"Wait!"
Onoki's eyes widened in terror as he shouted.
He feared that if he had spoken a step slower, this summoned beast, exuding an aura of greed and bloodlust, would have returned and conveyed Orochimaru's bloody and cruel command.
"Old man..."
Tsutatsunahime's ecstatic mood was suddenly interrupted, and she bared her fangs in rage, her snake mouth splitting wide, glaring at Onoki with killing intent.
"How dare you defy the Great Sage's will!"
"I'll show you what terrible consequences await those who offend the supreme Great Sage of Ryūchi Cave!"
"In this village-destroying war, all the people of Iwagakure will become sacrifices for ten thousand serpents!"
"All of them!"
The bloody declaration, accompanied by powerful Sage Mode chakra, instantly enveloped the entire conference hall. Even though those present were not weak, under Tsutatsunahime's already elevated strength and cruel words, their faces all changed.
"Hmm?"
Orochimaru let out a displeased hum. The Sage Mode power at the Six Paths level within his body flickered and disappeared, instantly dispersing the Sage Mode chakra emanating from Tsutatsunahime.
Tsutatsunahime, who was continuously exuding killing intent, trembled as if struck by lightning and fell to her knees with a thud.
"Great Sage, your subordinate merely wished to uphold your majesty."
"These foolish weaklings dared to offend the Great Sage, your subordinate... your subordinate..."
Cold sweat dripped from Tsutatsunahime's forehead. She knelt on the ground, not daring to move an inch.
"Enough, I'll let you off this time."
"I don't like subordinates who act on their own, do you understand?"
Orochimaru glanced at the snake princess on the ground, casually reprimanded her, and then let the matter pass.
Tsutatsunahime's heart leaped with joy, immediately understanding that the Great Sage didn't truly intend to punish her.
"Yes!"
"Your subordinate understands. Thank you for your magnanimity, Great Sage!"
Orochimaru nodded with satisfaction and then shifted his gaze to Onoki, whose face had turned pale from the pressure of Six Paths Sage Mode.
"Do you have anything else to say?"
"My patience is limited. This is your last chance..."
Orochimaru's voice held no emotional fluctuations.
But it was precisely this calmness that, like a steel blade, severed the taut string within Onoki.
"A village-destroying war..."
"Orochimaru, you intend to kill everyone in Iwagakure?"
"How dare you?"
Onoki's voice trembled. The belief he had held for a lifetime was almost shattered by Orochimaru's single command.
"You only wanted to say this?"
Orochimaru let out a dismissive cold laugh.
"I am not like the First Hokage, a leader with goodwill towards everyone!"
"On the matter of unifying the ninja world, anyone who dares to obstruct..."
"Dies!"
As the word "dies" fell, bone-chilling killing intent instantly enveloped everyone present. Each person felt Orochimaru's resolve from that single word.
Unifying the ninja world was imperative.
Onoki trembled, his head bowed in pain.
"Iwagakure..."
"Accepts!"
Onoki did not fear death.
But if his stubbornness led to the entire Iwagakure becoming a wasteland, he would truly become an eternal sinner of Iwagakure.
A single tear rolled down Onoki's aged face, falling to the ground like the Stone Will he had upheld in his heart, shattering with a pat on the wooden floor.
Witnessing Onoki's state, Orochimaru showed no trace of pity in his eyes.
Compared to the threat the Ōtsutsuki clan posed to the entire ninja world, let alone a mere Iwagakure, even if he had to kill four of the Five Great Shinobi Villages until only Konoha and Kiri remained, Orochimaru would not hesitate.
Rather than letting these guys, who were constantly scheming against each other, cause trouble in the ninja world, and possibly become tools to provide chakra to the Ōtsutsuki clan, it was better to simply eliminate them all.
These old men who had sat in the Kage positions for so many years were already filled with self-interest and schemes in their hearts.
Even if Orochimaru now stated that his purpose of unification was to save the ninja world, even if he could use kindness and righteousness, like Naruto Uzumaki, to sway these people and temporarily set aside the conflicts between the Five Great Shinobi Villages to fight the Ōtsutsuki clan together.
But once the threat to the ninja world was resolved, the rulers of these villages would revert to their previous ways.
Humans were forgetful creatures. In the absence of external enemies, within a few years, the so-called alliance, which was once as close as family, would disintegrate under various conflicts and interests.
Therefore, for the ninja world to truly achieve peace, it must first be forcibly unified, and then new rules must be established.
Ideology, education...
Once all of these were unified, the new generation of the ninja world, under these conditions, would forget all the negative impacts Orochimaru had caused within just a few generations.
Only then would the ninja world usher in peace in its truest sense.
For this, Orochimaru was willing to be the villain.
"Very good!"
Orochimaru shifted his gaze from Onoki, whose spirit had greatly diminished, and turned to the Third Raikage and the Third Kazekage.
"What are the thoughts of Kumogakure and Sunagakure?"
"Third Raikage, Third Kazekage..."
"I am still waiting for your answers!"
"Will you choose to submit like Kirigakure and Iwagakure, or..."
"Destruction?"
Kaguya Jirō's lips curved into a bloodthirsty arc.
"Master said this is the last chance!"
"I really hope to hear a refusal from your mouths. That way..."
In coordination with his cruel words of threat, Kaguya Jirō slowly tightened the bone blade he held at Rashi's neck.
Yuki no San, dispersing the Ice Release, casually placed a hand on Tsuchidae's already purplish-blue shoulder.
"Lord Orochimaru's will cannot be defied. If you refuse, Kumogakure can only become history!"
The Third Raikage's attempt to break free from the restraint of the Yin-Yang Release Black Rods paused.
Like Onoki, the Third Raikage, who was strong by nature, was also a warrior who did not fear death.
But this was precisely his greatest weakness.
Unlike the atmosphere of respect for strength in Kirigakure, to become the Kage of Kumogakure, one not only needed immense power but also a heart willing to sacrifice everything for the village.
The Third Raikage was such a person.
In Orochimaru's memory, the Third Raikage was an excellent Raikage who, to ensure the safe retreat of his subordinates, single-handedly held off an army of ten thousand from Iwagakure and eventually died of exhaustion.
Such a person would not cling to his own life.
But when it came to the village, the Third Raikage's final choice would be the same as Onoki's.
As expected...
Ay, enduring the sharp pain in his chest, his gaze swept over everyone.
Uchiha Madara, having lost the opportunity to possess Onoki's Dust Release heart, was glaring at him unhappily; the Third Mizukage Yuki no San stood between himself and Tsuchidae, only showing him his profile, but he could feel the concentrated killing intent locked onto him.
Onoki sat slumped in his chair, silent, weeping softly...
The Third Kazekage...
This slightly younger Kage now showed no hint of defiance...
"Is that so..."
The Third Raikage reached out and grabbed the Black Rod embedded in his chest, attempting to pull it apart with force.
Regrettably, apart from causing the chakra in his meridians to stagnate upon contact with the Black Rod, it showed no sign of being moved.
"Orochimaru, has your power become this great?"
"With a casual strike, you can cause my chakra to stagnate. Truly, there is not even a sliver of a chance to win..."
Ay sighed sadly, slowly releasing his grip on the Black Rod, and finally fixed his gaze on Orochimaru.
"Kumogakure..."
"Also willing to accept Konoha's rule..."
Orochimaru nodded with satisfaction. He extended his hand, and the Black Rod embedded in Ay's chest suddenly detached, returning to Orochimaru's hand.
"Third Kazekage..."
"Sunagakure is willing!"
Before Orochimaru could even finish his question, the Third Kazekage nervously stood up from his seat and bowed deeply to Orochimaru.
Orochimaru chuckled and slowly nodded.
"Good!"
"The peace of the ninja world in the future will depend on all of you and me working together to maintain it!"
"Next..."
"Please have Teacher Sarutobi explain the procedures for tomorrow's Chunin Exams to everyone!"
"I still have some matters to attend to, so I won't be accompanying you any longer."
As if nothing had happened, Orochimaru casually dispelled Tsutatsunahime's summoning jutsu and dissipated the killing intent that filled the conference hall.
He turned to Uchiha Madara and gave him a questioning look.
"Senior Madara, care to join me?"
Uchiha Madara snorted in displeasure and left the conference hall first.
"Hmph!"
"How boring!"
"I thought I could experiment with the power of my new jutsu on these people..."
Orochimaru chuckled and slowly followed Uchiha Madara's footsteps, saying meaningfully,
"There is plenty of time!"
"Senior Madara has now shed the limitations of his lifespan. Are you still afraid of not having opponents?"
Uchiha Madara's lips curved into a smile, his eyes full of anticipation.
"It better be so!"
"The strength of these juniors is simply too weak."
"Those guys... I'm already impatient!"
Orochimaru chuckled and shook his head.
"Senior Madara's current strength is still a bit lacking. If you want to fight those people with me, you'll probably need to improve your strength a bit more."
"Enough of your nagging. Once I get my eyes back, I won't be much weaker than them."
"Yes, yes..."
"The Asura of the Ninja World, I still hold great respect for him!"
"Hmph!"