— — — — — — —
"That's exactly the point."
Kaito smiled and nodded. "Honestly, if they were willing to submit to Konoha directly, that would be the best outcome."
"That way, we could minimize hatred and make it easier for me to build goodwill with the people of these ninja villages and nations. The faster I complete the contract, the better."
Only by quickly resolving the Ninja world could he free up more time, energy, and manpower to focus on infiltrating the world of One Piece.
That world was simply too vast. Without sufficient manpower, taking it over in a short time was nearly impossible.
"Don't forget, we still haven't dealt with the Sage of the Six Paths!" Uchiha Madara reminded him. "Now that your strength should be sufficient, shouldn't we take care of him first?"
Leaving such an unpredictable wild card in the shadows made Madara uneasy.
"Of course, I know that. I'll find a way to lure him out soon!" Kaito nodded.
At his current level, it would be easy. With his abilities, he could now influence the location of the Pure Land of the afterlife. Naturally, he could stir things up and force the Sage of the Six Paths to reveal himself.
Alternatively, he could have Gamamaru contact the Sage and trick him into appearing.
As a last resort, he could even travel to the moon and attempt to release Kaguya, using her unsealing as bait to draw the Sage out.
There were plenty of ways to handle this.
"Alright! As long as you've got a plan. Finish up here first so I can start implementing mine." Madara nodded, urging him on.
"Understood! It won't take long."
---
With that, Kaito vanished from the Mizukage's office, reappearing a moment later near the Hozuki Clan's compound.
Using his mental and spatial abilities, he instantly locked onto every member of the Hozuki Clan, silently placing a special seal on each of them from a distance.
Afterward, he followed the same procedure with the Kaguya Clan, ensuring that every member, even those not currently in the compound, was marked with the sealing technique.
Satisfied with his work, Kaito returned to the Mizukage's office, where Madara was waiting.
"Mission accomplished!" Kaito reported with a grin. "The rest is up to you guys."
"If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."
"Alright!" Madara nodded in approval. "Go ahead, but be ready to receive the newcomers."
"Got it! I'm off."
Kaito smiled before teleporting away.
— — —
Two Days Later – In the Hokage's Office
"Lord Hokage, Tsuchikage Onoki of Iwagakure has suddenly arrived. He's currently on his way to the Hokage Tower."
"He's only brought two people with him—his son, Kitsuchi, and another shinobi, Akatsuchi."
An Anbu member appeared and reported the news.
"Oh? Onoki just showed up without any prior notice? What's that old man up to?" Kaito was slightly surprised. He quickly used his mental powers to scan the village and lock onto Onoki and his entourage.
Nearby, the First Hokage Hashirama, Tobirama, and Uzumaki Mito also sensed what was happening.
"Could it be because of the performance Hashirama and Madara put on earlier?" Mito speculated but then hesitated. "But if he was just here to gather intel, there's no reason for Onoki himself to come, and especially not so quietly."
Something didn't add up.
"Hahaha!"
Hearing this, Hashirama suddenly burst into laughter. "Maybe he's seen the truth! Maybe he realizes our determination to unify the ninja world and has decided to submit directly!"
"Huh?"
Mito and the others were left speechless, staring at the First Hokage in disbelief.
Did he even hear what he just said?
"From what I know, Onoki was humiliated alongside his teacher, the Second Tsuchikage, by Madara in the past. He's always harbored deep resentment toward Konoha," Mito pointed out. "
Given that, it's almost impossible for him to simply surrender to us."
The others nodded in agreement.
But Hashirama simply smiled. "You might be right, Mito. But I still think my theory is possible."
"No matter how much hatred he holds, it's insignificant compared to the survival of his people."
"Onoki is undoubtedly a highly intelligent and cunning man. But he is a good leader."
"Perhaps he has already seen through much of Konoha's plans and understands that unifying the ninja world is inevitable."
Some might call Hashirama naive, but he was far from foolish.
At times, his mind was sharper than anyone's.
"That's also a possibility," everyone nodded.
Mito sighed, shaking her head. "There's no point in guessing. We'll find out soon enough when Onoki tells us why he's here."
Moments later, Onoki, Kitsuchi, and Akatsuchi were escorted into the Hokage's office by an Anbu.
"Oh? Lord Hashirama, Lady Mito, Lord Tobirama,..... even the current Hokage is here?"
Onoki was surprised to see so many of Konoha's key figures gathered in one place.
"Hahaha! You must be the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, right?" Hashirama greeted him warmly. "Nice to meet you! But I must say, you look quite old!"
"Haven't you trained a successor yet? Do you need any advice from me?"
Onoki: "..."
That question caught him completely off guard.
Was he seriously asking that right now?
Did Hashirama really expect him to prepare a successor when Konoha was gearing up to unify the entire ninja world? What difference would a new Tsuchikage make?
Still, as an old schemer himself, Onoki could tell that Hashirama's words weren't meant as mockery or provocation.
Everything he had heard about the First Hokage being an open and straightforward man—someone who was wise yet acted simple—seemed to be true.
"I'll answer that question another time," Onoki replied. "For now, I have come on behalf of Iwagakure to formally submit to Konoha and discuss the terms of our complete integration. What do you think?"
"Eh?!"
"Huh?!"
"What?"
Everyone in the room was stunned—except for one person, of course.
They had considered the possibility of ninja villages surrendering—but not this soon.
And certainly not from Onoki himself.
Unbelievable.
What's even more unbelievable was that Hashirama was the one who predicted it.
.
.
.