The figures of everyone vanished from the scene, leaving only Hanzo and Kakuzu behind.
Kin addressed the two of them.
"I plan to have each of you lead a military unit."
"Military unit?" Hanzo frowned in confusion. He didn't quite understand the nature of a military force. Shinobi were accustomed to operating individually—group formations only occurred during battles.
"Correct. For now, we won't establish military ranks. We'll still use the shinobi hierarchy: genin at the bottom, chūnin leading ten people, jōnin leading a hundred, and elite jōnin leading a thousand."
Kin had no intention of overhauling the shinobi ranking system. Mixing the two systems would only cause confusion.
Moreover, abruptly dismantling the existing shinobi structure was already a challenge to this world's norms. Only the Land of Rain could pull this off—other nations would never allow it.
This was precisely why Kin had chosen the Land of Rain.
"For now, you'll both operate under the elite jōnin framework, each commanding a thousand."
"But we don't have two thousand shinobi," Hanzo said, his brow furrowed. They only had around three hundred shinobi at the moment. Where would they find the rest?
"I don't need them," Kakuzu grumbled. He had no experience leading troops and couldn't care less about it. His only concern was how much revenue the taxes would generate.
"And if all the shinobi are enlisted in the military, who will maintain order in the cities?"
Currently, it was the shinobi who kept things running. Under normal circumstances, cities would be handed over to the nobility—but Kin would never agree to that.
"For city management, we'll bring in those who handled the marketplace well before. Let them oversee the cities. If riots break out, we'll deploy shinobi to suppress them."
Kin already had a plan. These shinobi weren't cut out for administration anyway. The ones keeping things afloat were the marketplace managers.
"If we're short on shinobi, recruit civilians to fill the ranks."
Kin had arrangements for the shinobi numbers as well.
"Civilians don't have the aptitude to refine chakra."
"I have a method to grant them that ability."
This was something Kin found rather absurd. The Basic Internal Energy Technique could allow ordinary people to refine chakra—it just required a shinobi to administer it.
The technique might seem like an internal energy system derived from Kin's deductions, but in reality, it was still a sealing technique that could be applied to others.
The fact that no one had realized this yet was downright ridiculous.
"Then I have no objections," Hanzo nodded.
Many in Amegakure had started as half-trained outsiders. As long as someone had the talent to refine chakra, they could join immediately. The rest could be trained over time.
But chakra refinement was the foundation of everything.
With this, the Land of Rain could finally catch its breath.
"As for your concern, Kakuzu, for now, you'll only need to train them. I'll provide all the training plans—just follow them step by step. Once everything is on track, you can focus solely on managing finances. Nothing else."
Kin had already mapped things out. They were just short on personnel at the moment, so Kakuzu would have to step in temporarily.
"Then I'm fine with it."
Kakuzu nodded.
"Recruitment is up to you. Just hit the numbers. And Kakuzu—no more than ten casualties."
Kin emphasized this point. After all, Kakuzu had a notorious habit of killing his own subordinates.
Kakuzu's brow twitched slightly, but he nodded again.
He had originally planned to eliminate a few to instill fear and deter others from joining—just to avoid the hassle.
He hated trouble.
"Also, both of you are a bit weak."
Kin clapped his hands together, and two scrolls materialized in his palms. He tossed them to the two.
"Train according to these. They'll enhance your strength."
These were techniques he had specifically developed for them, meant to bolster their combat capabilities.
After all, with this clone's limited power, he still needed these two to serve as the public faces of the operation.
Hanzo examined the scroll in his hands.
"Calamity Poison Body Technique?"
The contents described a ninjutsu that grew stronger by absorbing toxins, converting them into chakra with poisonous properties.
The more toxins absorbed, the greater the power.
"Tch!" Hanzo inhaled sharply. Such a formidable technique.
He stared at Kin in shock.
"You're Uchiha Kin!!"
"Ah, figured it out, huh?"
Kin rubbed his chin, eyeing Hanzo curiously. Where had he slipped up?
Perhaps sensing Kin's confusion, Hanzo explained, "Right now, the only person in the shinobi world capable of developing such powerful techniques is Uchiha Kin of Konoha."
After all, most powerful techniques had at least some rumors circulating about them. Something like this, with no prior information, had to be newly created.
"Though, every major village wants to capture you alive."
Hanzo couldn't help but sigh.
He knew Sunagakure and Iwagakure both wanted to apprehend Uchiha Kin and bring him back to their villages.
Rumor had it that the man was no pushover, and no good opportunities had arisen yet.
"Didn't realize I was so famous."
Kin sighed. Fame was troublesome—it made you a target. Thankfully, he wasn't weak anymore.
"Alive doesn't pay."
Kakuzu muttered. For the right price, he'd consider delivering Kin to them.
Too bad none of them had offered a bounty. Not even a wanted poster.
Kin shot Kakuzu a glare. He could guess exactly what the man was thinking.
"These are gifts for you. From now on, anything else you want will require merits to exchange."
"Understood."
Kakuzu responded flatly, unrolling his scroll.
Written on it were the words:
"River of Death Technique."
Land of Rain – Wilderness
"Did you hear? A city in the Land of Rain has been restored!"
Yahiko excitedly shared the gossip he'd picked up with his two companions.
"No." Konan and Nagato shook their heads simultaneously.
Where would they have heard it? Of the three, only Yahiko ran around enough to gather such news.
"The war's over, after all."
Jiraiya, seated cross-legged on a rock, seemed lost in thought.
The Second Shinobi World War had left the Land of Rain in ruins.
And if he traced the root of it all, it led back to his own student.
Uchiha Kin.
Remembering the Great Toad Sage's prophecy, Jiraiya studied the three children before him—especially Nagato, with his Rinnegan.
"The Child of Darkness will bring endless conflict."
Right now, Uchiha Kin was the most likely candidate. His Basic Internal Energy Technique had already amplified the horrors of war.
But this brooding boy possessed the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths.
He couldn't be ruled out either.
As for the Child of Light…
Jiraiya glanced at Yahiko, whose face was bright with enthusiasm.
Then he thought of another radiant figure—Namikaze Minato.
For now, he couldn't be sure which one the prophecy referred to.
"What choice must I make?"
"Jiraiya-sensei!" A loud shout snapped him out of his thoughts.
Yahiko was grinning at him. "Jiraiya-sensei, we're going to check out that city! Wanna come?"
Jiraiya pondered for a moment before shaking his head.
"I'll pass."
After all, he too had contributed to this nation's scars.
...
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(End of Chapter)