Two days later, the Shinobi World Conference began on schedule.
Inside the large second-floor meeting hall of the Hokage Tower, sunlight filtered through half-drawn curtains, casting mottled shadows across the dark wooden table.
The leaders of major and minor villages who had arrived early sat stiffly in silence. No one dared whisper. The air was so heavy and still it felt like even time had stopped.
Footsteps approached.
Every set of eyes turned toward the door—the two Deputy Ministers of Military Affairs, Uzumaki Mito and Uchiha Shihō… the newly appointed Secretary-General Uzumaki Minako… and the man whose presence weighed on all of them:
The Hokage of Konoha—Uchiha Soren.
These four were the true ruling powers of Konoha.
"Close the doors. The conference begins."
The entire shinobi world had begun revolving around his will. After the thrill of conquest came a dull disinterest; laying down rules for these people was far less entertaining than spending time with the increasingly daring Minako.
So he got straight to the point.
"Ever since the First Hokage established the one-state one-village system, up through the end of the Second Shinobi War, this world has known nothing but cycles of small skirmishes and large-scale war. Never true peace."
"If you all insist on fighting—believing your village's strength should bring more profit—then Konoha will give you room to showcase your talents."
The room stayed silent, but everyone's expression tightened.
Soren continued calmly:
"The Land of Lightning will be converted into an unregulated region—the Black Horn Domain. Any village may dispatch shinobi below Kage-level to occupy it. Cooperate or fight as you wish. The territory each village holds within the Black Horn Domain will determine your share of its resources… and your standing on the continent."
The room broke into uneasy murmurs—especially from Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure, the three villages Soren had recently crushed.
"Silence!"
Uzumaki Minako, dressed in a refined kimono, narrowed her eyes. Tailed-Beast-level chakra surged with a savage pressure that instantly smothered the hall.
Another jinchūriki-class powerhouse.
With the Two-Tails and the unseen Eight-Tails, even without Soren, Konoha's military strength could flatten the entire shinobi world.
Realizing this, the various leaders looked increasingly grim.
Hanzō of the Rain, seated just behind the three great villages with his near-Kage power, rose to speak. Though he had met Soren through Uchiha Rei's team and had some faint idea of what was coming, his voice still quivered with contained excitement.
"Hokage-sama… what exactly does 'standing' in the shinobi world mean?"
"I am a fair man," Soren replied. "Strength determines standing. Daimyō privilege? Sacred noble bloodlines? All jokes to me. Past glory doesn't define present strength."
"If you have the ability, then yes—I'll give you the rights to the Lands of Earth, Water, or Wind. Whoever can hold them… earns them."
"This is absurd!"
The Fourth Tsuchikage, Rōshi, rose instantly. "Our national interests cannot be allocated to other villages! Iwagakure has always been the protector of the Land of Earth—it always will be!"
"Finished talking?" Soren asked blandly.
He didn't even bother activating the Mangekyō.
A mere flash of his three-tomoe Sharingan shattered Rōshi's will like glass.
"Go outside Konoha," Soren said lightly. "Find a place to kill yourself. And dig your grave first."
Rōshi walked out like a lifeless puppet.
A suffocating dread swept the room. None dared raise their eyes toward the head of the table again.
"I didn't call this meeting for your opinions," Soren continued. "If you follow what I say, everyone benefits."
"If you refuse? That's fine too. People die every day in this world. A few more won't matter."
He folded his hands under his chin, Sharingan fading back to dark eyes.
"The Black Horn Domain's territories will be reassigned every five years. If any village disagrees, you may settle it with a best-of-three series of Kage-level duels."
"And a warning—do not secretly send Kage-class shinobi into the Domain. If I discover it, you can imagine the consequences."
"Kage-level shinobi who ascend within the Domain may act there only once. A second intervention requires immediate departure. Refuse to leave… and you won't need to leave again."
"Villages unwilling to participate may submit documentation to dissolve."
He smiled faintly.
"One more thing. Konoha will spread chakra refinement techniques. Keep up—soon we'll enter an era of universal shinobi."
"Shinobi will form their own nations and become the rightful masters of this continent, not the descendants of so-called 'divine rulers.'"
"My part is done. The details will be published by the Secretariat."
His shadow clone dispersed into blue smoke.
Back in the Paradise Micro-World
The real Soren was dodging Genkaori's punches. He flicked a hand, sending her stumbling backward until she fell onto the ground with a small yelp.
"Genkaori, I'm using genin-level strength. You'd better keep up."
Her small backside hit the ground, stinging. She pouted, stood, and immediately got pressed back by a fingertip on the forehead.
"When fighting equals, you don't get time to pat yourself clean."
"Yaaah!"
Life energy surged around her training clothes, her black hair fluttering as she spun and kicked toward Soren—
CRACK!
Her foot hit a wooden log.
She blinked in confusion before Soren appeared behind her, lifting her into his arms in a princess carry.
"That was the Substitute Jutsu—one of the most basic genin techniques."
"Darling… ninja abilities are cheating~" she groaned.
Soren kissed her on the forehead.
"If anyone else heard you say that, they'd be jealous to death."
"Mm?" she murmured against his chest.
"The Glair vein's power is tremendous. If you keep absorbing it, you'll become one of the strongest beings on the continent—on par with the Six Paths Sage."
Her eyes sparkled.
"Darling, how long?"
"That depends on how hard you work."
"Then let's continue!"
With renewed determination, she resumed training.
They returned to Konoha at lunchtime, where Genkaori bathed to wash off the sweat while Uchiha Hikaru and Uchiha Jiruri exchanged knowing looks.
Warm water slid over her petite frame. Soren, watching her from behind, couldn't help comparing her and Minako…
The future is promising, he thought.
After dressing, the two went to the dining room. Genkaori, still weak from training, sat shyly beside Jiruri.
Soren listened as Hikaru recounted the morning's events.
"Two toads claiming to be sages from Mount Myōboku want to meet you?"
Soren's smile curled at the edges.
"So yesterday's toads were their scouts. Today the real ones arrived."
"Perfect. I've been wanting a look at their sage chakra."
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