"Thank you for your leniency, Lord Raikage! I will definitely prove myself!"
Upon hearing this, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist breathed a sigh of relief.
Joining Kumogakure is also a good option, after all, Kumogakure is recognized as the strongest village in the Shinobi World.
After joining Kumogakure, they were no longer afraid of the threat from Kirigakure, nor were they afraid of the Third Mizukage's dissatisfaction.
Even if you, the Third Mizukage, are dissatisfied, would you still dare to send someone into Kirigakure to assassinate them?
Moreover, they had heard about the Kumogakure's style of conduct: the Raikage was upright and fair, the higher-ups were very united, and the village had very few missing-nin.
Joining the Kumogakure is like gaining a new lease on life, signifying a completely new beginning.
"Don't relax too soon; joining the Kumogakure comes at a price."
Ziyun then placed binding spells on the seven people.
This talisman is the same technique that Madara Uchiha used against Obito and Rin Nohara in the original work.
Even Kage Level powerhouse will have their actions controlled once this spell is cast, and since the spell is planted in the heart, it cannot be removed by the user alone.
Ziyun redeemed this talisman from the system; it didn't cost much, and it was worth it to be able to subdue the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
After being cursed, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist somewhat helpless, knowing that their actions would be restricted by the other party, and that their lives were completely in Ziyun's hands.
But then I thought, only in this way can I successfully join Kumogakure without arousing suspicion. After all, I am a ninja from Kirigakure. Why would the Raikage trust me if I don't give something in return? It's a trade-off, you can't have everything.
"Don't worry, as long as you serve Kumogakure well, I will treat you as people from Kumogakure."
"From now on, you shall change your name to the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of Kumogakure."
Ziyun waved his hand, reassuring everyone.
"Thank you Lord Raikage."
Upon hearing this, all seven knelt on one knee and bowed to Ziyun.
"Li, Tie, go to Kirigakure and find a little girl named Mei Terumi. Bring her to Kumogakure."
After recruiting the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, Ziyun sent Yotsuki A and Killer B into Kirigakure to search for Mei Terumi.
Mei Terumi is still very young, only about 7 years old.
The reason for searching for her, besides Mei Terumi's exceptional talent, was purely Ziyun's personal motive.
I want to find someone to replace Mikoto Mikoto grading documents.
Given Mei Terumi Mei Terumi's political talent in overthrowing Obito Uchiha's rule, she was fully capable of this task.
Ziyun doesn't need to worry about the safety of Yotsuki A and Killer B infiltrating Kirigakure.
Now that all the powerful figures in Kirigakure have been killed, even if he has broken free from control over the Third Mizukage, with Yotsuki A and Killer B's strength, they could easily defeat the Third Kazekage.
In just a few weeks, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were moved by the atmosphere of Kumogakure.
Compared to the bloody policies of Kirigakure, Kumogakure was practically paradise.
In Kumogakure, the Fourth Raikage was practically revered as a god.
Therefore, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist brought back by Ziyun were warmly welcomed by the common ninja and civilians of Kumogakure.
Here, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist regained long-lost respect and friendship.
They quickly came to regard Kumogakure as their second home.
There was no other way; after living under such bloody policies for several years, their minds were almost warped. Seeing Kumogakure village like Kumogakure with its united and harmonious people, they naturally felt a deep longing for it.
After spending a lot of time with the people of Kumogakure, even the seven of them became more cheerful, completely unlike the dark and bloodthirsty characters in the original story.
Seven years have passed in the blink of an eye, and ten years have passed since the Second Shinobi World War.
After ten years of development, the economy and strength of the major ninja villages have reached a peak, and gradually, the martial arts faction in the Shinobi World has begun to rise.
Some of the larger ninja villages couldn't resist starting to target the Shinobu ones in the surrounding area, and the prelude to war was about to begin.
In the past seven years, the strength of Kumogakure has increased several times over. Of the 10,000 ninjas, at least 5,000 have learned Ziyun's Six Powers.
Furthermore, under Ziyun's guidance, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist also grew and reached their peak level in the original work, and received many S-rank Water Release Ninjutsu from Ziyun as a gift and training.
His strength is much greater than it was at his peak in the original work.
Currently, it's safe to say that the number of Kage Level ninjas in Kumogakure combined is probably greater than that of all other ninja villages combined.
" Lord Raikage, according to reliable intelligence, the Third Kazekage has gone missing."
Inside the Raikage's Office, Mei Terumi, now 14 years old, successfully took over the work of Mikoto and Kushina, and possessed a unique charm reminiscent of the original work. She then conveyed this important information to Ziyun.
"Really? Time really flies."
Upon hearing the information about Mei Terumi, Ziyun's eyes sharpened.
The disappearance of the Third Kazekage signifies that the Third Shinobi World War is about to begin.
In the original story, the Third Kazekage did not disappear, but was killed by Sasori of the Red Sands and turned into a puppet.
Sasori is Chiyo's grandson. His parents died at the hands of Sakumo Hatake, the White Fang of Konoha Hatake Sakumo, during the Second Shinobi World War.
At that time, White Fang of Konoha fought against three opponents, including the Third Kazekage and Sasori's parents, managing to kill both of them and escape unscathed.
All of this led to a drastic change in Sasori's personality. He blamed the death of his parents on the incompetence of the Third Kazekage and ultimately assassinated Third Kazekage.
After the Third Kazekage disappeared, Sunagakure was leaderless, and some powerful ninja villages began to stir, setting their sights on Sunagakure.
In the original story, after the Third Kazekage disappeared, the first village to attack Sunagakure was Kumogakure.
However, that won't happen now. Ziyun has no interest in Sunagakure. It's too poor there, and too far from Kumogakure. There's no need for it.
Ziyun's lack of interest doesn't mean other ninja villages aren't interested. That old man, Ōnoki, has already begun mobilizing Iwagakure ninjas, preparing to take action against Sunagakure.
" Lord Raikage, do you think war will break out?"
Mei Terumi, who already had a head of brown curly hair and exuded a captivating aura, asked from the side.
Mei Terumi has completely integrated into Kumogakure.
After all, her life in Kirigakure was quite miserable. Compared to Kirigakure, Kumogakure was like paradise, and she was very content.
Over the past seven years Mei Terumi, under Ziyun's guidance, has reached Kage Level in strength and obtained the Heat-Heat Fruit.
Combined with her two Kekkei Genkai, she can unleash even greater destructive power and damage.
"War will definitely break out, but we don't know in what form."
Ziyun dared not draw a conclusion.
After all, he has no interest in Sunagakure at the moment, so he certainly won't be the first to make a move.
At that point, we can only hope that Konoha or Iwagakure will intervene and ignite this war.
"Should we participate? Who should we attack? Can I participate...?"
Upon hearing about the war, Mei Terumi immediately became interested.
Over the past seven years, her strength has grown rapidly under the guidance of the Lord Raikage. However, for the past seven years, she has been the Lord Raikage's secretary, handling official business for Ziyun, and rarely had the opportunity to carry out missions.
This resulted in Mei Terumi never knowing the true extent of her strength.
Now we finally have the opportunity to verify it.
"Are you a warmonger too? War is no joke, Mei Terumi." Ziyun looked at Mei Terumi, as if he saw a smaller version of Kushina.
After obtaining the Magma-Magma Fruit, Kushina's strength grew rapidly, and she even mastered Sage Mode over the past seven years.
With her Uzumaki Sage Body and Sage Mode, Kushina's strength has probably reached the Peak Kage Level.
In terms of destructive power and wide-area damage, Kushina could probably hold her own against Super Kage Level powerhouse.
"Isn't Lord Raikage there? Someone like me can just go to the battlefield and do nothing; nothing will happen to me."
Mei Terumi smiled faintly, seemingly possessing an innate allure.
Ziyun always felt that this girl was flirting with him.
"Alright, we'll have to join this war sooner or later. Tell the Kumogakure Ninja on my behalf to prepare for the war."
Ziyun gave the instructions.
Just now, the system issued another task.
[Super S-Rank Mission: Lead Kumogakure to victory in the Third Shinobi World War. Mission Rewards: Pluton; Ten-Tails Chakra; Glint-Glint Fruit; Perfect Sage Mode; Time Limit: Unlimited; Mission Failure: No Penalty.]
Ziyun's eyes practically popped out when she saw this task.
If I could obtain the Ten-Tails Chakra, my strength would likely experience another explosive increase.
And this Pluton, Ziyun doesn't know what it is, but it must be some kind of super powerful thing.
After all, in terms of ranking, Pluton is even ahead of the Ten-Tails Chakra.
" Ziyun, I have something to discuss with you."
Not long after, Kushina arrived at the Raikage's Office and, completely disregarding Mei Terumi's presence, plopped down on Ziyun's lap.
Now that Kushina is an adult, her relationship with Ziyun has naturally become even closer.
"What is it?" Ziyun decided to tease Kushina.
"Hehe, now that the Third Kazekage has disappeared, Sunagakure is leaderless and will definitely become the target of other ninja villages."
"Ten years have passed since the Second Shinobi World War, and the major ninja villages have gradually recovered and are no longer satisfied with the current power struggles."
"Perhaps war will break out next."
Kushina's eyes flashed with a violent light.
"What do you mean?" Ziyun asked, somewhat surprised.
Kushina's foresight was quite remarkable; she could foresee the impending Shinobi World War simply by noticing the Third Kazekage's disappearance.