After confirming that Amayu and Kanzō had gone far enough away, Hanzo of the Salamander's eyes suddenly lost their focus, and his posture slumped forward.
Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan turned their gazes toward the shadow behind him.
From that darkness, Uchiha Ren slowly emerged.
"Brother Ren, did something happen?" Yahiko asked.
Hanzo's sudden interruption earlier had been extremely unusual.
It had never happened before.
Ren's expression was serious as he shook his head slightly. While forming hand seals, he explained,
"Someone is contacting me through an emergency communication channel."
"Which probably means… it's time for me to leave."
Although he didn't yet know exactly what had happened, Ren could already guess the general situation.
"So soon…" Yahiko murmured.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Before the three of them could say anything else, Ren completed the jutsu.
With a puff of smoke, a ninja cat appeared.
"Meow!"
It was a plump orange tabby, wearing a blue vest. Though it couldn't speak human language yet, its eyes shone with unmistakably human-like intelligence.
"Meow!"
The fat cat pulled out a message scroll from the inside of its vest.
However, instead of handing it to Ren immediately, it stretched out its other chubby paw toward him expectantly.
Ren sighed helplessly.
He took out several banknotes and placed them on the cat's paw.
The Ninja Cat Clan was quite unique among the various summoning animal races of the shinobi world.
They sold intelligence, traded ninja tools, and ran all kinds of businesses.
Delivering messages—like the one they had just brought to Ren—was just one of their many services.
They were probably the most business-minded summoning creatures in existence.
Although the Ninja Cats maintained a very friendly relationship with the Uchiha Clan, every service still required payment.
No favors. No exceptions.
"Meow!"
The fat cat counted the banknotes with satisfaction.
Only then did it hand the scroll to Ren.
Ren immediately opened it and began reading.
After finishing the contents, his expression grew noticeably more serious.
"Brother Ren, what happened?" Yahiko asked with concern.
Ren casually grabbed a blank scroll from Hanzo's desk and began writing while explaining:
"It's nothing serious."
"Konoha plans to rotate the shinobi stationed on the Kirigakure front back to the village for recuperation."
"And the Uchiha Clan is included in the first batch returning to the village."
"My trip here was technically unauthorized."
"If I were still stationed on the frontlines, my clanmates could cover for me."
"But when returning to the village, everyone must verify their identity to prevent enemy spies from infiltrating."
"So I need to meet up with the main force before they return to Konohagakure…"
Before Ren finished speaking, Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan already looked uneasy.
Over the past days, Ren had taught them many things.
He had also explained numerous strategies regarding the future development of the Land of Rain.
But they still had many questions left unanswered.
Now that Ren was suddenly leaving, they weren't sure whether they could successfully carry out his plans on their own.
Ren immediately noticed their unease.
He smiled and said reassuringly,
"Relax."
"I only provided theoretical guidance."
"And I'm not necessarily correct."
"Practice is the only standard for testing truth."
"So just go ahead and do what you believe is right."
"It's okay to make mistakes."
"Mistakes only bring you closer to the correct path."
"As long as you never lose sight of your original intentions."
Hearing this, the tension on the three faces gradually eased.
Seeing this, Ren patted the fat orange cat—who was currently grooming its fur.
"I'd like to purchase three additional summoning contracts."
"Meow!"
The cat's eyes instantly lit up.
It pulled another scroll out from its vest and once again extended its paw.
Three summoning contracts meant three new clients.
And more clients meant a lot more dried fish.
How could the cat not be excited?
Ren paid the fee and handed the scroll to Yahiko and the others.
"You three should sign a summoning contract with this fat cat as well."
"That way we can contact each other through it whenever necessary."
"But remember—prepare the payment beforehand."
"Fat Cat's services aren't cheap."
"Meow!"
The cat bared its teeth slightly at Ren, clearly displeased with his comment.
Then it pulled out another scroll and handed it to Yahiko's group.
This one was a price list.
It clearly listed the cost of each type of service.
If someone lacked money, they could also pay with dried fish instead.
Fat Cat prided itself on transparent pricing and fair trade.
Yahiko and the others couldn't help smiling.
It was their first time seeing such a mercenary summoning creature.
But while the Land of Rain might lack money, it certainly didn't lack fish.
So hiring a fat cat like this was completely affordable.
After signing their names on the summoning scroll one by one, the contract was complete.
Ren then handed the message scroll he had written to Fat Cat.
After paying another fee, he dismissed the summoning.
Turning back to Yahiko's group, he said,
"Although this development came rather suddenly, the overall situation in the Land of Rain is already fairly stable."
"For the time being, Obito will replace me and continue controlling Hanzo of the Salamander, gradually transferring power to you."
"The Land of Rain may be a small country, but that also has advantages."
"Hanzo is both the supreme leader of the nation and the leader of Amegakure."
"And there are no entrenched noble families interfering with governance."
"That means you'll face far fewer restrictions."
"However, relying on someone else always carries risks."
"So your top priority is to secure your position within Amegakure."
"Only then can you fully implement your plans."
"As for the national development projects we discussed earlier, there's no need to rush."
"You can take them step by step."
"Also, back in Konoha, the Third Hokage will soon step down."
"The position of Fourth Hokage will almost certainly go to your senior brother, Minato Namikaze."
"Once Minato and I fully take control of Konoha, many things will become much easier."
"With the relationship between all of you, we'll be able to openly support the Land of Rain."
Yahiko nodded solemnly.
"Thank you, Brother Ren. We won't disappoint you."
Ren shook his head gently.
"You don't need to thank me."
"I'm not only helping you—I'm helping myself as well."
"In my eyes, the Land of Rain and Konoha are no different."
"Don't forget what our ultimate goal is."
Nagato's eyes lit up immediately.
"Universal Harmony—where all people live like one family!"
"Exactly."
Ren smiled.
"As long as we keep working toward it…"
"A world of Great Unity will eventually arrive."
He looked at them one last time.
"The Land of Rain is now in your hands."
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