Naruto: Hiding in the Anbu Until I Became a Super Kage

Chapter 507 507: Surrender Ceremony

Rounding the mountain pass, Iwagakure spread out before them.

Unlike Kumogakure's towering stone mountains, the mountains surrounding Iwagakure were heavy earth mountains.

In the valleys between the mountains stood numerous cylindrical buildings.

The people here preferred to live in circular structures made of adobe or piled stone.

There were no Iwa-nin forces outside Iwagakure.

Yōkō wasn't afraid of any ambush either.

With over 13,000 ninja dead on the front lines, Iwagakure's vitality was severely wounded. Even if they gathered all remaining Iwa-nin, it would merely add a less significant footnote to Fox's reputation for slaughter.

Yōkō suddenly stopped walking.

This started led Tōshinin. After a moment of fluster, he stared at Fox.

Yōkō asked, "The Four-Tails returned to the volcanic regions in the north of the Land of Earth. What about the Five-Tails? Where did the Five-Tails Jinchūriki, Han, go?"

Tōshinin said, "Han believed that, to alleviate your concerns, he should not return to Iwagakure. Before the surrender agreement is signed, Iwagakure should not retain any capacity for resistance."

Orochimaru said, "Han worries too much. Even if he were in Iwagakure, it wouldn't count as having a capacity for resistance."

Tōshinin swallowed hard with difficulty, the feeling like a knife scraping his throat.

He continued leading the Konoha group into Iwagakure.

Over thirty Konoha ninja followed behind Lord Fox and Lord Orochimaru. The Konoha ninja restrained their pride, trying not to provoke the people of Iwagakure.

On both sides of the street stood many Iwa-nin and civilians.

Their eyes were strange, suppressing hatred, yet not one dared to meet the gaze of the Konoha ninja, dared to let them see their animosity.

If anyone else were stared at by tens of thousands of hateful eyes, they would certainly be horrified and uneasy. However, the leaders were Fox and Orochimaru.

In the eyes of these two, such hatred was merely floating dust, utterly insignificant.

Tōshinin saw many people with poorly concealed looks in their eyes, but he wasn't worried. Presumably, people like Fox and Orochimaru wouldn't care about such things.

Everyone in Iwagakure knew that surrendering to Konoha was the unanimous decision reached by the entire village, high and low. They could only await Konoha's judgment.

Ōnoki had been good to Iwagakure, nurturing it into one of the top hidden villages in the shinobi world. The people of Iwagakure had once believed they truly were among the best.

However, the Third Great Shinobi War Completely shattered Iwagakure's pride.

Passing by the Iwagakure Ninja Academy, Yōkō looked to the side and saw two distinctive students.

Deidara, with mouths in his palms, and Kurotsuchi, who was currently crying.

In the original storyline, these two had significant roles. Here, both were merely academy students.

In their eyes, Yōkō must be an utterly wicked person.

Deidara's father, Bakura, was killed by Yōkō. Kurotsuchi's father, Kitsuchi, and grandfather, Ōnoki, were also killed by Yōkō.

Hopefully, when they grow up, they won't do anything foolish out of hatred, Yōkō thought. Otherwise, I might have to exterminate their families, and that wouldn't sound good.

Tōshinin led the Konoha group first to the top of the Tsuchikage Building.

On the high platform before the building, under the gaze of the entire Iwagakure, the surrender ceremony began.

Tōshinin loudly declared that Iwagakure surrendered unconditionally to Konoha Village.

The people of Iwagakure watched in pain as the Fourth Tsuchikage, Tōshinin, bowed his head and presented the surrender scroll to Orochimaru.

Of course, some also wore expressions of communal grief while secretly rejoicing inside.

It's over. The war is finally over.

It was too terrifying. We shouldn't have continued fighting Konoha.

Some had been lucky enough to witness the Konoha Fox's Super World of Trees Technique from afar. If a jutsu like that appeared in Iwagakure, Iwagakure would vanish from the shinobi world.

Some ninja always boasted their jutsu could destroy a city. Fox was different. He truly could destroy a city, even a great city like Iwagakure.

After Completing the surrender ceremony, Tōshinin led the Konoha higher-ups to a courtyard on the west side of the village.

This was the shrine courtyard Iwagakure had prepared for Fox.

Yōkō clapped his hands together. Three tree trunks grew from the main hall, slowly transforming into three faceless deity statues.

Tōshinin's eyes grew vacant. Those were the statues of the Three Gods.

The left statue had a dagger clenched in its mouth. The middle statue had three heads and six arms. The right statue appeared to be wearing a cloak.

Tōshinin then saw Fox summon three nobles bound together with ropes.

In front of Iwagakure's leadership, Yōkō sacrificed the three nobles, sealing their souls into the altar to serve as coordinate points for the Flying Altar Technique.

In the future, believers of the Three Gods Religion could use the souls within the altar to help others teleport between altars.

After the ritual ended, Kika took out a map of the Land of Earth.

Yōkō said to Tōshinin, "I plan to establish Police Departments in every town."

"The Police Departments in the capital of the Land of Earth and the four major cities will be handled by Konoha ninja."

"The Police Departments in other cities and towns of the Land of Earth will be handled by Iwagakure."

"Police Departments will be permanently stationed in various locations, responsible for maintaining basic local order. They will rotate every three years to prevent ninja from colluding with local forces and forming entrenched interest groups that are difficult to control."

"Fourth Tsuchikage, your Iwagakure must also formulate regulations to protect the temples and altars. With the Transport Altars, your control over ordinary towns will also increase significantly."

Tōshinin nodded. Since they had surrendered unconditionally, they could only accept this.

The five major cities, including the capital, going to Konoha, while other places went to Iwagakure, wasn't exactly driving them to extinction. Konoha won the war; everything was Konoha's due.

By dividing things this way, Iwagakure might even become more prosperous than before.

At least with the elimination of violence in villages and towns, there would be stable sources of grain and meat in the future.

Looking at the altar, Tōshinin felt a twinge of fear.

With an altar in Iwagakure, Fox could appear in the village at any time, could destroy Iwagakure at any moment.

What a terrifying enemy. Why does such a powerful ninja exist?

Tōshinin glanced covertly at Fox. If Senju Hashirama was the God of Shinobi, then Fox is the Shinigami of Shinobi. Senju Hashirama was a benevolent idealist; Fox is a cold killing machine.

Seeing Tōshinin offered no objection, Yōkō and Orochimaru were both satisfied.

The Police Department system Yōkō wanted to establish was completely different from the Military Police Force currently controlled by the Uchiha clan in Konoha.

Konoha ninja, along with rogue ninja hired by Konoha, would be stationed in all towns to maintain order and prevent violence.

Violence belonged to the ninja. Production and governance belonged to the local Joint Governments. This was the most suitable production relationship Yōkō could find for ninja.

"Fourth Tsuchikage, if you have any questions in the future, you can send someone to inquire with us," Yōkō said.

"In Konoha Village, Advisor Nara Rokaku—he was just promoted from Jonin Commander to Hokage Advisor—will be responsible for establishing the Police Department system across the entire shinobi world."

"The war here is over. I will go to the Land of Waves to quickly deal with the Daimyō families of the Land of Waves and the Land of Water, and have Kirigakure sign a surrender agreement as well."

The Konoha group departed Iwagakure using the altar.

Tōshinin turned and walked towards the Tsuchikage Building. In the building's underground archives, he saw a person.

Members of the Akatsuki, Uchiha Obito and Zetsu, were looking at a file—information on a spy.

This spy's name was Kyōi.

(End of Chapter)