Konoha
Night had fallen.
A grand banquet was in full swing.
Every light in the venue had been lit, large and small, casting a dazzling glow. From afar, the entire place shimmered in gold—like a palace from the heavens.
Even the well-traveled Fire Daimyo couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
"Konoha has truly changed beyond recognition these past two years…"
"Even the capital now feels…"
He didn't finish the sentence.
A trace of loneliness flickered across his face.
The attendants around him lowered their heads in unison, not daring to make a sound.
But the next moment—
His expression returned to its usual warmth.
Such a beautiful night… such a grand occasion—
Why ruin it?
The nobles of the Land of Fire and Konoha's upper ranks had all gathered.
As they chatted, they gradually came to a realization—
Konoha had quietly shocked them.
The world had flipped.
The once lowly ninja—who lived harsh, dangerous lives—
Had, in just a few short years, built immense wealth.
The nobles, greedy by nature, seemed ready to embrace all of Konoha.
If Konoha could do it—
Why couldn't they?
They didn't dare seize anything by force.
Konoha's strength was too terrifying.
But cooperation?
With their status and wealth—
They could still make a fortune.
This was an era of rapid capital expansion.
Power and money—
Combined—
Were unstoppable.
And Uchiha Ren welcomed it.
The Land of Fire was a massive cake.
Konoha had already eaten its fill.
To take even one more bite—
Someone else needed to help carry the weight.
To hell with feudalism.
Let capital flow.
Work together.
Expand the pie.
Wasn't that better?
"This mansion is incredible… so spacious."
Uzumaki Mito looked around, unable to hide her amazement.
Location.
Design.
Scale.
This was not something she could afford.
And in Konoha—
Money alone wasn't enough to buy it.
"It's the Hokage's private residence," Senju Taoma said quietly beside her.
"…That bastard must've embezzled."
Mito muttered.
Pure jealousy.
In truth—
Ren's industries generated money faster than printing presses.
To him, wealth was meaningless.
Power—
That was everything.
Compared to Six Paths-level strength—
Money was nothing more than illusion.
Still—
He built Konoha for a reason.
The system demanded it.
And regardless—
He had fulfilled his duty as Hokage.
The village prospered.
The people benefited.
That was enough.
Everything was proceeding according to plan.
Gradually consuming the Land of Fire—
Then expanding outward through capital and influence—
Until the entire world was within reach.
War?
Unavoidable.
But—
He wouldn't follow Uchiha Madara's crude path of brute-force domination.
Violence alone changed nothing.
As long as ninja remained tools of war—
Nothing would truly improve.
The world needed to change at its core.
Otherwise—
History would repeat itself.
Rain Village.
Pain.
Naruto.
Hope.
And yet—
Nothing changed.
So whose fault was it?
The answer was simple.
The world itself.
And so—
The old world had to be destroyed.
Unless an Ōtsutsuki dropped from the sky—
No one could stop him.
Dressed in his Hokage robes, Ren stood out effortlessly.
Young.
Powerful.
Unmarried.
To the noble daughters present—
He was the perfect target.
They watched him like hunters eyeing prey.
Marriage into Konoha—
Was a leap across class itself.
"Fire Shadow-sama!"
Tsunade puffed her cheeks, ready to charge forward.
"Stop."
Mito pulled her back.
"This isn't the place for that."
Tsunade, dressed in a green cheongsam, looked refined and elegant—
As long as she didn't open her mouth.
Nearby—
Uzumaki Ashina arrived with Uzumaki Yangyue.
Her twin buns and red attire gave her a lively charm.
And not far away—
Hyuga Takuma stood with Hyuga Asuka.
Elegant.
Graceful.
Perfect noble bearing.
Even aristocrats couldn't help but praise her.
"I'm quite popular," Ren muttered, slightly amused.
But soon—
It became exhausting.
Smiling.
Responding.
Maintaining composure.
And then—
Those two old foxes joined in.
Ashina.
Takuma.
Trading subtle jabs in front of everyone.
Shameless.
At another table—
Taoma was cutting steak with excessive force.
The scraping sound of the knife against the plate was unbearable.
He looked like he was carving Ren himself.
Moments earlier—
Tsunade had already slipped away to circle around Ren again.
Ren soon spotted familiar faces—
Representatives from Kusagakure.
Including Odabyo.
They were thriving under Konoha's support.
After a brief exchange—
Ren moved on.
Officials.
Nobles.
Power brokers.
He kept circulating.
Like a social butterfly.
Next year—
Konoha's expansion would depend on them.
Relationships mattered.
Give and take.
That's how alliances formed.
And everywhere he went—
Laughter followed.
Elsewhere—
Nara Shikaku.
Hyuga Takuma.
Uchiha Tomita.
All were doing the same.
Building connections.
Breaking old boundaries.
Once—
Ninja were beneath nobles.
Nothing more than tools.
Now—
That hierarchy was collapsing.
And the nobles…
Had no choice but to accept it.
Inside a private room—
The atmosphere turned tense.
"Your Highness," one man said coldly, "the Hokage seems more popular than you."
The Fire Daimyo remained silent.
Around him—
A group of disgruntled elites gathered.
Losers.
Victims of Konoha's expansion.
Their interests had been devoured.
And now—
They wanted revenge.
"Your Highness," another continued, "this cannot continue."
"Ninja and nobility must remain separate."
"This is tradition."
"Even the First Hokage respected it."
"But the current Hokage…"
"He's breaking everything."
The Daimyo leaned back, sipping cola.
"So?"
"What do you propose?"
"War."
"Another Great Ninja War."
"Let the villages destroy each other."
"Drain their strength."
"And perhaps…"
"The Third Hokage will fall, just like the Second."
"Enough!"
The Daimyo slammed the table.
War?
Again?
They wanted to use him as a weapon.
He wasn't a fool.
Konoha hadn't excluded him.
In fact—
Ren had included him in every major venture.
Profit.
Influence.
Respect.
He had been given everything.
This wasn't oppression.
It was a transition.
A new world was coming.
And he—
Had chosen to survive it.
"Leave," Daimyo said coldly.
The room emptied.
But outside—
Whispers continued.
"He's weak."
"A coward."
"…Or perhaps…"
A voice lowered.
"…he simply doesn't swim well."
Silence.
Everyone froze.
Then—
They slowly turned.
The speaker—
Was the uncle of Daimyo's second son.
Only then did it hit them.
The Daimyo…
I was already sixty-five.
And water—
Could solve many problems.
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