Mei did not turn around, but she could see the disdainful expression on Mangetsu's face through the reflection in the glass.
"The First Mizukage chose to join the system of the Five Great Nations. The Third Mizukage chose to close the country off from the outside world. The Fourth Mizukage was controlled by someone and nearly destroyed the village. Now, it is my turn to make a choice."
"Send a reply to the daimyo. The village of Kiri will not participate in the joint military operation against Konoha. At the same time, send a secret letter to Konoha and tell them that Kiri supports Kiyohara."
Mangetsu was silent for a moment before shrugging his shoulders.
"You're the Mizukage. What you say goes."
He turned around and walked toward the door. However, halfway there, he stopped and glanced back at her.
"Still, I have to remind you that Kiyohara already has quite a few women around him. If you try to squeeze your way in now, I'm afraid you'll be pretty far down the ranking."
The calm smile on Mei's face froze for a moment.
Then she grabbed a scroll from the desk and threw it straight at Mangetsu.
"Get out!"
Mangetsu dodged the scroll with a light laugh and disappeared through the doorway.
Mei sat back down in her chair. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked out the window at the mist that was gradually dispersing.
"Pretty far down the ranking? Hmph. It's still too early to say who ranks where."
…
In the blink of an eye, the scorching month of July arrived.
The entire shinobi world was filled with undercurrents.
The allied forces of Kumo and Iwa were gathering their troops in full force, while Suna and new hidden village Akatsukigakure had publicly declared their support for Konoha. Kiri's silence, meanwhile, was interpreted by the various sides as nothing more than sitting on the sidelines and watching the two sides fight.
However, within the Land of Fire, a massive expansion project was already approaching its final stages.
The walls of the new Konoha had risen from the ground within just three months, expanding outward from the outskirts of the old Konoha to three times its original size.
Within the First Ring, which served as the central district, the Hokage Tower and the compounds belonging to the various shinobi clans retained their original layout. However, every building had been reinforced and renovated.
Within the Second Ring, the administrative district, newly constructed buildings such as the Shinobi Middle School, the ANBU Headquarters, the Administrative Bureau, the Court, and the Ministry of Finance were arranged neatly along both sides of the broad main roads.
The Third Ring was the commercial district and the liveliest area of the entire city.
Merchants from all across the Land of Fire had opened new shops here. The parasol trees planted along both sides of the streets were still young saplings, but even so, the area had already begun to take on the appearance and atmosphere of a true capital city.
A moat had been constructed by diverting water from the Naka River, surrounding the entire new city.
The water was crystal clear, and the riverbed was covered with smooth pebbles. Under the sunlight, the surface shimmered with countless sparkling reflections.
The sealing barrier on the city walls had been personally reinforced by Kiyohara. Dense patterns of fuinjutsu seals seemed to flow faintly within the walls, and at every major junction along the city walls, members of the Sealing Corps had been stationed permanently.
Kiyohara stood on the rooftop terrace of the Hokage Tower, overlooking the brand-new city below.
Shinobi moved back and forth along the streets. Ordinary citizens walked through the commercial district with their children, while several students returning home from the Shinobi Middle School excitedly discussed the lesson they had learned that day.
"Three months."
Kiyohara murmured to himself, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
"That's a week faster than expected."
Kakashi, who had been responsible for directing the construction project, stood behind him. For once, there was a trace of exhaustion on his face.
The past three months of high-intensity coordination and command had left Kakashi looking somewhat worn out.
However, the moment he thought about finally having free time to read his little books and relax, Kakashi immediately became energetic again.
"The Earth Release shinobi have already extended the foundations of the city walls to a point where they won't need to be touched again for at least the next five years. We've also left expansion points in the moat's waterways."
Kakashi flipped through the final construction report in his hands.
"At this point, only some of the internal details remain. For example, the manhole covers in the Third Ring haven't all been installed yet."
"For the manhole covers, go to Shikaku and have him arrange for a few rookie genins to take care of it."
Kiyohara patted Kakashi on the shoulder.
"Good work. Go get some rest."
Kakashi nodded.
In the next instant, his figure flashed and disappeared from the rooftop.
Kiyohara turned around on the rooftop and disappeared as well.
When Kiyohara pushed open the door to his home, a wave of cool air rushed toward him.
The windows in the living room were tightly shut, and the heavy curtains had been drawn halfway, keeping the scorching July heat outside.
Kaguya was sitting on the sofa with both hands wrapped around a glass bottle. She lowered her head and stared blankly at the tiny bubbles constantly rising inside it.
Her white hair fell down her back, and she was wearing an outfit that Kiyohara had bought for her some time ago.
The black silk fabric clung closely to her body. The neckline was slightly open, revealing a small section of her fair collarbone.
Today, Kaguya had once again chosen to wear black stockings, revealing her long, slender legs wrapped in the sheer material.
Her toes curled slightly inside the stockings, while the ankle resting near the edge of the sofa looked particularly delicate.
Kiyohara closed the door and walked over before sitting down beside her.
"What are you drinking?"
Kaguya raised her head and held the glass bottle up toward him.
Four large characters were written across the bottle: "Ramune."
The transparent liquid inside continued to fizz with tiny bubbles.
"That yellow-haired woman gave it to me earlier."
She paused, apparently trying to remember the woman's name.
"The one called Tsunade."
Kiyohara raised an eyebrow.
He could hardly imagine what kind of situation would lead Tsunade to voluntarily hand Kaguya a bottle of soda.
Most likely, Tsunade had just returned from the gambling hall and happened to buy a case of soda from a convenience store. When she entered the house and noticed Kaguya sitting in the living room, she had probably handed one bottle to her because of some complicated impulse.
"What do you think of the taste?"
Kiyohara asked.
When Kaguya was not focused on absorbing chakra, she actually looked relatively normal.
For her, the most important thing was recovering her chakra.
However, the outside world was currently filled with danger. Because of this, Kaguya was extremely eager to recover her chakra as quickly as possible, while also understanding that she needed to rely on Kiyohara.
As a result, Kaguya had begun coming over to Kiyohara's place whenever she had nothing else to do.
There were two reasons for this.
First, Kiyohara's chakra was incredibly tempting to her.
Second, staying near him could also be considered a form of protection.
Without her previous high-stat advantage, Kaguya's current strength relied almost entirely on her combat experience, and that alone would leave her at a significant disadvantage.
If Kiyohara could be described as someone who was invincible among those of the same level, then Kaguya had once possessed the highest stats among those of the same level, but her actual combat control had been practically nonexistent.
She simply could not bring out the strength she was supposed to possess.
Kaguya raised the soda bottle in front of her eyes. Through the glass, her pure white eyes watched the bubbles continuously rising inside.
The tiny bubbles floated upward from the bottom of the bottle before bursting with soft pops at the surface. Each individual bubble was so small that it was almost impossible to see, but when countless bubbles gathered together, they created a crisp and pleasant sound.
"This water is somewhat strange."
Her voice remained flat and emotionless.
"When I drink it, there are very small stings inside my mouth."
"Those are bubbles."
Kiyohara leaned back against the sofa, amusement evident in his voice.
"This is a drink. Soda, fruit juice, wine, and things like that are all called beverages. They have more interesting flavors than plain water. Drink a little more and you'll get used to it."
Kaguya nodded.
She brought the bottle back to her lips and took another small sip.
The sensation of the bubbles bursting across her tongue caused her to narrow her eyes slightly. Then she took another sip, and the slight tension in her brow gradually disappeared.
"I'm used to it."
She announced this matter-of-factly.
Then she placed the soda bottle back on the coffee table. Her expression remained as calm as still water, but her fingers quietly nudged the bottle a little closer to herself.
Kiyohara watched her dazed and somewhat absent-minded appearance and found her unexpectedly adorable.
A goddess who had lived for thousands of years was currently sitting on his sofa, secretly making a small move simply to keep a bottle of soda within her reach.
Her eyelashes were very long, casting a small shadow over her eyelids whenever she lowered her head to look at the bottle.
Her lips had become slightly red from drinking the chilled soda, while a thin layer of sweat had appeared on the tip of her nose.
The weather in July was simply too hot. Although the ice-silk fabric was breathable, a faint sheen of moisture still covered her forehead and collarbone.
A small drop of sweat had collected in the hollow of her collarbone beneath the neckline of her black outfit. It trembled slightly with every movement of her breathing.
Kiyohara reached out and gently tucked a strand of white hair that had been dampened by sweat behind her ear.
Kaguya did not react to his touch.
Or rather, she had already begun getting used to it.
Her attention returned to the bottle of soda. She took another sip, then gave a slight nod, as though confirming for herself that this thing called a beverage truly deserved her approval.
"Kiyohara, you're back?"
Tsunade's voice came from the doorway.
She pushed the door open and walked inside, still carrying the heat of the outdoors with her. Her blonde hair was tied into a high ponytail, and beads of sweat hung from her temples and neck.
After entering, Tsunade immediately took off her outer coat, revealing the sleeveless shirt underneath.
Her cheeks were slightly flushed. In her left hand, she clutched a wallet.
Judging from how thin the wallet had become, it seemed that she had once again lost everything she had brought with her today.
"How did you do today?"
Kiyohara asked, even though he already knew the answer.
Tsunade kicked off her wooden sandals and walked barefoot toward the sofa. She dropped herself down beside Kiyohara on his other side and slapped her wallet onto the coffee table.
"Ahem. I almost won."
"In other words, you didn't win."
Kiyohara smiled.
"You little brat!"
Seeing Kiyohara expose her embarrassing gambling record, Tsunade glared at him unhappily.
Then she turned her attention toward Kaguya, who was still concentrating on her soda.
Tsunade studied Kaguya's exquisitely beautiful face, a face so flawless that it almost seemed unreal, as well as those strange eyes of hers.
Her pupils were completely white without the slightest impurity, resembling two pieces of jade from which every trace of color had been stripped away.
Tsunade had seen the Byakugan of the Hyuga clan before. However, even the eyes of Hyuga clan members retained the outline of their pupils.
Kaguya's eyes contained nothing of the sort.
They were simply a vast expanse of pure white.
Tsunade leaned closer to Kiyohara and lowered her voice as she whispered into his ear.
"Who exactly is this woman? I exchanged a punch with her last time, but she didn't move even an inch."
Kiyohara's eyelid twitched when he heard this.
Tsunade's curiosity was truly impressive. She had actually gone so far as to test her physical strength against Kaguya.
"Her background is quite extraordinary."
Kiyohara did not answer directly.
"You'll find out eventually."
Tsunade frowned.
She was not particularly satisfied with such an evasive answer, but she did not continue pressing him.
She had known Kiyohara for long enough to understand that if he did not want to talk about something, questioning him would not accomplish anything.
However, she could confirm one thing.
That white-haired woman was extremely powerful, so powerful that Tsunade could not see through her at all.
...
At the same time, in the Land of Rain.
Inside a secret chamber within the old Akatsuki's base, Madara sat cross-legged on a stone chair, his hands forming a series of complicated hand seals.
A faint layer of Yin Release chakra covered the surface of his body. It flowed along his chakra pathways before eventually gathering entirely within the Wood Clone standing in front of him.
The Wood Clone's form gradually became more solid.
Madara had poured nearly all of his chakra into this clone.
Hashirama stood to one side with his arms folded across his chest. He watched Madara use the technique that he himself had invented, and the expression on his face was indescribably complicated.
"You seem to be getting pretty comfortable using my Wood Clone."
There was a hint of teasing in Hashirama's voice.
Madara ignored him.
As the Yin Release chakra continued to flow into the clone, the Wood Clone opened its eyes.
Those eyes were in the state of the Mangekyo Sharingan. The tomoe slowly rotated against the scarlet background.
The Wood Clone did not say a word.
It simply turned around and disappeared from the secret chamber.
Hashirama watched the direction in which the Wood Clone had disappeared. The playful expression on his face gradually faded, replaced by a trace of worry.
"Madara, what exactly are you planning to do?"
He asked in a low voice.
"Nothing."
Madara quickly began replenishing his chakra.
This was one of the advantages of having an Edo Tensei body. No matter how much chakra he consumed or refined, his supply seemed capable of recovering almost endlessly.
The Wood Clone that had departed the secret chamber used the Reverse Summoning Technique through a summoned beast and arrived in Konoha.
"Hm?"
Madara's eyes widened slightly.
Wait.
Where was the village?
Why was there a city here?
For a moment, Madara almost thought he had come to the wrong place.
He looked toward the mountains stretching into the distance. Judging from the surrounding geographical features, Madara confirmed that this was indeed the place where Konoha had once stood.
"So many things have changed."
Madara frowned.
Even so, he quickly concealed himself and infiltrated the city.
Today, he had something important to accomplish.
Meanwhile, in Konoha, upstream along the Naka River.
Uchiha Izuna stood on the shallow bank of the river. The cracks characteristic of his Edo Tensei body spread across his face and arms.
Shisui stood beside him. Both of their Sharingan were simultaneously gazing toward the upper reaches of the river.
"Shisui, among the younger generation I have encountered, you are the one with the greatest insight."
Izuna spoke.
He had discovered that, unexpectedly, he got along extremely well with this younger member of the Uchiha clan named Shisui.
According to Shisui, Itachi had a personality that would probably get along with Izuna just as well.
Unfortunately, Itachi was currently away on a mission, so Izuna had never met him.
"You flatter me, Senior."
Shisui replied politely.
At that moment, both of them suddenly sensed a chakra approaching.
A figure slowly emerged from the forest.
The man's long black hair hung loosely down his back, revealing a stern and cold face.
Inside his eye sockets were a pair of scarlet Mangekyo Sharingan. The tomoe patterns slowly rotated within his pupils.
Izuna's body suddenly stiffened.
He stared at that face.
It was exactly the same face he remembered, yet at the same time, it had become so unfamiliar after all these years.
Decades had passed.
He had spent an incredibly long time sleeping within the Pure Land. Even after being revived by Kiyohara through Edo Tensei, it had taken him quite some time to adapt to this completely new world.
And now, his elder brother was standing directly before him.
Izuna slowly clenched his fists.
Madara stopped walking and stood approximately twenty paces away from the two of them.
His gaze passed over Shisui, over the flowing waters of the Naka River, and over the decades that separated the two brothers.
His eyes finally settled directly on Izuna.
"Izuna."
He spoke.
His voice carried a tenderness that had not been heard for many years.
"It's me."
Izuna's lips trembled slightly.
Then his expression hardened.
He took a step forward. The fingers of his Edo Tensei body tightened so forcefully that they produced a faint creaking sound.
"Madara."
Izuna's voice echoed across the surface of the Naka River. Every word carried anger and sorrow.
"You are no longer a member of the Uchiha clan. You betrayed our will. You betrayed our father's final wishes. You betrayed every member of our clan who sacrificed their lives for the Uchiha."
"You are no longer worthy of being my brother!"
Madara's pupils contracted slightly.
The chakra within the Wood Clone's meridians surged violently.
He extended a hand, as though he wanted to explain himself.
"Izuna, listen to me. Everything I have done has been for the Eye of the Moon Plan."
"Hmph. The Eye of the Moon Plan? I already knew about it."
Izuna shook his head.
"You want to plunge the entire world into an illusion. Is that the peace you want, Brother?"
Madara fell silent.
All he had ever wanted was to create a world without war, without betrayal, and without loss.
Yet when the words reached his lips, he realized that every explanation sounded painfully hollow.
Before he could say anything else, a surge of green chakra suddenly shot into the sky from the riverbank.
Shisui immediately activated his Susanoo.
Brilliant green chakra surged from his body. Starting from a skeletal framework, muscles and armor rapidly formed over it, and within moments, a gigantic green warrior standing dozens of meters tall appeared beside the Naka River.
The Susanoo held a spiraling green spear in its hand, its tip pointed directly at Madara.
"Madara, step back."
Shisui's voice echoed from within the Susanoo.
"I will not allow you to do whatever you please in Konoha."
"I don't like people interrupting me when I'm talking to my brother."
Madara raised his head.
An astonishing force of power erupted from his Mangekyo Sharingan.
Deep blue chakra burst forth from his body.
The waters of the Naka River were violently lifted by the chakra storm, forming a massive reverse waterfall. Countless droplets were suspended in midair, dyed a deep blue by the overwhelming chakra surrounding them.
A colossal deep-blue Susanoo rose from the ground.
Its body was considerably larger than Shisui's Susanoo. Its armor was thicker and heavier, and two enormous chakra wings unfolded behind its back.
In its hands, it wielded two enormous curved chakra blades.
The two Susanoo faced each other from opposite sides of the Naka River.
One green and one blue.
One larger and one smaller.
Shisui's Susanoo was clearly at a disadvantage in terms of size, but his expression remained completely unchanged.
"Very good."
Madara's voice came from within the deep-blue Susanoo. There was even a hint of appreciation in his tone.
"Your Susanoo is more complete than I expected. To reach this level at your age, you have quite a bit of the style I possessed in my younger days."
The moment his words fell, the deep-blue Susanoo moved.
Its speed was completely inconsistent with its enormous size.
The two chakra blades crossed as they swung downward, creating a gigantic cross-shaped slash.
Wherever the sword energy passed, the river was split into four sections. The water surged violently toward both sides, exposing the wet pebbles covering the riverbed.
Shisui turned sideways and raised his spear to block.
The moment the green spear collided with the chakra blade, a visible shockwave spread outward from the point of impact.
The bamboo forests on both sides of the Naka River were simultaneously cut down.
The ground beneath Shisui's feet cracked.
His Susanoo was forced backward by the overwhelming force of the attack, sliding more than ten meters across the ground.
With only their first exchange, the difference in strength had already become obvious.
Madara did not continue his assault.
Instead, he turned his head toward Izuna standing beside the river.
"Izuna, come with me. I can explain everything to you."
"No."
Izuna raised his head.
The scarlet Mangekyo Sharingan in his eyes erupted with an equally powerful surge of ocular strength.
Blue-white chakra poured out of his body, forming another Susanoo over the surface of the river.
Its color was somewhat similar to Madara's Susanoo, but its body was more translucent, while a layer of cold white light surrounded its edges.
A slender chakra blade appeared in the hand of the blue-white Susanoo.
The blade was narrower than the long swords wielded by Madara's Susanoo, but its curve was considerably sharper.
The two similarly colored Susanoo stood side by side, facing the enormous deep-blue warrior on the opposite bank.
"I cannot allow you to continue down this wrong path, Brother."
Izuna's voice came from within his Susanoo.
"If you insist on continuing, then I will stop you here."
The deep-blue Susanoo remained silent for a moment.
Then Madara's voice finally sounded.
"Fine."
It was a single-word answer.
Then the deep-blue chakra suddenly surged.
Madara no longer held anything back.
Three Susanoo erupted into a chaotic battle above the Naka River.
The green spear, the blue-white chakra blade, and the deep-blue long swords clashed in the air.
Every collision erupted with dazzling light and deafening roars.
The waters of the Naka River were repeatedly lifted by the chakra shockwaves before crashing back down, only to be thrown upward again moments later.
The entire shape of the river channel was being completely transformed by the battle.
Shisui's long spear pierced through the shoulder armor of Madara's Susanoo.
At the same time, his own flank was struck by one of Madara's long swords, causing half of the green Susanoo's armor to shatter into countless points of light.
Izuna's chakra blade struck the arm armor of Madara's Susanoo.
The blade cut halfway through before becoming lodged in the armor.
The deep-blue Susanoo immediately swung its other fist backward and slammed it into the chest of the blue-white Susanoo.
The enormous force sent Izuna flying dozens of meters through the air before he crashed heavily into the mountain wall on the opposite bank.
Rocks exploded outward.
A massive crater appeared in the mountain wall, with spiderweb-like cracks spreading in every direction.
The scene could only be described as three gigantic mechas fighting.
Shisui and Izuna were supposed to be the heroes in the analogy, but at this moment, the two of them were the ones being completely suppressed.
Madara's true body was far stronger than the two of them combined.
Even though he was currently fighting through nothing more than a Wood Clone, his combat experience and mastery of chakra were still on an entirely different level.
"Fire Release: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"
Under the protection of his Susanoo, Madara formed hand seals and opened his mouth.
A gigantic wall of flames more than thirty meters wide erupted from his mouth.
The temperature of the flames was so high that the surrounding air twisted and distorted.
As the wall of fire swept across the Naka River, a large portion of the river water was instantly vaporized, filling the area with a vast cloud of white steam.
Shisui crossed the arms of his green Susanoo in front of its chest and endured the attack head-on.
The armor covering the surface of the Susanoo was burned until it became blackened and glowing red, while cracks appeared in its internal chakra framework.
"Sword of Susanoo!"
Madara did not give him even a moment to catch his breath.
The deep-blue Susanoo raised its chakra sword high into the air.
Dense curse-seal patterns appeared across the blade.
Then it brought the sword down with overwhelming force, like Mount Tai crashing down from the heavens.
The green Susanoo was struck head-on.
Its entire body was smashed downward from the air and crashed heavily into the riverbed of the Naka River.
Water exploded upward, forming a massive splash that rose dozens of meters into the air.
Inside the Susanoo, Shisui dropped to one knee.
A thin trickle of blood escaped from the corner of his mouth.
His Susanoo was already on the verge of collapse. The green chakra surrounding its body flickered erratically, growing dim and bright in rapid succession.
"Cough..."
Izuna was not faring much better.
He clutched his chest as the cracks in his Edo Tensei body faintly shimmered across his face.
However, they quickly healed.
That was one of the greatest advantages of Edo Tensei.
Even after suffering injuries, the body could repair itself automatically.
"We cannot let him continue."
Izuna pulled himself free from the mountain wall.
Although his blue-white Susanoo had also sustained damage, his fighting spirit had not diminished in the slightest.
He rushed back toward the battlefield and positioned himself in front of Shisui, once again facing Madara's deep-blue Susanoo.
"Brother."
Izuna stared at the enormous warrior across from him. His voice carried a trace of sorrow.
"You were once the person I admired most in this world. Your strength, your wisdom, your foresight, all of them were among the greatest the clan had produced in hundreds of years. I was always proud of you."
"But now, you have betrayed the Uchiha clan. You have betrayed our father's final wishes."
Madara's Susanoo paused.
Then the deep-blue warrior slowly lowered the long sword in its hand.
"Izuna..."
Madara frowned.
Because he could feel it clearly.
Izuna did not accept his reasons.
The two brothers who had once been inseparable, who had once been able to talk about anything and everything, had now reached opposite sides of the battlefield.
And while the two brothers confronted each other, Konoha was also rapidly mobilizing its forces.
(End of Chapter)