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"The mission failed? I understand. That's all for now."
Kakashi listened calmly to Uchiha Itachi's report, showing no strong emotions.
It was just Orochimaru after all.
This was a critical period for the annexation of Wind Country, and as the village's strongest fighter, Kakashi couldn't afford to be running around everywhere. Even with Ye Wen's wisdom helping him delegate authority and handle administrative duties, he was still stretched thin.
If Orochimaru really wanted to cause trouble, it would only take a few moves to deal with him.
"However," Kakashi's eyes lowered slightly.
"Akatsuki, an organization gathering more than five S-rank missing-nin, with the goal of collecting tailed beasts to intimidate the ninja world and create a so-called peaceful world…
Their courage is commendable, but their naivety is staggering. Just five S-rank missing-nin daring to mess with the lifeblood of the Five Great Shinobi Villages? Suna might be weak, but the other major villages aren't pushovers."
Based on the intelligence extracted from Sasori, Kakashi had already grasped the true threat posed by Akatsuki.
After all, S-rank missing-nin were equivalent to the highest combat power in each village—the Kage level. Aside from Konoha, no other major village could boast more than three S-rank fighters.
In the past, Kakashi barely qualified as S-rank. But that was then. Now, Kakashi had far surpassed his former self. If one were to define Kakashi's current strength, it would be at the "Six Paths Level"—a godly realm surpassing even the upper echelons of Kage-level power.
"A minor nuisance. After dealing with the affairs of the Five Great Nations, we'll clean up Akatsuki in Amegakure."
Just as Kakashi was about to conclude and return to his work, a divine light suddenly filled the vast office.
Sensing this power, which shared the same origin as the divine strength bestowed upon him, Kakashi immediately knelt down in reverence.
The other high-ranking members of Konoha present were momentarily stunned. Though they didn't know why Kakashi had suddenly acted this way, given the extraordinary phenomenon and the aura emanating from him, they quickly followed suit, mimicking his actions.
"Kakashi, for the stability of the ninja world, go and capture all members of Akatsuki."
As the voice faded, a beam of divine light shot into Kakashi's forehead. A surge of information flowed through his mind, causing the usually composed Kakashi to widen his eyes in disbelief.
"Yes, I humbly obey your divine command."
Kakashi responded respectfully. The phenomenon then vanished, and everything returned to normal.
Though work continued smoothly, the eyes of the high-ranking officials present gleamed with awe. What Kakashi had said and done had already convinced them of the existence of a divine being.
But this mysterious and unfathomable power left even these elite ninja deeply shaken. What had just happened was clearly not an illusion. Moreover, the profound energy they had felt had healed some of the lingering injuries from their younger days when they overused chakra in battle. This was nothing short of a miracle.
Among the gathered officials, Uchiha Itachi was the most deeply moved. When he had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, he had been destined to walk a path of darkness.
But after being bathed in that divine light, the vision loss and fatigue caused by using the Mangekyō Sharingan were instantly healed. Not only that, his ocular power had grown even stronger.
As Itachi left the office, he gently touched his eyes.
"This is what it means to be a 'god'? Such power is truly enviable."
Originally, Kakashi had planned to methodically annex Wind Country. However, having received Ye Wen's divine oracle, his methods became much more ruthless.
Drawing from the experience in Fire Country, Kakashi had come to deeply realize that nobles were the cancer of this world.
This time, Kakashi didn't bother with the leniency he had shown in Fire Country. He directly imprisoned the corrupt nobles—those guilty beyond redemption were executed, while the good ones were stripped of their titles and reduced to commoners.
In less than a month, Kakashi completed the annexation of Wind Country.
Thus, Fire Country and Wind Country officially stepped out of the history of the ninja world, making way for a new nation to take root and flourish on this land.
Its name—The Holy Nation.
Though Konoha worked tirelessly to suppress news of what had transpired within its borders, ninja were inherently skilled at concealment and intelligence gathering.
In no time, the daimyos of the entire ninja world were thrown into panic. They increased funding to their respective hidden villages and simultaneously declared war on Konoha. After all, the land belonged to the daimyos, and they would never tolerate such an outrageous usurpation of their authority.
On the surface, the major hidden villages feigned compliance, condemning Konoha's actions as evil and supporting their daimyos' stance. At the same time, they issued declarations of war against Konoha.
However—
The war didn't actually break out. The atmosphere in the ninja world grew increasingly strange.
Konoha's example had proven that the ninja system was fully capable of replacing the feudal lords. So why continue to endure their oppression?
The major hidden villages began to contemplate, watching to see how Konoha would proceed. Though Konoha was strong, if it were to launch attacks on the remaining three great nations, those nations would undoubtedly unite and retaliate. After three Shinobi World Wars, they knew each other's strengths and weaknesses all too well.
As for Sunagakure—hah, it had always been the weakest of the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
Even Kirigakure, still infamous for its Bloody Mist policies, didn't consider it a threat. If Suna disappeared, so be it.
Moreover, Wind Country's land was notoriously barren. And since Konoha wasn't outright slaughtering its people but instead opting to assimilate them, this would tie up a significant portion of Konoha's resources, giving the other three major villages time to sit back, observe, and learn.
Unsurprisingly, intelligence regarding Konoha's upcoming campaign against Amegakure soon appeared on the desks of the major powers across the ninja world.
Ōnoki, the Third Tsuchikage, frowned as he studied the report. Though nearing seventy, he was renowned as one of the strongest and shrewdest individuals in the ninja world.
"What is Konoha up to? This isn't the era of Hanzō anymore. Why are they picking a fight with some insignificant little village?
If they really wanted to attack Kumogakure or my Iwagakure, wouldn't it be easier to approach from the smaller nations?"
Though Rain Country had once been a battlefield where Fire, Wind, and Earth converged, its constant rain and harsh environment made it far from ideal for warfare. In the past, Konoha had been forced to fight there due to Hanzō and other factors.
A, the Fourth Raikage, was famous as a muscle-bound powerhouse in the ninja world. Though not particularly thoughtful, he was sharp in his own way.
"They're just pulling tricks! This has to be a diversion. Darui, pass the order—prepare for war!"
The Land of Lightning was known for its dark-skinned populace, and Darui was one of the Fourth Raikage's secretaries and advisors.
Though skeptical of the Raikage's theory, Darui agreed after some thought. Without voicing his doubts, he quietly relayed the orders.
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