74 After the War; With Tsunade in the Hokage's Office
Konoha in the dead of night had lost its former tranquility.
In its place was a suffocating silence and an undercurrent of tension, pressed to the extreme.
In the spacious plaza in front of the Hokage Building.
Konoha Ninja stood in a dense, dark mass.
From green Genin to experienced Jonin, almost everyone had been forcibly assembled here.
Their Ninja tool pouches had long been confiscated.
Their hands were empty, like tigers with their teeth pulled out.
And guarding them were merely eight hundred Ninja, dressed in uniform black, silent as iron.
Their number was far fewer than those being guarded.
But the murderous aura and precise positioning of these eight hundred men formed an invisible wall of bronze and iron.
Firmly controlling every point where a disturbance might occur.
What made the Konoha Ninja even more hesitant was... their families, their children, were still being held in the Ninja Academy, hospitals, and shelters.
This meant that although their faces were etched with anger, humiliation, and unwillingness, and their fists clenched, cracking audibly.
No one dared to make the first move.
This collective, forced silence.
Formed an extremely eerie and suffocating scene.
Just then.
A slight commotion rippled through the crowd.
Teams of Hyuga Clan members walked in, expressionless.
Their pure white Byakugan eyes were particularly striking in the night, and they consciously dispersed.
They took up positions on high ground and key locations around the plaza, activating their Byakugan.
Strictly monitoring the Chakra flow of all Ninja in the area.
Any unusual movement would be hard to escape their eyes.
Immediately after, Inuzuka Clan Ninja and their Ninja dogs also joined the alert team.
The keen sense of smell and hearing of the Ninja dogs served as another layer of insurance.
Aburame Clan Ninja silently spread out along the edges of the crowd, countless tiny parasitic insects quietly spreading like a black mist.
Forming an invisible deterrent.
These three clans, which had originally remained neutral.
After the situation in Konoha became clear.
Faced with the orders issued by Di Yan, they dared not disobey in the slightest.
With the addition of these great clans, the guarding force instantly doubled.
At the same time, it further stung the hearts of the ordinary Ninja in the field.
They watched their former comrades, and even clan members, now turn their weapons against them.
Many people's faces showed complex expressions of awkwardness, shame, and yet a forced compliance.
They could only avoid the angry, disdainful glances cast from below.
The continuation of their clans, the safety of their loved ones.
Became the heaviest shackles around their necks... Meanwhile.
On the top floor of the Hokage Building, in the Hokage's Office that symbolized Konoha's highest authority.
The atmosphere was equally suffocatingly oppressive.
Di Yan sat comfortably in the large chair that should have belonged to the Hokage.
His fingers tapped rhythmically on the armrest.
His gaze, full of interest, passed through the huge floor-to-ceiling window.
Overlooking the dark mass of Konoha Ninja on the plaza below, like lambs to the slaughter.
And Tsunade, like a soulless puppet, stood rigidly by the window.
She was still wearing her damaged Hokage Robe.
Her golden hair was somewhat disheveled, and her emerald eyes had lost all their luster.
Only emptiness and numbness remained.
She stared blankly out the window at the people she was supposed to protect, who had now given up resistance because of her command.
The cold glass reflected her pale and desperate face.
"What a magnificent sight, isn't it?"
Di Yan's voice broke the silence in the room, with a hint of lazy admiration:
"Thousands of well-trained Ninja, their strength, their will, now all seem so... insignificant."
"Life and death, all are within My single thought."
Tsunade's body trembled imperceptibly.
But she still didn't turn around, nor did she speak.
Di Yan didn't care about her silence and continued to speak to himself:
"Do you know why you lost so completely?"
"It's not because of insufficient strength, but because... too many weaknesses."
"You have too many concerns. Family, comrades, the Village..."
"And these things you cherish, in My eyes, are merely the best bargaining chips and the most easily attacked soft spots."
He stood up and walked to Tsunade's side.
Standing beside her, he looked out the window.
"And I, have no weaknesses~."
His tone was flat, yet carried a chilling, absolute confidence, "Therefore, I won."
Tsunade finally reacted.
Her lips moved a few times, emitting a dry and hoarse voice:
"You... what exactly do you want?"
"Does destroying Konoha give you pleasure?"
"Destroy? No."
Di Yan shook his head, a meaningful smile playing on his lips, "Destruction is the lowest means."
"What I want... is conquest, is reshaping."
His gaze swept over the Hyuga, Inuzuka, and Aburame Ninja below:
"Look, aren't they very 'obedient' now?"
"Soon, the entire Konoha, the entire Land of Fire's power, will be integrated, truly for My use."
"There will no longer be any independent Ninja Villages, only the strongest instruments of violence, loyal to the Emperor."
He turned his head and looked at Tsunade.
His gaze lingered on her profile, which was still captivating even in despair.
"And you, Lady Tsunade, granddaughter of the First Hokage, the last bloodline of the Senju Clan, the Fifth Hokage of Konoha..."
"Your submission and 'cooperation' will be key to whether all of this can transition smoothly."
"Make a choice."
Di Yan's voice carried a hint of seduction, yet was cold and ruthless, "Will you continue to wallow in useless pain and resistance, watching more people die because of you?"
"Or... acknowledge reality, and use your identity and influence to help Me 'pacify' those below."
"To secure for them, and for Konoha, a path... that might not be so bad after all?"
He presented an incredibly cruel choice.
To the physically and mentally exhausted Tsunade.
The cold moonlight outside the window spilled into the office, illuminating Tsunade's pale face.
And the deep, desperate struggle in her eyes.
The shadow of the Empire had completely enveloped Konoha.
And the Hokage's decision would determine what lay beneath that shadow.
Was it complete silence?
Or a lingering struggle.
Facing Di Yan's question, which carried a sense of mockery and absolute control, Tsunade did not answer directly.
Instead, she forcibly suppressed the turmoil within her.
Attempting to use her last remaining rationality to buy Konoha a moment of respite.
Or rather, to change the suffocating topic.
She took a deep breath, her voice still somewhat hoarse, but she tried to maintain her composure:
"Konoha has undergone such a massive change, changing hands overnight. Such a huge commotion cannot be completely suppressed."
"Before long, those guys from Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Hidden Mist will surely pounce like sharks smelling blood to test the waters, and may even join forces to carve up the Land of Fire."
She turned her head and looked directly at Di Yan, trying to see a hint of concern for the bigger picture in his eyes:
"If not handled well, the Land of Fire will be attacked from both sides, surrounded on all fronts."
"Although I don't know how you have the Mangekyo Sharingan, even if your power is strong and you control Konoha."
"When you face the pressure of the entire Ninja World, you will not have an easy time!"
Di Yan listened to her words, and far from being nervous, he laughed.
His laughter carried a hint of playfulness and... appreciation?
"Heh heh, even at this point, you're in danger yourself, yet you're still thinking about the survival of Konoha and the safety of the Land of Fire..."
"Lady Tsunade, you are indeed worthy of the title 'Hokage', a woman who inherited the name of Hokage."
However, after the praise, came an even more undeniable dominance.
"However, you don't need to worry about these things."
Di Yan waved his hand, his tone as relaxed as if he were discussing the weather:
"Since I dared to make a move, I have naturally made full preparations."
"Other Ninja Villages? Hmph, if they don't come, so be it."
"If they dare to come... it will be a good opportunity for Me to test if My newly sharpened blade is keen."