"Withstand!" This one word!
They seemed unremarkable at first, but that was precisely where the problem lay.
According to the Primordial Era's records, the shinobi world at that time had no chakra–everyone was ordinary.
But Ōtsutsuki Kaguya wielded power on the level of the Six Paths.
Setting aside that era, even in the modern age, Kaguya was an existence comparable to a deity.
Yet the Kaguya who descended to the small nation could only "withstand" the great nation's attacks without destroying it outright. That single detail was enough to prove the great nation possessed a force no weaker than Kaguya's.
Otherwise, with Six Paths-level power, ordinary nations would have had no resistance before Kaguya whatsoever.
"A power capable of matching Ōtsutsuki Kaguya?"
Yuto's eyes gleamed with sharp interest.
A power that could rival the Six Paths–either another Six Paths user or a member of the Ōtsutsuki Clan.
Or perhaps a power that existed in the shinobi world before chakra had even come into being, one no lesser than chakra itself.
Either possibility was enough to ignite Yuto's deepest curiosity.
Before Yuto had transmigrated, the storyline had already reached the Boruto era, so he possessed some knowledge of the Ōtsutsuki Clan.
Therefore, compared to the first possibility, Yuto leaned toward the second.
"If I recall correctly, there was a small nation called the Land of Demons. A young girl there carries the power of a priestess."
"An entirely different system from chakra."
"Perhaps I should pay a visit when I have time."
A contemplative look crossed Yuto's face as he murmured to himself.
As for the Hyuga Clan's subsequent records, after covering the Primordial and Ancient Eras, they entered the Sage Era.
The recorded materials mostly concerned a series of famous events following the Sage of Six Paths' creation of ninshū.
Though the records of this era were more detailed, they held little practical value for Yuto.
They merely gave him a deeper understanding of some previously unknown historical events.
A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts. Tsunade entered with a dark expression.
"Everything you asked me to do, I've done it. I hope you keep your word."
Tsunade's face was pale and drawn, her voice carrying an edge of cold formality.
Yuto leaned back in his chair, wearing a soft smile as he regarded her.
"There's no need to be so distant. After all, you're a member of the Hidden Mist Village now."
"Besides, if we're to unite the shinobi world, we certainly won't engage in harming civilians."
Yuto looked at Tsunade as he spoke lightly.
Then he paused briefly: "So the task of reassuring Konoha's former residents will have to fall to you, as the former Hokage."
"Oh, and I know you can't manage it alone."
"So I've assigned a shinobi squad specifically to assist you. Any needs you have, just give them direct orders."
"You understand, of course–every shinobi is stretched thin right now. This burden can only fall on you."
Yuto's expression carried a note of apology as he looked at Tsunade helplessly.
Hearing his words.
Tsunade sneered inwardly. A shinobi squad to "assist" her was merely an indirect way of monitoring her through those very shinobi.
As for this arrangement.
Tsunade was deeply displeased but had no alternative. This was entirely expected.
And the other party had made no attempt to disguise their intentions.
She wondered how Jiraiya and the others had fared after escaping Konoha.
Tsunade's mind was filled with worry. But her face betrayed no emotion.
"Hmph!"
Tsunade snorted coldly and turned to leave the Hokage's office.
Slam!
The office door shut behind her with a force that shook the entire room.
Yuto watched her depart, a faint smile on his face.
"Such a fierce temper. It'll need some smoothing out."
Yuto shook his head gently, then turned back to the desk piled high with documents. The sight gave him a headache.
Just as he had said.
The Hidden Mist had just taken over Konoha, and there were countless matters that needed handling.
If it weren't for Chōjūrō, Haku, and the others assisting, Yuto would likely have been buried under a mountain of paperwork.
Even after filtering out layer after layer, over a hundred tasks still piled on his desk.
These were all tasks that normally fell under Terumi Mei's responsibilities.
But Terumi Mei and Ao were currently occupied protecting the Water Daimyo.
So Yuto had no choice but to take them on himself.
"It seems we're truly short-handed."
"I'll need to transfer more people from the village."
Yuto frowned at the documents on his desk, murmuring to himself.
Maintaining peace was always far harder than conquering it!
Konoha's territory was several times larger than the Hidden Mist's. Such a vast area naturally required enormous manpower for patrols and garrisons.
Additional teams were needed to clear battlefields, repair damaged structures, and handle countless other tasks.
Even this alone was enough to give Yuto a headache.
The only piece of good news was that Uchiha Madara's Hidden Stone forces had begun withdrawing.
This significantly reduced the Hidden Mist's burden.
Konoha was now fully under Hidden Mist control.
Though some high-ranking Hidden Stone officials were deeply unhappy with this, none dared defy Madara's authority.
As for why Madara had so readily handed over Konoha–a treasure trove of a village–it was because of the prior agreement between Yuto and Madara.
As long as Yuto didn't interfere in Madara's battle with Hashirama or lay claim to the Nine-Tails' chakra, ownership of Konoha would belong to the Hidden Mist.
On the surface, this deal seemed to favor Yuto. But in truth, Madara couldn't have cared less about who held Konoha.
Madara's goal was to cast the entire world under the Infinite Tsukuyomi. Territory held no meaning in his eyes.
"In any case, matters in the Land of Fire need to be resolved quickly."
"Otherwise, I'm stuck here indefinitely."
Yuto glanced at the overflowing desk and sighed.
The Hidden Rain Village.
A light drizzle fell ceaselessly.
Atop a pipe-shaped rooftop, Konan stood at the highest point, her gaze calm and steady as she looked down over the village.
Her lavender-blue hair was soaked by the rain, but she paid it no mind.
Just then.
A faint whistling sound came from the distance. A dark figure appeared at Konan's side in the blink of an eye.
"You've come, Nagato."
Konan didn't turn her head, but she already knew who had arrived.
"Konoha has been destroyed. He actually did it."
Nagato stood beside Konan, his eyes also fixed on the rain village below, a distant, contemplative look in his gaze.
Every major shinobi village had been closely following the war against Konoha.
So the moment the Hidden Mist announced Konoha's destruction, the news had spread across the entire shinobi world almost instantly.
Konoha–the foremost of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, the village that had always stood at the pinnacle–had fallen.
The first reaction of nearly everyone was disbelief.
Then came shock and bewilderment!
Since the establishment of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, this was the first major village to be utterly destroyed.
In a sense, from this moment on, a seed had been planted in the heart of every shinobi in the world by Yuto.
Even if Yuto were to disappear, the shinobi world could never return to what it had been.
Once a state of affairs was shattered, a new order would inevitably form.
The idea of unification had been planted. Even without Yuto to nurture it, the seed would still grow into a towering tree.
Even the slowest to react could now sense that a new era was dawning.
Nagato gazed at the falling rain, his expression slightly dazed.
He recalled the first time he had met Yuto and the vision of shinobi world unification Yuto had shared with him.
When he first heard that vision, Nagato's immediate response had been that it was impossible.
During the period when he had possessed the Rinnegan and styled himself as a god, Nagato had merely planned to control the Nine Tailed Beasts to create a devastating deterrent, thereby ending the shinobi world's wars.
Even in his most arrogant moments, Nagato had never conceived of destroying the Five Great Villages.
So when he first heard Yuto's words, Nagato had felt that the speaker was the true villain.
But now, Konoha had been utterly destroyed.
Lord Yuto had taken his first step–the most crucial one.
"Frightening," Nagato murmured, exhaling deeply.
At that moment.
Konan, who had been silent, turned to face Nagato.
"I'm going to see Konoha."
Her expression was calm as she regarded him.
Nagato showed no surprise. A rare softness crept into his otherwise rigid features: "You don't need to tell me."
"I will."
"I'll leave village matters to you."
Konan nodded gently. With a surge of chakra, a pair of large paper wings unfurled from her back.
Her wings beat once, and she shot into the sky, disappearing from sight.
"Unite the shinobi world?"
"Deter the shinobi world?"
Nagato watched Konan vanish, murmuring to himself.
In Nagato's view, though Yuto's methods differed from his own, the underlying purpose was the same.
"I find myself looking forward to it, Lord Yuto. How far will you go?"
Nagato's eyes flickered, and his figure vanished in the blink of an eye.
Three days later.
Konan stood before the entrance of the former Hidden Leaf Village.
The once-destroyed gates of Konoha had been fully repaired. As the village's primary entrance, its restoration was naturally a priority.
Konan glanced at the battle scars that still marked the surrounding ground, her eyes narrowing slightly.
Even from these unhealed remnants alone, one could imagine the ferocity of the battle that had raged here.
As she drew closer, Konan could see numerous figures moving near the entrance.
At first, she assumed they were Hidden Mist shinobi.
But when she approached and saw civilians and merchants passing freely through the gates, Konan was momentarily stunned.
If not for the fact that the guards flanking the entrance wore Hidden Mist headbands, she might have thought reports of Konoha's fall were false.
Before coming, Konan had pictured a post-war Konoha steeped in desolation.
The reality before her was entirely different.
Though still somewhat quiet, it was far from desolate.
The number of pedestrians and merchants was modest, but considering Konoha had just endured a war and been conquered by the Hidden Mist, the normal expectation would have been panic, hiding, and eerie silence–not this level of activity.
"What has the Hidden Mist done?"
Konan murmured in surprise.
She pulled her gaze from the passersby and continued forward, looking up at the sign above the gate.
The original "Hidden Leaf Village" sign had been replaced. It now read: Hidden Mist–Second Village!
Hidden Mist–Second Village?
The corner of Konan's eye twitched at the sight.
What a casual name!
Konan mentally sighed, though her expression remained unchanged as she walked through with an air of indifference.
As she approached the village entrance, the two Hidden Mist guards naturally took notice.
But the two guards merely glanced at her before looking away.
The Hidden Mist Village and the Hidden Rain Village were allies.
The ordinary shinobi might not recognize her, but most Hidden Mist ninjas would know both leaders of the Hidden Rain–Nagato and Konan.
Even if they didn't, covert shinobi would have already passed along word to the two sentries.
These two Hidden Mist guards were only chūnin in rank. Their presence might appear lax, but anyone with sense would understand.
They were merely the visible guards. The true security lay in the shadows.
Konan understood this perfectly as well. She strode in openly.
Upon entering the Hidden Mist–Second Village, the first thing to catch her eye was the Hokage Rock at the far end of the main road.
It was the most iconic landmark of the former Konoha.
But now, the famous stone faces of the past Hokages–once renowned throughout the shinobi world–had been removed.
Konan could make out small dark figures of workers on the flattened cliff face, beginning to carve new images.
[
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