Chapter 181 Two Years Later
After A dragged Killer Bee away, Tobi emerged from underground.
"Lord Tobi, what do we do now?" Tobi asked. They had created a Truman Show world for Killer Bee, but now even Truman had been forcibly taken away.
"Let's just call it a day." Uchiha Tobi clapped his hands and removed his disguise. "Finally, we don't have to wear this anymore."
"But we've already sold the tickets for the finals." Tobi said, "Those who bought tickets are all here for Killer Bee."
"So what?" Uchiha Tobi shrugged. "We sold the tickets through our own abilities, why should we refund them?"
"As for how to explain to the ticket-buying audience..." Uchiha Tobi thought for a while and decided, "Just say that our program was affected by force majeure from the authorities and we had no choice but to cancel it. That's all."
"That's enough?" Tobi was a little puzzled.
"Yes," Uchiha Touko said, "Explaining too clearly would be detrimental to our plan. Leaving them some room will allow them to overthink things. I remember the name of the Land of Lightning, isn't it just a white man?"
"I understand." Tobi then went to make the arrangements.
"By the way, from now on, one team of White Zetsu will be stationed permanently in the Land of Lightning. You don't need to do anything, just occasionally go and do some petty theft under your black skin." Uchiha Touko then instructed.
"Yes!" Tobi nodded.
The Land of Lightning hip-hop show, which had been a hit in the Land of Lightning for almost a month, ended abruptly.
The black audience members who had bought tickets were naturally very dissatisfied with this outcome, and under the deliberate guidance of the White Zetsu who remained in the Land of Lightning, antagonistic emotions quietly grew.
In the following period, the security level in the Land of Lightning declined particularly severely, which was quite normal.
The black-and-white divide in the Land of Lightning had been ignited, naturally drawing a large number of rappers from the Lightning Capital. These rappers, performing crime-themed rap daily, were bound to cause trouble.
The daimyo of the Land of Lightning, generations ago, had become a symbol of obedience to the Raikage. Therefore, when A, far from the Lightning Capital, discovered this situation in his country, the upheaval was already completely out of control, spreading throughout the entire Land of Lightning.
A, naturally, wouldn't sit idly by; he directly ordered the daimyo to issue an order banning rap music from the Lightning Capital.
However, this ban ironically helped to create a closed loop within the rap culture, and from then on, underground rap in the Land of Lightning officially entered the mainstream.
When rap culture was in the open, singers were somewhat restrained, but now that it has officially gone underground, the lyrics have become increasingly unrestrained. Violence, crime, and hatred fueled by the White Zetsu have all been written into the lyrics and sung in underground gatherings of Hagiwara haters.
Faced with this unprecedented new approach, A seemed somewhat at a loss. He still didn't understand why all this was happening in the Land of Lightning and was trying to solve the problem in the old way. He dispatched a large number of Cloud Villages to capture the culprit, Uchiha Touko disguised as the rapper Chris Hikaru, to find out what was going on.
However, Uchiha Touko, far away in Konoha, upon hearing the White Zetsu's report, immediately signaled Tobi to launch a major attack.
When Chris Hikaru's body was hung in a conspicuous place in the Land of Lightning, his fatal wounds all from samurai swords, the conflict was completely ignited.
That night, the Haki-blacks in the Land of Lightning gathered together and launched a riot.
A large number of Haki-blacks in the Land of Lightning gathered together and held a march. Then, the White Zetsu mixed in with the march opened the door to a new world for the Haki-blacks in the Land of Lightning with a free shopping spree.
After this, the black-white divide in the Land of Lightning was out in the open, and it also more or less affected the relatively closed-off Kumogakure.
Under the influence of this domestic atmosphere, the ninjas of different skin colors in Kumogakure began to lose their previous trust. The most direct manifestation of this was the sudden surge in casualty rates in ordinary missions.
After experiencing all this, Killer Bee also began to realize that he might have been used. He also tried to make an effort, and his new song began to promote love and peace.
But this was futile. The White Zetsu infiltrating the Land of Lightning only needed to spread the rumor that he had been recruited by the Land of Lightning's higher-ups, and all his efforts would be in vain.
After all, people only believe what they want to believe.
...
After stirring up the waters of the Land of Lightning, their biggest rival was preoccupied with its own problems, while Konoha truly entered a period of rapid development.
In just two years, Konoha's prosperity had surpassed that of the former Fire Capital, with various sectors flourishing. The previously weak military industry also developed rapidly with the support of its major customer, the Land of Waterfall.
And Konoha's new generation of children were also thriving in this rare peaceful environment.
As Sasuke grew older, he became increasingly composed, and his manners already showed some of the air of a noble young master. Although he usually kept a low profile at the Ninja Academy, he was the undisputed leader of the Seven Stars Study Group, which dominated the academy.
Naruto, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. He always wore a bright smile, and unlike the original timeline, he was more popular with the girls at the Ninja Academy than Sasuke, who was in the same year as him. After all, for those girls, Naruto, a sunny and cheerful boy, seemed much easier to get along with than Sasuke, who appeared gentle and polite but also somewhat distant.
The twelve Konoha ninjas in the same year as the two also had their own experiences.
Among them, the one that surprised Uchiha Touko the most was Sakura Haruno.
According to Tsunade, this child had an amazing talent for medical skills. In just a few years, she had mastered the basic medical ninjutsu, and her talent in the precise control of chakra, which was most needed for medical ninjas, was also exceptional. Tsunade had already taken her in as her successor.
It's fair to say that among this year's students, aside from the two freaks, Naruto and Sasuke, the strongest is this girl. However, Sakura's achievements haven't come without a price.
Her perpetually dark circles and her hairline, which had already receded by a centimeter before she was even 12, all testify that studying medicine is something few can endure.
Immersed in the sea of knowledge, Sakura naturally doesn't have the time to indulge in romantic fantasies like in the original timeline. Furthermore, because she dedicates her time to studying, her somewhat unkempt appearance and her relationship with Naruto are simply that of normal peers.
As for the children who joined Konoha later, Fu lived there for two years, forging a deep friendship with Naruto and the others. Her desire to return to Takigakure is no longer as strong as it was initially.
Karin, after some hesitation, proactively approached Uchiha Touko and became the Jinchuriki of the Three-Tails. Her reason was that she wanted to have enough power in the future to repay Uchiha Touko for saving her and her mother from hell. As
for Deidara, he had become a golden duo with Yamato, becoming the chief demolition expert for the Yamato Construction Group. His contribution to Konoha's current infrastructure development speed was indispensable, and under his research, Konoha's basic chemistry level had also advanced by leaps and bounds.
...
It was graduation season again. The sixth-year students of the Ninja Academy, after completing their graduation exams, successfully donned headbands and joined the ranks of Konoha's ninjas.
In the Hokage's office, Uchiha Touko smiled and placed a Konoha headband on Neji's head before patting him on the shoulder, saying, "Not bad, looks very spirited. Congratulations, from today onwards, you are a true ninja."
Neji's eyes were also full of excitement; to be personally bestowed a headband by the Hokage was an immense honor.
"What are your plans after graduation?" Uchiha Touko asked with a smile as he served Neji a cup of tea.
"I'll follow your arrangements, teacher," Neji replied.
"With your current strength, you could easily participate in the Chunin Exams. However, finding a ninja to form a team with you in your year is really difficult," Uchiha Touko said. "Originally, I planned to team you up with Lee and Tenten, who you usually hang out with. But while Lee is fine, Tenten joined the Ninja Tool Research Institute after graduation. Finding someone temporarily would just hold you both back."
"Tenten's talent in ninja tool development isn't really suited for frontline combat teams," Neji added.
"By the way, how's your combat tactics coming along?" Uchiha Touko asked.
"With the help of the Yamanaka clan, Tenten has developed a long-range shared vision ninja tool," Neji said.
"I know that. I was also shocked when I saw this little gadget. I never expected something that could change the course of a battlefield to come from the hands of an 11-year-old girl," said Uchiha Touko.
About a year and a half ago, Neji, due to the lack of offensive power in his family's ninjutsu, gradually became unable to defeat his two junior brothers. He turned his attention to various ninja tools with strange functions. Tenten, who had loved researching these things since childhood because of her family's ninja tool shop, hit it off with Neji.
Tenten developed new ninja tools according to Neji's needs, while Neji provided data for her experiments in battle. The two were a perfect match.
Uchiha Touko, who noticed their ideas, naturally cooperated fully. He not only granted Tenten access to all the books in Konoha, but also established a special research institute for new ninja tools. Tono Kakusuke, who would cause great trouble in the future, was also recruited and began his research on scientific ninja tools ahead of schedule.
However, while Tenten and Neji's close cooperation was effective—Neji consistently managed to make his two junior brothers suffer in sparring matches thanks to Tenten's ingenious gadgets—a major problem loomed before them.
As ninjas, they would likely face numerous skirmishes, and the number of ninja tools a person could carry was limited. Although Neji could unleash power far exceeding his own usual level with Tenten's assistance, they couldn't afford to meticulously prepare for every battle.
Faced with this dilemma, Tenten pondered for a while before finally finding a solution.
She would maintain contact with Neji from afar and, based on the characteristics of the enemies he encountered, deliver the necessary ninja tools to him using summoning jutsu.
When this plan first appeared on Uchiha Touko's desk, he was astonished by this ingenious tactic, reminiscent of a mute AD carry in a game he had played in his past life.
However, while this tactic was feasible, it was technically quite challenging.
Firstly, current communication technology in the ninja world is simply incapable of supporting the continuous sharing of complex battle information between two people separated by a considerable distance. Secondly, there's the issue of long-range ninja tool summoning techniques. Currently, the only ninja techniques in the ninja world capable of accurately teleporting inanimate objects regardless of distance are Konoha's Flying Thunder God Technique and Kumogakure's Heavenly Delivery Technique.
However, currently, only a few individuals in Konoha, such as Genma Shiranui, possess a somewhat incomplete version of the Flying Thunder
God Technique. However, this didn't faze Tenten; the girl's talent in ninja tools completely exceeded Uchiha Touko's expectations.
After contacting the Yamanaka clan through Ino, out of respect for Neji and Uchiha Touko's disciple status, the Yamanaka clan fully cooperated with Tenten's research.
With the Yamanaka clan's assistance, Tenten spent three months developing a ninja tool that could share vision only within a ten-kilometer radius.
Upon learning this, Uchiha Touko immediately classified this ninja tool technology as top secret.
Spending every day with the young Hyuga clan leader, she probably didn't realize the sheer strategic significance of these ninja tools. Combined with the Hyuga clan's unparalleled vision, it's essentially like providing a complete map for the commander on the battlefield.
If this technology were to leak out, the entire ninja world would be even more obsessed with the Byakugan than it is now.
"Now, only the summoning jutsu remains," Neji said. "Currently, Tenten's summoning jutsu can only accurately deliver the ninja tool to me within a ten-kilometer range, and even that requires me to use chakra." "
But if you encounter a truly powerful enemy, you might not have the time to be distracted by guiding the summoning jutsu," Uchiha Touko reminded him.
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