The closed-door meeting in the Land of Hot Water triggered a silent earthquake.
When the contents of the meeting spread across the Ninja World through semi-public channels, the entire world fell into stunned silence.
The Land of Lightning had suffered a crushing defeat.
The Fourth Raikage, A, and the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, Killer B, were designated as primary war criminals and would be jointly detained by the Four Nations in Kumogakure.
Three thousand elite Kumo prisoners of war were executed on the spot for rioting, completely wiped out.
Even more shocking was that the Four Nations—Wind, Earth, and Water—would jointly station ninja in Kumo to enforce permanent military supervision.
Each piece of information struck the hearts of all who heard it like a thunderclap.
This meant that while the Land of Lightning would retain its administrative authority, its military power had been completely stripped.
Kumo, once a rival to Konoha, had now become an empty shell.
And the one who orchestrated all of this was not some powerful shinobi village or legendary ninja.
It was the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, Chiba Arashi.
The same Daimyo who had only come to power half a year ago now stood above all the Kage, becoming the most talked-about figure in the Ninja World.
Speculation ran rampant.
What kind of means did he use to make the other three nations willingly help him carve up the Land of Lightning, one of the Five Great Nations?
No one knew that at the end of the meeting, Arashi had extorted a combined "entry fee" of nine billion from the Three Nations of Wind, Earth, and Water.
But that didn't stop everyone from realizing that the entire landscape of the Ninja World had changed...
Land of Water, Kirigakure.
Inside the Mizukage's office.
The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, sat upright, his posture stiff like a puppet.
In the shadows behind him stood a man wearing an orange Uzumaki mask.
Beside him stood Black Zetsu, his hoarse voice carrying a faint tremor.
"Obito, the scene we saw with our own eyes is now spreading across the Ninja World."
Uchiha Obito remained silent behind the mask.
Beneath it, his single eye flickered with a mix of madness and unease.
He couldn't forget.
He couldn't forget the scene he saw from afar, in the forest on the outskirts of Konoha.
That man, just by standing there, rendered both the Fourth Raikage and the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki immobile.
He couldn't understand that kind of power, and it made him deeply wary.
"He doesn't just possess overwhelming power, but also the ability to manipulate hearts and minds."
Obito's low voice sounded, tinged with amusement, but more so with heaviness.
"Letting the other three nations shoulder the hatred, while he reaps the benefits..."Black Zetsu said darkly.
"Such planning, combined with that monstrous power..."
"When did someone like that appear in this world?"
Black Zetsu let out a cold laugh.
"He's disrupted our plans."
"Kumo losing the Eight-Tails may be convenient for us, but that man named Arashi has become a bigger variable than all the Kage combined."
Obito slowly walked to the window, his scarlet Sharingan glinting through the mask's eyeholes, overlooking the village still shrouded under the Blood Mist policy.
"A monster who possesses both absolute military power and top-tier political maneuvering..."
"The Eye of the Moon Plan must be accelerated."
"Hmm!"
"What about the traitors?"
"We've already dispatched people to eliminate them."
"Good."
Land of Fire, Northeastern Frontline.
Though the war had ended, the border camps remained heavily fortified.
Inside the command tent, Jiraiya and Uchiha Fugaku sat across from one another. A newly delivered top-secret intelligence report lay before them.
The atmosphere in the tent was unusually heavy.
Jiraiya put down the report and let out a long sigh, his face filled with sorrow and confusion.
The Great Toad Sage's prophecy echoed repeatedly in his mind.
"The world will run with blood, and also be at peace for all people..."
Run with blood... the lives of three thousand Kumo prisoners, the shattered Land of Lightning—wasn't this exactly that?
But where was the peace for all people?
Exchanging slaughter for peace?
Forcing tranquility through hegemony?
Jiraiya rubbed his temples. He couldn't understand it.
The young Daimyo's actions perfectly aligned with that contradictory prophecy, making his heart uneasy.
"Fugaku, what do you think?" Jiraiya asked in a low voice.
Fugaku's expression showed unrestrained excitement, his voice even trembling.
"What do I think? This is a great victory. An unprecedented victory!"
"Jiraiya-sama, we've fought wars for years, but have you ever seen such a clean and decisive outcome?"
Fugaku's chest rose and fell heavily, his eyes burning with ambition.
They had all been stunned when they learned that thousands of elite Kumo shinobi had suddenly appeared right at Konoha's doorstep.
Who would have thought it would lead to this?
And what made him even more excited was something else entirely.
He picked up another secret letter from the Uchiha Clan and smiled even brighter.
News had arrived that Ragyō, who had been taken into the Daimyo's harem, seemed to be showing signs of pregnancy.
Now this was truly joyous news!
It meant the Uchiha Clan was about to form the closest possible bloodline tie to the supreme power of the Land of Fire!
The glory of the Uchiha would no longer be an empty slogan, but a real and unshakable future.
Watching Fugaku's unrestrained joy, Jiraiya's frown deepened.
What he feared was not the victory.
But the unseen hand behind it, manipulating everything...
Konoha, Hokage's Office.
Minato, along with Koharu and Homura, the three top decision-makers of Konoha, were all present.
Even the retired Hiruzen sat to the side, listening in.
An Anbu had just finished delivering the report and quietly withdrew.
Leaving behind a room full of silence.
After a long while...
Hiruzen took a deep drag from his pipe, the smoke he exhaled heavy and slow.
His aged face was filled with weariness and unease.
Three thousand lives.
Three thousand Kumo prisoners who had already laid down their arms.
Though the execution order came from the Daimyo, it was through his hands, the hands of the Third Hokage, that they were carried out.
His hands were still trembling.
He had fought countless battles and killed countless enemies, yet he had never felt such a bone-deep chill.
For the sake of stability, he had become a blade. An accomplice.
"This is pushing the Land of Lightning into destruction..." Hiruzen's voice was hoarse.
Minato's golden hair glowed softly in the sunlight.
He looked out the window at the peaceful village, his heart filled with both relief and unease.
Relief that their great enemy, Kumo, had disappeared.
But sorrow for the Third Hokage's internal struggle.
Three thousand prisoners...
He was always like this, always putting others before himself.
"What's done is done. There's no point in dwelling on it," Koharu said sternly. "The Daimyo has gained unprecedented prestige. That's ultimately good for the Land of Fire—and for Konoha."
Homura nodded in agreement. "Exactly. At least for now, no other village will dare challenge us."
Listening to the advisors, both Minato and Hiruzen felt the same bitterness rise in their chests.
(To be continued.)
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