And the subsequent progress indeed could not be described as smooth sailing. Whether it was Ōnoki or A or anyone else, none of them were very willing to accept the result of being "annexed," even when Nagato emphasized that afterward things would no longer be limited to the form of villages but would become an entirely new system.
However, these problems came quickly and left just as fast. After slightly displaying his strength, Nagato did not insist on keeping them. He simply stated that if they were unwilling to accept it, they could leave on their own.
As long as they could accept the outcome afterward, that would be fine.
In the current situation where Konoha had already allied with the Akatsuki organization, Nagato's threat carried considerable weight. Even though Ōnoki and the others were quite displeased, in the end not a single one of them showed any intention of leaving.
In the present where the strength gap was clearly too large, acting on a momentary impulse would only lead their villages toward the worst possible outcome. As shinobi of their villages, they could resist to the bitter end, but as the leaders of their villages, they absolutely could not do that.
Since the result of being "annexed" was difficult to change, they could only shift their thinking and try their best to secure more benefits for their respective villages.
Once the goal was clear, there was no need for Nagato to urge them further. Everyone very consciously began discussing the many matters of the future according to the plan provided by Tsunade and Nagato.
…
Konoha Village Main Street
"Hey, Sasuke, it's been so long since we last met—how come the moment we reunite you're already pulling a long face? Smile a little! Isn't the reunion of Team 7 supposed to be a happy occasion?"
Looking at Naruto, who had been chattering nonstop and clinging to him ever since he entered the village, Sasuke felt somewhat annoyed at first. But in the end, the words that reached his lips turned into a slight smile.
"You idiot, does being happy mean I have to show it the same way you do? Look at Kakashi and Furina—which one of them is acting like you?"
By the end, Sasuke felt incredibly emotional inside. He truly never imagined he would return to the village in this manner.
Not long ago, he had just dealt with Orochimaru and killed his own brother. Then, right after learning the truth from the masked man, he joined the Akatsuki organization and prepared to take revenge on Konoha.
But as he delved deeper into the matter, he discovered that the mastermind behind the Uchiha clan massacre, Danzō Shimura, had already been killed by an unfamiliar Uchiha who was together with Furina.
With his target for revenge dead, Sasuke felt momentarily lost. And while he was still lost, not much time passed before the leader of the Akatsuki reached an agreement with Furina.
After the reconciliation was achieved, perhaps due to nostalgia for his former teammates, or perhaps because he wanted to personally meet that unfamiliar Uchiha clansman, Sasuke returned to Konoha together with Nagato.
The one who greeted Nagato was Jiraiya, while the ones who greeted him were his former classmates from the ninja academy.
Most of them left after exchanging greetings. In the end, the only ones still walking with Sasuke were Team 7, along with Team Hawk who had come to Konoha with him, and Uchiha Hikari and a few others.
After meeting Uchiha Hikari, Sasuke found that he and this unfamiliar clansman seemed to have nothing much to say to each other. Uchiha Hikari appeared to feel roughly the same.
The difference was that she only wanted to see what kind of person Furina—her former teammate—was like. As for the Uchiha clan and such, she did not care at all.