HOKAGE TOWER
"Hey."
Riser's voice came from the open office window the moment space distorted slightly around him.
Tsunade immediately looked up.
Unlike a few hours ago, the office now seemed much more organized. Two shadow clones worked separately on different stacks of documents while the real Tsunade remained seated behind her desk, visibly less overwhelmed after finally using the idea Riser had given her.
She even looked more relaxed.
"What is it?" Tsunade rested her face on one hand while watching him enter through the window as if that were completely normal. "You're back early."
"So you changed your mind about Kakashi's help?" she asked immediately afterward.
"Actually, no."
Riser entered the office without any hurry before continuing.
"I just came to let you know I finished the favor you asked for."
Tsunade frowned slightly.
"You what?" Her eyes narrowed immediately. "What exactly did you do?"
"I destroyed Root's main base." Riser answered in the same casual tone as always. "And killed everyone who was there."
Silence instantly fell throughout the room.
Even the shadow clones stopped moving papers.
Tsunade stared at Riser for several seconds without saying a single word, as if trying to decide whether she had heard wrong or if he had really said that with such absurd calmness.
"...You're joking."
"No."
The answer came far too simply.
Riser pulled a chair closer to the desk and sat down without the slightest concern while Tsunade still tried to process the entire situation.
"Relax." He rested an arm on the back of the chair. "There are still Root agents alive and scattered throughout the village."
That did not help at all.
In fact, it seemed to make things worse.
"Alright, let me see if I understand this." Tsunade placed both hands on the desk while staring directly at him. "You entered Root's main base alone... killed everyone... destroyed the entire facility... and came back here as if you had gone out to buy food?"
"Basically."
Tsunade slowly rubbed her face.
"You have no idea how big a problem you just created."
Riser watched her silently for a few seconds before responding.
"Actually, I solved a problem."
"No." Tsunade immediately shot back. "You destroyed an entire organization inside Konoha during a night when the village was already politically unstable."
She stood up from her chair right afterward, irritation finally beginning to show more clearly in her voice.
"Jiraiya is dead. Naruto deserted. Danzō is a traitor, but he was still a known figure within the village... and now Root practically vanished in a single night."
Her gaze hardened even further.
"The village is vulnerable now." Tsunade crossed her arms while staring directly at Riser. "Other villages could interpret this as weakness and attack."
Riser remained calm.
"I don't have history." He replied without hesitation. "But I have strength."
His blue eyes met hers directly.
"So you can count on me."
Tsunade narrowed her eyes slightly.
"And what exactly would you do alone against other villages?"
Riser almost smiled.
"I destroyed Root alone."
The answer came far too simply.
"And I can create a barrier around all of Konoha." He continued immediately afterward. "You've already seen its power."
Tsunade remained silent for several seconds.
Because he was right.
The barrier really was absurd. Not even specialized ANBU had managed to pass through it without authorization, and she herself had already seen how it could completely isolate an area without anyone outside noticing.
The problem was something else.
'If I accept this... Konoha will literally depend on him.'
The realization immediately bothered her.
But at that moment?
She honestly did not have many better options.
Root had just been destroyed.
Danzō had fallen.
Jiraiya was dead.
Naruto had deserted.
And Konoha still needed to project strength to the rest of the shinobi world.
Tsunade let out a small tired sigh before finally giving in.
"Fine." She rested her arms on the desk again. "I'll trust you."
The answer came out almost resigned.
Riser merely nodded lightly.
"You used the barrier so nobody would notice the attack on Root's base?" Tsunade asked shortly afterward.
"Exactly." Riser answered with a small smile. "Nobody saw anything."
She spent a few seconds silently organizing her thoughts before making another quick decision.
"Then I want control of the barrier." Tsunade said firmly. "Just like you did here in the tower."
"Alright."
The answer came far too quickly.
Tsunade was even surprised for a second that he had not argued about it.
But before she could comment, Riser continued:
"By the way, my wives are also going to live in the village."
Tsunade blinked once.
"...Wives?" she repeated slowly while the shadow clones continued organizing paperwork in the background. "More than one?"
"And what's wrong with that?" Riser replied as if it were the most normal thing in the world while calmly walking through the office after fully entering through the window. "I'm the last Uchiha."
He shrugged immediately afterward.
"I need to continue my bloodline."
Tsunade stared at him for several seconds in absolute silence.
Then she simply gave up trying to understand.
"Fine... fine." She rubbed her face tiredly. "Just put up that barrier around the village and give me access to its controls."
"Sure, I'll do that." Riser replied calmly. "Soru."
His body vanished from in front of the Hokage's desk at incredible speed, leaving only a faint pressure in the air before reappearing dozens of meters above the village, already far from the tower.
The night wind hit his face while all of Konoha stretched below the clouds illuminated by the lights of dawn.
Phoenix wings appeared immediately afterward.
Golden flames erupted from Riser's back before he stabilized his flight above the entire village, silently observing Konoha from above for a few moments.
Then another presence appeared beside him.
Merlin emerged calmly floating among the clouds, her dress and hair moving with the wind while she observed the village below with genuine curiosity.
"Do you like the village?" Riser asked while keeping his eyes on Konoha.
"It's an interesting place." Merlin replied while analyzing the lights spread throughout the village. "May I ask what you intend to do?"
"A barrier around all of Konoha."
Merlin slightly raised an eyebrow upon hearing that before looking back down at the village.
"If you'll allow me..." she began calmly. "I think there's something better than the normal barriers used by Devils."
Riser finally looked at her.
"Well, you're the mage here." He replied without difficulty. "But I need to be able to pass control of it to someone else."
"I can do that." Merlin answered almost immediately. "And honestly... I think it's better if the barrier isn't completely invisible to the villagers."
That caught his attention.
"Oh?"
"If nobody knows protection exists..." Merlin looked back toward Konoha. "Then nobody will understand the sense of security it represents."
Riser considered the idea for a few seconds before slowly nodding.
It made sense.
"I told Tsunade that my wives are also going to live in the village." He commented shortly afterward. "So after you finish the barrier, go to the Hokage Tower and introduce yourself to her."
Merlin simply listened in silence.
"And also transfer control over entry and exit permissions for the barrier."
"Yes." She answered calmly. "I'll do that."
Her gaze then quickly returned to Riser.
"And you?"
"I'm going back to the Hokage Tower." He replied simply. "I'll meet you there later."
Riser realized something obvious at that moment.
It would be much better for Merlin to appear officially afterward rather than suddenly showing up inside the tower alongside him. Especially now that Tsunade was already mentally overwhelmed enough.
The next instant, his body vanished once again.
"Soru."
The pressure of the air spread rapidly while Riser disappeared among the clouds, leaving Merlin alone above the village.
She remained standing in the sky for a few seconds, silently observing all of Konoha below.
Then she smiled faintly.
"Let's begin."
Her hands slowly rose.
Magic responded instantly.
Golden runes began appearing around Merlin's body while gigantic magic circles materialized above the clouds, spreading light throughout Konoha's silent dawn.
The energy advanced.
Expanded.
Grew.
Magical lines began descending from the sky like invisible luminous roots, crossing the air above the entire village before connecting with one another on an absurd scale.
The barrier began taking shape.
From the outside...
Nothing seemed different.
People continued seeing Konoha normally. The sky remained the same, the streets stayed silent, and no civilian would immediately realize that a colossal magical structure had just enveloped the entire village.
But it was there.
Protecting everything.
A bird crossed through the clouds at that moment, flying carelessly above the village before striking the invisible barrier.
THUD
The animal slammed directly into the magical surface and tumbled through the air before rapidly falling toward the forest floor below.
The barrier did not even ripple.
Merlin calmly observed the scene while the last magic circles finished connecting above all of Konoha.
Now the village was completely sealed.
"Perfect."
The wind continued moving her hair while she observed her creation surrounding the entire shinobi region beneath the clouds.
Then her gaze slowly shifted toward the distant Hokage Tower.
'Now I'll meet this Tsunade.'
Merlin's body disappeared immediately afterward, vanishing from the silent clouds above the village while the gigantic barrier remained active over all of Konoha.
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