"Who is Hiruko?"
Sasuke furrowed his brows, trying to recall the name. However, no memories surfaced, so he turned to Bai Kakashi.
"He..." Bai Kakashi paused, thinking for a moment before answering. "He was a shinobi from the same era as my father and the Sannin of Konoha. However, his talent was slightly inferior, and he only managed to reach the level of a Jōnin at most."
He took a deep breath before continuing. "Later, due to his involvement in human experimentation while developing a Forbidden Technique, Hiruko defected from Konoha."
After saying that, Bai Kakashi fell silent.
The more he thought about it, the more he realized that Hiruko's experience was eerily similar to Orochimaru's.
And from what Namikaze Menma had mentioned earlier, it seemed that in another version of the ninja world, both Orochimaru and Hiruko had held high positions of power.
Why was that?
"Human experimentation is... indeed a terrible thing," Senju Hashirama, who had remained silent until now, suddenly spoke.
But then, after a brief pause, he added, "However, it can't be completely condemned."
After all, his younger brother Tobirama had conducted his fair share of questionable experiments as well. And as an older brother, Hashirama had never been able to stop him.
Of course, he had to admit—Tobirama had produced results.
"You are...?" Bai Kakashi looked at the unfamiliar face and asked cautiously.
Among the three visitors from the other world, one was clearly another version of himself, and another was an alternate version of Naruto.
But the third man had yet to introduce himself.
Moreover, there was something strange about him. Bai Kakashi couldn't figure out who he was supposed to be in this world. Was he disguising himself with that unusual white fluid?
"Me?" The man scratched his head and laughed awkwardly. "Don't mind me. I'm just a nobody, a passing traveler."
"...I don't buy it," Bai Kakashi thought, narrowing his eyes.
If these people were truly from a parallel ninja world, sent here by the ruler of their empire, then how could any of them be ordinary?
There was no way His Majesty Chang Ye would send just anyone for such a mission.
A World Without Daimyo
"Oh, and there's something else," Black Kakashi added. "What you said earlier is incorrect. His Majesty not only unified the Five Great Ninja Villages—he unified the entire world. He eliminated the daimyo and became the supreme ruler of the ninja world."
Boom!
Those words struck like a thunderclap.
The mention of Chakra fusion technology and cloned Mangekyō Sharingan had already been mind-boggling enough. But this?
Eliminating the daimyo?
This was beyond shocking. It was completely unimaginable.
Ninja, as warriors, had always been subordinate to the feudal lords. To think that a ninja had actually overthrown the daimyo and seized power for himself...
His Majesty Chang Ye from the other world—he was far too bold.
"Attacking the daimyo... that's—" Bai Kakashi felt sweat forming on his forehead. "Wasn't there any resistance?"
In this world, offending the daimyo meant certain death.
Even the Five Kage had to bow before the feudal lords. No one dared to defy them.
And yet... someone had not only defied them but destroyed them?
"There was resistance, of course," Menma admitted with a nod. "After His Majesty became the Fourth Hokage, he continued funding scientific research. But eventually, financial conflicts arose between the Hokage and the daimyo."
He smirked.
"In the end, His Majesty simply killed the daimyo and took control of the Land of Fire."
Silence.
The room was deathly quiet as Bai Kakashi and the others processed those words.
"As expected," Bai Kakashi thought.
There was no way such an action wouldn't cause a backlash.
"And then what?" he asked cautiously.
Menma's smirk widened. "Well, naturally, the daimyo of the other nations panicked and tried to stop him. The remaining ninja villages united against Konoha and launched an all-out attack."
That made sense.
Bai Kakashi nodded to himself. That was the logical outcome.
"But what happened next..." Menma chuckled.
"The four ninja villages thought they were launching an invasion against Konoha. But in reality, His Majesty turned the battle into a war of unification!"
The outcome?
The combined ninja army was utterly crushed.
All four major villages suffered devastating losses.
"And after that, His Majesty systematically destroyed the remaining daimyo, one by one. With no one left to oppose him, the ninja world was his."
Bai Kakashi felt his mouth go dry.
The Birth of an Empire
"After the war of unification, His Majesty officially declared a new era," Menma said proudly.
"The next year, the first year of the Empire, marked the beginning of an age unlike any other. A time when the old world of warlords and divided villages was no more. In its place stood a single empire—the Empire of the Shinobi!"
"...That's it?" Bai Kakashi was still struggling to wrap his head around it.
"The daimyo were overthrown, and then... a new era just began?"
"What else would happen?" Black Kakashi scoffed. "The four great ninja villages had already lost. With no military power left to resist, who would continue fighting for the dead daimyo?"
Menma nodded. "Exactly. Even the most stubborn elders of our empire eventually admitted that life under the empire was far better. After the unification, war ceased. Technology advanced faster than ever before. And the lives of ordinary civilians improved dramatically."
Bai Kakashi was speechless.
Was that really possible?
Could a world under a single ruler truly be at peace?
"And what happened after that?" he asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.
Menma waved him off. "You wouldn't understand even if I told you."
Bai Kakashi clenched his fists.
What kind of answer was that?
Still, part of him was hesitant to push further.
Something about the way Menma spoke—so casual, so confident—made it clear that he was talking about powers and events far beyond anything Bai Kakashi could comprehend.
"You mentioned something about the Uchiha Clan earlier," Sasuke interrupted, his voice serious. "What happened to them in your world? In your empire?"
Menma smirked. "Didn't I already say? The title of the Six God-tier Clans only came about after the empire was formed."
The six strongest shinobi clans in the empire—Uchiha among them.
"And His Majesty's concubine, Princess Mikoto, is from the Uchiha Clan," Black Kakashi added.
Sasuke clenched his fists even tighter.
A New Order
The world they described was one he had never imagined.
A world where the ninja ruled instead of serving.
A world where peace was not maintained through fragile alliances but by absolute power.
A world where the name "Uchiha" stood among the greatest, not as a clan of rebels, but as rulers of an empire.
And yet...
Was it truly peace?
Or was it simply a world where no one dared to resist?
Sasuke remained silent, deep in thought.
As did Bai Kakashi.
As did Senju Hashirama.
The weight of this revelation hung heavy in the air.
A world without daimyo...
A world under one man's rule...
And a future unlike any they had ever imagined.
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