The next moment, two faint golden streams of light drifted out from Ōnoki and Han's foreheads. They circled back in a slow, visible loop and merged into the center of Uchiha Gen's brow.
This time, Gen intentionally slowed the process. Everyone saw it clearly.
Ōnoki and Han blinked as their senses returned. Their expressions shifted from dazed to horrified. Being taken over so effortlessly by a soul technique left them rattled. Losing control of their bodies in an instant meant their lives were entirely at Gen's mercy.
"Lord Tsuchikage, what do you say?" Gen asked quietly, hands clasped behind his back.
Ōnoki lowered his gaze. "Lord Hokage's strength is immeasurable. We overestimated ourselves. Iwagakure is willing to surrender."
"Good." Gen's eyes swept over the high-ranking ninja behind him. "And you all? Are you planning to resist?"
Silence hung in the air.
"It seems some of you still aren't convinced." Gen's voice stayed calm. "You feel unwilling, don't you?"
He glanced to the side. "Madara-senior. Give them a demonstration."
Madara scoffed. "Unwilling? What do you ants have to feel unwilling about?"
Dark blue chakra exploded around him. In an instant, a towering Complete Body Susanoo stood at the entrance of Iwagakure, fully formed with bones, muscle, meridians, skin, and armor.
With a single thought, the Susanoo drew its blade.
Clang.
A violent gust rushed out, sand and gravel spiraling upward. The pressure alone sent nearby Iwagakure ninja tumbling.
Then a sweeping crescent of blue sword light carved through the air, slashing across the mountains surrounding the village. Three peaks split cleanly down the middle.
Rumble.
The two halves collapsed, the impact shaking Iwagakure to its foundations. Dust covered half the village in a thick curtain.
Above, a second Susanoo appeared. This one was jet black, floating in midair and even larger than Madara's.
Across the Gobi, a massive red ape beat its chest and roared. Beside it, a colossal golden fox raised its head and howled, its nine tails spiraling wind clouds overhead. Compared to the Susanoo, both tailed beasts looked small, but everyone knew their true power rested not in size but in the tailed beast bombs they could unleash.
The entire village stared up, stunned into silence.
"Now then," Gen said from high above, "are you willing to surrender?"
One by one, the high-ranking Iwagakure ninja snapped out of their stupor. "We surrender, we surrender…"
Madara folded his arms, expression filled with disdain. "Spineless wretches."
Their faces flushed with humiliation, but no one dared respond.
It was exactly what Gen thought as well. They had refused guidance but folded the moment real force appeared. Still, since Madara had already taken the role of the harsh voice, Gen kept his tone softer.
"Madara-senior, let's not be too harsh. In their position, we probably wouldn't fare much better."
Madara grunted and nodded.
"Alright. Let's go inside and talk."
At Gen's command, the Susanoo forms faded, everyone returning to normal human size. They made their way into Iwagakure, heading straight into the small conference room within the Tsuchikage building. They sat on opposite sides, but Gen didn't speak immediately. He simply sipped his tea in silence.
Madara and the others followed his lead. Ōnoki's group didn't dare break the stillness. A heavy, suffocating quiet settled over the room.
Half an hour later, Gen finally set his teacup down. All eyes turned to him.
He didn't acknowledge the stares. Instead, he bit his thumb, formed a seal, and pressed his hand to the stone table. Black formulas spread across the surface.
Summoning Technique.
With a soft explosion of smoke, a graceful blue bird shot out and dove straight into Gen's arms, chirping affectionately.
"Master, I missed you so much."
The voice was sweet and soft like a young girl teasing for attention.
Gen stroked the small head. "We only just parted."
Fūmi, the youngest of the Homies, really did feel like raising a daughter sometimes.
For years, Gen had avoided having children, intentionally suppressing any spark of vitality each time. But with the unification of the Five Great Villages nearing its end, the subject could no longer be postponed. A legacy of this size needed an heir, and Gen had no intention of managing it forever.
"Even if we parted just now, I still missed Master."
"I know." He smiled. "How are things in Hidden Mist Village?"
"It is resolved. They surrendered right away."
Gen nodded. That was expected. Hidden Mist's strength had fallen to the lowest among the Five Great Villages after Obito was expelled. Their mid to lower tier forces were weakened, and at the top, only Yagura could be considered notable. With Hashirama and multiple Jinchuriki standing as deterrence, resisting was impossible.
Worse, the village was full of internal strife. Cohesion among both ninja and civilians had fallen to an all-time low. Their Anbu Captain was even an internal spy.
With Tobirama overseeing things there, Gen felt completely at ease.
Hearing Hidden Mist had surrendered, the Fourth Raikage, the Third Tsuchikage, and the others showed mixed, complicated expressions.
"Alright," Gen said, "let's begin the meeting."
Ōnoki and his officials forced themselves upright. Even if they lacked morale, they at least had to look presentable.
Gen's conditions matched what he had imposed on Hidden Cloud Village. Iwagakure had no bargaining chips. They could only accept whatever was demanded.
By five in the afternoon, the meeting concluded. Iwagakure was now under Konoha's control.
With Iwagakure's fall, the Five Great Ninja Villages that had stood for decades now existed in name only. Only Konoha remained, rising to unprecedented heights.
An unprecedented shift had swept through the ninja world in a single day, yet the majority of the world still remained unaware.
Gen did not linger in Iwagakure. He left Madara to stabilize the village and took Ōnoki and A back to Konoha.
Tobirama remained in Hidden Mist. Hashirama escorted Yagura and others to Hidden Cloud.
Hashirama stayed in Hidden Cloud, with Hiruzen voluntarily taking a position there as well. The remaining group returned to Konoha with Orochimaru.
Once back in the village, Gen quietly settled the three Kage, issued orders for a full-village meeting the next morning, and finally returned home to rest.
Of course, finishing the first major phase of his plans deserved a celebration.
Gen held three separate celebrations, each with its own group of guests.
The first was with Kurenai, Anko, and Yugao.
The second with Pakura and Temari.
The third with Kushina and Mikoto.
Winning over Temari had been laughably simple. Given Gen's appearance, presence, strength, status, reputation, and the political value to Sunagakure, the village was more than happy to encourage her.
Tsunade was absent. She had gone off to drink and catch up with Orochimaru and Jiraiya.
After three celebrations, Gen still attended the full-village meeting the next day looking refreshed, composed, and full of energy.