After leaving Hōzuki Castle, Yuzuru returned to Konoha with the Box of Bliss and the sealed Satori.
Ryuzetsu did not follow him, and Yuzuru did not force her.
She had just buried Muku, her childhood friend. Feeling lost at a time like this was only natural.
At worst, he could have someone persuade her a few more times later. He didn't believe she could truly keep living in Hōzuki Castle forever.
Of course, if she still refused to come to Konoha, he had a backup plan.
At worst, when she had a child in the future, he could have the child settle in Konoha instead.
After all, a Bloodline Limit capable of bringing the dead back to life could not simply be wasted.
It was worth mentioning that before Yuzuru left, as thanks for retrieving Muku's body from the Box of Bliss, Ryuzetsu gave him a copy of her secret technique scroll.
It wasn't particularly powerful, but Yuzuru quite liked its name.
Demon Lantern.
It could create a fire-style lantern resembling a Demon head at the user's position. It could block frontal attacks and remain in place to restrict the enemy's movement.
Overall, it was quite a creative ninjutsu.
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After arriving in Konoha, Yuzuru first informed Fugaku about the situation at Hōzuki Castle, then went straight to the sealing chamber where the Zero-Tails was kept.
He released Satori from the Kamui space, and instantly, immense negative emotions flooded the entire sealing room.
The Zero-Tails twisted its body in delight, its energy rapidly increasing.
Seeing this, a faint smile appeared on Yuzuru's face.
It seemed his idea had been correct.
Satori, which could continuously produce negative emotions, and the Zero-Tails, which could continuously absorb them, were a perfect match.
In that case, these two would be permanently bound together from now on. The energy problem of the Everlasting Imperial Palace would never be a concern again.
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Konoha Year 68.
Konoha Village.
Colorful banners fluttered everywhere, and red-and-gold lanterns filled nearly every corner of the village.
Every shop and house along the streets looked newly renovated.
The roads were spotless, without even a speck of trash, and even the markings looked freshly painted in bright white.
At this moment, Konoha was nearly empty.
Everyone was heading toward the massive plaza built outside the village.
"Can the people in front hurry up? I heard many people from other villages have come too. If we're late, we won't get good spots."
"Yeah, today is the day Lord Yuzuru ascends the throne. Missing it would be a lifetime regret."
"What do you think the ninja world will look like in the future?"
"Who knows? As long as Lord Yuzuru rules, I fully support it with both hands and feet."
"True… every decision he's made has only made the ninja world better. We just need to follow along without thinking too much."
"Hahaha… I heard even those former Konoha troublemakers digging coal in the mines got a day off to watch the ceremony. Lord Yuzuru is truly merciful."
"Merciful? I think it's psychological torture. Seeing such a grand scene on television, they must regret it to their core."
As they chatted, the crowd moved toward the outskirts of the village.
Numerous ninja stood guard along the sides, controlling the flow and density of the crowd to prevent stampedes.
Outside Konoha, the same scene unfolded. Countless ninja and civilians had come from all over the ninja world just to attend this grand event.
After all, this was the coronation of the ruler of the ninja world. Anyone capable of coming would not want to miss it.
The venue was built in a circular shape, with tiered seating filling the structure.
To allow as many people as possible to attend, the venue could accommodate a full hundred thousand people.
At the center stood a grand platform that drew everyone's attention.
Yuzuru's coronation ceremony would take place there.
Of course, given the size of the venue, four massive screens were installed above the platform to broadcast the proceedings in real time.
In the VIP section, the Hokage, the Raikage, the Tsuchikage, the Tsuchikage, the Mizukage, and the ifth Kazekage were already seated.
Seeing the grand scene, Ōnoki couldn't help but sigh. "Time really spares no one. I never imagined that kid Yuzuru would actually unify the entire ninja world."
Kitsuchi nodded in agreement. "Yeah. When I first met him, he was just a somewhat immature kid."
"I really regret not doing everything we could to win him over back then."
After the Land of Earth submitted, the country entered a period of rapid development.
Whether ninja or civilians, everyone became far more prosperous than before.
The improved infrastructure brought immense convenience, greatly increasing people's quality of life.
Now, both Kitsuchi and Ōnoki often regretted it.
If they had known this would happen, they would have been willing to hand over the entire Land of Earth to Yuzuru back then.
Hearing their conversation, the Third Raikage snorted proudly. "If you ask me, you're just talking after the fact. Your vision and courage were nowhere near enough. Otherwise, I wouldn't be sitting in the central seat today."
"When Yuzuru told me he wanted to unify the ninja world, I was thrilled. Would you have dared to fully support him back then?"
Ōnoki and Kitsuchi were left speechless.
In the past, they would have already started arguing with him.
After all, Iwagakure and Kumogakure had never gotten along.
But now, they could only smile and nod.
There was no helping it. Even though they were all Kage, the Third Raikage's status was on a completely different level.
He was one of the founding figures who had stood by Yuzuru during his lowest days.
In more modern terms, he was like a first love that could never be replaced.
Untouchable.
Even Fugaku could only sit obediently beside him.
Mei and Pakura sat together, whispering and laughing softly, occasionally covering their mouths as they giggled.
They both had once dreamed of becoming Kage, both achieved it with Yuzuru's help, and both became his women…
The two of them felt an immediate sense of familiarity, as if they had known each other for years.
After a while, Orochimaru, Sakumo, A, Obito, and others arrived. Even Jiraiya showed up.
Orochimaru glanced at Jiraiya in surprise. "Jiraiya, what are you doing here?"
Jiraiya snorted. "Yuzuru is my disciple. Of course I'm coming to watch such an important occasion."
"What about you? With your personality, I didn't expect you to join this kind of event."
Orochimaru licked his lips. "Of course. I've prepared a special gift for Yuzuru-kun."