Naruto: The Age of Ninja Swords Begins in Kumogakure

After Tamura Hao led his men back to Kirigakure, 100,000 fully armed Kirigakure ninjas set off in batches, traveling by sea to various coastlines on the mainland.

At the appointed time, they would set off simultaneously, using their armored vehicles to quickly fly into the interior of the continent, heading to the locations of powerful and wealthy merchants to plunder, as well as places where various resources were stockpiled and sealed. Anything of value was their target.

Of these 100,000 people, only 10,000 were ninjas trained by Kirigakure itself. With the assistance of the puppet armor, they could unleash Jonin-level combat power and were responsible for commanding operations.

The remaining 90,000 people were ninja warriors formed by Tamura Hao using his own chakra to infiltrate the bodies of ordinary people. Although their chakra aptitude was not good, they were still able to refine chakra. With the help of chakra, their explosive power would far exceed that of ordinary people. They were skilled in taijutsu and swordsmanship, and with the assistance of puppet armor, their close combat strength was also not bad.

Ninety thousand ninja warriors were responsible for assisting and fighting, while ten thousand ninjas were mainly responsible for sealing the harvested supplies into various storage ninja tools.

Meanwhile, a group of ninjas in the village will use summoning jutsu to recall the full ninja tools, release the supplies inside, quickly sort and store them, and then summon the empty storage ninja tools over for reuse.

The fighting power of 100,000 ninja soldiers equipped with puppet armor is quite terrifying. They could easily sweep through the ninja world, let alone target only the powerful and wealthy.

Besides the powerful and wealthy merchants, Kirigakure also specifically assigned people to target the daimyo prefectures of various countries, especially the remaining four major countries.

The person in charge of the Daimyo's office in the Land of Lightning is Miyajo En, which was at Miyajo En's own request.

The tragedy that befell the Blood Pond Clan was caused by the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning; the Uchiha were merely a tool of the Daimyo.

Although those people from back then are long dead, their descendants are still alive and continue to employ Uchiha ninjas to guard their Blood Pond Clan, so the hatred continues.

"We're finally back."

Looking down at the Daimyo's mansion in the Land of Lightning, Miyajo En's eyes, hidden behind his glasses, were blood-red, filled with intense killing intent, and a hundred-meter-long blood dragon danced behind him.

The blood and hatred that have plagued the Blood Pool Clan for over a hundred years will be put to rest today.

Tamura Hao didn't pay much attention to the harvesting plan; it was all pre-arranged. If they could fail even with that kind of lineup, then those people should just go and kill themselves.

He continues to practice and conduct research, especially in the research field.

Viewing Orochimaru's memories greatly benefited him, especially after arranging for the cleanup of Orochimaru's bases and finding Jugo, the true source of the Sage Art curse seal. After studying it, Tamura Hao gained a deeper understanding of the essence of Sage Art.

With the help of Jugo's special Sage Body, Orochimaru's research on Sage Art Seals, and Tamura Hiroshi's own body modified by the Sage Talisman, he finally developed the latest version of Sage Art Seals.

Unlike the messy effects of Orochimaru's cursed seal, it's purely for assisting in Sage Mode training, using one's own Sage Chakra and Jugo's cells as a medium, making it much more effective.

Jugo's cells are very special; he can distribute his own cells to injured people to quickly fill and heal wounds, and he may even shrink himself as a result.

It can also absorb and break down other people's cells to replenish itself, so its body cells can be perfectly integrated into anyone's body.

In addition, they also found Shin Uchiha in Orochimaru's base. His body is capable of perfectly accepting any foreign cells and tissues without causing rejection.

This physique also greatly inspired Tamura Hao. Combined with the results he had learned from White Zetsu and that ultimate summoning beast, as long as he could integrate these, he would eventually be able to develop a perfect Sage Art Seal.

In the end, even Tsunade became interested and joined in. She had also studied Sage Mode, and with the relevant information left by her great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather, she had in-depth knowledge in this area.

Unfortunately, cultivating immortal arts in the Wet Bone Forest is too dangerous; only someone like my great-grandfather can master it.

Leaving aside Tamura Hao's research, on the other side, the 100,000-strong ninja force, under a meticulous and precise plan, swept through the entire continent's powerful and wealthy merchants overnight, emptying their stored resources and even looting all their food.

Even some small ninja villages and technology companies were wiped out, leaving nothing behind.

Kushina Uzumaki and her two companions even personally descended upon Kusagakure and wiped out this village filled with evil.

Such a commotion quickly reached the ears of the four great ninja villages, who were then astonished.

"Are you sure they're from Kirigakure?"

Hiashi Hyuga, who had just become the Fifth Hokage, couldn't keep his usually serious expression up when he saw the intelligence report.

This intelligence is outrageous. Tens of thousands of ninjas suddenly appeared in the Land of Fire, looting various nobles and wealthy merchants, even destroying the Daimyo's residence, and setting the capital city ablaze for a day and a night without stopping.

"There's no mistake, only Kirigakure possesses such exquisite puppet armor."

Nara Shikaku was also quite shocked; Kirigakure's move was too sudden and too ruthless.

This will paralyze all industries in the Land of Fire, causing incalculable losses.

The destruction of the Daimyo Prefecture and many powerful figures, in particular, caused the entire Land of Fire to collapse, leaving them unsure of where to begin their recovery.

"Looting so much in one night couldn't have been a spur-of-the-moment act of revenge; it must have been premeditated."

After calming himself down and reviewing the intelligence report again, Hiashi Hyuga realized that this was something Kirigakure had planned long ago, and had nothing to do with the surprise attack by the Sannin and Uchiha Shisui. At most, it was just to get Kirigakure to act ahead of time.

"Write a letter to the other three major ninja villages to warn them that Kirigakure may not be targeting us alone."

"The Hidden Mist Village is no longer a force that Konoha can contend with."

He quickly thought of the other three great nations and three great ninja villages. Hyuga Hiashi didn't want to confront Kirigakure alone; he had to bring in the other three great ninja villages.

"The letter is already written, it just needs the Hokage's stamp."

Nara Shikaku took out the scroll of the letter he had just written. He had naturally thought of everything that Hyuga Hiashi could think of and was already prepared.

Without delay, Hyuga Hiashi reviewed the contents of the three scrolls and, finding no issues, signed and stamped them.

After receiving the three rolled-up scrolls, Nara Shikaku was about to leave when he suddenly seemed to remember something, hesitated for a moment, and then said...

"Lord Hokage, since Kirigakure dared to attack the Daimyo's residence in the Land of Fire, they have most likely already eliminated the Daimyo's residence in the Land of Water during their period of isolation. You may need to prepare to lead the village to even greater heights."

After saying that, Nara Shikaku hurriedly left with the three scrolls, arranging for people to deliver them to the three great ninja villages as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, in the temporary Hokage office, Hiashi Hyuga silently looked at the ninja world map hanging on the wall.

He hoped that Kirigakure would fight directly with the other three great ninja villages, so that he could overcome the weakness of his succession and take control of the village more quickly and effectively.

Although he has become the Fifth Hokage with the help of his clan, he has not gained the recognition of the other ninjas in the village, which is not something that can be resolved in a short time.

Now that Kirigakure has made such a big move, he feels utterly powerless.

Nara Shikaku's words were very straightforward, and he knew what "going further" meant.

In fact, they all knew about the many flaws in the ninja village system, especially its complicated relationship and even conflicts with the daimyo's mansion.

The ninja village system cannot last forever; only by further developing the ninja nation can stability be achieved.

Previously, due to the operations of the various daimyo prefectures and the balance between the five great ninja villages, they could only remain in a stalemate, not to mention the constant drain from the Ninja World War.

But now Kirigakure has broken this balance of checks and balances, and may have already established a ninja nation. Its development over the past few years is predictable.

Compared to them, Konoha has fallen behind. If Kirigakure really becomes a ninja nation, then they will have to catch up as soon as possible.

The current situation makes him unsure how to pursue her, even if he wants to.

They haven't even stabilized control over Konoha yet, let alone the entire Land of Fire.

That same evening, more shocking bad news arrived, leaving him utterly overwhelmed.

"The Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning were also ravaged? What about the Land of Wind?"

Upon hearing the latest information, Hiashi Hyuga could no longer remain calm.

What is Kirigakure trying to do?

"There is no news yet, but it is mainly due to the unique environment of the Land of Wind. The Land of Rivers was also ravaged, and the Land of Wind probably did not escape either. There will be the latest news by tomorrow at the latest."

Based on this density, the number of ninja troops mobilized by Kirigakure this time is probably around 100,000.

Nara Shikaku was also very tired, with bloodshot eyes.

He's barely slept these past few days. First, he was busy working with the Fifth Hokage on village affairs, cleaning up the mess left behind. Then, there was the big operation that Kirigakure was making. Every task was difficult and mentally taxing, let alone getting everyone together.

The scale of what Kirigakure is currently doing is much larger than he imagined, which greatly shocked him.

"How did Kirigakure develop so quickly after becoming a ninja nation?"

Upon hearing the number 100,000 ninja troops, Hiashi Hyuga clenched his fists.

One hundred thousand ninja troops? That's utterly insane!

It should be noted that Konoha's ninja army at its peak only numbered 20,000, and Kirigakure's ninja army during the Third Shinobi World War numbered just over 10,000. Now, however, their numbers have increased tenfold.

Did the ninja village grow that fast after it was upgraded to a ninja nation?

"We don't know. Kirigakure has been in seclusion for the past few years, so we don't know how it has developed."

With such a large amount of resources obtained from this raid, our development speed will inevitably increase dramatically. We need to prepare in advance.

Nara Shikaku couldn't say for sure what power the ninja country system could unleash; everything was unknown, and at present, his understanding of Kirigakure was merely speculation.

"You mean the Shinobi World War?"

Forcing himself to calm down again, Hiashi Hyuga didn't want to start the Shinobi World War immediately, since he hadn't even taken control of the village yet.

If the Ninja World War were to break out at this time, it would be uncertain whether he could command those people.

Although the Hyuga clan is powerful, there are also many other ninja clans in the village, not to mention a large number of civilian ninjas.

The Third Shinobi World War was officially ended just a few months ago, and people have not yet recovered from the pain of the war. If another Shinobi World War is started now, it is hard to say how many people will be willing to go to the battlefield.

"We also need to establish a Ninja Country to accelerate the development of the village. With the abundant resources and large population of our Land of Fire, we can improve it quickly."

Nara Shikaku steered the conversation toward the Ninja Country. He knew that starting a war immediately was unrealistic, and that even if the four major Ninja Villages joined forces, they might not be able to defeat the 100,000-strong ninja army of Kirigakure.

The main reason is that they had just experienced the Ninja World War, and their manpower and resources were greatly depleted. In particular, Konoha had just experienced a coup, which made their problems even more numerous.

There's no way to fight!

That leaves only self-development as an option; establishing a ninja nation is currently the only way to catch up with Kirigakure.

"Summon all ninja clan leaders for a meeting!"

After pondering for a while, Hiashi Hyuga finally decided to do it.

It wasn't just Hyuga Hiashi who made the decision to establish a ninja nation; Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure also made the same decision.

Although they were all taken aback by the strength displayed by Kirigakure and knew that they were formidable opponents, the problem was that they couldn't fight them at the moment.

The previous Third Shinobi World War had already exhausted them, and at this time, the war-weariness of the village ninjas was at its highest.

Therefore, the only option is to establish a ninja nation to develop itself, accelerate its recovery, and narrow the gap with Kirigakure. Once it has recovered, it can decide whether to go to war.

After making the decision, all the ninjas from the four major ninja villages were mobilized to purge the remaining powerful and wealthy individuals in their respective countries.

Although Kirigakure had been cleaned up before, it only targeted the main characters and couldn't possibly eliminate everyone.

While 100,000 ninja troops may seem like a lot, they are nothing more than a ripple on the entire continent.

This is exactly what Kirigakure wants to see: by having the four great ninja villages eliminate everyone, it will be much easier to take over later.

"As expected, the four great ninja villages have all chosen to establish ninja kingdoms first, and they will inevitably become our great enemies in the future."

After reviewing the latest intelligence, Mei Terumi frowned, still inclined to annihilate the four great ninja villages.

"All industrial facilities have been destroyed, equipment has been seized, and mines and tunnels have been blown up. It will take at least ten years to restore them."

Controlling a country is no easy task; the manpower of a ninja village is far from sufficient, and some issues cannot be resolved through force alone.

Master Yuan leisurely sipped his tea. This tea was a rare delicacy brought from the Land of Thunder, and its production was very limited.

The transition from a ninja village to a ninja nation is not easy; they have encountered many problems in recent years.

Fortunately, the fourth generation was powerful and wise enough to lead them through the ordeal.

It will be much more difficult for the four great ninja villages to upgrade into ninja nations. Once they have completed their transformation, they will have developed to a point where they can unify the world in one fell swoop.

"But we can't just let them continue like that."

Mei Terumi was still unwilling to accept defeat; they were now fully capable of wiping out the four great ninja villages.

"If we start a war now, it will take us at least twenty years to achieve unification, but if we develop quietly for ten years, we can unify the world in a year, or even less."

After careful consideration and comparison, Master Yuan realized that he disliked radical and risky approaches. Their Hidden Mist Village was far from reaching its peak, and all aspects were developing and improving rapidly.

Moreover, it has only been a few years since it was transformed into the Ninja Kingdom, and many aspects are still not perfect.

Even if they unified the world at this point, they wouldn't have enough manpower and experience to stabilize it, and it could easily fall apart.

Seeing that the disciple was deep in thought, Master Yuan spoke of the most important point.

"There's one more thing you haven't considered: besides the four great ninja villages, our enemies also include the three great holy lands."

Last time, the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku took the initiative to attack, and the Great Toad Sage alone forced the Fourth Hokage to use his trump card in a bloody battle.

If all the immortals from the three holy lands were to mobilize, how would we possibly defend ourselves?

"Xiao Ming, your heart is in turmoil."

Finally, he gave a reminder, knowing that this disciple had definitely been tempted by kindness.

"But once the four great ninja villages have completed their transformation into ninja nations, and war breaks out again, we don't know how many people we will have to sacrifice."

Mei Terumi dislikes fighting such wars because they would no longer be the Ninja World War, but a world war, which would be far more brutal and result in even more deaths.

Having experienced the Third Shinobi World War, she truly didn't want to see the many tragedies caused by war again.

"Have faith in the man you've chosen. Once his strength reaches a certain level, numbers become meaningless. Perhaps in the end, the four great ninja villages will surrender on their own."

He said meaningfully, "Master Yuan has witnessed the power of the peak, namely the First Hokage. His power far exceeded imagination. Even the tailed beasts were just playthings in his hands, even the strongest Nine-Tails."

He didn't witness the final battle between the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha at the Valley of the End, but he did visit the Valley of the End. The sight there allowed him to glimpse a fraction of their combined strength, and even so, he was filled with dread.

If the Fourth Hokage could reach that level, he could suppress all the ninja villages by himself.

"I'm starting to doubt if he's even a man. He doesn't know how to be gentle with women at all when he gets into a fight."

Mei Terumi was filled with resentment when she recalled the headbutt and the large bump from last time.

"Don't be impatient. We have to let that girl from the Ringo family go first. Otherwise, the Ringo family won't agree, and you'll be targeted even more in the future. It's not a wise choice."

Yuan Shi smiled and advised, knowing full well that letting Terumi Mei join was already the limit the Ringo family could tolerate. If Terumi Mei were to get there first, the Ringo family would definitely cause an uproar.

If things escalate and a commotion breaks out, it will actually be detrimental to Xiao Ming.

"Then we'll have to wait another four or five years."

Mei Terumi was quite depressed. She knew she was already twenty-two, and by the time that girl came of age, she would be twenty-six, making her an old maid.

"Focus more on your cultivation and work. The reforms proposed by the Fourth Hokage have only just begun and will inevitably encounter many problems, which will require us to find ways to solve them one by one."

These must all be finalized before the unified plan begins, so that it can be expanded to the whole world as quickly as possible in the future and avoid many problems.

Currently, the territory is only the Land of Water, so problems can be quickly adjusted and remedied. However, if it expands to the entire world in the future, any problems will become major events, or even disasters.

Unifying the world is not easy, and governing a stable and unified world is even more difficult.

The Fourth Hokage has always focused on training and research, paying little attention to governance. These are your future tasks, so you must manage them well.

Yuan Shi paid more attention to the governance after unification and had a deep understanding of this aspect.

Just like their Hidden Mist Village, it wasn't easy for the First Hokage to unify the many ninja clans of the Land of Water and form a ninja village, but governing the village after its establishment was even more difficult, eventually leading to the decades-long Blood Mist Policy, which resulted in the deaths of countless people.

This tragedy must never be allowed to happen again. (End of Chapter)