After receiving the Daimyō of the Land of Fire and the Fourth Raikage of the Hidden Cloud Village, Natsuro's plan officially went into motion.
Just as he had anticipated, the various villages had suffered significant casualties during the Fourth Great Ninja War. Their high-ranking officials had also taken part in the war and understood firsthand the overwhelming gap between their strength and that of Konoha.
Thus, from the very beginning, they had never seriously considered going to war with Konoha.
However, outright surrender also faced intense opposition, which led to a prolonged stalemate.
Then came the actions of the Fourth Raikage, which broke this deadlock. Although some had speculated on his motives...
Regardless of the reasons, with the strongest of the remaining four villages being the first to surrender, the voices of dissent were silenced.
As a result, Natsuro spent the next few days meeting with several major figures, none other than the Kage of the remaining four ninja villages.
As for the Daimyō of the other four great nations, just as he had expected, their understanding of ninja was still stuck at the level of those second-rate shinobi under their command.
Some of them even tried to convince themselves that the meteor Natsuro had summoned from the sky was nothing more than a sleight of hand.
But Natsuro no longer cared.
The strength displayed during the Fourth War had already yielded tremendous results... weakening the enemy's forces, showcasing his own overwhelming power, and deeply etching the belief of his invincibility into the minds of every ninja who participated in the war.
Of course, there was another reason things had gone so smoothly… Black Zetsu and Orochimaru.
Both had planted spies in every ninja village. Though these agents had seemed useless before, at this moment, they were more than capable of stirring up unrest.
With internal strife and external pressure bearing down on them, the remaining villages were forced into making a final choice. Resistance had already been made an impossible path by him.
So… if they didn't want to die, and didn't want to see their villages destroyed, there was only one option left.
Otherwise, it would've cost Natsuro much more effort to complete the unification.
Fortunately, after unification, the administrative staff was also nearly in place. The Daimyō of the Land of Fire and personnel from the five major villages combined were enough to begin governance.
Now, Natsuro smiled, those self-deceiving fools were about to witness the cruelty of the world.
The war to unify the world… had begun!
But unlike the wars from Natsuro's past life, this war was one filled with overwhelming personal power. Konoha didn't even need to deploy a large army, just minimal logistical and support forces would suffice…
The actual combatants were the ninja from the original four great villages.
Of course, the purpose of having them participate wasn't to expect them to fight, but to once again make them witness the power capable of unifying the world.
Whether or not a sliver of hope still lingered in their hearts, he would crush it entirely.
In reality, once a Nine-Tails beast hundreds of meters tall and two Susanoo avatars over a hundred meters appeared on the battlefield, it was all over.
How could the power of mere mortals contend with strength at the level of the Sage of Six Paths?
Naruto, in particular, understood this. He knew that if he showed a level of power so overwhelming that it instilled despair, the overall casualties would be fewer.
So in this battle, Naruto gave it everything he had, unleashing a version of Kurama far larger than a full-body Susanoo, beyond several times its original size.
In this form, each of Kurama's steps shook the earth, and a single sweep of its tails sent shockwaves across the land.
To the average person, this power was nothing short of divine.
Moreover, alongside Naruto stood Sasuke and Kakashi. Sasuke, with his three-tomoe Rinnegan, also freely unleashed his Susanoo across the battlefield.
Though Kakashi was slightly weaker, with both of Obito's Mangekyō Sharingan in his possession, he could also manifest Susanoo, albeit an incomplete version, since he didn't have access to Obito's Six Paths Yin Release.
But even this incomplete form was enough to rampage through the battlefield.
Even though Sasuke and Kakashi weren't as idealistic as Naruto, they still didn't wish to commit unnecessary slaughter—so they, too, did their best to demonstrate the kind of power that would make resistance seem foolish.
And the results?
The enemy soldiers below dropped their weapons to the ground. Looking up at the towering Nine-Tails and Susanoo…
Confusion filled their eyes.
Is this for real? I'm supposed to fight Kurama and Susanoo?
Was this really a war meant for ordinary soldiers like them?
In that moment, one thought surfaced in their minds:
Instead of fighting against these godlike enemies, it would be better to pick up their weapons… and lead a rebellion against their own leaders. That might actually give them a higher chance of survival.
Gradually, many of them exchanged glances, and found they all shared the same idea.
This wasn't their fault, it was the fault of the higher-ups who had sent them to war against beings akin to gods. As mere humans, how could they fight gods?
These soldiers weren't blind, they were just ordinary people who had never witnessed true power before.
So it was only natural for them to see those capable of wielding such divine force as gods themselves.
And behind them, the shinobi from the original four great villages all looked pale as well.
Even though they had already witnessed such power during the Fourth War, seeing it again while imagining these individuals as potential enemies was a chilling thought.
They knew that this wasn't even the full extent of Konoha's might. The strongest Hokage hadn't even made an appearance yet. With that in mind...
They felt a sense of relief that they had already surrendered. Those who still harbored secret ambitions quickly extinguished those thoughts.
In the face of such overwhelming power, unless they had strength to match, resistance was nothing but a death wish.
On this battlefield, the thoughts of many quietly shifted.
Meanwhile, Natsuro sat in the Hokage's office, casually flipping through a book of supernatural tales. With all his preparations complete, there wasn't much left for him to do.
All that remained was to sit here and wait for news of victory.
Just then, his's eyes flickered. He sighed softly. As expected… there were still those stubborn enough to resist him.
In every world, there would always be people who, even knowing they would die, chose to fight on without hesitation.
"What a shame... I can't bring those kinds of people over to my side," Natsuro muttered as he walked to the window, gazing toward the outskirts of Konoha.
He could've used Kotoamatsukami to fully control their minds—in fact, he didn't even need that technique. But the eye capable of using Kotoamatsukami was in his possession, meaning he could easily activate it with just a bit of chakra.
Still, he didn't like forcibly altering a person's will. He would rather let these people die with their convictions than strip them away. It was his way of respecting their choice.
Those rebels had already arrived at Konoha's outskirts, not because the village's defenses were lax, but because Natsuro had ordered it.
Because as the enemy approached, the five great sacred beasts revealed themselves: Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise, White Tiger, and Kirin.
These were the five sacred beasts guarding the heart of the realm, the trump card that crushed any schemes to sneak into Konoha.
Against such calamity-tier beings, only those at the Six Paths level could hope to contend.
So when the Vermilion Bird's flames covered the sky, the Azure Dragon's torrents drowned the earth, the White Tiger's blade winds filled the air, the Kirin's thunder echoed through the heavens, and the Black Tortoise raised mountains from the ground...
Slaughter and death descended in that instant.
He didn't hesitate, these were necessary sacrifices on the road to unification. Even though he had made so many preparations beforehand to minimize casualties, it was impossible to achieve complete bloodlessness.
Compared to the battlefield in front, the one ahead, where those three were fighting, might see less bloodshed. After all, most of the people on the frontlines hadn't come to fight of their own free will.
So, once those three displayed enough overwhelming power, the enemy soldiers would likely switch sides on the spot.
But Natsuro's battlefield was different. Those who had come here had already given up on their lives. Among them were people from the five great nations, as well as shinobi from the four major ninja villages...
Natsuro even held a list in his hands, a roster of potential die-hard resisters from the four great villages, given to him by the Four Kage after their surrender.
"So..." Natsuro slowly revealed a cold, grim smile. "Since the idea of unification came from me alone, then let the bloodshed be borne by my hands alone."
But at that moment, Shikaku knocked on the door.
"Is something the matter?" Natsuro was a little puzzled. He didn't think a war so one-sided in power would warrant an urgent report.
"Lord Hokage, everything is proceeding exactly as planned. However..." Shikaku stepped beside Natsuro and gazed out at the far-off battlefield where world-shattering forces were at play. No matter how many times he saw it, he couldn't help but be awed.
"However?" Natsurolooked at the enigmatic Shikaku.
"The Konoha shinobi are requesting permission to fight. They wish to contribute to this war, and they don't want you, Lord Hokage, to bear the stain of bloodshed alone," said Shikaku.
"You told them, didn't you?" Natsuro smiled bitterly.
"No. Actually... it was my son's idea." Shikaku showed a slight smile.
"Shikamaru, huh..." Natsuro was stunned for a moment, then laughed. "Still, even if you all do this, it won't erase the reputation I've already built for bloodshed."
"Yes, I understand. But according to Shikamaru, he simply wanted you to know that when you proposed unification and had it passed within the village, then unification was no longer just your idea. It became the will of all of Konoha." Shikaku said this with deep emotion, then looked toward Natsuro.
"Lord Hokage, I feel the same. As Hokage, all you need to do is watch as we, your subordinates, secure victory for you. There's no need for you to personally step onto the battlefield."
Natsuro looked at Shikaku, then finally nodded. Turning his eyes to the five towering figures in the distance, he withdrew the power of the Five Sacred Beasts.
As the Five Sacred Beasts receded, he could sense that most of the Konoha shinobi, full of excitement, had rushed out to join the battle.
"Maybe... sometimes, life really does come second," Natsuro sighed. Clearly, he could have ended the war himself with nearly zero casualties, but they still chose to fight personally.
Even so, their side wouldn't suffer much in terms of losses, because people who were truly ready to throw away their lives were a small minority. And among those, almost none had top-tier combat strength.
So, as long as the Konoha shinobi stayed alert, they might even manage zero deaths. No injuries would be impossible, though...
Thus began the most lopsided war for unification, raging like wildfire.
But to ordinary people, ninja were already a whole different level of enemy. Let alone the fact that among those ninja were a few... basically the size of Gundams.
So the war began quickly, and ended even faster. In fact, within just a few days, it was already over.
And the biggest contributor to this swift conclusion was none other than Naruto.
Because he understood only one thing: the sooner the war ended, the fewer people would die. So Naruto essentially pushed himself to the limit, working around the clock.
Still, some killing was unavoidable. Naruto typically focused on breaking through enemy gates, while Kakashi and Sasuke handled the cleanup operations...
But even with that, the world was far too large for things to end so quickly.
The reason it did end so quickly was because the speed of their advance was just too terrifying, so much so that the enemies they faced later on simply surrendered, including their leadership.
In that moment, they finally understood, this was not a power they could resist. If they wanted to survive, they had only one option... surrender.
After the war concluded, the personnel in charge of casualty statistics came back with a shocking result:
The casualty rate in this war for world unification... was extremely low. In fact, it was even lower than that of the previous three Ninja Wars.
After all, those wars dragged on for too long, and many opportunists took advantage of the chaos resulting in massive casualties that could be counted, and even more that couldn't.
In contrast, while this unification war was larger in scale... the fighting never reached ordinary families. The short duration also left no window for looters or bandits to cause mayhem. The result was an unexpectedly low casualty rate.
And so, a war that was supposed to unify the world ended before most ordinary people even realized it had begun.
...
The day after the war ended...
Natsuro sat upright on the throne, looking at the gathered crowd waiting for his official announcement. A trace of nostalgia flickered in his eyes.
"The name of the new nation... shall be: Hasu, the Land of the Lotus."
If you want to read more...
Check out the patreon and get 55 chapters in advance -> SaintXI