A week later, Mei Terumi arrived at the Mizukage's Office with faint dark circles under her eyes. She excitedly approached Yuzuru and asked, "How did you come up with all this? It's simply perfect."
"Perfect? There's still plenty of room for improvement."
Yuzuru smiled.
"The reforms for all the shinobi have now been fully completed. Everyone qualified has been incorporated into the military and issued rank badges, and the Sea Capital school has been established."
Mei Terumi faithfully reported the past week's progress, while Yuzuru walked to the window and quietly watched the village outside, listening to her summary.
Only after she finished did Yuzuru slowly speak.
"Let's begin enrollment in a month. Autumn will be here soon, too. The autumn wind sweeps away fallen leaves. Let that same wind blow away those rotten old institutions as well."
At those words, Mei Terumi looked at Yuzuru with even greater admiration.
She had always hoped the village would become better, but Kirigakure's Mizukage had each been crueler than the last, and the village had grown more oppressive with every passing year. Now, at last, a perfect leader had arrived.
"Right, my plans for the school's next steps are on the desk. Take a careful look first. If anything seems inappropriate, you can give me your opinion directly."
Yuzuru sat back in his chair and pushed the documents in front of him toward her.
Mei Terumi picked up the documents and was just about to read them when Yuzuru waved to the side. "There's a chair. Bring it over and sit down to read. No need to be so formal."
At those words, her red lips curved upward by a few pixels.
"All right."
Then she brought over a chair, sat across from Yuzuru's desk, and carefully read his arrangements for the school's students.
About five minutes later, Mei Terumi looked up at Yuzuru, a little puzzled. "Aren't these graduation requirements a bit too difficult?"
"Are they?"
"Learning at least two C-rank Ninjutsu seems a little difficult to me. Most civilian shinobi aren't that talented. Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many Genin."
"That's why there's an option to transfer to another school."
Yuzuru pushed a cup of hot tea toward her and said calmly:
"If everyone still becomes a soldier under the new system, with the entire population joining the military, it won't be any different from the current shinobi system. They'll still just be weapons of war under a different name."
"Unity between the military and civilians is essential, but there's no need to turn everyone into soldiers. After all, there aren't that many wars to fight. Rather than recruiting so many rank-and-file troops, the future military needs elite forces."
"The Land of Water is already at the easternmost edge of the Shinobi World, easy to defend and difficult to attack. We won't be starting any wars for the time being, so we don't need that many troops. What we need to do now is conserve our strength and wait for the younger generation to grow up."
"The Shinobi World will have at least a dozen years of peace ahead. That's enough for us to complete this great transformation. In fact, in just five years, or even less, Kirigakure will become the strongest village in the Shinobi World."
Hearing that, Mei Terumi could not help imagining that wonderful future.
Over the past week, she had read all the documents Yuzuru had given her, even going through them several times. The more she read, the brighter the future seemed.
It would be a new era, rather than this backward, decaying, blood-soaked age of shinobi.
"I understand. Then leave the recruitment of new students to me. I'll make all the arrangements."
Mei Terumi gave her assurance.
"I trust you on that, but don't forget the most important part: cultural and ideological classes. Especially for those six- and seven-year-old children, the textbooks must cast aside that utterly rotten shinobi culture."
"Don't worry. I'll bring you the new teaching materials in a week."
"Mm."
Yuzuru felt reassured when it came to Mei Terumi.
At this stage of her life, she was full of passion and fervor, which also meant she was at her most responsible and driven. She was a complete workaholic.
"That will do for the school for now. Give it some more thought yourself. Next, there's something else the military needs to do."
Yuzuru took out a list and a document and handed them to Mei Terumi.
"Is this a list of nobles in the Land of Water?"
Seeing the famous surnames on it, Mei Terumi could not help asking.
"More or less. But I don't want the people on that list alive."
At those words, Mei Terumi's delicate hands trembled, and the list fell onto the desk. At that moment, she suddenly felt that it looked more like a death list. Then she stared at Yuzuru in shock.
"You... have you gone mad? Those nobles are..."
"Just a bunch of vermin, feeding on the flesh and blood of ordinary people. They should have died long ago."
Yuzuru was utterly unconcerned.
"Read it first. Finish the document before we talk."
Mei Terumi suppressed the trembling within her and read the document in her hands.
Yet the more she read, the more frightened she became, and the more she felt Yuzuru's madness.
But although these were clearly mad actions, they stirred some excitement in her heart.
"What do you think?"
Yuzuru asked with a smile.
Mei Terumi's mouth had gone dry. Only after finishing her tea did she slowly speak. "You're far too bold. Even Hashirama Senju back then wouldn't have dared imagine something like this."
"Don't compare me to an idiot. Just tell me, can this be completed in six months?"
"It can, but the consequences will be severe. I'm afraid it'll be very difficult to get this past the daimyo."
Mei Terumi shook her head with a bitter smile.
"The daimyo? Heh. Do you think the daimyo is still alive?"
Instantly, Mei Terumi's eyes widened, her face full of disbelief as she stared at Yuzuru.
"You! Don't tell me!"
"Why do you think I dare reform the Land of Water so drastically? The daimyo was already dead before I came to Kirigakure. The current daimyo is only an impostor, and the nobles in the Land of Water's capital have all been brought under control, too. So all you need to do is follow my orders without worry."
"The day the reforms are complete, you'll see a whole new world. No nobles, no shinobi. The people will live and work in peace, and soldiers will defend their homes and country. A beautiful society without slaughter or oppression."
At those words, that scene seemed to appear before Mei Terumi's eyes, a beautiful sight she could not have imagined.
It felt utterly unreal, yet filled her with boundless longing.
"I understand. Give me just three months, and I'll finish all of this!"
Mei Terumi stood and made her promise as she looked at Yuzuru.
"Go find Kakashi. Ask him if there's anything you don't understand. He'll be joining you on this mission, too."
"Yes!"
Mei Terumi rose and left with the list and document, without looking back.
Watching Mei Terumi leave, Yuzuru turned to look in Konoha's direction.
"Orochimaru, you're the only one still missing from this great ship that will overturn the Shinobi World."
After the Fourth Shinobi World War ended in the original story, Konoha's rapid development had all been thanks to Kakashi's leadership and Orochimaru's return.
As Hokage, Kakashi had been the best in history, without question. He had brought a group of primitive people straight into modern society. That transformation had all happened during the Sixth's tenure, and the one who had made it all possible was Orochimaru, the Shinobi World's foremost technological mastermind.
Unfortunately, Kakashi had remained confined by the concept of shinobi his entire life.
But things were different now. Under Yuzuru's influence, he no longer thought in the manner of a shinobi, but considered the future as an ordinary person.