Naruto: Hiding in the Anbu Until I Became a Super Kage

Chapter 506 506: You Couldn't Kill Us All Before Exhausting Yourself

After handling matters in the capital of the Land of Earth, Yōkō regrouped with Orochimaru and led the Konoha ninja forces towards Iwagakure.

During a rest break while traveling, Orochimaru roughly understood what Fox had done in the capital of the Land of Earth and began a conversation with him.

"Fox, I didn't expect you to not kill all the nobles in the capital."

"Lord Orochimaru, do I really look like a ninja who kills without blinking? Kill them all? That would mean killing thousands of people."

"Heh." Orochimaru sneered.

"Would numbers really be an obstacle for you when it comes to killing? For some reason, I've noticed you harbor considerable malice towards the nobility."

"For thousands of years in the shinobi world, various Daimyō families have ruled. Everyone is accustomed to the Daimyō families."

"While ordinary ninja may not fear nobles, they hold a basic respect for the Daimyō. Only you seem to have some kind of hostility and resentment towards Daimyō families."

"You used two Dust Releases to wipe out the Daimyō's family in the Tenshu Castle. That aside, I thought you would appoint a puppet Daimyō. I didn't expect you to establish some kind of Joint Government."

"I'm a bit confused. I don't understand what you're really trying to do."

Yōkō said, "Ninjutsu is an important tool in our hands for transforming nature and improving production. The Transport Altars will exert a powerful influence in the coming years. The Daimyō's corrupt mode of rule no longer suits the continuously spreading ninjutsu."

"I have no patience to slowly persuade or reform the Daimyō. It's better to kill them directly and rebuild a new social system atop the ruins."

"Lord Orochimaru, in this Great Shinobi War, I will fundamentally change the shinobi world. After the war ends, the first order enacted by every country will be the 'Crime of Destroying Farmland'."

"Anyone, whether from a hidden village, a rogue ninja, or a wandering samurai, destroying farmland will be a serious crime."

"In the past shinobi world, productivity was too low. Using the high mobility of Transport Altars, we will completely eradicate the destruction of productivity."

Orochimaru frowned, not understanding why Fox, after expending such great effort to win the war and change the shinobi world, would want to enact some 'Crime of Destroying Farmland'?

And what was this 'productivity'? What did it mean?

Orochimaru looked into the eyeholes of Fox's mask, seeing that Fox had no interest in explaining. It seemed Fox believed Orochimaru couldn't possibly understand these things.

Just then, an intelligence ninja appeared via Body Flicker.

"Commander! Lord Fox! Someone claiming to be the assistant of the Fourth Tsuchikage wishes to negotiate with the two of you!"

Orochimaru and Fox exchanged a glance, surprised that Iwagakure had already selected a Fourth Tsuchikage.

The two, along with a few subordinates, left the main force and arrived at the negotiation site.

It was at the inner bend of a river's U-shaped curve.

The plateau soil of the Land of Earth was loose. The great river carved deep gullies as it flowed over the soft earth.

This river bend was very beautiful. Viewed from the front, one could only see a circular river bend. In his previous life, it would have at least earned a title like "First Bend of Something."

Reaching the high riverbank, Yōkō saw the Fourth Tsuchikage waiting there.

"Tōshinin?" Orochimaru's voice was full of mockery. "Iwagakure is truly out of people, making you the Fourth Tsuchikage."

Tōshinin was, at best, an elite jōnin, not even Kage-level.

Neither Orochimaru nor Fox needed to intervene. Among the six assistants they brought, at least four were on par with Tōshinin.

Sometimes, even great hidden villages could be very fragile.

In the original storyline, the Konoha Crush Plan launched by Orochimaru, allied with Sunagakure, almost destroyed Konoha.

At that time, within Konoha Village, the top-tier combatants were only Sarutobi Hiruzen, the 'pervert' Jiraiya (who was idle), and Danzo, who wouldn't intervene.

After Sarutobi Hiruzen's death, Konoha Village was even more precarious.

If Tsunade hadn't returned to the village, the other great hidden villages likely would have quickly escalated from probing to full-scale attacks on Konoha.

The current Iwagakure was the same. Though bearing the name of one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, it was very fragile.

Tōshinin closed his eyes, adjusted his breathing several times, then opened them and slowly said:

"Ōnoki-sama, Kitsuchi-sama, Bakura-sama... several great individuals sacrificed themselves for Iwagakure."

"Though my strength is lacking, I am also prepared to sacrifice myself for Iwagakure at any time."

Yōkō sneered. "Your wish is about to be granted. I'll grant you a glorious 'sacrifice,' making you a hero of Iwagakure."

Tōshinin's face turned ugly. He saw Fox slowly raising his hand.

With just one hand seal, Tōshinin would undoubtedly die here.

"Wait! I am here to present a surrender agreement!"

Orochimaru and Yōkō were both surprised. They thought Tōshinin was here for peace negotiations and were prepared to bargain.

Peace talks were common; surrender was a first.

Ninja, wielding violence, were accustomed to fighting to the death. Most would rather die trying to take the enemy with them.

Surrender—that was a rare word indeed.

Both Orochimaru and Yōkō had a rough framework in mind for peace negotiation terms, but for surrender terms, neither was psychologically prepared.

"Oh? How do you plan to surrender?"

Seeing the two from Konoha were interested, Tōshinin secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Surrender was the only option. In previous Great Shinobi Wars, losing meant, at worst, a ceasefire and returning to the village to recuperate.

Other hidden villages lacked the ability to invade another great hidden village. At moments of life-and-death, every hidden village would erupt with a terrifying will to survive.

However, past experience was useless in the Third Great Shinobi War.

The Konoha Fox was a maniacal killer.

Killing the Third Tsuchikage was one thing, but he also killed several thousand Iwa-nin on the front lines with a single jutsu.

During the subsequent pursuit by Konoha forces, several thousand more Iwa-nin died.

After one major battle, 13,000 Iwa-nin had died. It was no exaggeration to say that every household in Iwagakure was in mourning.

Then Fox went on a killing spree in the capital of the Land of Earth. He broke the convention of ninja wars not targeting Daimyō and nobility, actually attempting to take over the Land of Earth.

Iwagakure suffered countless casualties, its strength greatly diminished. With the Land of Earth also taken over by Konoha, without the Land of Earth's support, Iwagakure would struggle to recover in the future.

Fox's move of taking over the Land of Earth—this extermination strategy—completely shattered Iwagakure's defenses.

No matter how much they hated Fox, everyone in Iwagakure recognizedthat now was the best time to surrender to Konoha.

The war had changed. Utterly changed. It was no longer a war over mission shares in vassal states, but a war to completely eradicate the living soil of enemy villages.

Left with no choice, Iwagakure selected Tōshinin as the Fourth Tsuchikage to avoid the village's complete annihilation.

Tōshinin said, "Fox, I admit you are strong. But my Iwagakure still has 90,000 people. You couldn't kill all 90,000 of us before exhausting yourself!"

Yōkō spoke. "Hard to say. Continue."

Tōshinin was taken aback, then completely deflated.

Yes. If it was Fox, he might truly be able to kill 90,000 people.

Tōshinin's eyes lowered. "My Iwagakure is willing to accept Konoha's command. We surrender to Konoha Village. Fox, we lost. We admit defeat."

"The war in the Land of Grass, the war in the Land of Earth... is over."

(End of Chapter)