On the other side, Hyuga Gakuya brought the Seven-Tails' Jinchuriki, Fū, into a cave.
He knocked her out cold with a single blow and began the extraction process. Rather than pulling out the entire tailed beast, he left a portion of its chakra inside her to keep her alive.
Inside a transparent sealing container, the now-miniaturized Seven-Tails repeatedly slammed into the walls of the seal.
Realizing it couldn't break free, the beast turned toward Hyuga Gakuya.
"What do you want?"
"Someone intends to resurrect the Ten-Tails. We need your power," Gakuya said flatly. His eyes shifted into the Sharingan, and he took control of the beast.
He would hand it over to Nagato as part of a future deal with the Akatsuki.
But he still needed someone to perform the Ten-Tails resurrection ritual.
...
Two near-effortless victories—Sunagakure's forces crushed by a monstrous army, and Kumogakure repelled by a single man.
News of these decisive wins spread like wildfire. Within days, the entire shinobi world was buzzing: the Federation had secured two overwhelming victories.
Citizens of the Federation rejoiced and shared the news with fervor. These were people from minor nations who had never dreamed of triumphing over the mighty great powers.
And Hyuga Gakuya's brutal and overwhelming tactics were printed in every newspaper across the land.
...
Konohagakure
Tsunade stared at the intelligence report in her hands. Both Sunagakure and Kumogakure had been repelled within a week, while the Federation's casualties were fewer than a thousand.
"That's impossible," she muttered in disbelief, passing the report to Shikaku, Jiraiya, Kakashi, and the others.
Each one wore a stunned expression. A nation barely a month old, cobbled together from minor countries, had just crushed two of the Five Great Nations in quick succession.
Even a nation like the Land of Wind shouldn't be vulnerable to such an alliance of smaller states.
"We need to reevaluate Konoha's relationship with the Federation," Shikaku said seriously.
"I agree. We should put our plans for military intervention on hold," Tsunade replied.
"But this Hyuga Gakuya has been in hiding for quite some time. Then he suddenly appears and wipes out two thousand troops from Kumogakure—just because he was hired?"
Shikaku rested his chin in his hand thoughtfully.
"According to his psychological profile, he's not the type to sit idly by. He's definitely planning something. Whatever it is, we need to remain on high alert."
He pulled a photo from the intel file—a wide shot of shattered earth and deep chasms.
"If he attacks Konoha with this kind of power… we wouldn't stand a chance."
Tsunade rubbed her temples, a headache forming.
"The old man left me such a mess. It's like cleaning up after a storm that never ends."
A knock came from the door. Shizune's voice followed: "Lady Tsunade, a message from the Federation."
"Come in."
Shizune entered the Hokage's office.
"Go ahead and give it to me straight."
"Yes. One week from now, Federation leader Chiba Mokushū has invited you to participate in a six-nation summit. They propose holding it here in Konoha."
Identical messages were sent to the other Four Kage as well.
...
Land of Rain
Pain stared at the intel in his hands, lost in thought. Could it be that Chiba Mokushū was right? Was unifying the shinobi world truly the correct path?
The idea flickered for a moment before he shook it off.
He chuckled darkly. Even if someone managed to unify the shinobi world, internal conflict and power struggles would inevitably reemerge. History would repeat itself. The Goddess of the Rabbit once unified the world, and what did it get her? Betrayal and death.
No—his path was the right one. Only through pain could the world understand peace.
He turned toward the gift sent by Chiba Mokushū: the sealed Seven-Tails.
He began the process of feeding it to the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
...
A week later, inside the Hokage Tower, the summit table was set.
The five Kage of the Great Nations sat together—and Hyuga Gakuya appeared as Chiba Mokushū, the leader of the Federation.
"It's been a while, hasn't it?" Mokushū greeted them casually, exchanging nods.
To be honest, he'd already fought nearly everyone at the table—attacked Konoha, killed shinobi from Sunagakure, beat up Iwagakure's troops, and even sliced through Kumogakure's. At this point, it was like he'd cleared the Shinobi World Boss Rush.
"Heh. There's nothing to say. I only regret not joining Konoha to kill you when I had the chance," growled the Raikage, his glare sharp as lightning. Two thousand of his shinobi had died, indirectly, at Mokushū's hands.
Chiyo chimed in, "It's not too late. Why don't we all team up and finish him now? I'm sure you've all received the daimyo's orders to eliminate the Federation."
It was a bluff meant to intimidate Gakuya and gain an upper hand in negotiations.
But Gakuya wasn't fazed in the slightest. He smiled gently.
"We all fight for the sake of our people and our nations. We're here today to find peace."
"We never wanted war. But when the Five Great Nations act so aggressively, how can smaller nations survive? Their people suffer in constant fear. That's why I appeared."
"United resistance was the will of every Federation citizen. I'm merely the one carrying out their will. I'm here today to declare that the Federation exists to protect the rights of the smaller nations."
Ōnoki responded, "Fine. We can acknowledge your nation. We can even accept its neutral status. But you must stop calling yourself the Federation's leader. You should recognize yourself as its daimyo."
Clever old fox—he was trying to undermine the Federation's foundation. If Gakuya admitted to being a daimyo, a feudal lord, it would call into question the legitimacy of his leadership and paint his actions as imperial conquest.
Gakuya's expression turned serious.
"That's not going to happen. My authority comes from the people, not from some feudal bloodline."
"From the people? Please. You've probably just hypnotized those daimyō with genjutsu," Chiyo shot back, backing Ōnoki's argument. The two old-timers had found common cause in self-interest.
"You're free to send your own ninja to inspect the former daimyō residences. See if any of them are under genjutsu," Gakuya said, his voice steady. For a moment, it was as if golden light radiated behind him.
"This is the harvest of the evil you yourselves planted. The small nations have suffered under your tyranny for too long. Even if it wasn't me, someone else would've stood up."
"If you insist on clinging to your delusions… then I guess we'll meet on the battlefield."
His words struck a nerve. None of the Great Nations dared escalate. The Federation's strength was simply too overwhelming—at least in appearance. Unless the Five Great Nations united, they couldn't guarantee victory.
And just Gakuya alone… the power he'd demonstrated was enough to destroy a village.
Sure, Chiba Mokushū wouldn't always have Gakuya at his command—but who could be certain? All it would take was one strike, and an entire nation could vanish.
"If there are no objections, I hope everyone can set aside past grievances and treasure the peace we've managed to reach. I'm only using this stage to announce the Federation's role and ideals."
He turned toward the Raikage. "As for the border issue—we're open to continued discussions. Some of the uninhabited zones along the border can be sold to the Land of Lightning. They'll serve as buffer regions. You may build outposts there—our Federation won't interfere."
He didn't need all that empty land. Better to sell it and earn some goodwill, lowering the threat level for a neighboring nation.
All in all, the negotiations were moving exactly as Hyuga Gakuya had planned.
The Five Great Nations were forced to recognize the Federation's existence and establish diplomatic relations.
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
+100 chapters and support me on Patreon(.)com/Jixo