Konoha's Tag-System Ninja

On this rare day, Kushina Uzumaki came to the Hokage's office to accompany Minato Namikaze at work. It just so happened that Shūichi returned from his meeting with the Daimyō.

Hearing Shūichi's account, Kushina's eyes widened. "Shūichi, the Daimyō doesn't actually believe you, does he?"

Shūichi chuckled. "Such a tempting offer is hard to resist."

Kushina thoughtfully rubbed her chin. "But… if anyone really analyzes it, they'll see it's impossible to achieve, right?"

"Shūichi, you're incredibly strong, but even someone as powerful as the Third Raikage eventually died in battle."

"There's no way Konoha, even with Suna on our side, could defeat the other ninja villages. It's just not feasible."

Minato Namikaze, too, pondered the possibility.

Unlike Kushina, Minato had a clear understanding of Shūichi's strength. As his teacher, he knew that Shūichi far outclassed the Kage of the Five Great Nations.

It was reminiscent of the days when Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara stood leagues above the rest.

Whether Shūichi could rival Hashirama, the God of Shinobi, remained uncertain—but at just 15 years old, his potential was extraordinary.

After a moment of thought, Minato asked seriously, "Shūichi, are you just stalling the Daimyō, or do you genuinely intend to pursue this?"

Kushina blinked in surprise, turning to stare at her husband in shock.

Shūichi set aside his smile, his tone earnest. "Sensei, I genuinely have such aspirations."

"I want to eliminate the other ninja villages, unify all shinobi, and end the endless cycle of war in the ninja world."

"I graduated at six and went to the battlefield."

"Clan Leader Fugaku even brought his four-year-old son to the front lines."

"Shinobi wield power, and the villages are violent organizations, but this shouldn't be the way things are."

"The First Hokage founded the ninja villages to end the Warring States era and prevent children from dying on the battlefield."

"The Second Hokage established the ninja academy to systematically train shinobi from ages six to twelve, and that, too, wasn't meant to send young children to war."

"The power of shinobi should not only be for war or killing, not even for mere self-defense."

Minato and Kushina fell into a heavy silence.

As expectant parents, they couldn't bear the thought of their child stepping onto the battlefield during an age meant for joy and love, tainting their innocence with blood.

Shūichi continued, "Since the First Hokage's death, we've had three Great Ninja Wars."

"Each war has been larger and crueler than the clan conflicts of the Warring States era."

"These wars occur roughly a decade apart."

"So, when will the next war be? And the one after that?"

"Will my descendants die in these wars?"

"Even if one day they must give their lives to protect the village, I don't want them to die as children, before they've grown strong. That kind of death is far too cheap."

Kushina lowered her head, stroking her rounded belly, feeling the life growing within her. Memories of her own childhood came flooding back—the displacement and pain caused by war were all too vivid.

"Shūichi, I support you!" Kushina suddenly said, her eyes red with emotion.

Minato sighed and went to her side, wrapping her in his arms. He looked at Shūichi and said, "If you can end the wars and create a peaceful ninja world, that would truly be ideal."

"However, even with your strength, Shūichi, this won't be easy."

"No matter how strong you are, you can't take on tens of thousands of shinobi from the other villages simultaneously."

"And Konoha alone couldn't withstand such an all-out assault."

Minato's tone was sober. "If starting a war results in more of Konoha's children dying, it would go against your very ideals."

Shūichi nodded in agreement. "Sensei, you're absolutely right."

"That's why I'm not rushing things and told the Daimyō I need twenty years."

"Even twenty years from now, I'll only be 35. I have absolute confidence that I'll surpass the First Hokage and Uchiha Madara by then."

Minato nodded. "I have faith in you, Shūichi."

"But our most immediate enemy is Uchiha Madara and his plan for resurrection."

Shūichi smiled. "Of course, Sensei. I have no intention of letting Madara reap any benefits."

Minato let out a breath of relief, grateful that Shūichi wasn't acting recklessly.

After some thought, Minato suggested, "Perhaps we can leverage Madara's collection of the Tailed Beasts to unite the other ninja villages. This could bring them together without triggering a full-scale war."

Kushina's eyes lit up at the idea, and she nodded repeatedly.

But Shūichi shook his head. "Sensei, while having a common, powerful enemy might unite the villages temporarily, it would only be for their own interests."

"None of the great villages trust one another."

"The moment the enemy is defeated, the alliance would crumble."

"No village would willingly relinquish power or merge with another."

Minato and Kushina fell silent again.

They Are Not Naive !

Shūichi asked, "Sensei, if that day truly comes, would you dare to dissolve Konoha and fully merge it with Iwagakure?"

"Would you trust Ōnoki with your loyal subordinates?"

"Would he, fearing the possibility of Konoha's resurgence, suppress or even eliminate you, the Hokage who willingly gave up power?"

"By the same token, the other villages would harbor similar fears."

Minato smiled bitterly and shook his head. "Shūichi, you're right. I didn't think this through enough."

Shūichi quickly comforted him. "It's not that you didn't think enough, Sensei. You just don't want another large-scale war to break out."

Kushina frowned and asked, "So, Shūichi, are you saying that unifying all the shinobi must involve war?"

Shūichi nodded solemnly. "To change the structure of the world and alter the fate of the shinobi world, bloodshed is inevitable."

"We are bound to infringe upon some people's interests, and they will never willingly relinquish those interests."

"Therefore, we must sweep those destined to be left behind by history into its dustbin."

"Of course, large-scale war isn't the only means, but we must be prepared for it."

Minato nodded and then asked, "So, Shūichi, what's your plan?"

Shūichi replied, "I don't have a detailed plan yet, but two core principles are clear."

"One: strengthen ourselves. Two: weaken our enemies."

Kushina smiled at that. "Minato, it seems we don't need to think too much about your successor anymore."

Minato chuckled, then pondered aloud, "Shūichi, are you planning to use Uchiha Madara and Nagato to weaken the other villages?"

"However, that approach comes with risks."

"If Madara and his group grow too strong, we might not be able to stop them, and the losses could be catastrophic."

Shūichi nodded in agreement. "That's true."

"That's why it's essential to strike the right balance."

"We must ensure Nagato doesn't collect all the Tailed Beasts. At the very least, we should split them up beforehand."

Kushina asked, "Shūichi, you already have the Nine-Tails, Four-Tails, Three-Tails, and One-Tail. How do you plan to divide the other Tailed Beasts without provoking the other villages and triggering a war?"

Shūichi thought for a moment. "Since we're still at war with Kumo and Kiri, and I've already assured the Daimyō, my next stop will naturally be Kirigakure."

"The Six-Tails is there."

"If they sealed the Three-Tails into Rin's body, then finding and releasing the Six-Tails as retaliation would be entirely justified."

"And I can use this opportunity to pressure Kirigakure into ending the war."

Kushina looked worried. "Shūichi, wouldn't it be too dangerous for you to go alone?"

Shūichi smiled. "If I go alone, I can advance and retreat as I please. Even if I don't succeed, I can easily withdraw."

"The same applies to Kumo's Two-Tails and Eight-Tails."

"My infiltration skills are something they cannot counter."

Minato pondered for a moment before nodding. "That does seem feasible."

"Moreover, since you've already convinced the One-Tail, Three-Tails, and Four-Tails, you can leverage them to persuade the Two-Tails, Six-Tails, and Eight-Tails while concealing your true intentions about splitting the Tailed Beasts."

"As for the Five-Tails and Seven-Tails, we can look for other opportunities."

"Once the wars are over, we can recover and focus our attention on Uchiha Madara."

This was clearly an endorsement of Shūichi's plan.

Shūichi then added another suggestion. "As for Nagato's side, I believe we should send in a spy to monitor their every move."

Minato nodded slightly. "That's indeed an option, but infiltrating them will be challenging and will require the right timing."

"Let's keep this matter in mind."

"So, Shūichi, when do you plan to act against Kiri and Kumo?"

"The village needs to prepare as well."

Shūichi glanced at Kushina and smiled. "We'll wait until Kushina-san gives birth!"

"Then it's settled."

Minato returned to his desk and asked, "Regarding the Daimyō's plan to train shinobi, what are your thoughts, Shūichi?"

Shūichi grinned. "Borrowing strength to build our own."

"It's difficult to get the Daimyō to invest more in Konoha, but he'll spare no expense in training his own ninja."

"If they're entrusted to me for training, then it's only logical that they follow my orders, right?"

"After all, the Daimyō won't truly have the means to command those shinobi."

Of course, the details wouldn't be so straightforward.

The Daimyō wasn't foolish; even if he fully trusted Shūichi, he wouldn't hand over everything to him.

But Shūichi was confident he could control the forces the Daimyō aimed to train.

…

Shūichi stayed in the Hokage's office until evening before leaving.

Just as he returned home and was about to enter his study, the memories of one of his shadow clones surged back to him. His face lit up with joy as he used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport directly to Shisui Uchiha's house.

(End of Chapter)

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