"So, Hokage-sama… what exactly do you mean?"
Kakuzu leaned forward slightly, his eyes sharp.
Uchiha Ren didn't waste time.
"I have a plan. Shikaku recommended you as the person in charge."
"Konoha will cooperate with Sunagakure and Iwagakure to execute a financial operation in the Land of Lightning."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"It's essentially a Ponzi scheme."
"We attract investments, circulate funds, and once the structure reaches its limit…"
"We withdraw first."
Kakuzu listened quietly.
Then—
A slow, unmistakable excitement spread across his face.
His eyes gleamed.
"So that's how it works…"
For a moment, memories of his past losses surfaced—being harvested in the futures market, losing everything in one sweep.
But this time…
He would be the one holding the blade.
"Hokage-sama," Kakuzu said firmly, "leave this to me. I will handle the operation."
Uchiha Ren nodded.
"Good. Then you're in charge."
"Shikaku will assist you. If there's anything unclear, consult him."
"Also, you'll need a reliable agent—someone who can go to the Land of Lightning and execute the plan directly."
Kakuzu didn't hesitate.
"Hatake Sakumo."
Uchiha Ren frowned slightly.
"That's… not ideal."
Sakumo's situation was already precarious. After the previous financial operation, his reputation had collapsed. Too many people held grudges against him.
If he left Konoha now, he would be hunted immediately.
"His identity is already compromised," Uchiha Ren said. "If he gets exposed again in the Land of Lightning, he'll be targeted from all sides."
But Kakuzu simply smiled.
"As long as you approve, I can convince him."
There was a certain vindictive satisfaction in his expression that he didn't bother hiding.
Uchiha Ren sighed inwardly.
"Fine. If you can persuade him, I won't interfere."
"That's enough."
Kakuzu stood up at once.
"Then I'll go speak with him."
With that, he left the office.
The room fell quiet.
Uchiha Hikaru was still focused on the snacks on the table, happily eating cake. When she noticed Uchiha Ren looking at her, she quickly wiped the cream from the corner of her mouth, a little embarrassed.
"Come on," Uchiha Ren said. "We're going to the Uchiha clan compound."
"So soon?" Hikaru blinked. "I'm not ready yet…"
Uchiha Ren ignored her hesitation and pulled her along.
Uchiha Clan Compound
The clan elders had already gathered.
At first, they were confused.
"An ancestor?"
"How high is her seniority supposed to be?"
"Great-grandmother? No… even higher?"
Frankly, they didn't care much.
Within the Uchiha clan, seniority meant very little.
Only strength mattered.
More specifically—
Only the Sharingan mattered.
Then Uchiha Ren spoke again.
"She has awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan."
Silence fell.
Then, in an instant, everything changed.
"Ancestor!"
"We are family!"
"This calls for a grand welcome ceremony!"
"Agreed!"
The shift in attitude was immediate and unanimous.
That afternoon, the entire clan gathered at Naka Shrine.
Uchiha Ren formally announced Uchiha Hikaru's return.
The ceremony was grand, almost excessive.
But it was intentional.
Emotional recognition mattered—especially for someone like Hikaru.
In the past, she had been treated as nothing more than a weapon.
Now, she was welcomed.
Acknowledged.
Accepted.
At first, Hikaru stayed close to Uchiha Ren, clearly nervous. But as time passed, she gradually relaxed. Younger clan members approached her, speaking cautiously at first, then more naturally.
By the end of the banquet, she was smiling.
Uchiha Ren watched quietly, satisfied.
Night — Laboratory
After the banquet, Uchiha Ren brought Hikaru to Tobirama's laboratory.
Inside, Orochimaru was still working late, his complexion as pale as ever.
Uchiha Ren glanced at him but said nothing.
As long as he didn't die, it wasn't worth the effort.
They continued deeper inside.
Tobirama was in the middle of an experiment when they arrived.
"Long time no see," Uchiha Ren said casually.
Tobirama didn't even look up.
"If you were dead, I'd celebrate."
"Still the same, I see," Uchiha Ren replied with a shrug.
"Let me introduce someone. This is Uchiha Hikaru."
Tobirama finally looked up.
His expression changed.
He recognized the name.
An Uchiha sealed away generations ago—a so-called ultimate weapon.
"And this," Uchiha Ren said to Hikaru, "is Tobirama Senju. The Second Hokage."
Hikaru's eyes sharpened.
Her Mangekyō Sharingan activated instinctively.
Uchiha Ren noticed—and didn't stop her.
"Since it's already activated," he said calmly, "go ahead."
"Mark him."
"Use Yachihoko."
"Alright," Hikaru replied.
Her eyes spun.
In an instant, the technique was cast.
Tobirama stiffened.
He felt it immediately—a foreign imprint forced into his body.
"What did you do?!" he snapped.
"That's not a normal technique!"
Uchiha Ren remained calm.
"Hikaru. Silence him."
The mark activated.
Tobirama's body froze.
His mouth shut against his will.
For a moment, he couldn't move at all.
"This works similarly to the control mechanism in Edo Tensei," Uchiha Ren explained. "Just an additional safeguard."
He looked directly at Tobirama.
"You're too dangerous."
"I can't allow you complete freedom."
His tone was steady, without hesitation.
Even now, with everything under control, he refused to take risks.
History was full of people who lost everything because they grew careless at the peak of their power.
Uchiha Ren had no intention of becoming one of them.
"Alright," he said after a moment. "Release him."
Hikaru complied.
The control vanished.
The moment Tobirama regained control—
He lunged forward.
"I'll kill you!"
Uchiha Ren didn't even move.
He just sighed.
"Tobirama… you really never learn, do you?"
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