After arranging matters in the capital of the Land of Earth, Yako regrouped with Orochimaru and led the Konoha forces toward Iwagakure.
During a break while traveling, Orochimaru roughly pieced together what Fox had done in the capital and began speaking with him.
"Fox, I didn't expect you not to slaughter all the nobles in the capital."
Yako replied, "Lord Orochimaru, do I really look like the kind of ninja who kills without blinking? Slaughter all of them? That would mean killing several thousand people."
"Heh." Orochimaru sneered.
"Would numbers really stop you from killing?
For some reason, I've noticed you harbor considerable hostility toward nobles.
For over a thousand years, the shinobi world has always been ruled by Daimyo families. Everyone has grown used to their existence.
Ordinary ninja may not fear nobles, but they still maintain a basic respect for Daimyo.
Only you seem to possess a particular hatred and hostility toward Daimyo families.
You used two Dust Release attacks to wipe out the Daimyo family inside the castle. Fine, I can understand that. I thought you would appoint a puppet Daimyo afterward, but instead you established some sort of joint government.
I really can't understand what exactly you're trying to do."
Yako said:
"Ninjutsu is an important tool in our hands for reshaping nature and improving production.
Over the next few years, teleportation shrines will unleash enormous influence. The Daimyo's rotten ruling model can no longer adapt to the ever-expanding use of ninjutsu.
I have no interest in slowly persuading or reforming the Daimyo. It's simpler to kill them directly and rebuild a new social structure atop the ruins.
Lord Orochimaru, during this Third Shinobi World War, I will completely change the shinobi world.
After the war ends, the first law issued in every nation will be the Crime of Destroying Farmland.
Anyone—whether a village ninja, rogue ninja, or wandering samurai—who destroys farmland will be committing a serious offense.
In the old shinobi world, productivity was far too low. Using the high mobility provided by teleportation shrines, we can completely eliminate the destruction of productive capacity."
Orochimaru frowned, unable to understand why Fox had gone to such lengths to win the war and change the shinobi world, only to establish something called the Crime of Destroying Farmland.
And what was this "productive capacity"?
What even was that?
Orochimaru looked into the eyeholes of Fox's mask and realized Fox had no interest in explaining.
It was almost as if Fox believed Orochimaru simply could not understand these things.
At that moment, an intelligence ninja appeared with Body Flicker Technique.
"Commander-in-Chief! Lord Fox! Someone claiming to be the assistant to the Fourth Tsuchikage wishes to negotiate with you!"
Orochimaru and Fox exchanged a glance.
Neither had expected Iwagakure to select a Fourth Tsuchikage this quickly.
The two brought only a small number of subordinates and headed toward the negotiation site.
It was located at a U-shaped bend in a river valley.
The plateau soil of the Land of Earth was loose, and the great river had carved a deep gorge through it.
The scenery there was beautiful. Viewed head-on, one could only see a circular river bend.
In another world, it probably would have become some famous scenic landmark.
After arriving atop the high riverbank, Yako saw the Fourth Tsuchikage already waiting there.
"Akatsuchi?" Orochimaru's voice dripped with ridicule.
"Iwagakure truly has no one left if they made you the Fourth Tsuchikage."
Akatsuchi was, at best, an elite jōnin. He was not even Kage-level.
Without even counting Orochimaru or Fox themselves, at least four of the six aides they brought could match him.
Sometimes, great ninja villages were frighteningly fragile.
In the original timeline, Orochimaru's Konoha Crush operation, combined with Sunagakure's forces, had nearly destroyed Konoha.
At that time, Konoha's only top-tier combatants were Hiruzen Sarutobi, the mostly absent Jiraiya, and Danzō, who refused to act openly.
After Hiruzen's death, Konoha had immediately become unstable.
Had Tsunade not returned, the other villages would likely have gone from cautious probing to a full-scale invasion almost immediately.
Iwagakure was no different now.
Though it still carried the title of one of the Five Great Ninja Villages, it had become extremely fragile.
Akatsuchi closed his eyes.
After adjusting his breathing several times, he reopened them and slowly said:
"Lord Ōnoki, Lord Kitsuchi, Lord Bakura... all of them sacrificed themselves for Iwagakure.
Though my strength is lacking, I too have prepared myself to sacrifice everything for the village."
Yako let out a cold laugh.
"Then your wish is about to come true. I'll grant you a glorious sacrifice and let you become a hero of Iwagakure."
Akatsuchi's face turned ugly.
He saw Fox slowly raising his hand.
As long as a single seal was formed, Akatsuchi would die here.
"Wait! I've come to submit terms of surrender!"
Both Orochimaru and Yako were surprised.
They had assumed Akatsuchi came for peace negotiations and had already prepared for bargaining.
They had heard countless peace negotiations before.
But surrender?
That was an exceedingly rare word.
Shinobi possessed violence and were accustomed to fighting to the death. Most would rather die than give up a chance to drag the enemy down with them.
Neither Orochimaru nor Yako had mentally prepared for surrender terms.
"Oh?" Yako asked. "And how exactly do you intend to surrender?"
Seeing the interest on the faces of the two Konoha leaders, Akatsuchi secretly sighed in relief.
There was no choice but to surrender.
In previous wars, defeat simply meant a ceasefire and a retreat home to recover.
No village had truly possessed the ability to invade another great ninja village. At the brink of destruction, every village would unleash terrifying survival instincts.
But all previous experience had become meaningless in the Third Shinobi World War.
Konoha's Fox was a madman.
Killing the Third Tsuchikage was one thing.
But on the battlefield, he had slaughtered thousands of Stone ninja with a single technique.
Then, during Konoha's relentless pursuit, thousands more had died.
By the end of a single battle, Iwagakure had lost thirteen thousand ninja.
It was no exaggeration to say every household in Iwagakure was in mourning.
Fox then went on a massacre in the capital of the Land of Earth.
He shattered the long-standing rule that ninja wars did not target Daimyo and nobles.
He had even attempted to take over the Land of Earth itself.
Iwagakure had suffered catastrophic losses, and the Land of Earth had been seized by Konoha. Without the support of the nation, the village would never recover.
Fox's strategy of uprooting the very foundation of Iwagakure completely shattered the village's final line of defense.
No matter how much they hated Fox, everyone in Iwagakure understood that now was the best possible time to surrender to Konoha.
The war had changed.
Completely changed.
It was no longer a war over mission shares from minor nations.
It had become a war aimed at erasing the enemy village's very ability to survive.
Forced into desperation, Iwagakure selected Akatsuchi as the Fourth Tsuchikage to prevent the total annihilation of the village.
Akatsuchi said:
"Fox, I admit you are powerful.
But Iwagakure still has ninety thousand people.
There's no way you can kill all ninety thousand of us before exhausting yourself!"
Yako spoke calmly.
"Hard to say. Continue."
Akatsuchi froze, then completely deflated.
That was right.
If it was Fox, perhaps he really could kill all ninety thousand.
Akatsuchi lowered his gaze.
"Iwagakure is willing to accept Konoha's command. We surrender to Konoha.
Fox... we lost.
We admit defeat.
The war in the Land of Grass and the war in the Land of Earth are over."