The day after Uchiha Nagi left, a story broke in the newspapers of the Demon Slayer world. Two separate military bases had suffered massive fires. Fortunately, there were no casualties, but all munitions and supplies within were destroyed in the blaze...
"Nagi-nii, you're back!"
"Sensei, you've finally returned! Wait, who's he?"
Kimimaro looked curiously at the boy following behind Nagi. Nagi smiled and nodded, making the introductions.
"This is Genya Shinazugawa. He's my student as well. From now on, you two will be classmates."
Kimimaro extended a friendly hand. "Hello, my name is Kimimaro."
Genya shook his hand. "Hello, I'm Genya Shinazugawa."
The moment he touched Kimimaro, Genya's pupils contracted. His body was telling him that the cells of the person before him were incredibly powerful, possessing an extraordinary allure. This wasn't a difference in strength, but a genetic attraction. The other's cellular structure would be beneficial to him...
"Alright, Kimimaro, show Genya around. From now on, he'll be on a team with you and Amaru."
"Yes, Sensei."
Nagi turned to Honoka Uzumaki. "Any news from the Land of Lightning?"
"No. There was a rumor in the black market that you had died in the Land of Lightning, Nagi-nii, but none of us really believed it."
"Good, I understand. Spread the word: the ninja village of the Land of Iron will be officially established at the end of this month. We welcome clans of all sizes, independent shinobi, and any children who wish to become ninja to join us..."
Nagi continued, "Also, announce to the world that our village will be called the Swordsmith Village. We are a permanently neutral nation. If anyone wants to strike us first, they are welcome to try."
Nagi was certain that A, the Fourth Raikage, would be too furious to let this go and would attack again. This time, he wouldn't come alone; he would bring an army. He was betting on that coward Hiruzen Sarutobi not having the guts to intervene.
From that perspective, the Land of Lightning attacking the Land of Iron would be as easy as the Land of Water destroying the Land of Whirlpools. The difference in strength was just that vast.
But sometimes, a single powerful individual could change everything.
Uchiha Nagi went alone to the Sky Fortress. From his laboratory, he retrieved several cloned White Zetsu bodies. Kabuto Yakushi didn't have the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, yet he was still able to prepare powerful vessels for his numerous Edo Tensei puppets. The answer, of course, was cloned White Zetsu.
As for why White Zetsu clones and duplicates could serve as vessels for the Edo Tensei, it was likely because the Shinigami of this world lacked true sentience, making it easy to exploit loopholes in the system...
"Come forth! Kinkaku and Ginkaku, and the Third Raikage!"
As expected, their souls hadn't been claimed by anyone else yet. Nagi summoned them with ease. The Gold and Silver Brothers were a given—he'd use them as batteries for his ultimate summoning beast. As for the Third Raikage, he planned to spar with him.
But before that, there was something else he needed to do.
Nagi unrolled a scroll and released a body from it. A woman with black hair and black eyes appeared, holding a biwa. A single, bowl-sized eye stared out from her face.
"Nakime. Muzan is dead. From now on, I am your master."
Nakime curiously touched her own body. It was still an immortal vessel and didn't seem much different from before, but she no longer felt the craving for human flesh or the thirst for blood.
She was a bit dazed by the fact that she was no longer under Muzan's control and had a new master instead, but she still nodded instinctively. To her, it didn't seem to make much of a difference; she was still controlled by someone, just like before.
The only difference was that before, she managed an underground fortress. Now, she managed one in the sky.
Nakime expanded her domain, her power beginning to take over the Sky Fortress. The entire flying citadel became an extension of her body. From now on, Nagi wouldn't have to worry about some creep named Obito sneaking into his precious base to cause trouble.
Since they both used space-time ninjutsu, Nakime would be able to detect Obito the moment he entered. If he tried anything, she could teleport him out. She might even be able to set up a sealing jutsu prison inside that could trap him.
Nagi remembered that Obito hadn't dared to face Danzo's Four Symbols Seal head-on with Kamui; he had fled instead. This meant that sealing jutsu could block spatial teleportation, just not the common varieties. Against a suicide technique like the Four Symbols Seal or the Reaper Death Seal, even Obito's Kamui would be useless. His only option would be to run.
After installing Kinkaku and Ginkaku—two individuals with chakra levels on par with Tobirama Senju—as the core batteries, he still had the former jinchuriki of the Eight-Tails. The former jinchuriki could fire small-scale Tailed Beast Bombs, so he would save him for later instead of using him as another battery for the fortress.
Nagi thought for a moment and decided that in a few days, he would extract the Zero-Tails and seal it into Amaru's body. Then the Swordsmith Village of the Land of Iron would also become one of the villages possessing a Tailed Beast. After all, he would have to return the Three-Tails to Terumi Mei eventually.
Diplomacy was about making more friends and fewer enemies, not being arrogant and self-important like Hanzo, who had foolishly provoked several great nations into fighting a war on his doorstep.
Using the Flying Thunder God, Nagi teleported to a deserted area and released the Third Raikage, simultaneously undoing the control over his consciousness.
The Third Raikage slowly opened his eyes, looking around in a daze. "Where is this? I should be dead..."
"You are in an Edo Tensei body, Third Raikage. I need you to help me with my training."
"What? An Edo Tensei body? Tobirama Senju's Impure World Reincarnation?"
The Third Raikage was fully awake now. He looked at his hands and the unfeeling, heartbeat-less body, sensing just how different this vessel was.
Nagi drew his Nichirin Blade. "Third Raikage, I'm going to tell you something. I am about to go to war with your son, A. Either he dies, or I do. If you can kill me here, your son will be safe."
"What?!" The Third Raikage's eyes narrowed, and killing intent instantly flooded the forest. He was the Raikage, but he was also a father. Hearing someone use his son's life to threaten him was more than he could bear.
BOOM!
With a deafening roar, the Third Raikage, casting aside all warrior's etiquette, launched a furious attack. "You vile Uchiha! To hell with you!"
As the Third Raikage, having his soul manipulated like this after death was an insult. Even without the threat to his son, he would have killed this Uchiha. Of course, he knew this was a blatant scheme, a trap. The man had some ulterior motive, but he had no choice but to fight.
"Hell Stab—"
"Sun Breathing, Thirteenth Form—"
The sounds of constant explosions echoed through the forest. Even though his opponent wasn't in a White Zetsu vessel, he was still incredibly strong. Nagi would have been a fool to give him one.
The Third Raikage was currently in a state similar to when the Senju brothers were first reincarnated. A normal human vessel severely restricted his chakra, limiting his strength to less than a tenth of what it was in life. All he could rely on was his vast, battle-hardened experience, which Nagi had graciously left him by releasing his consciousness.
The two of them became a demolition crew. One wielded a Nichirin Blade wreathed in solar fire; the other possessed infinite regeneration, limitless chakra, and the experience of fighting ten thousand men at once.
"Lightning Release: Chakra Mode—"
The Third Raikage's eyes narrowed. His body was normally durable enough to withstand a Rasenshuriken, but now he was forced to activate his Lightning Release Armor because he couldn't land a single hit on his opponent.
The man had even deactivated his Sharingan and was fighting with his eyes closed. How is that possible?
Incredible speed, god-like sword skills, and that incomprehensible state of fighting with his eyes closed left the Third Raikage utterly frustrated. No matter how he attacked, his opponent perfectly predicted and dodged every move.
Damn it! If I had my full strength, or even just eighty percent of it... the Raikage seethed, glaring at Nagi. He now fully understood what was happening. The man was using him as a sparring partner.
But with his son's life on the line, he had to play along.
"That's enough for today, Third Raikage. Tomorrow, I'll give you a new body. Then you can assist me with my training again."
Amidst the Third Raikage's furious glare, Nagi formed a hand seal, resealed his consciousness, and stored the body back in a coffin.
Nagi wiped the sweat from his brow and looked toward the Land of Lightning, a faint smile on his lips.
"Come at me, Fourth Raikage A. I'll show you the art of a new, cannon-fodder era..."
"What?! He's not dead? And he's brazenly established a ninja village in the Land of Iron? The 'Swordsmith Village'??"
In the Raikage's office in Kumogakure, A kicked his desk to pieces. The sheer fury radiating from him made the nearby Anbu turn pale, terrified they might be accidentally torn apart.
"Y-Yes... according to our spies, he has established the Swordsmith Village and even sent out envoys, inviting people to attend their founding ceremony at the end of the month..."
CRASH!
A kicked a massive hole in the wall of his office.
"Darui! Assemble the troops! We're going to kill that bastard and flatten the Land of Iron while we're at it!"
"Uh, Lord Raikage..."
The establishment of the Swordsmith Village sent ripples through the shinobi world, which had been peaceful for over a decade.
The Land of Water was the first to respond, immediately sending an envoy to congratulate the new village. Secretly, of course, they wanted to discuss the return of the Three-Tails.
The Land of Wind was still deep in mourning, and the Land of Iron was too far away for them to care about such a small country. Orochimaru's Village Hidden by the Sound, however, joined the festivities, sending an envoy of its own.
But one village's response surprised Nagi: the Land of Rain.
Even Nagato had acknowledged the founding of the Swordsmith Village, sending Kakuzu and Hidan to attend...
"Look, I know, but I really don't have any money right now."
Nagi spread his hands, looking for all the world like a dead fish that didn't fear boiling water. "Kakuzu, you can see for yourself. The Swordsmith Village is just starting out. Building schools, hospitals, and all kinds of training grounds costs a lot of money. I'm completely broke. How about we postpone the payment? I'll still pay the interest."
Kakuzu stared at Nagi with his piercing green eyes, his killing intent palpable. After a long moment, he finally spoke. "Fine..."
"The interest will continue to accumulate. I hope you won't use the 'no money' excuse next time I visit."
"Of course," Nagi said with a smile. "Now then, esteemed guests, would you care to join me for a look outside the village?"
Hm?!
Nagi led Kakuzu and Hidan out of the administrative building. Waiting outside were envoys from the Land of Water and the Sound Village, as well as a dense crowd of samurai.
These samurai had joined the Swordsmith Village either through coercion or out of fear of the Land of Lightning. Until the new generation of children could be trained, they would be Nagi's main fighting force.
Nagi stood on a high platform, addressing them in a loud voice. "I know many of you are not convinced. You feel that my founding of this village is not a good thing for the traditionally neutral Land of Iron."
"But have you ever considered this? Mifune was killed by the Raikage in his own home because the samurai of the Land of Iron are scattered, without a village of your own."
"You need a strong leader to ensure you will not be bullied again!"
With that, Nagi's eyes snapped open, his Mangekyo flaring to life. The Susanoo materialized around him—first the skeleton, then the flesh and sinew, and finally the complete, second-stage avatar, wielding the Sword of Totsuka.
Nagi swung the massive blade at a nearby hill, and half the mountaintop vanished. The samurai were stunned into silence.
Staring at the hundred-meter-tall giant that looked like a god, they were all dumbfounded. A small group of children Nagi had taken as students, including Kimimaro and Genya, cheered excitedly from below.
"Is... is this a joke? If a monster like that appeared on a battlefield, who could possibly stop it? It's as big as a Tailed Beast."
One samurai muttered to himself, "So this is the Kage of our new Swordsmith Village..."
But Nagi wasn't finished. He released the Three-Tails. Controlled by his Sharingan, the beast was as docile as a pet. Nagi's Susanoo stood directly on its turtle shell.
He pointed into the distance, and the Three-Tails opened its mouth. Red and black chakra, yin and yang, began to converge. A massive Tailed Beast Bomb formed and was then fired toward the horizon.
BOOM!
BOOM!
A giant mushroom cloud erupted in the distance, shocking everyone present, including Kakuzu and Hidan. Even with their immortal bodies, under a blast of that magnitude, all life was equal.
Just then, a city began to slowly descend from the heavens. It was the Sky Fortress Nagi had stolen from the Sky Ninja. With the former Eight-Tails jinchuriki and the Gold and Silver Brothers as a power source, it now had enough energy to fly.
Watching Nagi's Gundam, the flying war fortress, and the Three-Tails that had been tamed like a house pet, someone in the crowd started to cheer.
"Blade Kage...!"
"Blade Kage...!" +10
More and more people began to chant the name.
Nagi was speechless.
He felt that "Blade Kage" sounded a bit strange. No, he'd have to change it later. Besides Konoha's Hokage, the Land of Lightning had the Raikage, the Land of Water had the Mizukage, and the Land of Wind had the Kazekage.
So, would the Land of Iron's be the... Tetsu Kage?
Just then, Honoka Uzumaki came to his side with a critical piece of intelligence. The Fourth Raikage, A, was leading an army of several thousand shinobi, and they were heading for the Land of Iron.