Lin Feng stopped moving, and the ripples in the space around him stilled as well.
He didn't turn around. He simply stood calmly at the edge of the rooftop, letting the sea breeze stir his armor.
"Kisame."
His voice was soft, yet it clearly cut through the howling wind.
"Are you questioning my actions?"
Kisame Hoshigaki's shark-like face showed no change in expression, but his right hand tightened around Samehada almost unconsciously.
"I wouldn't dare." Kisame's voice was hoarse. "I just want to know what kind of future I'll see by following Lord Madara."
He had killed all his comrades, killed his superior, and even personally ended the Third Mizukage's rule, staking the fate of all Kirigakure on the man before him.
He needed an answer.
An answer that could give his heart, steeped in darkness for far too long, somewhere to belong.
"The future?"
Lin Feng finally turned around slowly, his purple Rinnegan fixed calmly on Kisame.
"You're the Fourth Mizukage now, and the entire Land of Water is under your control. Isn't that power enough for you?"
Kisame bared his sharp teeth, wearing a self-mocking smile.
"The Mizukage? It's just a bigger cage. I used to kill for Kirigakure. Now I kill for the Akatsuki. If that's all there is to it, how is it any different from before?"
He stepped forward, a fierce aura radiating from him.
"Lord Madara, you showed me the possibility of a world without lies. I want to know just how big that world is."
Lin Feng regarded him with a hint of approval in his eyes.
This was the Kisame Hoshigaki he had taken an interest in.
A savage shark who refused to rule a pond and longed to swim into the boundless ocean.
"Kirigakure, the Land of Water... They're all too small."
Lin Feng reached out as if to grasp the distant horizon in his palm.
"So small, they don't even deserve a corner of my chessboard."
Kisame's breath caught.
"The Five Great Nations and the Five Great Ninja Villages—this foolish system of division, suspicion, and endless wars for laughable gains was wrong from the very beginning." Lin Feng's voice grew low, brimming with a power that could upend the world.
"What I intend to build is a unified, absolute New World, where order is maintained by true strength."
"In this world, there will be no division between nations or villages. All ninjas and all Kekkei Genkai will serve a single purpose—development and progress."
He pointed toward Kirigakure below, where reconstruction had begun and life was returning.
"The industrial reforms you're implementing here are only the beginning, a tiny experiment. I intend to spread this model across the entire Ninja World!"
Kisame's enormous body began to tremble uncontrollably.
Not from fear, but from a surge of indescribable excitement that coursed through every fiber of his being.
Unify the entire Ninja World?
Abolish the system of the Five Great Nations?
What an outrageous, blood-boiling ambition!
"As for you," Lin Feng said, his gaze settling on Kisame again, "did you think I made you Mizukage just so you could help me manage this village?"
"No."
"I'm giving you the chance to shatter, with your own hands, the old world that once forced you to kill your comrades. The Mizukage's seat is only your first step."
Lin Feng's words struck Kisame's heart like a heavy hammer.
Killing his comrades... That had been his lifelong nightmare.
"You mean..."
"I need the sharpest blade to cut away the rotting flesh of the old era." Lin Feng's voice was full of persuasion. "And you, Kisame, have the potential to become that blade."
He walked slowly toward Kisame and placed a hand on his shoulder.
A warm, immense life force surged from Lin Feng's palm into Kisame's body.
It was the system reward, "Life Feedback (Yang)."
Kisame felt a warm current sweep through him. The hidden injuries and exhaustion left by his successive battles and forced Chakra use were completely washed away.
His body felt even better than it had at its peak!
"What... What is this?!"
Kisame stared at Lin Feng in shock. This power was far beyond the scope of Medical Ninjutsu. It was more like a miracle of life bestowed by a god!
"A small reward." Lin Feng withdrew his hand, his tone calm.
"Do well, Kisame. Your future potential goes far beyond being a Mizukage."
"The world I've described needs pioneers like you."
Kisame dropped to one knee and planted his enormous Samehada in front of him, bowing his head deeply.
This time, he submitted from the bottom of his heart.
"I, Kisame Hoshigaki, will give everything for the New World Lord Madara is creating!"
"Good."
Lin Feng nodded in satisfaction.
"Continue the five-year plan for Kirigakure. Have Kakuzu handle the issuance of the Tailed Beast Bonds. He's better at it than you are."
"Are you... still leaving?" Kisame looked up.
"My business here is finished." Lin Feng walked back to the edge of the rooftop. "My other pieces are waiting for me to move them across the Ninja World."
A space-time vortex appeared once more.
"Remember, Kisame." Lin Feng's voice came from within the vortex, carrying an unquestionable authority.
"From this day on, keep your eyes on the whole world."
With that, Lin Feng vanished completely.
Kisame was left alone, kneeling on the rooftop, feeling the unprecedented strength within him and the heart in his chest, burning anew.
He slowly rose and walked to the edge of the rooftop, looking down at the village, now completely transformed.
This was the starting point of the New World.
Konoha, the Hokage's office.
A month had passed since the Nine-Tails Incident.
Under the leadership of the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, the village's reconstruction was proceeding in an orderly fashion.
But the atmosphere in the office was so oppressive it was hard to breathe.
Namikaze Minato sat in the Hokage's seat, wearing a gentle smile, though exhaustion lingered between his brows.
On either side of him sat the two newly appointed Hokage Assistants—Fugaku Uchiha and Shimura Danzō.
The two newly appointed Fourth Hokage Advisors were Uchiha Nensa, an elder of the Uchiha Clan, and Nara Shikaku, the representative put forward by the Hokage faction, who had been appointed Jonin Commander thanks to his exceptional strategic mind.
"Regarding Kumogakure's delegation and their request to sign a peace treaty with Konoha, I think we can accept," Minato said, breaking the silence.
"I object."
Shimura Danzō's one eye was as sharp as a hawk's.
"Kumogakure is a pack of wolves with ulterior motives. They have never given up coveting Konoha's Kekkei Genkai. Their so-called peace treaty is nothing but a pretext for infiltration."
"Lord Danzō, you're worrying too much." Fugaku Uchiha spoke evenly. "Konoha has just weathered a great upheaval and truly needs a peaceful external environment to recover. Besides, demonstrating our strength and unity to the outside world will deter petty enemies."
The "unity" he spoke of carried an implicit meaning.
Ever since the Uchiha Clan had "saved the Hokage" during the Nine-Tails Incident, and Fugaku had taken the position of Hokage Assistant, the clan's standing in the village had soared. It had even begun to rival the Hokage faction led by the Fourth Hokage.
"Lord Fugaku is right! Only a stable transition period can resolve the problems Konoha is facing!" Uchiha Nensa chimed in.
"Lord Minato, Lord Fugaku, Lord Danzō, Konoha may have won the Third Shinobi World War, but it urgently needs time to recover. I've spoken with Lord Jiraiya, and he has finished his training abroad. He'll return to Konoha tomorrow. I've also been in contact with Lady Tsunade. Although she said she doesn't pay much attention to news from Konoha, I believe she'll return quickly if the village faces a crisis. Konoha currently has the three Sannin, all of Kage Level strength, so we don't need to fear any invader. Only peace can restore Konoha's strength. We also have formidable fighters, and only by showing that we seek peace through struggle can we achieve true peace!" Nara Shikaku explained.
Listening to the others argue, Minato rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.
Scenes like this had played out almost every day over the past month.
Danzō represented the hardline hawks, while Fugaku presented himself as a moderate who put the greater good first. The two clashed on every issue. One of the Hokage Advisors was a dyed-in-the-wool Uchiha, while the other was a member of the Nara Clan. Fortunately, the Nara Clan had always been a firm supporter of the Hokage faction, keeping his decisions as Hokage from becoming impossible to carry out.
"All right, about this matter..."
Just as Minato was about to make a decision, an Anbu Ninja suddenly appeared in the center of the office using the Body Flicker Technique.
"Lord Minato, urgent news!"
"The Hyuga Clan compound has been attacked by unknown assailants! Miss Hinata... has been abducted!"
Before you continue