"So, Lady Vanilla, what exactly is the organization's objective?"
Half a month later, inside the newly rebuilt Starshadow Building of the Hidden Star Village, Yashiro finally voiced the question that had been gnawing at him. He was currently in the office, handling administrative affairs alongside Uzumaki Vanilla. At a desk opposite them, Gato was poring over the Star Village's financial records with an expression so foul he looked ready to devour the former "Third Starshadow" whole.
On a nearby sofa, little Karin was obediently reading an Uzumaki secret arts scroll, occasionally pausing to pour a cup of tea for her mother.
Reflecting on the changes of the past two weeks, Yashiro felt an indescribable sense of cognitive dissonance. This mysterious and powerful organization had conquered them, and while they had implemented policies like curfews and travel restrictions, they hadn't resorted to high-pressure tyranny against the civilians.
On the contrary, Gato's merchant caravans traveled back and forth between the capital of the Land of Bears and the village, bringing in essential supplies and purchasing herbs, game, and local specialties from the villagers at fair prices to sell abroad.
The village's military—two hundred and thirty-some shinobi—had also been reorganized. After a rigorous evaluation by Uchiha Hikari and Kakuzu, forty-five were ranked as Chūnin, five as Special Jōnin, and only Akahoshi, Yotaka, Shizō, and Yashiro himself were recognized as Jōnin. The remaining hundred and seventy-plus were mere Genin, some barely mastering more than two or three basic jutsu.
The Anbu had been trimmed down to seventeen Chūnin, two Special Jōnin, and two Jōnin. Then, under the brutal oversight of the new Jōnin Commander, Uchiha Hikari, and Anbu Captain Kakuzu, the entire force underwent grueling training.
Simultaneously, Menma introduced a "Jutsu Library" stocked with D-rank, C-rank, and even B-rank scrolls. Shinobi who trained hard and excelled in their evaluations could earn points to exchange for these techniques. For the Star shinobi—most of whom were from humble civilian backgrounds—this was an irresistible temptation.
In just half a month, the Hidden Star Village had transformed. The shinobi no longer needed the "Star" cultivation room. This was a change Yashiro had long desired; he knew the lethal side effects of the meteorite, having seen many of his peers perish from its corruption.
Though conquered, the Star shinobi hadn't lost their drive for strength. In fact, because their trainers were the very monsters who had flattened them that night, they felt a profound sense of awe and budding worship. The villagers, seeing their quality of life improve, harbored goodwill toward the new rulers.
The entire village had accepted the reality of being ruled by this group of powerful strangers. So, Yashiro found it strange... if they were the losers, why was Shura treating them so well? What was the catch?
"The objective? To unify the shinobi world, of course," Vanilla replied casually, not even looking up from her paperwork.
"Unify the world?!!!" The old man jumped, his pen clattering to the floor. His Adam's apple bobbed nervously.
While the Star Village liked to boast that they were "the village closest to the Five Great Nations," every Starshadow knew the truth: they couldn't even stand up to the Grass or Rain villages, let alone a Great Nation. They only existed because of the Hell Valley barrier and their status as a low-population buffer zone between the Lands of Earth and Wind.
While the village underwent its internal shift, a different kind of change was occurring in the capital of the Land of Bears—at the Daimyo's estate.
"Don't... don't kill me! Please, I beg you!" A man dressed in opulent robes scrambled backward in a pathetic display of cowardice.
Outside, the blood of over a dozen samurai and shinobi stained the courtyard walls of the estate.
The masked Uzumaki Menma looked at the wet trail left on the floor by the terrified man and frowned slightly. With a flick of his wrist, a kunai sang through the air, ending the Daimyo's life instantly. Blood and brain matter splattered across the silken bedding.
"My Lord, what are our next orders?" Outside, six shinobi wearing Star Village forehead protectors knelt in the shadows.
Uchiha Hikari stood nearby, her cold gaze occasionally sweeping over the corpses littering the estate. When her eyes landed on the six Star shinobi, they immediately lowered their heads, not daring to meet her gaze. These six were Chūnin who had excelled under her training—and more importantly, they were staunch devotees of "Lord Shura."
The merit they earned on this mission could be exchanged for B-rank jutsu. To them, the reward far outweighed the risk.
"Proceed as planned," Menma ordered coldly. "Spare the women and children. Kill the rest."
"Yes!" The six vanished, fanning out to begin a systematic purge of the capital's nobility.
Menma and Hikari leaped onto the highest roof of the Daimyo's estate, looking out over the capital, which sat on a plain bisected by a winding river. The Land of Bears had a total population of barely a million, with twelve percent concentrated here in the capital.
The estate itself was little more than a large compound with about twenty buildings. The six shinobi worked in pairs, moving across the rooftops of the capital, following pre-arranged maps to clear out every noble household.
Over the next few days, Menma's forces carried out a bloody cleansing of the aristocratic class across all major towns in the Land of Bears, effectively decapitating the nation's political elite. While some nobles with good reputations among the commoners were spared their lives, their family status was stripped. Menma recognized that while an individual noble might be "good," the class of nobility was an obstacle to progress.
This upheaval swept through the nation, but because it targeted the elites and was accompanied by Gato's distribution of supplies, it had little negative impact on the commoners. Menma used Gato's staff and Star shinobi to seize control of city administrations, promoting lower-level officials of commoner birth to fill the vacuum. Within days, he had achieved preliminary control over the small nation.
However, it was impossible to keep such a thing completely silent.
At the end of the 54th year of the Konoha calendar, news of a "Great Upheaval" in the Land of Bears shook the western continent. Rumors spread that the Star shinobi had revolted, slaughtered the Daimyo and his court, and seized control of the country.
The news reached the Lands of Earth and Wind rapidly. The idea of shinobi murdering a Daimyo was an existential threat to the nobility of every nation. The Daimyos of the Great Nations summoned their respective Kage for emergency meetings.
And far away in the Hidden Leaf Village of the Land of Fire, the Third Hokage picked up a very strange request form, his brow furrowed in deep thought.