Iwagakure - The Succession Ceremony
"Han!"
"From this day forward, you are the Fourth Tsuchikage of Iwagakure!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Thank you for placing your trust in me, Third Generation! I swear I will not disappoint your expectations!"
The esteemed Jōnin of Iwagakure, the Five-Tails Jinchūriki, and the renowned Steam Release ninja known as Han, officially assumed the position of Fourth Tsuchikage of Iwagakure this day!
Han respectfully removed his distinctive red hat and bent down to accept the ceremonial Tsuchikage hat that Ōnoki extended toward him. With deliberate reverence, he placed it upon his head, feeling the weight of responsibility that came with the position.
As Han turned to face the assembled Iwagakure ninja gathered below in the ceremonial hall, deafening cheers erupted from every corner of the building. The enthusiastic response from his fellow villagers echoed throughout the chamber.
Watching this moment unfold, Ōnoki finally felt a measure of comfort and peace settle over his troubled heart. Perhaps he should have made this difficult decision much earlier!
Han would undoubtedly prove himself to be the most capable and worthy Tsuchikage the village had ever seen!
In this manner, news of the Fourth Tsuchikage's appointment began spreading rapidly throughout the ninja world, like ripples expanding outward when a stone is cast into still water.
With Ōnoki's retirement, the older generation of ninja throughout the shinobi world gradually began withdrawing from the power centers of their respective villages, while a new generation of leaders stepped forward to take the stage.
The era of renewal had finally arrived!
Konoha Village - Unexpected Diplomatic News
"Ōnoki is requesting to visit Konoha to discuss a truce?" Naraku asked with obvious confusion.
"No, that doesn't make sense. The armistice agreement has already been signed, and it was signed personally by Ōnoki himself alongside Jiraiya-sensei! So what possible reason could he have for coming here now?"
Shihouin Naraku raised his head and looked toward Tsunade with genuine puzzlement written across his features.
Tsunade appeared equally bewildered by this development. "Who knows what's really happening, but this request was transmitted through Iwagakure's official diplomatic channels, and the proposed timeline is approximately one week from now."
Such an urgent schedule? And the delegation would be led personally by the former Tsuchikage Ōnoki himself?
Observing that Naraku shared her confusion about the situation, Tsunade simply waved her hand dismissively. "Forget about it for now. When Ōnoki actually arrives, we'll discover what his true intentions are."
"How is the barrier installation project progressing? The amount of manpower and material resources being consumed by the barrier division during this period has been absolutely staggering.
Our ANBU members have been deployed on constant missions to collect the required materials and components.
I'm finally beginning to understand why everyone recognizes that the barrier system should be upgraded, but no one has been willing to commit to actually doing it."
"So tell me, when can you realistically complete the re-establishment of our barrier system?"
"If nothing unexpected occurs to disrupt our timeline, it should be completed during the late evening hours two days from now," Naraku replied after a moment of careful consideration. "We'll take advantage of the nighttime hours to quietly complete the barrier replacement process, which should minimize any significant impact on village operations."
"However, at that critical time, we'll need a large number of Konoha shinobi to maintain vigilant guard duty. It would be best to establish a security perimeter with Konoha Village as the center to prevent any potential enemy interference."
"I understand completely!"
Two Days Later - The Night of Replacement
The gentle evening breeze stirred the leaves as several dark figures moved silently through Konohagakure, conducting repeated patrol circuits to ensure everyone's safety during this vulnerable period.
A substantial number of ninja possessing excellent sensory abilities - including members of the Inuzuka clan, Hyūga clan, Yamanaka clan, Aburame clan, and others - had been strategically deployed around Konoha Village's perimeter to monitor for potential enemies approaching from any direction.
Additional ninja forces, though not fully understanding what was about to transpire, had nonetheless surrounded the village in defensive positions as ordered by their superiors.
Fifth Hokage Tsunade stood upon the rooftop of the Hokage Building, her expression serious and focused as she gazed out over the vast expanse of Konoha Village spread before her.
Meanwhile, Shihouin Naraku remained within the Konoha Barrier Division headquarters, carefully observing his dedicated subordinates as they made their final preparations for the momentous task ahead.
"It's about time..." he murmured to himself.
"Everyone, prepare yourselves—"
The room fell into complete silence as every person present awaited Naraku's crucial command.
"—Deactivate the barrier!"
Inside the massive building that housed the barrier division, a large quantity of water began gathering in a semicircular depression within the room, accompanied by gentle splashing sounds.
Simultaneously, a large, nearly transparent sphere of water floated gracefully above the deep pit. This substantial water orb served as the physical manifestation of the perception barrier that currently surrounded Konoha Village. Whenever a ninja possessing unfamiliar chakra attempted to breach Konoha's defenses, they would be instantly detected and marked as a glowing point on the water sphere's surface!
This system allowed Konoha to discover the precise location and estimated number of enemy infiltrators immediately, enabling quick tactical assessments and timely combat responses while significantly reducing unnecessary casualties among defenders.
Although the barrier possessed no capability to physically stop enemy forces, its early warning function alone made the enormous cost of installation worthwhile for every major ninja village.
However, this massive expense meant that even the five great ninja villages could barely afford to construct and maintain such sophisticated barrier systems.
For instance, Sunagakure, whose financial situation was so dire they literally sold sand to generate revenue, remained completely unaware that such barrier technology even existed. While this was partially due to their challenging desert terrain, the primary reason was their complete inability to gather all the necessary materials required for barrier construction.
"Splash..."
The large water sphere floating in the air suddenly began trembling violently, then collapsed entirely, sending cascades of water crashing down into the deep pit below.
Approximately a dozen ninja sat cross-legged in a perfect circle around the semicircular depression, their hands forming complex seal sequences. All of them opened their eyes simultaneously.
"Release!"
In the world outside, a massive circular perception barrier that had surrounded the entire Konoha Village suddenly became visible against the night sky. A brilliant flash of transparent white light illuminated the darkness for an instant before disappearing completely, returning the night to its former darkness.
So this was their true objective - to establish a completely new barrier system!
Among the ninja maintaining guard positions, the more perceptive individuals immediately understood what was happening.
Indeed, the time had come to replace Konoha's aging barrier infrastructure.
The defection of dangerous individuals like Orochimaru and Uchiha Itachi meant that the previously secure perception barrier could no longer be considered truly safe. Replacing it with an entirely new system was not only logical but absolutely necessary.
"Whoosh!"
A dazzling column of white light suddenly erupted from the ground, and through a process of mutual reflection and connection, it began rapidly forming intersecting lines that created numerous complex geometric formations. As the connection nodes quickly sealed themselves, a new barrier system materialized at an incredible pace, expanding by several meters every second...
"Excellent!"
"The next phase involves gradually closing the gaps and ensuring that the perception barrier achieves complete formation!"
Shihouin Naraku appeared high above Konoha Village, personally witnessing the barrier's rapid expansion across the night sky with his own eyes.
This represented the most vulnerable and critical moment in the entire barrier installation process!
If enemy forces managed to discover the locations where barrier talismans had been buried at this precise time, they could easily disrupt the formation process. Even worse, all the materials that Konoha Village had previously invested enormous amounts of manpower and resources to collect would be completely wasted.
Once the barrier achieved complete closure, the barrier talismans would generate powerful space and perception disruption effects. Except for Shihouin Naraku and Tsunade, who knew the burial locations in advance, no outsiders would have any method of discovering their positions.
Time passed slowly, minute by minute...
The closing process of the sensing barrier entered its final critical phase, and the ninja maintaining guard positions outside remained on maximum alert, determined not to allow any accidents to occur during this crucial period.
"Whoosh!"
Several tense hours passed in what felt like mere moments, but the anticipated attack that had kept everyone on edge never materialized. Finally, the perception barrier achieved complete closure!
The moment the barrier system fully activated, a brilliant flash of white light erupted across the sky, forcing everyone to shield their eyes involuntarily.
However, this dazzling display lasted only a single second before the perception barrier quickly dimmed and disappeared entirely from view.
Everyone present understood that the new perception barrier had been successfully established!
Collective sighs of relief echoed throughout the defensive positions!
However, Naraku's work was far from finished. After returning to the barrier division headquarters, he examined the newly materialized water sphere and immediately issued additional orders: "Begin immediate testing of all key nodes within the perception barrier system. The upcoming experimental phase must be completed as efficiently as possible!"
"Yes, sir!"
The barrier division sprang back into action, methodically checking for any potential problems with the barrier's connection nodes and verifying their ability to detect the presence of unfamiliar chakra signatures!
These comprehensive testing procedures would require at least half a month of continuous evaluation before they could definitively confirm the full functionality of the new barrier system!
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