"Alright, Mito, that's enough. Stop draining him—the storage containers are already full."
"I think the Nine-Tails is about to collapse."
"Right now, the Nine-Tails is Konoha's most valuable asset. We need to understand sustainable use. Overharvesting is a losing business—we don't do that."
At this point, the Nine-Tails had been drained to the brink.
Its once smooth, glossy fur had become dry and brittle. Even its massive body had visibly shrunk.
Uchiha Ren quickly stopped Mito, this high-powered "extractor."
Chakra was everything to a tailed beast.
He couldn't afford to actually break his "battery."
"Oh? That's not what you were saying earlier."
"Who was it that said tailed beast chakra is free—might as well take as much as possible?"
"That their lives don't matter—they'll revive anyway?"
"The louder the Nine-Tails screams, the more chakra it still has?"
Mito immediately repeated Ren's earlier shameless remarks, word for word.
This man—
So utterly without a bottom line.
Just moments ago, he had been dancing in excitement as each container filled up.
And now he was pretending to be reasonable?
Spit.
"When will my one million ryo arrive?"
Mito dropped the sarcasm and went straight to business.
"Don't worry, Lady Mito. I'm a man of integrity."
"The funds will come from Konoha Electric Company. I'll have someone deliver it personally."
"Before that, though—I have a question."
"When will the Nine-Tails' chakra fully recover?"
Ren cared deeply about this.
Chakra—
Was one of the primary energy sources of the future.
The faster the recovery—
The more cycles he could run.
Maybe he should even expand storage capacity further.
"YOU BEAST—!"
"YOU ABSOLUTE BEAST!"
"Uchiha Ren, look at me! And you're still thinking about draining me again?!"
The Nine-Tails completely lost control.
Even in its weakened state, barely able to stand—
It roared in fury.
The sheer misery in its voice made even Mito hesitate for a moment.
The mighty Nine-Tails—
Reduced to this state.
…It really was a bit too much.
But—
One million ryo per extraction.
"…Based on my understanding, it will take about two to three months to fully recover."
"If it actively restores its chakra, it might take less than two."
Mito spoke without hesitation.
She had already made her decision.
For Tsunade's future—
This opportunity could not be wasted.
"Lady Mito, for the sake of Konoha, you must ensure the Nine-Tails recovers quickly."
"Of course. Leave its rehabilitation to me."
"Hahaha! As expected of Konoha's pillar!"
The two of them—
Seamlessly reached an agreement.
"Disgusting… absolutely disgusting!"
"You couldn't even wait until I passed out to discuss this?!"
"You're planning how to drain me dry right in front of me?!"
"Even Madara Uchiha wouldn't go this far!"
"You're worse than bandits—worse than animals!"
"And you expect tailed beasts to be grateful to humans?!"
"You failed… Sage of Six Paths, you completely failed!"
The Nine-Tails howled in despair.
For a moment—
It even reminisced about its time as Madara's mount.
…That life didn't seem so bad anymore.
At least—
Better than this.
But Ren and Mito paid it no mind.
They parted ways in high spirits.
—
Back at the Senju compound—
Mito soon received several suitcases of cash.
One million ryo.
"…Making money really is easy."
She muttered, then immediately summoned Senju Soma.
"Investigate the power plant."
"I want to know—if we used coal instead of tailed beast chakra… what would it cost annually?"
Soon—
A detailed report arrived.
She skipped everything else.
Went straight to the cost section.
Units.
Tens.
Hundreds.
Thousands.
Ten-thousands.
Millions…
…Billions?
Her eyes froze.
"That can't be right."
She counted again.
"…Hundreds of millions… billions…"
"…AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!"
"UCHIHA REN,YOU BEAST—!!!"
Her scream echoed through the entire Senju compound.
—
A few days later.
Hokage Office.
"It's finally done…"
Ren looked at his masterpiece with satisfaction.
On the table—
A small red booklet.
The Ninja Academy enrollment was nearly complete.
It was time—
To leave his mark.
Every Hokage had their own ideology.
All under the banner of the Will of Fire—
But each is different.
The First Hokage, Hashirama Senju—
Peace.
Ending the Warring States era.
The Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju—
Stability.
Balancing internal and external threats.
And now—
Uchiha Ren.
He would plant—
His own ideology.
Reforming adults required power and incentives.
But children—
Were easy.
They could be shaped.
Dialectical materialism.
Productive shinobi theory.
Class contradictions.
All the intellectual essence from his past life—
He began weaving into the Will of Fire.
It was a massive undertaking.
So naturally—
He recruited help.
Tobirama.
Through countless late-night debates—
The theory matured.
Structured.
Localized.
One day—
It would guide Konoha down a new path.
This book—
Could change the shinobi world.
Naturally—
Tobirama wanted credit.
Ren refused.
"You're dead. This is my era."
They argued.
In the end—
Compromise.
Tobirama could use a pseudonym.
—
"Shikaku ."
"This book will be Konoha's official teaching material."
"All academy students must study it."
"Memorization earns bonus points."
"All active shinobi must own a copy."
"One month—mandatory memorization of key sections."
"I will conduct inspections."
"Also distribute copies to civilians."
"Collective progress."
"Understood, Hokage-sama."
Shikaku accepted the book.
His eyes landed on the cover.
Golden letters:
Will of Fire.
Below it—
Authors:
Uchiha Ren & Yamada Taro.
…Yamada Taro?
He had never heard that name before.
Something felt… off.
"Hokage-sama… who is Yamada Taro?"
Ren replied calmly:
"A highly knowledgeable citizen."
"Skilled in navigating legal loopholes—"
"Even capable of evading punishment while breaking the law—"
"Yet still chooses to abide by it."
"…I see. Truly remarkable."
Shikaku didn't believe a word.
But—
The Hokage was always right.
—
"Now—report on the other villages."
"The First Shinobi War is over. The post-war structure isn't settled yet."
"Business requires stability."
"We need the Five Kage Summit."
Shikaku nodded.
"Sunagakure—still struggling. Funding cut. The Kazekage is personally mining gold. They're reducing ninja numbers, shifting toward elite training."
"Kumogakure—war aftermath is severe…"
"Iwagakure—the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, has taken power. He inherited Dust Release."
"Kirigakure is unstable. Succession conflict. Clans competing for Mizukage."
Ren narrowed his eyes.
Kirigakure.
A mess.
Perfect.
Let them weaken themselves.
He could poach bloodline clans later.
—
Ding.
A familiar system notification rang.
New missions appeared.
Ren glanced at them.
…Annoying.
High effort.
Uncertain rewards.
He ignored them.
—
"Send invitations to Sunagakure, Kumogakure, and Iwagakure."
"As for Kirigakure—wait."
Shikaku nodded, then paused.
"Hokage-sama… the Academy enrollment is nearly complete."
"Will you attend?"
Ren blinked.
He had almost forgotten.
"…Let's go take a look."
—
Konoha Ninja Academy.
Crowded.
Even near the end of enrollment—
People flooded the area.
Power—
Meant survival.
Ren arrived in his Hokage robe.
The crowd erupted.
A path opened.
"Shikaku ."
"Any promising civilians this year?"
Several names were listed.
Then—
Ren's gaze shifted.
A boy.
Green jumpsuit.
Bowl haircut.
Thick eyebrows.
…Might Guy?
No.
Might Dai.
"Please! Let me try again!"
"My ninjutsu is weak—but I can rely on taijutsu!"
"My youthful passion—!"
"Kid, you already failed last year."
"I gave you an extra chance."
"Stop causing trouble."
The instructor was losing patience.
"…"
Shikaku tensed.
"I'll remove him immediately—"
"Wait."
Ren stopped him.
"Accept him."
"Give him full resources."
"In the future—he'll become a monster."
"A man who could kick Hashirama Senju to death."
"…What?"
"…Kick the First Hokage to death?"
Shikaku stared.
Helpless.
…There it was again.
Hokage-sama—
Talking nonsense.
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