The Third Hokage, a seasoned veteran himself, noticed Hiashi's hesitation and even the subtle thoughts of the other Branch Family's members. He sighed but didn't say much, simply stepping forward to pat Hiashi on the shoulder.
"Hokage-sama, it was Senki Ryuji!"
By this time, Kakashi had recovered somewhat and came before the Third Hokage to report the current situation.
Hiruzen listened silently to Kakashi's detailed account of the entire process, his expression shifting uncertainly.
It had always been Ryuji who held them accountable. Regarding Ryuji's actions within Konoha, they could only offer verbal protests, unable to mount any clear resistance.
Or perhaps, the fact that Ryuji hadn't openly broken into the village to snatch away Branch Family's members was already the best possible outcome.
Although they had prepared defenses against aerial attacks since the last incident, the mere thought of a colossal entity like the Floating Continent inevitably sent a tremor through their hearts.
The Third Hokage shook his head, dismissing this absurd notion. Ryuji sneaking in secretly... could that actually be considered a form of respect?
Since when had he started having such strange thoughts?
At that moment, space twisted nearby. A youth clad in green armor hurriedly emerged. It was Obito, having recovered somewhat.
Obito leapt out ready to attack, but found no enemies around. He looked around in confusion, "Where are the enemies?"
'Mangekyo Sharingan?'
Hiruzen recognized the unique Dojutsu of the Mangekyo Sharingan at a glance.
"Hokage-sama!?"
Obito, spotting the Third Hokage, hurried over to greet him.
The Third Hokage's inner gloom lightened slightly. A young Mangekyo Sharingan user who had inherited the Will of Fire, while not making up for the loss of the Hyuga Clan, did recover some of the losses.
'Fortunately, the losses Senki Ryuji inflicted on us this time weren't great.'
The Third Hokage was referring to the village's losses. This skirmish was limited to a fight between Ryuji and Kakashi along with a few Hyuga clansmen, without causing widespread damage.
They knew very clearly, as current allies, about Ryuji leveling Kumogakure to the ground six months ago, down to the details.
"Was Ryuji driven back by the Third Hokage-sama?" Obito, still unaware of what happened after he hid in the Kamui Dimension, whispered to Kakashi.
Though Obito knew Ryuji was strong, he lacked a concrete understanding. In his mind, a Shinobi's personal strength had limits; it was impossible for one person to defeat an entire Shinobi Village.
The previous achievement was only possible because of the advantages of the flying Mechanical City and the puppets' undying nature.
Kakashi glanced at him. "No. They withdrew after accomplishing their objective."
"I-Is that so?"
Hearing Kakashi's words, Obito was momentarily stunned. Then he clenched his fists, his eyes filled with unwillingness and rage.
'Senki Ryuji!!'
In the battle during the Mechanical City's descent on Konoha, he had witnessed his grandmother being crushed to death by a giant rock falling from the sky. It was precisely witnessing this that caused him to awaken the Mangekyo immediately after just opening his Sharingan.
He hadn't spoken of this to anyone.
He kept it buried deep in his heart, secretly vowing revenge.
…
The mechanical bird was extremely fast. Before long, Ryuji and the others had returned to the Mechanical City.
Ryuji had been running around constantly during this period, expending no small amount of effort for the entire Mechanical City.
Now, the Chakra Cannons and the Hyuga Clan for reconnaissance were finally all gathered.
The Mechanical City was still a scene of bustling activity, with Sunagakure's Shinobi directing construction everywhere.
In the future, the entire city would become unprecedentedly powerful.
Ryuji casually released the defected Hyuga Clan's members within the Mechanical City.
This was the first time the Hyuga Branch Family's members had set foot on this legendary city. A few of them even excitedly activated their Byakugan, curiously looking around in all directions.
Only after being reminded by those around them did they hurriedly deactivate their Byakugan. Being newcomers, such blatant probing might easily cause discomfort for their new superiors.
Tamako had already treated Mukai's wounds.
Ryuji looked down at them. "From now on, you are people of Sunagakure. The Caged Bird Seal has also been removed. Nothing can threaten your existence anymore. You will receive the same treatment as other Sunagakure's Shinobi."
Around thirty-plus Hyuga Branch Family's members had come this time. If the family members without Shinobi abilities are included, the number exceeded one hundred.
In the future, through continuous reproduction within the city, they would be sufficient to meet the entire city's needs.
"Ryuji-sama, as I understand it, other clans who came here needed to change their surnames, mingling with other commoners. From then on, there would only be comrades, no clans!"
Mukai's surname, though it was 'Kohinata', still contained the characters 'Hyuga'. (T/N: Kohinata's kanji letters is written as 'Little Hyuga', that's why it's mentioned like this.)
Ryuji nodded. He understood the other party's subtle intention. Having gone through great trouble to bring the Hyuga Branch Family over, Mukai wanted to use them as bargaining chips to gain some power for himself.
"Your contributions are naturally remembered. Your Hyuga Branch Family won't need to change your appearance like other clans, because your eyes are very distinctive."
Hearing Ryuji's words, Mukai gave a bitter smile.
"Just maintain your previous habits and surname. These are merely formalities."
Hearing Ryuji's words, Mukai secretly rejoiced. Even if they no longer existed as a clan unit in the future, as long as the surname remained, he, as the meritorious official, could hold a certain status.
This was an undeniable contribution.
Ryuji knew his little scheme but didn't bother suppressing him excessively. At this point, it wasn't really necessary.
Absolute strength was the fundamental force that could crush everything.
At that moment, Ebizo hurried over, holding a scroll in his hand.
A look of joy still lingered on his face.
"Ryuji, during your absence these days, some changes occurred, related to Kirigakure."
Ryuji took the intelligence scroll from Ebizo's hand. He had already vaguely guessed what had happened.
Unrolling the scroll, it mentioned that after an unclear power struggle in Kirigakure, a series of measures aimed at disintegrating and suppressing various Kekkei Genkai Clans had been implemented.
Many famous clans suffered heavy casualties. Some of the smaller clans had even been completely annihilated.
Many readers in his past life believed the Bloody Mist Village was something Obito created by controlling the Fourth Mizukage.
But in reality, cruelty and obedience were concepts established at Kirigakure's founding, set by the First Mizukage, refined by the Second, promoted by the Third, escalated under the Fourth, and finally ended by the Fifth.
A village built on such principles would naturally become a ruthless, cold-hearted Shinobi Village if it remained powerful.
But if it failed, it would cause people to waver.
After all, the strengths of the various villages were similar. Why should I stay in a place with such poor treatment?
After the failed expedition to the Land of Whirlpools, to shift blame and stabilize his position, the Fourth Mizukage pinned the war's responsibility on those major clans... especially the 'Yuki Clan', the same clan as the Third Mizukage, reigniting the internal strife in the Land of Water that had just subsided.
"Interesting."
Ebizo also said, "This is also an opportunity for us. Kirigakure has some extremely powerful clans that could be used to expand our strength in the future."
Sunagakure was, after all, formed by Shinobi who survived in the desert. Its foundation was weak. To ensure it could develop and prosper even after his departure, they needed stronger and more numerous Shinobi Clans to join.
"It seems we'll have to set off for Kirigakure again. There are a few promising targets there."
Ryuji put away the scroll and said to Ebizo, "We can also be more proactive now. Under such high-pressure conditions, many will likely defect directly from the village. Starting now, announce to the entire Shinobi World that Sunagakure is openly recruiting Shinobi Clans with Kekkei Genkai. This will save us a lot of trouble."
Although the real estate plan included offering free residence in Sunagakure for clans who joined, they hadn't openly recruited clans. Now, they were making their stance clear.
After all, the entire Shinobi World had already united against Sunagakure. There was no need to hide some things anymore.
Ebizo nodded in agreement.
There was no need to hide things anymore at this point. The defense system for such a massive Mechanical City was almost complete. How could they afford to act timidly in other matters?
"You just returned and have to leave again soon. I'll have to trouble you to handle things here."
Ebizo quickly demurred, "I'm merely overseeing things in your stead for a while. It's nothing compared to you."
As Ryuji accomplished one astonishing feat after another for Sunagakure, the former higher-up had grown almost completely convinced of his abilities.
Compared to him, the Kazekage and others seemed more like puppets issuing orders, merely holding the title.
Ryuji returned to his residence. This time, he planned to bring Aka and Kana along.
At Kirigakure, Kana's eyes would be quite useful.
"Without delay, we set off immediately. If we're late, we might only find corpses."
After giving his instructions, he took out the mechanical bird again, prepared some supplies and consumables, and boarded the mechanical bird to set off towards Kirigakure.
Regarding the arrangements for the Hyuga Clan, he had entrusted them to Mukai and Pakura. He believed their abilities were fully capable of handling it.
His trip to Kirigakure wasn't just to gather useful clans during the chaos; he also had in mind a few figures who would become famous in the future.
For example, Kimimaro, who later followed Orochimaru. If not for the existence of his Kekkei Genkai illness, he would have been a solid Kage-level combatant.
And Haku, who inherited the Ice Release.
One should never underestimate the war potential of the other Great Shinobi Villages.
During the Fourth Shinobi World War, the other villages united to gather a full eighty thousand Shinobi to attack Obito and his forces.
Now that Sunagakure was not joining them, the other villages uniting... gathering tens of thousands of Shinobi would be entirely possible.
Judging by the Mechanical City's current overall strength, it would be difficult to withstand the impact of such a massive Allied Shinobi Forces.
They must use all means to expand their strength as quickly as possible.
Having chosen this path, they must walk it resolutely. If they couldn't even settle matters within the Shinobi World, then facing Kaguya and the Otsutsuki Clan from the stars in the future would have unimaginable consequences.
(A/N: The notion that the Bloody Mist Village was created by Obito controlling the Fourth Mizukage is fanon. The original work never stated the Bloody Mist Village was created by the Fourth. It only said the Bloody Mist had existed for a long time. The Second Mizukage, when reanimated by Impure World Reincarnation, also spoke of the drawbacks of the Bloody Mist policy. The Fourth Mizukage, when meeting Naruto, also said he wanted to change the Bloody Mist Village but felt powerless. Therefore, the Bloody Mist Village couldn't possibly have been created by the Fourth.
In fact, Kirigakure's system aligns more with the initial concept of Japanese's Ninja in original settings: cold-blooded, unfeeling tools that only know how to obey orders.)