Naruto: Reborn as Orochimaru

The Fourth Raikage spoke calmly, but his tone was filled with helplessness and unwillingness.

As a Kage, failing to protect his village was a pain that only a few could understand.

There had always been a delicate balance between the Five Great Nations.

Even though their military strengths varied, any attempt to capture another village would ultimately result in heavy losses for both sides.

But now—

Orochimaru's overwhelming power had completely shattered that balance.

Everyone had anticipated this possibility, but despite their best efforts, they had been powerless to stop it.

Even when they had joined forces to hunt Orochimaru down, they had failed completely.

And as for why the Fourth Raikage surrendered?

Before launching his attack on Kumogakure, Orochimaru had already shown the Third Raikage the full extent of his forces.

So, the Third Raikage understood exactly what they were up against.

Konoha's elite shinobi, an army of clones, tailed beasts, and even Akatsuki's most dangerous criminals…

The sheer scale of Orochimaru's power had driven the Third Raikage to despair.

The strength of the Six Paths was far beyond the realm of ordinary shinobi.

And in this era, without saviors like Naruto and Sasuke, Orochimaru was simply unstoppable.

A Kage was expected to risk their life to protect their village.

But when the power gap was so insurmountable, was it worth throwing their lives away in a hopeless battle?

That would be nothing but foolishness.

If there had been even the slightest chance, the Fourth Raikage would have fought to the end.

But in this situation?

That would be pointless self-destruction.

Orochimaru, who understood human nature all too well, had played his strategy perfectly.

Rather than forcing surrender directly, he had first convinced the Third Raikage to accept the reality of their situation.

Then, the Third Raikage had conveyed this understanding to his son, making it easier for the hot-tempered Fourth Raikage to accept defeat.

And of course.

The most crucial factor was Orochimaru's promise.

If Kumogakure surrendered, he would spare the lives of its shinobi.

This was the same promise he had made to the Third Raikage before his death.

The Third Raikage knew that given Orochimaru's power, there was no need for him to lie to a dead man.

So, for the future of Kumogakure, he had chosen to compromise.

The Kumo shinobi felt frustrated and humiliated seeing their once-proud Raikage forced to bow before someone else.

But the truth was undeniable.

They could not defeat Konoha.

They could not defeat Orochimaru.

"Raikage, you—"

"Enough."

The Fourth Raikage raised a hand, cutting off Tsunade's words.

"Victory and defeat are absolute, Hokage. My life is in your hands."

"Lord Raikage!!"

"Damn it…!"

"Brother!!"

The Fourth Raikage's unwavering surrender left Bee and the others seething with anger and humiliation.

If they could, they would gladly take his place.

But they knew.

Shinobi from a defeated village are never trusted.

And in a conquered nation, if someone had to be sacrificed, the first to go would always be the Kage.

Tsunade turned to look at Orochimaru.

For some reason, despite being strong-willed and decisive, whenever Orochimaru was present, she instinctively sought his opinion.

Orochimaru, noticing her gaze, smirked.

"Don't look at me. Just make your decision."

"No matter what you decide, I'll support you."

"Oh?"

Tsunade was briefly stunned, then let out a small, moved smile.

"You really are something…"

Taking a deep breath, she turned back to the Fourth Raikage.

"For now, go back to your village."

There was no question, Tsunade could not kill the Raikage.

Because if she did, it would only provoke a violent backlash from the remaining Kumo shinobi.

That would be more trouble than it was worth.

Taking control of Kumogakure had to be done carefully.

After all, conquering the ninja world was far easier than governing it.

Force alone could help one conquer nations.

But to rule them?

That required far more than just power.

Managing the newly conquered Kumogakure was now a major challenge.

From what Orochimaru remembered, history showed that after a victorious conquest, the entire military of the defeated nation was often wiped out even those who surrendered had grim fates.

In other words, the most loyal and defiant shinobi of Kumogakure would need to be executed.

But doing that would never be something Tsunade would accept.

Nor would Konoha.

So, Orochimaru left the matter to her.

He trusted that with Tsunade's abilities, she would find a way to handle the situation.

As for the Fourth Raikage, he returned to Kumogakure with Bee and his loyal followers, preparing to convince the rest of the village to surrender peacefully.

Watching him leave, Tsunade suddenly asked.

"Orochimaru, what's the situation in the other countries?"

She knew that Kumogakure was not his only target.

Orochimaru responded calmly.

"No need to mention the small nations."

"Among the Five Great Nations… only Iwagakure remains."

"Oh? So Iwagakure is the only one left?"

"What about Sunagakure?"

"Rasa has already surrendered."

"Once you're ready to take over the village, you can head there anytime."

His casual tone stunned Tsunade and the others.

Sunagakure surrendered?

When did that happen?!

Before they could even process the information, Orochimaru had already left.

Kirigakure's Mizukage had already allied with Orochimaru.

Sunagakure and Kumogakure had been forced into submission.

News of this shook the entire shinobi world.

And in Iwagakure—

Upon receiving the news, the Iwa shinobi realized their fate was sealed.

They knew they were next.

As the Tsuchikage, Ōnoki had considered every possible countermeasure.

But when he personally witnessed the battlefield, he understood Orochimaru's overwhelming power.

An army of jōnin-level clones.

Akatsuki's most dangerous shinobi.

And the man standing in his way, his own mentor, the Second Tsuchikage, resurrected through Edo Tensei.

Every single force they faced was beyond troublesome.

Ōnoki stood atop the highest rooftop, staring into the distance.

"Is this truly the fate of the ninja world?"

He had always known that Orochimaru would be the one to break the balance.

But he never expected this day to come so soon.

BOOM!

A massive explosion shook the outskirts of Iwagakure, sending a mushroom cloud into the sky.

Ōnoki didn't even flinch.

He knew.

Now that Kumogakure had fallen.

Orochimaru would be coming for Iwagakure next.

Taking a deep breath, he turned to his son.

"Kitsuchi, come with me."

"We're going to meet the man they now call a legend."

***

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