Chapter 102 – Subjugating the Land of Water
As Uchiha Dali continued to channel his chakra, an even greater surge of power erupted. The gravitational force not only lifted the entire Hidden Mist Village into the sky, but the surrounding land also began to crack and collapse further.
More and more of the terrain was hoisted into the air.
As the affected area rapidly expanded, Fourth Mizukage Yagura Karatachi and the elite jōnin of the Hidden Mist all turned pale with shock.
Yagura stared at Uchiha Dali, his expression grave. "Lord Fourth Hokage, what exactly are you trying to do? Are you really planning to destroy the entire Land of Water?"
His tone was no longer as tough and confrontational as before.
Though he hadn't gone so far as to beg for mercy, his helplessness and resignation were written all over his face.
Uchiha Dali gave a faint chuckle.
His entire body seemed to ignite with chakra. With a low shout, a terrifying gravitational force ripped up over half the Land of Water's territory, flinging it high into the sky.
With a thunderous rumble, massive swaths of land were hurled ten thousand meters into the air.
Included among them were countless citizens of the Land of Water.
At this moment, all Uchiha Dali had to do was slightly loosen his control...
Or apply a downward gravitational force on the airborne land and its people...
And their fate would be total annihilation, their bodies smashed to pieces upon impact.
Seeing this, Yagura finally began to grasp Uchiha Dali's intent.
The man was trying to prove one thing—to him and to everyone present.
That if he so desired...
He could wipe out the entire Land of Water in an instant—obliterating it in the most literal, physical sense.
Such overwhelming power sent chills down Yagura's spine. Behind him, every Hidden Mist ninja broke out in a cold sweat.
Their scalps tingled, and goosebumps erupted over their bodies again and again.
Yet Uchiha Dali remained silent.
He simply looked at them with a faint, ambiguous smile.
Finally, right in front of everyone, Yagura dropped to his knees with a thud.
"The Hidden Mist Village is willing to submit to you. Please, don't harm the people of our village any further."
Yagura truly was a worthy Kage.
To protect his people from harm, he set aside his pride and knelt before Uchiha Dali to plead for mercy.
The surrounding Hidden Mist ninjas were all stunned by the scene.
Of course, some couldn't accept it.
"Lord Fourth Mizukage!! You're our leader—the pillar of all Hidden Mist shinobi! How can you just abandon your dignity like this?"
"Damn it! That bastard's gone too far! Let's all attack him together!!"
"..."
As angry voices spread, some death-defying Hidden Mist ninja did indeed charge at Uchiha Dali.
But in the next instant, they were all effortlessly annihilated.
Uchiha Dali didn't even raise a hand.
With just a single glance, and the activation of his Mangekyō's power, those so-called elite jōnin were rendered completely powerless.
Among them, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist—Fuguki Suikazan, Jūzō Biwa, and Raiga Kurosuki—had already experienced Uchiha Dali's terrifying strength firsthand.
Seeing him act again now, they were absolutely petrified.
"Idiots! That man isn't someone you can possibly handle. If you go against him, we're all going to die!"
"That kind of power... it's just like the legendary God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju…"
"With him in Konoha, we don't stand a chance. The only way to survive is to submit!"
"..."
After watching their comrades instantly slaughtered without even a chance to fight back...
Seeing their own Mizukage kneeling before the enemy, begging for the village's survival...
Even the once-proud Seven Ninja Swordsmen—considered the Hidden Mist's greatest warriors outside of the Kage—had begun to speak such despairing words.
In that moment, the rest of the Hidden Mist ninja were gripped by overwhelming hopelessness.
They exchanged uneasy glances.
No one dared harbor any thoughts of resistance anymore.
All they could do now was wait for Uchiha Dali's response.
Would he spare them?
"I want the Land of Water's surrender. What do you think your Hidden Mist Village is? You think you can speak on behalf of the entire country?"
Uchiha Dali looked coldly at the kneeling Yagura.
At these words, Yagura's body trembled slightly.
He truly couldn't represent the whole Land of Water—nor could the Hidden Mist Village.
If the Land of Water was to submit to Konoha, the Daimyō himself would have to agree.
Just as Yagura was at a loss for how to respond, Uchiha Dali spoke again.
"I am now also the Daimyō of the Land of Fire."
"Konoha and the Land of Fire are now a single, unified entity. Does that give you any ideas?"
His words made Yagura tremble violently once more.
Who was Yagura?
The strongest in the Hidden Mist. A Kage.
Of course he understood what it meant for Uchiha Dali to become the Daimyō of the Land of Fire.
"Lord Fourth Hokage, are you saying…"
Goosebumps once again erupted across Yagura's skin.
And when he looked up at Uchiha Dali, he saw that same faint, ambiguous smile on his face.
In that instant, Yagura confirmed his suspicion.
The man was hinting at a complete takeover—of the entire Land of Water.
The idea was terrifying.
But there was precedent for such a coup.
After thinking it through, Yagura made a decisive choice.
"I can represent the Land of Water in submitting to you and the Land of Fire, Lord Fourth Hokage."
In the end, Yagura gave the answer that pleased Uchiha Dali.
At last, a satisfied smile bloomed across Uchiha Dali's face.
"Since you've chosen to submit, what are the rest of you doing?"
His gaze swept over the surrounding Hidden Mist ninjas.
Their very own Kage had already knelt and sworn allegiance. What were they waiting for?
The jōnin had no trouble understanding his meaning.
They looked at each other...
And then, in silent agreement, all dropped to one knee before Uchiha Dali.
"The Hidden Mist Village is willing to submit to you."
"We can represent the Land of Water in surrendering to you!"
"Please spare the people of the Land of Water, Lord Dali!"
"..."
Seeing that all these elite Hidden Mist ninja were so quick to fall in line, Uchiha Dali finally showed genuine satisfaction.
He turned back to Yagura.
"I'm giving you three days to sort out your internal affairs. After that, come to the Land of Fire and report to me personally."
With that, Uchiha Dali slowly retracted his chakra.
And so, the massive portion of the Land of Water that had been suspended ten thousand meters in the air under his gravitational control finally began to descend gently back to the earth.
(Support me and read ahead on Patreøn: patreøn.com/craxxtranslation. Thanks for your support! Don't forget to send Power Stones—300 Power Stones = +1 bonus chapter!)