The medical capabilities of the Sand Federation were already solid, and with Hyuga Mirai—the top medical shinobi—present, he naturally set the ceiling for their entire medical system.
Anyone severely injured who could at least hold on until reaching a hospital had a chance of surviving. But someone like the Raikage was a different case—there were bombs not only attached to his restraints but also hidden inside his body.
If anyone tried removing them, they would explode. If they left their designated zone or lost signal, they would also explode. This was the Federation's form of "respect" toward powerful shinobi who remained dangerous even without chakra—those who could defeat Chunin with Taijutsu alone.
After the prisoners arrived, the Allied Shinobi Forces were driven off the transports and brought to a mining site. The overseer stood before them and shouted:
"You're all new here and have never worked in a mine. So I'll tell you the rules now. Listen carefully. What matters most here is following the rules. Obey them, and you can live out your days safely. Break them, and—"
He let the threat hang in the air as he addressed the thousands of Allied shinobi. These were former elites from their respective villages. Along with the Five Kage, they had once stood at the top. To suddenly be forced into hard labor as miners was a humiliation few could swallow. There was no doubt someone would cause trouble.
By stating the rules upfront, the overseer made it clear—if anyone rebelled and died for it, it was their own fault. But if they behaved and worked, they would be fed well, and those who performed best could even apply for reduced time before returning home. As long as they held no rebellious intent, they could live decently.
Hyuga Mirai wasn't a devil. He believed in efficient use of every resource—including human labor.
After explaining the regulations, the overseer divided the shinobi into small teams based on tasks and assigned veteran workers to lead them down into the mines.
For shinobi who had once been revered, being forced into such work was a deep humiliation. But anyone with a stiff spine had already been killed for causing trouble. Those who remained were the ones who still intended to survive. Otherwise, they wouldn't even get food.
About two thousand were left in this particular mining zone. The rest were assigned to other nearby sites. The overseer already had plans: with nearly five thousand miners rotating in shifts day and night, they could push this mine to the danger limit within five years. When that happened, he'd likely get a promotion.
Given how quickly the Federation was developing, they needed manpower everywhere. They were practically begging to recruit anyone who wasn't farming, even offering impressive wages.
Federation civilians who signed on to be miners enjoyed proper rest, good meals, and earned money. But the Allied shinobi were different. They could shorten their labor term only with absolutely flawless behavior.
If they committed even a single offense within five years, their time would reset. Only those with exceptional discipline stood a chance of going home.
But the Fourth Raikage would never accept spending five years as a miner. He still had a village, and a missing younger brother. If he saw even the slightest opportunity, he would try to escape.
Inside the Sand Federation, the moment the fake third Chunin Exam ended, the Federation announced the treacherous plot of the Lands of Lightning, Earth, and Water: they had intended to attack the Federation during the exam.
Fortunately, the Federation and Konoha detected the plan early and crushed the schemes of the Cloud, Stone, and Mist. The joint operation brought enormous victory for the Federation.
This news was sent across the nation via newspapers, while wealthier families with Uzumaki Trade Association computers got the report even earlier.
The Federation's newspapers were still new. Only a portion reported domestic affairs; most pages were job postings. In fact, the newspaper itself was basically a recruitment bulletin.
Each town received only a hundred copies. Five had to be displayed publicly at newspaper stands. The remaining copies sold out instantly. Most civilians had to crowd around the posted copies to read the news—cramped, but at least guides were stationed nearby to explain everything for free.
"I didn't expect something this big to happen during our exam. Is Konoha going to merge with the Sand Federation?" Sakura Haruno asked after reading the final section, which mentioned the possibility of deeper cooperation or even unification.
She recalled the Federation's meteoric rise.
"Maybe. But I'm sure the truth isn't what the paper says," Nara Shikamaru answered, scratching his head. If everything were so simple, then his teacher's actions, his father's decisions, and the Federation's behavior would make no sense. He leaned toward his own deductions instead.
He looked back at the photo on the front page: the Fifth Hokage and Hyuga Mirai standing side by side, overlooking the captured Allied shinobi.
When would those shinobi get to return home? Shikamaru felt a rising frustration. After the exam ended, they had been stuck in the Federation. Even their supervising Chunin had no idea when they would be allowed to leave—only that they had to wait.
Everything about this exam was strange. Of the six Konoha genin, only Sakura reached the second round. The rest were eliminated in the first match of the third round. And yet, in the final decision, all five besides Sakura were promoted to Chunin.
After thinking it over again and again, Shikamaru realized that the only shared "qualifying feature" of those five was their clan influence—which Sakura lacked.
He didn't want to tell her this.
The politics behind the Chunin Exam were not something a bunch of recent graduates could interfere with. Even if Shikamaru guessed part of the truth, all he could do was follow orders. He wasn't like Ino or Sakura, whose first reaction to the Konoha–Federation merger rumor was, "Can we get closer to Uchiha Sasuke?"
If Shikamaru had stepped outside, he would have run into the Hokage herself drinking in a daytime tavern.
Ever since arriving in the Federation, Tsunade had been dragged around by Kushina Uzumaki, who excitedly took her sightseeing. They even pulled Uchiha Mikoto and Ayaka Uzumaki along, indulging themselves for two days straight at Commerce City.
During that time, Naruto Uzumaki and Uchiha Sasuke survived on takeout.
When they returned, Tsunade wandered the capital looking for taverns and restaurants. Since Hyuga Mirai was a gourmet, he had recruited every champion from the Land of Hot Water's Culinary God Competition, giving the capital an enviable dining scene unmatched elsewhere.
Late morning, Tsunade—still smelling of alcohol—was dragged inside by Ayaka Uzumaki. Ever since arriving, she'd been staying at Kushina's home. She also learned for the first time that Nohara Rin was alive and carried the Three-Tails sealed within her.
The past few nights, Rin had frequently sought Tsunade's guidance in medical ninjutsu. Meeting her childhood idol left Rin thrilled.
But moments earlier, Tsunade had been stopped by Ayaka—on Hyuga Mirai's orders. Ayaka had been using Kagura's Mind Eye to track her movements, and as soon as Tsunade neared the door, she blocked the way.
Dragged inside and seeing Hyuga Mirai reading the paper, Tsunade felt a flicker of guilt—before forcing it down. This was her well-earned vacation. Why feel guilty? She hadn't exceeded the allotted time.
"Fifth Hokage, the Sixth Hokage wants to know when you're coming back."
Tsunade froze, then exploded. "I haven't even returned yet and the village already has a Sixth Hokage!? Damn it!"
"Yakushi Kabuto," Mirai said, cutting her off. "He hasn't officially been appointed, but he's doing all the Hokage's work."
Tsunade's anger evaporated instantly. "Kabuto, huh… Well, he's not bad. Maybe he's suitable for the position."
"Today is your last day. I'll personally take you back. Kabuto and Nara Shikaku can't handle this workload alone, even with Shadow Clones. I've already written out Konoha's next development plan."
Hyuga Mirai—ever the capitalist—couldn't stand watching someone lounge around so freely. Agreeing to give Tsunade seven days already made him regretful.
Her eyes widened in protest. "Tonight makes seven days!"
"That's not how I calculate it. By my count, you're already half a day over. Let's go. I'll take you back myself."
Mirai took the sake bottle from her hands and handed it to Ayaka for safekeeping. Tsunade wouldn't have time to drink soon anyway.
"My sake!"
"No sake—only Konoha's development blueprint."
He pushed her reaching hand aside and tossed her directly into Yomi-no-Kuni's Rift. After giving Ayaka instructions, he followed her in.
One after another, they all wanted to retire early. As if it were that easy.
No revolution had ever paused halfway for a vacation. Tsunade was like this. Pakura was like this. Mirai had already instructed the newspaper department—next issue, they would glorify Pakura's battlefield achievements.
They had taken plenty of photos of her freezing half the sea while scorching the other half. Once the Federation broadcast her legend to the public, she wouldn't be allowed to retire for at least ten more years.
(End of Chapter)