Start with a Zanpakuto and build the strongest Mist Village

The entire voting process lasted a full day.

As the sun was about to set, the final voting results were announced.

With a huge advantage of more than half of the total votes, Minato Namikaze became the sole candidate for the Fourth Hokage.

The first day of Konoha's fiftieth year.

Minato Namikaze has officially succeeded as the Fourth Hokage!

……

"The power to devour souls, the Grim Reaper and the Seireitei..."

Looking at the Konoha ninja corpses he had retrieved from Mount Higashimatsu, and the collapsed Impure World Reincarnation technique, Orochimaru's expression was incredibly complex.

He hadn't expected that while he was dealing with Sunagakure and Iwagakure, a monster of that caliber would appear on the Kirigakure battlefield—a life form that could grow infinitely by mastering the power of the soul. It was almost identical to a plan he was currently researching.

In his plan, he could devour the soul of his target, thereby taking over their body and power, and gaining eternal life!

Orochimaru has been conducting this research for some time now, but it has encountered considerable resistance.

The first thing to be affected is the purity of one's own soul.

Orochimaru is currently able to devour the souls of his targets, but after devouring them, his own soul becomes corrupted by the target's soul, thus becoming mottled.

Such spiritual flaws are fatal. One or two may not seem like much, but if they accumulate, they can lead to mental breakdown, soul distortion, or even possession by those chaotic impurities!

The only solution Orochimaru could think of right now was to cut off that corrupted part of the soul...

But clearly, this behavior is not a wise move.

There are only so many souls. Each cut represents a weakening of Orochimaru's original soul, and restoring or compensating for this weakening is extremely difficult. In fact, Orochimaru is currently completely clueless.

This is why, after learning about Minazuki Yoru, Orochimaru brought back those people killed by Minazuki Yoru for investigation.

"If I don't resolve the flaws in my soul, even if I complete this technique, it won't be true immortality."

"Minazukiyo... what kind of power do you possess?!"

A strange light flickered in his golden vertical pupils, but as if noticing something, a look of annoyance appeared in Orochimaru's eyes. He formed hand seals, and countless snakes emerged, swallowing up all the experimental data and traces in the laboratory.

At the same time, his figure disappeared from the laboratory.

A moment later, several figures of ANBU ninjas appeared in the laboratory, their brows furrowed as they looked at the empty space.

……

"Fourth Boss, this is a mission that Lord Kazahana Hayate, the Daimyo of the Land of Snow, wishes to entrust to us."

Inside Kirigakure, Mei Terumi handed a document to Yoru and explained, "The Daimyo of the Land of Snow wishes we could send a sufficiently strong ninja squad to protect his daughter, Kazahana Koyuki, during her trip abroad!"

As she spoke, Mei Terumi glanced at Yoru Minazuki and Akira Minazuki beside her.

Night's expression remained unchanged, but Mizuki Akira frowned slightly.

Clearly, the Snow Clan still has a very negative attitude towards the country that possesses ice-style techniques. However, this is, after all, an 'international mission' sent by a daimyo, which is quite in line with the current open policy of the Land of Water.

"Snow Country?"

Ye raised an eyebrow slightly.

He knew about this country, and even had some influence over Feng Hua Xiao Xue.

In the original movie, it was the prince who used a Rasengan to successfully defeat Koyuki Kazahana's usurping uncle, giving the Land of Snow a bright future again.

"Yes."

Mei Terumi nodded and said, "Lady Hayayuki Kazahana is willing to offer a reward of one million ryo, and hopes that we can send a sufficiently powerful ninja."

A mission worth a million taels is basically an S-level mission.

Protecting a princess on a trip abroad costs a full million taels of silver... Even the daughter of the daimyo of the Land of Fire doesn't receive such treatment.

Moreover, if he remembers correctly, the Snow Country's economic situation is quite dire; even emptying their national treasury wouldn't be enough to come up with one million taels!

This isn't just idle talk; it's based on real evidence.

The Land of Snow is located in the northern part of the Land of Iron. It has a cold climate and harsh environment, and is basically in the snow season all year round.

The domestic population is extremely small, with only about 10,000 to 20,000 people nationwide, and the country is very poor!

One of the reasons the Snow Clan gave up attacking this country was that it was too poor, so poor that it wasn't worth the Snow Clan's long journey from the Land of Water to the Land of Snow.

But how could such a country afford to spend one million taels of silver to protect its daughter while she travels abroad?

Perhaps it was to avoid the dangers brought about by a change of regime!

"We've accepted the mission. If it's rated S, then... uh."

Since it's an international mission, it's essential to execute it flawlessly, so Ye needs to be a bit more cautious about personnel.

They need to be both capable and influential, ideally someone who can single-handedly take over the entire Snow Country...

Ok?

Ye's gaze suddenly fell on one of the ninja files, and his eyes lit up.

“I remember not long ago, Kisame applied to use Samehada, right? Have him come over here.”

"Yes."

Chapter 130 Night and Orochimaru, Orochimaru: "Sensei, you've really gotten old."

The reason why Ye accepted the mission from the Snow Kingdom was certainly not because she wanted to play the role of a princess raising or female celebrity making.

After all, if he really wanted to play this kind of game, he wouldn't need to say it outright. Just a slight hint would be enough for many top-tier female ninjas in Kirigakure to climb into his bed overnight.

There's no way around it; this is the current reputation and status of Yoru in Kirigakure!

Of course, the idea of ​​gaining international prestige is pure nonsense. The Land of Snow is an extremely barren country, located on the very edge of the ninja world, a small country that is basically out of touch with the ninja world. Even if it really completed a top-level mission, it wouldn't gain any prestige.

What he actually wanted were those few things within the Snow Country.

Chakra technology creation!

The chakra armor used by the Snow Ninja in the original work, as well as the extremely advanced heavy industry of the Land of Snow, are all quite valuable items.

Most importantly, there's the hexagonal crystal and the so-called 'geothermal generator' rainbow ice wall.

In the movie "Snow Princess Ninja Scroll", Fuuka Nutō used a hexagonal crystal to activate a geothermal generator. The energy generated instantly transformed the snow-covered Snow Country into a land of perpetual spring. Such terrifying power, capable of contending with the forces of nature, was something that no so-called 'geothermal generator' could possibly achieve.

Even so, activating it requires a massive amount of energy, and that energy is contained within the rainbow ice wall!

"Is it a large-scale chakra aggregation, or a crystallization of natural energy?"

Ye didn't know, but it was clear that the rainbow ice wall was definitely a top-tier treasure!

This world has never lacked special treasures, such as the Dragon Vein and Grell Stone of the Land of Wind, the Star Village's Star, and so on. These things can all be called the treasures of the ninja world.

There was even the demonic wraiths that once swept across the entire world!

The Paradise Box of Kusagakure gave Yoru the key to create Hollows. Could the other treasures also create some subtle changes with the Shinigami power that Yoru possesses?

"Yondaime-sama!"

Before long, Kisame Hoshigaki, with his shark-like face, appeared in the Mizukage's office.

At this moment, Kisame Hoshigaki has begun to show his prowess. His powerful water-style ninjutsu and swordsmanship, coupled with his sharp and decisive fighting style that creates blood mist, have allowed him to steadily enter the ranks of elite Jonin.

In addition, the village's political reforms and the purge of the dark intelligence system helped this once-disillusioned and self-doubting genius boy, who had fallen into depravity in the original story, gradually get back on the right track.

A soldier who doesn't want to be a general isn't a good soldier; a member of the Hidden Mist Village who doesn't want to become one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen isn't a good member of the Hidden Mist Village.

Kisame Hoshigaki even proactively submitted an application for Samehada, one of the Seven Ninja Swords, demonstrating his confidence in himself!

"Mizukage-sama!"

Kisame Hoshigaki greeted Yoru respectfully. To him, Yoru, who single-handedly led Kirigakure to victory over Konoha and seized the position of the Fourth Mizukage, was undoubtedly his idol!

"Here is the mission briefing for this mission. Please take a look."

Yoru handed the mission sheet to Kisame: "This mission will also involve an ANBU squad assisting you, but besides protecting Fuuka Koyuki, there's another secret mission for you!"

"Secret mission?"

Kisame's eyes lit up.

"I need you to obtain the chakra technology of the Snow Country, including the 'Chakra Armor,' and acquire a special key called the 'Hexagonal Crystal,' and then secretly investigate the Snow Country's secret treasures, such as the Rainbow Ice Wall."

"Yes! Mizukage-sama!"

Kisame Hoshigaki nodded solemnly and accepted the mission details.

“This mission is quite difficult. I see you previously submitted an application for Samehada…” Yoru smiled as he looked at Kisame: “This time I will grant you permission to use Samehada. If you can really use the power of this ninja sword well and complete this mission, then giving this ninja sword to you might not be a bad idea.”

Upon hearing this, Kisame Hoshigaki's eyes lit up even more, and the usually stern-faced man even revealed a surprised smile.

"Yes!"

"Go."

Kisame left the Mizukage's office with a happy heart, but before Yoru could continue handling government affairs with Mizuki Akira, a figure suddenly appeared in the office.

Then a beautiful figure appeared in the office.

She was tall and slender with birch-green hair, and wore a special shihaka outfit that revealed her smooth, beautiful back.

At his waist was a wooden token engraved with the character '十' and a daffodil.

Ye stared in surprise at Ye Cang, who was wearing a mask. Before he could speak, Ye Cang had already thrown the object in his hand at him.

There were several venomous snakes that were bound together. One of them, a white snake, was shaking its head inside the cage, hissing, and its golden vertical pupils were constantly scanning and observing everything around it.

"Interesting. Where was it found?"

"Jingwu Island".

Ye Cang's calm voice made Ye Wei frown slightly.

Jingwu Island is not a famous island, but a desolate place within the Water Kingdom, where there is nothing at all.

The only noteworthy point is that, some time ago, this island was designated by the authorities as a "breeding ground for poisonous insects".

"Curiosity can kill you before you have the power to match it."

"Orochimaru."

With a calm voice, Ye's gaze fell on the white snake: "Although your Konoha and our Kirigakure are allies, trespassing on my Kirigakure territory like this, even if I kill you here, Minato Namikaze probably won't say a word."

"..."

The white snake silently stared at the night, and after a moment, it actually spoke in human language.

"I just didn't expect that you would actually be able to control souls, just like the rumors say."

"The Grim Reapers and the Seireitei... plus those soul monsters you keep on Jingwu Island, you have ambitions that completely surpass 'Shadow' and 'Village'!"

"And what about you?" Night gazed calmly at the white snake. "As one of the last remaining Sannin, you made outstanding contributions in both the Second and Third Shinobi World Wars, yet you were overwhelmed by Minato Namikaze and lost your position as the Fourth Hokage."

"Immersed in ninjutsu research every day, I don't know if you're numbing yourself or if you've really given up, but one thing I'm sure of is that."

Night looked at the white snake with a half-smile: "That guy Minato Namikaze, he probably wouldn't just tacitly allow you to conduct random experiments in Konoha like the Third Hokage did, would he?"

"It's nothing more than defection!"

"Is the bond you desire no longer present in Konoha?"

"Those laughable things about bonds are meaningless. I'm no longer that kind of hot-blooded youth who talks about bonds. What I need to do now is learn all the ninjutsu, grasp the truth of this world, and become the ultimate individual!"

"Oh?"

Night looked at the white snake with a half-smile: "When did you develop the illusion that mastering all ninjutsu would allow you to grasp the truth?"

The white snake's body trembled slightly, and its golden vertical pupils narrowed, as if it had been startled by Ye's words.

It slowly crawled on the table, thinking of the things it had discovered, and of Yekura, who had fought against it on the Sand Village battlefield but was now under the command of Mizuki Yoru and was completely different from before, and fell silent for a moment.

a long time.

The legendary Sannin gazed slowly at Minazuki Yoru and whispered, "So, have you grasped the truth?"

"not yet."

Ye shrugged, feeling utterly alone.

"I would never use something so vague and unrealistic as my life goal. I prefer to break down my goals into stages and take them one step at a time. After all, if you set yourself something too ambitious all at once, you will inevitably doubt yourself and feel afraid of that goal if you are not determined enough."