"In short, there's still a year left, which is quite enough for now. I plan to recall Master Dan and Teacher Tsunade, announce all the known information to the core members of the village, and then assign the tasks for the next phase."
Meikyō said this.
Dan Katō and Tsunade did not immediately return to Konoha.
Because of Meikyō and others, the resistance of Suna was quickly dismantled on Meikyo's side—not to mention Suna, it's unknown whether the Land of Wind can continue to exist after this.
The conditions in Kirigakure are obviously much better than those in Suna.
However, in the face of absolute strength, they are still at a disadvantage.
When Meikyō arrived, the allied forces of more than 20,000 ninjas from Konoha, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure had already broken through the defenses established by Kirigakure and penetrated into Kirigakure's territory.
Despite having the advantage of home territory, the Allied Shinobi Forces of the three kingdoms outnumbered the Kirigakure Ninja by about twice as many, and the Kirigakure's high-level combat power consisted only of the Fourth Mizukage, resulting in them being completely overwhelmed by the combined forces of the three kingdoms.
However, because of the Fourth Mizukage as the backbone, Kirigakure's resistance is much stronger than Sunagakure's.
While Suna was routed, Kirigakure remained intact despite its scattered forces. A large portion of its elite combat power was organized by the Fourth Mizukage, Karatachi Yagura, who, relying on the ninjas' stealth and mobility, used their home-field advantage to wage Guerrilla Warfare.
Meikyō personally took action, spending a whole day using his super-wide perception and super-fast speed to locate Karatachi Yagura within a single day.
However, after meeting the Fourth Mizukage, Meikyō realized that he didn't even need to lift a finger; the man would likely die in a few days.
"Uchiha Meikyō... I didn't expect you to find this place so quickly. It seems you defeated Madara?"
Pale-faced Yagura refused his subordinates' help, gripped the iron rod carved with coral flowers, stood in front of Meikyō, and straightened his Mizukage Hat.
"Didn't you fight Teacher Tsunade just two days ago? You were beaten up like this by Teacher Tsunade?"
Meikyō said, looking at the weak Yagura in front of her.
"Cough cough... Tsunade indeed very strong. She can beat me, but not to the point of beating me up like this. I suddenly became like this a day ago."
Yagura sighed.
"Many years ago, Uchiha Madara used genjutsu to control my consciousness, which caused a huge strain on my mind."
"Originally, Madara would use a specific method every now and then to maintain the duration of the genjutsu with his eye power. I could have held on for a while, but just yesterday, the connection between Madara and my eye power was broken. I broke free from his control, but ended up like this."
The Meikyō descended from the sky to the ground and scanned the surroundings.
Dozens of Kirigakure Ninja had already noticed the commotion and surrounded the area.
"So what? Now that Madara is gone, what are you planning to do?"
Meikyō paid no attention to the actions of the Kirigakure Ninja.
After all, even if all these people were tied together, they wouldn't be enough to withstand one of his moves.
"I only have less than a month left to live, so there's no point in resisting anymore, not to mention I have no ability to resist at all."
A bitter smile appeared on Yagura's pale face as he turned and stepped into the house behind him, emerging with a Mizukage Hat on his back.
"I can step down as Mizukage and officially hand over the position to Mei Terumī, so that she can rightfully become Mizukage. She can also be entrusted with the management of all the ninjas in Kirigakure."
"Oh? So what are you trying to get in return for doing this?"
Meikyō raised his hand and used Wood Release to create a chair, then sat down with his legs crossed, looking relaxed.
"No conditions."
Yagura shook his head decisively at Meikyō.
"Oh?"
Meikyō was somewhat surprised.
"Because this is the best way to ensure Kirigakure's survival."
Yagura explained the reason.
Of course, there was another reason he didn't mention.
That means that in front of Konoha, Kirigakure has no right to make demands at present.
But it's better not to say these things.
"Okay, but if you don't make any conditions, I will."
Meikyō held up one finger to Yagura.
"Please speak."
"First, all of Kirigakure's future diplomatic and military strategies must be consistent with Konoha's."
Meikyō then raised her second finger.
"Secondly, in terms of economy and education, the Land of Water must also accept the policy planning from Konoha. Don't worry, we won't mess up your economy."
"Third, I haven't thought about it yet, but that doesn't stop me from asking you to agree. But you can rest assured, it won't be a demand to disband the ninjas of Kirigakure or anything like that that would destroy your foundation. After all, we will need your assistance in order to maintain stable rule over the Land of Water in the future."
"Can you agree to these three conditions?"
Meikyō stood up and looked down at Yagura, who was only 1.5 meters tall.
"I will make them agree. Three days later, the Fifth Mizukage can come and take over Kirigakure."
Yagura coughed twice more, a slight flush appearing on his face, and spoke to Meikyō.
"I see. I understand."
Meikyō gave Yagura a deep look.
This guy is most likely trying to eliminate some unstable elements within Kirigakure and make final arrangements during this last period to ensure the Kirigakure's continued existence and to establish Fire Seed for its legacy. If Kirigakure is truly destroyed, his Kirigakure will be activated.
Yagura only had one month left to live, so it wouldn't be surprising if he did something extremely extreme.
Similarly, with only a month to spare, all he can do is what he can accomplish in the short term; it's not so easy for him to pull off any other tricks.
However, for Meikyō, this was actually a weakening of Kirigakure, which would be beneficial for his future control of the Land of Water, so he naturally wouldn't refuse.
"Three days from now, the Fifth Mizukage Mei Terumī, will arrive at the old site of Kirigakure with the assistants sent by Konoha and rebuild Kirigakure there. Within three days, as long as Kirigakure does not provoke conflict, Konoha, Iwagakure, Kumogakure will not take the initiative to attack. I hope you will not disappoint me."
Meikyō walked up to Yagura, patted him on the shoulder, and then stepped into the Teleportation Circle in front of him.
Yagura turned her head away, watching the Teleportation Circle disappear in front of her, and used her shadow robe to cover the Flying Thunder God Mark on her shoulder before facing the crowd.
"Gather all members, I have something important to announce!"
When Meikyō stepped through the portal, she had already returned to Konoha.
In the conference room of the Hokage Building, all the core members of Konoha had gathered.
The head seat is empty; it's reserved for Meikyō Hokage, to preside over the meeting.
The second-in-command on the left and right sides are Dan Katō and Torifu Akimichi, one a former Hokage and the other the most senior high-ranking official in Konoha.
Previously, Torifu Akimichi's seat was occupied by the Third Hokage, but Hiruzen Sarutobi used the Reaper Death Seal Impure World Reincarnation First Hokage in the previous battle, so it was Torifu Akimichi's turn.
Of the Second Hokage's disciples, only Torifu Akimichi is still alive.
However, this man in his sixties has already turned completely white-haired and has entered a semi-retired state.
Further back were Tsunade and Orochimaru, two of the older high-ranking members, followed by Uchiha Fugaku and Jiraiya of the Uchiha clan, who sat facing each other. Minato Namikaze took the initiative to sit behind his teacher, next to Kushina, with Uchiha Shisui sitting opposite him.
After awakening the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, Shisui's status in Konoha rose to the top among the younger generation of ninjas, and his importance in the village was no less than that of the higher-ups.
These ten, plus Impure World Reincarnation Tobirama, who sits opposite the Meikyō at the entrance, are the eleven most influential people in Konoha right now Jiraiya, who seems to have the least influence, is still quite powerful. His two friends and students, both of whom are legendary Sannin, are now Konoha High Command, so their influence is definitely not insignificant. It's just that he doesn't usually pay attention to these things and only wants to do what he thinks is suitable for him.
Further down are core members holding important positions in Konoha, such as Yamanaka Inoichi, Nara Shikaku, Aburame Nami, Inuzuka Ryo, Uchiha Obito, Nohara Rin, and Mitarai Shīshō, as well as important combatants such as Kakashi, Sarutobi Asuma, and Aburame Shikuroo.
Including Ninja Clan leaders such as Hyuga Hiashi, Aburame Shibi Inuzuka Ōi, and Inuzuka Takeru, as well as Impure World Reincarnation individuals like Tobirama Senju and Kagami Uchiha, there were probably more than thirty people in total.
If these people are well commanded, it will be enough to perfectly mobilize the vast majority of Konoha's power.
"Sorry for the wait. There were some unexpected issues with the Fourth Mizukage, which caused a slight delay. This matter will be left until the end of the meeting. I will entrust Minato and Shikaku with full responsibility for this matter."
Meikyō walked to her seat, said something, and then sat down, saying:
"Yesterday, before I set off for the Land of Water, I compiled all the information I knew and relayed it to some of the members present. Now you all should know the details, right?"
"I know, but it just feels a bit too unbelievable. Our Uchiha ancestors were actually aliens, the Sage of Six Paths was born of aliens, and all of this started because of a strange black creature that had lived for thousands of years. This is truly..."
Uchiha Fugaku shook his head, unsure how to describe it.
"I also find it incredible, but since the other side is aliens, it means that it may be difficult to obtain information about them using conventional methods."
Torifu Akimichi patted his stomach and said.
I'm hungry and want to eat something, but unfortunately Tobirama is Tobirama. Even though he's a senior executive, I don't dare to take out the potato chips from my pocket during this meeting.
"Not necessarily. Since this person has lived a life of hiding in the Ninja World for over a thousand years, there must be some clues that have been revealed."
Tsunade's face showed a thoughtful expression as she deduced.
"But we haven't discovered such an existence for so long. He must have made very few moves in the past. Finding relevant information is not an easy task. Moreover, after a thousand years of planning, he may have a powerful force hidden under his command."
Minato Namikaze picked up the conversation.
"This is a direction, you can write it down. Later, we will arrange for Anbu and Root ninjas to investigate the intelligence. The Intelligence Analysis Unit will also need to review all kinds of files in the village again. All the major ninja families will also need to screen their own clan's historical materials to see if there is any relevant information."
At this point, Meikyō noticed a slight change in Hyuga Hiashi's expression. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but he finally stood up.
"Fifth Generation Kage Hokage, there might be some records within the Hyuga Clan that we could use. I will send them over with Hizashi after the meeting."
Hyuga Hiashi speaking, Hiashi Hyuga sat back down at Meikyō's prompting.
"Okay, Shikaku, is there anything you'd like to add?"
Meikyō noticed Nara Shikaku's thoughtful expression.
"No, Lord Godai, I was just wondering why there is no verifiable record of Ōtsutsuki Isshiki in the past thousand years."
"So what are your thoughts?"
"What we know is that the opponent is very strong. In the past, even when he was in a very weak state, he should have had the overwhelming strength to resolve any crisis he encountered. In other words, everyone who has seen him make a move is already dead."
"Secondly, the number of times he takes action must be very few, which means there are two possibilities. One is that he is too weak, and using too much power would have an irreversible effect on him. The other possibility is much smaller, which is that there may still be someone or something in the Ninja World that he is afraid of. Although the possibility is very small, it is still a way to find Ōtsutsuki Isshiki."
Nara Shikaku concluded.
Meikyō nodded repeatedly as he listened.
A smart person is indeed a smart person.
The Otsutsuki Clan's Karma seal has strict limitations on its use; it must be highly compatible with them, otherwise their lifespan will be affected once they are resurrected.
Madara and Isshiki's compatibility may not have been high to begin with, but as Madara became the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, his appearance and bloodline also became Otsutsuki- like, which made him able to better support Isshiki's Karma.
As for the other one, Meikyō estimates that Isshiki is very likely aware of the existence of Hagoromo Otsutsuki and Hamura Otsutsuki, and is wary of the strength of these two Six Paths level figures.
Both of them are Six Paths level powerhouses. Hagoromo Otsutsuki and Hamura Otsutsuki both have half of the Otsutsuki bloodline. It's hard to say whether they have Karma, but they definitely have similar methods to allow themselves to survive until now. In the original timeline, their souls have appeared before.
The Yin Power and Yang Power bestowed by the Sage of Six Paths shaped two Six Paths- level powerhouses, and the soul of Hamura Otsutsuki also appeared on the moon.
Even if they aren't pure Otsutsuki, these two aren't necessarily less skilled than those Otsutsuki, and they might be able to create similar techniques to the Karma.
"Furthermore, Sasori and Uchiha Hikari from the Akatsuki Organization have been captured alive by us..."