A New Snake In The Shinobi World

Outside Iwagakure, a dense crowd of people stood gathered.

With Kumogakure having announced its surrender, Orochimaru naturally mobilized all his forces here.

So, present here were not only the tailed beasts and the clone army but also representatives from other villages. Yahiko stood as the representative of Amegakure, while Tsunade represented Konohagakure.

It could be said that various forces of the ninja world had converged in this place.

The nuclear bomb-like explosion just moments ago had been a Tailed Beast Bomb, unleashed by the Nine-Tails under Orochimaru's orders simply for amusement.

In truth, Orochimaru could have easily crushed any village with his own strength, especially when supported by the Akatsuki and the tailed beasts.

The reason he involved Tsunade was merely to have more people available for governance and administrative work after their inevitable defeat.

Otherwise, to ensure smoother control, Orochimaru might have resorted to extreme methods, such as the large-scale execution of enemy shinobi.

After all, as Orochimaru once told Tsunade: only through death can one eliminate the risk of betrayal.

He had anticipated this moment, but the sheer size of the force and the obedient tailed beasts still caught him off guard.

As the distance closed, Orochimaru's pale face and long, flowing hair came into view.

"Orochimaru… as expected, you're the one standing at the top in the end," Ōnoki said, his tone heavy.

The moment he had tried and failed to kill Orochimaru, barely escaping with his life, Ōnoki had foreseen this outcome.

"No need for small talk." Orochimaru's lips curved into a faint smile. "You know the situation. So, Ōnoki… will you fight or surrender?"

The question was blunt, leaving no room for ambiguity. The decision was Ōnoki's to make.

"Do I even have a choice?" Ōnoki replied with a bitter smile.

Orochimaru had mastered Edo Tensei, commanded an army of clones, and controlled all nine tailed beasts.

With his Six Paths-level strength and the Akatsuki's combat power at his disposal, who could hope to stand against him?

Certainly not Iwagakure.

The image of Orochimaru easily dismantling his Jinton: Genkai Hakuri no Jutsu remained vivid in Ōnoki's mind.

"You're right." Orochimaru's voice remained casual. "Death might not frighten a Kage, but knowing your decisions led to your village's destruction… That's a weight no Kage wants to bear."

"Indeed." Ōnoki's eyes darkened. "But before I surrender, Orochimaru, I want to ask one thing."

"Go ahead."

"What do you intend to do with Iwagakure?"

"Sorry, but I can't answer that. It's a decision for you to make."

"For us to decide…?"

"Precisely. Since you've agreed to surrender, I'll be straightforward." Orochimaru paused briefly. "In a month, a summit will be held in the Land of Iron. The Kage and leaders of every village are expected to attend."

"I see… Then I'll be there," Ōnoki said with resignation.

"Good. Let's go."

With that, Orochimaru gave a simple gesture, and his vast forces began withdrawing in an orderly fashion.

Nagato had once sought to use the tailed beasts to resurrect the Ten-Tails and subdue the world through fear.

Now, Orochimaru had achieved the same feat but with far greater power.

He had captured all nine tailed beasts, commanded both the clone army and the Edo Tensei army, and held the full strength of Konoha as his foundation.

Faced with such an overwhelming force, the other villages had no choice but to surrender.

The news of Iwagakure's surrender soon spread like wildfire across the ninja world.

With all five great villages submitting to Konoha's dominance, the next step was to decide how this new world order would be governed.

To that end, Orochimaru had arranged the upcoming Kage Summit.

This was not a typical Gokage Kaidan (Five Kage Summit).

It was, in fact, a global ninja summit, heralding the dawn of a unified shinobi world.

The meeting was scheduled for September 1, Year 53 of the Konoha Calendar, in the Land of Iron.

Why choose the Land of Iron?

Because it was the only nation that had consistently remained neutral throughout the ninja world's conflicts. Orochimaru needed a third-party witness to legitimize the meeting's outcome.

The Land of Iron, with its perpetually snowy climate, was governed by samurai rather than shinobi. Its culture, authority, and military strength remained independent from the villages of the ninja world.

Mifune, the leader of the Land of Iron, would serve as the summit's presiding official.

In the past, Kage summits had been called only in times of major disputes or critical decisions.

But this time, attendance was mandatory.

Two historical summits stood out in memory.

The first was the initial Gokage Kaidan, attended by the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama.

At that summit, Hashirama had proposed the equal distribution of tailed beasts among the great nations to maintain balance and prevent war.

While initially skeptical, the other Kage were eventually moved by Hashirama's sincerity, and the agreement brought a temporary end to the era of constant warfare.

The second was the summit before the Fourth Great Ninja War, called by the Fourth Raikage after believing Sasuke had killed Bee.

That summit had originally been intended to demand accountability from the other Kage for harboring Akatsuki's rogue ninjas.

However, Obito's sudden appearance and declaration of war turned the meeting's focus toward forming the Allied Shinobi Forces.

This time, however, the summit was not convened out of conflict or necessity.

It was Orochimaru's declaration of a new world order.

While the notice came from Konoha, the true mastermind was Orochimaru. His goal was clear: the complete and irreversible unification of the ninja world.

As the days passed, villages hurried to make preparations.

Ten days before the summit, Kage from the various nations began traveling to the Land of Iron, each accompanied by their most trusted guards.

They all understood one thing:

This summit would bring about an earth-shaking transformation to the world as they knew it.

***

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