(Bonus Chapter)
The Super Great Fireball Technique and the Fire Dragon Flame Bullet collided midair. Flames surged skyward, and the surrounding temperature skyrocketed. Everyone watched the clash without blinking.
In the end, both techniques detonated at once. The thunderous explosion alarmed many ninja clans, who immediately dispatched scouts. The reports quickly spread—the Uchiha Clan was in open conflict with the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and the Hokage's aide, Danzō Shimura.
In less than three minutes, members of the major ninja clans arrived one after another, gathering to witness the spectacle.
As the crowd grew, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzō Shimura clenched their fists, joints creaking.
The law does not punish the masses.
The number of people present had exceeded what they could possibly control. Even if they captured Uzumaki Naruto and suppressed the Uchiha, it was now impossible to silence everyone.
They had lost.
Uchiha Ran exchanged a glance with Uchiha Fugaku, then smiled lightly.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama and Hokage's assistant, for sparring with us today. Until we meet again."
A direct confrontation with Hiruzen Sarutobi at this point was clearly unwise. Only those who arrived at the very beginning knew the full story of what had happened tonight.
As for Root, there was no need to worry. They would never speak of this matter—absolute obedience to Danzō Shimura was their creed.
But ANBU were different. They had their own thoughts, and it was inevitable that some would mention this to their families or close associates.
As for the Uchiha?
If this incident didn't spread throughout all of Konoha by tomorrow, Ran would take the Sarutobi surname.
This was a gift from the heavens—a perfect chance to shatter the Hokage's prestige and weaken his authority.
Hiruzen Sarutobi forced a smile.
"The Uchiha Clan truly produces outstanding shinobi. At such a young age, you already possess chakra of this level."
"Hokage-sama, you flatter me," Ran replied with a grin. "Reaching your level is no easy feat."
Hiruzen's mouth twitched. A chill flashed through his eyes as he swept his sleeve.
"Withdraw."
The anger in his voice was undisguised.
Just as Ran was feeling pleased with himself, Fugaku struck the back of his neck.
"You little brat! Are you insane? Confronting Hiruzen Sarutobi head-on like that!"
"Dad, you already made a move yourself. Why scold me?" Ran retorted calmly. "From the moment you acted, hadn't you already decided to oppose him?"
"Besides, Minato-senpai was present, and we had justice on our side. If the major clans aren't fools, they won't interfere."
"If even a hero's son can be humiliated and a hero's assets confiscated, what would that mean for them?"
"You all agree, don't you?"
Ran looked toward the ninja clans hidden among the trees.
About twenty minutes later, people emerged one by one. Their expressions varied, but each of them carefully sized up Ran.
They hadn't seen the full battle—only fragments.
At that moment, Namikaze Minato appeared.
"Everyone, long time no see."
He wore a gentle smile. With Naruto acting as his vessel, his appearance was almost identical to when he was alive. Many people froze in shock at the sight.
"T-The Fourth Hokage?" a clan head muttered.
"Oh? Clan Head Ida, it's been a while," Minato said warmly. "You were just a rookie back then. You've grown quite steady."
Clan Head Ida trembled.
"It really is the Fourth Hokage… The Fourth Hokage has returned!"
Minato smiled and invited the clan heads to go to his home to catch up.
---
"Ding. Mission complete.
Rating: S.
Reward: Thirty AK-47 rifles."
In the system space, thirty rifles appeared neatly arranged, each occupying a slot.
Ran, however, was far from calm.
His mind went blank.
AK-47s?
He immediately checked the details.
Each rifle came with only a single magazine—one full burst per weapon.
In a world of high offense and high defense, firearms could pose a lethal threat even to jōnin. The most terrifying part was that there was no barrier to using them.
Even a seven-year-old child could pull the trigger.
Kage-level shinobi possessed speed, defense, and recovery far beyond normal limits; ordinary bullets couldn't kill them.
But in present-day Konoha, only Hiruzen Sarutobi truly qualified as Kage-level. Danzō Shimura barely counted as half.
The others weren't even in the village.
These rifles could become extremely useful during the Uchiha coup.
As for Uchiha Obito's five-minute intangibility—so long as he didn't hide inside the Kamui dimension, Ran was confident he could turn Obito into a sieve.
That was assuming Black Zetsu didn't intervene.
That old schemer possessed absurd regeneration. As long as Obito's heart remained intact, he wouldn't die. He could slowly force the bullets out and recover.
Lost in thought, Ran failed to notice Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi approaching.
Seeing Ran staring blankly ahead, almost drooling, their expressions turned strange.
Shisui hesitated before asking, "Ran… are you alright?"
Ran snapped back to reality.
"Ah—nothing. Where's Father?"
Itachi silently pointed toward Naruto's house.
Ran nodded. "Let's head back."
"In a situation like this, all the important figures will be gathering there. No need for us to join in."
"Minato-senpai is furious, but he's only a soul right now. Who knows how long he can last? And that is still his son's body."
"I think tonight, he wants the clan heads to look after Naruto more than he wants to discuss politics."
Shisui frowned. "So… the Fourth Hokage won't explain Naruto's situation in detail?"
"Does he need to?" Ran replied. "Just saying that Naruto is his son is more than enough."
"He may not have been a qualified ruler—but he was a qualified Hokage. A Hokage who gave his life to protect everyone."
Ran looked toward Naruto's house and sighed softly.
"So what do we do next?" Shisui asked.
Itachi also turned to Ran, curious.
Ran's lips curled upward.
"Of course—start a newspaper."
In a world without the internet, whoever controlled public opinion controlled the direction of politics.
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