With this thought, the gloom in Ōnoki's heart was completely swept away.
Perhaps this would actually be a good thing for the Stone Village.
With Kurotsuchi serving as a connection, he felt that the Stone Village wouldn't be at a disadvantage and might even secure a prominent position within the alliance.
It felt like an excellent prospect.
Overjoyed, he said, "Kurotsuchi, you have done exceptionally well."
Kurotsuchi's face lit up with happiness. It was a relief that there were no misunderstandings.
"Grandpa, come sit at my place for a while."
"Alright."
Ōnoki gladly agreed.
Not long after, Ryōsuke received the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa.
Rasa stared cautiously at the man before him.
He hadn't expected this person to be so incredibly young while possessing such overwhelming combat power. What a terrifying individual.
He feared the Sand Village would be suppressed for a long time to come, utterly incapable of contending with the Leaf Village.
He could already sense the terrifying aura radiating from him.
*He's too strong. If we were to fight, I absolutely wouldn't be his match.*
That was the instinctual warning his body gave him.
Ryōsuke smiled and said, "Fourth Kazekage Rasa, do you remember what I told you? Submit, or die."
Rasa's expression shifted to one of sheer shock. That phrase was all too familiar.
It was exactly what the man who attacked the Sand Village had said to him.
The man who had single-handedly defeated half of the Sand Village's shinobi, including himself.
"Could you be that guy?" he demanded angrily.
"I can't believe someone from the Leaf Village would actually attack the Sand Village and plunder our Tailed Beast. Aren't you afraid—"
As he spoke, he realized the absurdity of his own words. He had wanted to ask if this man was afraid of starting a war, but upon closer thought, the other party clearly wasn't afraid in the slightest.
A deep sense of frustration welled up inside him.
To think it was the Leaf Village's Uchiha Ryōsuke who had done such a thing. This guy was dead set on making the Sand Village submit.
Ryōsuke's expression turned serious. "What? Are you trying to resist me?"
"The Raikage, Mizukage, and Tsuchikage have all chosen to submit."
"If you resist, I don't mind wiping the Sand Village off the map. I am completely serious."
As soon as he finished speaking, a majestic and boundless pressure erupted from his body, enveloping the Fourth Kazekage.
It was like the Haki from the world of One Piece, causing Rasa's very soul to tremble.
His body was subjected to immense pressure, and he couldn't stop the fear from rising in his heart. *Is he a monster?*
Just what kind of existence was he facing?
It took quite a while before the oppressive aura finally ceased.
Once the pressure lifted, Rasa regained his senses, gasping heavily for air.
He felt physically and mentally exhausted. Just enduring that aura had drained a significant amount of his spirit and stamina.
Cold sweat drenched his body.
It was truly terrifying. He was genuinely afraid.
This man could annihilate the Sand Village all by himself.
Ryōsuke spoke up, "Give me your answer now. If you want to die, I can certainly grant your wish."
Rasa felt incredibly stifled. He had no choice; refusing was tantamount to death.
However, since the Kage of the other hidden villages had chosen to submit, it didn't seem entirely unacceptable for the Sand Village to join as well.
"I choose to join."
"Good."
Ryōsuke was very satisfied with Rasa's answer.
"Alright, you may go back now."
Rasa felt as though he were being casually dismissed like a lowly lackey, leaving him feeling utterly helpless.
But since he had chosen to submit, he allowed himself to relax a little.
However, there was still something he needed to ask.
Temari and Gaara—one was his daughter, the other his son, and the latter was also the village's Jinchūriki.
"My Lord, may I ask if Temari and Gaara can be released back to the village?"
Hearing this, Ryōsuke smiled and replied.
"Don't worry, Temari is doing very well, and so is Gaara. From now on, he will fight for the Leaf Village, so you don't need to worry about him."
Gaara was already able to proficiently wield the power of the Tailed Beast. With his own sand manipulation combined with the power of the One-Tail Shukaku, his strength was quite formidable.
He could likely rival a relatively strong Kage-level figure.
After all, his young age was a factor; even with the ability, he hadn't fully mastered its application yet.
Rasa's expression changed upon hearing this.
Although he was relieved to know Temari was safe, he hadn't expected Gaara to become a shinobi of the other party's village. This left him completely speechless.
But there was nothing he could do. The other party was blatantly robbing them of their Tailed Beast.
He let out a helpless sigh.
Seeing Rasa like this, Ryōsuke offered some consolation.
"There's no need to look like that. The Sand Village will eventually become part of the alliance I am establishing anyway."
Hearing this, Rasa felt resigned. This was the only way; the general trend could not be defied.
Right now, he needed to focus on what to do next.
He had to figure out how to secure a position within the alliance.
Elsewhere, Konan found Nagato.
This was her companion, someone she had shared life and death with.
Naturally, she knew where Nagato currently lived, and she knew he had become the shadow of the Rain Village, leading the village.
Although Nagato wasn't originally from the Land of Rain, he had inherited Yahiko's will.
Nagato looked at Konan as she pushed the door open and entered, his face filled with excitement.
Just as the God King had said, Konan was doing well.
He quickly stood up and walked over to her.
Konan was equally thrilled.
This was the companion who had always stood by her through thick and thin. Just as Ryōsuke had promised, his body was completely healed. He looked just like a normal person now; his muscles had grown robust, and he could walk normally.
Even his vibrant red hair indicated that his body had recovered, and his lost vitality had been fully replenished. Ryōsuke's abilities were simply too powerful.
Still, she couldn't help but ask.
"Nagato, has your body really fully recovered?"
Nagato grinned.
"Yes, all thanks to the God King."
"Konan, if you're here, does that mean the God King is also here?"
"Yes," Konan replied.
"The God King is Uchiha Ryōsuke. Next, he will summon all the Kage to establish the Shinobi Alliance, unify the shinobi world, and bring lasting peace to the ninja world."
Nagato was shocked by the God King's true identity. He hadn't expected it to be that man.
But his heart swelled with even more excitement. The plan was finally beginning.
This was the goal of the Akatsuki. Even though the Akatsuki wasn't personally leading it, just being able to participate was enough to thrill him.
The next day, Ryōsuke summoned the Kage of every village to the conference room in the Hokage building.
Having received the notice, the Kage of the various villages arrived at the conference room early.
The Kage of the Five Great Ninja Villages naturally sat apart from the rest, not engaging in conversation with anyone else. After all, they roughly knew what was about to happen.
Their feelings were complicated, but they knew this was an irreversible reality.
However, for the leaders of the smaller ninja villages, this was a joyous occasion. To actually be invited here by the Hokage, one of the Five Great Ninja Villages, was an honor.
"Why did Lady Tsunade summon us?"
"I have no idea either."
"But today is truly a grand occasion. I never expected so many Kage-level figures in the shinobi world to gather here."
For the people of these minor ninja villages, it was incredibly exciting. Although they also called themselves Kage, they were not officially recognized.
Official recognition was something only the major ninja villages could achieve.
Their small ninja villages lacked the strength and the qualifications.
The only ones truly worthy of the title of Kage were the leaders of the Five Great Ninja Villages in the Five Great Nations: the Hokage, Raikage, Tsuchikage, Kazekage, and Mizukage.