The Daimyo's study was steeped in a grave atmosphere.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's face was utterly bloodless.
Cold sweat had soaked through his undershirt, clinging to his back with an icy chill.
Every argument and contingency he had prepared was utterly worthless before this young daimyo.
The other party did not even disdain to use schemes.
He had simply dissected a question Hiruzen had deliberately ignored and laid it before him.
Bloody and raw.
Between Konoha and the Land of Fire, which was the main body?
Between shinobi and civilians, which was the foundation?
He suddenly recalled the words Danzo always had on his lips.
For Konoha...
Hiruzen Sarutobi opened his mouth, but his throat was dry and no sound came out.
Refute him?
What could he use to refute him?
Was he supposed to publicly declare that the lives of civilians mattered less than Konoha's future?
The moment those words left his mouth, Hiruzen Sarutobi would be nailed to the pillar of shame.
Minato Namikaze stood behind him without a word, the gentleness on his face gone.
He looked at the report on the table, then at the Third Hokage's ashen face.
The beliefs he had always upheld wavered.
For the sake of the village, did they truly have to ignore everyone else?
The study was silent.
Everyone's breathing was clearly audible.
"Third Hokage, you're a smart man."
Chiba Ran stepped forward, supported the swaying Hiruzen Sarutobi, and pressed him back into his chair.
"Sit down and talk."
Hiruzen Sarutobi staggered into his seat, all strength drained from his body.
Chiba Ran turned around, poured a cup of hot tea, and pushed it before him.
"Have some tea."
To Hiruzen Sarutobi, this gesture was naked humiliation.
Yet he had lost even the courage to refuse!
Minato Namikaze's lips moved, but he did not dare say a single word.
He understood now.
Why Yūhi Shinku had returned looking like that.
This daimyo did not play by shinobi rules.
What he used was an open strategy—the king's way.
"I know this is hard for you to accept."
Chiba Ran's tone was calm.
"You devoted your entire life to Konoha and wanted to make it better. I understand."
"But your perspective is too narrow. All you can see is one village."
He raised a hand and pointed out the window.
"Look outside. This land and these tens of millions of citizens are the foundation of the Land of Fire."
"Konoha is the Land of Fire's sword and shield. A sword and shield exist to protect the nation, not to stand above it."
"You, and the future Fourth Hokage, must both understand this."
His final words were directed at Minato Namikaze.
Minato Namikaze's heart jolted, and he immediately bowed.
"Minato will remember Your Excellency's teachings!"
Chiba Ran nodded in satisfaction.
Then he looked back at Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Therefore, the budget cut is not a negotiation. It is an order."
"Twenty percent is only the beginning."
"If Konoha adapts quickly, learns to be frugal, and spends money where it matters, that figure will not change."
"But..."
Chiba Ran paused.
"If Konoha keeps spending lavishly as before, or if problems arise, then it means the village's management is flawed."
"At that time, the reduction will not be twenty percent."
"It will be forty percent, sixty percent, or even more."
Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly looked up, his breathing quickening.
This was a blatant warning.
Daimyo Manor could not only decide how much funding Konoha received—it could decide whether Konoha lived or died.
"This old man... understands."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was hoarse and dry.
He had conceded defeat.
Of course. How could the leader of a single village compare to the ruler of a nation?
"I'm glad you can see reason."
Chiba Ran smiled again, warmly.
"Third Hokage, although you have stepped down as Hokage, Konoha still needs a senior like you to stabilize the situation."
"How about this?"
Chiba Ran pretended to consider it.
"You will personally return to the village and announce the budget cuts."
Minato Namikaze's mind buzzed.
Have the Third Hokage announce it?
What was the difference between making him publicly admit his incompetence?
Minato was about to speak when Chiba Ran looked over with a faint, knowing smile, making him swallow his words.
"You, you..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi began trembling violently. His lips quivered as he stared at Chiba Ran, yet he could not finish even a single sentence.
"What? Third Hokage, are you unwilling?"
The smile on Chiba Ran's face faded.
"You just said that you would take full responsibility for the losses from the war."
"Now that I'm asking you to convey an order, you are unwilling?"
"Or was your talk of taking responsibility merely lip service?"
"Could it be that you want Minato to take the blame for you? You want him, the newly appointed Fourth Hokage, to offend the entire village?"
"Third Hokage, as a senior, you cannot be so irresponsible."
Hiruzen Sarutobi was rendered speechless.
He had taken responsibility upon himself.
Now that the daimyo was making him take charge, could he refuse?
To refuse would mean breaking his word, shirking responsibility, and dumping this mess onto his junior.
Did he still want to preserve the reputation he had built over a lifetime?
But if he agreed...
Countless faces surfaced in Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind.
The shinobi who had survived the battlefield, the families who had lost loved ones, the widows and orphans who lived on pensions.
How could he, Hiruzen Sarutobi—the Third Hokage hailed as a Shinobi Hero—ever face them again?
What expressions would they wear when he personally announced cuts to their funding and severed their livelihoods?
Disappointment?
Confusion?
Or... resentment?
The prestige he had accumulated all his life would vanish in that instant.
Ahead lay a cliff.
Behind lay an abyss.
Only then did Hiruzen Sarutobi realize that from the moment he entered this room, his right to choose had been stripped away.
What he had believed was a game of strategy.
Had actually just been him following the other party's script.
"This old man... obeys."
After a long while, Hiruzen Sarutobi's cracked lips moved.
His whole body seemed to collapse, his back bent as though his bones had been pulled out.
"Very good."
A satisfied expression appeared on Chiba Ran's face.
He stood and took a prepared official document from behind the desk.
"This is the new fiscal budget proposal, along with my formal appointment letter for the Fourth Hokage."
"Take them back."
Minato Namikaze stepped forward and accepted them with both hands.
"The day after tomorrow is my coronation ceremony. By then, I hope to see a united, stable Konoha that understands the nation's difficulties."
"Dismissed!"
Chiba Ran waved a hand.
"Yes!"
Minato Namikaze bowed, supported Hiruzen Sarutobi, and led him step by step out of the study.
With a dull thud, the heavy door slammed shut.
The instant it closed, Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly went limp. Had Minato Namikaze not held him up, he would have collapsed on the spot.
The two left Daimyo Manor and stood before its grand gates.
The streets bustled with traffic and prosperity.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stared blankly at it all, his mouth filled with bitterness.
Inside the study.
Chiba Ran lifted the tea that had gone cold before him and took a sip.
Qing Yueye hurried forward from the side and refilled it with hot water.
Her movements were light, but she could not stop herself from glancing at Chiba Ran.
This man...
He had actually trampled even the famed Shinobi Hero beneath his feet.
"Is it good-looking?"
Chiba Ran's voice suddenly rang out.
Qing Yueye's body trembled, and she quickly lowered her head.
"This servant... does not dare."
Chiba Ran gave a soft laugh, pinched her chin, and forced her to raise her head.
"Look at me."
Qing Yueye was forced to meet his gaze, her eyes having nowhere to rest.
Chiba Ran admired her helplessness and slowly said:
"Remember, this is power."
"Whether it is an aristocratic young lady famed across the land or a Hokage who shakes the Shinobi World, neither has the right to say no before me."
"And you are mine. Learn to obey."
With that, he let go.
Qing Yueye instantly lost her support and collapsed to the floor, gasping for air.
Chiba Ran no longer paid her any attention.
His consciousness sank, and a blue interface appeared before his eyes.
Mission: Land of Fire Fiscal Reform (Phase One), completion rate: 80%...
Before you continue