Land of Wind — Sunagakure
The endless wind and sand remained unchanged, but compared to the devastation left behind by the falling meteors, Sunagakure had at least managed to rebuild a handful of passable structures.
Inside the Kazekage's office, Rasa was drenched in sweat as he hurriedly packed up his valuables.
"Damn it! Useless trash!" he cursed under his breath.
"A resistance force of three thousand couldn't even last half a day!"
"And that old bastard Hiruzen Sarutobi—completely unreliable!"
There was only one thought in Rasa's mind now.
Run.
The news of the Earth–Lightning Joint Resistance Army's complete annihilation had just arrived. He knew there was no escaping it—Uchiha Tobirama, the true calamity of the shinobi world, would never let him go as the financial backer behind the scenes.
"Where do you think you're going, Fourth Kazekage?"
A cold, mocking voice suddenly sounded behind him.
Rasa's body went rigid. His heart nearly stopped.
He turned around stiffly.
On the sofa in the office sat Uchiha Tobirama, legs crossed, casually playing with a golden ornament taken from Rasa's desk. Those Six-Tomoe Rinnegan regarded him with an amused half-smile.
"T-Tobirama-sama?!"
Rasa swallowed hard, forcing a smile uglier than a grimace.
"Why… why are you here? I was just about to celebrate how you dealt with those rogue ninja—"
"Enough. Spare me the act."
Tobirama crushed the ornament in his hand. Golden dust slipped through his fingers.
"You dared to fund a rebellion. You should have been prepared for me to come collect."
"I left you alive so you could pay taxes obediently. But since you chose to be a wolf instead of a dog—"
"Then die."
"I won't accept this!"
Seeing there was no room for mercy, Rasa's expression twisted with desperation.
If death was inevitable, he would fight to the end.
"Magnet Release: Giant Gold Dust Burial!"
Boom!
The ground shattered as an overwhelming tide of gold dust surged forth like a golden tsunami, crashing toward Tobirama. In the desert, this was Rasa's ultimate killing technique—powerful enough to bury mountains.
"Are those your last words?"
Tobirama remained seated, unmoving.
He raised a single finger.
"Shinra Tensei."
Boom!!
An invisible repulsive force erupted outward from Tobirama. The instant the gold dust made contact, it was violently reflected back.
The shockwave blasted the entire roof off the Kazekage Building.
"Pff—!"
Rasa was smashed into the wall by his own technique. Bones cracked audibly as blood sprayed from his mouth.
Before his body could even slide down—
Swish!
Tobirama appeared before him, gripping his throat with a clawed hand.
"You think you're qualified to scheme against me?"
"You're courting death."
Crack.
The sharp sound of a snapping neck echoed through the room.
Rasa's eyes widened, the light within them fading completely.
The Fourth Kazekage was dead.
Before absolute power, even a Kage was no more than a fragile chick.
Tobirama casually tossed Rasa's corpse out the shattered window.
Outside, the Sand ninja had already been alerted by the commotion, surrounding the building in layers. When they saw the Kazekage's body fall from the sky, faces drained of color and weapons clattered to the ground.
Standing at the broken window, Tobirama looked down at the trembling leadership of Sunagakure.
"Rasa colluded with rogue ninja and attempted rebellion. He has been executed on the spot."
"From today onward, we'll choose someone more obedient."
He pointed lazily at an elderly man in the crowd who looked especially timid.
"You. Step forward."
"You are now the Fifth Kazekage."
"Remember—following Rasa's example is a fast way to die."
The elder's legs gave out, and he dropped to his knees.
"Y-Yes! Thank you, Hokage-sama, for sparing my life! I will obey—absolutely!"
…
After dealing with Rasa's minor interruption, Tobirama did not leave immediately.
His perception swept across the residential area behind the Kazekage Building, and his brows lifted slightly.
"Interesting."
"Rasa's wife was supposed to be Karura… so she's still here."
"Good. A bonus."
His figure blurred.
In the next instant, he appeared inside a warmly decorated bedroom.
A gentle-looking woman with light brown short hair was clutching an infant, cowering in the corner of the bed.
Karura, holding the baby Temari.
Fear filled her eyes, but instinctively, she shielded the child with her body.
"W-Who are you…?"
"He's dead," Tobirama said calmly.
His gaze swept over her without restraint.
He stepped forward and lightly poked the infant Temari's cheek as she blew bubbles, oblivious to everything.
"Pack your things."
"Come with me."
"From today on, you're no longer the Kazekage's wife."
"You're my spoils of war."
"What… what are you going to do?" Karura retreated in panic.
"If you don't want to die, obey."
Tobirama grabbed her shoulder without further explanation.
"Konoha is far better than this place. Consider it an honor."
Flash!
The Flying Thunder God activated.
The room fell silent, leaving only the cradle swaying gently.
…
Konoha — Hokage Building
Tsunade was buried in paperwork when a golden flash erupted before her.
Tobirama appeared, accompanied by a group of people.
Mei Terumī, Ameyuri Ringo, the other Hidden Mist girls—and a woman holding a baby.
"Tobirama, what is all this…?"
Tsunade adjusted her glasses, staring at the collection of women before her as a vein pulsed on her forehead.
"You go conquer nations, and it looks like you went shopping?"
"Who did you abduct this time?"
"This is Karura, a kunoichi from Sunagakure," Tobirama said calmly, placing the infant into Tsunade's arms.
"Her name is Temari. She has good potential—take her as your apprentice later."
"As for Karura," he continued, glancing at her,
"assign her to logistics. She'll look after the children for now."
Then he turned to Mei Terumī and the others.
The four girls had been utterly terrified by Tobirama's methods and now stood as obedient as quails.
"You four will be incorporated into my direct service unit."
"Pakura will handle your discipline—training."
"In peacetime, you'll serve. In wartime, you'll kill."
"Yes… Master."
Mei Terumī bit her lip and lowered her head.
If even a Mizukage could be toyed with like a dog, what choice did they have?
…
Underground Laboratory
After settling matters aboveground, Tobirama descended into Orochimaru's domain.
The air was thick with medicinal stench. Culture tanks filled with grotesque biological samples lined the walls.
"Lord Tobirama!"
Orochimaru greeted him enthusiastically.
"The experimental data is outstanding! Especially the Bloodline Limit subjects—perfect results!"
"Enough chatter."
Tobirama walked straight to the central platform.
"Where is it?"
"How far has that technique progressed?"
Orochimaru's lips curled into a fanatical smile. He pressed a button.
A massive wall slid open, revealing rows of coffins covered in sealing formulas.
"Edo Tensei," Orochimaru rasped.
"Using your original technique as a base, I combined Hashirama cells with the latest refinements."
"In the old version, the reincarnated were weaker and unstable."
"But now—"
He patted one coffin.
"Using White Zetsu cells as sacrifices and chakra amplification from Hashirama cells…"
"The reincarnated can reach one hundred percent of their living strength."
"Even surpass it."
"And control? Absolute. Erasing their will takes only a thought."
"One hundred percent…"
A sharp glint flashed in Tobirama's eyes.
Perfect.
In the future, he wouldn't even need to fight himself.
"Let's test it," Tobirama said, taking out a prepared piece of flesh.
"To the training ground."
"Show me how 'perfect' this really is."
"Hehehe… as you wish."
Orochimaru licked his lips, anticipation blazing in his eyes.
The two figures walked side by side toward the deepest reaches of Konoha's Forest of Death.