The impact of the Five Kage Summit was immense.
Following the conclusion of the Five Kage Summit, the entire ninja world was shaken.
Firstly, the villages of Rock Village and Cloud Village officially formed an alliance, inviting all the Daimyos and ninja villages of the ninja world to jointly oppose the evil forces led by Uchiha Yoru.
Especially noteworthy were the condemnations from the Third Tsuchikage and the Fourth Raikage against Uchiha Yoru's actions, pointing out that the Akatsuki organization had long been colluding with Uchiha Yoru, even capturing the Nine Tailed Beasts at his behest.
His ultimate goal was to eliminate all the Daimyos and other ninja villages, becoming a tyrannical dictator.
This declaration unsettled the Daimyos more than the ninja villages, as Uchiha Yoru's existence had challenged their authority.
The ninja villages needed the resources of the Daimyo, and in a short time, nearly the entire ninja world rallied around the Rock-Cloud alliance.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Yoru of Konoha issued a notice.
He claimed that Rock Village and Cloud Village were in cahoots, secretly hiring the Akatsuki to collect the Tailed Beasts of the ninja world. The supposed capture of the Tailed Beasts by Rock and Cloud was merely a charade.
Of the Nine Tailed Beasts, apart from the One-Tail and Nine-Tails at Konoha, the rest had already fallen into the hands of these two villages.
Particularly, the Three-Tails and Six-Tails of Mist were already divided between them.
With this mutual accusation, the situation in the ninja world changed dramatically.
Countless ninjas began to mobilize to the front lines, and a massive amount of war supplies started to be transported.
The ninja world saw a sudden surge in food, medical supplies, and war materials.
No one anticipated the unrest in the ninja world to escalate so quickly, and most smaller ninja villages, lacking reserves, had to follow the orders of the Daimyo.
However, Konoha, Mist, and Sand, as if anticipating this, had secretly stockpiled vast resources over the years.
Under these rapidly changing circumstances, the situation was on the brink of exploding.
The once formidable Akatsuki organization quickly became a pawn in the conflicts between ninja villages.
Especially after Konoha revealed evidence of Rock Village repeatedly hiring the Akatsuki, leaving the old man Onoki very frustrated, feeling utterly bullied.
The scent of gunpowder for war was rising, and a great ninja war was imminent.
Moreover, everyone in the ninja world understood one thing clearly: this war would be more brutal than the previous three Great Ninja Wars.
This time, all countries of the ninja world were involved, with all ninja villages and even the powers of the Daimyos mobilizing.
…
Konoha.
As the scent of war loomed, the once peaceful atmosphere within the village began to grow heavy.
Tsunade, Terumi Mei, and Pakura, the three of them, were continuously gathering ninja troops and starting to deploy.
In the office of the Hokage.
A map of the ninja world was hanging down, and almost all of the Jonin who could come from the village were there, each of them looking solemnly at the map.
Uchiha Yoru stood in front of the map, calmly pointing in the direction of the Cloud Village.
"Everyone, of the nine great tailed beasts in the ninja world, seven have now fallen into the hands of the rogue ninja Obito. According to clear intelligence, this villain has now sided with the Cloud Village and Rock Village, so this time we are facing as many as seven tailed beasts."
"Combined, the Rock Village and Cloud Village have an army of fifty thousand ninjas. Additionally, summoning the forces of all the ninja villages and the daimyos' troops, the number of ninjas has jumped to one hundred thousand."
When hearing the number of one hundred thousand ninjas, each Jonin present showed a solemn expression. Although the smaller ninja villages may not be powerful, they understood the principle that many ants can kill an elephant.
"However, everyone, do not worry. In terms of the quantity and quality of upper-level Jonin, we have gathered the strongest ninja villages of the Konoha, Sand, and Mist, and we are not afraid of these one hundred thousand miscellaneous soldiers in terms of high-end combat power."
Most of the upper-level Jonin then turned their eyes to Uchiha Yoru and other Kage-level powerhouses. They murmured to themselves that the number of mid to upper-level Jonin they had added up at most to a small proportion, but in terms of Kage-level and above combat power, they indeed held an absolute advantage.
"Here and here, send more troops, and I announce that all Jonin-level ninjas can first learn an A-rank ninja technique, Chunin can select two B-rank ninja techniques, and Genin three C-rank ninja techniques. You must learn them as quickly as possible."
"Yes!"
Looking at the crowd, Uchiha Yoru confidently smiled and said, "Everyone, if we do not fight this battle, then our descendants will. So for the future of the ninja world, for our descendants to live under a peaceful sky! Fight!"
"Fight!"
Countless Jonin shouted in unison, aware that this battle was different from the previous great ninja wars.
This time their opponent was the entire ninja world, and their goal was also the entire ninja world. Once they conquered the entire ninja world, would there still be enemies in the ninja world? Without enemies, there will be peace in the ninja world, and their descendants will no longer have to experience war. This was the simple thought of these ninjas.
"Everyone, prepare!"
"Yes!"
The great war machines of the Konoha, Mist, and Sand ninja villages began to move, and some disturbances in the daimyos' residences were directly extinguished by a great fire.
Uchiha Yoru immediately denounced the despicable actions of the Rock and Cloud villages, who secretly attacked the daimyos of the Fire, Water, and Wind countries.
The pre-war bickering between the two powers had already begun.
…
Uchiha Police Department, Prison.
In the text, Kakuzu, Hidan, Sasori, and Deidara are imprisoned, following the Five Kage Summit in the Land of Iron which led to the Akatsuki's split. Nagato, weakened and without his Rinnegan, is taken away by Konan. Meanwhile, the four of them are captured by Tsunade's Wood Release technique.
At this moment, they look at each other as Uchiha Yoru approaches with his people.
"Have you considered the power of the curse mark I bestowed upon you? You must understand, the ninja world is now embroiled in its greatest war."
Uchiha Yoru looks at them with a sly smile.
"Hidan, for the peace of the ninja world, join me. I will allow you to go to the battlefield, where you'll find countless sacrifices for your evil god. You'll be so busy, you won't keep up. Once the ninja world is stabilized, I will let you spread your evil god cult."
Hidan is visibly shocked at the mention of the "evil god cult."
Uchiha Yoru continues, "Hidan, haven't you seen the splendor of the Fire Temple in the Land of Fire? Don't you want your cult to spread across the ninja continent?"
"Is this true?" Hidan, like the rest of the Akatsuki, is arrogant and easily tempted.
At the prospect of his cult reaching the scale of the Fire Temple, Hidan is enticed.
"If this can be achieved, the evil god will be pleased."
Seeing Hidan's interest, Uchiha Yoru adds, "If you can prove your worth in battle, I'll allow you to preach in the Land of Lightning."
"And according to my information, the Cloud Village has been targeting your cult, stealing ninja secrets and trampling on your cult's existence."
Hidan, though arrogant, is not foolish and sees through Uchiha Yoru's manipulation.
Still, he contemplates, "The Cloud Village did target the evil god cult."
The Cloud Village is known for their barbarism and thievery.
"So, if you win, I can establish my cult freely in the Land of Lightning?"
Hidan is quick to negotiate for benefits even before committing.
Uchiha Yoru shrugs, "That depends on your achievements. If you kill the Fourth Raikage, I'll allow it. Otherwise, you're limited to a certain area in the Cloud Village."
"But, let me be clear: your cult's bloodthirst must be voluntary, and senseless killing is forbidden."
The last condition surprises Hidan, "What about the sacrifices for the evil god? If you conquer the ninja world, there will be no enemies left."
Uchiha Yoru appreciates Hidan's point.
"People who inherently represent violence, crime, disease, chaos, harassment – a lowly existence. Once I conquer the ninja world, they will be the lowest caste, the slaves of the ninja world…"
At this moment, Uchiha Yoru seemed to be talking about something trivial, squinting his eyes at Hidan.
"Just follow the rules, and these slaves will be yours to sacrifice to your evil god."
Hidan showed a bloodthirsty smile upon hearing this.
"I'll join!"
After subduing Hidan, Uchiha Yoru's gaze turned to Kakuzu, who stood silently beside him, looking as if he had lost his light.
Since being captured back from the Land of Iron, Kakuzu's life had lost its luster, spending his days in silent depression.
"Kakuzu, I know you. We've met before. I can satisfy your tastes. As long as you can prove your worth, I'll allow you to run a legal slave trade within a certain range in the Land of Lightning."
"Slave trade?" Kakuzu looked at Uchiha Yoru indifferently, showing no interest.
You might be strong, but don't think that alone will make him submit.
Uchiha Yoru smiled confidently at Kakuzu.
"I can allow the legal capture and trades of slaves in the Land of Lightning. Won't this bring endless wealth? Kakuzu, you've wandered the ninja world for years. You must know how productive Slaves are. Their numbers are large enough to satisfy the entire ninja world's need for slavery."
"In the future, there will be no Daimyos' in the ninja world, and the slave trade will be legal and reasonable."
Kakuzu, who had lived for over ninety years, suddenly saw his green eyes gleam with gold.
"Are you serious?!"
Kakuzu was shocked, as the Daimyos had monopolized almost all commerce in the ninja world. Ninjas couldn't engage in slave trading; if discovered, it would be seen as a challenge to the authority of the Daimyos.
Even the trade of some ninja village families was conducted within the limits allowed by the Daimyos, highlighting the conflict between the two sides.
At that moment, Kakuzu seemed to envision a future where he rolled in a sea of money, his eyes burning with excitement.
"Fine! I agree to join."
Sasori and Deidara exchanged glances, wondering how these two idiots were so easily swayed, embarrassing their Akatsuki organization.
It wasn't that the two were foolish; Uchiha Yoru not only catered to their desires but also displayed his power.
Uchiha Yoru was recognized as the strongest ninja in the ninja world, a world that revered strength. His ambition to unite the ninja world only added to his appeal.
Naturally, with Uchiha Yoru's charismatic personality and his way of appealing to their desires, they chose to join.
Watching Sasori's silence and Deidara's haughty demeanor, it seemed unlikely that they would agree.
Yet, Uchiha Yoru teased lightly, "The Fourth Great Ninja War will probably be the last great war in the ninja world. It's a gathering of all the ninjas in the world."
"Tsk tsk, to perform in front of hundreds of thousands of ninjas, what an opportunity to show off one's art. It's a rare chance. If missed, it may never come again."
Deidara, who had just scorned Kakuzu and Hidan, suddenly widened his eyes, recalling his art.
Performing his art in front of two hundred thousand ninjas - this was the opportunity he had always dreamed of.
Excited, Deidara then thought of something and deflated, sighing in frustration, "What's the use? No matter how hard I try, I can't surpass the art of exploding six hundred billion explosive tags in an instant."
At this moment, Deidara was filled with envy. The explosion of six hundred billion detonating clay was simply staggering. He couldn't achieve this level of destruction even with self-detonation.
Looking at Deidara, who was still resistant to advice, Uchiha Yoru shook his head and said, "You're wrong. Just because you can't do it now, doesn't mean you won't be able to in the future."
"Ninjas only grow stronger. Your current limitation is the amount of chakra. If in the future your chakra grows to rival or even surpass that of a Tailed Beast, how powerful would your clay bombs become?"
As Uchiha Yoru advised, Deidara understood the idea was good, but he also realized that reality was cruel.
Seeing Deidara still unyielding, Uchiha Yoru smiled and said, "If you achieve enough merits, I might reward you with a Tailed Beast. As a Jinchuriki, you wouldn't have to worry about the power of your clay bombs."
Upon hearing this, Deidara's eyes gradually revealed an excited expression.
"Yes, as a Jinchuriki, my chakra's weakness will no longer exist, and I could even create the strongest clay bomb that drains a Tailed Beast!"
The more he thought about it, the more excited Deidara became. He turned to Sasori and excitedly said, "Brother Sasori, let's join them. We'll show the entire ninja world my art."
At this moment, Sasori, looking at Deidara who was firm one second and betraying the next, was speechless, but what he wanted was not this.
"Impure World Reincarnation is your Konoha's forbidden jutsu, right?"
Sasori, with a hoarse voice, said, "I want this jutsu."
Upon hearing this, Uchiha Yoru smiled. It was clear that Sasori wanted to use this jutsu to summon his parents to accompany him.
"That's possible. As long as you achieve enough merits and survive."
"Okay!"
At this moment, Uchiha Yoru in the prison revealed a satisfied smile, having successfully recruited the group of four from the Akatsuki.
Now, only Pain and Konan of the Akatsuki were left, but they had returned to Rain Village.
Meanwhile, outside the prison, Uchiha Sasuke also showed a determined look as he approached the prison.