326. Shinobi Unification Progress—80%

Hanekawa and Ōtsutsuki Kaguya returned to the temporary wooden cabin on the mountain.

On the rooftop, Samui was asleep.

She was completely naked, lying on her side with her eyes closed, her face still faintly flushed. Hanekawa instinctively swept his gaze over her fair skin, lingering on her plump thighs.

Though she wore nothing else, she still had on her black stockings—now tattered and faded.

"How's the energy from this meteorite?" Hanekawa sat on the edge of the bed and looked at Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.

"Not bad," Kaguya nodded slightly. "Roughly equivalent to a single tailed beast."

Hanekawa wasn’t surprised.

If it had been sustaining Star Village’s training for so long, it made sense for it to possess energy on par with a tailed beast.

"Once we retrieve the remaining three tailed beasts, will the Divine Tree bear fruit?" Hanekawa pondered aloud.

If the nine tailed beasts returned to the Divine Tree, it would restore to its complete form.

With the accumulated energy from the Pure Land, plus the sacred tree from Takigakure and the meteorite from Star Village, it should be more than enough. There might even be some left over.

"Most likely," Kaguya replied, licking her lips in anticipation.

She couldn’t wait.

There was no telling when the Ōtsutsuki clan’s pursuers would arrive.

The sooner she consumed the Divine Tree’s fruit, the sooner she could master its power and better prepare for their arrival.

"I’ll make a trip to Mount Myōboku," Kaguya said, storing the meteorite away.

"Mm."

After watching her leave, Hanekawa turned his attention back to Samui.

He reached out and grabbed her thigh, the soft flesh filling his palm.

A sense of pride swelled in his chest—after all, having such a flawless woman completely at his mercy was something to be proud of.

Samui sensed the touch on her thigh and slowly opened her eyes.

Seeing Hanekawa, she wrapped her legs around his hand, pressing his palm between her smooth thighs.

Hanekawa stared at her bare body and swallowed hard—though it was merely an instinctive reaction.

After the past seven days of indulgence, he was thoroughly satiated and had no intention of pushing further.

Besides, if he took Samui right now, Kaguya would undoubtedly pester him upon her return, extending their seven-day escapade into an eighth.

"Had enough rest?" Hanekawa asked. "Once Kaguya returns, we’ll head back to Kumogakure."

"Yes," Samui replied softly, sitting up.

"Get dressed."

Hanekawa gave her thigh a squeeze before withdrawing his hand.

"Mm."

Blushing slightly, Samui changed into her secretary outfit in front of him, slipping on a fresh pair of black stockings.

This was to avoid raising suspicions when they returned to Kumogakure—Mabui, sharp as she was, would immediately deduce what had happened to the previous pair.

Ōtsutsuki Kaguya stepped out of a dark portal.

Seeing her return, Hanekawa took both women’s hands and activated the Flying Thunder God Technique.

"L-Lord Raikage…?"

Mabui, who had been in the Raikage’s office, stood up in surprise.

Her eyes immediately flicked to Samui, who had been missing for seven days.

Had she not known Samui had left with Hanekawa, she might have assumed something terrible had happened.

But… in a way, something 'had' happened.

Mabui could sense the newfound allure radiating from Samui, like a rose in full bloom.

It didn’t take a genius to guess what had transpired over the past week.

"Rest well," Hanekawa told Samui before leaving with Kaguya for the Hokage’s office.

Stepping back into the familiar room, he felt a strange sense of disorientation.

The past seven days had been a blur—so debauched that time itself seemed to lose meaning.

While such a lifestyle was enjoyable, it was too decadent to maintain.

Occasional indulgence was fine, but doing it daily was simply unsustainable.

Hanekawa sat in the Hokage’s chair and glanced at the stack of documents on the desk.

Having been away for a week, paperwork had piled up.

He picked up the topmost file—a report on the negotiations with Sunagakure and Iwagakure.

After the Third Shinobi World War, negotiations had dragged on for months, sometimes even a month or two.

But this time was different.

Sunagakure and Iwagakure had outright surrendered, agreeing to every demand Konoha made without hesitation.

Instead of taking a month, the talks had concluded in less than a day—astonishingly fast.

After skimming the document, Hanekawa grasped the key points.

There were many terms, but only two truly mattered:

1. Sunagakure and Iwagakure were to return and take control of the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth.

2. Once that was done, both villages would relocate to Konoha.

The first condition was self-explanatory.

Having already secured Sunagakure and Iwagakure, Hanekawa had no intention of leaving the Land of Wind and Land of Earth untouched.

Moreover, this would help trigger new "word effects."

He had directly taken over the Land of Lightning.

The Land of Fire was under his control through Enishi.

Now, the Land of Wind and Land of Earth would be handled through Sunagakure and Iwagakure—another method of expansion.

The second condition was to integrate Sunagakure and Iwagakure into Konoha.

Leaving them in their original locations would make it difficult to unify them with Konoha.

Of course, the Land of Wind and Land of Earth still needed shinobi.

Hanekawa planned to later select ninja from the three villages to form two joint forces stationed in those countries, rotating every six months.

The same would apply to Kumogakure and the Land of Lightning.

However, the shinobi world remained unaware that Kumogakure was already under Hanekawa’s control—or that he had even become the Raikage.

His plan was to have Kumogakure "voluntarily" submit after Otogakure unified the remaining minor villages.

That way, no one would suspect a thing.

Hanekawa stroked his chin.

Once Sunagakure and Iwagakure relocated, Konoha’s organizational structure would need adjustments.

Figures like Ōnoki and Pakura could be assigned official positions.


  After all, their strength is quite good.

Additionally, many from Sunagakure and Iwagakure remain unaffected by the Infinite Tsukuyomi, so it’s a good opportunity to placate them.

Hanekawa pondered for a moment before deciding to establish branches modeled after Konoha’s existing departments.

Departments like Finance & Market, Mining, and Transportation wouldn’t need changes—just additional personnel.

Meanwhile, branches for the Konoha Military Police Force, ANBU, and secretarial roles could be set up in Sunagakure and Iwagakure.

However, they couldn’t be staffed solely by Suna or Iwa shinobi. A mix of shinobi from multiple villages would be ideal.

As for the Kazekage and Tsuchikage positions, Hanekawa would take them over himself in the future.

With all five Kage titles under his belt, he would become the most powerful shinobi in history.

Thinking this, Hanekawa picked up his pen.

An hour later, the door opened.

“Hanekawa?”

Yuuhi Kurenai’s eyes lit up as she hurried forward, her face bright with joy. “When did you get back?”

“Just a little while ago,” Hanekawa replied, looking up at her with a smile.

“I’m not happy!” Kurenai crossed her arms, pouting. “Why did it take you so long out there?”

“Sorry,” Hanekawa said, pulling her into his lap.

Kurenai kept a stern expression, refusing to accept his apology.

Seven whole days without seeing him had been unbearable for her.

After all, she was young and deeply in love, wishing she could cling to him every moment.

“I’ll make it up to you tonight,” Hanekawa whispered in her ear. “I promise to erase all your dissatisfaction.”

Kurenai shivered, her face flushing red.

She knew exactly what he meant.

But an entire night… she’d definitely end up begging for mercy.

“Th-That won’t be necessary,” Kurenai quickly shook her head, backing down. “Seven days isn’t too long for a mission.”

“What an understanding little secretary,” Hanekawa chuckled.

“Don’t laugh!” Kurenai huffed.

“Alright, I won’t,” Hanekawa said, tilting her chin up to admire her. “You’ve gotten even prettier in just a few days.”

“Of course I—mmph!”

Before she could finish, her lips were sealed.

She felt like jelly, being slowly devoured.

Kurenai’s body went limp as she instinctively settled onto Hanekawa’s lap.

She straightened her back, engaging in a fierce battle of lips and tongue.

“Still as soft as ever,” Hanekawa murmured, admiring her glistening lips.

“You’re such a bad guy,” Kurenai muttered, shooting him a watery-eyed glare.

“There’s something I need you to handle,” Hanekawa said, gesturing to a scroll on the desk.

Kurenai glanced at it.

A moment later, her expression shifted to surprise.

“Well?” Hanekawa grinned. “From now on, you’ll be overseeing the Kazekage and Tsuchikage secretaries.”

“That sounds amazing!” Kurenai exclaimed excitedly.

Three secretaries were assigned to each the Kazekage and Tsuchikage—including the former Fourth Kazekage, Pakura.

That was precisely why Kurenai was thrilled.

Having a former Kage as her subordinate wasn’t an experience just anyone could have.

But at the same time, she felt pressure.

Leading them wouldn’t be easy.

Fortunately, she had Hanekawa.

“I’ll get started right away!” Kurenai grabbed the scroll and stood, heading for the door.

At the threshold, she paused.

“Don’t forget to come home tonight!” she reminded him.

“Wait for me after you’ve cleaned up,” Hanekawa teased, winking.

Kurenai’s face burned crimson as she fled, slamming the door behind her.

Hanekawa couldn’t help but laugh.

He loved Kurenai’s lively personality.

Picking up another document, he turned his attention to Otogakure.

Orochimaru and Tsukihime had already captured Takigakure and the Land of Waterfalls.

For smaller villages like these, Hanekawa’s approach was simple—merge them all into Konoha.

Their numbers were insignificant anyway.

Night soon fell.

Hanekawa spent an hour appeasing Kurenai before devoting the rest of the night to Tsunade, finally soothing their grievances.

Three days later, Hanekawa unlocked two new traits.

[S-Rank Trait: Lord of the Land of Wind]

[Activation Condition: Control over the Land of Wind.]

[Effect: Within the Land of Wind, you can freely manipulate wind.]

This was undoubtedly triggered by Sunagakure’s control over the Land of Wind.

At first glance, Hanekawa thought it was useless—after all, manipulating wind was trivial at his level.

But after learning more, he realized he’d underestimated it.

Essentially, this ability required no chakra and had no restrictions.

For example, he could create a permanent wind path.

Shinobi and merchants could then use this path to traverse the Land of Wind freely—like a teleportation array.

Slower than space-time ninjutsu but faster than railways or roads.

All in all, quite useful.

The only downside was its limitation to the Land of Wind.

[S-Rank Trait: Lord of the Land of Earth]

[Activation Condition: Control over the Land of Earth.]

[Effect: Within the Land of Earth, you can control the underground world.]

Hanekawa’s first thought was how much easier mining would become.

Most mineral resources were buried underground.

Even with ninjutsu, excavation took time.

Now, it would be effortless.

Still, he couldn’t help but feel slightly disappointed.

Neither trait boosted his combat strength.

Of the four major nations’ traits, only the S-Rank *Lord of the Land of Fire* had been truly useful.

But then again, at his level, few things could enhance him further.

Hanekawa wasn’t too bothered.

Standing up, he teleported to the Raikage’s office via Flying Thunder God.

“There’s something I need,” he said, eyeing Samui’s curvaceous figure.

“What is it?” Samui looked up.

Noticing his gaze, she tugged at her collar, exposing more of her fair skin.

“Soon, send a delegation from Kumogakure to Konoha to formally submit,” Hanekawa said, shamelessly admiring her alluring contours.

“Understood,” Samui replied after a brief pause.

Kumogakure had no right to refuse.

Time passed swiftly.

Two months later, Konoha was livelier than ever.

Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure had all relocated there.

Konoha’s territory expanded threefold.

Sunagakure and Iwagakure moved first—one to the north, the other to the south.

Hanekawa personally used Wood Release to construct ample housing.

Shortly after, Kumogakure formally submitted, relinquishing the Raikage title to Hanekawa before relocating to Konoha’s eastern sector.

For the first time since Hashirama Senju’s era, the five great villages (minus Kirigakure) were united.

But unlike Hashirama, who quickly relinquished control, Hanekawa had no such intentions.

Alongside the major villages, numerous minor ones were absorbed.

Only Amegakure remained untouched—per Hanekawa’s orders—but everyone knew it was only a matter of time.

Nagato, Konan, and Yahiko all desired peace.

Now, Amegakure stood as an obstacle to that peace.

Their resistance wouldn’t last.

With this, Hanekawa’s unification progress reached 80%.

Only Kirigakure and Amegakure held out.

But unification had only just begun.

Hanekawa had forcibly merged the villages through strength.

True unity would require much more work.