Konoha's Tag-System Ninja

Upon returning to Konoha, Shūichi parted ways with Shisui and made a brief stop at the research facility before heading to the Hokage's office.

Seeing his student arrive, Minato Namikaze greeted him with a warm smile.

"It seems everything went smoothly."

"Indeed, it did."

Shūichi approached Minato's desk and placed a glass vial on it.

Minato's expression sharpened as he recognized its contents.

"This is… a Byakugan. Is this the one the Mist ninja had taken?"

Shūichi nodded.

"I saw it, so I retrieved it along the way."

"In a few days, the Fourth Mizukage should send someone to negotiate a peace agreement."

Minato's eyes widened.

"The Fourth Mizukage? Shūichi, did you… kill the Third Mizukage?"

Shūichi shook his head.

"No, just severely injured him. However, the Third Mizukage is already quite old, and given the humiliation of this incident, I doubt he'll last long. He's likely to step down soon."

Minato nodded, finding this explanation reasonable. After a moment's thought, he asked,

"What about the Cloud ninja? When do you plan to take action against them?"

Shūichi considered it briefly.

"We'll wait a bit. Let the situation with the Mist Village ferment for a few days."

Minato chuckled.

"That way, the Cloud ninja will have more time to prepare. You want to create a stronger deterrent, don't you?"

Shūichi gave a thumbs-up.

"As expected of you, Sensei. Your insight is unmatched."

Minato shook his head with a smile before turning serious.

"After this, the Daimyō's initiative to train his own ninja forces will likely begin. How do you plan to approach this?"

Shūichi already had a plan in mind.

"The wandering ninja and small clans recruited by the Daimyō should follow the framework used by the Root division, though without the use of genjutsu for control."

"These people will be difficult to manage since they're employed by the Daimyō. However, for the secret training base the Daimyō wants to establish—akin to a ninja academy—it should focus on members of the Fire Country's nobility and ministers. I'll even recommend that some of their heirs be trained as ninjas to ensure future control over this force."

"But ultimately, the group we truly need to win over is this segment of nobility and ministers."

"Winning them over means gaining the economic backbone of the Fire Country. And the main force of this ninja group should actually consist of samurai and carefully selected commoners."

Shūichi had painted a grand vision for the Fire Country's Daimyō. But in reality, this vision was not meant for the Daimyō to enjoy.

After all, ninjas don't contribute to production, are consumed by training, and cannot manage an entire nation.

But does the Daimyō truly understand governance?

Not a chance!

And besides, ninjas don't need to govern the entire country.

Shūichi wasn't planning to replicate a system from his previous life. This is a world with extraordinary powers.

No, it wasn't about ninjas replacing the Daimyō or the existing ruling order.

It was about Shūichi Hoshita replacing the Daimyō, reshaping the ruling order!

---

Minato listened intently, slowly realizing the immense ambition hidden within his student's words.

It seemed that Shūichi's aspirations extended far beyond merely unifying all ninjas.

Could it be… he intended to replace the Daimyō?

Minato was shaken by this revelation, a thought he had never before entertained.

Wouldn't this cause turmoil throughout the nation?

No.

Minato quickly dismissed that idea. Shūichi's strategy started by winning over the Fire Country's nobility and ministers—the pillars of its governance.

But would these people betray the Daimyō?

Could Konoha offer them greater benefits?

Minato pondered but found no clear answer.

Shūichi, however, did not elaborate further. For now, it was all just a concept.

Before anything else, he needed to unify the ninja world and consolidate it into a massive collective interest.

---

The commotion caused by Shūichi in the Mist Village spread rapidly, reaching every nation and ninja village with astonishing speed.

The Other Great Ninja Villages received the intelligence almost immediately that same day.

Whether it was Ōnoki, Rasa, or the Fourth Raikage, their initial reactions were disbelief, followed by silence.

The intelligence couldn't be wrong.

The fact that Shūichi had gravely injured the Third Mizukage and forced him to concede defeat spoke volumes.

It meant that Konoha's Blue Flash now possessed enough strength to challenge an entire ninja village alone.

---

In the Tsuchikage's office, Ōnoki finished reading the report, his expression grim. He couldn't help but recall a legendary duo:

Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha! 

"A Mangekyō Sharingan… it has reappeared."

Ōnoki's mood grew heavier, tinged with jealousy and envy.

First came the Yellow Flash, Minato Namikaze, who outshone his generation and stood as an unparalleled force.

Now there was the Blue Flash, who seemed to have surpassed even Minato, exuding an aura reminiscent of the God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju.

And as if that wasn't enough, the Mangekyō Sharingan had returned.

"However, this old man isn't the same brat from back then."

Unwilling to admit defeat, Ōnoki turned to his son, Kitsuchi.

"Strengthen the protection around the Five-Tails Jinchūriki!"

The intelligence from the Mist Village mentioned their Six-Tails Jinchūriki.

Konoha hadn't just forced the Mist Village to surrender; they had also targeted their Tailed Beast.

Whether this information came from their spies or was deliberately leaked by the Mist Village, Ōnoki believed it.

After all, Shūichi had a history.

His Lava Release? Taken from the Four-Tails.

Kitsuchi immediately left to make arrangements, but Ōnoki stopped him to ask another question.

"What's the situation in the Rain Village?"

Kitsuchi replied, "There were rumors that Hanzō had been killed, but he's recently reappeared. For now, the Rain Village seems stable."

"The only notable change is that Hanzō appears to have subdued the Akatsuki organization."

Ōnoki muttered, "The Rinnegan, perhaps?"

"That massive battle… was Konoha aiming to seize the Rinnegan?"

The Rinnegan's legend wasn't exclusive to Konoha; Iwagakure was well-versed in its lore too.

And they had noticed Nagato's Rinnegan.

Kitsuchi speculated, "We have too little information right now. Few witnessed that large-scale battle."

"But it's highly likely. Beyond the Rinnegan, I can't think of any other reason."

"Konoha wouldn't possibly aim to annex the Rain Village, would they?"

Ōnoki nodded thoughtfully and said,

"Send someone to the Rain Village. We could secretly form an alliance with them to counter Konoha."

"We could even delegate some missions to the Rain Village."

Kitsuchi was startled but nodded.

"Understood!"

---

In the Sand Village, the Fourth Kazekage Rasa couldn't help but recall the moment Shūichi had threatened him when he read the report.

It seemed the Third Mizukage hadn't submitted to the threat—and yet he still lost.

"Another figure like Hashirama Senju?"

Rasa sighed inwardly, feeling immense pressure.

Although Suna was allied with Konoha, it wasn't to the extent of complete subordination.

The stronger Konoha grew, the greater the pressure on Suna. In the future, they might have to yield to Konoha in all matters, potentially becoming little more than a vassal state.

This was something Rasa, as Kazekage, had to consider.

Rising to the window, he gazed outside at his youngest son, Gaara, happily playing with his siblings. His heart filled with hope.

The previous One-Tail Jinchūriki had nearly become a perfect Jinchūriki but had tragically died in battle.

Even so, Shukaku's cooperative attitude had been maintained. Rasa held high expectations for his youngest son to become the second perfect Jinchūriki in the ninja world.

With such a trump card, they could face Konoha with greater confidence.

Rasa's gaze shifted to his daughter, Temari, and he remembered the kunai Shūichi had given her on their last encounter.

Although his daughter displayed remarkable talent, Rasa had no confidence that she could ever defeat someone like Shūichi.

But a different thought crossed his mind.

Konoha was now as powerful as it had been during the era of Hashirama and Madara. Direct opposition would be unwise.

While he needed to guard against becoming a vassal, Suna could also establish a closer relationship with Konoha—similar to the bond between the Land of Whirlpools and Konoha in the past.

By leveraging Konoha's strength, Suna could further its development.

---

Kumogakure.

The Fourth Raikage turned to Dodai and asked, "Are you certain that Shūichi will come?"

Dodai nodded. "Based on the situation in Kirigakure, whether it's to end the war or for the power of the Tailed Beasts, he's bound to come."

The Fourth Raikage slammed his hands on the desk, exuding a powerful aura. "Good!"

"If that's the case, we'll prepare in advance and ensure he stays here permanently!"

Dodai broke into a cold sweat. "Fourth Raikage, such an action could result in tremendous losses."

"Besides Shūichi, there's also Shisui of the Body Flicker, who has awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan."

"Don't forget Uchiha Madara from back in the day, Raikage-sama."

The Fourth Raikage snorted. "Of course, I know that."

"That's exactly why we need to take this opportunity to eliminate them—even just one of them."

"So, have we come up with a plan to counter Konoha's teleportation technique?"

Dodai shook his head helplessly. "It's incredibly difficult to counter a space-time ninjutsu, perhaps even impossible."

The Fourth Raikage was visibly displeased but could only relent. "In that case, we'll focus our efforts on Uchiha Shisui."

"We'll take him out and seize the Mangekyō Sharingan in the process."

"Although that teleportation technique is fast, as long as we land a hit during the battle and prevent him from activating the technique, it's not impossible to bring him down."

"Yugito has already mastered part of the Two-Tails' power. She'll join the battle."

Dodai wanted to say more, but the Fourth Raikage cut him off with a firm wave. "That's final. Start drafting the battle plan!"

"I'll go check on Bee. If he can gain better control of the Tailed Beast's power, our chances will be even greater."

"Hmph, I refuse to accept the same result as the Third Mizukage!"

With that, the Fourth Raikage strode out of the room, heading for the Valley of Clouds and Lightning to oversee Killer Bee's training.

---

As time passed, the Mist Village's envoys had yet to arrive in Konoha, but the situation continued to escalate.

Because the Third Mizukage was dead.

Yagura had ascended to become the Fourth Mizukage.

The news that the Third Mizukage had been killed by Konoha's Blue Flash spread like wildfire throughout the ninja world.

---

Amegakure.

In the tower's meeting room, a spiral-patterned White Zetsu emerged from the ground, detaching from Uchiha Obito. Addressing Nagato, Black Zetsu, and the others, he said, "Good news. The new Fourth Mizukage has personally sealed the Three-Tails and become its Jinchūriki."

Nagato turned to Uchiha Obito. "The Sharingan can control the Nine-Tails. A mere Three-Tails shouldn't be an issue, right?"

"This place has already drawn Konoha's attention. The Akatsuki needs to find a new cover."

"Kirigakure just went through major turmoil. It seems like an ideal target."

Uchiha Obito nodded. "Indeed, Kirigakure is an excellent target."

"Controlling the Three-Tails' Jinchūriki is not an issue. It'll provide the perfect opportunity to use Kirigakure for certain operations."

Nagato said, "Then let us witness the power of the Sharingan's genjutsu when the time comes."

(End of Chapter)

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