Naruto sat inside the Hokage Office and gave the order without hesitation.
"Begin."
Everyone present immediately straightened up.
Even Jiraiya, who usually acted carefree, wore a serious expression.
One by one, powerful figures left Konoha.
Tsunade, Jiraiya, Itachi Uchiha, Shisui Uchiha, Sasuke Uchiha, Kakashi Hatake, and Fugaku Uchiha all departed for important strongholds across the Land of Fire.
Their mission was simple:
Prevent anything from going wrong.
The plan had already been perfected.
The Red Sun Society had infiltrated the Land of Fire so thoroughly that taking control of it was almost effortless.
No one even needed to fight personally.
All they had to do was follow the plan.
And everything would fall into place.
"Move!"
"The operation has started!"
"The Red Sun Project officially begins!"
Across the Land of Fire—
Every town.
Every noble estate.
Every official residence.
Every important location.
Ordinary-looking people pressed earpieces to their ears and quietly listened to instructions.
Then they acted.
"The lord drank too much and needs to rest."
A nobleman with weak legs was escorted away from the banquet hall.
Guards quietly sealed off the room.
"Lord Qinghe has suddenly fallen ill. Lord Gaohe will temporarily oversee matters."
A middle-aged man in luxurious robes stepped forward with a calm smile and took over the situation.
Scenes like that played out everywhere.
Most ordinary people noticed nothing.
Life seemed normal.
But smarter people sensed something dangerous in the air.
Some tried to react.
Some tried to spread the news.
But before they could do anything—
They were quietly taken away.
No noise.
No trace.
Inside the Fire Temple, the monk Chiriku sat in silence.
Across from him sat Asuma Sarutobi.
The two former members of the Guardian Twelve Ninja looked at each other.
Neither knew whether they were still comrades… or enemies.
"So it's finally come to this," Chiriku said quietly.
Asuma simply shrugged.
Meanwhile, inside the Fire Daimyo's palace—
Tsunade and Jiraiya stood before the Fire Daimyo.
The daimyo looked calm.
Almost as though he had expected this day to come.
"Please come with us," Tsunade said.
The daimyo slowly stood and opened the folding fan in his hand.
"Let's go."
His voice was calm.
But there was loneliness in his eyes.
Ever since the Chūnin Exams two years earlier—
He had known this day would eventually come.
Naruto's strength was too overwhelming.
And over time, the daimyo realized something terrifying:
Even the palace itself was no longer under his control.
Back at Red Sun headquarters, reports flooded in.
"The important cities and strongholds are under control."
"The daimyo is on his way to Konoha."
"The Land of Fire is ours."
Naruto leaned lazily in his chair and smiled.
Everything had gone exactly as expected.
He had been capable of taking the Land of Fire two years ago.
He simply waited until now to guarantee success.
So taking control of the nation brought him no excitement at all.
Then Naruto looked toward Karin.
"It's your turn."
Karin adjusted her glasses.
At Red Sun TV headquarters, she looked like a queen sitting on a throne.
"Understood."
"Let the world see what these so-called nobles really are."
Across the ninja world—
Red Sun TV suddenly changed its programming.
The normal broadcasts disappeared.
New programs began.
And they shocked everyone.
The crimes of the nobility were exposed for the entire world to see.
Murder.
Arson.
Robbery.
Torture.
Bullying.
Oppression.
The shows displayed countless ugly truths hidden beneath noble appearances.
Many of the crimes had happened within the past two years.
The nobles had not changed.
They had only hidden themselves better.
People everywhere were furious.
The smiling nobles they saw every day suddenly looked like monsters.
When the Fire Daimyo entered Konoha's meeting room, the first thing he saw was Naruto watching those broadcasts.
Naruto glanced at the screen and sighed.
"This world is really twisted."
"Even ninjas aren't always as cruel as these people."
The daimyo's expression turned pale.
After a moment, he finally spoke.
"Not every noble is like that."
"There are good nobles too."
Naruto nodded slightly.
"I know."
"But the noble class itself has outlived its purpose."
He gestured for the daimyo to sit down.
Then Naruto spoke plainly.
"The Land of Fire needs a new system."
"The old structure of one nation, one village needs to change."
"The daimyo system needs to disappear."
"The employment system for ninjas needs to change."
"The role of ninjas themselves needs to change."
"In the new era, there is no place for a ruler who stands above everyone else."
Naruto looked directly at him.
"In the future, you will simply be another citizen of the Land of Fire."
The daimyo fell silent.
Even though he had already guessed the outcome—
Hearing it spoken aloud still left him lost.
Naruto rubbed his forehead and sighed.
Destroying the world with brute force would have been easy.
Actually changing it?
That was far more troublesome.
Over the following days, Red Sun TV continued its campaign.
The programs began discussing inequality between nobles and commoners.
They questioned whether nobles deserved their privileges.
Experts debated live on television.
Public opinion began to shift.
The entire ninja world was thrown into chaos.
The smartest people quickly realized what Naruto was really trying to do.
This was not simply about unifying the ninja villages.
He wanted to overthrow the daimyo system itself.
Inside Iwagakure, Onoki immediately understood.
Inside Kumogakure, the Raikage felt the same pressure.
Inside Kirigakure and Sunagakure, panic began spreading.
"The Fourth Great Ninja War is coming."
"Impossible! The world is peaceful!"
"You idiot. This is just the calm before the storm."
Fear spread across the ninja world.
People started preparing for war.
Deep inside a hidden base, Black Zetsu burst into laughter.
"The Fourth Great Ninja War!"
"Perfect!"
Obito Uchiha stood nearby, equally excited.
Inside the base were other missing-nin and outlaws, including Hiruko and Kazuma.
Over the years, Konoha had hunted rogue ninjas relentlessly.
So naturally, many of them had gathered together.
Black Zetsu looked toward Hiruko.
"Start."
"Wake up the dead."
"Let the world see true terror."
"Impure World Reincarnation…"
"Madara—rise!"
Back in Konoha, Naruto simply laughed.
"The Fourth Great Ninja War?"
"As if."
As long as he refused to allow it—
No war would ever begin.
Naruto looked at the gathered elites before him and smiled.
"Now that the Land of Fire is settled…"
"It's time for the other four nations."
"Show them the strength of Konoha."
Everyone shouted in response.
Their voices shook the room.
The Land of Fire had fallen too easily.
They had barely gotten a chance to fight.
Now—
They were ready to let loose.
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