Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe

"Impossible."

The Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, immediately rejected Daniel Davis's demand. The Book of Seals was the foundation of each village, containing their most secret techniques, with only a handful of individuals granted full access. Most ninjas never had the chance to even glimpse it.

"Onoki, you seem confused," Daniel retorted with a slight sneer. "You think this battle is like the previous ninja wars? Those wars where your villages fought each other, and the losers at most paid some reparations? Times have changed, Third Tsuchikage."

The harsh reality dawned on Onoki. The wars between the Five Great Nations had always spared the heartlands of the major villages; Konoha, for instance, had kept battles far from its borders. Only the Land of Fire had suffered significant destruction due to its lack of natural defenses, but even then, the losses were limited to border cities, like Kikyo Pass, which bore personal significance for Kabuto, whose parents had perished there in the Konoha-Sand conflict.

Although ninja wars tried to limit civilian casualties as the Daimyos required, it was difficult to control in practice. Certain techniques were simply too destructive, and collateral damage was unavoidable—much like the Pirate World's battles that reduced entire islands to rubble.

"You—" Onoki started, anger swelling as he looked at Daniel's mocking expression, but he fell silent. It was futile. The Five Great Nations had attacked the Akatsuki together and failed. Weak nations lacked bargaining power—a universal truth in any world. The Five Great Villages might hold conferences among themselves, but smaller villages weren't afforded the same courtesy. Now, they too were in no position to negotiate with the Akatsuki.

"The same goes for the rest of you. This is only the beginning. The Akatsuki Nation suffered severe losses, and the Five Great Villages will have to pay reparations." Daniel then presented the detailed demands that he and the Akatsuki leaders had agreed upon.

"This is outright robbery!" Onoki exclaimed, unable to contain his outrage at the excessively harsh conditions, far surpassing the reparations of previous wars.

"I'm not negotiating with you; I'm notifying you," Daniel replied with a faint smile as he surveyed the group.

There were only four Kage present, as the Fourth Raikage, A, had died from his injuries, and the Cloud Village's high command had nearly been wiped out. Representing the Cloud Village was a single jonin from the sensory division, who had no authority over these negotiations.

These demands hadn't been devised by Daniel alone; he had discussed them with Nagato, Konan, Kisame, and Uchiha Madara, resulting in this stringent set of terms. The war had illuminated certain weaknesses in Daniel's approach. Firstly, he wasn't a native of the ninja world, and knowing about it from watching a series was vastly different from living it.

Secondly, Daniel realized he was far too soft-hearted. Raised in a peaceful world, it was difficult to comprehend a world where children could be killers by the age of ten. Naruto might talk about peace, but he had already killed bandits and criminals as a genin. In a peaceful world, people his age would never encounter such situations.

While some war-torn countries in any universe have child soldiers and warlords, Daniel hadn't experienced those hardships before crossing over. Originally, he hoped to use his knowledge of future events to achieve a peaceful resolution with minimal casualties, but reality proved that such an outcome was possible only in fiction. Even Naruto couldn't manage that.

So, he would adopt Uchiha Madara's approach: domination. The idea of mutual understanding was something only a protagonist could achieve.

Seeing the frustration and resignation in the eyes of the Kage, Daniel shook his head slightly and added, "I'm giving you half a month to gather what we've demanded. Don't say I didn't warn you: any village that fails to meet the conditions has no reason to continue existing."

With that, Daniel stood and left, giving them time to consider their options. Though he had chosen the Cloud Village as an example, he didn't reveal this upfront. The Cloud Village, known for its pride, was unlikely to accept these conditions.

"Damn it!" Onoki, his chakra sealed, slammed his fist against the table in anger but to no effect.

"We should discuss our options. I don't think he was joking," Mei Terumi said, glancing around the room at the others.

"Our Sand Village has no money, so we'll probably have to offer ninja as compensation," Gaara said after a moment of silence.

"And so the Sand Village surrenders just like that?" Onoki shouted.

"I think a unified Akatsuki Nation could prevent future ninja wars," Gaara replied, rising to leave. "If you have other ideas, don't count on the Sand Village."

The youngest of the Kage, and not even officially recognized as such, Gaara had been swayed by Daniel's arguments, prioritizing his village's peace over its continued existence. Growing up, the Sand Village had brought him nothing but pain, making Daniel's choice of Gaara as a focal point strategic. He also held a valuable bargaining chip—the possibility of resurrecting Gaara's mother and Yashamaru.

Daniel had already planned to revive Minato, Kushina, and Sasori's parents. Adding two more wouldn't be much trouble. If he approached Tsunade with the possibility of resurrecting Dan and Nawaki, she might also become more cooperative. But he had decided against that route.

"Damn it!" Onoki cursed. Gaara's departure had shattered any chance of a united front. If the Five Villages had presented a united front, they might have negotiated better terms. But the Sand Village's defection fractured their alliance.

"What about you two?" he asked, looking to Mei Terumi and Tsunade. As for the Cloud Village's representative, none of them paid him any mind; he sat in silence, aware that he lacked authority. The Fourth Raikage was dead, but Cloud Village's elders remained, and they alone could make decisions for their village.

Faced with Onoki's question, Mei Terumi and Tsunade fell silent. Both were unwilling to accept Akatsuki's terms, but Daniel's warning still rang in their ears. The Five Villages' united front had failed. If the Akatsuki wanted to destroy a single village, they were powerless to stop it.

This wasn't like the original Fourth Great Ninja War, where the villages had committed their entire might. Still, they had deployed at least two-thirds of their forces. Though they had some reserves, they were severely weakened.

"Old man, seems you're not ready to admit defeat," a voice interrupted. It was Onoki's granddaughter, Kurotsuchi.

"If we lost, we need to face it. Do you still think we can turn this around?" While not yet the Fourth Tsuchikage, Kurotsuchi felt a connection to Iwagakure, but after spending time in Amegakure and seeing Daniel's vision, she had become somewhat sympathetic to the Akatsuki Nation.

Unlike her grandfather, she wasn't as obstinate, and Daniel's technology had captivated her—especially the smartphone Deidara had given her.

"You—!" Furious, Onoki's hand shook as he pointed at her, his entire body trembling as if on the verge of a heart attack.

"If there's nothing else, I'll be taking my leave," the Cloud Village jonin said, standing up. This decision was beyond him, and he needed to deliver the news to the village elders as quickly as possible.

"I'll be going too," Mei Terumi said, rising. If even their alliance couldn't withstand Akatsuki, further collaboration seemed futile.

Tsunade also prepared to leave. With their speed, half a month would be more than enough to return to their villages and consult with their respective councils.

"Bringing reanimated ninjas to the Pirate World could be advantageous," Daniel mused as the Kage and their subordinates departed. "So long as they don't encounter soul-based powers, they'd be practically indestructible."

As Akatsuki restored order in Amegakure and announced the Five Villages' defeat to the entire ninja world, Daniel considered taking Uchiha Madara to the Pirate World.

For the other reanimated ninjas, Daniel retained full control and had no need to release them. But Madara was a different matter; the reanimation technique could barely hold him in check. Given its effectiveness, Daniel wasn't about to dismiss the reanimated warriors just because peace had been achieved.

"Forget it; I'll deal with Madara later. For now, let's test this out." Pushing thoughts of Madara aside, Daniel took out Shisui's pair of crimson Mangekyo Sharingan.

"So, this is Kotoamatsukami. Lucky for us, Shisui was a kind-hearted person, and the cooldown is ridiculously long. Otherwise, this jutsu would be terrifying." Kotoamatsukami, the most powerful genjutsu, allowed him to alter someone's will without them ever realizing they were under its influence. In the original Five Kage Summit, Danzo had used it on Mifune to manipulate the discussion, but Ao's Byakugan had exposed him.

While Kotoamatsukami was incredibly hard to detect without the Byakugan, it still wasn't an unbreakable illusion. If someone warned the affected individual, it could cast doubt, much like telling someone their decision wasn't truly their own. Even if they dismissed the warning, it would still make them reconsider.

"Danzo must've been frustrated," Daniel thought. Shisui had used Kotoamatsukami sparingly, but

 Danzo wasn't one to hold back. If he'd had the chance, he would've used it to control the Third Hokage and the two advisors. Even with its long cooldown, Danzo could have mitigated this limitation with Hashirama's cells.

Unfortunately for him, the Hyuga clan in Konoha could see through any illusion with their Byakugan. The greatest genjutsu, no matter how powerful, was still bound by its limitations.

"It's a shame that no illusion is truly unbreakable." Kotoamatsukami might be touted as the ultimate genjutsu, but genjutsu weaknesses couldn't be erased. Even Itachi's plan to give Sasuke Kotoamatsukami as a final safeguard was flawed; the unbreakable illusion was merely Itachi's perception. Even the vast illusion of the Infinite Tsukuyomi could be broken, as it came down to sheer power.

"Now, Sasuke is beginning to merge Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan. I wonder if he'll awaken the Rinnegan directly." Sasuke's power still lagged behind Madara's, but there was a real possibility of his eyes evolving into the Rinnegan.

The fusion of the eyes was a fascinating process that Daniel watched closely. It was his first time witnessing such a sight, and it was truly a remarkable spectacle.

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