Morning sunlight filtered in as Uchiha Ren dressed neatly, the Hokage's robe draped over his shoulders. After months of preparation, the Five Kage Summit was finally set to begin today.
The so-called grand conference hall was lavishly decorated, but the people inside had little to do with refinement. These were not elegant statesmen. They were shinobi—executioners who were killed without hesitation. Most of them had only studied for a year or two before taking up blades and stepping onto the battlefield. Calling them half-literate was already being generous.
On top of that, many of them carried blood debts against one another. The fact that they could sit in the same room without immediately coming to blows was already a rare display of restraint.
"Hokage."
Rasa approached with a smile, walking side by side with Uchiha Ren. His attitude was noticeably warm.
To him, Ren was no longer just the Hokage of Konoha—he was the financial lifeline of Sunagakure. After returning from their previous meeting, Rasa had reported everything in detail to his delegation. The reaction had been unanimous excitement. In their eyes, Uchiha Ren was practically a walking treasury.
Rasa had even praised him in front of the village elites as a man of integrity, a man of vision, someone who stood above petty interests and worked for the greater good of the ninja world.
Even if Ren had his own motives, it didn't matter. Sunagakure was too poor to refuse.
Ren simply nodded and continued forward. Not far ahead stood the most luxurious hotel in Yugakure. The Yugakage had rented out the entire place. The top floor was reserved for the Five Kage, while the lower levels housed their entourages.
Before long, representatives from all sides gathered at the entrance. The scene looked less like a diplomatic meeting and more like rival factions preparing for a gang war. The Yugakage personally stepped in to maintain order, directing each group into separate areas.
Once inside the main conference room, the Five Kage took their seats.
Rasa looked relaxed. His goal had already been achieved—everything else today was just formalities.
The Third Raikage A and the Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki exchanged glances. They had already formed a tacit alliance, united by a shared objective: to contain Konoha's growing power.
Suido, on the other hand, sat quietly, his gaze dark as it fixed on Uchiha Ren. What had happened yesterday still burned in his mind. His authority had been undermined, his dignity trampled in front of his own people.
At every critical moment, that Hyuga had interfered. There was no way it was coincidence. Suido was certain Uchiha Ren had orchestrated everything from behind the scenes.
The war was already over. The First Great Ninja War had produced no winners—only losses. Every village had suffered greatly and needed time to recover. Konoha was no exception.
They had money—plenty of it—but their manpower had taken a serious hit. Clans needed time to rebuild, and the Academy needed time to train a new generation of shinobi.
Because of that, the summit proceeded in the simplest way possible.
They pulled out the peace agreement drafted by the First Hokage years ago, kept the core terms intact, updated the timeline, and signed it.
In truth, agreements like this meant little in the ninja world. When war came, no one would hesitate because of a piece of paper.
But Uchiha Ren valued it.
Five years of non-aggression. A mutual obligation to maintain peace. Any violator would be opposed by all.
Such a document might seem meaningless now, but one day, it could serve as justification.
With that, the Five Kage Summit officially concluded. This agreement would later be known as the Treaty of Yugakure.
As they left the room, the divisions were clear.
Uchiha Ren and Rasa walked together, having already established a private alliance.
The Raikage and Tsuchikage moved as one, both dissatisfied with the outcome of the war and already planning their next move.
Suido left alone. Although Kirigakure had suffered the least in the war, its internal conflicts had reached a boiling point. His priority now was no longer external matters, but consolidating control within the village and suppressing the bloodline clans.
At noon, the summit transitioned into a banquet. Each village gathered in its own private room, eating and drinking.
Rasa personally led a group from Sunagakure to toast Uchiha Ren. Among them was Chiyo. She was not yet the "grandmother" she would later be known as—only about ten years older than Ren—but already carried a composed and mature air.
Ren handled the situation with ease, speaking confidently about the future cooperation between Konoha and Sunagakure, painting a vivid picture of mutual prosperity.
At one point, Rasa grew serious and asked about Sunagakure's long-term development.
"Plant trees," Ren said without hesitation. "That's the only way to resist the desert."
The table fell silent.
"You understand your own situation better than anyone," Ren continued. "The Land of Wind is mostly desert. Water is scarce, and vegetation is nearly nonexistent. To put it bluntly, it's not suitable for human survival."
The words were harsh, but no one could refute them.
"…I know," Rasa said quietly. "But it's our home."
The atmosphere turned heavy.
"If you're willing," Ren added, "Konoha can provide research support. We have a capable team that can develop drought-resistant crops. You'd only need to cover the cost."
This time, Ren wasn't even planning to make a profit. The task aligned with his own objectives.
Rasa hesitated. "Even then, it would take years to see results."
"Years?" Ren shook his head. "If you see results in twenty years, that would already be fast."
That answer hit like a hammer.
Twenty years.
That was enough time for two or even three generations to grow up.
Rasa fell silent.
Ren spoke again. "Do you know when the best time to plant a tree is?"
Rasa shook his head.
"Ten years ago," Ren said. "The second best time is now."
"The desert will keep expanding. If nothing is done, one day the entire Land of Wind will become uninhabitable."
Chiyo's eyes sharpened slightly. "Then perhaps… my grandson's generation might see the results."
Rasa let out a slow breath and changed the topic.
"Chiyo will accompany your delegation back to Konoha," he said. "She'll oversee the cooperation agreements."
He himself had too many responsibilities back home to leave for long.
After the banquet, Ren returned to his lodging. He took a bath and lay down on the tatami, finally able to relax now that the summit was over.
But he didn't rest for long.
His next target awaited—the Blood Pond Clan.
The intelligence report lay on the table.
Once a powerful clan, they had been completely defeated by the Uchiha and exiled to a place known as Hell Valley. It was a land filled with lava, toxic air, and unbearable conditions.
A place worse than death.
"…This won't be easy," Ren muttered.
Still, he set out the next day.
The moment he entered Hell Valley, a sharp, suffocating smell hit him, making him cough. The land was barren, scattered with bones. It was impossible to tell whether they belonged to animals or humans.
After walking for a while, he finally heard voices.
Two girls—one older, one younger—thin and frail, clearly malnourished. They had found the corpse of a bird. The older one bit into it and drank the blood greedily.
"Sister… I want some…"
Reluctantly, she handed the rest to the younger girl.
Ren watched silently for a moment before stepping forward.
"Hello."
The two girls immediately became alert. The older one moved to shield the younger, staring at him with caution.
"Don't be nervous," Ren said, taking out water and rice balls. "I'm a good person."
It didn't take long for their defenses to crumble.
They devoured the food desperately, not even letting crumbs fall to the ground.
"So good… so good…"
"The water… it's sweet…"
Ren waited patiently until they finished eating, then asked about their clan.
As expected—they were members of the Blood Pond Clan.
"Take me to your clan leader."
With just that small amount of food, he easily gained their trust.
Soon, he arrived at what could barely be called a settlement. There were no proper houses, only crude stone structures. The entire clan numbered less than a hundred.
He found their leader—Chinoike Kōen—and stated his identity and purpose clearly.
Konoha was willing to take them in.
To bring them out of this hell.
To give them a chance to live again.
Ren had expected resistance.
Instead, Kōen agreed almost instantly, as if afraid Ren might change his mind.
At this point, pride meant nothing.
Even becoming servants would be acceptable—anything was better than staying here.
The clan was on the brink of collapse. Starvation, disease, and the loss of their techniques had reduced them to shadows of their former selves.
Hell Valley had broken them completely.
The process went far more smoothly than Ren had anticipated.
After gathering the clan, he rejoined the Konoha delegation and began the journey home.
Not long after—
The great Third Hokage returned to his loyal Konoha.
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