XX-level Hokage

“Naruto probably won’t be able to come back before the end of the Fourth Shinobi World War. Tailed beasts are not so easy to control, especially the Nine-Tails, the most powerful of the nine tailed beasts,” Samui said softly.

As a ninja from Kumogakure (the Hidden Cloud Village), Samui was close friends with Yugito Nii, the Jinchuriki of the Two-Tails, and Killer Bee, the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails. Therefore, Samui was well aware of the difficulty of controlling tailed beasts.

On another note, after Samui learned that Mashiro had rescued Killer Bee, he specially rewarded Mashiro, showing her what it meant to be cold as ice yet passionate as fire.

On the other side, on a specially designed cruise ship.

Naruto, looking excitedly ahead, said, "I heard we're going to a paradise for animals and plants. It's going to be really fun, don't you think? Like the Octopus Uncle?" "A paradise, hmm...maybe," Killer Bee replied.

"Naruto, don't get too cocky. Don't forget, you're here to train," Kushina said with a smile. "I know, Izumi-nee, I'll definitely train hard," Naruto replied with a smile.

After spending these days together, Naruto had completely come to regard Kushina as family. Soon, the cruise ship arrived in front of an island.

The island was littered with the corpses of birds and beasts, as well as reptiles.

Naruto was instantly shocked and exclaimed in disbelief, "Rakuten?! Paradise?!"

At that moment, the cruise ship's captain walked over and said with a smile, "This place is a bit like Konoha's Forest of Death, but it's more exciting." "A resort, a paradise for flora and fauna," Naruto muttered to himself, still reading what Mashiro had told him.

"It's alright, it's very safe. As long as we don't do anything reckless, those strange creatures on the island are quite well-behaved, except for one thing, though?" The captain kept everyone in suspense.

"Is there something wrong?" Kushina asked hurriedly.

She was terrified of these kinds of reptiles and wanted to eliminate them as soon as she saw them.

"It's nothing. There's a giant squid in these waters that attacks approaching cruise ships," the captain said with a laugh.

Just then, a giant tentacle attacked. Then, a giant squid appeared out of thin air.

"They're here! I was just warning them to be careful of these guys, and here they are before I could even find them!" the captain exclaimed in surprise, lying prone on the deck.

Chapter 169: Inside the Hall

"1, 2, 3..." Naruto held up his hand, counting the tentacles of the giant squid. "You don't need to count every single leg, do you?" Asuma said with a laugh.

“But we still need to confirm, squid have ten legs, and octopuses have eight, don’t you think, Uncle Octopus?” Naruto counted on his fingers and then looked at Killer Bee.

"Haha, that's right, that's one of the most significant differences between squid and octopus," Killer Bee said with a laugh.

Then he pulled out seven knives from his body and jumped up quickly. "Wild Green Heron Slaying Knife"

In an instant, the giant squid's tentacles that had reached into the cruise ship were all sliced ​​into squid rings.

The giant squid, in pain, quickly fled the area where the cruise ship was located. "So cool!!"

Naruto's eyes lit up as he watched the swords flying around Killer Bee.

"Looks like we can have squid tentacles tonight," Asuma said with a smile, relieved. After sailing for a while, the cruise ship arrived in front of Turtle Island.

"You've all worked hard. I've been waiting for you. I'm one of the people in charge of this operation. Motoi, I'll take you to the camp. Follow me." A ninja from the Cloud Village appeared and said to the people on the cruise ship.

"Have we finally arrived?" At this moment, Yamashiro Aoba helped Kai out of the cabin. Kai looked extremely listless, and drool was dripping from the corner of his mouth.

"We're about to land on the island, cheer up, Kai," Yamashiro Aoba encouraged.

"Brother Thick Eyebrows, are you alright?" Naruto asked with concern as he watched Guy emerge from the cabin.

“His seasickness still hasn’t been cured. Well, that makes sense, given how long this voyage was,” Asma said with a smile. “It was long, and very painful,” Kai said despairingly.

"I didn't expect Guy to get seasick. I remember Guy used to run around all sorts of terrains with Kakashi and even sailed a wooden boat together. He shouldn't have gotten seasick at all," Kushina said with a smile.

“That’s all in the past. I’ve been on land for too long, I… ugh…” Kai said, gagging again. “Did you know Kai before, Izumi-san?” Yamashiro Aoba asked curiously.

"I heard it from Mashiro-sama," Kushina said with an awkward smile.

"Lord Hokage." Yamashiro Aoba didn't suspect anything. Soon, the group arrived on the island.

"Is this the island?" Naruto asked, looking around with some doubt. "It feels a bit eerie," Kushina said softly.

"I'm still dizzy," Kai said weakly, supported by Aoba Yamashiro. Just then, a giant gorilla charged over, startling the group.

"Little King Kong, don't be nervous, they're not bad people." Killer Bee walked to the front of the group, reached out to stop the gorilla's movements, and said softly. The gorilla seemed to understand Killer Bee's words, lowered its head, and looked at Naruto and the others curiously.

Naruto was incredibly surprised. Pointing to the giant gorilla not far in front of him, he turned to Kushina and said, "Gorilla, it's a gorilla!" "Is it really a gorilla?" Kushina asked curiously, as it was also the first time she had ever seen a gorilla.

“Killer Bee is the king of beasts on this island. He has tamed all the wild beasts, so as long as Killer Bee is here, there is no danger. Moreover, the excellent ninjas of the Cloud Ninja have set up a barrier around this island. If any unknown object approaches, it will be detected immediately. So you can train here with peace of mind,” Motoi said.

"Is that why this place was chosen as a protected site?" Asuma thought to himself after hearing Motoi's words. "Uncle Octopus is really amazing," Naruto couldn't help but exclaim.

"He's a great hero of Kumogakure." Motoi looked at Killer Bee, his voice filled with excitement and pride. "A hero?" Naruto asked, somewhat curiously.

"He's a Jinchūriki who can completely control a Tailed Beast, except for ferocious beasts," Motoi said proudly. "He's truly remarkable." Kushina couldn't help but echo his praise.

As a former Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, she was well aware of the dangers of the Tailed Beasts. Even with her Whirlpool Body, she couldn't completely control them. It's truly remarkable that Killer Bee, as an ordinary person, could achieve this.

"Complete control over the beast?" Naruto reached out and stroked his lower abdomen, muttering to himself.

"This island is where Killer Bee trained to control the Eight-Tails," Motoi explained the island's purpose. Soon after, the group arrived at a building shaped like an octopus.

"Everyone from Konoha, please stay on this floor. There are plenty of rooms, and meals are served in the large dining hall on the first floor. Feel free to eat as much as you like," Motoi said as he led Naruto and the others to the second floor of the building.

“Then choose your own room. Also, remember to get up at seven tomorrow morning; we have a meeting to discuss some things,” Kushina said. “I need to rest for a while,” Kai said, and as soon as he finished speaking, he leaned against the wall and walked into the nearest room, then lay down on the bed.

“Gai needs someone to look after him, so I'll stay in the room next to his,” said Aoba Yamashiro, glancing at the still listless Gai. “Naruto, let’s stay next door,” Kushina said to Naruto.

“Of course, Izumi-neechan.” Naruto wholeheartedly agreed with Kushina’s suggestion. Soon, the Konoha members had chosen their rooms.

Seeing this, Motoi felt relieved and went downstairs. Downstairs, Killer Bee was eating.

“It’s great to see you again, Killer Bee. When we heard that you were rescued, Karui, Omoi, and I were all excited to see you, but they had other missions, so only I came,” Motoi said with a light laugh.

"How is the Hidden Cloud Village?" Killer Bee asked.

Upon hearing this, Motoi sighed softly and said: "Reconstruction is in full swing. Thanks to that Hokage, there weren't too many casualties among the civilians and ninjas in the village. However, it will probably take several more years for the village's economy to return to what it was before. It's a stroke of luck amidst misfortune."

"That's good. It seems that to repay this kindness, I must use Killer Bee's ultimate technique to help that brat achieve enlightenment as soon as possible," Killer Bee said after finishing a bottle of beer.

Seeing Killer Bee's expression, Motoi breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried that Killer Bee would become silent after losing the Eight-Tails, but now it seemed that Killer Bee's inner strength was far greater than he had thought.

On the other side, in the Hidden Cloud Village.

With Yamato's full assistance, the reconstruction of Kumogakure accelerated, and the project soon approached completion.

This afternoon, Yamato had just finished his work and was preparing to return to the guesthouse when a vortex suddenly appeared in the alley, and then Yamato lost consciousness.

In Orochimaru's laboratory in the Land of Rice Fields, Obito suddenly appears out of nowhere.

"Is it all done?" Orochimaru asked softly, looking at Obito who had suddenly appeared. A vortex suddenly appeared, and Yamato fell to the ground unconscious.

"Is the resurrection process ready?" Obito asked softly. Orochimaru smiled and placed his hand on the ground.

Instantly, smoke filled the air, and then five coffins appeared out of thin air. One by one, the coffins opened.

"The Second Hokage, Senju Mugen; the Second Tsuchikage, Mu; the Second Raikage, A; the Second Kazekage, Shamon; the Second Mizukage, Hozuki Gengetsu," Obito murmured, looking at the figures in the coffin.

"The shadows that have died in each village throughout history can basically all be ours, except for those who lost their souls for some special reasons," Orochimaru said in a slightly hoarse voice.

Obito nodded slightly upon hearing this. Regardless of the other reanimated beings, these Kage alone would significantly increase their chances of victory. "However, during the process of gathering materials for Sasuke's Reanimation Jutsu, I discovered something quite interesting," Orochimaru said softly.

Obito looked at Orochimaru, signaling him to continue. Orochimaru smiled.

Two coffins appeared before Obito. The coffins slowly opened.

Two figures appeared before Obito. Obito's pupils contracted instantly.

"The first one is Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage of Konoha, hailed as the God of Shinobi. As for the second one, well, heh heh," Orochimaru said softly, leaning against the coffin.

Obito didn't say anything.

"Don't worry, I won't do anything I shouldn't. As long as you give me what I want, everything will be as you wish," Orochimaru said with a smile.

Chapter 170: Deep Within My Heart

"Orochimaru, you're very clever, really clever." Obito stared at Orochimaru with his crimson Sharingan for a moment, then said softly. "Thank you for the compliment," Orochimaru replied.

"He's in your hands now," Obito said, glancing at Yamato lying on the ground. Then he vanished from the spot.

Looking in the direction where Obito disappeared, Orochimaru smiled coldly.

Just as he said, he would naturally let "Ban"'s plan succeed as long as he could get what he wanted, but unfortunately, the so-called "Ban" he wanted could no longer provide it.

Obito appeared out of nowhere at Akatsuki's headquarters.

"Do you really want to trust that guy?" The True Self suddenly appeared and asked softly. He seemed to already know what had just happened between the two of them.

“Just someone driven mad by unrealistic desires, don’t bother with him,” Obito said coldly. “How arrogant,” Shingo said with a laugh.

"We won't fail, no matter who comes," Obito said coldly, clenching his fist. Konoha.

Mashiro was strolling leisurely down the street.

At this time, Konoha had fully entered a state of combat readiness. All the ninjas selected to participate in the war had already taken action, found their assigned units, familiarized themselves with their teammates, practiced teamwork, and worked hard to hone their best abilities.

After arranging everything, Mashiro divided the follow-up matters into two parts: the part concerning Konoha was handed over to Samui and Konan, while the part concerning the Allied Shinobi Forces was handed over to Shikaku.

As for Mashiro herself, she became relaxed again.

Following the street, Mashiro left the inner village and entered the outer village.

Unlike the busy and tense ninjas, the common people of Konoha continued to work in an orderly manner.

All they could do was keep Konoha running and, incidentally, provide some material assistance to the ninja army that was about to set off.

After days of continuous construction, the outer village is now no less large than the inner village, and its architectural styles are more diverse. However, it is obvious to the naked eye that the villagers of the inner and outer villages seem to have formed two different groups. The businesses of the inner village are consumed by the villagers of the inner village, and the businesses of the outer village are consumed by the villagers of the outer village.

Unlike ninjas who frequently travel on missions, ordinary people generally harbor some xenophobic sentiments, whether intentional or unintentional. This is not a good sign.

But Mashiro wasn't worried. Commercial circulation could break down all barriers, even between two races that spoke different languages, let alone the common people of the ninja world who spoke the same language.

Once the economy of the outer village develops further, the Chamber of Commerce will naturally help Mashiro solve this problem.

As she pondered this, Mashiro gradually walked to the edge of the outer village, to a newly built orphanage.

Due to Konoha's open policy, orphans from many small countries came to Konoha. It is unknown exactly how many came to Konoha, but in the end, only a few dozen orphans arrived.

Xiao Nan was in charge of handling this matter. Perhaps because of her own childhood experiences, Xiao Nan chose to accept these orphans from various places, even though some of the more conservative higher-ups did not approve.

However, considering the feelings of the other villagers in Konoha, Konan did not place these orphans from outside Konoha directly in the Konoha Orphanage, but instead built one in an outer village.

For this reason, Konan even went so far as to "bribe" Mashiro.

After all, the funds required to care for these orphans are not a small amount, especially during the construction period of Konoha.

The director of this newly built orphanage is named Yulan, a Chunin who migrated from Amegakure. She should be considered a direct descendant of Konan, but unfortunately...

His hands were injured, making hand seals very slow, which greatly reduced his strength.

As Yulan saw Zhenbai approaching, she rubbed her eyes, somewhat incredulous.