After the high-level Konoha meeting concluded that day, Konoha underwent a dramatic change. Not only the Hidden Leaf Village, but even the entire Land of Fire fell into short-term turmoil.
Within just a week, a series of assassinations swept across the Land of Fire. The victims were nobles who had long held power in the country. Even the daimyō of the Land of Fire was assassinated in his mansion by unknown shinobi.
In response, the surviving nobles united, organizing their forces to investigate the assassinations. They also sent envoys to Konoha, seeking help from the Leaf's shinobi.
Little did they know that the assassinations had been orchestrated by Raiden from the very beginning. The executioners were not Leaf Village shinobi but Raiden's personal guard—Kisame Hoshigaki, Momochi Zabuza, Haku, and others who had defected from their villages.
Within the Hidden Leaf, only those present in the Hokage's office at the time knew the full truth. It had already been decided that this matter would not be publicized to avoid positioning Konoha as the enemy of the Fire Country's nobility.
At this stage, Raiden's plan to unify the ninja world had only just begun.
As a result, Konoha's official response to the Fire Country's envoys was deliberately vague. They claimed that investigative teams had been dispatched, but the nobles never saw any real action. The assassinations didn't stop.
Meanwhile, as rumors spread, intelligence about the assassinations in the Land of Fire landed on the desks of the other four great nations' daimyōs. In response, the leaders of each ninja village heightened security around their respective daimyōs. Villages like Iwa, Cloud, Mist, and Sand mobilized units to protect their national leaders.
While the world's attention was focused on the chaos caused by the assassinations, the two forces mobilized by Raiden successfully entered the Land of Tang and the Land of Rain.
Inside the Hokage's Office—
Raiden, who had distanced himself from village affairs for many years, had now fully taken control. Namikaze Minato and Nara Shikaku, aware of Raiden's grand plan, had joined his cause. From the moment Raiden ordered the death of the Fire daimyō, Konoha was strapped to his chariot.
Even if the current Konoha leadership wanted to arrest Raiden and give an explanation to the people of the Fire Country, the damage was already done. The trust of the daimyōs could never be regained. The revelation that Raiden had orchestrated the assassination would instantly turn the entire ninja world against Konoha.
The daimyōs of other countries would fear Konoha's strength and would no doubt command their respective villages to launch attacks. Konoha would become the world's common enemy.
However, the situation was still under control. The nobles of the Fire Country had yet to identify who was behind the wave of assassinations. On the surface, Konoha's relations with the nobility remained cordial. Externally, Konoha's activities remained covert. Until Raiden's true goals became clear, the village had room to maneuver.
By the time the ninja world realized what was truly happening, Raiden's plans might already be complete.
For Konoha, Raiden's plan posed great risks—but also an unprecedented opportunity.
Click. The office door opened, and Raiden, who had been reading through documents, looked up. A middle-aged man in a green vest stepped inside.
Raiden smiled brightly when he saw the visitor. "Senior Sakumo, long time no see!"
It was none other than Hatake Sakumo, who had guarded the Fire Country's borders for many years. He had rarely returned to the village unless summoned for critical missions.
A veteran of both the Second and Third Great Ninja Wars, Sakumo was not only highly experienced but also widely respected. Few in modern Konoha possessed his blend of combat prowess and leadership.
"Lord Raiden. Is there an important reason for recalling me to Konoha?"
Sakumo was unaware of what had been happening within the village. Kakashi, though aware, had kept the truth from his father.
Seeing Raiden seated at the Hokage's desk surprised him. For years, that seat had belonged to Minato. Now, the Fourth sat at Raiden's side, calmly assisting with documents like a secretary.
But Sakumo, with a seasoned political sense, chose not to question it. He got straight to the point.
"Please, don't be so formal, Senior."
"I summoned you because there's an important task only you can complete."
Raiden didn't mince words. He retrieved a document from the pile beside him and handed it to Minato, who in turn brought it to Sakumo.
Sakumo gave Minato a brief glance and noted the serene smile on his face despite performing such humble tasks. He admired Minato's character, then turned to the document.
As he read, Sakumo's expression grew increasingly grave. The content shocked him.
"I've thought long and hard about this mission," Raiden said, tapping his fingers lightly on the desk. "And I realized you're the only one fit to lead it. What do you say, Senior?"
The pressure emanating from Raiden snapped Sakumo out of his daze.
"I will carry out any task you assign, Lord Raiden."
"However, this mission is extremely challenging. Will I—?"
Before he could finish, Raiden raised a hand to cut him off.
"Don't worry. I'm not sending you alone."
"You'll lead the mission, but others will assist."
"This initial stage is simple, and I'll be dispatching troops to support your efforts later."
"Your subordinates have already been arranged."
As Raiden finished speaking, he clapped his hands. Several figures appeared in the previously empty room.
Sakumo turned and saw a group of shinobi standing behind him.
"Kisame Hoshigaki, Momochi Zabuza, Haku, King Oni Axiang, and Kimimaro of the Kaguya clan—these are your subordinates."
"Your mission is to assassinate nobles across all nations, Senior."
Raiden pointed at the group behind Sakumo. The task he entrusted to Sakumo was to eliminate the nobility of other countries. Within the Land of Fire, Raiden's existing agents were sufficient, but for cross-border operations, someone like Sakumo was essential.
Kisame and Zabuza were cold and skilled assassins but lacked leadership. Haku was gentle-natured and unfit to command. Axiang and Kimimaro, despite their strength, were solitary types who needed coordination.
Raiden himself would have been the best to lead the team, but he couldn't leave Konoha, nor could he entrust the mission to a shadow clone.
Sakumo, with his battlefield experience and command abilities, was the ideal candidate.
Inside the Land of Fire, Raiden could direct things from afar. But beyond its borders, initiative and autonomy were essential—thus, a leader was needed.
"Yes." Sakumo offered no protest, asked no questions about the team's pasts or the mission's purpose. He didn't even consider the potential consequences for Konoha.
He understood only one thing: the Fourth Hokage had given him a mission. As a shinobi, he would carry it out.
"Then I'll leave it to you," Raiden said with a nod. Sakumo departed Konoha immediately, leading the assassination team.
Though the Fire Country had lost many nobles, the nation's political framework remained stable. There weren't many grassroots vacancies, and most regions weren't affected at all. Only some noble territories experienced a decline in law and order.
In those areas, once Konoha's shinobi arrived, order was restored—better than under the previous regime.
As Konoha's influence grew across the Fire Country, certain perceptive individuals noticed the shift. Mayors and village heads stopped consulting aristocrats and began writing directly to the Hidden Leaf for guidance.
Raiden had anticipated this. Nara Shikaku, an expert in governance, managed this transition. Order was quickly restored, and noble influence waned further.
Nobles, at their core, were ordinary people—perhaps guarded by samurai, but no match for Konoha's shinobi.
By early December, Konoha had completed its political purge in the Fire Country. The nobility had been eliminated, and the two deployed armies had taken control of both the Land of Rain and the Land of Tang.
Simultaneously, Sakumo's assassination team entered the Land of Tang and began targeting nobles there.
As for the Land of Rain, it had long been a militarized state since Hanzo's era. With no aristocracy to speak of, Konoha quietly seized control.
With the conquest phase concluded, Raiden turned his focus to domestic affairs. He encouraged farming and industry, promoted development, and established a Tax Bureau under Shikaku's leadership. Taxes once collected by nobles now went to Konoha.
Raiden merged the territories of the Fire, Rain, and Tang Countries into one and divided them into provinces. Konoha began expanding its infrastructure, including building ninja academies across the land to identify promising individuals.
Those with ninja potential received one to two years of local training before advancing to Konoha for further study.
Of course, not every town followed Konoha's will. For these outliers, Konoha used a simple solution—they disappeared.
By morning, the townsfolk would discover their leadership had changed.
Though such large-scale actions didn't go unnoticed, Iwa was too busy fighting over the Tsuchikage seat to intervene. Meanwhile, the Cloud dispatched spies into the Land of Tang, only to discover that leadership had already changed hands.
Konoha's forces had pushed forward to the borders of the Cloud, taking full control of the Land of Tang.
By the end of December, the Uzumaki residence outside the Hidden Leaf was festooned with decorations. Crowds gathered in the courtyard as stages were built and flowers arranged in preparation for a grand wedding.
Inside the house, Raiden wore loose black pajamas, sitting cross-legged at a low table, sipping tea. A black formal suit hung neatly from a rack by the window.
In a guest room, Terumi Mei tried on her wedding dress with Kushina's help. As she looked into the mirror, usually calm and composed, she was stunned by her reflection.
"How is it? Does it still fit?"
"Tomorrow is your wedding with my brother. Are you happy with the dress I prepared?"
Kushina stood behind her, smiling as she placed her hands on Mei's shoulders.
"Thank you, Kushina... Sister," Terumi Mei replied softly, bowing her head.
The decorations outside were not for anyone else—but for Raiden and Terumi Mei.
(End of this chapter)
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