Year 24 of Konoha
This year would later be called the beginning of a new era
An era that truly belonged to shinobi had arrived
Amegakure
The sky hung low like a heavy ink painting
Dark clouds pressed down as if they could be touched
Fine rain fell endlessly
Cold and silent
Mixed within it
Small hail struck the ground with sharp sounds
On a high platform
Hanzo of the Salamander stood tall
His expression solemn
Black armor covered his body
Specially treated to avoid reflection in the rain
"Everyone"
"Today we stand here not only for ourselves"
"But for the future of the Land of Rain"
His voice echoed through the storm
"For a thousand years"
"The nobles have stolen power that belongs to us"
"They treated us as tools"
"That era ends today"
"We are no longer pawns"
"No longer puppets"
"Today"
"We reclaim what is ours"
"We make every corner of this land hear our voice"
"Long live Amegakure"
"Long live!"
The response roared like thunder
Hanzo raised his hand
"Kill them all"
"Leave none behind"
That single command sealed the fate of the nobles
Blood mixed with rain
Within one month
All resistance was crushed
The daimyo of the Land of Rain was dead
Noble families fled in panic
Those who could not escape
Kneeled like livestock
Begging for mercy
Their lands
Their wealth
Their industries
All seized
Farmland was redistributed to civilians
To win support
Shinobi consumed the wealth of the nobles
Yet the nation did not collapse
Instead
It stabilized
Hanzo looked upon the results
Satisfied
Then he made the declaration
"The Land of Rain is hereby renamed"
"The Nation of Shinobi"
The world was shaken
Konoha
Ren watched the live broadcast
A faint smile on his face
"Hanzo really did it"
He had not simply executed the nobles
Instead
Public trials were held
Under simple genjutsu
The nobles confessed their crimes
Victims rushed forward
Beating them
Cursing them
The once proud elite
Now begged like animals
A truth spread across the world
Nobles could bleed
Nobles could fear
Nobles could die
Nara Shikaku rushed in
"Hokage sama"
"The daimyo demands we cut the broadcast"
"And deploy forces to destroy Amegakure immediately"
Ren waved his hand
"Ignore it"
Then he spoke calmly
"Prepare for war"
"The coming years will not be peaceful"
Shikaku hesitated
"Is this really the right path"
Ren looked at him
"Right and wrong are not for us to decide"
"We only move forward"
"The nobles have slowed progress for too long"
"A great calamity is coming"
"One never seen before"
"Those in the future will understand"
"They will know it was necessary"
"Even if many must die"
Shikaku lowered his head
"I understand"
The Land of Fire
The daimyo demanded action
Konoha ignored him
The nobles trembled
Fear spread
Instead of resistance
They offered more money
Funding for Konoha doubled
Opposition to expansion disappeared
Railway projects accelerated
Land that was once impossible to purchase
Was now willingly sold
Everything appeared peaceful
But only on the surface
Other villages were not so fortunate
They depended on national funding
Without it
They could not survive
The system bound them tightly
Even if they wished to rebel
They could not
But now
The illusion was broken
A village had overthrown its nation
The nobles were exposed
Humiliated before the world
Fear exploded
Sunagakure
Kazekage Rasa sat in silence
Holding the daimyo's letter
His expression conflicted
War now would destroy everything they had rebuilt
Amegakure was not weak
If they lost
It would be disaster
Even victory would be costly
A meeting was called
Arguments filled the room
Attack or wait
No agreement
Finally
Rasa spoke
"What is Konoha doing"
A shinobi answered
"They are not moving"
"And intelligence suggests they are behind this"
"They even provided the broadcast equipment"
Rasa closed his eyes
He remembered Ren's words
A world for shinobi
The nobles cast aside
He had truly begun
"…We do nothing"
Rasa decided
"We follow Konoha"
"Unless they move first"
He would not act
"And the daimyo"
"Tell him we need more funding"
"He has not paid enough this year"
"…But he already did"
"Did he"
Rasa replied calmly
The decision was final
The daimyo of the Land of Wind exploded in rage
"Rebellion"
"Everyone dares to defy me"
He smashed the table
A minister stepped forward
"Your Highness"
"Now is not the time for conflict"
"If we anger the village"
"They may follow Amegakure's example"
Silence
The daimyo clenched his fists
Then finally spoke
"…Fine"
"Give them more money"
"But they must attack Amegakure"
"That is my order"
The world stood at the edge of change
The old order was cracking
And a new era had begun
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