"No kidding… that guy was harder to kill than expected," Noah muttered, glancing down at the two severed heads lying side by side.
Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Danzo Shimura.
Even in death, they seemed locked in a silent stare.
"Izanagi's a nuisance," Noah added casually. "Burned through all his extra lives. Took me a whole three seconds."
No one laughed.
No one spoke at all.
The surviving ninja stood frozen, their silence heavier than anything Noah had destroyed.
—
He let the moment linger, then shrugged.
"Let's not drag this out," he said. "Your village wasn't always some united family. Not that long ago, your clans were at each other's throats. The only reason this place exists is because someone won and forced the rest to fall in line."
His gaze swept over them.
"What I'm doing now? Same idea. Just a repeat of history."
No one argued.
Because no one could.
—
"Sensei," Sasuke said, stepping forward.
His tone was calm, controlled.
"Just surrender. If you do, this doesn't have to get worse."
Kakashi looked at him.
Then at Noah.
Then at the ruined village behind them.
"…And if we don't?"
Sasuke didn't answer.
He didn't need to.
—
Noah stretched his arms once, like he was done waiting.
"You've got thirty minutes," he said. "Convince them."
He nodded toward Sasuke, then turned and started walking away without another glance.
"Don't take too long."
—
With nothing better to do, Noah pulled up the Interdimensional Chatroom.
The conversation was still buzzing about his coronation.
He smirked faintly.
[Deep Blue]: Currently in the Hidden Leaf. Taking a walk. Nice scenery.
He jumped, rising high into the sky, then snapped a photo from above.
The entire village stretched out beneath him.
Or what was left of it.
Thousands of massive craters dotted the land in near-perfect distribution, the destruction almost… organized.
He sent the image.
—
[Kana Kimishima]: Wait… is that the Hidden Leaf? Why does it look like that?
[Deep Blue]: Oh, that? I wrecked it. Looked better earlier, should've taken a before shot.
—
The chat went quiet for a second.
—
[Playboy]: …Didn't you just get there today?
[Deep Blue]: Efficiency. Solved the problem on day one. Even improved the place. Open layout, better airflow, cleared up everyone's… vision issues.
—
Silence.
Total silence.
Even the most talkative members didn't respond.
There was something about Noah that made people reconsider inviting him anywhere.
A walking disaster.
A one-man environmental reset.
—
Half an hour later, Noah returned.
He expected resistance.
Maybe a last stand.
Instead—
They had surrendered.
—
He blinked.
"…You actually convinced them?"
Sasuke nodded. "I told them if they cooperated, I'd bring their fallen back when I restore my clan."
Noah stared at him for a second.
Then let out a quiet laugh.
"That'll do it."
—
Nearby, Naruto stirred, groaning as he came back to consciousness.
He barely got a word out before Kakashi knocked him out again with a quick strike.
"Not now," Kakashi muttered.
—
Orochimaru stepped forward, now wearing a freshly acquired Hokage robe.
It looked… oddly natural on him.
"Well," he said, almost amused, "I suppose that makes me the Fifth Hokage."
Noah gave a small nod. "Then get to work."
He gestured broadly at the destruction.
"Start with rebuilding. Most of the civilians are gone. You've got a few thousand ninja left, most of them injured. Prioritize infrastructure."
That earned him a series of strange looks.
Unavoidable.
He noticed.
"What?" Noah said, frowning slightly. "I destroyed it. Now I'm helping fix it. Seems reasonable."
No one bothered responding.
—
Sasuke cleared his throat lightly. "The Uchiha district is still intact. We can use it as a temporary base."
"Good," Noah said. "As for resources—get them from the Land of Fire. Make it clear they don't have a choice."
That didn't go over well.
"I don't think that's the best approach," Kakashi said carefully. "We should negotiate. If we push too hard, the other nations will react."
Noah waved that off immediately.
"Negotiate? With them?"
He shook his head.
"This isn't a discussion. The balance has changed. If they don't cooperate, we make them."
His tone turned sharper.
"Start with the Land of Fire. Then expand. One step at a time."
No one had a counterargument.
Because, realistically—
He could do it.
—
Under his direction, the surviving ninja began the grim work of recovery.
Bodies were collected.
The plan was to eventually restore them using advanced techniques once the necessary resources were secured.
Nearby, Yamato worked nonstop, using his abilities to construct temporary shelters. By the end of the day, he looked ready to collapse.
—
As evening settled in, Orochimaru approached Noah again.
He dropped a stack of papers into his hands.
"Here," he said.
Noah glanced down.
A list of names.
Hinata Hyuga. Ino Yamanaka. And several others.
He frowned. "What is this?"
Orochimaru blinked, confused by the confusion.
"…A roster," he said. "The remaining female ninja in the village."
A pause.
"For you."
Noah looked up slowly.
"For me?"
"Yes," Orochimaru said, as if it were obvious. "Isn't that why you took the village?"
There was a long, silent beat.
Then—
"What?"
Noah stared at him.
"Who told you that?"
Orochimaru frowned slightly. "You did."
Noah blinked.
"…That doesn't mean I meant it like that."
Orochimaru studied him.
Then nodded slowly.
"I see."
He didn't argue.
Didn't press.
But the look in his eyes said everything.
Right.
Sure.
Of course.
—
Noah exhaled, rubbing his temple.
This was going to be one of those misunderstandings that never went away.