Chiyo was ultimately moved by Aoki's words. With the Land of Wind officially announcing its merger into the Land of Fire, the Sand Hidden Village's continued existence as an independent ninja village had become meaningless. Even so, she couldn't help but press Aoki for details about what the future would hold for Sand ninjas after their integration into Konoha.
Before setting out for the Sand Hidden Village, Aoki had already considered this matter. He slowly laid out his plan: "For those in the Sand Hidden Village who are willing to relocate to Konoha, Konoha's gates will always remain open. For those who choose to stay, Konoha will dispatch ninjas to assist and facilitate the integration of the Sand Hidden Village into Konoha as quickly as possible. Additionally, I will personally help address the environmental issues in the Land of Wind."
After explaining his plans, Aoki personally extended an invitation to Chiyo and the others, inviting them to join Konoha. He openly expressed his firm belief that Konoha would ultimately lead the Ninja World toward true peace. Chiyo and the others exchanged glances, knowing full well that they no longer had any reason to resist. With the Land of Wind already belonging to the Land of Fire, there was no longer any need for the Sand Hidden Village to exist independently.
After discussions among Chiyo, the current leader of the Sand Hidden Village, Rasa, and Pakura, the three reached a unanimous decision. Together, they approached Aoki and bowed in submission. From that moment on, the Sand Hidden Village vanished from the map of the Ninja World, becoming the Wind Division under Konoha's jurisdiction.
Rasa was appointed as the head of the Wind Division, Pakura as the deputy head, and Chiyo as the division assistant. Aoki's willingness to entrust the entire Wind Division to the three of them, with such trust and magnanimity, deeply moved them and further deepened their admiration for Aoki's ambition to bring peace to the Ninja World. They firmly believed that with Aoki at the helm, true peace would eventually arrive.
The integration process between the Land of Wind and the Sand Hidden Village proceeded smoothly. To demonstrate their sincerity in submission, Rasa and the others voluntarily relocated half of the population to Konoha. Following Aoki's instructions, Konoha's education-focused ninjas were stationed in the Land of Wind to guide and persuade the people to accept the merger with Konoha. Sand ninja squads were also reorganized, with Konoha ninjas integrated into each squad to facilitate the smooth fusion of the Sand Hidden Village and Konoha. Rasa and the others fully supported these measures, understanding that such changes were necessary for the Sand Hidden Village to truly integrate into Konoha.
News of the successful merger between the Land of Wind and the Sand Hidden Village quickly spread throughout the Ninja World. Onoki, who was leading the Iwagakure army to invade Konoha, immediately ordered his troops to halt their advance the moment he saw the intelligence report. Clutching the report tightly in his hand, his face filled with shock, he shouted to his subordinates, "Quick! Gather all high-ranking ninjas and officials!"
Onoki returned to the military camp in a daze. His subordinates could immediately tell that the situation was extraordinary and ordered the army to rest on the spot while summoning all high-ranking officials to Onoki's tent for a meeting. Once everyone had gathered, Onoki distributed the intelligence report. After reading it, the Iwagakure high-ranking officials in the tent all wore expressions of disbelief.
"My God! How is this possible?! Has the Daimyo of the Land of Wind gone mad? And the Sand Hidden Village—they surrendered to Konoha without any resistance! Didn't Konoha just send troops to attack the Sand Hidden Village not long ago?"
The content of the intelligence was too outrageous, and no one could believe it. The idea of a Daimyo willingly handing over his own country was already unbelievable, and the fact that the Sand Hidden Village, having just faced Konoha's military might, also chose to merge made everyone instinctively think this must be false information.
Seeing everyone filled with doubt, Onoki spoke with a grave expression to confirm: "This intelligence is absolutely accurate. The information originates from the capital of the Land of Earth, and the Daimyo's Mansion has verified its authenticity. All of this is true."
Upon hearing this, all the Iwagakure high command in the tent fell into silence, quietly digesting the shock brought by this bombshell news. Onoki then had the Anbu bring a map and spread it out before everyone. Pointing at the location of the Land of Wind on the map, he said, "Now, look at this map. What do you see?"
Everyone examined the map with confusion, but as it was an outdated, unrevised version, they couldn't see anything unusual at first. Onoki sighed lightly, manipulated Earth Release to form several "Fire" characters, and marked them one by one on the territories of the Land of Wind, the Land of Grass, and the Land of Rain on the map.
Only then did everyone suddenly realize: the Land of Wind had already become part of the Land of Fire. The power structure of the Ninja World had undergone a dramatic change.
The gazes of everyone in the tent were fixed on the map, filled with shock and horror.
"My god! Has Konoha grown this powerful already?!"
"The territory of the Land of Fire has actually expanded to such an extent?!"
"Our Land of Earth... it seems we're surrounded!"
Upon clearly seeing the situation on the map, the Iwagakure high command instantly fell into panic. After Konoha annexed the Sand Hidden Village, its territory directly formed an encirclement around the Land of Earth. Moreover, several surrounding small countries, including the formidable Land of Rain, had long fallen into Konoha's hands, as had the Land of Grass. Now, only a few small countries bordering the Land of Wind—such as the Land of Birds, the Land of Demons, and the Land of Snow—remained unaffected for the time being. Apart from these, only the Land of Waterfalls and the Land of Rice Fields remained independent.
The deeper meaning was clear to everyone: the sky of the Ninja World was about to change.
"Konoha is playing a grand game of chess!"
"Do they intend to unify the entire Ninja World?!"
"Konoha probably planned this long ago!"
Everyone voiced their opinions, and the atmosphere in the tent grew increasingly tense. Even Onoki fell into a rare silence. The Land of Earth was now completely surrounded by Konoha's forces. After the Sand Hidden Village's seamless submission, Konoha's power had reached an unprecedented height.
"This Fourth Hokage... his ambition is truly immense!" Onoki muttered in a low voice. After a moment of thought, he immediately made a decision: "Order the army to retreat! We can no longer continue invading Konoha!"
The Iwagakure army immediately began its retreat. Orochimaru, in charge of the Iwagakure front, seized this excellent opportunity and promptly ordered his forces to pursue, hoping to gain some advantage from the situation. The Iwagakure army could only retreat while defending, with Orochimaru's troops in close pursuit, forcing the Iwagakure forces to abandon large quantities of supplies along the way. However, Orochimaru exercised restraint and did not excessively provoke Onoki. After clearing the battlefield, he did not continue the pursuit.
Onoki urgently dispatched Anbu to Kumogakure to seek aid while leading the army back to Iwagakure. He understood clearly that Iwagakure alone stood no chance of opposing Konoha. Now, the only retreat route for Iwagakure was through the Land of Waterfalls, and their only hope lay with the Land of Lightning.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield where Kumogakure had also invaded Konoha, the Third Raikage received intelligence regarding the Land of Wind. He read through the report word by word, and despite his typically resolute and fierce demeanor, he could not conceal the shock on his face. The contents of the intelligence left him no choice but to believe it.
"What method did Konoha employ?!" the Third Raikage exclaimed in disbelief, immediately turning to his subordinates with urgent orders. "Quick! Notify all high-ranking officials to gather for a meeting at once!"
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