At this moment, an untimely commotion came from the entrance of the square.
Several warriors in rich uniforms with arrogant expressions, surrounded by an old man in brocade robes with a shrewd face, lined up the celebrating crowd and walked straight towards the center of the square. The aura about them that belonged to the upper class and was incompatible with this place gradually calmed down the noise around them.
The old man headed by him is the chief advisor of the Land of Fire daimyo, Tsuchida Junichiro.
He glanced at Naruto who smelled of alcohol, and then glanced at Kakashi who was lazy. His brows furrowed imperceptibly, but he still had a formulaic smile on his face.
"Your Excellency Kakashi Hatake, congratulations to all of you on your triumphant return. The lord Daimyo was so happy upon hearing the good news that he sent me to express my condolences."
Kakashi stood up straight, and a trace of vigilance flashed in his listless eyes. "The consultant is here in person. However, if you have anything to do, it's not too late to talk about it after the celebration is over, right?"
"The matter is of great importance and cannot be delayed." Advisor Tsuchida's smile remained unchanged, but his tone was unquestionable, "Please also ask Your Excellency Acting Hokage, as well as the two adults Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke, to move to Hokage's Office. We need to conduct an... urgent "Post-War Meeting"."
The word "Post-War Meeting", like a basin of cold water, extinguished the last bit of the fiery atmosphere in the square.
The atmosphere in Hokage's Office is depressing.
Advisor Tsuchida Without any extra greetings, he directly laid a thick scroll on the table.
"This is Land of Fire's preliminary damage report for this war." He pointed to the dense entries on the scroll, "Including but not limited to, the expenses of Logistics troops mobilized to support Shinobi Alliance, the costs of rebuilding towns in various places due to the impact of the battle, and... pensions for warriors and civilians who lost their lives in the war."
At the end of the scroll, there is an astronomical number.
Naruto was so stunned. "So many zeros?!"
"War is always expensive, Your Excellency Uzumaki Naruto." Advisor Tsuchida pushed up his monocle, "Of course, the daimyo-sama is well aware of your achievements. I don't want Leaf to be responsible for these."
He paused and changed the subject.
"However, the root cause of all this was the ninja. The one who ended it all was the ninja. This gave the daimyo and the lords of various countries a deep worry that cannot be ignored."
His eyes slowly moved from Naruto to Sasuke. There was no gratitude in his eyes, only scrutiny and fear.
"A power that can easily destroy the world is in the hands of a few individuals who are not bound by any secular laws. This in itself is the greatest threat to the world order."
"Therefore, the daimyo and the lords of various countries agreed that for the sake of long-term peace and stability in the future, and to avoid similar tragedies from happening again, we must redefine "ninja" and the position of "ninja villages" in this world."
He took out another smaller but more exquisitely made scroll from his sleeve and slowly unfolded it.
What's there is not a bill, but a draft treaty.
<Common Program on the New Post-War World Order and Limitations of Ninja Power>.
Kakashi only glanced at it, and his pupils suddenly shrank.
"This is..."
"It's very simple." Advisor Tsuchida's voice was like a piece of cold iron, "The world no longer needs heroes who can destroy heaven and earth."
His eyes finally fell on the astonished face of Naruto.
"What it needs is a collar that is strong enough to be put around the hero's neck."
The air in Hokage's Office seemed to have solidified.
Advisor Tsuchida's understatement was colder than Jhin's "formatting" instruction, because it did not hit the rules of the world, but the "dignity" that all ninjas relied on for their livelihood.
"Collar?"
The drunkenness and smile on Naruto's face disappeared without a trace in an instant, and were replaced by a dangerous aura that had been touched. The air around him began to twist slightly, and a trace of golden Chakra overflowed uncontrollably.
"Please be careful with your words, Mr. Advisor." Kakashi's voice also turned cold. He took half a step forward calmly, standing between Naruto and Tsuchida, "We have just returned from a war that almost destroyed everyone."
"That's why." Advisor Tsuchida faced the overwhelming momentum, but remained unmoved at all. He didn't even look at Kakashi, his eyes were still locked on Naruto. "It's precisely because we have witnessed the horror of this power with our own eyes that we must take precautions before it happens. Do you want to see the second Uchiha Madara, or the second "Ember" appear in a few decades?"
"We..." Naruto was about to retort, but was held down by Sasuke's shoulders.
Sasuke has been standing silently in the shadow, as if it has nothing to do with him. But at this moment, his Rinnegan is shining with a cold light that understands everything.
"In the final analysis, you are just scared." His voice was not loud, but it was like a sharp scalpel, accurately cutting through Advisor Tsuchida's high-sounding rhetoric.
"I'm afraid that we, the chess pieces that can easily overturn the chessboard, will no longer obey the mercy of you "chess players"."
The corner of Advisor Tsuchida's eyes twitched, but he quickly regained his composure. "Your Excellency Uchiha Sasuke, I understand your previous position. But now, what we are discussing is the future of the entire world, not the grudges of a certain family. Power must be locked in a cage of status. This is the iron rule of civilization."
He pointed to the draft "Program" and said loudly, "According to this program, Five Great Shinobi Villages will be reorganized, and its military command will be taken over by "Joint Supervisory Committee" composed of civilian officials sent by daimyo from various countries. All forbidden techniques above S-rank must be reported and sealed. All ninjas who possess "Kekkei Genkai" must register and receive regular "Ideological Assessment"."
Each one is like a shackle, completely locking the existence of "ninja".
"What's the difference between this and treating us as prisoners?!" Naruto was furious.
"If we can get permanent peace, what does temporary grievance mean?" Advisor Tsuchida asked.
"Peace?" Sasuke sneered contemptuously, "What you want is not peace, but "peace". Let all forces that may threaten your dominance become as docile as domestic dogs."
He took a step forward and walked under the light. The invisible pressure made the warriors behind Advisor Tsuchida subconsciously tighten their grips on the handles of their swords.
"I tell you, you people who sit in your comfort zone and only play politics, what can really bring peace." Sasuke's Rinnegan swept over everyone present, "It's checks and balances. It's being a party. When you have the power to destroy the other side, the other side also has the ability to flip the table. This is the cornerstone of peace. What you have to do now is to take away our ability to flip the table, and then put a knife on our necks and tell us that this is for our own good."