Benimaru arrived at Shanks' house not long after being summoned. Inside, Shanks was seated calmly in the hall on a futon, a cup of tea resting between his fingers. Steam curled upward in thin wisps. On the low wooden table before him, beside the teacup, lay a neatly arranged stack of papers.
Before Benimaru could speak, Shanks turned his head slightly toward him and said, "Come and sit. Have some lunch."
Benimaru nodded respectfully and stepped forward, sitting opposite Shanks on the futon.
"Onii-san," Benimaru asked, "what exactly happened that you called for me?"
Without wasting time, Shanks slid the stack of freshly created Yin-Yang Tags across the table toward him. The papers moved smoothly over the wood and came to rest before Benimaru.
"These are Yin-Yang Tags that I created just now," Shanks said evenly. "Using these, you can check the chakra nature of a ninja. Take one and try holding it."
Benimaru picked up one of the tags carefully. The surface looked ordinary at first glance, but faint sealing patterns shimmered subtly across it. He slightly channelled his chakra into the paper.
Immediately, the tag began to glow—half white and half green, the colors dividing it cleanly down the center.
A faint light reflected in Benimaru's eyes.
Shanks explained, "Half green and half white shows that you have affinity for both Yin and Yang release. If it glows only green, then it is Yang. If only white, then Yin. Now you understand how this Yin-Yang Tag works."
Benimaru examined the glowing tag for a moment longer before allowing the chakra flow to cease. The light faded.
"I understand perfectly, Onii-san," he said. "And you want me to take these to the Ninja Academy and check the chakra nature of all the students. Isn't that right?"
Shanks nodded once. "Yes, that is exactly what I want. But as you just witnessed, this is not a disposable paper. It can be used hundreds of times without any issue. So I don't want you to limit it to the Academy students."
He lifted his teacup and took a slow sip before continuing.
"Check the other villagers as well—those of appropriate age, twenty or below. See if any of them have affinity for Yin or Yang release chakra."
He placed the cup back down gently.
"If someone possesses Yang release chakra, they can serve in Uzushiogakure Hospital. And if someone has Yin release chakra, then after proper background checks, they can also be recruited into the Shadow Guards."
Benimaru's eyes sharpened slightly as he understood the broader vision behind it.
"This will be fantastic," he said with quiet excitement. "With this, even those who missed their chance to become a ninja—despite having the potential—may receive another opportunity. Some of them may not have even known they possessed such affinity."
Shanks gave a small nod. That was precisely what he intended.
Soon, lunch was brought in and placed before them. The aroma of freshly prepared food filled the hall, mixing with the faint scent of tea. For a brief while, the conversation ceased as both of them ate in composed silence.
After finishing the meal, Benimaru rose to his feet.
He gathered the stack of Yin-Yang Tags carefully.
As most of the Uzushiogakure ninjas were still occupied with handling the bodies of Kumogakure and Kirigakure shinobi along the shoreline, Benimaru decided he would distribute some of the tags to trusted members of the Uzumaki Police Force. They would assist in testing the chakra nature of eligible villagers—those twenty years old or younger.
With purpose in his steps and the tags secured in his grasp, Benimaru left Shanks' house to carry out the orders.
…
Here, as the core of Uzushiogakure moved forward with its future planning and internal restructuring, the other major villages—still entangled in the chaos of war—finally received confirmed reports of what had truly happened.
The armies of Kumogakure and Kirigakure had been utterly destroyed.
Both the Mizukage and the Raikage were dead.
And the one responsible was the Uzukage.
The reports further stated that Uzukage had single-handedly forced the majority of the enemy forces into submission using nothing but his Conqueror's Haki. Entire battalions had collapsed unconscious under the overwhelming pressure of his will alone.
The ink on those reports had barely dried before shockwaves spread through every hidden village.
As for the other Uzumaki siblings, the battlefield had been no less one-sided. They had dominated their respective fronts without encountering any true opposition. There had been no stalemates. No desperate last stands.
Guy had defeated the Two-Tails Jinchuriki.
Antares had crushed the Three-Tails Jinchuriki.
Both victories had been decisive.
In the end, the names Shanks, Antares, and Guy became synonymous with fear among the major villages. Not whispered in admiration—but in caution.
And as if that was not enough, another piece of information sent an even colder chill through the leadership of the great nations.
The Uzukage had mastered the Flying Thunder God technique—the same technique used by the Yellow Flash of Konoha, Namikaze Minato.
Until now, Namikaze Minato had been the only living user of that space-time ninjutsu. His speed alone can alter the course of wars.
Now, Uzukage could use it as well.
That fact alone became the greatest deterrent.
Because if any village dared to move against Uzushiogakure, Shanks could evacuate his clan instantly using the Flying Thunder God. And worse—he could appear within the heart of any village at any moment he desired.
A Kage's office.
A military headquarters.
A strategic supply route.
Nowhere would be safe.
The mere possibility was enough to disturb sleep.
The battle itself contained feats that were considered nearly impossible. Shanks had injured the Third Raikage in close combat—a man who was regarded as invincible in defence, especially in close-range fighting. To injure him at all was an extraordinary achievement.
But Shanks had done more than injure him.
He had endured the Raikage's full-force assault head-on—and killed him.
That single detail alone was enough to silence entire council chambers.
All of this had been witnessed.
Multiple spies had observed the battle from afar—through summoned beasts sharing vision, through binoculars perched atop distant cliffs, and through various surveillance methods. None of them had interfered.
And none of them had been eliminated.
That was not because the Uzumaki siblings were unaware of their presence.
On the contrary, they had deliberately allowed those spies to live.
Deliberately allowed them to watch.
Because Shanks wanted every detail of that battle placed directly onto the desks of every major village Kage.
He understood strategy.
The result of that battle would not just be a military victory—it would be psychological warfare.
And it worked.
Fear had now taken root in the hearts of the major villages. Not just fear of Shanks—but of the Uzumaki siblings as a whole.
Although the other siblings had not achieved headline-grabbing feats like defeating Jinchuriki or killing Kage, that did not imply weakness. In fact, the battles they fought had been so overwhelmingly easy that they had ended without injury.
Not a single scratch.
That alone spoke volumes—silent, undeniable volumes—about their strength.
…
In Konoha, within the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his desk, the detailed report spread open before him.
The room was quiet, the faint rustle of parchment the only sound as his eyes moved line by line across the document.
The battle between Uzushiogakure and the allied forces of Kumogakure and Kirigakure.
The complete destruction.
Hiruzen exhaled slowly, the weight of the information settling heavily in the room.
----
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