A massacre, orchestrated by the Mist Village's higher-ups, began.
The other ninjas were fine, as most had seen the cruelty of the battlefield, but Ino Yamanaka couldn't bear it. She covered her mouth and ran out, crying. Naruto Uzumaki watched her go, then rubbed the bridge of his nose. He handed things over to Torune Aburame before leaving the bloody scene himself.
Tobirama Senju noticed this. He saw the village's Fifth Hokage sit for a moment before leaving the reception site, his face looking a bit unwell.
Soon, Tobirama caught up to him. "Brat, can't handle a scene like this?" he called out. "Naruto, you are Konoha's Fifth Hokage! The Hokage who will one day lead Konoha to rule the entire ninja world!"
"...I'm going to check on Ino."
After a hurried reply, Naruto vanished from Tobirama's sight. In the future, he would kill countless enemies on the battlefield—more than ten thousand.
On a broken wall in the Mist Village, a remnant of the battlefield from three days ago, Ino hugged her shoulders, the terror still etched on her face. When she saw Naruto, her first instinct wasn't to seek comfort from her peer, but to shrink away as if startled.
Naruto frowned. "If you can't handle it," he said in a low voice, "I'll have someone escort you back to Konoha now."
"..."
Ino was silent for a moment. Her expression showed she was considering it, but then she shook her head. "I am also a member of the village, and the heir to the Yamanaka clan. When the village summons our clan, I must be here. Though Shikamaru did say I might see many bloody scenes this time..."
"Oh, he guessed right," Naruto nodded, then changed the subject. "I haven't been back for over three months. How is the village?"
"Everyone is doing well. Sasuke has returned, but he's still training hard all the time. It's usually impossible to find him." Ino's mood gradually calmed. After mentioning Sasuke a few more times, she continued, "Our team is the same. Shikamaru still has no motivation, but Choji is training more and more. Sakura is still studying in the medical department, and Hinata has seemed distracted lately..."
As she spoke, Ino suddenly looked up and sized up Naruto. "By the way, during the summer festival, Hinata told a lot of people that she missed you. Naruto, are you two together?"
"I guess so?" The young Hokage rolled his eyes and rubbed his forehead. "We'll probably get married when we turn eighteen..."
"Eigh... eighteen? Married?"
The color drained from Ino's face at his words. Although she had always fantasized about marrying Sasuke Uchiha one day, she rarely even got a chance to see him. Meanwhile, Hinata and Naruto were already planning to get married in five years?
Naruto looked at the overreacting Ino and said softly, "Hey, Ino, want me to set you up with someone? He's a genius ninja from the Hokage Guard. In terms of looks and strength, he's just a little behind me and Sasuke."
"..." The blonde girl shot him a look, her disdain obvious. "If he's just a little behind Sasuke, that's one thing. But to be a little behind you..."
"Hey, hey, hey, show me some respect!"
"Sasuke already said it. Even though you're Hokage now, you're still the same dead-last from our class who was always skipping school!"
"Hmph. When I get back, I'll assign him the most troublesome mission imaginable."
"..."
After the two bantered for a while, Ino completely relaxed, the discomfort from the bloody scene forgotten.
Everything in the Mist Village began to proceed smoothly.
Once the reception ceremony was complete, Konoha's standard-issue headbands and uniforms were sent to the Mist in batches, outfitting the surrendered ninjas one by one. After about a week of screening, the total number of Mist ninjas and rogue ninjas had decreased by about a quarter, but the total was still in the tens of thousands.
This number was a considerable burden for Konoha, but the daimyo of the Land of Water would now assign all of the country's missions to them. It was time to reap the dividends of war. The surrendered Mist ninjas quickly returned to a stable life.
As for the chunin and jonin, they would take their families and move to Konoha to settle down. Konoha's higher-ups would then send another batch of their own ninjas to replace them, thereby occupying the entire Land of Water in a practical sense.
This integration process might take a long time, but at least they had a good start. The two Hokages, Tobirama and Hashirama, would be temporarily stationed in the Land of Water to prevent any chaos.
After all of the Mist Village's symbols were replaced with Konoha's spiral mark, the village, once one of the five great ninja villages, became a thing of the past. The young Hokage's goal of unifying the ninja world had taken a massive step forward.
Just as Naruto was about to return to Konoha, envoys from the Cloud Village came to visit. They wanted to ask if the Fifth Mizukage was still willing to agree to the conditions from their previous negotiations. But when they arrived, they only saw the former Mist Village, now covered in Konoha's symbols. For a moment, the Cloud ninjas didn't understand what had happened.
"Hey, you guys go back and tell Lord Raikage! There is no longer a Mist Village in the ninja world. The only legal ninja village in the Land of Water is Konoha. Remember that!"
Those were the original words of the Fifth Hokage of Konoha.
After news of the Mist Village's demise spread, the ninja world was in an uproar. No one had even heard about a war between Konoha and the Mist, let alone how many ninjas Konoha had dispatched. In just three days, the Land of Water had fallen, and the Mist Village was gone. The speed at which the war ended left the remaining nations in a state of panic.
-----
Land of Lightning, Cloud Village.
The Fourth Raikage was the first to hear the news. He was so angry he smashed the cup in his hand. "Those weaklings from the Mist Village... they actually surrendered to a brat?"
Ever since the civil war began in the Land of Water, the Fourth Raikage had been trying to cultivate the Mist as an ally. The plan was that when it came time to deal with Konoha, the Mist could launch a surprise attack from the sea to support them. However, before he could make any moves, the Fifth Mizukage had led all the Mist ninjas, and Zabuza Momochi had led all the rogue ninjas, in surrendering to Konoha.
The Fourth Raikage looked at his silent subordinate and continued loudly, "Our speed was still too slow. The moment that Hokage brat from Konoha entered the Land of Water, I should have led our army in as well!"
"Lord Raikage," Darui scratched his head and said in a low voice, "we didn't expect it either... After all, didn't that Hokage say he was going to mediate the war?"
More than three months ago, everyone was mocking the young Hokage for his big talk, for overestimating himself by thinking he could mediate the civil war in the Land of Water. Who would have thought that just over three months later, in only three days, he would use this method to regain his lost face.
He didn't mediate the war.
He simply eliminated both sides that needed mediation.
-----
Bonus:
Three months ago:
Naruto Uzumaki: I'm here to mediate the war!
Mei Terumi: We don't welcome you!
Zabuza: Not needed!
Fourth Raikage: Naive!
Third Tsuchikage: Childish!
Black Zetsu: Arrogant!
Obito Uchiha: Idiot!
Three months later:
Naruto Uzumaki: The war has been mediated!
Fourth Raikage: Where is the Mist Village?
Third Tsuchikage: Where is the rebel army?
Black Zetsu: Where is the Six-Tails?
Naruto Uzumaki: The Akatsuki captured the Six-Tails. The Mist Village and the rebel army are gone. They are all Konoha ninjas now! Was my mediation successful? In the future, whoever wants me to mediate, just send a private message!
Fourth Raikage: ...
Third Tsuchikage: ...
Black Zetsu: I don't know if the mediation was successful, but we didn't get the Six-Tails, in any case.