Ryoma suddenly smiled. Was this really still an option?
"I also want to see what else these idiots can say."
With that, Ryoma agreed and followed Hatake Sakumo to the meeting.
The conference hall was empty, cold, and silent. Five massive screens dominated the front wall, ringed by a dozen smaller monitors.
Sakumo inserted the scroll into the machine. A moment later, the screens flickered to life—revealing the faces of the five great daimyō and several other powerful figures from the smaller nations.
Their gazes locked onto Ryoma, sharp and probing, as if they intended to dissect him on sight.
"Ryoma," the Fire Daimyō began, his tone icy, "your recent actions have already crossed the line. You are threatening the balance and peace of the entire world."
He didn't bother to hide the accusation; he simply threw the hat straight onto Ryoma's head.
"If you don't immediately disband your current forces and come forward to accept judgment, we will destroy Konoha entirely and appoint someone else in your place!"
Ignoring him, Ryoma's eyes swept over the figures on the screens.
His mind instantly processed every scrap of information he had gathered on all of them.
"I know who every one of you is," Ryoma said flatly.
"To be honest, if it weren't necessary, I wouldn't bother killing so many people."
His calm declaration sent the Five Daimyō into an uproar.
"Are you threatening us, Ryoma!?"
"Do you even understand what you're doing!?"
The leaders of the smaller nations remained silent. They didn't dare speak—only watched the unfolding scene with pale faces.
Ryoma shook his head.
"The problem is that you don't understand the situation. I have the ability to unify the entire shinobi world—so why shouldn't I do it? And this isn't a threat. It's simply a fact."
"Unifying this continent is part of my plan. Anyone who resists dies. It's that simple."
The Thunder Daimyō jabbed a finger at the screen, furious.
"Ryoma, you are provoking a war! Do you understand the consequences!?"
The Water Daimyō added loudly, "We are not afraid of war! But Ryoma, are you certain you want to go to war with all of us? No matter how strong you are, you cannot fight the entire world!"
"…Heh."
Ryoma couldn't help but laugh.
He looked at the daimyō—fat-headed, oily-faced, and self-important—with open contempt.
"Are your brains truly that dull?"
"The Five Great Shinobi Villages were the military power of your nations, the strongest force in the world. Yet they've all been conquered—by me. They now act under my command."
"And you believe gathering a few leftover soldiers from outside will somehow stop me?"
"With minds like yours, you're nothing but a waste of this world's resources."
His voice grew colder.
"I will step over your corpses and build a new nation—the only nation on this continent."
With those words, Ryoma turned and walked out of the conference room without looking back.
The daimyo of the five great nations—and the leaders of the small ones—stared at his departing figure in shock.
None of them had expected Ryoma to be so direct, so cold, or so willing to declare that he would trample their corpses to create his new world.
Among them, the loudest outcry came from the daimyō of the Five Great Nations.
They had always believed they were the ones protecting their respective shinobi villages.
But reality was the complete opposite.
It was the great shinobi villages—powerful, disciplined military forces forged through generations of war—that had protected them.
And because of this protection, their heirs had grown soft, sheltered, and utterly lacking in capability.
Like spoiled children who only needed to open their mouths to be fed, the moment someone spoke bluntly to them—someone like Ryoma—they immediately flew into a rage, shouting and cursing.
But none of their words ever reached Ryoma's ears.
All they could do was rant powerlessly.
Compared to them, the leaders of the smaller nations were far more clear-headed.
Some had originally sided with the Five Great Nations—not out of real loyalty, nor out of any desire to fight Ryoma—but because they sensed the times were changing. They wanted to observe for themselves which side offered better security for their future.
But after witnessing Ryoma's unshakeable resolve and hearing his ultimatum, they remembered his undeniable strength—strength they could never hope to oppose.
The very next day, all the small nations and local powers withdrew from the so-called "Ryoma Alliance" that had existed for barely a day.
Only the Five Great Nations remained, supporting each other out of pride alone.
Inside the Hokage's office, Ryoma listened calmly as Nara Shikaku finished his report.
The small countries and local factions that had initially supported the Five Nations had all switched sides overnight, openly declaring loyalty to Ryoma.
The daimyō were so enraged that they immediately mobilized troops—only to realize that they were essentially throwing meaningless forces into the fire.
The weakness of the Five Great Nations had now been exposed to the world.
It would take only a small application of force to crush them completely.
"I'll leave this operation to all of you," Ryoma said.
His gaze moved across Hatake Sakumo, Nara Shikaku, Akimichi Chōza, Yamanaka Hiashi, Hyūga Hiashi, Uchiha Fugaku, and the others standing before him.
These men were the pillars of Konoha.
Sakumo alone was a shinobi of ultimate Kage-level power, and the others were no less capable in their respective specialties.
With additional shinobi transferred from the other five great villages, Ryoma estimated that they could dismantle the political power of the Five Great Nations within a week.
Several days passed.
During that time, Ryoma's life settled into a steady routine—moving back and forth between his home, the Hokage Building, and the laboratory.
With Orochimaru acting as his tireless assistant, his research progressed at extraordinary speed.
Out in the wilderness, Ryoma placed a test mouse on a metal plate engraved with intricate runes. Some distance away—nearly tens of meters—Orochimaru prepared an identical metal plate on the ground.
Ryoma channeled chakra into the plate beneath his hand.
A moment later, the mouse began to glow with blue light, then vanished without a trace.
On Orochimaru's side, the second plate erupted in light, and when it faded, an identical mouse hopped out.
"It worked!"
Orochimaru's eyes widened—genuine excitement breaking through his usual calm.
For someone who sought the truth of ninjutsu above all else, nothing was more exhilarating than discovering new knowledge.
"After a few adjustments," Orochimaru said, voice trembling with anticipation, "we can begin preparing for human trials."
Ryoma handed the metal plate back to Orochimaru.
The successful experiment didn't stir much emotion in him—after all, it was still far from the perfected result he sought.
"…What a man colder than even myself," Orochimaru muttered, watching Ryoma's expressionless face.
For once, even he felt a little helpless in comparison.
Just then, Ryoma suddenly turned his head, gaze locking onto something far away—as if he had sensed a disturbance.
A heartbeat later, his figure blurred and vanished, teleporting from the spot.
In the next instant, Ryoma appeared before a steaming hot spring.
Mist drifted lazily over the surface, and through the haze, a graceful silhouette could be faintly seen within the water…
...
TN:
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