"Then there's nothing else to discuss."
Ebizo shrugged helplessly, his tone heavy with resignation.
"With Konoha's current strength—and the power of the Fifth Hokage—unifying the entire shinobi world would be effortless. For Sunagakure, the only option left is to take things one step at a time."
"…That's all we can do."
Chiyo forced a bitter smile and nodded.
There was nothing more to say.
In this world, strength was absolute. Those who possessed it could do whatever they wished.
And unfortunately for everyone else—
Konoha had produced a God of the Shinobi World.
Iwagakure
After their last attempt to strike Konoha ended in disaster—over ten thousand Iwa shinobi wiped out—Iwagakure's overall military strength had plummeted by nearly forty percent.
If the loss of the Five-Tails Jinchūriki was included, the decline was closer to half.
The consequences were devastating.
The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, barely survived the retreat.
Upon returning to Iwagakure, he fell gravely ill for three days and three nights.
Only by relying on his indomitable Will of Stone did he manage to claw his way back from the brink.
But from that battle onward—
The name Uchiha Ren carved itself deep into Ōnoki's psyche, leaving behind a shadow as suffocating as the one once cast by Uchiha Madara.
Clang!
A teacup shattered on the floor.
Ōnoki—"The Fence-Sitter," the man who wielded both earth and sky—hovered above his chair, hands trembling as he stared at the intelligence report in his grasp.
He hadn't even noticed the cup slipping from his fingers.
"…Impossible."
"The Hidden Rain Village was annexed?"
"And the Rain Daimyō surrendered unconditionally?"
In an instant, Ōnoki's mind erupted into chaos.
He understood better than anyone what this meant.
Once Konoha began annexing other villages, every major power in the shinobi world would be in danger.
And the moment he thought of Uchiha Ren—
The terror he'd felt on the battlefield surged back, vivid and suffocating.
Before him, Kurotsuchi, Akatsuchi, Bunpuku, and the other Iwa elders wore expressions just as grim.
They had all read the same report.
Konoha had absorbed Amegakure without spilling a single drop of blood.
"…Recall all shinobi stationed outside the village."
After a long silence, Ōnoki finally spoke, humiliation burning in his eyes.
"From this day on, any encounter with Konoha shinobi—avoid them. Detour. Withdraw. Do not give the Fifth Hokage even the slightest excuse to move against Iwagakure."
"…Understood."
The elders answered, their voices heavy with frustration.
Yet no one dared object.
Because when faced with Uchiha Ren, even pride had to bow its head.
And somewhere deep down—
Iwagakure's leadership found themselves bitterly reminiscing about the days of a timid, accommodating Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Kumogakure
Ever since their elite forces were nearly annihilated during their assault on Konoha—and the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, Killer B, was captured—
Kumogakure had sunk into despair.
As a village that revered strength above all else, this was a humiliation unlike any they had ever suffered.
And the one responsible for that crushing defeat…
Was the Fifth Hokage of Konoha.
Inside the Raikage's office—
BAM!
The Fourth Raikage, A, slammed his fist onto the desk, veins bulging as he glared at the report in his hand.
"Damn it!!"
"Konoha annexed Amegakure?!"
"Are they trying to make enemies of the entire shinobi world?!"
Standing beside him, his secretary Mabui hesitated before replying carefully.
"Raikage-sama… at this point, Konoha really does appear to be invincible."
"Our intelligence confirms that Akatsuki was almost completely destroyed. Even Nagato—the wielder of the Rinnegan—was forced to flee."
She paused, then added softly,
"With Konoha's current power… they do have the qualifications to stand against the entire world."
"I refuse to accept that."
A's eyes burned with hatred as his fists clenched.
"Killer B was killed by Konoha. No matter what it takes, I will avenge him."
"…Understood."
Mabui opened her mouth, then closed it again.
She knew better than anyone—
The more powerful Konoha became, the less willing the Raikage would be to submit.
This hatred would only fuel his resolve.
"Issue the order."
A straightened, his voice iron-hard.
"Increase all funding for shinobi training. No exceptions."
Kirigakure
Following the deaths of Yagura and Ao, Kirigakure had also plunged into turmoil.
Fortunately, Mei Terumi rose to the occasion.
Through decisive action and unyielding resolve, she crushed the internal chaos and ascended as the Fifth Mizukage.
Inside the Mizukage's office—
"This is insane…"
"What is Konoha trying to do?"
"They annexed Amegakure… Is the Fifth Hokage planning to unify the entire shinobi world?"
The mist's elders wore expressions of naked anxiety.
Konoha's aggression was no longer subtle—it was suffocating.
Mei Terumi listened in silence, her emerald eyes filled with weary resignation.
She knew the truth better than anyone.
Against a God of the Shinobi World, Kirigakure had no chance of resistance.
It sounded defeatist—
But it was reality.
"…We observe."
After a moment, Mei exhaled slowly and spoke with calm authority.
"The shinobi world is no longer stable. We move carefully. One step at a time."
"Yes, Mizukage-sama."
The elders nodded somberly.
No one argued.
Because deep down—
They all knew the storm had already begun.
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