Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, a month had passed since Aoki crushed the Land of Lightning. During this month, following Aoki's instructions, Konoha officially began the full-scale integration of the Land of Lightning.
The Land of Lightning's technological level was clearly a cut above the Land of Fire's. This technological gap was not only evident in the present but also held immense potential for future development.
For instance, in the Boruto storyline, when meteorites fell towards the villages, causing a crisis, the other Hidden Villages relied on Ninjutsu to intercept them. Only Kumogakure directly activated its Chakra Cannon, completely shattering the meteorite in a single blast.
This was proof enough that Kumogakure's technology far surpassed that of the other Hidden Villages, to the point where it could be considered ahead of its time.
Therefore, Aoki had no other desires for the Land of Lightning except to gain complete control of its technology. This alone would be enough to bring about a qualitative leap in Konoha's national power.
In addition, Aoki had stationed several elite Konoha Jonin in Kumogakure, specifically to manage the surviving Kumogakure ninja from the Super Spiral Rasengan's attack. They made significant contributions to the smooth integration of the Land of Lightning.
By this time, Aoki had already delegated most of his political duties. All office work, document approvals, and policy-making were efficiently handled by Pakura and Tsunade, whom he had appointed to assist Minato. Because of this, Aoki was completely freed from the tedious daily work of the Hokage.
But this leisure was shattered by a sudden reminder from Pakura. She recalled that Aoki had planned to start improving the environment of the Land of Wind half a month ago, but it had been repeatedly delayed due to the campaign against Kumogakure.
Now that the war was over, Aoki immediately decided to head to the Land of Wind to resolve the matter. Without further hesitation, he activated his Heavenly Hand Power, wrapped an arm around Pakura's waist, and vanished from the office in an instant.
After the two left, Tsunade, who was processing documents, looked at the empty office, feeling both angry and envious, silently cursing that bastard for dumping a pile of scrolls on her.
Nearby, Minato stood with a smile on his lips, watching this little office episode with great interest.
"What are you smiling at, you brat?"
"It's nothing, Lady Tsunade."
During this time, Minato had been dating a girl from the Uzumaki Clan, one he had rescued from the Land of Grass.
When Aoki appeared with Pakura in the Sand Hidden Village's main administrative building, Rasa and Chiyo, who had been eagerly awaiting them, immediately came forward to greet them warmly.
Aoki raised a hand, signaling that there was no need for formalities, as this visit was his own initiative. Having recently mastered the combined abilities of the Rinnegan and Tenseigan, he was determined to completely change the environment of the Land of Wind.
After all, this was now his territory. And he was quite satisfied with Rasa and Chiyo's dedicated efforts during this period.
Aoki began to mobilize all the Chakra in his body, preparing to perform the Six Paths Sage's unique Secret Technique.
Back then, the Six Paths Sage had used this very technique to shape mountains and rivers, create the moon, and perform numerous other miracles. The most well-known of these was using it to create the Nine Tailed Beasts.
This was the Creation of All Things Technique, which could reshape the very essence of existence by manipulating the two sides of Chakra: Yin and Yang. Yin Release represented spiritual energy, while Yang Release represented physical energy. By harmonizing and utilizing these two fundamental forces, one could create, shape, and even transform matter and life at will.
Under the power of Aoki's ability, the once barren desert began to transform. Green trees shot up from the ground, clear rivers meandered through the land, and flowers and grasses grew wantonly, turning the desolate earth into a vibrant oasis. The entire landscape of the Land of Wind underwent a cataclysmic change, with only a small patch of desert remaining near the gold mines.
Although performing this technique exhausted all of Aoki's strength, he was hailed by the people of the Land of Wind as a true miracle worker. Rasa and Chiyo once again swore their allegiance, vowing to follow Aoki to the death, grateful to him for transforming this once barren land into a habitable paradise.
Meanwhile, the Hidden Stone Village, completely surrounded by Konoha's grand army, was deathly silent and devoid of life. Tsuchikage Onoki anxiously awaited Konoha's response to his request for peace talks, but there was no news.
Kitsuchi reported to him that the surrounding smaller nations had either surrendered to Konoha or been conquered by it. Although the Hidden Mist Village remained isolated due to its coastal location and isolationist policy, it had its own problems to deal with. Now, in the entire Ninja World, only Iwagakure was still putting up a futile resistance. This made being an Iwagakure ninja a high-risk, no-reward profession.
And now, Iwagakure couldn't even get any missions. As peace gradually settled over the world, no one would spend money to hire ninja for protection anymore.
Most of the village's ninja were idle in the mountains, and their food supplies were about to run out. One problem after another confronted Onoki, making him feel that his position as the Third Tsuchikage was becoming precarious.
Seeing no response from Konoha, Onoki realized that dragging this out would only lead to a dead end. Konoha didn't even need to make a move; Iwagakure was already being slowly strangled, heading towards its demise.
With resources scarce and completely encircled by Konoha, Onoki finally made up his mind to take the initiative and go to Konoha himself.
After the group set out, they reached the territory of the former Land of Grass to the left of the Land of Earth, and Onoki's eyes lit up. The entire Land of Grass was teeming with life, a stark contrast to the devastated Land of Earth.
The closer they got to Konoha, the more peaceful and prosperous the scenery became, and the towns they passed through grew increasingly flourishing.
When Onoki finally arrived at Konoha and saw the magnificent gate and the bustling streets, he was completely stunned. The scale and prosperity of this city far exceeded his imagination. He couldn't believe this was the same Leaf Village he had visited in his youth. Even Kitsuchi beside him, who had been to Konoha before, had a look of disbelief on his face.
But looking at the clear Konoha symbol on the gate, the two had to confirm that they were in the right place. After registering at the gate and entering Konoha, the news of Onoki's visit was immediately reported to Aoki by the Anbu.
Aoki was somewhat surprised that Onoki would come in person. He had originally planned to leave Iwagakure hanging for a while before slowly persuading Onoki to merge with Konoha, just like the Sand Hidden Village. But Onoki's unexpected visit completely changed the situation.
Aoki instructed the Anbu to first take Onoki and Kitsuchi for a walk around Konoha. He believed that after personally experiencing Konoha's prosperity and achievements, Onoki would have a clearer understanding of the gap between Iwagakure and Konoha. The Anbu only needed to observe from the side and then bring the two to see him.
Onoki and Kitsuchi walked through the bustling streets of Konoha, seeing the faces of ninja, civilians, and tourists alike filled with confident and happy smiles. Onoki knew in his heart that this prosperity was all of Konoha's making.
When he saw former Sand Hidden Village puppeteers now working side-by-side with Konoha's puppeteers, exchanging insights, a vision of a prosperous, unified Ninja World slowly formed in his mind, further strengthening his resolve.
Onoki immediately stopped wandering and led Kitsuchi straight to Aoki's office. Looking at the young Aoki before him, Onoki couldn't help but feel the sigh of time making one old. His tone was respectful as he directly acknowledged all of the Fourth Hokage's achievements. Despite the age difference, his heart was filled with admiration.
"Lord Fourth Hokage, I hope you can discuss the future of Iwagakure with me."
Onoki began humbly, directly expressing his desire to discuss Iwagakure's merger with Konoha.
As soon as he finished speaking, he stated the purpose of his visit, his attitude humble and respectful throughout. Aoki, who already held great respect for Onoki, didn't put on any airs and responded readily.
"Then let's have a good talk!"
Aoki agreed and ordered everyone else in the office to leave, giving the two of them space to be alone. Kitsuchi and Pakura also walked out of the office, leaving only Aoki and Onoki to talk in private.
No one knew the specific content of this conversation. It was only known that when Onoki finally walked out of the office, he had a satisfied smile on his face. After Onoki and Kitsuchi returned to Iwagakure, the decision they made together soon spread throughout the entire Ninja World.
[Effective immediately, the Land of Earth is officially merged into the Land of Fire! The Hidden Stone Village will unconditionally merge with Konoha!]
Inside the Hidden Mist Village, Black Zetsu and "Madara Uchiha" were completely dumbfounded. To this day, Madara was still plotting his grand plan to unify the Ninja World, but a young kid had achieved this goal right before his very eyes.
"That old red-nosed geezer was the hardest stone I've ever seen, yet even he willingly submitted to Konoha. It seems only the Hidden Mist is left now."
The fear in Black Zetsu's heart reached its peak. He knew the origin of the Rinnegan and had even gone to the Land of Lightning to investigate. At this moment, he even began to suspect that Aoki wasn't human at all, but belonged to the Otsutsuki Clan, just like his mother.
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