(Leave two reviews to get the next chapter today)
"Occupy Cloud Village?"
The moment those words left Ryūjin's mouth, it felt as though a heavy blow had struck everyone present.
Inside the temporary base, silence fell instantly. It was so still that even the sound of breathing became clear.
Fugaku Uchiha, Hizashi Hyūga, Nara Shikaku, and the other high-ranking officials exchanged looks. The same shock and disbelief was written across every face.
Cloud Village was one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, second only to Konoha in overall strength. Even after defeating them, the most anyone had considered was extracting resources or demanding compensation.
No one had imagined outright annexation.
Yet Ryūjin intended to take the entire village in one move.
"Lord Ryūjin… are you serious?" Fugaku asked after a few seconds, his tone uncertain.
"Of course," Ryūjin replied, expression unchanged. "Why not make Cloud Village a branch of Konoha?"
That single sentence stirred the room again. The idea alone was enough to make their hearts tighten.
"I don't care how the previous Hokage handled things," Ryūjin continued. "If no one provokes me, I won't provoke them. But if they do, I won't let it go. That's how I operate."
"The Third Great Ninja War is basically over. If Cloud Village had stayed in line, I wouldn't have touched them."
"But they invaded Konoha first. So now they deal with the consequences."
He spoke plainly, as if discussing something trivial.
"If they can invade us, we can invade them. Or do you think I'm just going to let it slide?"
"They saw Konoha as weak and tried to take a bite. They failed. That doesn't mean they walk away without paying for it."
"Every village pays for the choices it makes."
A faint layer of sweat appeared on the foreheads of several officials. Ryūjin's tone was steady, but the pressure behind his words was overwhelming.
"Lord Ryūjin," Shikaku said carefully, swallowing before he spoke, "the current balance of the ninja world has taken years to form. If we occupy Cloud Village, that balance will collapse."
"And once that happens… the entire world could fall into chaos again."
Ryūjin turned his head slightly, eyes settling on him.
"You're mistaken about one thing," he said. "The moment I stepped onto the stage, that balance was already broken."
Shikaku fell silent.
No one argued.
At first, the statement sounded arrogant. But the more they thought about it, the more it made sense.
A shinobi on the level of the God of Shinobi could overturn the structure of the world alone.
Ryūjin had that kind of power.
"Whether the world falls into chaos isn't my concern," Ryūjin went on. "As long as I'm Hokage, I'll fulfill my role."
"Even if everything collapses, I can keep Konoha standing."
"And let's not pretend things were ever peaceful. Since the First Hokage created the One Country, One Village system, war has never stopped. Three Great Ninja Wars prove that."
"So tell me, what difference does this so-called balance really make?"
No one responded.
He wasn't wrong.
Konoha had always taken the high road. The First Hokage promoted peace and cooperation, even distributing Tailed Beasts equally among the villages. It was a massive concession, essentially handing out weapons of mass destruction.
And what did it bring?
Nothing.
Konoha still fought more wars than anyone else. In the recent war alone, they had faced nearly the entire ninja world at once.
Meanwhile, Cloud Village acted aggressively and still thrived.
In the end, strength was the only rule.
"Lord Ryūjin," Hizashi Hyūga spoke again, "if we take Cloud Village, the other villages won't stay silent."
"They stayed silent when Cloud Village attacked us," Ryūjin replied. "They can keep that same energy now."
"If anyone has a problem, they can come to me."
His tone remained casual, but the meaning was clear.
Ibiki Morino nodded from the side. "With Lord Ryūjin's strength, the other villages aren't worth worrying about."
"You misunderstand," Hizashi said. "I don't doubt his strength. I'm concerned about Konoha's reputation. We've always stood for peace. If we suddenly occupy another village…"
"Reputation is meaningless," Ryūjin cut him off. "The First Hokage's approach is outdated. I won't follow it."
Shikaku spoke again, more serious this time. "There's also the Land of Lightning."
That point carried weight.
Ninja villages depended on their respective countries. Destroying a village wasn't just a military act, it was a political one. The Land of Lightning would not ignore such a move.
Ryūjin nodded slightly. "That's a matter between nations. If they interfere, we have the Land of Fire behind us."
That settled it.
No one had anything left to say.
"Then it's decided," Ryūjin concluded. "When I take the position of Hokage, that's the day Cloud Village falls."
With that, he stood and walked out as if the discussion had been nothing more than routine.
The others remained behind, exchanging glances.
They still weren't used to his way of doing things.
But at the same time…
A different kind of expectation began to rise.
---
"Lord Ryūjin!"
"Lord Ryūjin!"
As he walked through the village, voices greeted him from all sides.
The Eight-Tails had been placed at the village entrance, and many had already seen it with their own eyes. The stories that once sounded unbelievable were now undeniable.
The villagers' attitudes had completely changed.
Doubt and resistance had turned into admiration.
Their expectations were simple. They wanted stability. They wanted safety.
And Ryūjin represented that possibility.
Might Guy watched from a distance, scratching his head.
"Since when did Ryūjin become this popular?"
It had only been a few days, yet his friend now stood at the center of everything.
For a moment, it felt unreal.
But then his expression hardened with determination.
"Looks like I need to train harder. Can't let him get too far ahead."
"Youth is about pushing forward!"
"First step, run around the village three hundred times!"
With that, he dashed off instantly.
---
Mount Myōboku.
An enormous formation covered the ground, filled with intricate patterns and seals.
Altars burned at precise points, arranged in a deliberate structure.
Fukasaku and Shima sat within the formation, hands clasped, completely still.
Jiraiya stood at a distance, watching.
He could feel it, a strange energy flowing through the formation, converging at the center.
There, a human-shaped vessel lay motionless.
It wasn't alive.
But it wasn't entirely lifeless either.
It was a body prepared specifically for reincarnation.
"This is the seventh day…" Jiraiya muttered, pacing. "I hope this works."
He didn't dare get closer. Even the slightest interference could ruin everything.
Time dragged on.
Then suddenly, he stopped.
His eyes locked onto the center of the formation.
A faint, almost invisible energy slipped into the vessel.
The body reacted immediately.
Its face shifted, reshaping itself in seconds.
Then, a familiar face appeared.
The very first face carved into the Hokage Rock.
The eyes opened slowly.
"First Hokage… he's back," Jiraiya breathed, unable to hide his excitement.
Hashirama Senju sat up, rubbing his head.
"I've been summoned again?" he muttered, glancing around. "And… two toads?"
He paused, then looked more closely.
"Mount Myōboku?"
"Lord Hokage," Fukasaku said, "we used our techniques to bring you back."
Hashirama blinked, then looked at him again.
"Fukasaku? You've gotten old."
He scratched his head.
"I must've been gone for quite a while."
"It's been fifty-one years since Konoha was founded," Jiraiya said as he stepped forward.
Hashirama turned to him. "You're a Konoha ninja?"
"I am Jiraiya, student of the Third Hokage," he replied. "Konoha is facing a crisis unlike anything before. We had no choice but to bring you back."
"There's an enemy… someone so powerful that it feels hopeless."
"Only you can stop him."
Jiraiya then explained everything, recounting the events in detail.
When he finished, Hashirama sat there in silence.
Completely stunned.
◇ I'll drop one bonus chapter for every 10 reviews
(Leave a review/comment)
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100
Power Stones.
◇Read 80 | 100 chapters ahead on [email protected]/_Zeph