Uchiha Ren continued his explanation at just the right moment:
"The 'I' in that sentence doesn't refer to me alone—it refers to you, to you, to you… to every single one of you. Every 'I.'"
"In that meeting, I deliberately portrayed Nagato as the 'torch' to establish your authority and clear the path for you."
"But in truth, what I want… is for each of you to become a torch yourselves—to shine with your own light, to illuminate the path for others, instead of blindly following someone else's path."
Yahiko, Nagato, and Uchiha Obito were stunned.
Completely stunned.
The way they looked at Uchiha Ren began to carry a hint of fervent admiration.
Those words struck them with overwhelming force.
Even Konan—normally calm and reserved—felt the impact, though she managed to remain composed.
After a brief hesitation, she asked:
"Big Brother Ren… why did you only say half of it in the meeting? Even if you wanted to build Nagato's authority, saying the full line wouldn't have made much difference, right?"
To her, the complete version was even more inspiring—and wouldn't have diminished Nagato's standing.
Ren sighed softly.
"There's no helping it. You have to speak according to the person—only then will they truly listen."
"Do you think it's easy to awaken a world that has been bound by tradition for thousands of years?"
"Do you think you can erase the numbness, indifference, and rigid thinking embedded in this world's very blood overnight?"
"That kind of change… takes generations."
"Too much is as bad as too little. Ideas that are too far ahead of their time are often treated as heresy."
"For thousands of years, this world's thinking has been shackled. Under the guidance of the ruling class, shinobi see themselves as tools… and civilians see themselves as beasts of burden."
"If we want to change that, it has to be done gradually. Otherwise, it's easy to push people toward extremes."
Every world was different.
After years of observation, Uchiha Ren understood deeply that some things simply could not be said recklessly.
For example—
If he had said those same words to the Uchiha Clan, what would happen?
Uchiha A: "He says I'm a torch guiding others… that's right, I am the torch! My path is the only correct one! Weapons in hand—follow me! Kill the Hokage! Destroy Danzō!"
Uchiha B: "I'm the torch! You fireflies dare compare yourselves to me? You all deserve to die!"
Uchiha C: "Fools stuck in a well! Your vision is that limited? Die!"
…
There was no need to doubt it.
For a clan like the Uchiha—who tended to question others and the world before questioning themselves—such encouragement could easily spiral into extremism.
And while the Uchiha were among the more radical clans…
They were far from the only ones.
This was, at its core, a deeply flawed world.
Ren looked at the four of them and continued:
"You are among the few who have already awakened. That's why I can speak to you openly, without reservation."
"And what you must do… is awaken more people."
"One awakens two. Two awaken four. Four awaken eight…"
"A single spark can start a prairie fire."
"One day, when the majority—when everyone—is striving toward the same goal…"
"Nothing will be able to stop us."
"And everything we are doing today… is a cause of the highest honor."
The four of them—Obito, Yahiko, Nagato, and even Konan—felt their blood surge with intensity.
It was as if boundless energy filled their bodies.
"Of course, empty words mean nothing," Ren added. "Everything must be put into practice."
"I've drafted a five-year development plan for the Land of Rain based on its current conditions. Come take a look."
"Obito—you too. For quite some time, you'll be taking my place controlling Hanzo. You cannot afford to slack off."
Ren walked behind the desk, opened a drawer, and took out several copied documents, handing them to each of them.
"The Third Great Ninja War is about to end. As usual, the shinobi world will enter a relatively stable period of peace."
"Even though the surrounding great nations will continue to blockade resources and suppress the Land of Rain's development…"
"There is still much we can do internally."
"Your top priority now is to take control of Amegakure's power structure."
"Obito, you must also keep the White Zetsu in check—they are a force that cannot be underestimated."
"Also, pay attention to actual conditions. Don't follow my plan blindly."
"This plan is based only on Hanzo's existing intelligence. I haven't conducted field investigations—there will inevitably be oversights."
"You must learn to adapt to local conditions."
"Now, let me walk you through the details…"
Three days later, in the Land of Fire—Konohagakure.
Root (Ne) Headquarters.
Danzō Shimura sat at the head seat, half his body wrapped in bandages, his expression dark.
"Well? Have you investigated everything?"
He looked down at Yamanaka Fū and Aburame Torune.
These two were among his most capable subordinates. Because Danzō had personally led the previous mission, they had remained behind to oversee Root—and thus avoided disaster.
Yamanaka Fū spoke first:
"According to intelligence from our agents in the Land of Rain, Hanzo convened a high-level meeting in Amegakure three days ago."
"Due to clearance limitations, we were unable to obtain the exact contents."
"However, after the meeting, an official announcement was spread: Hanzo has taken the three Akatsuki leaders—Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan—as his direct disciples."
"The Akatsuki has also been formally integrated into Amegakure."
"There are also rumors that Hanzo is grooming successors—and that those three may become the future leaders of Amegakure."
"Damn it!"
Danzō slammed his hand onto the armrest.
"What are you all good for?! You can't even infiltrate a mere Amegakure?!"
He vented his anger freely.
But below him, Fū and Torune remained calm, treating his words as background noise.
They both knew—
Danzō wasn't truly angry about infiltration.
Amegakure was notoriously insular, with strict internal scrutiny. Even reaching mid-level as a spy was extremely difficult.
Danzō knew this perfectly well.
His anger came from somewhere else.
And they were right.
From all available intelligence, Hanzo had clearly discovered Nagato's Rinnegan and was grooming him as the future leader.
As for Yahiko and Konan—they were likely just smokescreens.
Even worse—
Hanzo had likely already made contact with Nagato before Danzō's arrival.
Which meant…
The entire operation had been a trap.
By using Danzō's intervention, Hanzo had:
Secured Nagato's loyaltyUnlocked the power of the RinneganFound a successor for the Land of RainWeakened Konoha's forces
A perfect threefold gain.
And Danzō?
Nothing more than a pawn. A fool.
How could he not be furious?
After a while, Danzō calmed himself.
A shinobi must remain composed under all circumstances.
Especially someone known as the "Darkness of the Shinobi World."
"What manpower do we have left?" he asked.
Torune answered immediately:
"Excluding administrative personnel, and including those on active missions—"
"18 jōnin-level operatives."
"234 special jōnin and elite chūnin."
It sounded like a lot—
But most were scattered across long-term missions.
At headquarters, they couldn't even assemble a full unit.
And as for genin?
Root didn't accept them.
Without elite chūnin-level ability, one wasn't even qualified to become a formal member.
"Tch…"
Danzō suppressed his anger.
"How long until the current training batch graduates?"
Torune hesitated.
"They're not ready. Forcing graduation will result in a very low pass rate."
"Doesn't matter," Danzō said coldly. "We need manpower."
"Inform Terai—intensify training. Push them to graduate as soon as possible."
"Also, begin gathering orphans. Prepare a new training batch."
Yamanaka Fū hesitated before asking:
"Should we lower the evaluation standards?"
Root's training was nothing like the Academy.
The standards were at chūnin level.
And failure meant death.
"There will be no lowering of standards," Danzō said flatly.
"Better none than unworthy."
"As for manpower—I'll get Hiruzen to provide reinforcements."
Fū fell silent.
That was already more mercy than most ever received.
Just as Danzō was about to ask about recent developments—
He suddenly sensed something and stopped.
A figure appeared instantly.
An ANBU operative.
"Danzō-sama. The Hokage requests your presence."
"I understand."
Danzō stood up.
He had expected this.
Acting without orders and losing most of Root's elite…
That was no small crime.
With a loud bang, the Hokage's office door was kicked open.
Danzō strode in, chin raised.
Inside, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane were already waiting.
Without hesitation, Danzō sat down in his seat.
Right or wrong—he seized the momentum first.
Hiruzen calmly smoked his pipe, silently dissolving Danzō's attempt at asserting dominance.
"I heard Root suffered heavy losses," Homura said, glancing at Danzō's missing arm.
"It seems worse than I expected."
Koharu frowned.
"Danzō, you owe us an explanation. What exactly did you do in the Land of Rain?"
Danzō ignored them both and looked directly at Hiruzen.
"Hiruzen—the situation in the Land of Rain is critical."
"I agree to peace talks with Iwagakure."
"But we must take control of the Land of Rain as soon as possible."
"Reason?" Hiruzen exhaled smoke. "Don't change the subject."
"You acted without authorization. You will be held accountable."
Danzō's expression darkened.
"Everything I've done was for Konoha. I have no regrets."
"That is not an excuse," Hiruzen said sharply.
"The escalation with Iwagakure—was that your doing?"
"I rejected that course of action. Who is the Hokage—you or me?"
"Danzō, effective immediately—"
"You are relieved of your position as Konoha Elder."
"You will retain advisory rights only. No decision-making authority."
"Root is to cease all activities, aside from ongoing missions."
"You will remain in Konoha until further notice."
Danzō slammed the table in fury.
"You can't do this!"
"You know how important Root is!"
"We cannot afford to stop now!"
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Sagamaster789