Yuto's voice rang through the forest, faint and calm. Just four words, yet they carried unmatched dominance and confidence.
"Fifth Mizukage, Mei, greets the First Mizukage, Yuto-dono!"
Mei dropped to one knee, her voice brimming with uncontrollable excitement and reverence.
"Ao, Captain of Kirigakure's Hunter-nin, greets the First Mizukage, Yuto-dono."
Ao also bent one knee. Even as the captain of the assassination corps, even as a shinobi, he could not hide the fervor in his face or the burning light in his eyes.
Hearing their voices, Yuto lowered his head, his expression blank as he looked them over.
Mei, Ao, Orochimaru, and the Sound Four.
Familiar yet strange figures. To think he had been sealed away for so long?
Hn. An Edo Tensei Hashirama as well?
Yuto blinked, then understood in an instant what had happened.
His brow twitched slightly. If that was the case, then Tobirama had inadvertently done him a great favor.
"So it's already the Fifth Mizukage? I expected to awaken during the time of the Second or Third. To think things have fallen so far."
His voice was calm, tinged with dissatisfaction.
He wasn't trying to intimidate Mei—his displeasure was genuine.
Yuto's mission was to unify the shinobi world. To accomplish that required far more than raw strength.
Timing, terrain, and human factors—without all three, even overwhelming might wouldn't suffice.
There were two windows where unification was even possible.
The first was the Warring States era. But attempting it then meant clashing head-on with Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama. Against those monsters, no matter your strength, you might be crushed the moment they cut loose.
The second window was after the "story" began. At first glance, no overwhelming figures dominated, but in truth it was the most stable and prosperous period. Each great village was stockpiling power.
Attempting unification then meant facing the combined wrath of every village.
On top of that, new monsters—Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke—would rise. Old monsters like Hashirama and Madara could return at any time.
And lurking in the shadows was Black Zetsu, scheming across millennia.
That made this era the most troublesome of all, even if he wasn't yet sure of the exact timeline.
Still, with Mei as the Fifth Mizukage, and the Sound Four obediently following Orochimaru, he had a pretty good idea where he stood.
The easiest periods to unify the shinobi world had been during the Second and Third Great Ninja Wars. Those were the only two moments when Konoha's dominance could be broken. Every other time belonged to Konoha.
That was why Yuto was dissatisfied.
After surviving the Warring States, when life was cheaper than grass, his heart had long since hardened.
Even though the people before him were familiar faces from an anime of his previous life—even Mei, once his favorite female character—
Now, standing before them as living beings, he felt no ripple of emotion.
Strength, status, mindset—they were incomparable to before. The only familiarity left was nostalgia for his past life.
If anyone else had dared call Kirigakure "pathetic," Mei and Ao would have struck instantly.
But before the First Mizukage Yuto, shame flushed their faces. They bowed lower.
Compared to Yuto's era, their village truly was pathetic.
Among the Five Great Villages, Kiri and Suna now fought only for last and second-to-last place.
Suna had nothing but sand. Kiri at least had mountains and seas, rich in resources.
And yet they had fallen so low. That said everything about their current strength.
Seeing their shame, Yuto's mouth twitched. Perhaps he had struck a nerve.
"Stand. As Mizukage, you may feel shame for your village. But you kneel to no one."
His voice carried the weight of command.
Mei blushed, scrambling upright, her back straight as though she were a chastised schoolgirl.
Ao almost laughed. It was the first time he had ever seen her like that.
As she rose, Yuto studied her properly. The Fifth Mizukage was tall, only half a head shorter than him. Even more beautiful than she had appeared in the anime.
Noticing her nervousness, Yuto smiled faintly.
"You've had a hard time."
He didn't linger on her reaction. Turning to Ao, still kneeling, he motioned for him to rise.
Then, with a single step, his figure vanished. He reappeared directly before Orochimaru.
So fast!
No chakra surge—was it pure taijutsu?
Orochimaru's pupils shrank. The man had appeared before him with no warning at all.
Yuto smiled charmingly at the pale man.
"What's your name?"
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