"Ninety percent of the ninjas in this world are gathered here. This is the will of God!"
Lin Nan continued, "I don't like to repeat myself, and my intentions are already very clear. I won't interfere with petty squabbles, but from now on, any nation that initiates war will have its entire country, its citizens, and even its territory, vanish from this world!"
"I, Lin Nan, will become the co-lord of this ninja world!"
His words were crystal clear: I am the strongest, and everyone must obey me.
If you don't listen, I'll destroy your nation!
He aimed to achieve unification through absolute deterrence.
As for merging all nations into one, it wasn't that complicated.
The concepts of standardized chariots and written language were already consistent throughout the ninja world, so there was no need for unification in those aspects.
"Lin Nan, do you wish to rule the ninja world?" Tsunade's voice trembled.
Onoki also spoke, "Do you want us to submit to you?"
Lin Nan slowly shook his head, "I don't need you to submit to me, nor do I require tribute. You can continue as you are, living harmoniously with all countries and ninja villages. As long as there is no war, there will be no sanctions!"
"We can achieve peace through exchange and cooperation, not through violent deterrence, which will only cause rebellion!" Tsunade attempted to reason.
Lin Nan glanced at Tsunade, unbothered. After all, she was a descendant of Hashirama and it was natural for her to possess his ideals.
"There's no point in talking further. I don't mind using so-called violent deterrence to achieve peace. I am now issuing my decree, not negotiating with you!" As Lin Nan's voice faded, his entire aura was released.
In that instant, everyone felt as if the air had become thin, their breath caught, and their bodies felt so heavy that even standing upright was an immense struggle.
This was the pressure of a god.
"Do you know? I once believed that ninjas were the root of all evil. If this world were without ninjas, peace could still be achieved. So, I wouldn't mind revisiting that idea!"
Lin Nan looked calmly at the tens of thousands of ninjas in the allied forces, his words devoid of emotion.
At this declaration, thousands of people dared not even breathe.
They knew that their lives were no longer in their own hands.
For the Five Kage, there was no room for negotiation left.
"There are still two hours until morning. By the time the first ray of dawn appears, all wars will cease to exist. Any hatred or disputes between your nations and people will be resolved here. This is your last chance!"
With that, Lin Nan closed his eyes.
Lin Nan had given them the opportunity to resolve their hatred here, but the ninja allied forces no longer had the inclination for it.
They looked to their leaders, waiting for their next move.
The war had escalated to this point.
Perhaps some agreed with Lin Nan's approach, but they were ninjas, like soldiers, and obedience was their duty.
Thus, the ultimate responsibility fell upon the current Five Kage.
Tsunade looked deeply at Lin Nan, her entire body trembling, unsure if it was from anger or something else.
Perhaps Lin Nan was right, but this was not true peace.
Yet, she wondered, could peace truly have genuine and false forms?
Lin Nan's intentions were now abundantly clear. With his overwhelming strength, he had seemingly single-handedly ended the Fourth Great Ninja War.
Obito Uchiha's plan had been thwarted, but Lin Nan had stepped forward.
He intended to unify the ninja world, achieving peace through deterrence backed by immense power.
On the surface, it seemed reasonable, but upon closer examination, it posed a significant threat to the sovereignty of the Great Nations.
Lin Nan only cared about the outcome, but the process, if analyzed carefully, presented a difficult choice for the Five Kage.
After all, Lin Nan was powerful enough to crush everything and bring about change through brute force.
But the Five Kage could not.
They were village leaders, considering many more factors.
First and foremost were the nations that relied on war for sustenance.
For example, Iwagakure and Sunagakure were located in relatively barren countries with few resources. They had previously waged war to plunder resources and improve their citizens' lives.
But without war and the ability to plunder resources, they would only grow poorer.
The only outcome would be to become subordinate states to other nations in exchange for aid.
Other ninja villages faced even more complex situations.
Take Konohagakure, for instance. Although situated in the central region of the ninja world continent with abundant resources, these were not things that a village solely composed of ninjas could control and utilize.
This was precisely the role of the Daimyo.
The Daimyo in the ninja world were akin to feudal lords or financial magnates. They controlled the vast majority of the ninja world's resources, thus becoming leaders of their respective nations.
It was important to remember that Konohagakure was merely a ninja village within the Land of Fire.
Ninjas were not adept at governing countries. The utilization and exploitation of many resources were massive undertakings.
Therefore, using force to plunder was not viable; even if they acquired the resources, they wouldn't know how to use them.
Thus, the so-called ninja villages were merely dogs subservient to the Daimyo.
While this might be an exaggeration, ninja villages did indeed serve the Daimyo.
This was especially evident in countries with prominent resource production.
"Lin Nan, you must understand that while we are the Kage of our ninja villages, the actual rulers of the countries are in the hands of the Daimyo. Therefore, we need to consult with them!" Tsunade voiced the most rational concern.
This was the reality.
The existence of the Daimyo was crucial for a nation's finances and governance.
Hence, even the Five Kage, the pinnacles of the ninja world, were often powerless to act independently.
In other words, they were responsible only for fighting or managing their small corner of the world, being utterly incapable of governing an entire nation.
This was why the Daimyo in the anime always appeared as useless gluttons, yet the Kage of the ninja villages still treated them with great respect.
Tsunade was reminding Lin Nan.
"Daimyo?"
Lin Nan murmured. This world never lacked people capable of governing, but cultivating them would be a massive undertaking.
The conversations among the ninja allied forces, the concept of nations surviving on war, and the mention of the Daimyo all registered in Lin Nan's mind.
He had never considered the profound impact of ending war on the entire ninja world.
However, these were not problems for Lin Nan.
Lin Nan subtly extended his hand, and several clones split off from his body, vanishing in all directions.
Tsunade's expression changed drastically, "Lin Nan, are you going to assassinate the Daimyo?"