Senju Haruto had no intention of destroying every hidden village except Konoha, nor of erasing every country except the Land of Fire.
From the very beginning, his goal had been crystal clear.
Unite the shinobi world. Merge the Five Great Nations into a single country.
Achieve true peace.
Abolish the position of daimyo and place the Hokage as the supreme leader of the nation.
Then, push the full-scale development of technology.
So in Haruto's view, slaughtering Sunagakure was both unnecessary and pointlessly cruel.
On the surface, he had monopolized the Land of Wind's production of gold dust. But in reality, he had also seized control of the Land of Wind's markets—water, supplies, and everything else.
From now on, everything would be provided by Konohagakure.
Even if the Land of Wind remained one of the Five Great Nations, in truth, it would be little different from a vassal state.
And in the future, Orochimaru would still attempt to lure Sunagakure into an alliance, using them to invade Konoha.
Even if Haruto spared Rasa's life now, within a few years, the man would die at the hands of Orochimaru and Kimimaro.
There was no need for Haruto to lift a finger.
When that time came, his Wood Release clone would come into play.
Under the terms of his agreement with Rasa, no one but the Kazekage himself would know that Haruto's Wood Release clone remained in Sunagakure—in the position of a Kazekage's advisor, no less.
Though he had claimed the clone would wield no real authority, Haruto knew that once events began to unfold, such limits could blur.
The unification of the shinobi world was inevitable.
It was only a matter of time.
And with that, things became much simpler.
After witnessing a ninjutsu that bordered on divine miracle, Sunagakure's elders had reassessed the situation.
The two sides quickly signed a new alliance treaty.
Once the contract was in his hands, Haruto wasted no time in Sunagakure. Together with Kakashi and Tenzo, he made for Konoha at the fastest possible pace.
When word of Haruto's return reached Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage was overjoyed.
Still, as Hokage, Hiruzen would never personally go to greet him. Instead, he ordered Aburame Torune and Yamanaka Kaze to welcome the group and escort them to the Hokage's office.
The moment Haruto pushed open the door, he went straight to the point—placing the treaty signed with the Kazekage on Hiruzen's desk.
"Success?" Hiruzen asked, unable to hide his impatience.
"Yes," Haruto said, nodding.
Only then did Hiruzen finally let go of the tension that had been gripping his chest.
Now they no longer had to worry about Sunagakure launching a surprise attack from behind while they were engaged on another front.
"Well done," Hiruzen said as he lit his pipe, exhaling a long ring of smoke.
"In addition," Haruto added, "Kazekage Rasa has promised that all of the gold dust produced in the Land of Wind will be supplied exclusively to us."
Hiruzen blinked. "???"
Gold dust? All of it?
What was going on here?
Haruto had gone to Sunagakure to negotiate.
The plan had been for him to offer the Kazekage enough incentives to ensure they wouldn't become Konoha's enemy at this critical time.
So where had this sudden, sweeping control of the gold dust trade come from?
"Gold dust is…?" Hiruzen began.
"It's basically gold—"
"I know what gold dust is!" Hiruzen snapped without thinking. As an ally of the Land of Wind, of course he knew.
In fact, the two countries had exchanged resources for years.
But the Land of Wind, despite possessing gold dust, didn't trade exclusively with the Land of Fire—they sold to other nations as well.
And it was Sunagakure's dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs that had led to rumors of an attack on Konoha.
That was why Hiruzen had sent Haruto in the first place—to deter or entice the Kazekage into avoiding a two-front war.
But never in his wildest expectations had he imagined that Haruto would not only remove the threat but also secure all of the Land of Wind's gold dust trade.
Hiruzen quickly set down his pipe, hurried to his desk, and opened the treaty. He read every line with meticulous care.
When he finished, his pupils contracted sharply. He lowered the contract in disbelief, his expression frozen.
For a long moment, he couldn't even speak.
Everything Haruto had said… was true.
"This is impossible…" Hiruzen murmured.
Aburame Torune and Yamanaka Kaze were equally stunned, staring at Haruto with wide eyes.
Even when Danzō had been alive, the gold dust trade had been a highly valued matter.
For any hidden village, funding was a critical lifeline.
And gold dust was exactly the kind of resource that daimyos coveted.
Yet even Danzō, for all his ruthless skill, had never been able to make progress in this area.
Haruto, however, had achieved the impossible in a single visit to Sunagakure.
Hiruzen drew in a sharp breath, his voice trembling.
"Haruto… how exactly did you manage this?"
"It was simple," Haruto replied, meeting Hiruzen's gaze. "I just lifted Sunagakure into the air, and then Rasa agreed."
Hiruzen: "???"
Torune: "???"
Kaze: "???"
"What do you mean you lifted Sunagakure?" Hiruzen's eyes widened. He understood every word Haruto had said, yet somehow the meaning escaped him entirely.
"Oh, it's a new ninjutsu I learned," Haruto explained casually. "It's called Magnet Release. It uses the properties of metal mixed into sand to lift entire sections of land into the air."
He paused briefly. "Unfortunately, it requires very specific terrain to work. Outside of Sunagakure, it's probably impossible to replicate."
Even with such a limitation, Hiruzen stood frozen in place.
The more time he spent around Haruto, the less he could see through him.
Magnet Release… wasn't that the signature ability of the Kazekage?
And Haruto had only been in Sunagakure for what—half a month?
In such a short time, he had mastered a kekkei genkai that had never been taught outside the Kazekage's line?
Even the Second Kazekage—one of the most gifted shinobi in history—had spent his entire life developing Magnet Release.
And now Haruto had just… learned it?
"In any case, we now have all of the Land of Wind's gold dust," Haruto concluded.
"All of it…" Hiruzen repeated under his breath before sinking heavily into his chair, his face etched with shock.
Was there anything in this world that Senju Haruto couldn't do?