"I didn't expect this guy's strength to reach such a level..."
After the battle, Orochimaru and Black Zetsu, hidden behind the scenes, were still shocked by Simu's overwhelming power.
It was clear that his strength had grown significantly.
Even the famous Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't last long against him.
"Next, Hanyu Simu will definitely come after us in the ninja world," Orochimaru said, understanding Simu's nature.
This guy would never let them escape.
"We need to move immediately."
Black Zetsu had no objections.
With their current strength, they couldn't face Konoha head-on.
"The next step is to shift our focus from Konoha to other major countries," White Zetsu suggested.
"By using the strength of these countries, we can further weaken Konoha's power."
Suddenly, a fluctuation in the base caught their attention.
Black Zetsu and White Zetsu both frowned, sensing something unusual.
Orochimaru, however, seemed to have anticipated it.
He licked his lips in excitement.
"Are you finally awake?"
A figure slowly emerged from the shadows at the back of the base.
The visitor wore a white haori, with a braid tied at the back of his head, similar to Qing Dynasty hairstyles.
"It looks like your body is recovering well"
Orochimaru, who had been possessed body of a woman, eyed the newcomer with longing
This man was someone Orochimaru encountered after his reincarnation.
According to Orochimaru's analysis, this man was at least a thousand years old!
Yet, despite the passing years, he still maintained a youthful appearance.
That's why Orochimaru eyed him with such desire.
If he could obtain such a body, eternal life would no longer be a dream.
But unfortunately, the revived Jigen was beyond Orochimaru's reach.
"Sorry to bother you," Jigen said calmly.
He still held Orochimaru in high regard.
Without Orochimaru's help, it would have taken him at least thirty years to fully recover.
Jigen slowly raised his eyes, locking his gaze on Black Zetsu.
Black Zetsu sensed something unusual about Jigen's presence.
His expression changed dramatically.
"You bastard... You carry the scent of the Ōtsutsuki clan."
Black Zetsu suddenly became tense.
Aside from being the creation of Uchiha Madara, Black Zetsu had another important identity:
He was the son of Ōtsutsuki Kaguya!
And the last thing Kaguya feared was a member of the Ōtsutsuki family coming after him.
To his shock, Jigen sneered.
"Is this the legacy of Ōtsutsuki Kaguya...?"
Jigen spoke without any respect for Kaguya.
After all, he is a master and has a far more noble existence than Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.
If Kaguya hadn't attacked secretly back then, the entire ninja world would have already been destroyed!
Black Zetsu couldn't tolerate this disrespect.
As Kaguya's son, he would never allow anyone to insult her!
White Zetsu's arm transformed into a massive tree and attacked Jigen.
Any potential threat to his mother had to be eliminated.
Jigen remained calm as the Wood Style attack approached.
The prismatic mark on his chin instantly spread into black lines that covered his entire body.
It resembled a curse mark that Orochimaru would later research, and even had similarities to Sage Mode.
However, this power was called "Karma."
Entering the wedge state, Jigen casually raised his arm.
A black vortex appeared in his palm, absorbing all the incoming Wood Style attacks.
Black Zetsu's expression shifted as he quickly used more ninjutsu to attack.
But no matter what technique he tried, it was useless against the black hole in Jigen's palm.
"If this is all the strength you have, don't shame the Ōtsutsuki name by calling yourself one."
In a flash, Jigen appeared behind Black Zetsu.
His speed was so terrifying that they couldn't react in time.
Black and White Zetsu quickly tried to separate, but before they could, two black sticks appeared in the air.
The sticks pierced through their bodies instantly.
These black sticks were similar to the ones made by Nagato, disrupting Chakra.
Although Black Zetsu was a creation of Yin-Yang release and had unique properties, he still relied on Chakra for his actions.
The black sticks severely restricted him, pinning them both to the ground.
Jigen looked down at Black and White Zetsu, who now resembled defeated dogs. He then said something unexpected to Black Zetsu.
"I can help you save Ōtsutsuki Kaguya."
Black Zetsu's first reaction was disbelief.
To him, aside from his mother, the Ōtsutsuki clan members were enemies.
How could Jigen possibly help him save Kaguya?
Jigen sensed Black Zetsu's distrust, but he didn't mind.
After pulling out the black stick, Jigen said,
"Believe it or not, I need Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's help."
"On this planet, only I can help her lift the seal."
….
Inside Konoha Village, Shikaku was reporting the results of the battle to Simu.
"We defeated a total of 23,554 White Zetsu and 1,241 special individuals."
"Additionally, 745 ninjas who supported the Third Hokage's rebellion have been arrested and imprisoned."
Simu leaned back in his chair, hands crossed in front of him.
"Now that the Third Hokage issue is almost resolved, we can begin making drastic reforms."
"Reforms?" Shikaku was surprised.
"How do you plan to reform?" Minato asked, now serious.
There were too many ideas in their Lord Hokage's mind for even seasoned ninjas like Minato and Shikaku to keep up with.
"I'm going to cancel the existing mission system."
"What?"
Both Shikaku and Minato were stunned, despite Simu being prepared for their reaction.
The five great ninja villages have always relied on a reward system for accepting and completing missions since their founding.
So, it was quite surprising that their new Hokage proposed such a major reform right away.
Faced with the shock of his two friends, Simu spoke seriously:
"First of all, the system of one country, one village cannot continue. Ninja villages bear the brunt of all wars, while the Daimyo Mansion remains too comfortable, leading to corruption and an imbalance between the two sides."
Shikaku and Minato had already accepted this point and found it reasonable. With the outbreak of the three ninja world wars, the casualties among ninjas had reached their peak.
In the beginning, many ninjas had complained about fighting and dying while the Daimyo's people remained safe behind the scenes.
Additionally, the Daimyo Mansion of the Land of Fire had long stopped supplying Konoha economically. Reform had become absolutely necessary.
Simu tapped the table.
"The first step is to help the Freedom Fighters overthrow the rule of the nobles in various regions, bring these areas under Konoha's jurisdiction, support them, and control the taxation ourselves."
Shikaku and Minato nodded. This step made sense.
After the recent events, it was clear that entrusting financial power to the Daimyo Mansion was no longer an option.
"The second step is, since we're collecting taxes from these people, we need to fight bandits and maintain order. We can't let the people pay taxes and then suffer from bandits."
"This is why I plan to abolish the mission system. Once we collect taxes, we'll be self-sufficient."
Simu then proposed many other solutions to move forward with the reforms.
For example, Simu proposed a professionalization system for ninjas.
Konoha would form an army of ninjas, where ninjas would no longer rely on missions to earn a living.
Instead, Konoha would pay them based on their working hours, with different salaries for different positions.
This way, ninjas could fully focus on training and improving their strength, without being distracted by mission assignments.
Simu also planned to reform the existing ninja training system. He wanted to extend the duration of ninja school to 10 years.
Additionally, psychological courses would be added to the curriculum to help students address mental health issues and develop into well-rounded ninjas of the new era.
Ninjas would need to be at least 15 years old to join the army, though exceptionally talented individuals with strong mental resilience could join earlier.
While Simu originally considered setting the age limit at 18, he decided against it, as children in this world mature both physically and mentally faster, reaching full maturity by the age of 19.
This approach might be surprising for many, but it seemed necessary.
Minato responded seriously:
"Simu, if you implement these two systems, Konoha's ninja numbers could shrink rapidly."
The move toward professionalizing ninjas would require a lot of resources. Without missions, Konoha's finances would struggle to support all these ninjas.
Even with control over taxes, they could only afford to support around 15,000 ninjas.
If the graduation age for ninja school is delayed, Konoha's military strength will drop quickly.
Shikaku nodded in agreement.
"The ninja world war isn't completely over yet. If we push this change too quickly, it could cause a sudden decline in Konoha's strength." This was Shikaku's main concern.
Simu, the Fourth Hokage, waved his hand dismissively.
"Don't worry about combat power. We're rapidly producing all kinds of ninja tools. Soon, everyone will have one. Even if the other four major nations join forces to fight against us, it won't be a problem."
Simu was confident in his ninja tools. "As for finances, we'll just raise taxes."
Minato and Shikaku exchanged a look. They both felt that their Hokage was beginning to sound like a tyrant.
Seeing their reactions, Simu quickly explained,
"Do you think ninja tools are only for fighting?"
"They can also be used for farming, irrigation, boosting agriculture, and promoting industrialization!"
Under Simu's persuasion, Shikaku and Minato agreed to start the reforms for the ninjas.
However, the most shocking decision was Konoha's announcement to end all relations with the Daimyo Mansion of the Land of Fire.
"The Daimyo of the Land of Fire and the nobles under him are stupid and corrupt, causing the people to suffer. Therefore, Konoha is severing all ties with the Daimyo Mansion and will create a new Fire Nation, one that is united, peaceful, prosperous, free from oppression, and exploitation!"
When this statement was made, it sent shockwaves across the world.
Since the establishment of the Ninja Village system by Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, this was the first time a Ninja Village had openly turned against a Daimyo.
Other nations quickly condemned Konoha and imposed economic sanctions. Konoha, however, remained unfazed.
Meanwhile, revolutionary groups cheered as if on steroids.
Konoha, one of the Five Great Ninja Villages, had officially declared war on the Land of Fire's nobles, which greatly boosted the morale of these Freedom Fighter.
Inside Konoha Village, people were surprised, but since it was the Hokage's order, they simply accepted it.
The entire ninja world became tense again. Despite the Daimyo Mansion's outrage, the Freedom Fighters kept winning.
Konoha, no longer pretending, began supplying them with large amounts of weapons.
[Thunder Type I], [Lightning Type I], [Armor Type I], and [Caster Type I] were now being delivered by the thousands.
The army of the Daimyo Mansion was left stunned.
"How did they develop such powerful weapons? Is this even possible in this era?"
As the Freedom Fighters advanced, Konoha Village was not idle.
Under Simu's leadership, industrialization officially began. Thanks to the Brain fruit, new and innovative design blueprints flowed out of the research institute.
Cutting-edge steam engines, power plants, railways, and even a sea railway were developed.
Konoha's newly established scientific research department analyzed these technologies and passed them on to the construction department.
With these new technologies, tall buildings began to rise quickly across the village.
Meanwhile, the Freedom Fighters continued to bring captured nobles to Konoha.
These prisoners were typically sent to work in the mines or on railway construction.
Simu showed no regard for them as human beings.
.
.
TO BE CONTINUED
_________________
Noted : if you guys want read advance chapter, you can check at my P@treon : patreon.com/MoonEater18