The world of ninja has never truly known peace.
But a piece of news dropped like a comet, stunning everyone into speechless shock. A moment of silence was immediately replaced by an even deeper wave of disbelief:
The Land of Water had surrendered.
It was said that even the Daimyo had been reluctant, but after witnessing the state of Kirigakure with his own eyes, he chose to surrender without hesitation. Like Kirigakure itself, the Land of Water's Daimyo had no ability to resist.
As the name implies, the Land of Water is composed mostly of seas and waterways. Normally, these were natural barriers. But if someone could wield the power of water without restraint, there would be no way to fight back.
Unless, of course, they could find someone capable of filling the entire ocean.
Clearly, that was impossible.
Thus, Kirigakure's surrender was only natural.
Everyone in the Land of Water understood the situation, but it would take quite some time for this news to spread beyond their shores. The region was extremely isolated; spies from the other hidden villages would need significant time to verify what had happened.
Regardless, when the Daimyo of the Land of Water and the Third Mizukage jointly issued an official proclamation, the world shook.
At first, there was a gentle ripple of reaction. Then, after a brief pause, all the major ninja villages immediately dispatched spies to the Land of Water.
They couldn't comprehend it. How could Kirigakure, one of the Five Great Hidden Villages, surrender so easily? How could the Senju clan force them to bow?
No one knew what the Senju's true power was. Earlier, Chiyo of Sunagakure and Onoki of Iwagakure had chosen to retreat without a fight. Even just the rumor that Kirigakure had become a vassal to the Senju clan was enough to make everyone uneasy.
Meanwhile, Amegakure remained firmly under Senju control.
"I thought Master Yukika would personally deal with any trouble. I didn't expect that just one piece of news could scare off two Kage," White Fang said.
In the lands controlled by the Senju, White Fang had returned to Snowfield Palace, eating grilled meat with Orochimaru in the gourmet plaza. He sipped his wine happily, recalling the chaos of his first trip to Amegakure, when even Onoki had refused to stay.
"Yukika's thoughts aren't something we can easily guess," Orochimaru said calmly.
Still, he had an idea.
Indeed, Senju Yukika's strength was enough to change the war in the Land of Rain. But Yukika had chosen not to use violence. Clearly, he had plans.
It wasn't out of clumsiness or the influence of the Senju clan.
A major internal reform was underway within the Senju clan, and it would take time. Even just improving the clan's physical capabilities was a massive undertaking.
Thus, the Senju had entered a period of seclusion.
At this point, they had no desire to participate in the dangerous Second Great Ninja War any further.
With most of the interests of the Land of Rain, Fire Country, and Water Country now under their control, they could not spare the manpower to manage or dispatch elsewhere.
Strength was key.
When the Senju completed their metamorphosis, that would be the time to act.
According to Yukika, the Senju would shine brightly in the wars to come. Swords. Hollow armies. Thousands of Senju using Cero together.
Such a sight.
Orochimaru was extremely curious.
Though he wondered why Yukika was so certain there would be war, following Yukika had never been wrong before. War was, after all, the only true driver of change in the ninja world — or so that man often said.
"By the way, Master Yukika mentioned something important will be announced tonight," White Fang said, glancing at Orochimaru with suspicion.
It hadn't been long since the last clan meeting. The Senju's development path was already set. So what now?
"It relates to the Senju's experience," Orochimaru said with a light sigh. "Yukika didn't tell me much."
At Snowfield Palace.
Sitting atop his throne, Yukika sipped wine brought by a small maid, lounging comfortably as he pondered.
If nothing changed, the sudden surrender of the Land of Water would cause the entire war to stall.
The benefits of the Land of Rain might still tempt the villages, but prolonged fighting there was hopeless. They would eventually declare victory after a stalemate.
In a way, they would have won — Hanzo's Amegakure was no more.
Yet everyone knew: apart from heavy casualties, the Senju had gained little tangible reward.
Sometimes, wars were fought for influence, not material gain. Participation proved strength; abstaining invited marginalization.
This was an unwritten rule of the ninja world.
Thus, the war's end was inevitable.
Yukika had already outlined several future plans for the Senju. Most resources now came directly from the Fire Country's Daimyo.
Any complaints?
Just destroy the so-called royal bloodlines. They would have no choice but to comply.
Yukika had already sent people to take over the Land of Water; no problems were expected in the short term.
Compared to Amegakure, the Land of Rain was poor, but strategically valuable. Holding Amegakure gave Senju a major advantage over the Fire, Earth, and Wind countries.
Combined with reparations from Kumogakure, the Senju wouldn't lack resources for rapid development.
No more worrying about sustaining Snowfield Palace.
The time for full-scale growth had come!
Yukika twirled his wine glass and winked at the little cat.
The puppet, long used to Yukika's teasing, knelt obediently beside him, massaging his shoulders, serving wine. Nothing improper.
Yukika's mind raced. He opened the system interface.