The port had completely disappeared, erased from the physical world—docks, streets, shops—all gone. In their place was a deep pit filled with seawater that had rushed in. Ōnoki's Dust Release was that powerful, reducing everything into the tiniest molecules.

Near the vanished port, large, visible craters could be seen on the surrounding mountains.

Those were caused by the Tailed Beast Bombs.

A fierce battle between Iwa-nin and Kumo-nin had erupted in this small coastal port in the southwest of the Land of Lightning. The two sides left behind nearly 5,000 ninja corpses. And if you include the civilians from the port who hadn't been evacuated in time, the death toll exceeded 10,000!

"Damn Iwa-nin scum."

Darui stood at the edge of the pit created by the Dust Release, watching as his subordinates dove into the sea to recover the bodies buried beneath the waves. After such a massive battle, not only were many dead, but there were also many missing. His job now was to search for the missing—in other words, to retrieve the bodies.

After all,

In such a battle, missing usually equaled dead.

Or worse, being captured by the Iwa-nin might be even more terrible than dying on the battlefield.

As he looked at the horribly disfigured bodies of his comrades being pulled from the sea, Darui felt his anger surge without an outlet. All he could do was curse the Iwa-nin while facing the western sea—his only means of venting.

"Darui, how's it going today?"

Yugito Nii approached him.

"We found two more mangled bodies. It looks like the search isn't ending anytime soon. How about you, Yugito-senpai?" Darui glanced at Yugito Nii standing beside him.

After the battle with Iwa-nin ended, they had fled by ship, while Kumo-nin, whose ships were mostly destroyed, couldn't pursue them. Even if they could organize a pursuit, the army's morale was so low that another battle with Iwa-nin would only lead to mutual destruction.

Under persuasion from Tutai and other advisors, the Fourth Raikage, A, abandoned the idea of pursuing Iwa-nin. Instead, he returned to Kumogakure to settle the people and deal with the inquiries from the Daimyō's office. After such a large event, the Lightning Daimyō was bound to demand answers.

A, Tutai, and Killer B had all returned to Kumogakure.

But Darui and Yugito Nii stayed behind. They were tasked with cleaning up the battlefield and helping the local residents rebuild their homes. They were also on guard in case the Iwa-nin made a surprise return, though the chances were slim. Still, they couldn't be too cautious.

"After so many days of arguing, there's finally progress. We've determined the new port location. Now it's just a matter of planning and design, then starting the construction work... My task isn't ending anytime soon either," Yugito Nii replied.

"Yugito-senpai, um... how are you feeling?"

"What do you want to ask?"

"About the rebuilding work... Are you getting impatient?"

"Not really. What's annoying are those nobles arguing endlessly, dragging things out. At least today they finally reached a conclusion."

Yugito Nii rubbed her temples. The task of rebuilding the port was no simple matter. The old her probably wouldn't have had the patience for such a long-term task, but her attitude had changed. No longer driven by a love for battle, she now yearned for peace, and her patience for this kind of work had grown.

"I see!"

Darui nodded, indicating he understood, his face showing no change in expression.

However, inwardly, he felt even more troubled. Before Raikage A left, he had secretly assigned Darui a special mission: to monitor Yugito Nii's every move and report his observations regularly.

As for why,

Darui had also noticed the changes in Yugito Nii recently. The once-proud and battle-hungry Two-Tails Jinchūriki now seemed like a completely different person—kind-hearted, helpful, and nothing short of a good person!

But not exactly a good ninja.

During his probing, Darui had found that while Yugito Nii could still kill for the sake of the village, the emotional pain and torment she felt afterward always lingered. He reported everything truthfully, knowing full well that it wouldn't be long before the village replaced her as the Two-Tails Jinchūriki.

But now that they'd lost Turtle Island,

How would they cultivate a perfect Jinchūriki?

This was a major issue for Kumogakure's leadership. In fact, Yugito Nii's situation had sparked heated debate among the village's upper echelons, with both sides equally matched. Not everyone agreed with replacing the Two-Tails Jinchūriki.

The opposition's argument was simple.

After losing Turtle Island, it would be nearly impossible to create another perfect Jinchūriki. Replacing Yugito Nii, the current perfect host, with an unstable one prone to rampaging would bring endless trouble to the village. The chaos caused by the rampages of their previous Jinchūriki had already left a deep scar on Kumogakure.

The scar on the late Third Raikage's chest was a reminder of when he had to subdue a rampaging Eight-Tails.

In short,

Kumogakure was in turmoil. Not only did Raikage A have to handle the village's internal affairs, but he also had to deal with the Daimyō's office. At the same time, he couldn't forget about the reparations agreement with Konoha, forcing him to grit his teeth and make the required payments.

Though things looked grim for Kumo-nin now,

It was better than angering Konoha and being humiliated once more by Uchiha Sōgen. That guy still led Konoha's army, stationed in the Land of Hot Water, refusing to leave. It was clear that if Kumogakure even thought about defaulting on the payments, war would break out in an instant.

"Have the items been sent?"

"They've been sent."

"Sigh! My father often lamented that he couldn't recover the lost Six Paths Tools. Now, in my time, I couldn't even keep the Amber Purifying Pot. Tutai, I'm really failing as Raikage!" A sighed wearily as he stood by the large window of his office.

"Raikage-sama, encountering someone like Uchiha Sōgen isn't anyone's fault. It's just our misfortune! It's the misfortune of almost every ninja in this era."

Tutai's expression was complex.

The sorrow in his heart was no less than Ai's.

But he couldn't freely vent his emotions; instead, he had to do his best to counsel Lord Raikage. At this time, no matter what, Lord Raikage could not fall.

"Have you ever read the diary left by the First Raikage, my lord? Back then, the First Raikage and his people were faced with two towering figures: Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, whose presence loomed over everyone. A large part of why the First Raikage eventually passed away in melancholy was due to that pressure and constraint."

And it wasn't just the First Raikage. At that time, in the Five Great Shinobi Villages, except for the First Hokage Senju Hashirama, almost all of the other villages' founding leaders had passed away within a few short years. When Senju Hashirama died, the First Shinobi World War erupted, and the Second generation of each village rose to prominence on the battlefield.

"We should be grateful that the Amber Purifying Pot wasn't taken by the Stone Shinobi. If it had been, we might be contemplating an expedition to the Land of Earth right now."

"Tsudai, you…"

Ai glared at Tsudai but, after a moment's thought, realized he wasn't wrong.

He would rather battle the Stone Shinobi than fight the Leaf. As troublesome as Old Man Onoki's Dust Release was, the aging Onoki clearly didn't have the stamina to keep using it continuously. As long as the right strategy was found, there was still a chance of victory!

But the Leaf…

With those monstrous Uchiha, no matter how much the advisory council strategized, they couldn't find any path to victory.

"The Uchiha… they're a clan of freaks!"

"Who wouldn't agree!"

Raikage and his aide sighed in helpless unison.

…

On the vast, boundless sea, a large island slowly drifted southward. From a high vantage point, one might notice that the island's outline resembled a turtle. This was Turtle Island, once an overseas territory of the Cloud Shinobi.

But now, this land had been marked with the Leaf's seal.

The defeated Cloud Shinobi had painfully ceded this island, a place where perfect Jinchuriki could be cultivated, to the Leaf Shinobi.

"So, this is the place?"

Uchiha Shisui asked.

"Yes, this is what they call the Falls of Truth."

Yugito, with a stern face, dutifully introduced the location to the Leaf Shinobi.

"The Falls of Truth… This is where the Cloud's Jinchuriki trained to control their tailed beasts?" Jiraiya looked up and down at the rather modest waterfall, his eyes filled with curiosity.

"Yes, you could say that. However, according to Lord Killer Bee and Lady Yugito, the Falls of Truth serve more as a preparatory stage. That said, Lord Killer Bee also mentioned that if one couldn't complete this preliminary training, mastering the tailed beast's power would be impossible."

Yugito answered Jiraiya's question in his usual mechanical, emotionless tone, like a robot.

But neither Jiraiya nor Uchiha Shisui were the type to nitpick. They understood Yugito's mood, though it didn't stop them from pressing him for details. Even though they had plenty of information on Turtle Island, extracted from Eight-Tails Jinchuriki Killer Bee's mind, it didn't hurt to hear Yugito's explanation again.

"The Falls of Truth… As the name suggests, one can see their true self here. According to Lord Killer Bee, a Jinchuriki will confront their real self at this location. In fact, it's not just for Jinchuriki—anyone who stands here will be able to see their true inner self."

"So, we could try it too?"

Shisui murmured.

"Yes."

Yugito nodded.

"What? Shisui, are you thinking of giving it a shot?" Jiraiya asked.

"…Forget it. Maybe some other time." Shisui hesitated for two seconds before deciding against it. He was curious about what his true self looked like, but given the current situation, it wasn't the right time for such experiments. The Cloud Shinobi were still around, after all! If he were to try, it would have to wait until they had left; there was no need to take unnecessary risks now.

"Yeah, you're right. There will be plenty of opportunities later."

Jiraiya was also intrigued by the Falls of Truth, but he hadn't forgotten the mission at hand. With the lives of so many under his care, he couldn't act on a whim, though he had already resolved to try it himself before letting Naruto attempt it!

Beside them, Yugito's expression twitched, his eyes filled with frustration.

His heart bled at Jiraiya's words.

Yes, from now on, Turtle Island belonged to the Leaf, with no connection to the Cloud Shinobi anymore. Every time he thought of that, pain shot through Yugito's heart, though he couldn't show it. He absolutely couldn't lose face in front of the Leaf Shinobi.

"The Falls of Truth… Who would've thought such a mystical place exists in this world!"

Shisui stood by the pool, full of emotion.

"There are more secrets in the Shinobi world than you or I could ever see."

Jiraiya spoke with a sigh.

Looking at Turtle Island, he was reminded of Mount Myoboku. According to the Great Toad Sage and the Elders, Mount Myoboku was also located within the Shinobi world. It took a month to travel there from the Leaf, though Jiraiya had always been summoned via Reverse Summoning, never actually traveling to the mountain on foot.

To be honest, the incredible ecosystem of Mount Myoboku made it hard to imagine where exactly it was situated in the Shinobi world.

Thinking of Mount Myoboku, Jiraiya recalled his recent meeting with the Great Toad Sage. Not long ago, the Great Toad Sage had made a new prophecy, one even vaguer and more cryptic than the last.

However, one thing was certain:

The future of the Shinobi world would not be peaceful. Countless storms were brewing in the shadows. The search for the Child of Prophecy had to continue, but in the new prophecy, the importance of the Child of Prophecy had diminished somewhat. Though the Child of Prophecy was still destined to play a major role in the future of the Shinobi world, it was clear that they no longer held the power to singlehandedly determine its fate.

A new power, rising from the shadows, had taken over part of the Child of Prophecy's role.

"Let's hope it's not something terrible!"

Jiraiya murmured quietly to himself, in a voice that only he could hear.

Support me by leaving a comment, voting, and visiting my Patreon at belamy20