The autonomous puppet Irori was undoubtedly a masterpiece that Yayoi had poured an enormous amount of time and effort into creating.
Through the modification of her activated chakra and with the assistance of several fragments of Yin-Yang Release, her functions had evolved beyond those of ordinary human puppets into something closer to a living puppet lifeform.
However, compared to a true human, her life structure was actually closer to that of a Tailed Beast.
This was because the materials used to construct her were not chakra-conductive wood or metal, but rather a living being based on Tailed Beast-like chakra.
Yet unlike the Tailed Beasts, she had not formed true life.
To unleash her true power, she still required control and commands from her creator, Yayoi.
The reason behind the idea of creating such a puppet lifeform was that the chakra Yayoi had refined possessed an inherently powerful vitality.
When this vitality reached a higher level, it would condense into a living chakra embryo.
Based on this chakra embryo, it was stretched and shaped over several years, eventually forming Irori’s human form.
Combined with the property of chakra being able to transmit consciousness and thought, the chakra was highly compressed and concentrated.
By injecting memories and thoughts, it became something equivalent to a simplified version of a Tailed Beast.
In the process, he gave Irori the same ability to control ice and snow.
He had traveled all the way to the Land of Water, found the Yuki clan, secretly captured several members who had awakened the Ice Release bloodline limit, and studied their Ice Release abilities.
Then he implanted the completed Ice Release power into Irori’s body, forming a chakra circuit similar to Ice Release.
A chakra circuit was a pseudo-meridian system formed using chakra.
This device allowed Irori to generate her own chakra and freely use ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu accompanied by chakra, just like a real ninja.
Of course, this ideal state was still one step away from completion.
Whether it was memories, thoughts, or the wisdom necessary for survival, he had already stored them all inside Irori’s body.
However, all of these still needed to be activated.
Otherwise, she would remain nothing more than an inanimate object that required manual operation.
There were two major obstacles to activating her.
The first challenge was how to grant Irori stronger life force.
His own special chakra alone would have made it difficult to achieve this.
Therefore, the appearance of the Yin-Yang Release fragment had given him a new idea.
The second condition was an enormous amount of chakra.
The first problem had been solved by Yayoi, but the second problem…
Yayoi had been unable to give Irori such a vast amount of chakra, which was why he had always needed to manage her with fine, manual control.
That was precisely why he had set his sights on the Tailed Beasts and plundered their enormous chakra.
Thinking about it, Yayoi could not help but feel excited.
“Kakuzu, you stand guard nearby.
Don’t let anyone approach.”
“Yes.”
Kakuzu nodded with a serious expression and quietly stepped aside to keep watch.
Then Yayoi gave a signal with his fingers.
Irori, connected by chakra threads, stepped forward naturally, just like a living human.
She stood before the Seven-Tails, faint light glowing from her inorganic purple eyes.
Her snow-white, slender hand slowly rose and began forming hand seals with slow, smooth movements.
An unprecedented wave of cold assaulted them.
The unconscious body of the Seven-Tails began to tremble violently.
Vivid red chakra, like mud, separated from its body, rolled, and gathered toward Irori’s body the moment the seals were completed.
“This is… no… this isn’t a sealing technique…”
As its life force weakened, the Seven-Tails regained hazy consciousness and let out a trembling murmur.
It sensed that, along with the chakra, something more essential was leaking from its body and being absorbed by the lifeless girl before it.
The chakra and related aura flowing into Irori’s body formed something resembling consciousness and interfered with Irori without disappearing.
The Seven-Tails let out a pained groan and tried to flap its wings.
Irori suddenly lifted her snow-white chin.
Her purple eyes were cold and lifeless.
She opened her mouth and exhaled a white, cold mist.
The Seven-Tails shivered from the impact of the cold air.
Its body stiffened again and became unable to move.
It could only helplessly watch as its chakra was slowly drained away.
Irori’s absorption speed was not fast because, while she absorbed the Seven-Tails’ chakra, Yayoi needed to erase the consciousness inherent within the chakra itself, leaving behind only the purest chakra.
This process was like making a small incision in the human body and slowly draining the blood.
…
As time passed, the forest was enveloped in darkness.
It was unclear how much time had passed, but as dawn approached, the eastern sky began to brighten once more.
The Seven-Tails, which had originally been the size of a small mountain, had now shrunk several times over and was now only the size of a house.
For a Tailed Beast, this size and physique could only be described as miniature.
After a while, Irori released the hand seals.
Yayoi also severed the chakra threads.
Irori’s purple eyes were no longer cold and lifeless.
They now emitted a faint light, and a human-like thoughtful expression appeared on her face.
However, in the end, she felt a sharp pain in her head and furrowed her brows as if struggling.
“The amount of chakra absorbed has reached its limit.
Continuing any further may have adverse effects on the body.”
Yayoi nodded lightly and began forming hand seals.
Ying-Yang Release: Creation of Life!
As the name suggested, this was a technique he had developed by combining his own life-giving chakra with incomplete Yin-Yang Release.
It was used to grant life to puppets.
By using this technique, he could completely integrate the puppet’s memories, consciousness, thoughts, and wisdom, perfectly fusing them with the body to create true life.
Irori’s eyes slowly closed.
Her white skin began to turn transparent, and lines of green light, like electrical circuits, appeared throughout her body.
It was Irori’s full-body chakra circuit.
Like intersecting chakra circuits, they finally converged at Irori’s left chest.
Through the puppet girl’s transparent skin and the fabric of her clothing, a heart-shaped, ice-blue circular core could be seen.
This was a chakra core, crafted from an extremely rare chakra crystal.
It could absorb and release chakra and store a massive amount of it.
It embodied a single girl’s will, thoughts, wisdom, and memories.
At the same time, it was the source of life.
There was no problem calling it her heart or brain.
The enormous amount of chakra absorbed from the Seven-Tails began to fuse into Irori’s chakra circuit and converge into the ice-blue circular core.
Once this stage was complete, Yayoi would no longer need to supply chakra or use chakra threads.
Irori would naturally become the Chakra Automaton he desired, acting and fighting autonomously.
Furthermore, just like real ninjas, they would be able to refine their own chakra.
Without a doubt, this was the pinnacle of puppetry in the modern ninja world.
…
Thirty minutes later, the light that had been shining on the girl’s semi-transparent white skin slowly faded.
The countless chakra circuits, along with the chakra core that had served as her heart and brain, disappeared into the flesh and blood created by chakra.
The girl slowly opened her tightly closed eyes.
Her vision began to connect with a completely new world.
The memories in her brain were fragmented, like short films playing one after another and connecting.
That was the entire process of my creation from nothing by my creator.
There were also memories of being used by the creator for combat and training, and of having her clothes removed to be washed.
Unconsciously, a faint blush appeared on the girl’s pale face.
The moment she opened her eyes, she saw a young man with short hair wearing black ninja attire and a black overcoat and mantle.
Overwhelmed by intense, direct emotion, she unconsciously opened her mouth.
Endless emotion and joy welled up in her heart.
“Don’t be nervous.
Slowly recall how to speak.”
Yayoi spoke in a gentle voice, soothing Irori’s restless and confused heart as she opened her mouth but could not produce any sound.
Irori nodded, took a deep breath, and followed Yayoi’s instructions, calling forth the various memories and knowledge within her heart.
Then she opened her mouth again.
Her voice was as pure as the heavens.
“Lord Yayoi.”
“Is there anything strange about your body?”
Irori shook her head.
“How are your thought processes and the functions of extracting and using chakra?”
Yayoi continued to question her for answers.
“Everything is normal.”
Irori answered honestly.
Yayoi nodded with satisfaction.
“Then do you remember your own name?”
“Yes.
My name is Irori.”
“What about your identity?”
Irori’s expression suddenly became serious and earnest.
“I am Lord Yayoi’s daughter, lover, wife, guard, and maid.
Father, please use me freely.”
“?”
Yayoi looked at Irori’s serious expression and showed a confused look.
Had he… unconsciously implanted such strange thoughts into her?
Unable to understand, Yayoi did not dwell on these matters.
Since he had been out for a while, he needed to return to Night Kingdom as soon as possible.
Now that the Senju and Uchiha clans had joined hands, the construction of Konohagakure was no longer something that could be stopped.
The time and space he had to make a name for himself was being lost moment by moment.
He had to make some preparations to adapt to the currents of this new era.
“Father, what should we do with the Seven-Tails?”
Irori pointed at the barely breathing Seven-Tails, which looked like it was about to take its last breath.
“We’ll take it back.
Once it recovers, we’ll use its chakra to activate the next puppet.”
“Are they going to be my future little brothers and sisters?”
Irori tilted her head, an expression mixed with anticipation and curiosity appearing on her face.
“Yeah, but it’s still a bit too early to talk about that.
Kakuzu, take the Seven-Tails with you.”
With the experience of creating Irori, activating the next “Chakra Automaton” would be much easier.
However, thinking about the more important things he still had to do, he had to suppress these thoughts for the time being.
Moreover, it would take time for the Seven-Tails’ chakra to recover.
Without even glancing at the fallen Seven-Tails, Yayoi turned and walked away.
Irori immediately followed behind him, staying right at his back.
However, Kakuzu stared helplessly at the house-sized Seven-Tails.
He would have to handle the moving process himself.
Fortunately, the Seven-Tails had shrunk considerably in size.
Otherwise, it would have been extremely difficult for him to move it alone.
…
Land of Fire
On a massive rocky outcrop, with a vast, lush green forest spreading out before it.
Towering mountains, clear rivers, and fertile soil — two men stood casually on the cliff, gazing down at this earthly paradise.
“How about it, Tobirama?
The place Madara and I chose is the best, isn’t it?
Next, we’ll build a village here for everyone.
Madara and I have already decided on the name.
‘Konohagakure’!”
The black-haired man in his thirties stared at the vast forest spread out below, his eyes shining.
He was in high spirits, and his joy was evident on his face.
There was a bright outlook and hope for the future in his eyes.
“This is certainly a good location, but Brother, is it really a good idea to form an alliance with the Uchiha clan so hastily?”
The white-haired man sighed while looking at his innocent-looking older brother.
Ever since the Senju clan had formed an alliance with the Uchiha clan, he had been holding a grudge in his heart that he could not dispel.
These two were the current head of the Senju clan, Senju Hashirama, and his younger brother, Senju Tobirama, who was known for his astonishing speed.
“What’s wrong with it?
We’ve been fighting for so long.
Everyone has the right to rest peacefully.
Both the Senju clan and Madara’s Uchiha clan are exhausted from war.
I don’t think war will be necessary in the future era.”
A wide smile spread across Hashirama’s face.
“But wherever people live, conflict is inevitable.”
“That’s exactly why we must put an end to this fate.
I’ve always felt that we should do something so that young children can grow up without any worries.
If we don’t take action now, we’ll have to pass it on to the next generation.
That’s why our generation should end this fate.”
Hashirama’s voice was filled with seriousness and determination.
“…”
Tobirama fell into deep thought and lowered his head.
He didn’t know what kind of expression to show when facing his always pure and optimistic older brother.
So he took a deep breath.
“In that case, do you and Madara have any specific plans?
Just the name ‘Konohagakure’ that you mentioned isn’t enough for me to understand what you’re trying to say.
After forming the alliance, what’s the next step?
Just developing this village?
If that’s all, then it’s basically the same as before, isn’t it?”
It was simply a matter of merging the territories of two families to form a larger family.
To Tobirama, there was no change.
“I hope that more families from the Land of Fire will join us and accept our ideals.”
Hashirama answered this way.
“…”
Tobirama, who had been waiting for Hashirama’s next move, turned to look at him.
Hashirama remained silent, gazing at the distant sunset and admiring the beautiful scenery.
After waiting for a long time, Hashirama still did not share his next plan.
Tobirama’s face darkened, and the muscles in his face twitched slightly.
Is that all?
What about the rest of the action plan and strategy?
Now that they had gathered more ninja clans, what should the next step be?
Was simply gathering them enough?
He couldn’t really believe that these unruly ninja groups wouldn’t cause an explosion when gathered together.
Just the idea of the Senju and Uchiha clans merging would already cause major problems, let alone the possibility of attracting even more ninja clans.
No matter how you looked at it, this was an impossible task.
However…
It seemed as if he had thought of something.
Tobirama looked like he was deep in thought.
In fact, it wasn’t an unsolvable problem.
If Hashirama intervened and provided some kind of reasoning, the discussions with those ninja clans would become much easier.
And when Tobirama looked at Hashirama, a glimmer of hope appeared in his eyes.
Merging ninja clans required more than just an idea.
The key to unification lay in a little violence.
“Tobirama, you already know this, but I don’t like resorting to force.
This world is already broken enough.
I want to create a village where people can live and work in peace.
There are things that cannot be solved with violence.
I believe peace can be achieved through other means.”
As if sensing Tobirama’s thoughts, Hashirama answered with a sigh in his heart.
As his older brother, he couldn’t possibly fail to understand his real younger brother’s extremely realistic style.
Not only in how he handled matters, but even in the development of ninjutsu… his real brother had a somewhat extreme side in many ways.
Except for Water Release, most of Tobirama’s techniques did not have the kind of astonishing techniques that ordinary ninjas would come up with.
If his older brother hadn’t been watching over him, Tobirama somewhat doubted whether he would have accomplished something that would shock the world in the end.
“…”
Tobirama also felt like sighing.
If his older brother was this naive about the world, what was he supposed to do?
He didn’t want to resort to force to unify the ninja clans of the Land of Fire, but at the same time, he wanted them to abandon their prejudices…
This put him in a difficult position.
What would become of this ninja village called “Konohagakure,” which had not yet been officially established?
For a moment, Tobirama fell silent.