The fact that Hyuga Soushu's Seii Taishogun's Shogunate had annexed the Hidden Waterfall Village and even taken over the entire Land of Waterfall came as a huge shock to Iwagakure, Sunagakure, and Kumogakure.
Unlike Konoha, which had already become deeply intertwined with the Shogunate, Iwagakure, Sunagakure, and Kumogakure—three Great Hidden Villages that had always been quietly strengthening themselves—were all closely watching how this matter would develop.
However, the biggest problem was that the Takugure ninja were simply too weak.
Under the assault of the Shogunate's Ninja Force, they couldn't even withstand two days before being completely conquered. The village's original jinchuriki of the Seven-Tails was directly captured by the Shogunate, and the entire village was thoroughly plundered. Therefore, despite their different concerns, there was nothing they could do about it.
After all, none of them were ready to openly confront the powerful Seii Taishogun's Shogunate just yet.
Thus, the Hidden Waterfall Village in the Land of Waterfall quietly disappeared into the dustbin of history.
Immediately afterward, thanks to the Shogunate's substantial investment that overwhelmed the cash-strapped Sunagakure, the Sand Village was brought aboard the Shogunate's warship. This broke the long-standing unspoken agreement between Iwagakure, Sunagakure, and Kumogakure.
Still recovering its strength, Kumogakure was unable to initiate another conflict. Iwagakure also hesitated due to concerns about potential repercussions. As for Konoha? They were practically in cahoots with both the Ninja Clan Capital Corporation and the Seii Taishogun's Shogunate anyway, so they didn't count.
Thus, peace returned to the Ninja World once again.
Yet beneath this gilded façade of harmony, unrest brewed quietly among hidden villages and secret factions alike.
For Hyuga Soushu, however, these things were nothing more than trivialities.
His legitimate firstborn son, Hyuga Ryujū, had just celebrated his one-month milestone, while Uchiha Mahiru had also fully regained her prime physical condition. Therefore, this family of three set off once again, traveling across the Ninja World.
After continuous integration, the system of the Ninja Clan Capital Corporation had matured significantly, requiring little intervention from him as the highest authority. Currently, the Shogunate's priority task was completing construction of the distant expedition camp on the western borderlands of the Land of Wind and dispatching reconnaissance ninjas to locate Mount Myoboku's hidden position. All of this would take time and careful effort—there was no point in rushing.
As a reincarnator, Soushu still carried certain fixations.
For example, he always felt inexplicable yearning towards strong ships with heavy artillery and steel-clad warships. Thus, during his free time, he ordered the shipyard in the former Snow Country to begin experimenting with constructing warships clad in iron armor.
Traditional warships in the Ninja World were primarily wooden sailing vessels, whose main propulsion systems included sails and wind chakra techniques performed by ninja. Rowing mechanisms were mostly used for merchant ships.
Nevertheless, unique aquatic combat capabilities possessed by ninja functioned like a double-edged sword, gradually diminishing the status of wooden ships on the battlefield. Despite appearing majestic at sea, these massive wooden vessels revealed their vulnerability when stealthily approached underwater by diving ninja, easily sustaining severe damage.
Yet Soushu's wild imagination was to create an entirely iron-made warship—an unprecedented feat in history.
Although ninja knowledge didn't necessarily suggest steel would always sink in water, no one had ever attempted such a massive ironclad ship at sea before. Therefore, nobody could give an accurate cost estimate.
"Build it! We must construct this warship!"
Hyūga Sōshu remained firm on his stance: "If we don't build ships, then all that excess steel produced by the Ninja Clan Capital Corporation won't have anywhere to go. That'd be a real headache!"
Since he put it like that, naturally, the shipyard had no objections.
So, based on rough blueprints hand-drawn by Hyūga Sōshu, a massive warship resembling a floating city started to take shape.
Since the Ninja World lacked the necessary welding techniques for constructing large ironclad ships, Fire Release-wielding ninja were employed to melt and weld the metal. With no conventional source of propulsion available, they borrowed technology from Snow Country's chakra armor, combining it with sealing techniques to create a large chakra-powered thruster, supplemented by propellers for movement.
Moreover, just to be safe, the ninja responsible for construction took the initiative to install masts on the first steel battleship as well—although nobody really knew whether regular sea breezes could propel the ship via sails, "Better safe than sorry!"
So when Hyūga Sōshu arrived at the Snow Country shipyard for inspection, what stood before him was precisely this bizarre metallic monstrosity.
"This isn't anything like the design I originally drew!"
Sōshu hesitated slightly, even pulling out the initial draft he'd brought along and double-checking it repeatedly.
What he'd clearly envisioned was a sleek and elegant battleship—but now it had somehow transformed into an oddly shaped cybernetic steel behemoth complete with smokestacks and segmented sail masts!
And throughout the entire building process, apparently no one had bothered to report any progress or possible modifications either!
"Well, Master Sōshu, please hear me out—you know, not defend ourselves, just explain!"
The Uzumaki Jonin in charge of shipbuilding nervously stepped forward. "Because our power system turned out to be overly massive, the ship's width needed to increase—just a little bit."
"And what about the hull material? Why does it look so uneven and bumpy? Are you sure this ship won't sink under its own weight once it's out at sea?"
Sōshu expressed his displeasure. "Don't any of you get the point about aesthetics?! It's not just looks—it's combat power!"
"This is only our first experimental vessel, so there are indeed some imperfections in craftsmanship—we hope you can understand."
The Uzumaki Jonin immediately responded with an apologetic smile.
"Oh, right—what about designated weapon mounting points? Did nobody consider that?"
Sōshu gestured again. "Where are the launch ports for the bundle of Explosive Tag Kunai? Surely we aren't planning to use ramming tactics and then proceed with boarding action?"
"Uh…"
Sweat began pouring down the forehead of the Uzumaki Jonin.
This time, it truly was his mistake—he had been too busy adjusting Sōshu's original sketch and completely forgot this critical issue.
"Well then, let's try again."
From the way things looked, Sōshu could already tell something wasn't quite right, but he had no intention of pursuing blame. After all, the Uzumaki Clan was among the fundamental pillars of the Shogunate. Still, at least some basic warning should be issued.
"This time, we begin construction on three ships simultaneously, and they must be built strictly according to the blueprints. Any modifications must be reported immediately!"
"At once!"
The Uzumaki Jonin immediately knelt on one knee, looking as if granted a full pardon.
"Ryusuke!"
At that moment, Hyuga Ryusuke, who was cradled in Mahiru Uchiha's arms, suddenly pointed his finger excitedly toward the steel battleship in the distance, his expression brimming with excitement.
"This kid wants to go for a boat ride?"
Hyuga Soushu clicked his tongue in amazement before asking, "Is this ship seaworthy yet?"
"Oh yes! We've already conducted several naval trials!"
The Uzumaki Jonin quickly began organizing personnel to launch the warship.
The thunderous roar of the vessel shattered the ocean's calm.
The massive propeller drove the steel warship forward, turning any fish or shrimp caught in its current into pulp, leaving behind a V-shaped wake streaked with red.
After giving the kids a tour of the open waters, Hyuga Soushu finally returned to land. He sternly reminded the Uzumaki Jonin—who was always convinced that his ideas would work out—to follow orders diligently and focus entirely on shipbuilding before continuing his journey southward.
This time, he was heading into the former eastern territories of the Land of Fire governed by Hizashi Hyuga.
As the second-highest authority within the Hyuga Clan, Hizashi Hyuga truly walked on eggshells, trembling with caution.
Yet no matter how cautious he might be, holding such a prominent position inevitably attracted more followers.
Combined with years of governing the eastern domain, his territory had gradually developed into a deeply entrenched semi-independent state.
However, given that Soushu Hyuga was a formidable leader who rose through martial prowess and political cunning, Hizashi could never escape his shadow or dare show even slight disobedience.
This rare inspection visit from Hyuga Soushu naturally caused some anxiety for Hizashi Hyuga.
"Where is Lord Soushu's entourage now?"
Hizashi paced back and forth anxiously while waiting outside to greet.
Within thirty short minutes, he questioned the messenger ninja nearly every minute.
"They're heading south but haven't reached our border area yet."
The messenger ninja replied promptly.
"Good."
Hizashi gave a slight nod.
But barely a minute later, he piped up with another question.
To anyone with half a brain, it became obvious how uneasy Hizashi felt.
But it was understandable. After all, Soushu Hyuga's southern procession was quite impressive. It wasn't just composed of servant ninjas handling administrative duties. The convoy also featured an elite escort force numbering nearly a thousand strong—directly from the Shogunate.
This reorganized Ninja Force, originally from the Shinsengumi, was Soushu Hyuga's most elite directly commanded unit; their mere presence alone made many scheming individuals feel distinctly uneasy.
Especially those Jonins who had secretly urged Hizashi Hyuga to vie for the position of vice-commander within the Shogunate were growing increasingly restless.
Still, against the tide of events, everything seemed ultimately futile.
Thus, Hizashi Hyuga had already prepared himself to accept whatever fate awaited him.
After all, he didn't really have a choice. Within the Ninja Force under his command in the eastern region, aside from a small number of permanently stationed Jonin, the mid- and low-ranking Genin, who rotated in and out of duty, wouldn't follow his commands.
"The group led by Lord Soushu is approaching!"
Just then, the messenger ninja suddenly announced.
"Let's advance ten kilometers north to greet them!"
Hizashi Hyuga took a deep breath and gave the order.
It took about three hours from the welcome ceremony to entering the city.
After properly settling Mahiru Uchiha and Ryujū Hyuga, who had endured a long and exhausting journey, Soushu Hyuga finally met with Hizashi Hyuga, someone he hadn't seen in a long time.
"It's been a long time, esteemed elder Hizashi."
Lord Soushu's attitude remained consistently warm and amiable.
Yet in Hizashi's somewhat suspicious mind, this kindness seemed like a volcano ready to erupt at any moment.
"…"
He wasn't sure how to respond to Lord Soushu's greeting—it felt too warm to be genuine.
"Don't be so formal. After all, we belong to the same clan, and I was once deeply indebted to your support," Lord Soushu gestured for Hizashi to sit, speaking in a very gentle tone.
"Thank you for Lord Soushu's concern."
Though polite, Hizashi didn't dare relax. He perched stiffly on the edge of the chair, maintaining a deeply respectful posture.
"Recently, the Shogunate is planning something big."
Lord Soushu got straight to the point without wasting time on idle pleasantries. "Therefore, we must unite all forces to maximize our combat effectiveness."
Then he paused and took a slow sip of tea.
"The eastern region will definitely offer full support!"
Hizashi responded immediately.
But as soon as the words left his mouth, he realized he'd messed up—it had come out like the eastern region belonged to him!
"Hmm."
But Lord Soushu seemed not to notice anything unusual, simply nodding and saying, "To ensure our clan's rule lasts for generations, we must share the same goals, united as one. Don't you agree?"
"Exactly!"
Hizashi quickly agreed.
By now, sweat was already trickling down his back.
"There's an important mission I want to assign to you. Do you feel up to it?"
Lord Soushu continued, "Besides, I don't feel comfortable entrusting this task to others."
"I'll surely give it my all!"
Hizashi took a deep breath, cast away various distracting thoughts, and gave a deep, solemn bow.
"A camp located in the western borderlands of the Land of Wind requires a commander."
Lord Soushu spoke slowly, "Elder Hizashi, you were the only one I could think of."
"You won't disappoint me, right?"
At the same time, Lord Soushu gently placed his teacup down, tapping his fingers rhythmically on the table—an air of quiet authority about him.
This time, Hizashi's tone was especially firm.
That way, even any past mistakes could quietly disappear.
"Excellent. You may bring your direct subordinates with you. Otherwise, without familiar faces around, things might become inconvenient."
Hyuga Soushu kindly advised, "Why don't you bring those twelve Jonin under your command along with you?"
"Yes!"
Hizashi Hyuga felt a jolt inside, but he could only bow his head in obedience.
Those so-called twelve Jonin were loyal followers who had secretly encouraged him to compete for the position of second-in-command of the Shogunate.
What he hadn't expected was that Hyuga Soushu knew so much about it!
"Do your job well—you know I have full confidence in you."
Hyuga Soushu stood up, walked behind Hizashi, placed both hands on his shoulders, and said gently, "Our generation's destiny is to clear away all obstacles for the younger generations and leave them a flawless Ninja World. That's right, isn't it?"
"Yes."
Hizashi didn't dare raise his head.
The hands on his shoulders masked terrifying power—like silent thunder ready to strike, capable of turning someone to dust in an instant.
"Once you arrive at the Western borderlands, someone may attempt to sway you under the guise of 'the future of the Ninja World.' When that happens, kunai should speak louder than words."
Hyuga Soushu continued, "Especially Jiraiya. I've heard his rhetoric can be quite persuasive. What do you think?"
"Jiraiya is a Rogue Ninja who defected to outsiders! Anyone who encounters him should eliminate him immediately!"
Hizashi expressed his stance clearly.
Truthfully, no one would willingly abandon the prosperous eastern region for the barren borderlands of the Land of Wind—but what choice did he have?
"Very good!"
Hyuga Soushu gave his shoulder a satisfied pat, "Full of spirit! You haven't brought shame to our clan. Do a good job!"
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