REVIEWS AND POWERSTONES PLSSS!! I MIGHT MASS RELEASE!!!!!!!Chapter 134: The Box of Ultimate Bliss
It took the better part of half a day for the Uchiha to thoroughly loot Kusagakure Village. They sealed all valuables and rare materials into storage scrolls to take with them. Everything worthless or too cumbersome to carry got left behind in the ruins.
Afterward, Yasushi gathered everyone together.
"Alright, I'm sending everyone back now. Next time I need you, I'll summon you again."
The Reanimation jutsu consumed a living person's life with each use. The stronger the reanimated shinobi, the higher quality the sacrifice needed to be. Each sacrifice had a limited lifespan too—they couldn't be used indefinitely without consequences.
Black Zetsu had access to suitable sacrifices, but he didn't provide them to Yasushi for free. Everything required negotiation, required trade. And the terms Black Zetsu demanded were never simple.
So unless absolutely necessary, Yasushi wouldn't summon the reanimated army on a large scale.
Everyone understood this reality. After tearful goodbyes with little Karin, they filed into the coffins Yasushi summoned, laughing and joking as they went.
Before entering the coffins though, they couldn't resist getting their final words in.
"Clan Head, you better hurry up! We're waiting eagerly in the Pure Land!"
"Yeah! And we need more adorable clan members like little Karin!"
"Clan Head, the Uchiha revival depends on you! Get married already! Have ten or eight kids!"
"I think that Pakura woman would be perfect! Don't miss your chance!"
"Enough! Get back in your coffins already!"
Being pressured about marriage by a group of dead people made Yasushi's head pound.
Seeing their clan head's face turn bright red with embarrassment and frustration only made everyone laugh harder.
Yasushi angrily herded them all into the coffins and immediately dispelled the summoning jutsu with visible relief.
One by one, the coffins sank into the earth. Finally, blessed silence returned.
"Alright, gather your things. We're heading to the Land of Rain."
After a brief rest, Yasushi led his group away from Kusagakure Village, leaving behind only scattered corpses and utter devastation. A landscape of death.
The sun rose and fell. The moon fell and rose again. After a long time passed, signs of human presence finally returned to the destroyed village.
The surviving Kusagakure shinobi cautiously sent scouts to probe the ruins. Only after confirming the enemy had completely withdrawn did they dare return to their village.
In silence, they collected the bodies of their fallen comrades, gathering them together and laying them out in the wide plaza. Then they all stood at attention before the corpses, heads bowed in respect.
After a long moment, someone finally spoke.
"Our leader is dead. Kusagakure Village has fallen."
"But as long as our spirit endures, Kusagakure can always be reborn."
"We need to select a new leader now. Someone to guide us in rebuilding the village and launching our revenge against Uchiha Yasushi!"
The plaza fell silent. Everyone's spirits were crushed. Nobody wanted to become the new leader.
The position's authority was certainly tempting, but the new leader would have to face the wrath of various nations' daimyo. They'd need to compensate merchant caravans for their losses, distribute death benefits to fallen shinobi's families, and resettle homeless villagers...
Most importantly, the new leader would have to pursue revenge against that vicious enemy.
Just thinking about it cooled everyone's ambition immediately.
After another pause, someone finally spoke up.
"Our former leader's decision was correct. We must possess power capable of standing at the pinnacle of the shinobi world."
"Otherwise, even if we love peace, enemies will still come knocking at our door."
"The Grass Flower Faction's philosophy is completely outdated now. It doesn't fit the current state of the shinobi world."
"I propose we make Toda Shuichi, leader of the Grass Fruit Faction, our new leader. He can guide us in opening the Box of Ultimate Bliss and restore Kusagakure Village to its rightful place at the top of the shinobi world!"
His words immediately sparked widespread agreement.
"That's right! I also support Toda Shuichi becoming our new leader!"
"Yes! We should have opened the Box of Ultimate Bliss long ago! If we'd done it earlier, would we be suffering this catastrophe now?"
The Grass Flower Faction members naturally opposed this, wanting to nominate their own faction's leader instead. But looking around, they realized their faction leader had already died in the previous battle.
Moreover, the Grass Flower Faction had suffered devastating losses in the fighting. Among the surviving shinobi present, the Grass Fruit Faction now held the numerical advantage.
They tried falling back on their usual arguments about danger and risk, but got immediately shut down.
"Don't talk to me about danger! Aren't we already in danger right now? Look at these ruins around us! Look at our dead comrades lying here!"
"Even if the Box of Ultimate Bliss is dangerous, could it possibly be more dangerous than our current situation?"
Arguments couldn't overcome reality. Faced with Kusagakure's actual circumstances, the Grass Flower Faction had no choice but to back down and accept this outcome.
Toda Shuichi's face looked grim as water, his heart filled with reluctance. But pushed into this position by everyone, unable to refuse, he could only nod and accept his role as the new leader.
With the leadership position settled, Toda Shuichi began delegating tasks.
He ordered people to start basic cleanup of the village and construct emergency housing for shelter. Then he sent others to recall the civilians hiding in mountain refuges so they could resume production and farming.
Next, he assigned teams to gather whatever valuables remained in the village and consolidate them for reconstruction funds. He also dispatched messengers to seek aid from the daimyo, requesting increased funding and personnel support.
The merchant caravan losses needed to be tallied too, with representatives sent to request understanding and leniency from the various nations.
After dealing with this pile of urgent matters, several days had already passed. Finally, Toda Shuichi reconvened a meeting of the village's jonin.
Looking at the pathetically sparse turnout—barely a handful of survivors—Toda Shuichi didn't bother consulting them. He simply stated his decision directly.
"We must now make opening the Box of Ultimate Bliss our primary objective."
"Have Muku accelerate the chakra extraction from prisoners in Hozuki Castle."
"Also..." His expression flickered before he finally continued through gritted teeth. "Forget about whether people are criminals or not anymore. Anyone suitable gets dragged into Hozuki Castle prison."
"We're in wartime. Even if some shinobi go missing, nobody will care."
"All jonin will lead teams and operate discreetly. Don't let anyone discover what we're doing."
"Yes!" The Grass Fruit Faction shinobi answered in perfect unison, practically gleeful as they left to execute their orders.
The Grass Flower Faction shinobi felt deeply unwilling, but couldn't disobey the village leader's commands. With grim expressions, they filed out of the leader's office and gathered elsewhere to discuss countermeasures among themselves.
They couldn't openly oppose—that would be politically unacceptable. But sabotaging things from the shadows? That was definitely something they could manage.
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