sixth Hokage, you can't possibly forbid me from returning."
"What was Dragon Heritage's response?" Sasuke asked. Although he knew hope was slim, if both sides could come to the negotiating table and avoid war through talks, it would only be beneficial for the current Konoha.
"Dragon Heritage has agreed not to attack the Land of Fire, but on the condition that we cede one-third of our territory to them." Jiraiya couldn't help but pinch the bridge of his nose. He wasn't surprised by Dragon Heritage's exorbitant demand; negotiations were always about one side naming a figure and the other countering with a price. However, as far as he knew, the cowardly Daimyo of the Land of Fire seemed very much inclined to directly accept the other party's terms.
Just as the people of Konoha were still discussing how to deal with Dragon Heritage's outrageous demands, Dragon Heritage itself embarked on the path of reform.
After completely taking over the systems of the Lands of Wind and Earth, the era name was formally established: Isshin Jidai.
Isshin Jidai Year 1: Abolished the Daimyo system and the Hidden Village system, establishing a Head of State system to command all military and political affairs. Established Graded Ninja Academies, where ninja of different suitable ages were enrolled in schools of corresponding levels to receive education. The curriculum was no longer limited to combat ninjutsu; a groundbreaking proposal was made to apply ninjutsu to production and daily life. Ninja from the former hidden villages were uniformly integrated into the military system, under the direct jurisdiction of the Head of State. Established the Institute of Ninjutsu Science, with Amado as its director. Made Chakra Extraction Techniques and Basic Production Ninjutsu publicly available; all citizens of Dragon Heritage could cultivate them.
In the same year, after discussions between both parties, the Land of Fire agreed to cede one-fourth of its territory in exchange for signing a peace treaty. The Land of Lightning still refused to cede territory.
Isshin Jidai Year 5: Under Amado's direction, using partial Ten-Tails chakra as an energy source, large-scale Aerospace Shinobi Cruisers were successfully constructed and deployed in the war against the Land of Lightning. The new ninja system and aerospace shinobi forces shone brilliantly in the war. High-speed air support and saturation Tailed Beast Bomb strikes completely changed the landscape of shinobi warfare. Various countries successively emulated Dragon Heritage and implemented reforms.
Isshin Jidai Year 6: Based on the research findings of ancient super-civilizations and using partial Ten-Tails chakra as energy, a large-scale Oceanic Research Vessel was formally launched, injecting resource support into domestic construction. Concurrently, the Thunder Train officially entered production. With the Prime Minister's support, Thunder Train tracks were laid throughout Dragon Heritage's territory. Otsutsuki ruins were successively excavated. The entire nation devoted itself to research, and the mysterious veil of the Otsutsuki Clan was gradually lifted.
Isshin Jidai Year 7: A researcher successfully discovered a passage to the Moon in a ruin. Dragon Heritage's grand army advanced and successfully brought the Moon under its dominion. Tenseigan research was incorporated into the scope of study, following the Sharingan, Rinnegan, and Ketsuryūgan.
Isshin Jidai Year 10: Under Naruto's leadership, Nagato and others successfully eliminated Otsutsuki Isshiki, who was hidden in the shinobi world, and obtained a Ten-Tails sapling. Reverse engineering research on Ten-Tails cultivation began. Under Naruto's initiative, Dragon Heritage engaged in intermarriage with the Uchiha and Hyuga clans, successfully acquiring their bloodlines.
Isshin Jidai Year 20: Initial success was achieved in Otsutsuki Clan research. The Hyuga clan within Dragon Heritage successfully awakened the Tenseigan, and the Uchiha clan's Mangekyo Sharingan ceased to be a myth. In the same year, a cosmic warship powered by the Ten-Tails sapling officially took off. The shinobi world thereby turned a new page, embarking on its history of venturing into the sea of stars.
"Perhaps you were right after all." Tsunade and the others, who had been imprisoned by Naruto in an alternate dimension, were also released. However, as a restriction, they were not allowed to return to Konoha.
"Right and wrong will be judged by future generations." Naruto sat with Tsunade and a few others in a small tavern, gazing at the endless stream of merchants on the street, and smiled faintly. Given his current status, the affirmation of others was merely like a gentle spring breeze to him. What drove him forward was more about self-actualization and self-affirmation.
"Why didn't you annex the Land of Fire?" Tsunade sipped her sake. Having lived in Dragon Heritage for so many years, she knew very well that although the Land of Fire was guarded by Uchiha Sasuke, Orochimaru, and others, for the current Dragon Heritage, it could be easily annexed even without Naruto himself lifting a finger.
"With comparison, people will yearn for Dragon Heritage even more. Besides, solitary Yin cannot grow for long." Although the Land of Fire and the Land of Water had emulated Konoha in implementing reforms and achieved considerable success, it didn't mean the gap between them and Dragon Heritage was shrinking. On the contrary, as time passed, the disparity continued to widen.
"The Starfleet discovered a planet teeming with life a few months ago. Interested in going to take a look together?" Naruto asked with a smile.
"..."
"I assure you, as long as I am alive, Dragon Heritage will not wage war against the Land of Fire, against Konoha." For the current Dragon Heritage, whether or not to annex the remaining countries in the shinobi world was of little significance.
"Why?"
"You have to leave something for future generations to do."
"I want to bring a few more people."
"Certainly."
(End of Book)