Sasuke's words echoed throughout the office.
Everyone could hear the finality in them.
Advisor Tsuchida's face shifted from pale to livid and back again.
Clearly—
He had never expected things to reach this point.
"Sasuke, don't go."
Naruto walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"These guys are annoying, sure."
"But we can't just give up like this."
"Give up what?"
Sasuke turned his head toward him.
"The chance to let them treat us like tools?"
"That's not what I mean."
Naruto shook his head.
"Do you remember what we saw inside that dimension?"
"All those streams of data."
"All those shattered memories…"
"We finally managed to repair that world."
"Are we really going to let this one turn into a battlefield all over again?"
Sasuke's gaze wavered slightly.
Naruto was right.
They had only just survived that catastrophe.
They had seen firsthand what division and confrontation could ultimately lead to.
"Naruto has a point."
Tsunade spoke as well.
"Sasuke, I know you're angry."
"Frankly, I feel like smashing that old bastard's skull in too."
"But walking away isn't going to solve anything."
"Who said I was walking away?"
The corner of Sasuke's mouth curved into something dangerous.
"I'm just tired of listening to their nonsense."
He turned back toward Advisor Tsuchida.
His Rinnegan glimmered strangely beneath the light.
"Advisor Tsuchida."
"Since you're so worried about our power getting out of control…"
"How about I demonstrate it for you right now?"
"So you can see what real 'loss of control' looks like."
The instant those words left his mouth—
The space inside the office began to distort.
Cracks spread across the walls like spiderwebs.
The wooden beams in the ceiling groaned under the strain.
Creak—
Creak—
The samurai tried to draw their swords.
But suddenly—
Their bodies refused to obey them.
"Sasuke!"
Kakashi barked.
"Enough!"
"What?"
Sasuke did not even turn around.
"Are you going to stop me too, Sensei?"
"Isn't this exactly what they wanted to see?"
"Uncontrolled shinobi power."
Advisor Tsuchida's face had gone completely white.
At last—
He truly understood what the words—
"Power capable of destroying the world"
Actually meant.
Before such an overwhelming difference in strength—
Every political trick seemed utterly powerless.
"L-Lord Uchiha…"
His voice trembled.
"Please…"
"Please stop…"
"Lord?"
Sasuke sneered.
"Weren't you trying to put a collar around my neck a moment ago?"
"Now you remember to call me 'Lord'?"
The spatial distortion grew even worse.
One piece of furniture after another was swallowed into swirling vortices and disappeared.
Sakura watched tensely.
Her hand had already formed a chakra scalpel.
"Sasuke."
Shikamaru's voice remained calm.
"If you do this…"
"You'll only prove them right."
"You're solving the problem with violence."
Sasuke paused.
The distortion continued—
But stopped worsening.
"Is that so?"
His voice carried a faint edge of mockery.
"Then tell me."
"What other option is there?"
"One of those political solutions your clever brain came up with?"
"Maybe."
Shikamaru took a deep breath.
"But first…"
"You have to give us a chance."
"A chance?"
Sasuke turned toward him.
"What kind of chance?"
"A chance to prove something."
Shikamaru's expression became serious.
"To prove that shinobi and civilians can cooperate."
"Instead of standing against each other."
Slowly—
The spatial distortion subsided.
But the office was already a wreck.
The samurai collapsed to the floor.
Gasping for breath.
Advisor Tsuchida's clothes were soaked through with cold sweat.
"Go on."
Sasuke withdrew Kamui.
"What exactly is this 'proof' of yours?"
Shikamaru quickly organized his thoughts.
"It's simple."
"We establish a pilot region."
"A place genuinely governed jointly by shinobi and civilians."
"If the pilot succeeds…"
"We expand the model elsewhere."
"And if it fails…"
"If it fails?"
Tsunade asked.
"Then it proves their concerns were justified."
Shikamaru looked toward Advisor Tsuchida.
"And at that point…"
"We voluntarily accept stricter oversight."
The proposal sent everyone into thought.
Even Temari, who had remained silent until now, began seriously considering it.
"That sounds reasonable."
Sakura nodded.
"At least it's better than staying deadlocked like this."
"But how would we implement it?"
Kakashi asked.
"What region would serve as the pilot?"
"And who would manage it?"
"I propose the ruins of the Land of Whirlpools."
Shikamaru answered.
"It's currently uninhabited."
"There are no existing interest groups to fight over control."
"We can start from zero…"
"And build an entirely new governing model."
"The Land of Whirlpools…"
Naruto's expression became complicated.
"That was my mother's homeland."
"Exactly."
Shikamaru looked at him.
"That gives it special meaning."
"And…"
"I think you're the best person to lead the pilot project."
"Me?!"
Naruto pointed at himself.
"Why me?"
"I don't know anything about governing!"
"That's exactly why you're suitable."
Shikamaru smiled.
"You won't be trapped by old ways of thinking."
"You can approach this without all the baggage everyone else has."
"And besides…"
Tsunade added.
"You're a Jinchūriki."
"And one of the heroes of this war."
"Your involvement would go a long way toward easing ordinary people's fear of shinobi."
Advisor Tsuchida slowly stood.
His complexion still looked terrible.
But at least—
He was no longer trembling.
"This proposal…"
"Is worth considering."
His voice remained slightly hoarse.
"But we would require a far more detailed plan."
"Of course."
Shikamaru nodded.
"We can establish a joint committee."
"Representatives from the nations."
"Representatives from the shinobi villages."
"Everyone works together to determine the details."
"Wait."
Sasuke suddenly spoke.
"What if I don't participate?"
Every eye immediately turned toward him.
"Sasuke…"
Naruto looked worried.
"I have no interest in political games."
"And I have no interest in building some new world order."
Sasuke's expression remained calm.
"But I can promise one thing."
"What?"
Tsuchida asked nervously.
"During the pilot period…"
"I won't leave the Land of Fire."
Sasuke looked directly at him.
"That way…"
"You won't have to worry about me 'losing control' somewhere beyond your sight."
Advisor Tsuchida visibly relaxed.
In his eyes—
Sasuke was the single most dangerous unpredictable factor.
As long as he remained within observable territory—
The risk could at least be controlled to some degree.
"Then…"
Tsunade looked around the room.
"Are we agreed?"
"Wait."
Temari raised a hand.
"I still have one question."
"What if the other nations refuse?"
"Advisor Tsuchida can only speak for the Land of Fire."
"That is a problem."
Kakashi nodded.
"We'll need to convince the other four nations."
"That won't be difficult."
Shikamaru spoke with complete confidence.
"We just have to give them a reason…"
"They can't refuse."
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