204. And the world would Change

204. And the world would Change

While Tomoka and co left Konoha inside the stealthed quinjet her phantoms were busy finishing their respective missions. Inside the Hyuga clan compound a wooden stage had been set up almost instantly inside the main plaza. On it stood a group of strangely clothed people with unknown metal weaponry at the ready.

Many branch members lay unconscious near them while many more watched with trepidation a few steps further. A warning had been given, any that stayed outside the perimeter would remain unharmed. Those that had stepped inside the perimeter had their cage bird seal violently activated inflicting enough pain to knock them out.

“People of the Hyuga clan, we are the spider-hounds. We come with news of freedom from the chains of slavery-” A woman with messy cyan hair began speaking suddenly. Her sharp features made her visage inspire both respect and fear. Many main branch members lay kneeling in front of her.

“For too long the chains of tradition have made you slaves. Old fools abusing their power to condemn their own kin to a fate worse than death. We offer freedom for no cost. The fools in front of me have already been punished. Their pride lay in their measly strength and visual prowess. That pride shall be no more. We have taken their eyes!-” Saying that the woman took a handful of hair from one of the kneeling elders, forcing his head upwards. Empty eye sockets greeted the crowd alongside a very familiar seal on the man's forehead.

“As you can see we have taken the liberty of taking their eyes. We have also taken the liberty of inscribing a modified version of the caged bird’s seal on them. This version is rather simple in its function. We will be liberating you all from your seals. For each seal we break this one will send pain to the man.” As a demonstration the woman pointed at a random man in the crowd.

“Please, allow the crowd to see your seal, it will be removed as a demonstration.” The man with shaky hands removed the headband he had been using to hide the seal. Under the crowd’s gaze the seal began to banish until nothing remained of it. Following that the group of elders on the stage screamed.

“Remove the coverings of your forehead and accept your freedom! Be slaves no more!” After the woman’s shout the plaza fell silent. A moment later one after the other the many branch members removed the different methods they used to hide their seals. One after the other the seals banished in a cacophony of screams coming from the elders.

By the time the last seal had banished the elders had been silent for a while, their brains fried from the pain. Their breathing had stopped, their lives extinguished. The woman gave the crowd a once-over. She inspected the many facial expressions from those present. Grief, joy, excitement, fear. Many such emotions played across those present.

“Cherish the gift of freedom. Never let those awful shackles fall on you again. There is more than one way of turning those free into slaves. Some as forceful as the seal, some as gentle and sweet as promises coming from gentle words. Learn from the mistakes your ancestors made. Make sure your descendants won’t repeat them.” With that the woman and her companions disappeared in a poof of smoke.

Silence. A silence so heavy that it felt suffocating. A silence so powerful that felt loud. It lasted for a few seconds, then it was gone. People began cheering in joy shouting their emotions as loud as they could. Some shouted curses at those that had just died. Some cried in relief and joy. Some just shouted as loud as they could in a simple yet powerful way to let their emotions out.

The sands of Suna were as hot as always under the harsh desert sun. Yet inside this very desert, under its ever shifting shands, lay a facility with a singular purpose. Man has always loved control, it’s written in the very nature of every single human being. Control over others, control over the surroundings. What better way to exercise this nature than by controlling the world itself. To play the controller of all, to play god!

The facility in Suna had one singular purpose. It performed a simple yet complicated task. It gave power to its creator over the land itself. It allowed Tomoka to play god. With a command Tomoka could turn the endless desert into a lush forest. She could raise mountains and change the landscape in whichever way she wished. All that was needed was power.

Now, the many batteries of the facility were at a nominal charge. Should she give the command Tomoka could terraform Suna into a land of prosperity. Not yet though, her plans were in motion and the time for Suna’s rebirth wasn’t today. The facility remained silent. The many workers are doing their task with focus. One day, the monster would roar to life and Suna would change... forever.

Iwa, the land of stone and nothing more. No better than Suna when it comes to plant life. It is said that the land’s inhabitants are hardy like the very stone they walk on. Stone is brittle however, inflexible and weak. The land of stone had promise, it could become great yet like all others men much preferred their favorite pastime over progress. War, the hobby of the powerful.

Tomoka wouldn’t let such a land waste away for much longer under the follies of men. Kumo she punished for the transgresiones of time long past. Yet she would rebuild it in due time. Iwa on the other hand presented an interesting conundrum. Iwa’s people, like stone, were inflexible. They would much rather break than bend the knee. Tomoka would break them, then she would pick up the pieces and make them anew. For that, the first move needed to be made.

Iwa faced disaster. Its water reserves poisoned the wazoo. The few rivers they depended on became contaminated with deadly chemicals. Many missions were set up to find the source of the contamination, but it wasn't found.

Food became scarce, a plague assaulted the crops reducing the yield to a tenth of what it should have been. The many granaries malfunctioned one after the other, wasting tons of food that would be needed. Investigations were launched to find the culprit. After all, it was more than obvious this was an act of sabotage, no culprit was found. Famine was on the horizon.

Collapse, the many mines Iwa needed for their economic and weapon manufacturing followed collapsed. Now under one catastrophe after the other Iwa’s government was left with no other option. A cry for help was all they could do, the land of earth’s daimyo was their last hope. The man ignored them, and Iwa was left to starve. Under all this misery a ray of hope shone on the Horizon. Akomot’s economical empire came to their aid... the disease that would end them had taken root.

The Ninja world was brought to its knees under the scheming of one girl. Yet no one knew of the many events world wide. No one could connect the many events to one another. No one had the full picture, no one would save them. The hands of time kept moving and the world followed. Soon humanity would be brought together screaming and kicking. Change is inevitable and Tomoka became unstoppable. Now, only a few piece of the puzzle remain, soon they will fall into their rightful place.

First the ninja world then the rest. Tomoka would build a world where she and those she love could live in peace, if she needed to become a monster, a demon or whatever other horror she would. In the end, all that matters is the result. The ends justifies the means, many would die, many more would be saved. Humanity couldn’t be trusted to take care of themselves. Tomoka would create something that would do so in their place. In her previous life she was denounced for her actions. Many said she was a heretic trying to play god. She didn’t believe herself to be a god, god is beneath her anyway.