That matter was already settled. Compared to Tea Country's stubborn daimyo, the ruler of Bear Country had shown far more wisdom—he signed the transfer treaty immediately, on one condition only: that Shigeo spare the lives of his citizens.
Shigeo agreed, then turned his sights on River Country.
The daimyo of River Country had stationed an entire guard army outside his capital. With assistance from the Fire and Wind Countries, the defense totaled fifty thousand soldiers and six hundred ninjas.
Shigeo arrived with only thirty of his own, yet said nothing. He simply attacked.
"This battle will shake Fire and Wind alike."
Floating above the battlefield, Shigeo surveyed the massive army below. He gestured, and his thirty Nanmo elites charged. They were handpicked warriors—enhanced by the Bunki Ishiki Kagami (Mirror of Divided Consciousness)—so even basic Doton (Earth Release) and Katon (Fire Release) techniques hit with devastating power.
Ordinary soldiers rushing forward only delivered their heads to death. Only the six hundred ninjas could resist at all.
As the fight wore on, Shigeo's brow furrowed. He descended to the ground and joined the fray himself, moving straight toward the capital gates.
Along the way, hundreds of ninjas unleashed a barrage of jutsu to halt him. They knew the truth: among the thirty men, he was the key. Kill him, and Nanmo would collapse.
Shigeo kicked, elbowed, unleashed Fire Release, cloaked himself in Water Release, and fired lasers of Ranton (Storm Release). Step by step, he advanced with unwavering focus until he reached the city walls.
The guards above loosed volleys of arrows, reinforced with Magnetic Release barriers—but none could pierce him.
Landing atop the wall, he seized the River Country daimyo by the throat. "Do you want to live or die?"
"Mercy, lord, mercy!" the man cried. "I never wished to attack Nanmo! For years, your nation has treated us well. But we are trapped between two giants! The Fire Daimyo himself sent a letter commanding us to join the Alliance. We had no choice!"
Shigeo's face was cold as steel. "So the ones to be sacrificed were us, the people of Nanmo?"
"N-no! The victor is the king—since the Five Villages have failed, we must pay the price. Lord, River Country is willing to become part of Nanmo!" The daimyo fell to his knees, bowing deeply.
"You're wedged between two great nations, with the chaos of Amegakure to your north. I don't even want your land. You'll keep your title as daimyo—but from now on, River Country is a vassal of Nanmo. You'll pay tribute annually, and all major political or military decisions must be approved by us."
"Yes, yes, of course!" The daimyo nodded frantically. Compared to the annihilation of Tea and Bear Countries, this was mercy beyond measure. He could keep his title, his people were spared—he was more than satisfied.
Shigeo had reasons for sparing them. Incorporating Tea and Bear expanded Nanmo's reach; both were peninsular nations, easy to manage and defend.
River Country, however, was different—flanked by Wind and Fire, with Amegakure to the north, it was surrounded by potential enemies. Governing such a land would drain focus and resources. Turning it into a tributary state would serve better.
After all, Nanmo's total population barely reached 180,000, with only two cities and one ninja village. The rest were small towns and hamlets. Calling it a "nation" was generous—it was, in essence, a fortified city-state.
Expanding too fast without structure would only lead to collapse, dragging even the original Nanmo City down with it.
No matter how vast his chakra or how powerful his ninjutsu, even Shigeo could not suppress chaos in every heart.
Moderation and stability were key—to secure Nanmo's future, and to protect both its people and those he had conquered.
As for the Five Great Ninja Villages… he would deal with them tomorrow.
That night, a council convened in the Nanmo Castle. Every elder and senior ninja attended, discussing national appointments and territorial administration.
The meeting lasted the entire night. Shigeo even fell asleep midway while they argued.
By dawn, a full personnel roster lay before him. Glancing over it, he asked, "Where's Jinshi?"
"Reporting, my lord—he's still stationed in Bear Country."
"Ah." Shigeo stood. "You've all worked through the night. Get some rest. I have business to handle today. I'll go find Jinshi. Honglin, come with me."
"Shigeo, what are you planning?" Wuyouhua asked, worry creasing her brow.
Yesterday had been the most turbulent day in Nanmo's history. In one morning, the Five Villages attacked—and were utterly defeated. By afternoon, their leader had conquered Tea and Bear Countries and turned River into a vassal.
Such feats were unprecedented in ninja history. But could they withstand the pressure of what was to come?
As the saying went: conquering is easy; ruling is hard. Nanmo needed its leader now more than ever, and his absence filled her with unease.
Shigeo created a Wood Clone and replied calmly, "I'm going to deal with our greatest threat. You all continue your work."
He vanished with Honglin, reappearing in Bear Country's Star Ninja Village to collect Jinshi, then headed straight for the Land of Fire.
At the Fire Daimyo's palace, defenses were on high alert. After yesterday's disastrous defeat at Nanmo, the Five Village Alliance was in shambles. The Fire Daimyo had planned to retreat to a secret base at dawn—yet before he could even move, Shigeo arrived.
After years apart, he stood taller, more composed—his presence cold as frost. Two of his subordinates flanked him, silent and deadly.
"Fire Daimyo," Shigeo said, his voice low and sharp. "Once, I saved your third daughter's life. And yet, you repay kindness with betrayal. You approved the Third Hokage's crusade against Nanmo. Tell me—what crime did we commit? Or is it simply because our nation is small, that you thought us easy prey?"
His killing intent seeped into the air like ice.
Dozens of elite guards surrounded the daimyo, sweat beading on their brows, hands trembling on their weapons.
(End of Chapter)
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