Ōnoki suddenly felt a terrible premonition in his heart. He swallowed hard and asked,
"What is it?"
Minato had already guessed what Kaito was about to say. He silently walked to Kaito's side, his eyes fixed on the Four Kage in front of him.
Seeing Ōnoki's uneasy little eyes darting about, Kaito spoke,
"I've always thought there are far too many villages in the shinobi world. So from this day forward, I want there to be only one village in the shinobi world. Do you understand what I mean?"
The moment those words came out, the Four Kage cried out almost simultaneously,
"Nani!?"
Madara, whose body was still being bound by Kaito's hair, snapped his eyes wide open, staring at Kaito with shock and doubt.
He hadn't expected Kaito's idea to be exactly the same as his own back then—using absolute strength to suppress the entire shinobi world, merging all the villages into one, and thus achieving true, lasting peace.
Back then, that idea had been rejected by Hashirama. Madara grew disheartened, fell into Black Zetsu's schemes, and devoted himself entirely to casting Infinite Tsukuyomi.
Now, hearing this long-buried thought being spoken aloud again by Kaito, Madara felt a tangled surge of emotions… mixed with a faint glimmer of anticipation.
He truly wanted to see what the shinobi world would have become if his plan had succeeded back then.
The Four Kage, however, exchanged troubled looks, caught between a rock and a hard place.
Of course, they understood Kaito's meaning—he intended to merge every other village into Konoha, uniting the shinobi world under one rule.
To any Kage, such a demand was impossible to accept. But after witnessing Kaito's power, they knew too well what would happen if they dared oppose him.
From the abilities Kaito had just revealed, any one of them could easily annihilate a village. They had no way to resist.
Ōnoki clenched his fists tightly. The thing he feared most had come to pass.
In his eyes, Kaito was nothing less than an upgraded Uchiha Madara—possessing power far beyond Madara's, and sharing his very same ideals.
The worst part was that, in this era, there was no Senju Hashirama to balance him.
...
Mei Terumī stepped forward. She batted her eyes at Kaito and said,
"Hokage-sama, can't this matter be… negotiated?"
Kaito smiled, eyes narrowed into cheerful crescents.
"No."
"Uh…"
Mei's face stiffened, and she reluctantly stepped back. Inwardly, she sighed to herself,
"What a cold man! But he's so domineering… I like it!"
Gaara kept his silence, but A, with his blunt personality, couldn't hold back.
"This isn't any different from Akatsuki!"
Kaito narrowed his eyes slightly, his voice calm.
"So what if it isn't?"
That retort choked A, and though anger boiled in him, he held it down, ready to press further.
But Kaito didn't give him the chance. A streak of violet light flashed across his Rinnegan as he reached out and pressed his palm against A's chest.
Before the horrified eyes of the others, A's heart was literally "taken" from his body.
What stunned them even more was that the heart throbbed powerfully in Kaito's hand… while A himself remained standing, full of vigor, as though being heartless had no effect.
Even A stared in disbelief at the hollow left side of his chest, muttering,
"How is this possible? Is this some kind of genjutsu?"
As he faltered, Kaito suddenly clenched the heart in his hand. A's face turned dark purple, and with a cry of agony, he collapsed to his knees.
The other three Kage instinctively covered their own chests, terrified that they would be next.
Looking coldly down at the kneeling A, Kaito said,
"You didn't think I was negotiating with you, did you?"
A lifted his head with difficulty. Even through his stubborn gaze, his unwillingness was plain.
But Kaito wasn't about to indulge him. He tightened his grip again, and waves of pain slammed through A like a raging sea, each worse than the last. Eventually, he curled up on the ground like a shrimp, writhing in torment.
The shinobi of Kumogakure looked on with pained expressions. Watching their own Kage being humiliated like this was unbearable, but the shock of Kaito's display still pinned them in place. Not a single one dared step forward.
Finally, Darui could take no more. He rushed to the front, dropped to his knees before Kaito, and shouted,
"Kumogakure accepts Hokage-sama's will! We willingly submit to Konoha!"
A, curled on the ground, widened his eyes and glared fiercely at Darui kneeling beside him. He wanted to shout in anger, but all that came out were pained groans.
With all his remaining strength, he turned his head, desperate to see how his people would react.
But the shinobi of Kumogakure didn't dare meet his eyes. One after another, they lowered their heads like ostriches burying themselves in sand.
Seeing this, A's heart sank into utter despair.
Kumogakure had always been famed for its fierce, unyielding spirit. Never had A imagined they would surrender without even a fight.
And all because of one man—Uchiha Kaito.
Suddenly, A began to laugh. Even though it only magnified his pain, his laughter grew louder and louder. As he laughed, two lines of tears slid down his face.
When the laughter ended, A shut his eyes as if in resignation. He had completely given up on resisting. From this day on, whatever happened to his village would no longer concern him.
Darui let out a heavy sigh. He knew full well his decision would earn the contempt of the world. But if he didn't do this… how could Kumogakure possibly stand against the demon-like Uchiha Kaito?
With the Hachibi alone? Impossible.
For Kumogakure's sake, he had no choice but to make this decision—even if it betrayed the pride of his ancestors.
Ōnoki, watching all of this, finally loosened his fists. Bowing his head, he said in a heavy voice,
"Iwagakure… submits."
Following Kumogakure and Iwagakure, the other two villages quickly declared their submission as well.
Among them, however, only Mei Terumī's face looked relaxed.
After all, the Fourth Mizukage had left her nothing but a mess. There was no point in holding out.
And besides, she still had personal matters unresolved. Now she could finally free herself to deal with them.
She was nearly forty already—if she didn't hurry, she really would grow old alone.
Thinking this, Mei sneaked a glance at Kaito, her cheeks blooming with a faint blush.
Kaito was more than pleased with the Four Kage's "understanding of the times." He casually tossed A's heart toward Darui and said,
"Put it back while it's still warm. Once it cools down, it'll be no good."