Chiyo's voice carried a trace of tension.
"The alliance between Konoha and Sunagakure… Hokage-sama, have you made a decision? If there are difficulties… we can still negotiate."
Her tone—
Humble.
Too humble.
After Kakuzu's "conversation" in the morning—
And being left waiting for hours—
Her composure had long collapsed.
Now she was overthinking everything.
Was Kakuzu sent deliberately?
Was that a warning?
A rejection in disguise?
This mission—
Carried the future of Sunagakure.
If it failed—
The consequences would be catastrophic.
Sunagakure's situation was already dire.
Low margin for error.
Almost none.
One failed war—
Could spiral them into collapse.
Less funding.
Weaker military.
Less trust from the Daimyō.
Even lower funding.
A death loop.
If not for Rasa—
Their "gold miner"—
Constantly generating income—
Sunagakure might have already fallen apart.
So Chiyo—
Could not fail.
Anything short of touching core assets—
Even secret techniques—
Could be traded.
She looked at Ren—
Waiting.
Praying.
Ren smiled faintly.
Paused.
Deliberately.
Chiyo's heart tightened—
Then eased—
Then tightened again.
"…Although Konoha will suffer some losses…"
"…as Hokage, I keep my word."
"But—"
Her heart jumped.
Here it comes.
Conditions.
"…I want tax reductions for Konoha businesses in Sunagakure."
"…Konoha books, music, films—free circulation."
"…I want the Will of Fire to spread across the ninja world."
"…Trade routes—Sunagakure provides escort ninja."
"…And the student exchange program…"
"…must be fully implemented."
Ren spoke casually.
But carefully.
The most important condition—
Hidden within.
Culture.
Narrative.
Influence.
He was already planning—
A propaganda system.
Control the narrative.
Shape perception.
Turn Konoha into—
A beacon.
A dream.
A destination.
Not profitable?
Doesn't matter.
Influence—
Was priceless.
Chiyo listened.
Then—
Silence.
Then—
Relief.
"…All conditions…"
"…I accept."
Immediately.
Without hesitation.
These terms?
Nothing.
Compared to survival.
Konoha merchants braving deserts—
For minimal profit—
And Sunagakure taxing them?
Even she felt ashamed.
Books?
Films?
Meaningless luxuries.
People there barely had food.
Exchange students?
Already planned.
Everything—
Was acceptable.
"…Then let us celebrate this alliance."
"…May our friendship last."
"…Sunagakure is honored."
They shook hands.
Deal done.
Chiyo left—
Satisfied.
Relieved.
Unaware—
Of what had truly been set in motion.
—
After she left—
Stacks of documents arrived.
Entry records.
Three days' worth.
Ren stared at them.
"…So many…"
He sighed.
This wasn't about certainty.
It was about peace of mind.
What if—
Madara entered normally?
"…Let's check."
Page by page.
Name after name.
Nothing.
Still nothing.
"…Maybe I'm overthinking."
The system—
Was unreliable sometimes.
Madara should be—
Underground.
Trying to awaken the Rinnegan.
Not here.
"…Half an hour more."
He flipped another page.
Then—
Stopped.
"…Ban Zhu."
"…Wait."
"…That name…"
"…Madara + Hashirama?"
His eyes snapped open.
That kind of naming style—
Was absolutely possible.
"…Entry time…"
"…Last night."
Silence.
Then—
Realization.
"…Matches perfectly."
"The system alert…"
"…was last night."
No more doubt.
Coincidence stacked upon coincidence—
Was intent.
Ren leaned back.
"…So it's true."
"…Uchiha Madara…"
"…is in Konoha."
His heart raced.
He rubbed his face—
Forced himself to calm down.
Think.
Why?
Nine-Tails?
No.
Madara didn't care about it.
Uchiha clan?
Unlikely.
Uzumaki Mito?
Impossible.
One by one—
He ruled them out.
Until only one answer remained.
"…Me."
Silence.
"…He's here for me."
The only anomaly.
The only variable.
The butterfly effect—
Had reached Madara.
A Mangekyō Uchiha.
A Hokage.
Of course Madara would notice.
"…He wants a successor."
"…A backup."
"…For the Eye of the Moon Plan."
Ren's back felt cold.
This wasn't speculation anymore.
It fit too perfectly.
Madara—
Had struggled for ten years.
No Rinnegan.
No progress.
And now—
He found someone better.
Ren exhaled slowly.
Because he knew—
Exactly what that meant.
Uchiha Obito.
A perfect example.
Used.
Broken.
Controlled.
Everything taken from him.
"…Am I next?"
Silence filled the room.
The answer—
It was already clear.
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