Takigakure.
This country had a very peculiar terrain, dominated by rugged mountains. Most of its villages were built on flatlands carved out from the mountain slopes.
Some of these villages were even hidden behind waterfalls, and Takigakure was one such place, tucked away behind a massive cascade.
At this moment,
The area where Takigakure once stood had been completely destroyed. The towering waterfall had been obliterated, replaced by a wide canyon that looked as if it had been blasted out by a Tailed Beast Ball.
Water streamed down both sides of the canyon, cascading endlessly.
At the center of the gorge lay the ruins of Takigakure. A few of its remaining shinobi were gathered there, but the foreheads protectors they wore had changed.
No longer did they bear only the symbol of Takigakure, in front of that symbol was now added the emblem of Konohagakure, linked by a small circle representing unity.
All shinobi from villages that had been integrated into Konoha wore such forehead protectors, indicating their origins while showing their current allegiance.
This was part of Konoha's strategy to stabilize and govern the territories it had absorbed.
New generations of shinobi, however, would receive standardized education from Konoha. Upon graduating from the ninja academy, they would wear Konoha's forehead protector only, without the emblem of their original village.
"So tragic…"
Standing atop a boulder on the cliff beside the waterfall, Yuhi Kurenai looked down at the ruins of the former Takigakure and couldn't help but murmur softly.
Judging by the devastation, it wasn't just most of the shinobi who had been wiped out, civilians, elders, and children had likely suffered heavy casualties as well.
Tailed Beasts were double-edged swords for any ninja village.
If controlled properly, they could be a formidable force. But if not, they were a massive liability.
"I wonder why they insisted on acquiring a Tailed Beast in the first place…" Rin stood on the water's surface nearby and spoke in a quiet voice.
As for why she was here, well, the reason was simple. She absolutely wouldn't allow Kaede and Kurenai to go out together on a mission alone. Otherwise, who knows what kind of "surprises" they might return with.
"No." Kaede, standing next to them, shook his head.
"Back then, Takigakure did have the qualifications, and the strength, to control a Tailed Beast. Their village had a shinobi named Kakuzu, who was incredibly powerful. He even participated in an assassination attempt on the First Hokage."
"But after the mission failed, the village punished him for failing. Enraged, he broke out of prison and defected from the village, which severely weakened Takigakure's strength."
Having recently conquered numerous smaller ninja villages and nations, Kaede had collected a vast amount of intelligence. Combined with his existing knowledge, he now had a thorough understanding of the histories of these minor ninja villages.
Kurenai looked at him in mild surprise. "He tried to assassinate the First Hokage?"
Kaede chuckled. "He tried to assassinate me, too. But of course, he failed."
Rin blinked in astonishment. "He tried to kill you too, Kaede? If he went after the First Hokage, then that means he must be…"
"He has some kind of unnatural, longevity-extending technique," Kaede said casually. "Nothing too refined, just a crude method of sustaining his life."
With a brief explanation of Kakuzu's ability, Kaede then leapt down to the remnants of Takigakure below.
The shinobi of Takigakure had already noticed the presence of Kaede and the others. Seeing him descend, many of them gasped slightly and quickly moved forward to greet him.
"Hokage-sama…"
Their gazes were filled with complicated emotions.
They had once been an independent ninja village. Now, they were merely a subordinate territory of Konoha. And calling it "subordinate" was generous, it was more accurate to say they had been completely absorbed.
Still, being part of Konoha wasn't necessarily a bad thing. At least now, they no longer had to fear external threats. Konoha had become, without question, the most powerful ninja village in the world.
In fact,
The term "Five Great Shinobi Villages" had become outdated. To most shinobi today, the ninja world was now dominated by one superpower and several strong villages. Konoha stood at the very top, in a class of its own. Only below it did the other four major villages rank, now as equals.
"Where is the Seven-Tails?" Kaede swept his gaze over the Takigakure shinobi and asked casually.
The current leader of the village, or rather, the captain of the Konoha-Takigakure Shinobi Unit, Kagen stepped forward and said respectfully, "I can pinpoint its location… But are you really only sending three people, Hokage-sama?"
There was a trace of nervousness in his expression.
This was the Fifth Hokage of Konoha!
The man who had ended the Third Great Ninja War, revered as the God of the Ninja World!
To have earned such prestige, despite his youthful appearance and seemingly unremarkable physique… what kind of power lay hidden within him?
"If you can track the Seven-Tails, then lead the way," Kaede said, nodding calmly after giving Kagen a glance.
Kagen steadied his breath and performed a series of hand signs, sensing the area around him. Moments later, he opened his eyes and said, "This way!"
Whoosh!
He took off swiftly in a certain direction.
Kaede glanced at him, then vanished with a flash. Kurenai and Rin followed right behind him. The four of them quickly sped through the canyon terrain.
=============
Half a day later.
"It's been a while since I saw that bug again," came the voice of the Nine-Tails in Kaede's mind. It had already sensed the presence of the Seven-Tails, though Kaede himself had detected its chakra even earlier.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Kagen led Kaede and the others to the top of another canyon and came to a halt. He peered down into the ravine below, cold sweat forming on his brow. Turning his head to Kaede, he said:
"Hokage-sama, the Seven-Tails is right below us."
Sensing the chakra of the Tailed Beast brought a wave of fear surging in his chest.
His mind flashed back to the Seven-Tails' rampage through the village. One Tailed Beast Ball had destroyed half the village and carved through the entire canyon. The memory alone sent chills down his spine.
And now, the Seven-Tails was directly beneath them. Every instinct in his body screamed at him to run.
He looked to Kaede, forcing himself to suppress the fear.
This was the Fifth Hokage, the God of the Ninja World. Surely, just like the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, he would be able to subdue the rampaging Seven-Tails.
"Red, Rin, step back."
Kaede walked to the edge of the canyon. A pale golden Sage Cloak flared into existence around him.
Kurenai and Rin exchanged glances and quickly retreated to a safe distance. Kagen backed off even farther without hesitation.
Kaede stood at the edge of the gorge.
Then,
He brought his hands together in front of him, and a vast amount of chakra surged through his body. A faint glow flickered in his eyes.
"Sage Art."
"Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands!"
BOOM!!!
The canyon behind him exploded as a colossal wooden figure rose from the earth. It dwarfed even a complete Susanoo in size, shaking the land as it emerged, its three rows of hands stacked in layered circles behind its back.
Then,
Under Kagen's stunned, almost petrified gaze, one of the giant wooden arms shot downward into the canyon.
A guttural cry echoed up from below.
In the next instant, the giant wooden hand reemerged, gripping the Seven-Tails like an insect, lifting it effortlessly into the air.
SKREEEEEE!!
The Seven-Tails thrashed wildly, but it couldn't break free in the slightest. In that moment, a familiar fear flooded its mind, one it hadn't felt in decades.
The terror of being dominated by the First Hokage.
"Hashirama Senju!!" it shrieked in a distorted howl.
=============
Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria