A few months later, the forests and valleys surrounding Ryusei's long-standing hideout in the southern Hot Water Country were filled with quiet, deliberate movement.
Over fifteen hundred shinobi occupied the wider perimeter, yet most of them remained unsure why they had been ordered to stop here instead of returning directly to Konoha, as the other fronts had done days earlier.
Two entire fronts had converged there, the southeastern forces led by Fugaku's Uchiha units and the northeastern divisions commanded by Orochimaru.
Now both stood across the same stretch of land, waiting for orders that never came so far.
Orochimaru had absolute control over his troops, many of whom were former ROOT operatives loyal only to him.
Fugaku's men troops were now led by hardened Uchiha veterans, bound by blood and pride.
Together, their inner circles kept the larger forces steady, even as uncertainty spread through the ranks.
Above the steaming cliffs of a nearby hot spring lay the high entry point of Ryusei's hidden base, a place he had used for multiple years already.
Inside, four figures sat around a simple wooden table.
Ryusei.
Orochimaru.
Fugaku.
Tsunade.
The war had officially ended, a decisive victory for Konoha on every front.
Yet none of them looked content.
Because for them, the true struggle was only beginning.
It would not be fought on the battlefield this time, but within the village itself.
For power. For control.
For the right to decide what Konoha, and perhaps the entire shinobi world, would become next.
Fugaku was the first to break the silence.
"Land of Fire expanded its borders faster than anyone expected," he said. "The other four nations folded one after another. Concessions. Territory shifts. Even reparations."
His tone held no pride, only a dry, restrained irritation. "And they still even accepted Konoha's 'diplomatic cells' operating deeper inside their own lands. That hasn't happened ever."
Orochimaru leaned back slightly in his smaller, pale adolescent body, tapping one finger on the table.
His silver hair caught the lamplight, making him look even younger than he was.
His voice, however, carried the same cold amusement as always.
"Quite the achievement, isn't it? The mighty nations of the world bending to Konoha's will." He paused, the corner of his mouth lifting. "Humiliating, too. I never thought I'd see Iwa or Kumo agreeing to something so undignified."
Tsunade folded her arms, expression tight.
"And all the smaller countries around us are now under what they call Konoha's umbrella. More like Konoha's shadow," she muttered. "They're ours in everything but name."
Ryusei said nothing, listening.
Orochimaru continued, still smiling faintly. "Every mission request in the world will funnel through Konoha now. A global workload. Global presence. Global reach." He tilted his head. "A historic victory. The sort of thing textbooks could praise for centuries."
Fugaku exhaled through his nose. "And yet here we are. Sitting outside the village instead of celebrating inside it."
Ryusei looked between the three of them.
Their expressions told the rest.
Hashirama's Edo Tensei.
Tobirama also revived alongside him.
Minato hailed as the biggest hero of the new generation.
Orochimaru credited as a brilliant commander on the side.
Konoha stood at its strongest point since its founding.
But none of these four looked happy.
Because they knew the truth.
Konoha had won the war.
And now, it would turn inward.
Ryusei didn't find it strange that Konoha, with its current lineup, had managed to achieve such unprecedented results.
After all, in the original timeline, Minato alone had reversed the course of this same war to the point that Konoha still emerged as the number one village in reputation.
Now imagine stacking Hashirama's revival, in full force, on top of that.
And Tobirama too, this version far more ambitious, and therefore stronger, than the one history remembered.
And behind them, silently guiding everything from another dimension, Hagoromo himself.
With that combination, an overwhelming victory was almost guaranteed.
Even the internal division created by Ryusei's own faction, Orochimaru, Fugaku, and those aligned with them, had never openly provoked the official leadership.
After Konoha's last failed attempt on Ryusei's life, neither side escalated.
The Hokage's circle chose to focus outward first, 'solving' the world first before turning their blade inward.
Ryusei and his group always accepted such 'pauses'.
With how quickly their strength was growing, time was on their side, and they knew it amongst themselves.
At this time, Orochimaru continued speaking in his usual calm tone, almost amused as he mentioned that the village had surprisingly accepted his Hokage nomination even from a distance.
What truly happened was simple.
Hiruzen had been deeply unpopular since the very start of this war three years ago. Coming so soon after the Second Shinobi World War, the village was already strained, and the first part of this conflict saw heavy casualties under his leadership, long before Minato's rise stabilized the frontlines.
With Hashirama and Tobirama revived, it was Tobirama who now held the real power in Konoha.
And with the war ending, it was clear he intended to replace Hiruzen as soon as possible.
Minato was the obvious successor, a loyal and obedient choice who would never question the established hierarchy and whose wartime achievements made the transition easy to justify.
According to the village's nominal tradition, a certain portion of the jōnin, from the Jonin Council, had to submit formal nominations, and the candidate who gained the most support would be appointed Hokage.
So Orochimaru, Fugaku, and Ryusei's own supporting jōnin, still far from the village, since their two fronts had not immediately returned, sent their nomination for Orochimaru from a distance.
They had stayed in the south of the Hot Water Country instead, gathering here to decide their next steps while making all kinds of preparations of their own.
At this time, Ryusei finally spoke.
"Then, do we walk into their obvious trap or not?" he asked. "I personally think that we should. But let's hear your opinions."
His tone was calm. Focused.
No arrogance, no panic, no hesitation. Just intent.
And when he spoke, the air around him tightened.
Tsunade had seen him serious before, but never like this.
And his presence wasn't just sharp in a figurative sense; it pressed outward.
A real, physical pressure.
The wooden table beneath his palms gave a faint crack, even though he was suppressing every micro movement, careful not to let his fully honed body tear the surroundings apart by accident.
The air wavered around his shoulders, like heat distortion without the heat.
It wasn't chakra leaking out.
It wasn't killing intent.
It was something deeper, the side effect of a body and soul evolving too fast for the world around it to keep up.
Orochimaru's young silver-haired vessel paused mid-breath, golden eyes narrowing.
Fugaku straightened slightly, Sharingan flaring for a moment out of instinct.
Even sitting in an ordinary chair, Ryusei felt like a compressed force that could, at any moment, uncoil and twist the space around him.
As if the room and the world beyond it were something he could push aside and fly over with a single decision.
A compressed physical essence that suggested he could shift mountains or calm seas simply by deciding to move.
The boundaries of his skin and chakra network didn't quite sit still; every few seconds, reality around him bent a fraction, as if unsure how to contain him.
His presence wasn't loud.
It wasn't aggressive.
It was simply there, dense and overwhelming, like a blade drawn halfway from its sheath and held perfectly still.
And the three of them understood:
Ryusei wasn't just confident.
He was ready.
Tsunade watched him quietly, and her thoughts drifted back to the boy he used to be.
Weak. Cornered.
Chased by those ROOT dogs across this very country.
Sending that desperate Senju pulse through the land for her to find him, a stranger at the time.
Proud even while half-dead, he forced himself to ask for her help only when there was no other choice.
And now—
That little boy, her student, her only family left, her man, everything and more, was sixteen.
Far more powerful than her now.
Their roles had reversed completely—and not just once, but by overwhelming margins.
It was also Ryusei who was guiding her life at this point.
A full-grown man, physically as well.
A head taller than her, broad enough to swallow her silhouette completely.
Muscles built like he'd carved them over decades, not a handful of years.
But it wasn't his current physique that caught her most.
It was his focus.
Sharper than ever.
Controlled in a way she had never seen.
He understood exactly what was coming.
What one wrong move could cost.
How close he was to securing his future—or losing everything he cared about.
He carried that weight without flinching.
And because of that, she found herself just as serious.
She exhaled once and said it plainly.
"Then I'll follow whatever you decide, Ryusei. Even if it means standing against all of Konoha directly next."
Her voice didn't waver.
She was decisive.
And she meant every word.