Xuandou stood up, his gaze sweeping over everyone present before finally settling on Tsunade and Mei Terumi.
"Wait a moment. I'll be right back."
With that, he formed hand seals with one hand.
With a flash of Flying Thunder God, he vanished from the ruins.
Half an hour later, space rippled again.
Xuandou reappeared amid the ruins of the Land of Iron.
He raised his hand, and Yomotsu Space abruptly opened.
A massive black vortex appeared.
Tens of thousands of people immediately emerged from Yomotsu Space.
The Uchiha shinobi appeared first.
Upon landing, they quickly formed ranks and established a perimeter around the ruins.
The incorporated Kumogakure Shinobi followed close behind.
Some of them had fought the Uchiha, while others had been the Raikage's trusted aides.
Now, they had all become subordinate shinobi under Xuandou's command.
Finally, the third group emerged.
Instead of shinobi uniforms, they wore dark official robes, with tokens at their waists and thick scrolls of documents in their hands.
They were the civil servants Xuandou had carefully selected and trained from among the Land of Lightning's commoners over the years.
They had distinguished themselves among thousands of examinees, passed successive rounds of assessments, training, and grassroots assignments, and ultimately become administrative officials loyal to Xuandou and the new order.
Some had been farmers' sons, others merchants' daughters, and some were even orphans picked up from battlefields.
In this era of hereditary nobility, when commoners had little chance to rise, Xuandou had given them opportunities, secure livelihoods, and hope for class mobility.
To them, Xuandou had given them a new life.
That kindness was worth a lifetime of repayment.
At the head of the procession, three figures stood side by side.
Uchiha Itachi stood on the left, his long black hair stirring gently in the wind, his