"Clear skies and thin clouds, gazing southward at the wild geese in flight. A man is no hero unless he reaches Wake; counting the miles already traveled, we've covered twenty thousand. On the peaks above Kumogakure, banners stream wildly in the western wind.
"Today, the long spear is in our hands. When will we bind the Azure Dragon?"
Zhengyi led the Konoha Ninja to a town in the Land of Lightning called Wake.
According to reports, the Third Raikage was currently fighting a major battle against Iwagakure. The Land of Lightning's defenses were depleted; perhaps they could even make it all the way to Kumogakure.
When Dodai, an elite jōnin left to defend Kumogakure, heard the news, it felt as if the sky had fallen.
Where had a thousand ninja come from?
A thousand ninja!!
"Lord Third and Lord A took all the ninja in the village with them," the Chunin who had delivered the report said nervously.
"Enough! Are you trying to shift the blame onto the Raikage?!"
The village had nearly fallen. They would have become the greatest criminals in Kumogakure's history.
Fortunately, this Konoha force was a mixed lot and lacked the strength to keep pushing forward.
Dodai hurriedly led all of Kumogakure's Anbu and ninja to reclaim the lost territory.
He would wait until the Third returned, then atone with his life.
Zhengyi knew they couldn't hold the towns in the Land of Lightning.
So he did something that could change the course of the Shinobi World's history.
After entering Wake, he seized the local nobles' property and distributed their estates among the poor residents.
After doing this good deed without leaving his name, he led the Konoha Ninja away and continued on to attack the next town.
By the time A and Killer B returned with the ninja from the front lines, they ran into Konoha Ninja who were waging a guerrilla war against them with help from the residents of the Land of Lightning.
"Argh!! Didn't you say that bunch of crafty Konoha bastards went southwest?"
Out in the wilderness, A grabbed a resident of the town.
The man had just pointed out the way, claiming he knew where the Konoha Ninja had gone.
This bastard had led them all over the place, sending them one way and then another.
Every time they asked, he said they were about to catch up with the Konoha Ninja.
And yet A had nearly run out of the Land of Lightning. Where the hell were these Konoha Ninja?
"They went this way. I saw them with my own eyes."
"Konoha's on the sun. Go chase them there." The townsman lifted his chin and stared at the sun, looking as if he didn't care whether A killed him.
"Slaughter the cattle and sheep, prepare the cattle and sheep, open the gates to welcome Zhengyi. When Zhengyi comes, no taxes will be collected.
"Eat his food, sleep with his women; if that's not enough, there's always Zhengyi.
"Lord Zhengyi said he was the Child of Prophecy foretold by the Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku, the one who would bring peace to the Shinobi World!"
Peace!
He had truly seen it!
Zhengyi had given them land and told them they didn't have to kneel.
"Kill me."
"Kill one of me, and thousands more will rise."
"Damn it!!!" A clenched the man's collar, his grip tightening. He wanted to slam him to the ground and kill him.
But A was quick-witted enough to know that if he did, he'd be playing right into Zhengyi's hands.
That brat!!
"Hey, you've all been fooled by Zhengyi of Konoha!" a Cloud Ninja shouted angrily.
"Hmph, what would you know?" The townspeople looked at him with scorn.
Couldn't they tell who treated them well?
"Bastards."
"Who gave you permission to kill residents of the Land of Lightning?"
A large crowd of residents had gathered in Maimi Square that day. At the center, a defiant-looking ninja knelt, his chakra sealed and his limbs bound.
The previous night, when the Konoha Ninja had entered the town, a Special Jōnin from the Sarutobi Clan had started looting, as was customary.
It was an old Warring States tradition: after conquering enemy territory, plunder their supplies. To put it plainly, massacre the town.
Ninja were a vigorous, high-strung lot, and Konoha's treasury couldn't afford to reward them all. So, to stop Konoha Ninja from committing crimes on a large scale, the Second Hokage and the Third had turned a blind eye to such "minor matters" during the three Shinobi World Wars, as long as no citizens of the Land of Fire were harmed and nobody reported it.
Usually, a ninja who privately killed a few residents wouldn't face any punishment.
After all, the laws of the Land of Fire didn't protect foreign civilians.
But today, Zhengyi broke the rules and chose to execute a member of the Sarutobi Clan.
"What crime have I committed? You can't kill me! Zhengyi! You're only a Chunin. What right do you have to kill me? I've done great things for Konoha!"
"Sarutobi Hayate, I remember all you've done for Konoha. You were the first to charge into Maimi City and used your clan's secret technique, Fire Style: Ash Pile Burning, to claim the greatest credit."
Zhengyi seemed to recall Sarutobi Hayate's achievements, and his admiration for talent stirred. But after hesitating for a moment, he shed two tears and said, "Still, I won't spare anyone who harms innocent townspeople—not my brother, my teacher, or even my child."
"Execute him!"
Everything was for his teacher's sake, so he could become Hokage!
He had led the Konoha Ninja to such a great victory. If his teacher still couldn't become Hokage, it could only mean there was something shady going on!!
"Biwako is my great-aunt! Who dares kill me?!"
"So what if the Hokage's wife is your great-aunt, and the Third is your great-uncle?" Zhengyi raised his voice so the people gathered in Maimi could hear. The man being executed had powerful connections.
"Anyone who harms innocent villagers..."
Zhengyi's righteous words deeply moved the crowd—if they ignored everything he had done for Orochimaru.
But it sounded better phrased another way.
Even in the darkness, Zhengyi's heart turned toward the light and toward justice!
"Execute him."
One after another, people begged for mercy. A great many members of the ninja clans stepped forward to plead for Sarutobi Hayate.
So he was related to Konoha's Hokage? Just as the people thought Zhengyi would take the opportunity to back down and let the matter quietly pass, something else happened.
Zhengyi raised the Kusanagi Sword.
Orochimaru had given it to him. When it was drawn, it was as if Orochimaru himself had appeared, and Zhengyi could use it to command disobedient ninja.
With that very Kusanagi Sword, Zhengyi cut off the criminal's head.
Where Zhengyi went, justice followed.
Whatever else Zhengyi might have done, he enforced military discipline strictly.
The Konoha Ninja of the future should be sacred, never tainted by petty crooks.
"You! You really killed him?" Aburame Shibi was stunned. So it hadn't been an act? But...
"This is going to be troublesome." A certain Nara Clan jōnin rubbed his brow.
Suppose the people of the Land of Lightning had rated their goodwill toward Konoha at 60 after Konoha distributed the land.
Now it had shot past 80.
Konoha! A righteous army!
Konoha! Had truly come to liberate the Land of Lightning and bring it peace!!
At dawn, Konoha captured another town. It was warm during the day at the beginning of spring, but the temperature dropped sharply at night, and the wind cut to the bone.
Zhengyi and the ninja slept right there in the street.
The residents of the Land of Lightning stepped outside early that morning and saw the scene.
No more words!
Nothing left to say!
The residents' goodwill toward Konoha rose by one, then another, then another... until it was off the charts.
Before you continue