Konoha.
The Hokage Building.
Inside the Hokage's office.
Uchiha Fugaku cheerfully set down the intelligence scroll in his hand and smiled at everyone in the room. "We've finished investigating everything. The ones who attacked us this time were the remnants of the Sky Ninja."
"They belonged to the Sky Country, the nation Konoha destroyed during the Second Shinobi World War. This operation was clearly something they had been planning for a long time."
"In this battle, our anti-air artillery system performed flawlessly. We wiped out several hundred Sky Ninja with aerial mobility, and our casualty rate was zero!"
"It was practically a cross-era strike. Absolutely perfect."
"Yuzuru, having you with us is truly Konoha's blessing."
After hearing Fugaku's summary, Uchiha Yuzuru casually waved a hand.
The technology of the shinobi world had always been advanced. In many areas, it even surpassed the Blue Planet of his previous life.
He just did not understand why, in the original story, the nations rarely applied that technology to national defense, causing every war between countries to look like something out of the age of cold weapons.
All he had done was apply some experience from his previous life to local conditions, and the result had turned out far better than expected.
Seeing how unconcerned Yuzuru looked, Fugaku secretly nodded to himself.
As expected of Yuzuru. Even after achieving something this significant, he remained calm as drifting clouds, his expression not wavering in the slightest.
After a moment's thought, he continued, "Also, the Sky Ninja warships near the seas bordering the Land of Fire have all been sunk."
"After this battle, we should never have to worry about the Sky Ninja remnants again."
Yuzuru nodded, then turned to Shinnō at his side. "Doctor Shinnō, you've traveled the shinobi world for a long time. Have you ever heard any intelligence regarding the Sky Ninja remnants?"
Shinnō shook his head. "No, I haven't."
Yuzuru did not press the matter. He simply led Shinnō out of the Hokage Building.
The moment they stepped outside, they saw a red-haired, green-eyed tomboy in a black hood sprinting toward them.
But when she was still over ten meters from the entrance, dozens of crows suddenly burst out and surrounded her.
The crows then transformed into a ninja wearing sunglasses and a jōnin flak jacket.
"Bind!"
A steel wire shot out and tightly wrapped around the tomboy, pinning her in place.
"I am Aoba Yamashiro. Greetings, Lord Yuzuru."
After subduing the tomboy, the Konoha ninja bowed respectfully to Yuzuru.
Yuzuru put on a curious look. "And this is?"
Aoba immediately explained, "This person had been lingering around the Hokage Building for quite some time and was trying to sneak inside, so I intended to capture her and interrogate her properly."
He was one of Konoha's jōnin, and also a member of the Intelligence Division.
What he excelled at most was extracting information from other people's minds.
He had once served in the Anbu, but after the Anbu reforms, he became part of the Hokage Building's guard unit.
Looking at the familiar face before him, Yuzuru said calmly, "That Scattering Thousand Crows Technique you just used was quite good."
Aoba immediately replied, "Thank you for the praise, Lord Yuzuru. Back when I served in the Anbu, I was fortunate enough to receive guidance from Lord Shisui."
Yuzuru nodded and said no more.
Aoba was older than Uchiha Shisui, but in this era where strength ruled above all, speaking that way was nothing unusual.
While the two were talking, Shinnō stepped forward and looked at the tomboy on the ground.
Then his expression changed in surprise.
"Amaru?!"
The girl on the ground reddened around the eyes and cried out excitedly, "Teacher Shinnō, I finally found you!"
Yuzuru frowned. "You know each other?"
Shinnō quickly explained, "It's like this. Back when I was traveling through the shinobi world, I once visited the territory of the Sky Country. Amaru was a ninja from one of the villages there."
"I saw that she had some talent, so I accepted her as my disciple and taught her a bit of medical ninjutsu."
After saying that, Shinnō turned to Amaru and asked, "Amaru, why are you here? And what did you mean when you said you finally found me?"
Amaru spoke in a low voice, "Teacher Shinnō, our village was attacked by a mysterious force. The villagers have all been badly injured. Please, come back with me and save them!"
This whole incident had been orchestrated by Shinnō from the start.
It was he who had sent his own subordinates to attack Amaru's village.
As for the reason...
Naturally, it was to lure Uchiha Yuzuru to his base.
His techniques for body activation and regeneration were already complete. If he could obtain the Tailed Beast inside Uchiha Yuzuru, then he would be able to revive the Sky Country once more.
So Shinnō deliberately put on a troubled look. "Amaru, I'm afraid it would be difficult for me alone to treat that many wounded."
"And we don't know whether that mysterious force might launch another attack."
Amaru struggled anxiously on the ground a few times and shouted, "Teacher Shinnō, right now you're the only one who can save them. Please, think of something!"
Shinnō stroked his chin, a compassionate expression appearing on his face.
Then he looked at Yuzuru. "Lord Yuzuru, I've long heard that your strength is unmatched beneath the heavens. Could I ask you to accompany me to Amaru's village?"
"If you protect us, then we won't have to fear that group returning."
Seeing how sincere Shinnō looked, Yuzuru sneered inwardly, but aloud he said, "As it happens, I was already thinking of inspecting that region. I'll go with you."
"I'll also send a few squads of medical ninja to assist."
At those words, Shinnō was overjoyed and pulled Amaru down to kneel with him. "Amaru, hurry and thank Lord Yuzuru!"
Amaru lifted her head and stole a glance at him, only to feel that the man before her looked vibrant and extraordinary, strikingly handsome.
And sensing the kindness in his words, her face flushed red before she lowered her head and said, "Thank you very much, Lord Yuzuru."
Yuzuru turned and walked away, speaking slowly as he did. "Make your preparations. We leave tomorrow."
"Yes!"
South of the Land of Snow lay the Land of Marshes.
And south of the Land of Marshes was the Sky Country.
No.
Rather than calling it the Sky Country, it would be more accurate to call it the ruins of the Sky Country.
During the Second Shinobi World War, the Sky Ninja launched a surprise attack on Konoha with their unique flying forces, causing Konoha heavy losses.
Later, once the tide of war gradually stabilized, Konoha sent Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade to lead a surprise assault force and wipe out the Sky Country in one stroke.
But because the Sky Country did not border the Land of Fire, Konoha withdrew directly after destroying it.
From that point onward, the Sky Country became a land without a government.
Its towns and villages all ruled themselves, making it a genuine lawless zone.
This trip to the Sky Country was the perfect chance to bring it under one banner.
If that happened, the entire northern continent would finally be unified.