The status of Konoha in the Five Great Shinobi Villages had already weakened significantly in recent years.
After the death of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, the Third Hokage's advanced age, and the disappearance and defection of the legendary Sannin, Konoha's overall deterrence had clearly declined.
This decline was not just theoretical.
It was visible in real political pressure such as Kumogakure once attempting to abduct Hyūga Hinata in order to obtain the Byakugan, a direct violation of Konoha's sovereignty.
The return of the Sannin could have stabilized this situation.
But reality did not cooperate.
Orochimaru had already defected and become an S-rank rogue ninja.
Tsunade, overwhelmed by the trauma of losing Nawaki and Dan, withdrew from Konoha politics and buried herself in gambling.
As for Jiraiya, although he remained loyal, his constant intelligence-gathering missions on Orochimaru and the Akatsuki meant he was rarely present in the village.
In this fragile balance, Chinatsu's arrival had become a stabilizing pillar for Konoha a "weak camel's last support beam."
But at the same time…
That support beam could also become the final straw that broke everything.
"Please… don't become a rogue ninja."
Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke softly, his voice trembling slightly as tears welled up in his eyes.
However, just as the emotional atmosphere peaked
Smack!
A rag flew through the air and landed directly on his face like a projectile.
"Let's talk properly. If we can't reach an agreement, don't get sentimental."
chinatsu crossed her arms, expression cold.
"If you were a beautiful woman crying like that, it might work. But do you think that kind of emotional manipulation works on me?"
Her face clearly said: No sentimentality allowed.
In her past life, she had seen enough melodramatic storytelling tragic arcs every few episodes, forced emotional deaths even in comedy series.
Was that really necessary?
You could be emotional, yes.
But not this cheap.
Not this casual.
Hiruzen froze with the rag still stuck to his face.
Those tears?
Fake.
Completely staged.
At his age, he wasn't exactly in the habit of crying on command but he had tried it anyway after long consideration.
"Are you a girl?" Hiruzen muttered awkwardly, removing the rag.
"Aren't girls usually more susceptible to tears? I already went this far… at least give me some credit…"
He coughed, quickly regaining his usual Hokage composure.
"Ahem. No more sentimentality. Understood."
"Good." chinatsu nodded and pulled a chair from the corner, placing it opposite the desk before sitting down comfortably.
"No sentimentality means we can talk business."
Hiruzen's expression immediately brightened.
"As long as there's room to negotiate, there's hope."
"Benefits."
"Hm?"
"Benefits."
"Oh yes! Benefits!"
Hiruzen nodded rapidly.
Thanks to Chinatsu's overwhelming influence, Konoha's international standing had already improved dramatically. Trade cooperation requests and diplomatic gifts had increased significantly across the village.
Hiruzen straightened.
"Chinatsu! Just name it!"
chinatsu replied calmly.
"I want land."
"Huh?!"
Hiruzen shot up from his seat in shock.
chinatsu waved her hand lazily.
"Don't get excited. I didn't say Konoha's land."
"I want a piece of land in the Land of Fire."
"The Land of Fire…?"
Hiruzen hesitated.
"Then you should speak to the Daimyō. That's outside my authority…"
chinatsu tilted her head slightly.
"Okay. Then I'll go speak to the Daimyō directly."
"I'll also go ahead and prepare to become a rogue ninja."
"NO WAIT!"
Hiruzen panicked instantly.
"I'll go. I'll go talk to him. The Daimyō will probably… give me face. Probably."
He wiped his sweat with a trembling hand.
Even after decades as Hokage, negotiating with Kage-level leaders and hostile villages…
This was the first time he felt completely outclassed in conversation.
chinatsu wasn't necessarily calculating.
But her combination of blunt honesty and overwhelming strength made her impossible to handle.
She didn't scheme.
She simply decided.
That was worse.
"Then I'll leave it to you." chinatsu smiled lightly and patted his shoulder.
"Oh, right. Here's a map."
She placed it on the desk.
"The area circled in red is my target. Handle it."
Then she turned and left the office.
Hiruzen exhaled in relief but only for a second.
His eyes fell on the map.
"…This circled region is huge."
"No," he corrected himself after closer inspection.
"It's not just huge… it's extremely precisely planned."
After leaving the Hokage building, chinatsu returned to the Uchiha residence.
Naruto and Sasuke were already waiting outside with suitcases.
Both had heavy dark circles under their eyes.
They clearly hadn't slept at all after last night's "life education session."
"Sis… are we leaving?"
"I'm so sleepy…"
"Uh… yeah." chinatsu nodded.
The moment they heard that answer
Both of them collapsed instantly as if their batteries had run out.
Luckily, chinatsu reacted quickly and caught Naruto, while using her foot to steady Sasuke.
She frowned slightly.
"My toes almost cramped…"
After that, she carried them to their beds and finally collapsed onto the sofa herself.
Becoming a rogue ninja and joining Akatsuki wasn't actually the hard part.
The real headache was yesterday's emotional pressure on Naruto and Sasuke.
Especially Sasuke.
Convincing a younger brother whose entire worldview was already fragile that his sister might become a rogue ninja too…
That had taken serious effort.
Even if it was fake, the psychological impact was real.
chinatsu closed her eyes, trying to rest.
Just a short break before dealing with Akatsuki.
But suddenly
She opened her eyes again.
Something was off.
Very off.
She had forgotten something important.
chinatsu walked to the window and looked outside.
Faint noise from the village reached her ears.
Then it clicked.
Today was the Chūnin Exams…
Semifinals advancing to the finals.
"…THE FINALS?!"
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