With Hanzo's death, the ninja of Amegakure completely lost their will to resist and surrendered without a fight.
Only a handful of die-hard followers continued to put up a desperate struggle, but their morale had long since collapsed. Before this group could even launch an attack, the Three Legendary Sannin executed one of them on the spot as a warning to the others.
The Konoha army led by Aoki took control of the entire Amegakure, capturing all the ninja and bringing them back to Konoha for brainwashing and recruitment. This step was absolutely necessary—they could not be allowed to become an unstable factor within Konoha. After all, how could internal strife be allowed to erupt in the midst of conquering the world?
After arranging everything, Aoki set about using Hanzo's body to craft a Six Paths Puppet. But he soon realized he had no experience in this art and would need to conduct extensive research. The abilities of the Animal Path also needed to be studied and developed as soon as possible.
Upon receiving their orders, the Three Legendary Sannin immediately carried them out without question. With the cooperation of the two clan heads, Hyuga Hiashi and Uchiha Fugaku, Konoha quickly established tight defensive fortifications. All members of the Hyuga clan were mobilized to handle surveillance in the surrounding areas.
Just as Aoki successfully conquered the Land of Rain, the Land of Whirlpools was also fully focused on constructing its frontline barriers. Now, the only remaining country in the Ninja World, the Land of Grass, was on the brink of destruction.
Minato Namikaze's expression turned grim as he witnessed the tragic state of the Whirlpool clansmen before him. Their bodies were covered in bite marks. All the adult males had perished, with only a few children managing to escape the persecution of Kusagakure. The elders had all been captured for experiments or used as live sacrifices.
The Kusagakure higher-ups who had led Minato's group to this place were now utterly terrified. They never imagined that Konoha would take action against a small country like theirs.
With Kusagakure's ninja either dead or wounded, the group of higher-ups knelt on the ground, bowing and scraping as they begged for mercy, hoping only to be spared. Minato's usually gentle and cheerful demeanor suddenly turned cold. He glanced at the Ino-Shika-Cho trio beside him, and with a shared look, they silently reached a decision.
In unspoken agreement, the Konoha ninja behind Minato brought forward the Kusagakure higher-ups. Each of them had their limbs severed, writhing and squirming on the ground like maggots.
In a cold voice, Minato declared that these higher-ups would be dealt with by their own hands—they would not be taken back to Konoha for trial, and their clansmen would never see them return.
Upon hearing Minato's words, the Konoha ninja immediately tossed down a stack of kunai. At the same time, Minato ordered the release of all the Whirlpool clansmen imprisoned in the dungeon. In the eyes of the desperate Whirlpool clansmen, a glimmer of hope suddenly ignited. The elders scrambled to grab the kunai, their gazes fixed intently on the Kusagakure higher-ups struggling on the ground.
The dungeon instantly descended into chaos, with screams rising one after another as the Whirlpool clansmen finally carried out their long-awaited revenge. Seeing this, Minato immediately ordered his subordinates to intervene and escort all the Whirlpool clansmen out of the dungeon.
The last Uzumaki clan member had just stepped out of the dungeon when a young girl threw herself into Minato's arms, clutching the hem of his clothes tightly. Minato tried to pull away a few times but couldn't pry her hands loose. In the end, she ended up dragging him forward instead. The Ino-Shika-Cho trio watched the scene unfold, unable to hold back their teasing smiles. Beneath the mud and grime on the girl's face, her eyes were strikingly beautiful.
With all the Uzumaki clan members rescued, the army led by Minato had successfully completed its mission, conquering the Land of Grass. Following Aoki's plan, Konoha had started by targeting the smaller nations around it, gradually expanding its strength. Now, three small nations had fallen under Konoha's control one after another, incorporated into its territory.
Meanwhile, the three major Hidden Villages—Stone, Sand, and Mist—which had been closely monitoring Konoha's movements, also received the news one after another. In the office of the Hidden Stone Village, a loud crash made Onoki jump in shock, letting out a pained groan.
Akatsuchi stood nearby, momentarily stunned. Onoki steadied himself and slammed the intelligence report onto the table, his heart filled with indignation. He couldn't believe Konoha had dared to so blatantly disregard the rules of the Ninja World. He had thought a Great Ninja War was imminent, but he never expected Konoha's target would be the small nations surrounding the Land of Fire.
Chiyo, temporarily in charge of the Hidden Sand Village, looked at the intelligence in her hands with a helpless expression. The Sand Hidden Village was now weakened and couldn't afford the toll of war. All she could do was watch as Konoha advanced with unstoppable momentum, her heart filled with envy. She resolved that only if the Stone Village made the first move would the Sand Village follow suit.
Upon receiving the intelligence, the Third Mizukage of the Hidden Mist Village was also furious, especially about the occupation of the Land of Whirlpools—in the Mist's eyes, the Land of Whirlpools had always been within their sphere of influence.
However, Hozuki Gengetsu advised him not to rashly send troops and instead wait to see how the Stone and Sand Villages would react. Though impulsive by nature, the Third Mizukage took this advice to heart and forcibly suppressed his anger. The Mist Village needed to first gauge the Stone Village's stance before making a decision.
Thus, all three major Hidden Villages chose to hold their positions and wait, leading to an unexpected period of peace in the Ninja World. Meanwhile, in Amegakure, Aoki's conquest mission was also successfully completed.
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