Chapter 335: The First Year of the Sage Emperor! (Grand Finale)

After Itachi and his team left, Nagato and Obito approached the trembling Daimyō, who was visibly terrified.

The Daimyō was indeed frightened.

Though he had ambitions of rising to power, fueled by the grand vision Shūichi had once painted for him, he felt powerless to achieve it.

Even though the Five Great Nations had annexed smaller countries and trained numerous shinobi, their strength was insignificant compared to the Ninja Alliance.

Especially with Shūichi present—success was impossible without his support.

The Daimyō knew that the grand vision Shūichi had promised was just an illusion.

Thus, he had allowed the recent rebellion to occur. In his mind, if Shinnō's displayed strength succeeded, it would be beneficial. If it failed, he could simply claim he was a victim, having been coerced and controlled.

However, the ones who came today were Nagato and Obito.

These two were individuals who had once been consumed by darkness.

As the Daimyō of the Land of Fire, he naturally recognized Nagato and Obito as formidable figures.

Seeing that it wasn't ANBU who had come, he even felt a sense of relief.

After all, since Root's reformation, ANBU had taken on many of the more unsavory tasks. The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, had no intention of keeping someone like Danzo as a "black glove."

Nagato and Obito weren't here to act as black gloves either; they were sent as a guarantee—to ensure everything was handled cleanly.

Just as the Daimyō started to relax and suppress his fear, Nagato extended his hand. With a flick, the Daimyō was pulled into his grasp.

"You...!"

The Daimyō was shocked. "Do you dare assassinate me?"

Nagato said nothing and simply extracted the Daimyō's soul, discarding his lifeless body.

Obito then used Kamui to transport the body to his dimensional space. Even the Sage of Six Paths couldn't retrieve it now.

With the Daimyō dealt with effortlessly, Obito and Nagato disappeared.

---

When Shūichi returned to Konoha after suppressing the White Snake Sage, he heard the news of the Daimyō of the Land of Fire dying during the rebellion. After a brief pause, he chuckled and chose not to intervene.

However, this news caused a massive uproar across the ninja world.

The Daimyō offices of the Lands of Earth, Wind, Lightning, and Water became tense, with turbulent undercurrents brewing.

Simultaneously, similar tensions arose within the Ninja Alliance Headquarters.

Representatives from the other four Great Nations arrived, trying to persuade the Joint Council to support their claims to leadership.

Yet the Council refrained from making any definitive decisions.

Meanwhile, in the Land of Fire, no new Daimyō was appointed. Instead, the Ninja Alliance dispatched a team to take over the Daimyō's office and began issuing orders.

This move alarmed the Daimyōs of the other four Great Nations, heightening their concerns.

It was a troubling precedent.

In no time, the undercurrents in the four Great Nations grew more intense and chaotic.

Half a month later, rebellions erupted simultaneously in the Daimyō offices of the Lands of Earth, Wind, Lightning, and Water.

But these uprisings were quelled by the Ninja Alliance within a single day.

The only unfortunate outcome was that the Daimyōs of all four nations were killed by the rebel shinobi during the chaos.

To maintain stability, the Ninja Alliance quickly stationed personnel in the Daimyō offices, mirroring the approach taken in the Land of Fire.

Thus, the rebellions were resolved smoothly under the overwhelming power of the Ninja Alliance.

The ninja world began to adapt to the reality of the five Great Nations existing without Daimyōs.

Or rather, many ministers and nobles of the five Great Nations had already been bound to the Alliance through shared interests.

Over the years, the transformations in the Lands of Rain, Wind, and Earth, as well as overseas expansions, had brought enormous wealth.

And nothing corrupts people more than profit.

With the Alliance's promises of benefits, the ministers and nobles of the Great Nations had long betrayed the Daimyōs—not their class, just the Daimyōs themselves.

Shūichi ignored these developments, leaving his teacher, Minato Namikaze, and the others to carry out their plans.

He resumed a peaceful life with his family.

Shizune was pregnant, Tsunade was expecting again, and even Mizu was carrying his child.

The Hoshita clan was gradually flourishing.

---

Konoha Year 62, January 6th, shortly after the New Year.

Alliance Fortress.

Today, the Joint Council meeting of the Ninja Alliance had many more attendees than usual.

Apart from Minato and his usual associates, both Shūichi and Nagato were present.

Additionally, representatives from the nobles and ministers of the Five Great Nations attended the session.

As usual, Minato, serving as the chairman, presided over the meeting.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have two agenda items today," Minato began, his expression solemn, with a hint of nervousness in his tone. "The first agenda: the unification of the Five Great Nations, the reorganization of administrative regions in the ninja world, and centralized governance under the Ninja Alliance."

"Now, I ask the council members to vote. Raising your hand signifies your agreement."

The next moment, Ōnoki, the Fourth Kazekage, the Fourth Raikage, and the Fifth Mizukage all raised their hands in unison.

This proposal was entirely in their favor; opposition was unthinkable.

If this agenda were approved, it would rewrite the history of the ninja world forever.

No—

This agenda was bound to pass; otherwise, it wouldn't have been presented in the first place.

As expected, once Minato raised his hand, General Mifune, representing the samurai, immediately followed suit, along with the many noble and ministerial representatives.

These individuals had long agreed to the proposal—or had already integrated into the ninja system.

Though they themselves might not be ninjas, their families inevitably included shinobi or samurai-ninjas.

Seeing that the vote aligned perfectly with expectations, Minato smiled and declared:

"Unanimously approved."

"From today onward, the Five Great Nations no longer exist!"

"Specific administrative divisions will be discussed in a separate meeting."

"Now, onto the second agenda."

Minato's expression grew not only serious but also grave.

"To address the crisis posed by the Ōtsutsuki clan from beyond the skies, and to usher in a new era for the ninja world, we must have a leader—a figure powerful enough to unite everyone and stand against the Ōtsutsuki, protecting the ninja world!"

"This leader will represent ninjas, samurai, nobles, and ordinary citizens alike."

"He will be the guardian deity of the new era."

"He will be the Sage Emperor!"

At this moment, all eyes turned to Shūichi Hoshita, including Nagato, who stood silently behind him.

Finally, the day had come.

The unification of the ninja world.

The grand vision Shūichi had once drawn was now coming to fruition.

And at this moment, there was only one person in the entire ninja world qualified to become the Sage Emperor: Shūichi Hoshita.

With the nations united, all ninja forces consolidated, and even the Three Great Sacred Lands integrated into the Ninja Alliance, the path was clear.

"Now, I ask for a vote to approve Shūichi Hoshita as the Sage Emperor," Minato announced.

Swish! 

Everyone raised their hands without hesitation.

This vote was merely a formality.

Because aside from Shūichi, no one else could command the respect of this assembly.

Minato then smiled and proclaimed:

"From this day forward, Shūichi Hoshita is the supreme ruler of the ninja world—the Sage Emperor!"

Shūichi stood slowly and said, "Sensei, you're overstating it."

"I am not the ruler of the ninja world—I am its guardian."

"The mission of each Sage Emperor is to protect the ninja world, to protect the Earth—not to govern it."

"The administration of the ninja world will remain under the leadership of the Ninja Alliance."

---

In a flash, Shūichi took the title of Sage Emperor and, without further ado, disappeared with Nagato.

This left figures like Ōnoki momentarily dumbfounded.

"...Not even a hint of excitement?"

"And so detached—can that really work?"

Minato chuckled bitterly to himself.

He had long realized that his disciple's ambitions had little to do with the ninja world.

All the elaborate plans Shūichi had set in motion were likely just incidental steps toward his true goals.

Shūichi's desire for power was minimal to the extreme.

Or rather, for someone at his level, the concept of desire for power was irrelevant.

Because he was the Sage Emperor—the strongest shinobi in the ninja world.

---

On the street, Shūichi and Nagato strolled leisurely.

Shūichi didn't activate his new tag immediately. Instead, he asked Nagato, "Are you planning to continue wandering the ninja world with Obito?"

Nagato nodded.

Shūichi didn't try to dissuade him and smiled. "Then pay more attention to those with potential. Train more successors."

"The current situation in the ninja world is still fragile, much like the order established by the First Hokage back in the day."

"If I were no longer here, the balance could easily collapse. The current system hasn't yet taken root in people's hearts."

Nagato nodded in agreement, then looked at Shūichi and said, "With your current power, you can live for a long time."

"If even the Ōtsutsuki clan can overpower you, then the ninja world wouldn't have any future to speak of."

"And if you were to leave the ninja world, leaving behind a clone would be enough to stabilize the situation."

Shūichi shook his head and chuckled. "Even so, we still need to pass on the torch to future generations."

"The ninja world cannot rely on me alone as the Sage Emperor—that wouldn't be stable."

Nagato nodded thoughtfully, then asked, "After Nanyue(Konan's daughter) graduates, who do you plan to entrust her to?"

Shūichi countered with a question, "Why, do you have someone in mind?"

Nagato shook his head. "I'm not suitable. My Rinnegan doesn't truly belong to me."

Shūichi smiled. "I'll teach her how to use the Rinnegan. As for everything else, a Jōnin instructor will suffice for now."

"Don't worry!"

After chatting a while longer, Nagato departed.

Shūichi returned directly to the Sage Emperor's sanctuary, sitting cross-legged on the lotus pedestal of the Divine Tree. Then, he activated the [Sage Emperor] tag.

Tag Effect: Child of Nature. You are nature's favored offspring, exuding extraordinary affinity. All forms of natural energy are your nourishment.

The moment the tag activated, Shūichi immediately felt a transformation.

Previously, aside from absorbing natural energy, he could draw strength from the Earth's magnetic field, the cosmic magnetic field, solar energy, and various electromagnetic waves.

Now, he could sense even more sources of energy.

From thermal radiation to the latent energies within the Earth itself.

In addition, his physical body underwent a profound change.

Shūichi noticed his physical limits had expanded dramatically.

Recently, he had begun to feel that his body's capacity to absorb and process energy was diminishing.

But now, it felt as though his body had become an insatiable void, with every cell hungrier than ever.

"Even the One with Nature kekkei mōra from Kaguya seems to have undergone significant evolution under the boost from the Child of Nature ability."

Carefully sensing the changes, Shūichi's figure disappeared from the Divine Tree.

---

He reappeared on a desolate island in the middle of the sea.

Lowering his gaze, Shūichi activated One with Nature, but instead of merging into the Earth, he found himself in full control of the entire island—its plants, its soil, every single element.

Moreover, he could command all forms of energy within the vicinity.

Including natural energy itself!

"This…"

Shūichi's eyes lit up with delight. "This… feels like training in the truest sense."

The energy of the human body is finite, even at his level.

The difference between him and ordinary ninjas lay in his vast capacity and ability to replenish energy quickly.

But now, Shūichi could directly manipulate and wield all external natural energy.

---

Boom!

With a thought, the island trembled as enormous, jagged stone pillars erupted from the ground.

Moments later, flames engulfed the entire island in a blazing inferno.

The first display was raw control over the island itself—the original version of One with Nature.

The flames, however, were the result of sage techniques.

What made it remarkable was that Shūichi hadn't used his own sage chakra but had drawn directly upon the natural energy of the island to cast the technique.

It was a strange yet exhilarating feeling.

Shūichi's level of control had reached new heights.

The One with Nature technique he had learned from Kaguya marked the beginning of mastering external energies.

But now, he had taken it a step further.

"If one day I can command the natural forces of the entire ninja world…"

Shūichi's eyes sparkled with ambition.

But how could he expand his capacity to control greater power?

He began experimenting, exploring.

It didn't take long for him to realize that the scope of his control over natural forces depended on the strength of his soul—on how much energy he could manage at one time.

"Soul cultivation…"

Shūichi raised an eyebrow, feeling motivated once again.

---

Time passed swiftly.

Before long, it was February 1st, Konoha Year 62.

On this day, in the Alliance Fortress, under the witness of the high-ranking members of the Alliance, Toad Sage, the Slug Sage, the White Snake Sage, countless ninjas, nobles, and civilians,

Shūichi Hoshita was officially crowned the Sage Emperor.

And from this day forward, a new calendar began—The First Year of the Sage Emperor Era.

(End of Novel)

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