The air on the platform of the Star City train station seemed to freeze.
Onoki stared fixedly at the face that should have long since passed away, his mind a complete blank. Decades of experience and composure vanished in an instant.
Even when facing Hikari's terrifying Susanoo, he had not been as discomposed as he was now.
"Namikaze Minato? How are you alive?!" The exclamation escaped his lips, filled with incomprehensible horror.
Kurotsuchi, beside him, was startled by her grandfather's reaction. She tugged on Onoki's sleeve curiously and asked in a small voice, "Grandpa, what's wrong? Who is that golden-haired big brother? He's quite handsome."
Akatsuchi was also in a state of extreme shock. Although he hadn't participated in the Third Great Ninja War, he had grown up hearing the elders, especially his senior Kitsuchi, talk about the terror of the [Yellow Flash].
He bent down and whispered to Kurotsuchi in a trembling voice, "Kurotsuchi, that is Namikaze Minato, the Fourth Hokage of Konoha, the legendary Ninja known as the Yellow Flash during the Third Great Ninja War. But... he should have sacrificed himself to protect the village during the Nine-Tails Attack eight years ago..."
Kurotsuchi didn't quite understand, blinking her big eyes, even more confused. "A Kage from Konoha? Why is he here..."
Minato's face showed his usual gentle smile, but behind that smile was a stillness belonging to the deceased.
He first nodded to Hikari, who had stepped off the train. "Hikari, thank you for your hard work."
Hikari gave a slight nod in response, then stood to the side, crossing her arms, resuming her cold, observant posture.
Minato then turned to the still-petrified Onoki, proactively extending his hand. The skin of his palm was an unnatural grayish-white, with fine, crack-like marks resembling cracked porcelain. "It's been a long time, Third Tsuchikage-sama. However, there is no Fourth Hokage here, only a lingering soul of the deceased."
Onoki's cloudy old eyes stared fixedly at Minato's eyes, which had lost their brilliant blue shine and turned dull, and at the clear cracks on his face, neck, and arms.
He could clearly feel the cold, deathly aura emanating from the other party, completely different from the vibrant energy of a living person.
Onoki took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and extended a slightly trembling hand to grasp the other's icy cold hand.
The sensation was like holding a piece of ice.
"A lingering soul… heh…" Onoki's voice was dry, carrying a hint of self-mockery. "It seems Shura's ambition and methods are far more astonishing than I imagined. To have even mastered a Forbidden Jutsu that allows the dead to return to life… no, to reappear in the world and be used by him?"
In an instant, he thought of many things.
Minato's appearance represented not just a powerful combatant, but also that the Land of Stars possessed some terrifying power that touched the boundary between life and death.
This was a subversive impact on the entire Ninja World's order and ethics.
At this moment, Kanon, standing beside Minato, stepped forward, her expression serious yet not discourteous. "Third Tsuchikage-sama, you must be tired from your journey. The post-war negotiations will be presided over entirely by Minato-sama. Please come with us. I hope your side is prepared accordingly."
Her words were polite, but the meaning was unequivocal.
Onoki nodded with a heavy expression. He certainly understood what 'prepared' meant.
In these negotiations where they were at an absolute disadvantage, Iwagakure, and indeed the entire Land of Earth, had no bargaining chips whatsoever.
He even sadly realized that these negotiations directly excluded the Land of Earth's Daimyo and noble class. The Land of Stars' target was probably far beyond just making Iwagakure submit.
The group silently boarded a black car waiting outside the station.
This small vehicle powered by a Chakra Core once again struck Onoki and Akatsuchi as novel.
Sitting on the soft back seat, Kurotsuchi looked around curiously, unable to resist muttering softly, "So… so comfortable. Does this thing also use Chakra?"
Onoki, however, had no mood to pay attention to the comfort of the seats. His gaze was firmly captured by the scenery flying past outside the window.
The wide, smooth streets were bustling with traffic. On both sides stood rows of towering buildings, their glass curtain walls reflecting dazzling light under the sun.
Pedestrians were neatly dressed, their expressions hurried, but they carried a kind of vitality focused on their own affairs that he had never seen on the faces of the Land of Earth's common people.
The entire city was filled with vigorous vitality and a sense of efficient order, completely different from any great nation's capital in his impression.
The more he looked, the more his heart sank.
This was not just military strength, but a comprehensive, deeply rooted societal superiority.
For Iwagakure, and even the Land of Earth, to be enemies with such an opponent and be defeated so thoroughly did not seem accidental.
The motorcade soon arrived at the Land of Stars' administrative center, a magnificent and highly modern building.
In the long corridor leading to the conference room, Onoki finally couldn't hold back and broke the silence, asking Minato walking beside him, "Fourth… no, Minato-sama, please allow me to address you as such for now. I wish to know, how will your country… deal with the Land of Wind and Sunagakure?"
After surrendering, through scattered information, he had already learned that Sunagakure's main force had also been completely wiped out, and the Fourth Kazekage had been severely injured and captured.
He understood very clearly that as the side that started the war, Sunagakure's situation would only be worse than Iwagakure's.
Minato did not answer directly. Instead, he looked at Kanon beside him and nodded to her.
Understanding his meaning, Kanon stated in a clear and steady tone, "Hyuga Hizashi-sama's troops completely took control of Sunagakure yesterday. The main cities and transportation hubs within the Land of Wind are also being taken over by our forces. Our administrative personnel have entered with the army and have begun the transition of local governance."
"As for the Land of Wind's Daimyo and his core nobles, after the news of our frontline victory came back, they fled in panic to the Land of Fire under the protection of Konoha's Ninja. From this day forward, there will no longer be a Land of Wind in the Ninja World."
Her voice was not loud, but it struck Onoki's heart like a heavy hammer.
'The Land of Wind, which had existed for hundreds of years, and Sunagakure, one of the Five Great Ninja Villages, had actually been completely wiped out in just these few short days?'
'This lightning-fast speed of annexation...'
As if seeing the shock and fear in Onoki's heart, Minato spoke up in a timely manner, his tone still calm. "However, the situation with the Land of Earth is different, Third Tsuchikage-sama, you can rest assured for now. The Land of Stars currently has no intention of fully annexing the Land of Earth."
Onoki sharply looked up, a flash of surprise and doubt in his eyes.
Minato's words were not empty.
This was the result of the final discussion Menma had with Minato, Hikari, Kanon, and others via the Chakra Network when the war ended.
Annexing the Land of Wind, with its population of over ten million and vast territory, had already utilized most of the administrative talent reserves the Land of Stars had accumulated over the years. The subsequent social transformation, ideological integration, and economic development would require the investment of massive resources and energy.
Especially for the Land of Wind's environment, Menma planned to use extensive afforestation and terrain modification to connect the oases in the desert, forming oasis corridors, and then gradually transform the desert, curbing desertification. This project would be enormous and would take years, even decades.
Meanwhile, the Land of Earth's population was estimated to be over thirty million, with an even larger and more complex territory. Given the Land of Stars' current foundation, forcibly annexing two great nations simultaneously would be like a snake trying to swallow an elephant, extremely likely to cause indigestion, even triggering internal turmoil and the covetous eyes of the external Land of Fire and Land of Lightning.
Therefore, Menma proposed a more long-term strategy: implement a 'gradual digestion' of the Land of Earth.
First, through the treaty, annex five border provinces in the eastern part of the Land of Earth adjacent to the Land of Stars. This amounted to roughly a quarter of the Land of Earth's territory and a fifth of its population.
Although the resources in this area weren't particularly rich, its strategic location was important and relatively easy to control.
Second, force the Land of Earth as a whole to become a vassal state of the Land of Stars, with Iwagakure downgraded to a military subordinate of the Land of Stars.
In the following period, the Land of Stars would concentrate its efforts on digesting the newly acquired Land of Wind's territory and these five border provinces. Simultaneously, it would infiltrate the ideological system of the [Will of the Star] into the Land of Earth through various channels, supporting grassroots forces, with the ultimate goal of promoting a bottom-up social revolution within the Land of Earth.
The Land of Earth would become the first large-scale testing ground for the export of the Land of Stars' ideals.
Soon, both sides were seated in the spacious and solemn conference room.
At the negotiating table, Minato, representing the Land of Stars, directly pushed a pre-drafted treaty text towards Onoki.
Onoki took a deep breath, picked up the document, and merely skimmed the first few clauses before fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.
The treaty consisted of nineteen articles. Its harshness and extensive scope far exceeded his imagination:
The Land of Earth cedes the five eastern provinces of Rinsen, Sekisen, Hotari, Kokugan, and Akatsuka to the Land of Stars.
The Land of Earth and its Ninja Village, Iwagakure, acknowledge the suzerainty of the Land of Stars, becoming a vassal state and vassal Ninja Village of the Land of Stars.
The Land of Earth must pay a huge war indemnity to the Land of Stars, to be paid in installments over twenty years.
For the main mineral resources, which included but not limited to Chakra conductive metals, rare minerals, etc., already discovered or to be discovered within the Land of Earth's territory, the Land of Stars has priority exploration and mining rights. The Land of Earth must provide convenience.
The Land of Stars has the right to build and operate railways and ancillary facilities throughout the entire territory of the Land of Earth. The Land of Earth must provide land and ensure security.
The Land of Earth must fully open its market to the Land of Stars. Goods from the Land of Stars enjoy most-favored-nation treatment. Tariffs shall be set through negotiation between the two parties.
The Land of Stars' Ministry of Education has the freedom to disseminate its approved ideologies and culture within the Land of Earth's territory, the 'right of propagation'… and the Land of Earth shall not interfere.
The Land of Stars has the right to station a permanent military advisory group in Iwagakure to provide 'guidance' and reform for Iwagakure's organization, training, and combat philosophy, making it more 'militarized' and 'standardized'.
The key departments of the Land of Earth's central and local governments, like administrative, financial, judicial, military, must employ advisors assigned or approved by the Land of Stars. Major decisions require the consent of the advisors.
When Iwagakure mobilizes a Ninja Force of more than ten people for a mission, whether inside or outside the territory, it must report in advance to the Land of Stars' advisory group stationed in Iwagakure and obtain approval.