The God Tree had fallen, White Zetsu was dead, the foreign invaders had been beheaded, and the extremist forces of Kiri had been wiped out...
One wave of good news after another spread to the ears of every ninjas in the Allied Shinobi Forces.
The entire Allied Shinobi Forces erupted into celebration.
Though this joint operation had caused some casualties, which weren't insignificant, facing the enemy's overwhelming numbers had left everyone deeply shaken.
Originally, they had prepared themselves for a long, grueling war and the potential loss of many comrades. But the operation was a success. One hundred thousand White Zetsu and the enemy's leadership were annihilated!
Who wouldn't be overjoyed?
But not long after... Another piece of news was announced, silencing the previously jubilant Allied Shinobi Forces and weighing heavily on their hearts.
The Ōtsutsuki clan, three thousand members strong... Their real battle may have only just begun.
A single Kaguya created an army of one hundred thousand White Zetsu, enough to rival the Allied Forces. And a single individual like Isshiki had the power to defeat the Five Kage!
Three thousand of them... Even though the information stated that Kaguya and Isshiki were considered top-tier within the Ōtsutsuki ranks, it also emphasized that neither were the absolute strongest.
If they failed in resisting this clan, their friends, families, and even the entire planet would be destroyed... Under such tremendous external pressure, all previous internal conflicts were naturally suppressed.
The goal of the Kage was also partially achieved.
As for the future... First, complete the merger of the ninja villages, then talk about what comes next!
After the battle, the Allied Shinobi Forces of the four great ninja villages began to orderly withdraw from the Land of Water. The remaining rational factions of Kiri stepped up, regrouped the remaining ninjas, and submitted a request to join the Allied Shinobi Forces.
Because all of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen had perished... Most of Kiri's elite had also fallen in battle.
In order to preserve their status as one of the Five Great Ninja Villages and to secure their rightful share of power, the remaining Kiri ninjas, led by their senseis, after rounds of discussion, shamelessly clung to Hikari, pleading endlessly and with no bottom line, begging her to continue serving as the Fifth Mizukage.
Initially, Hikari had no interest in dealing with these people.
But seeing how Kei, apart from staying at home, loved spending time in the Kage offices, especially the Hokage office, she gave it some 'careful' thought and finally accepted the position of Mizukage.
The formal negotiations didn't last long. Besides requesting equal status with the other Kage, she made no other demands for Kiri.
Tsunade, Pakura, Kitsuchi, and the Third Raikage also didn't make things difficult for her. After all, Kiri barely had anyone left, what harm was there in giving them a little power?
The merger of the Five Great Ninja Villages was now in full swing.
Due to its advantageous geography, abundant resources, and dominant leadership role, Konoha was naturally chosen as the new headquarters of the Five Element Shinobi Army.
But since remodeling the old Konoha setup would take too much time and effort, after discussion, everyone unanimously agreed to develop a new ninja base 10 kilometers northeast of the village.
Ninjas proficient in all kinds of elemental jutsu from the Five Great Ninja Villages began gathering en masse.
Iwa's Earth Release users uprooted massive trees; Suna's Wind Release ninjas quickly trimmed them into standard-sized timber. Fire Release ninjas from Konoha then smoked and treated the timber for preservation and pest resistance.
Muscle-bound Kumo ninjas were responsible for transporting the lumber and clearing leftover roots and debris.
In just three days, these ultra-productive ninjas leveled and compacted the ground for the new base across a 20-kilometer radius.
The ground, reinforced with layers of concrete and soil over tens of meters thick, was so dense that even average Earth Release ninjas couldn't tunnel through it. Temporary brick and stone factories sprang up everywhere, and through the cooperation of Earth, Water, and Fire Release users, millions of bricks and cement blocks were continuously produced.
Thousands of craftsmen from all five nations began constructing essential underground pipelines for drainage, communication, and infrastructure, following detailed blueprints.
A torrent of iron, steel, and all sorts of construction and daily resources flooded into the Konoha area. The new base's construction progressed almost daily.
A vast amount of money was spent.
After pooling resources, the ninja villages' already strained finances began to falter.
For some reason, perhaps they all got their heads slammed in a door, the Daimyō of the Land of Fire, Earth, Lightning, Wind, and Water, in their arrogance, believed they were untouchable and immune to challenge.
They all refused to provide further financial support to the Five Five Element Shinobi Army.
Worse still, they sent envoys to inform the army that if they didn't disband within a set time, the daimyōs would deploy their own forces to crush them.
Kei almost laughed out loud upon hearing this.
He had initially considered using peaceful means to ease these daimyōs out of the historical spotlight, but since they didn't know what was good for them, he could only take a more domineering approach.
Fugaku, Duy, Minato, A, Killer B, Rōshi, Han, and over a dozen active Root combat unit ninjas, along with more than two hundred newly selected members from the various Kage's ANBU forces, all set out for the capitals of the major nations.
On the second day, the Fire Daimyō and several of his so-called "high ministers," all beaten so badly that they barely had any intact flesh left, were hanged from the city gate's arch.
Everyone in the daimyō's residence who dared to resist, along with the nobles who had long oppressed the commoners, were collectively sent off to the Pure Land.
On the third day, another dozen or so who dared to struggle met the same fate.
On the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh days…
One entire city wall of the Fire Capital was covered in rotting, stinking corpses.
Nearly ten thousand retainers, guards, and samurai followed their lords to the afterlife. Finally, the Land of Fire returned to proper order and resumed normal operations, as though the daimyo had never existed!
The same scene unfolded in the Kumo, Iwa, Suna, and Kiri just a few days later.
Under overwhelming force, status, bloodlines, and noble lineage were all reduced to jokes.
The retainers, samurai, and armies the daimyōs relied on for protection had no chance at resisting the Root ninjas, all of whom were at least jonin level. Even the occasional expert couldn't escape their fate when facing Fugaku, Minato, and others.
The many daimyōs of smaller nations who had been watching the situation unfold were terrified by the brutal methods of the Five Element Shinobi Army.
Not only did they empty their coffers to curry favor, but those with minor ninja villages immediately submitted applications to join the army.
In the temporary High Command of the Hokage's office, Shikaku stared at the long rows of dizzying financial figures in the ledgers.
He immediately convened a meeting with Dodai, Karura, and others to push forward plans for a special talent academy.
Rapid development couldn't happen without money and resources!
Although a sudden influx of massive funds into the market would severely impact the value of current currency, they had stockpiled large quantities of essential goods in Rōran, which would buffer the effects.
Thus, the impact wouldn't be too great.
Everything was accelerating.
Hashirama, Tobirama, Madara, and Izuna, who had returned from the Pure Land, did not interfere with the world's current development. Instead, they went to the northwest of Konoha to open a new training ground.
Aside from Tobirama, who occasionally visited Orochimaru's lab for advanced research, the rest immersed themselves in training.
Even the younger version of Mito couldn't stop these men's drive to grow stronger.
Tsunade, Kushina, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, Fugaku, Minato, Duy, the Third Raikage, Ōnoki, A, and Killer B—virtually every top ninja became regulars at the training ground.
In just one month, Tobirama, with help from the Three-Tails inside him, mastered Sage Mode and boldly implanted new cells he developed with Orochimaru. Minato, benefiting from high-density spiritual energy siphoned from Kei, achieved Sage Mode as well. Hikari, using the chakra from 150,000 White Zetsu and borrowed cells from Kaguya, awakened the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and was steadily progressing toward the Rinnegan. Kushina even upgraded her [Magical Girl Transformation] to a New Year's Edition, reaching a whole new level of power.
As for Kaguya, after hearing from Tobi that Kei had a genjutsu that could rapidly enhance combat experience, she unhesitatingly gave up all resistance, sealed her eye techniques, and entered the genjutsu space to train.
Despite having pitiful combat talent, after spending 30 years in genjutsu space, which was one month in the real world, she managed to earn a blue combat trait: [Fight to the Death, Die a Thousand Times].
"Konoha's proud Blue Beast… Crazy Guy! Burn, youth! Ah~ Youth~ This is youth~"
"Guy! No matter how loud you shout, you're still stuck in this genjutsu!"
"Watch out! Kurenai!"
As Guy, Kurenai, and Genma energetically shouted while sparring, Kei lay in a wooden rocking chair, face covered with a Sage of Six Paths scroll, enjoying the afternoon sun… but wearing a pained expression.
If the noise was torturing his ears, then their endless sparring and sweat in the sun was tormenting his soul.
These maniacs… do they even know how to relax? Can't they just take it easy for once?
Their very existence made him feel guilty for simply lying there.
"Damn it! Fine, fine, I'll move. Miroku has sent messages several times already, the Pure Land is unlocked, and those Ōtsutsuki folks need to be dealt with too…"
Stretching lazily, Kei stood up.
In just a month, the new headquarters of the Five Spirit Shinobi Army had taken full shape.
It was time to tie up loose ends, and begin a brand new journey!