Just then—
A wave of untimely commotion came from the entrance to the plaza.
Several samurai dressed in luxurious clothing, their expressions openly arrogant, pushed their way through the celebrating crowd.
At their center walked an elderly man in an embroidered robe, his sharp features giving him the appearance of someone who had spent his entire life calculating gains and losses.
The aura surrounding them—
That unmistakable air of the upper class—
Was completely out of place here.
Little by little, the surrounding laughter and noise died down.
The old man at the front was Junichirō Tsuchida—
Chief Advisor to the Daimyō of the Land of Fire.
He glanced at Naruto, who still reeked of alcohol.
Then his gaze swept across the lazily seated Kakashi.
His brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.
Yet the formal smile on his face never changed.
"Lord Hatake Kakashi, congratulations on your triumphant return."
"His Excellency the Daimyō was greatly pleased upon hearing the news of your victory and specifically sent this old man here to offer his regards."
Kakashi straightened.
A trace of vigilance flashed through his usually listless eye.
"We appreciate you coming all this way, Advisor."
"Still, whatever business you have can wait until after the celebration, can't it?"
"This matter is of great importance."
Tsuchida's smile remained unchanged.
But his tone allowed no room for refusal.
"I'm afraid it cannot wait."
"Acting Hokage, Lord Uzumaki Naruto, and Lord Uchiha Sasuke…"
"Please accompany me to the Hokage's office."
"We need to hold an urgent…"
"Postwar conference."
Those two words—
Postwar conference—
Were like a bucket of cold water dumped over the celebration.
The last traces of warmth in the plaza vanished.
…
Inside the Hokage's office—
The atmosphere was oppressive.
Advisor Tsuchida wasted no time on pleasantries.
He immediately unrolled a thick scroll across the desk.
"This is the Land of Fire's preliminary loss report for this war."
He pointed toward the densely packed entries covering the scroll.
"This includes, but is not limited to, the expenses incurred by the logistical forces mobilized in support of the Allied Shinobi Forces."
"The reconstruction costs for towns and settlements affected by the fighting."
"And…"
"The compensation owed to the samurai and civilians who lost their lives during the war."
At the end of the scroll—
Was an astronomical number.
Naruto's eyes almost popped out.
"That many zeros?!"
"War has never been cheap, Lord Uzumaki Naruto."
Tsuchida adjusted the monocle resting over one eye.
"Of course, His Excellency the Daimyō fully recognizes the contributions made by all of you."
"These expenses are not being presented because we intend to force Konoha to shoulder them."
He paused.
Then—
His tone changed.
"However…"
"The root cause of all this was shinobi."
"And the ones who ended it were also shinobi."
"This has created a deep concern among the Daimyō and the various feudal lords."
"One that can no longer be ignored."
His gaze slowly shifted from Naruto—
To Sasuke.
There was no gratitude in those eyes.
Only scrutiny.
And fear.
"A power capable of casually destroying the world…"
"Concentrated in the hands of a small number of individuals who are not bound by ordinary secular law."
"That alone represents the greatest threat to the existing world order."
"Therefore, the Daimyō and the feudal lords of the various nations have unanimously concluded that, for the sake of long-term peace and stability…"
"And to prevent a tragedy like this from ever occurring again…"
"We must redefine the position of 'shinobi' and 'shinobi villages' within this world."
From his sleeve—
Tsuchida withdrew another scroll.
Smaller.
But far more exquisitely made.
He slowly unrolled it.
This one was not a bill.
It was—
A draft treaty.
Joint Framework Regarding the New Postwar World Order and Restrictions on Shinobi Power
Kakashi merely glanced at it once.
His pupil immediately contracted.
"This is…"
"Very simple."
Advisor Tsuchida's voice was as cold as iron.
"The world no longer needs heroes capable of destroying heaven and earth."
His gaze finally settled on Naruto's stunned face.
"What it needs…"
"Is a collar strong enough to be placed around those heroes' necks."
The air inside the Hokage's office seemed to freeze.
That lightly spoken sentence—
Was colder than any "formatting" command Kai had ever issued.
Because this time—
What was being attacked was not the laws of the world.
It was the dignity upon which shinobi had built their entire lives.
"A collar?"
The drunkenness vanished from Naruto's face in an instant.
So did his smile.
In its place—
Was something dangerous.
Something that had clearly been touched where it should not have been.
The air beside him began to distort faintly.
A thin strand of golden chakra leaked uncontrollably from his body.
"Watch your words, Advisor."
Kakashi's voice also turned cold.
Without making a show of it—
He stepped half a pace forward.
Placing himself between Naruto and Tsuchida.
"We only just returned from a war that nearly wiped out everyone in this world."
"Precisely because of that."
Facing the oppressive aura in the room—
Tsuchida remained completely unmoved.
He did not even look at Kakashi.
His eyes stayed fixed on Naruto.
"It is because we witnessed firsthand how terrifying this kind of power can be…"
"That we must take precautions before the next disaster occurs."
"Do you truly wish to see…"
"Another Uchiha Madara?"
"Or another 'Kai'?"
"We—"
Naruto had barely opened his mouth when—
A hand landed on his shoulder.
Sasuke.
He had remained silent in the shadows from beginning to end.
As though none of this concerned him.
But now—
His Rinnegan gleamed with a cold light that seemed to see through everything.
"At the end of the day…"
"You're simply afraid."
His voice was not loud.
Yet it cut through Tsuchida's grand rhetoric like a surgeon's scalpel.
"You're afraid that pieces on the board like us…"
"Pieces capable of overturning the entire game whenever we want…"
"Will stop obeying the people who think of themselves as the 'players.'"
The corner of Tsuchida's eye twitched.
But his expression immediately returned to calm.
"Lord Uchiha Sasuke."
"I understand the position you once held."
"But what we are discussing now is the future of the entire world."
"Not the grievances of one clan."
"Power must be locked inside the cage of institutions."
"That is an iron law of civilization."
He pointed toward the draft Framework.
Then spoke clearly.
"According to this proposal—"
"The Five Great Shinobi Villages will be reorganized."
"Their military command authority will be transferred to a 'Joint Oversight Commission' composed of civilian officials appointed by the Daimyō of each nation."
"All forbidden techniques ranked S-class or above must be reported and sealed."
"All shinobi possessing kekkei genkai must be registered."
"And they must undergo periodic 'ideological evaluations.'"
Every clause—
Was a shackle.
One meant to completely lock down the very existence known as a shinobi.
"How is that any different from treating us like criminals?!"
Naruto exploded.
"If it can bring permanent peace…"
Tsuchida countered calmly.
"Then what does a little temporary humiliation matter?"
"Peace?"
Sasuke let out a contemptuous laugh.
"What you want isn't peace."
"It's obedience."
"You want every force capable of threatening your position…"
"To become as tame as a house dog."
He stepped forward.
Out of the shadows—
And into the light.
The invisible pressure radiating from him made the samurai behind Tsuchida instinctively tighten their grips on their sword hilts.
"Let me tell you something."
Sasuke's Rinnegan swept across everyone present.
"You people sitting comfortably in safety…"
"People who only know how to manipulate politics…"
"Do you know what truly creates peace?"
"Balance."
"It is when one side possesses enough power to destroy the other…"
"And the other side possesses the same ability to overturn the table."
"That—"
"Is the foundation of peace."
"But what you're trying to do now…"
"Is take away our ability to overturn the table."
"Then put a blade against our throats…"
"And tell us it's for our own good."
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