Seriously? I’ve reached Jōnin level, and the system’s only shows up?

According to the information Yamanaka Shinno received when the [Multiverse Traveler] trait fused and upgraded...

Most worlds possess the ability to cycle and sustain themselves naturally.

Even though the Naruto world doesn't have an explicit concept of "Samsara of the Six Paths," it still speaks of things like "becoming enlightened" or "reincarnation."

Logically, the Pure Land should also have a function where it washes away a soul's remnants and memories, purifies it into a true essence, and sends it back into the world—maintaining the balance of the cycle.

But somehow, no matter how long ago they died, the souls of the deceased are still stuck in the Pure Land!

Now, the Pure Land is like a gluttonous beast with its mouth wide open, endlessly devouring the energy and chakra produced by the entire shinobi world!

Shinno couldn't say for sure, just based on this, that Otsutsuki Hagoromo—the Sage of Six Paths—was an outright villain.

But to say he had nothing to do with it? Come on, who'd believe that?

"What a headache of an enemy..."

Pakura pressed a hand to her forehead and leaned back in her chair, exhaling heavily.

Out of everyone present, she'd fought Kirigakure shinobi the most and knew better than anyone how insane those lunatics could get—especially when surrounded by water sources.

Add a hundred thousand White Zetsu, plus the ever-looming threat of the Otsutsuki clan suddenly appearing...

This was starting to get ridiculous!

"Over a hundred thousand enemies, all roughly at genin to chunin level of power..."

Kurotsuchi's father, Kitsuchi, also frowned deeply.

Forget a hundred thousand genin or chunin—just try killing a hundred thousand animals and see how easy it is!

"If they're just mindless soldiers, could the Mizukage maybe command them to kill themselves?"

The Third Raikage crossed his arms and fell into a long silence before voicing his question.

"The control access Black Zetsu left behind already makes it hard enough just to issue attack commands. Making them self-destruct? That's out of the question."

Shinno shrugged casually.

"But don't get too tense—Konoha's top-tier fighters will be leading the charge. Wiping out the White Zetsu and the extremists from Kirigakure shouldn't be too difficult. And this war is also a chance to reduce the hostility and hatred between the shinobi villages."

That was Shinno's true motive.

His goal all along had been to unify everyone for a joint battle.

In large part, he wanted to recreate the Fourth Great Ninja War from the original timeline—establishing a common enemy for all.

By doing so, they could root out, suppress, or at least soften the deeply ingrained resentments between the various villages.

If not for that goal...

He could've just waited for Uchiha Hikari to slowly mark every White Zetsu with the "Yachihoko" seal.

Once each one was marked, he'd simply extract all the chakra from them in an instant—causing every White Zetsu to die on the spot from chakra depletion.

But unlike in the original timeline, they didn't have the benefit of an advanced internet to coordinate with.

Even after being unsealed by Black Zetsu, and marking Zetsu nearly every day, Hikari had only managed to get through about fifteen thousand of them.

With a hundred thousand White Zetsu to deal with...

At best, it would take another eight months to a year to mark them all.

Shinno had time.

But with the four great villages forcibly merged, and tensions erupting constantly due to years of accumulated hatred...

That would become a massive headache!

If those tensions kept building...

And something went wrong while he was off exploring another world—the whole fragile peace he'd worked so hard for could come crashing down in an instant.

Wouldn't all his efforts be wasted?

...

"Hatred and resentment, huh..."

A glint flashed through Pakura's eyes.

If they had those monsters that once surrounded Sunagakure lead the charge...

And if the top-tier elites from every village joined forces...

Then maybe—just maybe—the hundred thousand White Zetsu and whatever's left of Kirigakure wouldn't be such a nightmare to deal with after all.

As for reducing hostilities...

Was Shinno planning to take advantage of the war to purge their own villages—removing those shinobi driven by hatred or twisted ideology?

Pakura's expression turned complicated.

These past few days, Shinno had said more than once that many of Kirigakure's shinobi were outright insane.

If they didn't deal with them, those lunatics would definitely stir up trouble.

"You can wipe that look off your face. I'm not Danzo, okay? I'm not that twisted. Village mergers are bound to come with friction. That's what you all are here for, isn't it—to resolve those conflicts?"

Shinno raised an eyebrow. He could tell exactly what Pakura was thinking.

"Ahem."

Pakura coughed awkwardly and avoided his gaze, choosing not to argue.

But deep down, she let out a quiet breath of relief.

She'd suffered plenty of unfair treatment herself over the years. And she'd be damned if she ever turned around and inflicted that same injustice on others.

...

"Isn't there a way to deal with the White Zetsu and Kirigakure without taking heavy casualties?"

The Third Raikage spoke up again, voice low and serious.

No matter how powerful their top-tier fighters were, they couldn't be everywhere at once.

Even with the four great villages forming a shinobi coalition and throwing everything they had into the fight, they only had a little over seventy thousand troops.

Against a hundred thousand White Zetsu and over ten thousand Kirigakure shinobi?

Who knew how many lives would be lost?

"There is. But it comes with greater risk."

"What's the plan?"

"Each village could have its tailed beasts donate a portion of their chakra. We inject that into the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path and resurrect the Ten Tails. Once the Ten Tails reconnects with the White Zetsu... we destroy the Divine Tree. That would kill them all at once."

"And the risk? Even if that woman—Kaguya—comes back, she'd be in a weakened state with only part of her chakra, right? With all our top fighters combined, we could take her down... couldn't we?"

"The Divine Tree gives off a unique energy. It's incredibly attractive to members of the Otsutsuki clan—even from far away."

...

Shinno glanced around the room, giving everyone time to think it through.

The Third Raikage fell silent.

Between fighting a single overwhelmingly strong enemy, or going toe-to-toe with a hundred thousand White Zetsu...

He found himself leaning toward the former.

As long as they could take down the enemy quickly enough, the White Zetsu would die with her.

And once that happened, the remaining Kirigakure shinobi wouldn't stand a chance against the Four-Village Alliance.

That meant the fewest casualties for Kumogakure.

But if they chose that path... it could end up drawing more members of the Otsutsuki clan.

According to Shinno, each Otsutsuki was stronger than even Kage-level shinobi—capable of destroying an entire village single-handedly. They were natural counters to ninjutsu and chakra-based techniques.

Could he afford to deal with the fallout?

Shinno scanned the room—Tsunade, Pakura, Kitsuchi, and the Third Raikage. Their expressions were nearly identical.

He clapped his hands, drawing their attention.

"Two plans. You choose. I'm not voting. Consider this our first formal decision since merging the villages."

Tsunade let out a long breath and gave a slight nod of approval.

The others followed suit, offering no objections.

"Alright. Those in favor of launching a direct assault on the hundred thousand White Zetsu and Kirigakure—raise your hands."

Silence.

Shinno waited a few seconds, then smirked.

"Alright then—those in favor of resurrecting the Ten Tails, severing its link to the Divine Tree, and using that to wipe out the White Zetsu before going after Kirigakure—raise your hands."

One by one, Tsunade, Pakura, Kitsuchi, and the Third Raikage raised their hands.

Maybe it wasn't the safest choice, but if they didn't even have the courage to protect their people from a powerful enemy, how could they call themselves Kage?

Clap clap clap—

Shinno applauded, the grin on his face practically uncontrollable.

"You bastard..."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes, watching Shinno's poorly concealed excitement.

Don't tell her this guy planned from the start to revive the Ten Tails—just to lure the Otsutsuki clan out?

She looked at him suspiciously.

Based on what she knew about Shinno, strong enemies never scared him.

In fact, they made him downright giddy.

He hadn't pressured them to choose any particular plan either.

"You're trying to shift the blame, aren't you..."

"Slander! You're slandering me! I just happen to be okay with either outcome!"

----------------

Pls Drop some Power Stones

Fanfic is finished on Patreon (258 chapters in total.) 

Patreon(.)com/Jixo (for only $4.50, read this entire fanfic)