The Fifth Hokage

Cao Ya clearly had no intention of answering Orochimaru's questions.

The Sound Ninja stepped forward, intending to stop Cao Ya, but they were nothing more than mantises raising their arms against a chariot.

Before the stunned eyes of all the Konoha ninjas, Sunagakure ninjas, and ninjas from other villages, Cao Ya threw a punch. A terrifying blast of wind swept out, carving a trench that stretched to the edge of their vision.

"S-so terrifying!" All the ninjas erupted in disbelief.

Where had this Konoha jonin come from, wielding power beyond their wildest imagination?

Kakashi was shocked too. He had barely sensed any chakra in that punch. It seemed... Cao Ya had delivered that earth-shaking blow through the strength of his body alone!

Might Guy's eyes shone like two enormous light bulbs.

"This is youth! I haven't trained hard enough. Starting today, I'm doubling my training!" Brimming with hot-blooded enthusiasm, Might Guy kicked a Sunagakure ninja flying.

Without his hands, Orochimaru posed no threat to Cao Ya whatsoever.

Cao Ya captured him in just a few moves.

The Sound Ninja and Sunagakure ninjas finally lost their will to fight and surrendered one after another.

"Cao Ya, I remember you." Orochimaru extended his tongue and licked his lips, his gaze brimming with excitement as he studied Cao Ya's body.

How had he trained his body to that level?

Just then, Orochimaru's summoned beast, Manda, roared in displeasure, demanding that Orochimaru provide him with food, or he would help himself.

Although most of Konoha's civilians had hidden themselves away, there were still plenty of ninjas in the village.

With Manda's strength, anyone below elite jonin would be no match for him.

Kakashi, Asuma, Kurenai, and the others stiffened, bracing themselves for a formidable enemy.

"What a vicious beast!"

Cao Ya laughed aloud, leaped into the air, drew back his fist, and exhaled before unleashing a savage punch.

BOOM!!!

The earth shook and the mountains trembled!

Cao Ya killed Manda instantly, leaving a deep crater more than a hundred meters across.

Jiraiya and the other prominent figures of Konoha arrived just in time to witness this scene. Their eyes twitched in horror.

Meanwhile, sounds of fighting still rose from the outskirts of Konoha.

"Orochimaru, your subordinates still don't know I've captured you, do they?" Cao Ya said with a soft laugh, taking command of the situation without hesitation.

"Cao Ya, I'm very interested in your taijutsu," Orochimaru said, smiling broadly, seemingly untroubled by his current predicament.

Whatever else might be said about Orochimaru, his ability to stay alive was maxed out.

"Orochimaru..." Jiraiya's gaze was complicated.

"Jiraiya, the old man is dead. Are you going to kill me?" Orochimaru asked softly.

Jiraiya remained silent.

Orochimaru seemed not to have expected an answer. He merely smiled.

At that moment, Root members appeared as well. Under Cao Ya's instructions, they helped the villagers, doing their best to show a friendly side.

The Konoha ninjas felt a little dazed.

Had they all fallen under an illusion technique?

Since when had Root members been so caring?

Cao Ya said unhurriedly, "Root is part of Konoha too, with the Third's personal approval."

Everyone remained silent, offering no reply.

They seemed to understand what Cao Ya intended.

Cao Ya wanted to bring Root out from underground and into the sunlight, making it even more open and aboveboard than the Anbu!

But that authority belonged to the Hokage!

Cao Ya... what was he trying to do?

"Aren't you going to help the youngsters?" Cao Ya had not tried to fathom their thoughts, nor could he be bothered. He controlled Root's forces, the Third and Danzo were dead, and the dragons had no leader. With a great achievement newly to his name, even if he could not become Hokage, becoming Acting Hokage should be no problem, right?

Once he secretly controlled the daimyo, would removing the word "Acting" really be a concern?

The daimyo was an ordinary man, yet he controlled the Land of Fire's politics and economy. Cao Ya had long found that intolerable.

Once he became Hokage, he would take complete control of the entire Land of Fire!

The daimyo?

He could go play in the mud.

Anyone who failed to recognize the situation would simply be eliminated.

Choza Akimichi, Inoichi Yamanaka, and Hyuga Hiashi led teams to reinforce Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, Rock Lee, Neji Hyuga, Tenten, Hinata Hyuga, and the other youngsters, while also capturing Orochimaru's subordinates.

Unwilling to face Orochimaru for the moment, Jiraiya went to help as well.

Watching Cao Ya direct the relief efforts, Shikaku Nara's eyes grew deep and unreadable. Cao Ya... do you want to become Hokage?

Cao Ya made no attempt to conceal his intentions. Not only Shikaku Nara, but Kakashi, Asuma, and the others noticed them too.

Only Might Guy pressed Cao Ya with a question. "Cao Ya, what kind of taijutsu was that?"

Everyone discreetly pricked up their ears.

Cao Ya had risen out of nowhere, descended from the sky, captured Orochimaru, and blasted Manda apart. The combat power he displayed was downright ferocious.

Yet Cao Ya had barely used any chakra.

With ninjutsu and illusion techniques ruled out, it could only be taijutsu.

Moreover, Cao Ya's fighting style was sweeping and forceful, unmatched in its domineering might. It could not have been anything other than taijutsu.

But just what kind of taijutsu was it?

"The Indestructible Diamond Divine Art!" Cao Ya tilted his head slightly upward and gazed calmly at the horizon, delivering his answer with tremendous flair.

"The Indestructible Diamond Divine Art?"

Everyone turned the name over in their minds. They had never heard it before.

Was it a taijutsu Cao Ya had created himself?

Throughout the shinobi world, many ninjas created their own ninjutsu, illusion techniques, or taijutsu.

One more in Cao Ya should have been nothing special... like hell it wasn't!

Damn it, this Indestructible Diamond Divine Art was probably no weaker than the Eight Gates Released Formation!

Having witnessed his strength, everyone felt less resistant to Cao Ya's desire to become Hokage.

What powerful ninja had never dreamed of becoming Hokage?

Still, whether Cao Ya could actually become Hokage would depend on how the benefits were divided.

For the time being, Cao Ya held control of Konoha's situation.

The two advisers, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, came out, intending to object. But with the Third fallen in battle, Danzo dead as well, and Cao Ya having demonstrated overwhelming strength, they remained silent for the moment, neither agreeing nor opposing.

As for the trials of Orochimaru, his followers, and the Sunagakure ninjas, Cao Ya did not wait for officials from the Land of Fire to arrive. He cut through the tangled mess with a swift blade and convened the trials the very next day.

The Sunagakure ninjas and Sound Ninja guilty of heinous crimes were executed outright. For those whose offenses were less severe, Sunagakure and Otogakure were allowed to pay ransoms to retrieve their ninjas.

The same applied to Sunagakure's jinchūriki, Gaara, whose ransom was the highest of all!

However painful Granny Chiyo, who was overseeing Sunagakure's affairs, found it, she had no choice but to cut away a chunk of flesh for the village's future.

In private, Sunagakure was full of grievances against the Fourth Kazekage Rasa.

How could a mighty Kazekage have been assassinated?!

He had bargained with a tiger for its hide, only to be swallowed whole by that very tiger. Some people practically laughed their teeth out.

Orochimaru had dragged Sunagakure's dignity into the dirt and stomped on it twice for good measure.

Orochimaru was sentenced to life imprisonment. He should have received the death penalty, but his formidable scientific research abilities were deemed useful to Konoha. Since he had also once rendered meritorious service to the village, he was permitted to atone for his crimes through service.

Because he was one of the Sannin, Konoha's villagers had mixed feelings and raised no objections to the sentence.

Cao Ya found time to visit the Land of Fire's capital, brought the daimyo under his control, and was directly appointed the Fifth Hokage.

Some voices of opposition arose in the village.

But Cao Ya had prepared well in advance, instructing Root members to spread various reports and build support for him.

Danzo's death was officially classified as the result of his betrayal of the village!

Added to his suppression of Orochimaru's Konoha Crush and the chunks of flesh he had carved from Sunagakure and Otogakure, this greatly boosted Konoha's morale at a critical moment.

As a result, Konoha's residents actually raised very few objections.

Cao Ya smoothly succeeded to the position of Fifth Hokage!