The First and a New Era

Tobirama Senju, the future Second of Konoha—Yayoi generally knew about his deeds.

Many of Konoha's important facilities and institutions would be established under his leadership.

For example, the Ninja Academy, which opened a path for civilians; the Anbu organization, which strengthened centralization and solidified the Hokage's authority; even the Security Corps position he assigned to the Uchiha Clan would indirectly become one of the triggers for the Uchiha Clan's future destruction.

In short, he was one of Konoha's founding figures who, even after his death, would influence its fate in every aspect.

Setting aside his strength, he was an extraordinarily capable figure in terms of political insight and execution.

"Forgive me for visiting so late. I hope I haven't disturbed you two."

Although Tobirama tried to soften his tone, his cold, rigid demeanor still made people uncomfortable.

His eyes remained fixed on Yayoi and Kicho, as though he were observing them, planning something, or confirming something.

"Not at all. On the contrary, it is an honor. Lord Tobirama, renowned for your godlike speed, I have long admired your name."

Yayoi smiled faintly and responded without giving anything away.

Kicho also smiled. She sat quietly beside Yayoi and calmly refilled his tea.

"Yes. Work is busy during the day, and only at this hour can I spare a little time."

Tobirama nodded and withdrew his scrutinizing gaze.

Ordinarily, testing the Land of Night's general should have been left to the Land of Fire's daimyo, just as with the delegations from the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth.

But considering the Land of Night's special circumstances, Tobirama had decided it would be better to handle this personally.

After all, the Land of Night's general was not merely the nation's leader. He was also a powerful shinobi.

A top-tier puppeteer of the current age, he had swept aside the resistance forces of the Land of Waterfalls and the Land of Iron through absolute strength, then used them as stepping stones to establish the Land of Night... There were too many rumors surrounding him. Even in the Land of Fire, Tobirama had kept some degree of watch over him.

However, there had been no conflict of interest between the Senju Clan and the Land of Night. With enemies like the Uchiha Clan already at hand, neither side had interacted much before this.

"I will not waste time on pleasantries. I came to visit you, General, because there is a deal I would like to discuss."

Tobirama went straight to the point. His time was precious, and there was no need to dance around the issue. This general did not seem like someone who enjoyed verbal sparring either. Like Tobirama, he appeared to value efficiency in important matters.

"Please, go on."

Yayoi's expression grew much more serious.

Tobirama did not hesitate. "As I understand it, several mining districts in the eastern Land of Night produce a great deal of high-quality ore, which can be forged into various types of Chakra Metal."

The eastern Land of Night had once been the Land of Iron, a nation of samurai.

It was also a mineral-rich region that produced many ores suitable for forging excellent Chakra Metal, making it an important strategic resource.

In the past, the samurai of the Land of Iron had relied on those abundant mineral resources to forge countless suits of armor and blades, using them as the foundation of their nation.

Of course, the Land of Fire also possessed similar mineral resources for making Chakra Metal. But different ore types produced Chakra Metal with vastly different properties.

Some of the properties found in the Land of Night's metal ores did not exist in the Land of Fire.

"So you mean an exchange of goods? In that case..."

Yayoi considered it. It was an acceptable transaction.

"No. Rather than raw materials, I hope to purchase a batch of finished Chakra Metal."

Tobirama shook his head and stated his purpose.

Though Chakra Metal differed in its elemental tendencies, that was only a matter of properties. In terms of quality, even the finished products from the Land of Night circulating on the market were clearly superior to those of the Land of Fire.

As a puppeteer, the general of the Land of Night was himself a master craftsman of the highest caliber.

Tobirama suspected that the Land of Night's ability to continually produce large quantities of excellent Chakra Metal in recent years had much to do with Yayoi himself.

Thanks to this top-tier craftsmanship, Chakra Metal manufacturing had become one of the Land of Night's pillar industries, bringing in unbelievably generous profits every year.

The problem was that the amount of finished Chakra Metal flowing out of the Land of Night was still too small.

"It seems the amount of finished Chakra Metal Lord Tobirama needs is not small. Could you be more specific?"

"About one thousand tons."

"..."

Yayoi's mouth twitched.

Was Konoha preparing to wage a Shinobi World War? Did Tobirama know how many shinobi could be armed with that amount of Chakra Metal?

This future Second really had the nerve to ask for the moon.

Chakra Metal was nothing like ordinary steel.

Even mixing a small amount of Chakra Metal into an iron weapon could multiply its performance several times over.

After all, shinobi fought using chakra. If a weapon could not conduct chakra effectively, it was no different from scrap in a shinobi's eyes and could not harm a shinobi.

Ordinary weapons could conduct chakra as well, but their conductivity was too poor and their killing power too weak. They were never among a shinobi's weapon options to begin with.

Therefore, the ninja tools used by shinobi, including kunai and shuriken, all incorporated a certain proportion of Chakra Metal to give them good chakra-conducting properties.

That was also why shinobi, despite possessing physiques beyond ordinary people, could still be stabbed to death by a small kunai. Shinobi weapons were simply not forged from ordinary metal.

(The manga and official material both hinted at this: ninja tools such as kunai, shuriken, and ninja blades could conduct chakra, making them fundamentally different from ordinary steel weapons. Ninja tools also needed regular paid maintenance, or it would hurt terribly when they became unusable, because they were genuinely expensive. Looking at it this way, shinobi might be poor as hell, but the things they used were not cheap at all.)

It was said that certain special Chakra Metals were even more expensive than gold. For example, the Spirit Blade: Kumokiri used by Kicho was forged entirely from special Chakra Metal and was worth more than a dozen Sarutobi Asumas' heads.

Then there was the necklace owned by Hashirama Senju. Similar to special Chakra Metal, it was made from exceedingly rare Chakra Crystal capable of restraining Tailed Beasts and was worth the equivalent of three mountains.

Most of the Chakra Metal produced by the Land of Night fell within normal categories. Its superiority lay only in its more exceptional synthesis techniques.

But even if the Land of Night ran at full capacity, it would be difficult to synthesize one thousand tons of Chakra Metal meeting the required standard within a year.

And even if it could produce it, it could not possibly sell it all to Konoha.

Many facilities in the Land of Night required enormous amounts of Chakra Metal as well.

"Lord Tobirama, you must be joking."

"Then... five hundred tons?"

"Two hundred tons at most."

Yayoi's brow throbbed as he helplessly gave a number.

This amount was already considerable. If used sparingly, it would be enough for present-day Konoha.

As long as the ninja tools were not made entirely of Chakra Metal, but instead mixed a certain proportion of Chakra Metal into iron ninja tools, two hundred tons of Chakra Metal could produce at least one million standard ninja tools in total, including kunai and shuriken.

The average shinobi carried only a limited number of ninja tools—kunai, shuriken, ninja blades, and the like—unless they specialized in ninja tool techniques.

Therefore, this batch of Chakra Metal could arm at least ten thousand shinobi.

Konoha's shinobi were all from shinobi clans at present. No matter how one counted them, there could not possibly be ten thousand shinobi.

Moreover, ninja tools differed from ordinary cold weapons. They could be recovered, reforged, and reused. With proper maintenance, they could last a long time.

"Deal."

Tobirama answered readily, making Yayoi suddenly wonder whether he had offered too much.

Fortunately, two hundred tons of standard Chakra Metal would not place too great a burden on the Land of Night, and it was not as though they would be selling that much every year.

The General's Residence alone still had over one thousand tons of Chakra Metal in storage, but that was an important strategic resource the Land of Night had accumulated through years of frugality. It absolutely could not be sold.

Over the following days, Yayoi barely left his residence. He had already visited everyone he needed to visit, and the transactions with the various countries had largely been finalized.

All that remained was to watch the First's inauguration ceremony before returning to the Land of Night.

However, just because things had quieted down on his side did not mean the other countries would be equally quiet.

The delegations from the other major nations, such as the Land of Lightning and the Land of Water, arrived one after another.

Perhaps they had some personal grudge. The moment the delegations from the Land of Water and the Land of Earth encountered one another, a fierce argument erupted. Their accompanying shinobi nearly came to blows for real. Had Senju and Uchiha shinobi not stepped in later, a vicious clash would likely have broken out.

Yayoi watched the entire conflict between the two countries from the sidelines.

The leader of the Land of Earth delegation's guards was a tall, thin shinobi named Mu. He remained expressionless throughout, making his thoughts impossible to read.

The leader of the Land of Water delegation's guards was Hozuki Gengetsu of the Hozuki Clan, the clan head of the Land of Water's Hozuki Clan. He was a shinobi with a small mustache and no eyebrows.

Among the shinobi fighting on both sides, these two fought the fiercest.

It was clear that both had restrained themselves and had not gone all out, so the battle ultimately ended without a victor.

"What an ingenious invisibility Ninjutsu. Even the Byakugan can only vaguely see the trajectory of chakra flow. If you are not careful, you will lose track of him. He can even fly through the sky."

Kicho watched the battlefield with her Byakugan.

Mu of the Land of Earth used a bizarre invisibility Ninjutsu. Only the Byakugan and powerful sensory shinobi could vaguely detect his location.

Moreover, after using Earth Release, he could hover and fly through the air, making him one of the very few flying shinobi in the Ninja World.

Hozuki Gengetsu of the Land of Water, on the other hand, had only displayed Water Release Ninjutsu. Even in a place without water, he could casually unleash powerful Water Release techniques as though it took no effort at all.

He had not displayed his other abilities, but judging by his fearless attitude, he certainly had stronger trump cards he had yet to use.

"Kekkei Tōta—Dust Release, along with invisibility and flight. His techniques are somewhat dangerous."

Leaving aside Hozuki Gengetsu, who had not shown any more dangerous abilities, Mu of the Land of Earth was the more dangerous one in Yayoi's eyes.

Dust Release—during the Five Kage Summit in the original work, this Kekkei Tōta Ninjutsu had been used by the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki.

It fused the three chakra nature transformations of wind, earth, and fire, releasing a shape-changing translucent barrier that enveloped the enemy. Once caught inside, they would be disintegrated into atoms and reduced to ash.

Of course, Mu had not displayed this technique during the earlier battle, but his reputation as a Dust Release shinobi had long spread throughout the Land of Earth.

Combined with the invisibility and flight abilities he had shown now, being targeted by this man would be troublesome.

Could he be the future Second Tsuchikage of Iwagakure?

That was Yayoi's guess.

Kekkei Tōta could not be inherited, so the later Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, must have mastered Dust Release through training.

As for why Yayoi suspected Mu to be Iwagakure's Second Tsuchikage, it was because the Land of Earth's strongest shinobi was a man named Ishikawa.

According to the intelligence he had obtained, Mu was Ishikawa's follower.

Therefore, Ishikawa was most likely Iwagakure's First Tsuchikage.

"Hmph. We'll stop here for today. Next time, I'll turn you straight into a mummy. Remember that!"

With Senju and Uchiha shinobi mediating, Hozuki Gengetsu ended his dispute with Mu. But before leaving, he still threw out a harsh threat.

"That is what I should be saying. I'll use Dust Release to reduce you to ash, you mustachioed man with no eyebrows."

Mu was furious as well. His expression darkened, and his voice brimmed with killing intent.

Gengetsu's mouth twitched. His distinctive little mustache quivered even harder, revealing just how unsettled he was.

"My husband, do those two have some grudge against each other?"

Kicho tilted her head. Anyone could see that the two were utterly incompatible.

"No, I'm not sure. It looks like they probably had some personal grievance in the past. It is another country's business; there is no need for us to interfere."

Yayoi shook his head. His understanding of Mu and Hozuki Gengetsu came only from intelligence reports. He roughly knew their Ninjutsu and combat styles.

As for their specific personal histories, he had not uncovered them.

Aside from the Land of Earth and the Land of Water, the other nations also harbored varying degrees of personal resentment toward one another. Fortunately, they were all relatively restrained and did not cause any major disturbances.

Amid this tense yet restrained atmosphere among the nations, the day finally came for Hashirama Senju to assume the position of First.

One after another, the clan heads of Konoha's shinobi clans attended the ceremony as Konoha's high-level representatives, dressed in relatively formal attire.

These clan heads were led by Madara Uchiha, followed by the heads of the Sarutobi Clan, Yamanaka Clan, Akimichi Clan, Nara Clan, and other shinobi clans.

Aside from Madara Uchiha, a shinobi beyond all conventional standards, the other clan heads were not to be underestimated either. Their gathered presence made the people from various nations attending the ceremony feel unprecedented pressure.

These shinobi, each from a different clan and renowned throughout even the powerful Land of Fire, were now assembled beside Hashirama Senju.

"From this moment onward, I am the First who will lead this village. Thank you all for coming, and..."

Atop the towering building bearing the character for "Fire," the Senju Clan head—Hashirama Senju—wore a white ceremonial robe and a hat bearing the character for "Kage." In an incomparably solemn tone, he delivered the declaration of the Hokage.

From that moment on, he would lead and protect this newborn shinobi village—Konoha—as the First.

Yet in Yayoi's view, no words or rhetoric were needed at this moment. Hashirama Senju merely needed to stand there, and it meant that a new era would arrive on an irresistible tide, crushing the old Warring States Era completely.

For clans that had never before done so were formally joining together, gaining shared interests and a shared leader.

Within Konoha, they would adjust to one another, compromise, communicate intimately, and eventually form a unified whole.

It was a force capable of forcibly changing the direction of the era.

"Hah... hah... You have to be joking. Something like this... It's simply..."

"Unbelievable. Is a new era truly coming?"

"Can our nation and clan really continue to exist in this new era?"

"One Country, One Village... Damn the Land of Fire, damn Konoha... Why must an era like this come? The Ninja World should not be like this..."

Even shinobi attending the ceremony, including figures like Mu and Hozuki Gengetsu, began trembling unconsciously. Cold sweat of terror covered their faces. They were so suffocated that they could barely breathe, and even their words carried unconcealed fear.

Some yearned for it, some feared it, some were wary, some were furious, some ground their teeth... The expressions on every representative from the various nations who had come to witness the ceremony were incomparably complicated.

They watched as Hashirama Senju, after finishing his declaration, raised the white ceremonial robe-symbolizing Hokage's hat bearing the character for "Fire" high into the air.

The entire venue instantly fell silent.

At that moment, everyone confirmed one fact.

A village!

A shinobi village!

The Land of Fire had one, and every other country had to have one as well!

Without a shinobi village, they would inevitably be cast aside by the era!

They roared unwillingly in their hearts that they had to establish shinobi villages belonging to their own countries!

The shinobi clans had to merge. This was no longer the Warring States Era of fighting alone.

What would take the stage next was the contest and collision between nations, each united by its own shinobi.

This was not an inauguration ceremony for the First at all. Through the Hidden Leaf Village, it was a declaration that a new era had officially arrived.

"The current situation... can only be described as terrifying, right?"

In the audience section reserved for national leaders, Kicho, his wife, sat to Yayoi's left, while Irori, serving as a guard, stood to his right.

Yayoi unconsciously pursed his lips and spoke in a hoarse voice, lowering his gaze without realizing it.

Setting aside Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, those shinobi clan heads had all survived countless battles. One or two of them possessed auras so deep they could not be fathomed.

The other clan heads were somewhat weaker, but they still maintained an extremely high overall standard.

The Warring States Era had been so ruthlessly competitive that those who had survived and still made names for themselves were almost all elites among elites.

Not to mention that they represented entire clans. The powerful ones were not merely the clan heads; every clan possessed a large number of formidable shinobi.

The ceremony was simple and efficient, without the slightest bit of delay.

After a standardized speech, Hashirama Senju smoothly completed his inauguration as Hokage.

The title of First was officially established at that moment.

Only then was the village of Konoha truly born in the fullest sense, entering its first year.

The Land of Fire, Konoha, the One Country, One Village pact...

A new era that left everyone bewildered and unable to suppress their fear had arrived. Whether they acknowledged it or not, it now hung equally over the head of every person in the Ninja World.