His vitality had plummeted, his body feeling as though it had been hollowed out. Shinno lay sprawled on the ground, struggling just to make the slightest movement.
Hiruko issued a direct order to imprison the Zero-Tails. Although the others harbored their own hidden agendas, Konoha's current strength was undeniable; in the end, Hiruko took the Zero-Tails and returned toward the village. As for Shinno, he was dragged back as a high-value captive.
Konoha, of course, would provide the other villages with some form of "compensation."
Under the carpet-bombing of the Tailed Beasts, the Sky ninjas—most of whom hadn't even reached Jonin level—had long since been wiped out as collateral damage. But they were dead now; there was no point in dwelling on the departed.
"Alright, the targets are handled. Let's head back," someone called out. Despite the deep-seated blood feuds between the various parties present, they all maintained a tacit cooperation in the face of the staggering wealth currently at stake.
This cooperation should have been a good thing, but Hiruko knew he had to step up and control the situation. He had accidentally unleashed a beast far more ferocious than he anticipated, and if he didn't tame it now and eliminate the potential for catastrophe, it would never stop.
He didn't want to see the world burn—at least not yet.
Peace was coming, and he would have plenty of time to let these schemers taste his steel later. For now, he could endure hits to his personal reputation, but he knew his true foundation would always be the Leaf ninjas and his new recruits. He was a man of few words, but the ninjas knew that in a crisis, they could count on him.
However, the fallout of recent events was too severe; the entire world had been dragged into the mire. Suna had already "broken the pot," throwing caution to the wind in an attempt to devour the smaller villages whole. But Konoha couldn't do that. Hiruko could not allow his prestige—or the village's reputation—to be dragged through the mud.
He could accept being called a tyrant or a shadow manipulator behind the scenes. He could focus solely on tech and power. But Konoha's name had to remain unsullied. If the village became the target of the common people's collective rage, all his long-term efforts would be for nothing.
Thus, as the initial adrenaline of the battle cooled, Hiruko stood before the gathered leaders.
"The situation is plain for all to see," he said firmly. "I ask that you all know when to stop."
"Lord Hiruko, you mean..."
"Yes. Exactly what you're thinking. This operation ends here."
"We cannot squeeze out the very last coin. If we do, the ninjas of these small villages will truly have no way to survive."
Hiruko knew the proposal was abrupt, but at this moment, no one else had the authority to call for a ceasefire. Predictably, the faces of every non-Leaf ninja turned ugly.
The Leaf ninjas didn't fully understand the economic intricacies, but they trusted Hiruko to lead them toward the light. They were prepared to follow his lead and wait for an explanation later. This was Hiruko's greatest achievement: over 90% of the village trusted him implicitly. Most saw him as the inevitable successor once Minato retired.
Hiruko knew this would be a hard sell. One look at the Fourth Kazekage's face told the story. Despite Suna and Leaf being close allies—and Rasa being his "father-in-law"—even he found it hard to agree.
He understood their impatience. These people had lived in poverty for generations. Now that they finally had a chance to fill their coffers, who wouldn't want to feast? Money has a primal charm that can warp a man's stance and ideology in an instant.
But these people couldn't shake Hiruko. His attitude toward capital was clear: use it, but when it reaches a certain threshold, sweep it away.
As the silence grew heavy and the atmosphere darkened, Hiruko prepared to use his personal influence to pressure the smaller villages. But then, the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, spoke up.
"Gentlemen, I'm out."
With those few words, the pressure on Hiruko evaporated.
"Mizukage, what are you saying? Do you realize what kind of opportunity this is?" the Iwa representative shouted.
Yagura shrugged, his expression turning stern. "Did we come here merely to play at being merchants?"
"To make money, losing a bit of face is one thing. But as a Kage, if I only focus on short-term profit, I cannot agree with this course."
"If we continue like this, not only will the Sky ninjas oppose us, but even small allies like the Grass will grow resentful. If we drive them to the brink, they will starve. We big villages have plenty of warriors, but if we lose the foundation provided by the smaller nations, the negative impact on the Five Nations will be catastrophic."
Yagura's rational analysis acted like a cold bucket of water on the greed-drunk crowd. The Great Villages survived by drawing strength from the smaller ones; they had to leave them a path to live.
Most ninjas didn't fear death, but the prospect of another World War like the Third or Fourth was a nightmare. Without Hiruko's massive power-up, the Leaf wouldn't have even survived the last one. If a new war broke out now over money, no one would truly win. The Great Villages would likely collapse under the weight of the losses.
Quit while you're ahead. That was the smart play. You avoid war and keep most of the profit.
With Hiruko refusing and others wavering, the momentum for exploitation stalled. Logic was one thing, but greed still clawed at their hearts. What was more despairing than poverty? Even Hiruko had felt the lure of that much capital. But he could stay rational because Konoha's regular income was already astronomical—enough to pay off their war debts in full.
Other villages didn't have that luxury. They wanted to shove profit into their mouths regardless of whether they'd choke later.
"It seems we have a disagreement," Hiruko said smoothly. "Let's put it to a vote. The purpose of the Five Kage Summit was to solve problems without shedding each other's blood. If you agree to end the operation here and begin a gradual sell-off, raise your hand. If you refuse..."
Yagura was the first to raise his hand. Under Hiruko's steady gaze, Rasa slowly raised his as well. At the end of the day, he was Hiruko's "father-in-law."
The representatives from Stone and Cloud glared at the three of them, eventually relenting with sighs of frustration.
"If you think this is best... then we just make a little less. Dammit!" the Iwa rep grumbled.
The Cloud rep nodded in agreement, knowing Rasa's words were true. A hen that lays golden eggs is worth more than a single golden egg from a slaughtered bird. Making money was fine, but a total war was a loss.
Though reluctant, the factions dispersed. There was still a lot of "cleaning up" to do.
As Yagura and Mei Terumi left the hall, Yagura sighed. "You were too hasty. You should have waited until the people were better prepared."
Hiruko shook his head. "I didn't expect the monster to grow so fast. I intended to wait a few years, but I got greedy."
He watched them go, taking this as a lesson. Once the "Demon of Capital" is released, it inevitably bites back. He wanted to unite the world, and small villages were part of that world. The damage done to them this time was severe, and the reconciliation wouldn't be easy.
Yagura remained Hiruko's most staunch supporter. He understood the vision: replace the old era with a new one. If Hiruko failed to handle the transition, Yagura was prepared to lead a revolt himself. For him, there was always another option: marry Mei to Hiruko. Their child could integrate the Mist and Leaf, forming a dynastic power to rule the shinobi world.
Meanwhile, good news arrived: the ANBU squad sent to find Jugo had returned.
The shinobi world was small enough if you knew where to look. Hyuga Enbo had scoured the border of Fire and Rice, looking for an orange-haired infant named Jugo.
He had found him. Rumor had it the child had turned into a monster at birth and killed his own mother. The ANBU had simply paid the grieving father to take the child off his hands.
When Hiruko saw the baby, he saw a network of sealing chains around the infant's body. They didn't seem to work perfectly; the child would still fall into "fits." But he was just a baby, easily suppressed.
Hiruko looked at the little thing. Soft, pink cheeks—a cute infant who would unfortunately grow up to be quite a plain-looking man. Jugo's adult design really wasn't winning any beauty contests.
The seals were meant for chakra, but Jugo absorbed natural energy instinctively, making those seals as flimsy as paper.
Hiruko reached out, gently stroking the infant, attempting to sense and control the natural energy within. Humans are always surrounded by natural energy, but normally...
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