On Konoha's side, they "happily" signed an "equal" treaty.
Three copies were made—one for Konoha, one for Sunagakure, and one personally for Hokage Uchiha Ran.
The final clause of the agreement was written in unmistakably clear terms:
"All rights of interpretation belong to Konoha."
Ebizo's mouth twitched.
He had lived most of his life and fought through countless negotiations, yet this was the first time he had ever seen such a shameless clause written so blatantly into a treaty.
All rights of interpretation belong to Konoha?
Did that mean that if Konoha decided to reinterpret the agreement tomorrow, Rasa might never be allowed to return?
However, matters had already reached this point. Saying anything more would be pointless.
Ebizo took out a sealing scroll and tossed it forward.
"Here is one hundred million ryō. The remaining amount will be paid annually."
Uchiha Ran caught the scroll and smiled faintly.
"Safe travels, Elder Envoy. I look forward to your next visit."
Ebizo's forehead was instantly covered in black lines.
Was this really a Hokage?
Why did he give off the unmistakable aura of a bandit leader shaking down passersby?
A person who truly accomplished great things needed two qualities: the temperament of a scholar, and the ruthlessness of a bandit.
As for scholarship—Ran's nine years of compulsory education before transmigrating was already enough to place him among the intellectual elite of the ninja world.
As for being a bandit—
He was demonstrating that perfectly right now.
After the Sunagakure delegation left, Uchiha Ran burst out laughing.
"Hahahaha! I honestly didn't expect him to agree!"
Nara Shikaku rubbed his temples.
Their Hokage was really something else.
Several clan heads had been holding back laughter until their faces turned red.
"So this is Sunagakure's legendary strategic ninja? Not that impressive."
"Could his battle record just be exaggerated rumors?"
"Hard to say. His sister is Chiyo, after all."
Kakashi sighed inwardly.
During the Third Hokage's era, he had unconsciously believed that the Five Great Villages were more or less equal.
Today, Uchiha Ran had corrected that misconception completely.
Konoha was the strongest.
If the other villages wanted to survive, they would have to rely on Konoha's goodwill.
"Enough," Ran said suddenly.
His smile vanished, replaced by a cold, serious expression. The room fell silent instantly.
"Return to your duties."
Everyone immediately complied.
Ran left the office without another word. Administrative follow-ups were Shikaku's responsibility—he had nothing to worry about.
Just then, a familiar mechanical voice echoed in his mind.
Ding!
Congratulations, Host. You have successfully signed an unequal interest-exchange treaty with Sunagakure.
Reward obtained: Ninjutsu — Chimera Technique (Execution Method).
In an instant, an overwhelming torrent of memories flooded his brain.
Ran staggered mid-step, his body lurching forward.
Hyūga Hinata, who happened to be passing by, froze in shock. Seeing Ran fall toward her, she instinctively tried to catch him—but her strength was far too little.
She closed her eyes in panic, tears welling at the corners.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
The expected pain never came.
Instead, she heard heavy, restrained breathing.
She opened her eyes.
Uchiha Ran was half-kneeling in front of her, one hand braced against the ground, the other clutching his head. Cold sweat beaded across his forehead.
Hyūga Neji, who was walking behind her, saw the scene and his pupils shrank sharply.
What was the Hokage doing?
From his angle—and without activating the Byakugan—it looked dangerously close to something inappropriate.
Hinata reacted instantly.
"Brother Neji! Brother Ran has a terrible headache—quick, call a medic!"
Neji stood frozen for two or three seconds before snapping out of it.
"O–oh!"
He took a few steps, then hurried back.
"Let me help you lift the Hokage."
Hinata nodded quickly.
"Thank you, Brother Neji."
Together, they helped Ran sit down on the stone steps nearby.
At that moment, Hyūga Hiashi stepped out of the building. His face went pale when he saw the scene.
He immediately stepped forward and checked Ran's pulse.
Neji and Hinata watched nervously.
After a moment, Hiashi frowned.
"The Hokage's body is completely fine."
Hinata grew anxious.
"That can't be right! I clearly saw Brother Ran in pain—his expression was terrible. How can he be fine?"
Before Hiashi could explain, Ran's slightly weak voice sounded.
"It's fine, Hiashi. I'm alright."
He looked at Neji and Hinata and smiled faintly.
"Thank you, both of you."
Although his head had felt as if it were about to explode moments earlier, Ran had remained conscious the entire time.
He hadn't expected the system to reward him with the Chimera Technique.
He already knew what this jutsu did—plundering Bloodline Limits. Originally, he hadn't cared much.
But the moment the technique was implanted into his mind, the sheer volume of information was overwhelming.
Hiruko's experimental records.
Absorption processes.
Failure cases.
Adjustment methods.
Countermeasures.
At least a hundred thousand words' worth of data had been forcefully uploaded, pushing his brain to its limit.
Now that the transmission was complete, his condition was rapidly stabilizing.
Hinata still looked worried.
"Brother Ran… are you really okay? Your face is very pale."
Neji nodded in agreement.
"Hokage-sama, you're responsible for the entire village now. It might be safer to get checked at the hospital."
Ran shook his head.
"This isn't an illness. I just didn't eat breakfast."
He paused, then added casually,
"Does anyone have something to eat?"
At the mention of food, Hinata's eyes lit up. She quickly pulled out a delicately wrapped dessert from her storage scroll.
Neji's pupils shrank the instant he saw it.
That was the limited-edition chocolate he had begged for countless times without ever managing to buy.
Only 365 pieces were sold each year.
Truly priceless.
(Items stored in sealing scrolls do not expire.)
Ran smiled and gently pinched Hinata's cheek.
"Silly girl. This must be very precious—you should keep it for yourself."
Just from the packaging alone, he could tell how valuable it was.
Hinata shook her head earnestly.
"It's not expensive. Only one thousand ryō."
Ran froze.
Something this refined… only one thousand ryō?
Since his brain was still slightly overworked and he was experiencing mild hypoglycemia, he didn't refuse again.
After thanking Hinata once more, he accepted the dessert and began eating.
Nearby, Hiashi clenched his teeth, glaring fiercely.
This brat was practically robbing his house in broad daylight.
Neji watched the scene quietly, a faint curve forming at the corner of his mouth.
It seemed his little sister liked the Hokage.
The age difference wasn't that big—only five years.
Once Hinata grew up… perhaps she really could—
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