Kairen's lips curved with a faint smile as he said to Hashirama and Tobirama,
"Do you want to stay in the world of the living a bit longer?"
Tobirama asked in confusion, "What are you trying to do? Do you want to resurrect us?"
Kairen shook his head.
Although he possessed the Rinnegan with six tomoe, this Rinnegan did not have the technique of Samsara of Heavenly Life.
"The Edo Tensei technique places great emphasis on the sacrificial offerings. I can use Yang Release to strengthen your Edo Tensei bodies, allowing you to remain briefly in the human world."
Hearing Kairen's words, Tobirama analyzed, "Using Yang Release to offset the drawbacks of Edo Tensei is indeed a good method."
He then looked at Hashirama. "Well? Big Brother, do you want to stay in the present world for a while?"
To be honest, Tobirama didn't want to die.
Death was like sleep, drowsy and hazy, everything impossible to remember clearly.
For someone who liked to use his brain, it was simply a nightmare.
Hashirama looked around. Because of the battle between Kairen and the Sage of Six Paths, the village that once carried his dreams was gone.
But the distant clamor still reminded Hashirama.
This was Konoha, the village he had struggled half his life to build.
"Just stay for a month. I want to see how serious the wars in the ninja world really are. What kind of mess did I leave the world?"
"Is the pursuit of peace achieved through mutual understanding… or through unification?"
Kairen nodded. "I'll grant your request!"
His two palms pressed together, chakra gathered endlessly, carrying immense life energy.
Kairen injected the Yang Release chakra into the bodies of Hashirama and Tobirama.
Yang Release governs life and gives form to imagination.
With Kairen's Yang Release chakra, Hashirama and Tobirama had a different experience.
Although they had returned from the Pure Land to the world of the living, their bodies were icy cold, without the slightest warmth, like inflatable dolls with no sensation.
But now it was different. It was as if blood flowed through their veins, hearts slowly began to beat, proclaiming life's vigorous surge.
Tobirama exclaimed, "Your chakra… seems to be even higher-level than Big Brother's."
Kairen said nothing more. Beside him, Tsunade was very concerned about the future of Hashirama and Tobirama.
She asked, "Grandpas, what are you going to do next?"
Hashirama shook his head.
"I don't know! Tobirama and I are no longer people of this world. The two of us will just walk eastward, and feel the warmth of the living world."
Tsunade pleaded, "Grandpas, could you stay and help us win this great ninja world war?"
Tobirama glanced at Kairen and shook his head.
"There's no need. Kairen's strength already surpasses the entire ninja world. I don't believe any ninja village can stop him."
"And besides… we're already dead. You living people still relying on the dead—that doesn't sound right."
Tsunade fell silent.
She actually hoped her two relatives would stay by her side, but life and death are separated. Hashirama and Tobirama were only temporarily residing in the ninja world.
Seeing that nothing else was pressing, Kairen summoned his shadow clones and began arranging the next tasks.
He instructed this Cloud Kairen, "Take the Nine-Tails to the Land of Fire, bring the new daimyō here. Tsunade takes office, he steps down."
"Understood!"
Cloud Kairen flicked his cloak. "Follow me to the capital of the Fire Country and pay a visit to the royal city."
"Your subordinate obeys!"
The Nine-Tails followed behind Cloud Kairen unwillingly.
It was actually a lazy fox; aside from lying flat, it didn't want to do anything else.
But a fox's life is not its own—this lifetime was already in Kairen's hands. Hoping to get free was basically a luxury.
Kairen then called Canon over.
"Go find a few spirit mediums. We'll later hold a memorial service for those fallen heroes."
Although this coup was a great victory for Kairen, more than ten people on their side still died.
And the head of the Uchiha clan had also lost his life, so something had to be done.
Canon scratched his head. "Spirit mediums? It seems there's no such profession in the ninja world—there are only onmyōji."
Kairen scolded, "You're dumb! If they don't exist, can't you have a few shadow clones use the Transformation Technique?"
"Okay, boss, I'll take care of it right away."
The curtain of the Third Hokage had already fallen, and next… it was the era belonging to Kairen.
In Konoha Year Fifty, Moku Kairen launched the October Revolution, overthrowing the tyrannical rule of the Third Hokage in one stroke and opening the era of the Fourth Hokage.
As for this Hokage whose name in the history books was even printed as "monkey," evaluations of him tended to be negative. In short… his era was over, and a brand-new chapter had begun.
—"Records of History" by Kairen.
...
Konoha Cemetery.
"♬♪♪♬..."
A faint melody lingered in the surroundings. It was near dusk, golden afterglow slanting across marble gravestones, reflecting patches of rainbow light.
A group of people dressed in black stood silently in the sunset, mourning fallen comrades.
But many of them still had strange expressions, not knowing what kind of funeral custom this was.
A widow's doorway breeds many troubles; when relatives are buried, strange things appear.
At the very front stood a priest, holding a cross, asking the Lord to forgive the sins the dead committed during their lives.
There was a monk, chanting sutras for rebirth, guiding the deceased.
There was a spirit medium, dancing to send the dead on their way.
There were Black people lifting coffins and dancing together with the spirit medium.
There was also a wailing team, continuously crying about the injustice of heaven.
"Fugaku~ You left so young, truly heaven is jealous of talent, heaven is jealous of talent!"
"Great Elder~"
Kairen stood beside Mikoto, looking at this pale-faced beauty.
"It's all over now. Look forward. After the storm comes the rainbow."
Mikoto remained silent, still sunk in the blow of her husband's death.
Beside her, Kushina also felt uncomfortable and pulled Mikoto's head into her embrace.
"Don't be sad. You still have Itachi, don't you?"
Mikoto held back her tears, choking softly in Kushina's arms.
Kairen sighed. Kushina had taken over his comforting role.
Under a big tree, two masked people stood silently watching.
They were Hashirama and Tobirama. Their revival was too shocking, and to avoid unnecessary trouble—
Tobirama had suggested wearing masks to conceal their identities.
Hashirama sighed. "As long as there is war, there will be death!"
There was no sympathy in Tobirama's eyes.
"The victor becomes hero, the loser becomes a bandit. The defeated Sarutobi can't even obtain the qualification to be buried in Konoha."
At a practice field on the very outskirts of Konoha—
Jiraiya dug a pit and simply buried Sarutobi Hiruzen.
He didn't even erect a tombstone, leaving only an anonymous grave.
Jiraiya took out a wine flask and poured the liquor onto Sarutobi Hiruzen's grave.
"Sensei. Truly fate toys with people. You also never expected…"
"That the ninja world would produce such a person, who in such a short time would rise to match the Sage of Six Paths."
"Sigh…"
Jiraiya let out a long sigh, then took a thick photo book from his pocket.
"This is the wealth of half my life. I'll burn it for you. You were hypocritical for half your life—surely your lecherous nature wasn't an act!"
The flames were like red flowers, dancing in the air, swaying gently, telling a beautiful story.
"The Will of Fire is really hard to understand!"
A voice sounded. "Jiraiya-sensei, where are you planning to go next?"
Jiraiya turned his head and saw Minato with golden hair.
He shook his head and smiled.
"I don't know. I'll rise with the wind. Wherever I go, that's where I'll be! The world is vast—there must be a place for a great man like Jiraiya."
Minato clenched his fists, was silent for a long time, then suddenly said,
"Let me go with you!"
Jiraiya looked at Minato in astonishment. "Minato, you—"
Minato stopped him. "Don't say more. Just as you said, my childhood dream was to become Hokage."
"But ever since I learned about the Third and the power games among Konoha's high-ups, my heart has been in torment."
"In politics there are only eternal interests, no eternal friends."
"Jiraiya-sensei, now I'm very afraid. I'm afraid I will become someone who weighs only my own interests."
"Even now, I don't know what responsibilities becoming Hokage requires bearing. I want to travel with you. Maybe on the road, I'll find the answer."
Minato spoke of his realizations, and Jiraiya savored them carefully.
It wasn't only Minato who was shocked by the actions of the higher-ups—Jiraiya's own heart was twisted to the extreme.
Acting together daily, he had never expected they were hiding such wolfish ambitions.
As expected, people who play political tricks are all dirty.
Forget it, forget it. Since Minato also wants to travel and ease his mind, then as his teacher, he would accompany him—training together on the journey.
Jiraiya agreed to Minato's request. "Alright!"
Minato's blue eyes seemed to light up, his whole person becoming radiant like the sun.
"Thank you!"
Jiraiya scratched the back of his head and laughed loudly.
"You'd better be ready. Training on the road won't be easy."
"At the very least, I'll forge you into someone who can… withstand Kairen's ambitions."
"Kairen's ambitions?" Minato was puzzled.
At the mention of Kairen, Jiraiya became serious.
"Kairen has gone farther and farther down the path of a dictator. He now advocates abolishing the daimyōs in order to centralize all power in the ninja world."
"I have a premonition… he will establish a totalitarian world where one person rules the entire ninja world."
"Everyone will have to watch his expression and act accordingly; everyone will submit beneath his military might."
"Totalitarianism will make people degenerate into tyrants, treating human life like grass!"
Jiraiya looked seriously at Minato: "I don't know whether that day will come, but if it does eventually arrive, I hope we will have the ability to stop him."
"Minato, you possess the talent to oppose Kairen."
Minato's expression was a bit astonished: "Jiraiya-sensei…"
Jiraiya turned around and picked up the backpack on the ground.
"Since you're ready, then let's go. Konohagakure, we will return sooner or later."
Minato followed.
The two slowly walked out of the forest, heading in the direction of leaving Konohagakure.
On the silent road, Jiraiya suddenly reacted: "Minato, if you leave, what about Kushina?"
Minato had already thought everything through: "I've already talked with Kushina. I will be away for a period of time."
"Oh! That's good. Looks like our trip can't be too long, otherwise that beautiful wife of yours will be stolen by someone while you're not at home!"
"Haha… Jiraiya-sensei is joking!"
The voices of the two echoed in the quiet forest, farther and farther away.
A Pangolin silently watched the departing backs of Jiraiya and Minato, then softly reported back: "Pangolin No. 3 monitoring successful, target confirmed to be going far away."
Headquarters responded: "Headquarters received. Pangolin No. 3, continue tracking."
"Understood!"
Headquarters then reported to Kairen: "Report, Minato has left home. Operation Golden Lotus can begin."
Beside Kushina and Mikoto, Clone Kairen gave a sinister smile, looking just like Orochimaru staring at Sasuke's body.
Kairen then looked at the two beautiful women leaning against each other.
One black, one red, slim figures, mature temperament.
It is said that whoever gains the two can bring peace to the world.
...
The mourning music played for Fugaku was still slowly unfolding, and Fugaku's black-and-white photo was slowly being hung up.
Sorrow welled up in Kairen's heart; he rushed out and cursed Heaven for its injustice—how could such a hero die so young?
At the Pangolin headquarters.
The Pangolin bureau chief silently processed documents.
"Mm… No. 1 has infiltrated Uchiha Madara's hiding place, good!"
"This old guy thinks we never noticed his every act of peeping? In fact, we were fishing."
The Pangolin underling at the side flattered him: "Chief, insightful!"
The Pangolin bureau chief smiled: "Of course!"
Then he carefully read the words Jiraiya had just spoken as recorded by the recorder, and shock appeared on his face.
"This Jiraiya sees things quite clearly. Since he has analyzed the leader's intention to establish an empire, he has even thought of the leader's degeneration."
"But in the end he is still a move behind. The leader degenerated long ago. The concubine-selection plan has already been drafted in the Ministry of Government Affairs, just waiting for the leader to tear off that last layer of pretense."
The dead enter the coffin, the living step aside.
After a whole messy set of procedures was completed, the dead were finally laid to rest.
And what followed was an orange-yellow gust from afar.
It was the Nine-Tails, and also the Cloud family army.
One after another human figure was tied with ropes, stuffed into big bamboo baskets, placed on the back of the Nine-Tails.
The Nine-Tails came closer.
Only then did Kairen notice that the people in the bamboo baskets were disheveled, yet their noble bearing was not concealed.
With one swing of its tail, the Nine-Tails flung the big bamboo baskets down, making quite a few people inside cry out in pain.
"This bunch of trash you wanted has all been caught. I really don't know what can be used from them?"
Kairen smiled and said to the Nine-Tails: "Their heads are the useful items!"
Kairen then asked Cloud Kairen: "How is it? Is the royal capital under control?"
Cloud Kairen nodded: "Already under control. I took the Daimyō's mansion by force. The Daimyō is in the basket, and all his family members and relatives have been tied up and brought here."
Kairen smiled. The world of ordinary people, under the power of ninja, is heaven in a blink, hell in a blink.
"Bring out the Daimyō. Use his head to offer sacrifice to Heaven!"
"Alright!"
Before long, a disheveled, fair-skinned middle-aged man was dragged up.
"What are you doing? I am the new Daimyō of the Land of Fire! Be careful, or I will have all of you executed."
Swish, swish—two sounds, followed by a wave of wolf-like howls of pain.
Kairen's shadow clone would not show mercy to the Daimyō of the Land of Fire. As soon as he heard him nagging, he directly removed both his arms.
Kairen folded his arms, looking at the new Daimyō of the Land of Fire. The purple Rinnegan slowly rotated, exuding a bewitching, demonic aura.
"Tell me, how did you place a bounty on me in the black market?"
He had just received news from the Pangolin that the entire underground world seemed to have gone mad, searching everywhere for someone named Kairen.
The Daimyō replied honestly: "One-third of the national treasury!"
"Hmph!"
Kairen snorted lightly, then sneered: "Using that little money to place a bounty on me is truly laughable!"