"The meeting has concluded."
A translucent panel hovered before Ryuji's eyes.
Acquired Items: None.
Next Meeting: Three months later.
Before the next meeting, the group owner may invite one Konoha Hokage.
The more members in the group, the longer each meeting lasts.
Ryuji leaned back in his chair, eyes half-lidded.
No items.
That stung a little.
But the real prize wasn't immediate rewards—it was expansion.
Three months from now, he could invite a fifth Hokage.
Five members meant unlocking the World Leaderboard and Cross-World Mutual Aid.
And that was when the real game would begin.
His gaze lingered on the locked "World Leaderboard" function.
If the system ranked their worlds and distributed rewards accordingly…
Then he needed his world at the top.
That meant strength.
Stability.
Absolute control.
"Fourth Hokage-sama."
The voice broke his thoughts.
Ryuji straightened immediately. "Come in."
The office door opened, revealing a tall, blond shinobi with a calm, sharp gaze.
Namikaze Minato.
The man who, in another timeline, would have worn the Fourth Hokage's hat.
Now he stood as Ryuji's deputy.
Ryuji smiled faintly.
Minato was capable, intelligent—and most importantly, adaptable.
From the beginning, Ryuji had positioned himself ahead of Minato at every key turning point. When Kushina had been kidnapped by Kumogakure, Ryuji had intervened first. When the political winds shifted, Ryuji had moved faster.
Minato still apprenticed under Jiraiya. His strength developed just as in history.
But the Hokage's seat?
That had gone to Ryuji.
"Hokage-sama," Minato said, stepping forward, "we've finished sorting the financial records of the Sarutobi and Shimura clans. Their resource acquisitions over the years are fully documented."
Ryuji's eyes sharpened.
"Is that so?"
This wasn't minor paperwork.
This was the blade.
After Ryuji forced Sarutobi Hiruzen from the Hokage's seat in his timeline, he hadn't stopped there. He'd quietly compiled every questionable decision, every concealed fund, every shadowed transaction linking Hiruzen and Danzō.
Enough to strip authority.
Now Minato had completed the last piece.
Evidence sufficient to bury them.
Ryuji stood.
"Let's go, Minato."
His lips curved faintly.
"Let's take a look at what the so-called 'Strongest Hokage' has been doing for the last forty years."
On the Move
The two moved swiftly through Konoha.
Ryuji wasn't worried about Minato wavering.
Originally, Hiruzen had favored Minato precisely because he seemed easier to guide—easier to shape.
But when Ryuji exposed hidden dealings and forced Hiruzen into early retirement, Minato had seen the cracks firsthand.
Ryuji had then tasked Minato with investigating further.
What Minato uncovered shocked him.
Funds diverted.
Clan manipulations.
Shadow agreements between Hiruzen and Danzō.
The deeper he looked, the darker it became.
And with every layer uncovered, Minato's loyalty shifted more firmly toward Ryuji.
He had realized something critical:
If he had become Hokage under Hiruzen's shadow…
He would have been a puppet.
Ryuji wasn't perfect.
But Ryuji was decisive.
So Minato chose his side.
The Former Senju Lands
Soon, the Sarutobi and Shimura clan territories came into view.
The sight made Ryuji's eyes turn cold.
The land had once belonged to the Senju.
Now it was split evenly between the two families.
After Mito aged and withdrew from political life, these clans had gradually swallowed the territory under various "reallocations."
Two clans feeding on the bones of a founding family.
Today, the gates were surrounded.
Civilians and shinobi alike packed the streets, some standing on walls just to see.
Their faces burned with anger.
Across from them, Sarutobi and Shimura clan members gathered proudly at their gates, expressions smug and unbothered.
Then someone spotted Ryuji.
"The Fourth Hokage!"
"He's here!"
Excitement rippled through the crowd like wildfire.
Ryuji had built his reputation carefully—protecting civilian shinobi, restructuring missions fairly, cracking down on corruption.
His approval among common ninja was overwhelming.
And now he stood at the front.
A silver-haired figure stepped forward swiftly and stopped behind Ryuji.
"Fourth Hokage."
Ryuji nodded once.
"Stay ready."
Hatake Sakumo.
The White Fang of Konoha.
In this timeline, Ryuji had prevented Sakumo's downfall. He'd uncovered the manipulation and rumor-spreading engineered by higher-ups to drive the White Fang into despair.
With the evidence exposed and his rescued comrade's testimony secured, Sakumo had been pulled back from the brink.
Since then, he stood unwavering behind Ryuji.
Not as a politician.
As a blade.
Politics bored him.
But loyalty? That he understood.
Ryuji stepped forward until he stood directly before the Sarutobi and Shimura gates.
Inside, panic brewed.
"What do we do?"
"Why is the Fourth Hokage here in person?"
"Go inform the patriarch!"
Clan members scrambled.
A few senior figures forced themselves to step out, faces stiff with forced composure.
One of them bowed slightly.
"Fourth Hokage-sama," he began cautiously, "may we ask what brings you here today?"
"If there's anything our clans can assist with, simply give the order."
He glanced nervously at the encircling shinobi.
"…Was it truly necessary to mobilize so many people?"
Ryuji looked at him.
And smiled.
But the smile didn't reach his eyes.
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