"Who was that?"
Tsunade frowned, her gaze fixed on the spot where the masked man had vanished. That mysterious figure had just rescued Danzo right from under her nose.
Naruto landed beside her, his expression grave as he watched the distorted space settle back into normal.
"Space–Time Ninjutsu…" he muttered. "How troublesome. Let him live a little longer."
Tsunade glanced at him sharply. "Naruto, you know who that was, don't you?"
Naruto waved a hand dismissively. "We'll talk later. Right now, we need to clean up this mess."
Although Tsunade was still brimming with questions, she could tell from Naruto's tone that now wasn't the time.
She took a deep breath and stepped forward. Her voice rang out across the battlefield like a thunderclap.
"Everyone, stop fighting! Danzo has escaped. From this moment on, I—Tsunade, granddaughter of the First Hokage and one of the Legendary Sannin—am taking command of Konoha!"
Her voice echoed through the devastated training grounds. For a brief moment, there was stunned silence.
Then a lone voice rose in defiance.
"Lord Danzo is Hokage! Lord Danzo will return!"
Bang!
Blood splattered across the dirt. The defiant shinobi fell instantly, a lifeless expression frozen on his face. His comrades recoiled as the crimson spray splashed against them.
A single coin gleamed faintly in the dirt beside the body.
Naruto had flicked it.
The precision of his strike—and the power behind it—was absolute.
He didn't flinch, nor did he feel remorse. The man had been from the Shimura clan. For those who still followed Danzo's corrupted will, Naruto's mercy had long run dry.
Tsunade's eyes widened briefly, startled by the ruthless efficiency of the act. Around them, the remaining shinobi froze. The oppressive weight of Naruto's presence crushed any thought of resistance.
No one dared to take another step forward.
Naruto's voice entered Tsunade's mind through a silent message.
"Mercy doesn't command an army. If you don't strike fear into them, you won't be able to take Konoha so easily."
Tsunade's lips tightened. She understood his meaning perfectly—but seeing Naruto act with such cold decisiveness still left a strange feeling in her chest.
The Naruto she once knew had been bright, impulsive, and full of boundless hope. The one standing before her now radiated something entirely different—authority.
He was calm. Calculating. A leader forged in conflict.
Tsunade exhaled slowly. So this is what it takes to lead…
She chuckled to herself. "I can't believe I'm being intimidated by a kid. How ridiculous."
And yet, deep down, she felt proud. Only a Naruto like this—unyielding, commanding, and visionary—had the power to change the shinobi world.
Her gaze swept over the battlefield. Many of the fallen and wounded bore the crests of the Sarutobi and Shimura clans. A heaviness settled in her heart.
The Senju, once one of Konoha's pillars, had nearly vanished. The Uchiha were gone as well. And now the remaining clans fought among themselves—remnants of a legacy turned to dust.
Still, Tsunade's voice cut through the stillness once more.
"All shinobi, stand down! Those loyal to Danzo are to be disarmed immediately. Civilian shinobi, return to the village and resume protective duties. Members of the Sarutobi and Shimura clans—report to the border posts at once!"
One by one, weapons clattered to the ground. The fighting ceased.
And with that, Tsunade officially reclaimed Konoha.
Hours later, in the Hokage's meeting room—
Naruto stood at the center, surrounded by Tsunade, Shikaku, Zabuza, and several other senior shinobi. The air was heavy with exhaustion and blood.
"What are our casualties?" Naruto asked quietly.
Zabuza, who had been tallying the reports, stepped forward. "Out of the one thousand shinobi under our command, one hundred and sixty-eight are confirmed dead."
Naruto's eyes darkened. He drew in a deep breath, letting the number sink in.
It was fewer than he'd feared, but still too many.
"What about Konoha's side?" he asked.
Zabuza hesitated.
Naruto already knew the answer. Death was inevitable in war—but without their new equipment and coordination, those losses would have been far worse.
Even so, the cost of reclaiming Konoha weighed heavily on them all.
"Konoha's casualties are at least five times ours—maybe more," Zabuza said slowly, his voice tinged with excitement.
Such a kill ratio was a stunning victory by any standard.
Nearly a thousand shinobi from Konoha had fallen.
Sensing the flicker of satisfaction in Zabuza's tone, Naruto's gaze turned cold.
"Are you excited?" he asked sharply.
"Those people were fellow shinobi. If we hadn't intervened at key moments, the death toll would've been far worse—for both sides!"
His voice grew heavier.
"And don't fool yourself into thinking this is something to celebrate. Konoha's losses could've been even lower. For this operation, you'll each submit a post-battle analysis—every mistake, every weakness we exposed!"
He leaned forward slightly, his tone cutting through the room like a blade. "With our equipment and training, achieving this level of performance is the bare minimum. If we hadn't, I'd suspect my entire budget had gone to waste."
Naruto's words reverberated in the war room, shaking everyone to their core.
Zabuza's earlier arrogance vanished, replaced by cold sweat.
"Understood," he said quickly, his head bowed.
Naruto let the silence stretch, ensuring the weight of his words sank in. Only then did he continue, his tone calm but firm.
"Konoha didn't even use half its true strength."
His golden eyes swept the table. "The Ino–Shika–Chō, Inuzuka, Aburame, and several other major clans didn't send a single shinobi. Do you really believe Konoha's foundation is that shallow?"
He stood, voice ringing with conviction. "Remember this: in the future, we will face the entire shinobi world. Our path is one that opposes the established order itself."
"When that time comes, we won't be fighting a few thousand enemies. We'll be facing entire nations—combined forces numbering over a hundred thousand shinobi!"
The room fell silent. Several people swallowed hard.
A hundred thousand…
The thought alone made their stomachs tighten. Even if the Umbrella Organization mobilized every operative, they could barely muster ten thousand, most of whom had only trained in chakra control and combat arts for a year or two.
The combined military strength of the Hidden Villages eclipsed them tenfold.
"And it's not just the numbers," Naruto continued. "Their elite forces—the Kage-level shinobi, the ANBU, the clan heads—would overwhelm us if we met them head-on."
Everyone fell into deep thought. Each of them knew the scale of the Great Ninja Wars of the past. Tens of thousands had clashed across countless battlefields.
Even when Konoha fought on multiple fronts, each front saw thousands of shinobi in combat.
Those wars, fought for land and profit, were brutal—but what Naruto envisioned was far more severe. His revolution would not just pit ninja against ninja—it would engulf the entire shinobi world, dragging even common civilians into the storm.
He could, with his power, suppress the world by force. But if its people's hearts and ideals didn't change, it would only breed new conflict.
Ideology had to evolve. So did productivity.
Naruto's expression hardened. "Remember Sunagakure," he said quietly. "Their wars weren't just about pride. The desert offered them nothing—no crops, no trade. Their wars were driven by desperation... and population pressure."
"They fought knowing they couldn't win. If they won, they'd gain resources. If they lost, at least it would ease the strain on their village."
He paused, recalling history. "And even after victory, the Third Hokage didn't demand reparations. That's why the other villages dared to provoke Konoha again and again."
He looked around the room. "Yes, the Land of Fire is rich—rich enough that the others see it as a feast waiting to be carved apart. That's the danger of abundance without vigilance."
...
TN:
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