Ghost Puppet Army and Earth Grudge Fear

Konoha's development was in full swing.

The other four great nations were likewise making active preparations, ushering in the era of One Country, One Village.

Before long, the other four ninja villages would surely follow Konoha's lead and take root across the lands of the great nations.

At this moment, in the Land of Night.

The General's Residence in Nightview City.

On Yayoi's desk lay an invitation that had been rushed over from the Land of Fire.

Yayoi quickly finished reading it. There was not much written there; a glance was enough to take it all in.

Its meaning was clear. Konoha had voted to appoint Hashirama Senju as the village's First, and the official announcement would be conveyed throughout the Ninja World by the Land of Fire's daimyo.

However, although the resolution had passed, the ceremony had yet to be held.

Perhaps feeling that such an important matter should not be handled so hastily, the Land of Fire's daimyo and Konoha's ninjas had decided to send invitations to the leaders of every nation, hoping they would come to Konoha to witness the grand ceremony of the First's inauguration.

The ceremony was scheduled for mid-January of the following year. The timing was not rushed, giving every nation time to prepare.

"First... is that the title of a ninja village's leader?"

Irori had also been studying the invitation from the side, softly murmuring the unfamiliar term "Hokage."

This was a title reserved for the leader of the Hidden Leaf Village. Named after "fire," it also proclaimed its close ties to the Land of Fire.

"Then, Lord Yayoi, will you be attending the ceremony?"

Irori asked Yayoi what he intended to do.

"There is no harm in going. Some things only have meaning when witnessed in person."

Yayoi gave his honest answer without hesitation.

Konoha, the Hokage... the era of One Country, One Village from his memories had officially begun.

That was why he did not want to miss such a meaningful occasion. He wanted to witness the formal birth of the Hokage with his own eyes.

Irori nodded, her expression becoming much more serious.

"If that is the case, leave the security arrangements to me when the time comes."

Konoha would inevitably gather many powerful figures then. Though the Senju and Uchiha would be present, that did not guarantee there would be no trouble.

There were simply too many foolish people who did not know their place or understand the gap between themselves and others.

As the general of the Land of Night, Yayoi faced no fewer than dozens of assassination attempts every year.

Some of those assassins were laughably weak in Irori's eyes. She could not understand how they dared attempt an assassination with such paltry strength.

One could never underestimate human stupidity. Some idiots genuinely could not see the difference in strength and believed themselves invincible.

"Ah, I am counting on you. But do not worry too much, Irori. Konoha will definitely have its own security measures in place."

Surely no one would try to launch some Konoha Crush Plan at a time like this, right? Come to think of it, could Orochimaru win if he launched the Konoha Crush Plan at this point?

Yayoi did not dare imagine such a thing happening.

It was simply too absurd.

With Konoha as it was now, the Ninja World ought to be grateful for Hashirama Senju's noble character, so long as he did not launch a Ninja World Collapse Plan.

Without him keeping Madara Uchiha in check, the Ninja World truly would be finished.

"By the way, Irori, your strength should have stabilized recently, right?"

Yayoi turned his attention to Irori's physical condition.

She should have absorbed a great deal of the Tailed Beast's Chakra and made it her own.

Combined with Irori's already formidable Chakra, her Chakra reserves alone were now approaching Tailed Beast level.

With the power of Ice Release, taking down a Tailed Beast alone would be no difficult feat.

Of course, the Nine-Tails was an exception. Yayoi remembered that the Nine-Tails in its Four-Tails state had beaten Orochimaru half to death.

In its Eight-Tails state, even a Sealing Jutsu like Planetary Devastation could not suppress it.

And that had only been the Four-Tails and Eight-Tails states of half the Nine-Tails.

Yayoi felt that the Nine-Tails and the other Tailed Beasts seemed like entirely different species.

"Yes, the Chakra has stabilized. If I enter battle now, there will no longer be any risk."

Feeling the vast Chakra within her settle into stability, Irori wore a confident smile.

At first, she had indeed struggled to adapt to that powerful Chakra, and it had placed a considerable burden on her body.

But after several months of adjustment, that Chakra had become like her own flesh and blood, a part of her body.

It was no longer a burden, but a source of even greater strength.

If she fought the Seven-Tails again, even in its complete form, she could take it down by herself.

The power of a Tailed Beast was immense, but its abilities were far too singular, and its massive size made it an easy target. As long as she had methods to counter them, Tailed Beasts were actually not that difficult for her to handle.

A Jinchūriki capable of skillfully drawing upon a Tailed Beast's power would be much harder to deal with instead.

"Unfortunately, there is no second Tailed Beast within the Land of Night. Now that every nation has sealed its borders, going out to capture one might cause considerable trouble. The risks outweigh the benefits."

Yayoi sighed regretfully.

Most importantly, the majority of Tailed Beasts were scattered within the territories of the great nations.

If it were a small nation, he would already have gone to capture a second Tailed Beast.

But the great nations... were too dangerous now.

There were too many powerful ninjas there, and no shortage of those eyeing the Tailed Beasts' power.

Irori was strong, but she was still not strong enough to run rampant within a great nation.

"Even so, without the appropriate methods, Tailed Beasts are actually difficult to make use of. Most importantly, they are hard to tame."

Irori did not find it a pity. The Land of Night could not easily control a second Tailed Beast now.

Containing a Tailed Beast required highly advanced techniques. Yayoi had already reached his limit by containing the Seven-Tails.

He did not have enough energy to contain a second Tailed Beast.

Even if they sealed one away and created a Jinchūriki... the problem was that not every ninja could become one.

If a Tailed Beast were sealed inside most ninjas, they would die instantly.

Even if the sealing succeeded, the Tailed Beast would periodically cause trouble and go berserk.

With immature techniques, a Tailed Beast's power was a heavy burden rather than an aid.

"If only we had the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Jutsu..."

Yayoi could not help feeling envious.

The sealing techniques obtained from the Hagoromo Clan and the other small ninja clans they had wiped out were still far too inferior.

His current method of containing Tailed Beasts combined Sealing Jutsu with physical restraints. He also had to regularly weaken the Seven-Tails' strength to ensure nothing could go wrong, which consumed a great deal of his attention.

With high-level Sealing Jutsu, it would not need to be so cumbersome.

"I wonder whether they would accept a marriage alliance... though the position of principal wife is already taken."

Yayoi thought once more of the path of marriage alliances.

He had already tasted the benefits of exchanging techniques through marriage alliances with the Hyuga Clan.

He had once acquired the corpse of an Uzumaki Clan ninja from the underground Black Market and researched that clan's Chakra.

Like his own, the Chakra of that clan possessed powerful vitality.

However, its degree of vitalization was far inferior to his Chakra.

"If it is the Vitalization Technique, perhaps it could draw them in as allies."

Yayoi's foundation was the extraordinary vitality innate to his Chakra.

That inborn vitality was difficult to teach to others, but that did not mean he had never researched his unusual Chakra.

Long ago, through his understanding of his own Chakra, he had developed a Chakra Vitalization Technique.

Its degree of vitalization could not compare to the innate vitality of his own Chakra, but it could be applied to others and learned by outsiders as well.

It was a basic technique. If used flexibly enough, it could serve as the foundation for many more techniques.

Much like the Rasengan, it could be developed in many directions.

He had always regarded it as one of his most closely guarded techniques.

Even in his marriage alliance with the Hyuga Clan, he had not handed over this technique.

In his eyes, this foundational technique for Active Chakra was more important than incomplete Yin-Yang Release.

The greater one's Chakra vitality, the more one's abilities in Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu would improve across the board.

With prolonged training, it might even extend one's natural lifespan.

No, that is too wishful. This technique's potential far exceeds the value of a marriage alliance. I cannot focus only on the present.

Yayoi abandoned the thought.

A foundational technique with some potential for widespread use, one that could enhance Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu alike, would be dangerous if exposed.

Yayoi regained his composure, but he still longed deeply for the Uzumaki Clan's powerful Sealing Jutsu.

"Irori, handle the affairs here in my stead. I am going down to the underground level. Also, have Kakuzu come over. By my calculations, that 'thing' should be nearly complete."

Yayoi patted his face and had Irori remain behind to oversee the place and handle official business in his stead.

This was not the first time such a thing had happened.

Irori's importance went without saying. Whenever he was absent, her authority was equal to his own.

Though only a few short months had passed, anyone could see that Irori was the acting general of the Land of Night.

"Yes, Lord Yayoi."

Irori earnestly carried out her duties, handling official affairs in Yayoi's stead.

Tenshu Tower, underground space.

Its depth far exceeded the height of Tenshu Tower above ground.

And it was not merely its depth. Its width likewise dwarfed what a small Tenshu Tower could possibly contain.

There were many entrances and exits here. They led to the Outer Court, the Inner Court, and even secret passages beyond the General's Residence.

The defensive forces stationed here were also the tightest and strongest.

There were also all manner of mechanisms and traps, as well as numerous dangerous, high-powered explosive devices. Anyone unfamiliar with the area who intruded here would certainly be reduced to bones and dust.

The guards here included not only ninjas and samurai, but also an extremely mysterious kind of special humanoid puppet that only Yayoi could create.

They retained a basic humanoid form, their bodies bare and featureless. The important joints of their bodies were circular lubricated bearings, while their smooth, rigid outer skin could withstand blades and even directly endure low-powered Ninjutsu blasts.

Most importantly, these humanoid puppets were not merely hard-bodied. They also wore heavy armor and carried swords, further enhancing both their defensive and offensive capabilities.

In peculiar postures, they floated and roamed through the air of the underground space like ghosts, patrolling without interruption twenty-four hours a day.

Because of this trait, Yayoi had named these puppets Ghost Puppets.

Without Chakra Threads or any other means of operation, they simply drifted about on their own.

Beneath their helmets, pairs of eyes glowed with an eerie green light.

They truly seemed like a host of ghosts from the underworld.

Silent and still.

Yayoi was already accustomed to this sight.

This was the most important facility within the General's Residence.

The ninjas and samurai were merely one line of defense. These astonishingly numerous Ghost Puppets formed another powerful defensive line.

However, only here could the Ghost Puppets move freely in "wireless" mode.

Inspired by the Six Paths Puppets of the Rinnegan, they used special signal-receiving devices to remotely transmit Chakra and control their movements.

He did not possess the Rinnegan's abilities, but in the field of puppetry, his Active Chakra gave him a greater advantage, allowing him to replicate this technique with ease.

Otherwise, how could he and Irori alone have earned the title of "puppeteers"? Though he also bore other titles, such as "Puppet General" and "Hell Demon."

During the Night Country Founding War, Irori had already been able to enter battle, but her abilities were far inferior to what they were now.

When he had swept through the Land of Waterfalls and the Land of Iron, he had relied primarily on his own Ninjutsu and Taijutsu, as well as a vast puppet army.

He could even use Chakra Threads... to control living enemies, forcing them to slaughter one another.

His most famous battle had been the time he alone caused a samurai fortress housing a thousand men to collapse overnight, with blood flowing like a river.

There, he had staged a living puppet play and created a living hell of unimaginable misery, leaving not a single survivor.

Thus, the title "Hell Demon" began to spread.

The limit for a puppeteer was ten fingers, and Yayoi indeed had ten fingers.

But after his Chakra had been thoroughly vitalized, every finger could release dozens of Chakra Threads, allowing precise manipulation of puppets.

His vitalized Chakra could also make puppets move with remarkable dexterity. This was a technique unique to him.

After all, no one had ever said that one finger could only release one Chakra Thread.

He was the strongest puppeteer of this era. He would define what a true puppeteer was.

He entered a lower level.

There were fewer and fewer ninjas and samurai, with only squads upon squads of Ghost Puppets floating through the air.

Deep within the sealed chamber stood a steel device the size of a two-story house, resembling a human brain. It continuously emitted faint Chakra pulses and was protected by layers of thick hemispherical glass.

It was immersed in a vast amount of liquid, bubbles rising continuously as though the steel brain itself could breathe.

The glass casing was inscribed with countless mantras and covered in a massive number of Cursed Seal talismans, further reinforcing the device's defenses.

This was the core central processor controlling the Ghost Puppet Legion in the underground space.

It continuously dispersed vitalized Chakra twenty-four hours a day, connecting with the Chakra signal devices within the puppets and wirelessly controlling the puppet legion throughout the underground space.

Its advantage was that it could control more than two thousand puppets without manual operation. In other words, over two thousand Ghost Puppets were stationed here as guards.

But its drawback was equally obvious: it could not extend beyond the bounds of the General's Residence.

Once they left that range, the Ghost Puppets became lifeless objects incapable of movement.

Yayoi glanced over the steel creation inside the glass casing that resembled a human brain, checking on the situation here.

This steel brain was, in essence, also one of Yayoi's puppet creations.

Unlike Irori, its body was primarily forged from steel, supplemented by much precious Chakra Metal, with a Chakra Core containing a concentrated consciousness created within it before it was finally completed.

This steel-brain puppet had no name, only a designation—Zero.

It also lacked high intelligence, possessing only a machine-like consciousness that coldly obeyed Yayoi's commands to maintain the operation of the underground Ghost Puppet Legion.

Naturally, as Yayoi's highest-grade creation, Irori also held command authority here.

This was a control-type puppet weapon created solely to produce a large-scale army and wage war.

"The condition is flawless, and its performance is far more stable than before. If we need to upgrade its capabilities in the future, it will be much more convenient."

After inspecting the steel brain, Yayoi gave his assessment.

According to his original design, the brain puppet "Zero" would be able to freely control more than ten thousand puppets and extend the Ghost Puppet Legion's operational range across the entire Land of Night.

But achieving that was far too difficult. Whether in terms of power or technology, it could only remain a theoretical fantasy for now.

"Lord Yayoi, I'm here. What did you need me for?"

Footsteps sounded behind him. Kakuzu, the black-clad, masked ninja, appeared a short distance behind Yayoi, interrupting his thoughts.

"Sorry for disturbing you at this time. But I called you here to give you something important. By my calculations, it should be finished by now."

Without explaining further, Yayoi headed in another direction and gestured for Kakuzu to follow.

Though the steel passageway was enclosed, it was not cramped. Even large summoned beasts could pass through it.

"I don't think... I've been here before."

Kakuzu observed his surroundings.

He rarely came to the lower levels of the Tenshu Tower. He only knew that many dangerous things were stored here.

The last time he had come was when he brought Seven-Tails here to be sealed away.

As far as he knew, the badly wounded Seven-Tails was imprisoned in a sealed cell somewhere within this underground space by Yayoi.

"Because I keep many dangerous items here. If you touch things carelessly, something unpleasant might happen."

Yayoi offered a brief explanation.

At last, the two stopped before a massive iron door.

A large talisman was affixed to the door. The moment Yayoi pressed his palm against it, the talisman immediately peeled away and drifted to the ground.

The iron door slowly opened, and purple fluorescent light shone through the widening gap.

Beyond the door seemed to lie another world, exuding an icy, mysterious aura.

"Come in. I think you should be able to master that thing perfectly."

As he followed Yayoi into the room, Kakuzu wondered what he intended to give him.

The space beyond the iron door was unbelievably vast. It was hard to imagine such a massive artificial structure existing a hundred meters underground.

Rows upon rows of enormous cylindrical glass containers stood there, filled with green liquid. Many strange creatures or artificial objects were stored within them, breathing deliberately and releasing bubbles.

The gurgling of bubbles was the only sound in the place.

Silent. Deathly still.

When they reached the final glass container, Kakuzu finally saw what was inside.

It was different from the things before it—a mass of... threads?

No, that was wrong. It was a mass of black tentacles tangled together, seemingly still breathing.

They coiled around one another in layer after layer, throbbing like a heart.

A living tentacle heart.