The Kage of a village had become a Daimyo. The news was so shocking that everyone who heard it could scarcely believe their ears.
But as word of the Land of Fire's transformation into Konoha spread throughout the shinobi world, people gradually accepted it as fact. Anyone with insight knew, however, that with Orochimaru setting this precedent, the real upheaval was about to begin.
When ninja no longer feared royal authority, that authority would likely fall, because conventional armies could not necessarily stand against ninja.
For their own safety, the Daimyo of the various nations began reaching out to the leaders of their respective hidden villages, offering gestures of goodwill.
From then on, the balance of power between Daimyo and Kage had effectively reversed. Konoha's actions reminded the rulers at the pinnacle of every village that ninja possessed the strength to decide the life and death of the weak.
Konoha had once again changed the shape of the shinobi world. Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha had once ended an age of chaos and established the one-nation, one-village system. Now, Orochimaru had personally overturned that system, formally placing ninja above ordinary people.
Both were innovators of their age, but it remained to be seen whose path would prove more successful.
Of course, Konoha's actions also added fuel to an already volatile situation, drawing the attention of the powerful and influential throughout the shinobi world.
Everyone wanted to see what other astonishing feats Konoha, this newly awakened lion, would perform.
Amegakure
The Akatsuki's base
It was the same dark cave and the same familiar faces. No, there were a few new friends this time, too. And the Akatsuki was no longer what it had once been.
Three years of rapid expansion had brought the Land of Rain's territory close to that