After leaving those words, Ryuji's consciousness retreated from Kuro's body.
In the interrogation room, the Konoha shinobi looked at each other, their gazes turning to Danzo.
Danzo, however, sank into deep thought.
If Ryuji hadn't made the abnormal move of abandoning the chance to flee Konoha and instead holing up in the suburban residence, he would have simply dismissed this threat as hot air.
But with such an abnormal action first, followed by this seemingly baseless threat, he was instead considering whether this unusual move truly concealed a scheme.
"... Danzo-sama, Keito's consciousness hasn't returned."
A subordinate's reminder brought Danzo back to the present.
He glanced around the room, then looked at the unconscious Keito. After a moment's hesitation, he asked, "Is he still alive?"
"As long as the body lives, the soul and consciousness live."
"Trapped inside Kuro's body?"
"No mental fluctuations can be detected inside Kuro's body," A technician sitting in front of a computer screen reported. "Not only Keito's mental fluctuations are undetectable, but Kuro's are also gone. Both bodies have become empty shells."
"I see..."
Danzo closed his eyes in contemplation.
After a moment, he opened them and said, "Then use Kuro's body to exchange for Keito's consciousness."
"Yes."
The subordinates accepted the order, then couldn't help but express their gratitude. "Thank you very much!"
Danzo glanced at the speaker from beneath lowered eyelids and said calmly, "Hurry up and go. Use the opportunity to probe their attitude. I will speak to the Hokage."
"Yes!"
The subordinates left to carry out the order. The dim room fell into silence.
Danzo remained seated, continuing to ponder.
The reason he agreed to the exchange wasn't to save Keito, but because he truly couldn't be sure whether Ryuji was bluffing or actually had a trump card he hadn't anticipated.
If Ryuji was just bluffing, then even if they returned Kuro, they couldn't escape in the end.
If not, it would leave room for maneuver.
Saving Keito was merely incidental.
...
Consciousness returned to his own body, and Ryuji opened his eyes.
In the cold, pitch-black night, the courtyard was brightly lit. The movements and sounds of the Sunagakure's delegation Shinobi all fell within his sight.
"Master, how did it go?"
Hearing the familiar voice behind him, Ryuji turned to see Aka's tense, exquisite face.
He nodded, picked up the sake cup beside him, and drained it in one go before speaking. "I brought Kuro's soul back."
"That's good." Aka let out a long sigh of relief. "As long as the soul remains, we can just make a new body later."
"No, I want them to return his body to me, safe and sound." Ryuji looked at the despondent people in the courtyard, a sharp gleam flashing in his bright black eyes. "If they don't return it, I'll have Konoha serve as the funeral offering for Kuro's body."
He considered himself someone not easily swayed by emotions, but when it came down to it, he found it hard to achieve.
If he truly destroyed Konoha, without a doubt, Sunagakure would be seen as the greatest threat. If certain individuals manipulated the situation, the entire Shinobi World might unite against them.
Because tomorrow would be a crushing, one-sided victory.
From a grand strategic perspective, this was a very unwise choice.
Ryuji had never entertained such thoughts from the beginning.
But seeing the homunculus he had created with his own hands, limbs shackled, spread-eagled and bound inside a rotating hollow iron sphere... the feeling of his hard work being abused made the anger in his heart rise uncontrollably.
Even if they had killed Kuro, he wouldn't have been this angry.
"I hope you are sensible and return him unharmed. Otherwise, I'm afraid I really might not be able to help destroying you." Ryuji's deep gaze turned toward the Hokage Rock. The Hokage Tower below was still brightly lit.
"Ryuji-sama..."
A gentle voice came from below the eaves.
Ryuji looked down. Karura was smiling and waving at him. "Can we talk alone?"
"Come up."
Hearing the answer, Aka tactfully withdrew.
Karura leapt up.
She stood on the edge of the roof, studying Ryuji, then her gaze fell on the nearby sake cup. A smile unconsciously appeared on her face. "Ryuji-sama isn't an adult yet, right?"
"If you came to lecture me, you can go back." Having said that, Ryuji picked up the sake cup and took a gentle sip.
Instantly, the pain all over his body lessened considerably.
Of course, alcohol couldn't suppress pain, but it could relieve stress.
With things having developed to this point, what he had to consider was no longer just bringing people back to Sunagakure safely. He also had to consider the possible tidal wave of the times that might come after tomorrow.
The pressure on his shoulders was far from as light as it appeared on the surface.
"How could I be so dull." Karura's face still wore a smile. "I just wanted to say that rules are made by the strong to bind the weak. Someone as strong as Ryuji-sama shouldn't be bound by rules."
'Hmm?'
Ryuji looked at Karura in surprise, as if seeing her for the first time.
This young girl, with a gentle smile always on her face, seemingly so fragile a gust of wind could blow her over… her inner essence seemed completely different from her appearance.
Suddenly interested, he asked, "What did you come to see me for?"
"I came to apologize."
As she spoke, Karura casually moved to Ryuji's side, sitting down with one empty space between them. "Because of me, things have developed to this point."
"Tch!" Ryuji couldn't help but scoff. "You think without you, things wouldn't have turned out this way?"
"I've never thought that."
"Then why blame yourself?"
"Regardless, I was the trigger for this incident."
Even without Karura, there would have been someone else.
As long as Konoha wanted to tear up the agreement, even if everyone in the Sunagakure's delegation endured in silence, Konoha could strike first and then slander them.
In other words, no matter what, things would have ended up this way.
Regarding this point,
Ryuji understood, Karura understood, every member of the Sunagakure's delegation understood.
Therefore, no one blamed Karura.
But no matter what, she was the trigger that ignited the incident. Others not blaming her didn't mean she herself could feel at ease with it.
While she might not feel self-blame to the point of shame, feeling a sense of guilt was certainly true.
Hearing the girl's answer, Ryuji let out a light chuckle.
'Gentle and kind, but not a naïve fool.'
'No wonder in the original work, Rasa, who became the Fourth Kazekage, chose to be with her.'
'Both gentle and considerate, yet sharp and capable, able to provide immense help in both family and career.'
'For a successful man in his career, this woman was practically the perfect marriage partner.'
"Ryuji-sama, aren't you going to ask me why I lashed out in anger?"
"I am a bit curious." Ryuji held the sake cup, looking at her curiously. "Given your temperament, it should be hard to make you angry. What did Konoha people do to make you fight directly?"
"This is..."
Before she finished, Karura suddenly stopped.
Ryuji, about to drink, couldn't help but look over. He saw her lowering her head, two blushes appearing on her cheeks.
"..."
Ryuji fell silent.
The overwhelming sense of déjà vu left him at a loss for words.
'Probably just me overthinking it.'
Not hearing Ryuji's further questioning, Karura raised her head. Her gentle eyes met his silent face, and the blush on her cheeks deepened.
She took a deep breath, snatched the sake cup from Ryuji's hand, drank it all in one go, then threw the empty cup aside.
"They insulted you in front of me!"
"..."
Ryuji remained silent.
Karura stood up, boldly meeting Ryuji's gaze directly. "Since I was little, I've admired strong people. Not just those strong in martial prowess, but those strong in all aspects. From half a year ago, when you led everyone to repel the combined invasion of Kumo, Iwa, Ame, and Kusa, I became curious about you and admired you."
"Later, learning that you had resurrected the Third Kazekage and proposed a solution to the Land of Wind's water scarcity problem, this curiosity and admiration deepened further, bone-deep. I couldn't wait to get to know you personally."
"When I found out I was selected for the student delegation and would be going to Konoha with Ryuji-sama, I was so happy that night I couldn't sleep."
"After coming to Konoha, you didn't stop either."
"Confronting Orochimaru on the street, publicly insulting Uchiha Setsuna, provoking the duel between Konoha and Sunagakure and achieving a great victory... your martial prowess, strategic vision, and wisdom were all perfect, flawless."
"Later, you turned the tide in the Amegakure war, killed Hanzo, brought victory to the village, and even created the Floating Continent... All the various deeds you left in the Shinobi World filled me with yearning, making me wish I could personally follow you."
"Originally, I thought I simply admired you, worshipped you. But when those two Konoha's Shinobi insulted you in front of me, I, who could usually laugh off personal insults, couldn't restrain myself from acting."
"At that moment, I understood."
"This admiration and worship I felt for Ryuji-sama had unknowingly turned into affection..." Here, a trace of sadness flickered in Karura's eyes. "But I also know you have a girlfriend. I didn't want to disrupt your life, so I planned to keep these feelings hidden in my heart."
"But... I don't know if I can return from this alive. I don't want to die still hiding these feelings of love. I don't want to die without you ever knowing a girl loved you."
"So, Ryuji-sama, could you please res..."
"Cough!"
A cough came from below the eaves, interrupting Karura's self-forgetful confession.
She instinctively looked down. The area below the eaves was full of people. Almost the entire delegation had gathered.
Karura froze, then her face rapidly turned crimson. She exclaimed, "Why are you all here!?"
Thud!
Yashamaru pointed at the shattered sake cup on the ground.
'Oh my god!'
Karura covered her flushed face with her hands, wishing she could find a crack to crawl into.
Confessing to a man with a girlfriend in front of so many people, and a man several years younger than her at that… it was too embarrassing.
"Don't be shy!"
A puppeteer loudly declared. "When facing someone you love, strive hard for them! Having a girlfriend isn't the same as being married. Just compete fairly! Go on!"
"Yeah, don't be afraid! What's wrong with confessing to someone you love?"
"Go for it, Karura!"
"No one knows what tomorrow will bring. Seize every day properly!"
"You all..."
Hearing the encouragement from below, Karura felt moved.
She thought she'd be called shameless or similar, but instead, it was all encouragement.
She took a deep breath, quickly calming her emotions, and looked seriously at Ryuji. "Ryuji-sama, as everyone says, I don't want to die with regrets. So, could you please respond to my feelings?"
"Well..."
Ryuji scratched the back of his head, feeling a headache coming on.
Just Kana had already made his relationship with Pakura very complicated. Now with Karura added... whether he rejected or accepted, things would become messy later.
"...I think you might be overthinking it a bit."
"Eh?"
Hearing the response, Karura felt a pang of disappointment.
'So, it really wasn't possible.'
"Talking about not wanting to die with regrets… you're far from death!" Ryuji smiled at her, then turned to face the Suna people below. "I promised you I would safely bring most of you back to the village. What I say, I will achieve. Every single person who safely returns here will not die."
"Why? Because I said so. What I say, I will definitely accomplish."
Having said that, he turned back to look at the girl. "Karura, I never imagined such an excellent girl would like me. When faced with a confession from such a girl, any man's heart would secretly rejoice."
"But I also don't know if this is love. To answer carelessly would be irresponsible to both of us."
"So, please keep these feelings in your heart for now. In a few more years, ask yourself again. If you still like me then, please confess to me once more!"
"At that time, whether it's rejection or acceptance, I will have found my answer and will definitely respond to your feelings."
"Ohhhh!!!"
All the Sunagakure's people erupted in cheers, sweeping away their previous worries about the future.
To make such a promise even when faced with a confession from an admirer… what reason did they have not to trust Ryuji?
After all, he was the man who had created one miracle after another!
And seeing this scene, Karura's eyes shimmered with emotion. The man before her became even more charming in her eyes.
'Ryuji-sama, talking about 'later'... If you keep being this excellent, my love for you will only grow deeper and deeper!'
...
In the silent night, the cheers of the Sunagakure's delegation echoed.
In the pitch-black sky, snowflakes drifted down.
The Third Hokage stood by the window, looking toward the direction of the Sunagakure's delegation's residence, his expression grave.
In a dim room, Danzo stared at a plan document, lost in thought.
In the hospital ward, Orochimaru lay on the bed, deaf to Tsunade's words. His mind was entirely immersed in the words Aka had spoken after defeating him but letting him go.
"Think carefully. Ryuji-sama is the true god of this world. Follow him, and you will gain everything you desire!"