Silently and without a sound, Kaede descended from the sky.
He landed just outside the Hidden Mist Village, where a massive crater had formed. At the very center of that hollowed pit lay a shadowed mass, what remained of Urashiki Otsutsuki's shattered body.
Kaede walked to the bottom of the pit and stood beside the corpse.
Truthfully, he had hoped to glean more insight into the Otsutsuki clan through Urashiki. From what he'd already gathered, their lineage was split into the Main Branch, the Head Family, and the Branch Family. Kaguya, Momoshiki, and Urashiki were likely not from the true Main Branch.
If Kaguya, after devouring a Chakra Fruit, had reached Stage Four of the Six Paths level, then the true Main Branch of the Otsutsuki clan, having harvested unknown numbers of Divine Tree fruits across countless eras, could very well possess power at Stage Five, or even Stage Six.
Of course…
That was a future concern.
For now, both Momoshiki and Kinshiki hadn't arrived in this world yet and likely wouldn't for several more years. And judging by the thousand-year delay after Kaguya's betrayal, it could take the clan several decades, maybe even a century, to notice Urashiki's disappearance.
Kaede saw no immediate reason to worry.
"What a strange physiology…"
He examined Urashiki's body.
Unlike shinobi of this world, Urashiki's biology was fundamentally alien, even Kaede's eye couldn't manipulate it. He tried creating a new lifeform using Urashiki's remains as the base, but each attempt failed. The souls he formed couldn't inhabit the body.
After several attempts, Kaede gave up.
"Might as well leave this to Orochimaru."
Stretching out a hand, he wove a sealing formation of black script in the air. Urashiki's remains were swiftly bound in chakra and transformed into a black thread that curled around Kaede's finger.
Just as he finished sealing the body,
Footsteps approached from a distance.
"Long time no see, Hokage-sama."
Mei Terumi arrived at the edge of the crater. Looking down toward Kaede, she smiled and greeted him.
Kaede lifted his gaze to her. With a flicker of light, he instantly appeared beside her on the rim of the pit.
"It has been a while, Mei Terumi… no, I suppose I should say, Fifth Mizukage."
His eyes lingered on her briefly as he spoke.
Mei Terumi gave him a light bow and said with a smile, "Thank you, Hokage-sama, for rescuing our village from the crisis. You must be exhausted from the battle. Why not come back to the village to rest? There are also a few things I'd like to discuss with you."
Kaede looked at her for a moment, then chuckled softly.
"Very well."
Now was a good time to resolve things with the Hidden Mist. While Konoha couldn't spare forces to occupy the Land of Water in the short term, if the Mist cooperated willingly, that would be an entirely different story.
At this point, of the Five Great Nations, only the Land of Water and the Hidden Mist remained. And with Mei now serving as Mizukage, even if Yagura had retained power, it was clear they would've been trembling and desperate to negotiate with him all the same.
=============
Kaede stayed in the Hidden Mist Village for three days.
Together with the Fifth Mizukage, Mei Terumi, they discussed in detail how the village would become a subordinate of Konoha, and how Konoha would assume control over the Land of Water.
In truth, even the Daimyo of the Land of Water was panicking, seeing the Mist as their last lifeline. But the shinobi within the village already knew it was impossible to resist Konoha's unification of the ninja world. Many had long since abandoned any hope of defiance.
If it were the old Konoha, and Kaede had suddenly vanished for a few years, maybe things would've turned around.
But this Konoha…
Even if Kaede died unexpectedly, it would change nothing.
After three days of negotiations, the Mist officially became a vassal of Konoha.
By the terms agreed upon by Kaede and Mei Terumi, over 6,000 of the village's 7,770 shinobi would be transferred to Konoha.
Only about a thousand would remain in the Mist.
Those transferred shinobi would be scattered across various Konoha units, mixed with former Sand, Cloud, and Rain ninjas.
Although all four major villages had suffered tremendous losses and couldn't muster 20,000 shinobi collectively, far fewer than Konoha's nearly 30,000, the safest option was still to break them up and integrate them thoroughly.
Next, Kaede planned to send 3,000 Konoha ninjas to the Mist Village, accompanied by about 1,000 mixed shinobi from the other former great villages, to oversee the transition and enforce integration.
Since the shinobi from these different villages didn't trust each other, this setup ensured mutual supervision, making Konoha's forces more at ease.
Because the number of Mist shinobi being transferred was so large, they were sent in batches.
Mei Terumi would personally accompany the first group to Konoha to ensure there were no issues.
Of course…
Kaede suspected her true motive wasn't helping with the transition, she just wanted an excuse to get closer to him.
Not that it surprised him.
After all, even in Konoha, he had no shortage of women openly or secretly harboring feelings for him.
It was inevitable.
He was, after all, the strongest, most charismatic, and most beloved Hokage in history.
The first group of Mist shinobi, around a thousand in total, was led by Mei herself. After a day or two of preparation, Kaede opened a spatial portal and sent them directly to Konoha.
Then came the second batch, and the third.
As for why he didn't transfer everyone at once, it was simple:
Their destinations needed to be sorted, registered, and assigned. That responsibility fell to Shikaku Nara.
And Shikaku didn't disappoint.
In just two days, he processed and allocated every shinobi from the first group with precision and order. Not a single error.
Even Mei Terumi couldn't help but be impressed.
When it came to strength, Konoha had Kaede, who was now approaching the power of the Sage of Six Paths.
When it came to willpower, the entire village stood united under his leadership. Conflicts between clans with Kekkei Genkai or unique techniques were now rare.
And when it came to management… they had Shikaku, who operated like a strategic monster.
With so many extraordinary talents concentrated in Konoha, it was no surprise the village had succeeded in unifying the shinobi world.
=============
Year 58 of the Konoha Calendar.
This year also came to be known as the First Year of the Age of Fire.
After centuries of the Warring States era, the Samurai era, and the Age of the Five Great Ninja Villages, the fractured shinobi world was finally unified, under the Land of Fire.
Though some smaller nations like the Land of Snow and the Land of Demons remained outside its borders, they no longer mattered.
With the annexation of Wind, Lightning, Earth, and Water, true unification had been achieved!
After hundreds of years of chaos,
The shinobi world had finally entered an era of peace.
And the one who led Konoha through war after war, who earned immortal glory in the Third Great Ninja War, and then conquered four entire nations one by one, the Fifth Hokage, Hatake Kaede, his fame reached its absolute peak this year.
Having brought an end to war and unified the world, Kaede was seen by countless civilians as a legendary figure, surpassing even the likes of Hashirama Senju and Uchiha Madara.
Where the Will of Fire burns, flames shall never die.
This was the dawn of a new era, the Age of Fire!
And to many,
He was no longer just a man.
He was a mythical sage.
In the eyes of the people, the one who brought peace and unity to the shinobi world…was already on par with the Sage of Six Paths himself.
=============
Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria