The Infinite Tsukuyomi was released, and ninja across the land awoke from the genjutsu.
For many, however, disappointment clouded their faces. They had been so immersed in that beautiful dream world that they were reluctant to leave it behind. After all, how wonderful it was to be the protagonist of your own world.
The great figures who once looked down on them were now polite and full of admiration. Invincible enemies were easily defeated with their own wisdom and power. Lives that had been broken were mended in the dream...
Of course, there were some exceptions.
When the Konoha ninja Tenten broke free, for example, she let out a sigh of relief. "Wow, I'm finally out of that genjutsu!"
"Tenten..." Neji Hyuga, who had also just woken up, looked at his teammate in disbelief. "You knew it was a genjutsu the whole time?"
"Of course it was a genjutsu!" Tenten pouted, annoyed by the low quality of the illusion. "Everyone in that genjutsu was acting so out of character!"
Still, a shy blush crept onto her face.
She did, after all, miss the beautiful dream she'd had. "But, in that genjutsu, I actually got the Treasured Tools of the Sage of Six Paths and saved the world. The Benihisago and Bashosen were so strong..."
As Tenten spoke, her expression suddenly froze. She looked down at her hands, only now realizing she was holding something. The genjutsu had felt so real that she hadn't noticed until this very moment.
In her left hand was a sealing scroll, and in her right, a cup of water.
A smile immediately appeared on her face. "What good luck! I have water to drink as soon as I wake up."
She raised the cup, drank the water, and nodded in satisfaction at the empty container. "I must have been thirsty in the genjutsu..."
"Could you get us two cups of water?" Rock Lee came over, dragging the body of their teacher, Might Guy.
"I need to drink a few more cups..." Guy's body had been healed by the Yang Power, but he was still exhausted and could only lean on his student for support.
"There's enough for everyone, I've been stocking up!" Tenten nodded repeatedly.
Her space-time abilities were mostly used for sealing daily necessities and ninja tools, so she always carried plenty of sealing scrolls. The one in her hand... it must be the scroll for sealing water!
However, when Tenten opened the scroll, her expression turned to surprise. The seal mark on it wasn't for a water cup.
Instead, it showed the images of the Treasured Tools of the Sage of Six Paths, one after another.
"Is this mine?" Tenten couldn't help but look it over. She saw her unique mark on the scroll and scratched her head. "When did I get this?"
But she didn't have time to think about it. Her hungry teammates and other ninja from the village seemed to really want a cup of water, and soon, a crowd had gathered around her.
"Where is the Hokage?" someone finally shouted, noticing something was wrong.
"The Tsuchikage has also disappeared!"
"The Kazekage is nowhere to be seen!"
"Has anyone seen the Raikage?"
"The Mizukage is missing!"
The battlefield erupted into a noisy panic. The leaders of every village had gone missing the moment the Infinite Tsukuyomi was released. The Kage were too important; they couldn't just vanish!
It wasn't long, however, before someone found them.
On an open space on the battlefield, the five Kage stood in a row. Before them sat Emiya Shirou, the most powerful man in the ninja world. Their situation looked very dangerous.
Yet no one dared to step forward.
Madara Uchiha and the members of the Akatsuki stood with their arms crossed, blocking the path of the tens of thousands of Allied Shinobi Forces. A single glance from Madara was enough to keep everyone at bay.
A table was placed beside Shirou, with a scroll spread flat on it. He was diligently writing and drawing something.
Everyone… had to wait for him to finish.
Even the Five Kage dared not move. Or rather, they could not move, suppressed by his immense chakra pressure. They stood like wooden figures, only able to wait blankly for the man at the table to give an order.
"Take a look at this," Shirou said, finishing the scroll and passing it to the Five Kage.
"What is this?" Tsunade was the first to step forward. She took the scroll, and as she read it, her face changed instantly.
That scroll… was a surrender document for the five great nations.
"This is impossible!" Tsunade's immediate impulse was to refuse. She looked up at Shirou, ready to argue. "No one will ever accept—"
Shirou simply looked at Tsunade, his expression calm, as if he were looking at the little girl she used to be. There was no change on his face. However, the sheer weight of his calmness made her voice falter.
Tsunade slowly lowered her head and spoke in a low voice. "Just abolishing all the countries in the ninja world to establish a single nation… that alone is hard for people to accept. The daimyo and nobles of the Land of Fire and the other great nations will not agree to this..."
"Tsunade, you are not in a position to bargain," Shirou said, his tone serious, as if he were teaching her a lesson like he did when she was a child. "What you need to do now is accept the fate of a loser. This agreement is the first experiment for eternal peace in the ninja world, designed by me and Madara."
"What is there not to accept?" Madara sneered, having apparently overheard their dispute. "We didn't even abolish your villages and allowed you to keep your names. That is already a generous gift."
Tsunade's expression remained grim. This agreement harmed the interests of too many people.
First, all daimyo and nobles across the ninja world would be abolished. All their property and land would be redistributed by the new unified nation.
Second, the five great ninja villages would also be stripped of much of their power and autonomy. The agreement meant that from now on, all resources in the ninja world would be allocated by this single nation.
The five villages would be managed centrally, becoming purely military organizations, forbidden from keeping their own ninja academies or financial power. All school-aged children would have to enter a unified academy to study.
In other words, even if the five great ninja villages still existed and retained considerable military power, they would be completely dependent on the new nation for everything—from funding to new recruits.
The only benefit was that if this country could exist forever, it was likely that no more wars would ever be waged in the ninja world.
"I hope our peace experiment is successful," Shirou said, his eyes sweeping over the five Kage one by one. His voice was perfectly calm. "If it fails, Madara and I will simply begin the next one. After all, my life is practically eternal."