Senju Haruto's assault raged on for several minutes before it finally subsided.
It wasn't just the shinobi of Kirigakure who were devastated—entire landscapes, mountains, and terrain had been reshaped under the sheer force of Haruto's relentless strikes.
With his strength alone, he had ended a war.
Zabuza, Yamato, Haku, and Uchiha Izumi were left utterly speechless.
This kind of power…
There was no need to send Root shinobi at all, was there?!
Just him, a single man, was enough to sweep everything aside.
"Alright. Let's head down."
Haruto glanced across the battered ruins of Kirigakure, then released Sage Mode. The towering Thousand-Armed Kannon beneath his feet collapsed with a thunderous crash.
Despite the overwhelming show of force, Haruto had still chosen to show restraint at the crucial moment.
After all, his goal was not the destruction of Kirigakure—it was conquest.
He intended to claim it as his own territory.
Even so, countless shinobi had perished. Many had already been grievously wounded in their battle against Root, and when the shockwaves of the True Thousand Hands struck, their internal organs were crushed beyond repair. Others simply lacked the strength to withstand the assault and died on the spot.
Those who survived were swallowed by a suffocating aura of fear. Fingers slackened, kunai and swords clattered helplessly to the ground.
"She's still alive."
Zabuza appeared quickly at Haruto's side, his gaze falling on Terumi Mei. She lay barely breathing in the dirt, her body broken. In her condition, she didn't even need a shinobi to finish her off—anyone could end her life with ease.
"Should I end her?" Zabuza's throat worked as he asked the question.
"She's yours to deal with."
Haruto didn't even bother to glance at Mei's pathetic state. He simply stepped over her crumpled form.
Even at her peak, Haruto had never considered Mei worth taking seriously. Now, in this ruined state, she was beneath his notice entirely.
The only reason he had unleashed the True Thousand Hands was to end the war swiftly. He wasn't some war-crazed demon who took pleasure in tormenting his enemies.
Everything he did was for one purpose—toppling the government of the Land of Water.
And now, with the war ended and the shinobi of Kirigakure surrendering, the entire village had fallen into his grasp.
"All that remains," Haruto muttered to himself, striding toward the Mizukage's tower, "is the Daimyō of the Land of Water."
Through Zabuza, Haruto had already learned much about the country's political structure.
When the Fire Daimyō had been eliminated, Fire Country unified politics, economy, and military under a single system. But the other nations' daimyō had stubbornly refused to accept such a model.
Even so, Fire Country's reforms had sent ripples through the shinobi world—and Kirigakure was one of the places touched by that influence.
After Yagura's death, the village elders had seized control of the Hidden Mist and attempted to follow Fire Country's example, aiming to abolish the Water Daimyō's power by installing themselves as military rulers.
But the daimyō had armies of their own.
That political struggle ended with the elders' crushing defeat.
Thus, Mei had been elevated to Fifth Mizukage—a move that led directly to the infamous Blood Mist policies.
Cruel as they were, those policies did succeed in hardening the quality of Kirigakure's shinobi.
And because of that blood-soaked system, the village had been far too weak to ever again challenge the daimyō's authority.
In truth, the daimyō had come to favor Mei's ruthlessness, even lending her his support.
"Aburame Torune—spread the order. Arrest every surviving Kirigakure shinobi, then have Root take control of the village."
"From this day forward, you will assume Mei's position."
Haruto's command was curt and final.
This had always been his plan.
No matter what, he would eventually return to Konoha to succeed Sarutobi Hiruzen as the Fifth Hokage. Staying in the Land of Water was never an option.
But as for Zabuza—there was no way Haruto would entrust him with ruling an entire country.
And Yamato, while loyal, possessed Wood Release. His abilities made him far more valuable elsewhere—particularly for future plans involving Sunagakure and the desert.
Torune, however, was perfect.
"You want me… to replace the Mizukage?" Aburame Torune froze, as if he had misheard.
"Yes. You. Not just Mizukage—also the Daimyō. Politics, military, economy—everything will be under your authority. Any problem with that?"
Haruto didn't even blink, his gaze sharp as he cut straight to the point.
Torune might once have been one of Danzō's subordinates, and his strength was nothing exceptional. But… his loyalty to Konoha had never wavered.
Even after Haruto and Uchiha Itachi eliminated Danzō, Torune had not resented them. On the contrary, every mission Haruto had entrusted to him, he had carried out flawlessly.
Haruto couldn't deny he was satisfied with Torune's performance.
Ability mattered little—what mattered was obedience, and ease of control.
In short, Haruto needed a puppet governor to rule the land in his stead.
From this day forward, the Land of Water would cease to exist.
In its place would be the Province of Water.
"…Province doesn't sound quite right," Haruto murmured, reconsidering.
"Water Prefecture? No… Water State." He nodded slightly. "Yes. From now on, Aburame Torune, your title will be Governor-General. How does that sound?"
"Governor-General…" Torune whispered the new title, his tone uncertain. It felt strange, yet he knew Haruto's thinking was always… unconventional.
And really, the name hardly mattered.
What mattered was the reality—though the Mizukage had been defeated and Kirigakure's shinobi imprisoned, the Daimyō of the Land of Water still lived.
And the man commanded his own army.
"That's nothing to worry about," Haruto said, nodding as though reading Torune's mind. "Tomorrow, when the sun rises, I'll meet with the Daimyō myself. If he agrees to step down willingly, I'll give him enough wealth to live comfortably for the rest of his life."
"And if he refuses… then I'll erase his nation from the map."
His voice was low, cold, and absolutely merciless.
Meanwhile, Zabuza slowly approached Mei's fallen body.
Until tonight, he had hated her with all his being—for transforming Kirigakure into the Bloody Mist.
But after hearing Haruto reveal that she had been under Uchiha Madara's genjutsu all along…
Perhaps it was true, that those we deem most hateful often hide the most pitiful stories.
If not for that cursed genjutsu, perhaps Mei might have been a great Mizukage.
"Zabuza-sama… should we kill her?" Haku asked quietly, stepping to his master's side.
"…No."
Zabuza shook his head. "Better than killing her, let her live—let her spend the rest of her life atoning for the sins she's committed."