The next morning, the village was slightly unsettled.
But once word spread that the King had repelled the invaders, the atmosphere quickly stabilized again.
There was no need to burden ordinary civilians with the details.
All they needed to do was continue with their lives.
If not for the need to protect the villagers during the battle, Uzumaki Shuji would have simply unleashed Ea (Sword of Rupture) over a thousand-ter radius, tearing through space itself and giving Obito Uchiha no chance to escape.
Among the higher-ups, however, there was considerable concern.
Kakashi Hatake had been removed overnight.
His position had been handed to Itachi Uchiha.
That ant the Uchiha Clan now controlled even more authority.
Many people were uneasy.
But under Uzumaki Shuji's overwhelming strength, no one dared voice their opinions.
Uzumaki Shuji himself had no interest in what they thought.
He turned to Hashirama Senju.
"Naruto's body is still too weak to control the Nine-Tails, isn't it?"
Naruto Uzumaki was laying a solid foundation, but his combat ability was still far too low.
And Obito remained a serious threat.
If Obito targeted Naruto specifically, it would be troubleso.
If Naruto could access the Nine-Tails' chakra, he would at least gain so ability to protect himself.
"If Naruto were like you, it would be easy."
Hashirama shook his head.
"But right now, his control over his own power is too weak."
"Giving him the Nine-Tails' chakra now wouldn't help."
"It's not like a child wielding a kunai."
"It's more like an ant holding a kunai. He doesn't even have the strength to swing it."
For both Uzumaki Shuji and Hashirama, controlling the Nine-Tails was trivial.
One possessed the Chains of Heaven and a Mangekyō Sharingan.
The other could suppress the beast with one hand.
But Naruto was still far from that level.
"Can we extract the Nine-Tails without harming him?"
Uzumaki Shuji asked.
He considered removing the fox temporarily and sealing it away until Naruto was strong enough.
And if anything happened, there was still the other half sealed inside Minato Namikaze.
"Impossible."
Hashirama answered bluntly.
"The Nine-Tails' chakra has already fused with Naruto."
"If you remove it, Naruto dies."
"…I see."
Uzumaki Shuji abandoned the idea.
The only option was to keep training Naruto until he reached at least Chūnin-level strength.
Only then could he safely begin using the Nine-Tails' power.
Hashirama crossed his arms.
"Now it's my turn."
"What exactly did Madara do?"
"And how was that masked man deceived?"
Uzumaki Shuji's shadow clone smirked.
Then it vanished.
The clone dispersed before answering.
Hashirama stood frozen.
Then he gritted his teeth.
"That irritating brat!"
As the days passed, more and more spies infiltrated the village.
But none dared cause trouble.
They moved carefully, terrified of attracting attention.
Several fools attempted to approach the tower atop Hokage Rock.
They were killed on the spot.
Uzumaki Shuji's orders were clear.
No need to keep them alive.
After all, the entire world was effectively the enemy.
Information about Uruk spread rapidly.
And sooner or later, war would co.
The most furious was the Fire Daimyō.
He had spent decades pouring money into Konoha's military power.
Now that investnt was gone overnight.
Forced to rely on wandering rcenaries to defend his borders, the Land of Fire's security had beco dangerously unstable.
Neighboring countries had already begun sending operatives deep into Fire Country territory.
anwhile, the other hidden villages were in an uproar.
"B-rank and below techniques are completely unrestricted?"
"Even clan secret arts can be learned?"
"As long as you earn enough contribution points, you can exchange them for forbidden techniques?"
The spies in Uruk had nearly wept with envy.
Every ninja in the world had risked life and limb to acquire new techniques.
Now Uruk was handing them out wholesale.
Years of sacrifice had suddenly beco worthless.
In Iwagakure, Ōnoki set the intelligence report down.
"Only Hiruzen and a group of senior figures died."
"The majority of Konoha's forces remain intact."
"In terms of military strength, Uruk hasn't weakened much."
The Land of Fire sat at the center of the continent.
And now a new nation—Uruk—had erged within its borders.
This should have been good news for neighboring powers.
But Uruk's radical policies deeply unsettled them.
"A bold vision."
Ōnoki narrowed his eyes.
"But one that makes an enemy of the entire shinobi world."
The open sharing of ninjutsu struck at the very foundation of the traditional clan system.
To those at the top of the hierarchy, Uzumaki Shuji's reforms were a direct threat.
And yet, there was a problem.
No one trusted anyone else.
Every nation wanted a piece of Uruk.
But everyone feared exposing themselves and being stabbed in the back.
Many of the great powers were old enemies.
No one dared commit fully.
If Obito had never openly declared war and had instead acted in secret, his success rate would likely have doubled.
In Kumogakure, A snorted.
"A bold move."
"But an eight-year-old?"
He remained skeptical.
Still, he found the policy appealing.
Unlike other villages, Kumogakure was less dominated by large clans, so the reforms would affect them less severely.
In Sunagakure, Rasa frowned.
"So the Third Hokage is truly dead."
"Sunagakure has lost its ally."
Should he help avenge Konoha?
Or should he conserve strength against Iwagakure?
Every nation saw Uruk as a ripe and tempting prize.
A delicious strawberry.
But no one wanted to be the first to reach out, only to have soone else stab them from behind.
At the gates of Uruk, a tall blonde woman arrived.
Tsunade Senju stood there, accompanied by Shizune and a small pig nad Tonton.
She gazed up at the gates of the village she once called ho.
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