It was an uneventful night.
Uchiha Ren took complete control of everything inside Senju Toma's laboratory. Every piece of expensive equipment—without exception—was confiscated and hauled away by ANBU.
Before leaving, Senju Toma cast one last lingering glance at the lab.
Not that he still cared about Hashirama's cells…
…Alright, maybe just a little.
After all, who wouldn't covet the power of the First Hokage?
But more than that, it was the money.
The financial hole created by his falsified accounts still needed to be filled. Selling those instruments secondhand could've recovered at least part of it.
Now—
All gone.
As expected of those inherently evil Uchiha!
Uchiha Ren, meanwhile, left the Senju compound in a good mood.
This troublesome matter was finally nearing its end.
The remaining cleanup?
That was Senju Tobirama's problem.
All he needed to do was have Tobirama produce suppressive agents at intervals—just enough to slow the erosion of Hashirama's cells and keep Senju Toma and the remaining affected Senju alive.
After a year or so—
Hashirama's cells could be revealed openly.
—
A few days later.
Hokage Office.
"Hokage-sama… you're personally going to the Land of Grass?"
Nara Shikaku's voice rose slightly louder than usual, though his tone remained calm.
Uchiha Ren had never followed conventional logic.
Ever since becoming Hokage, nothing he did aligned with standard ninja thinking—
Yet somehow, everything worked.
Whatever decision he made, Shikaku knew he couldn't interfere.
Perhaps…
The Hokage was planning something again.
Something he simply wasn't ready to reveal yet.
Of course—
The truth was far simpler.
Uchiha Ren was exhausted.
First, pushing himself to master Sage Mode in preparation for Uchiha Madara.
Then dealing with Senju Tobirama's unstable mindset.
Then cleaning up Senju Toma's mess.
And on top of that—
Drowning in endless paperwork.
He needed a break.
"Exactly," Uchiha Ren said seriously.
"The Land of Grass is surrounded by the Land of Fire, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Rain. External pressure is immense, internal chaos is rampant, and spies are everywhere."
"If we want to turn it into Konoha's backyard…"
"I have to go personally."
A perfect excuse.
A "business trip."
Not a vacation.
Definitely not.
"That being the case, Hokage-sama, I'll prepare all relevant intelligence…"
Shikaku moved efficiently, organizing everything.
Soon—
A powerful escort unit assembled at the training grounds.
Uchiha Ren's Hokage Guard.
"Remember our mission in the Land of Grass!"
He raised three fingers.
"Three words!"
"Fairness!"
"Fairness!"
"And damn it—FAIRNESS!"
"Move out!!!"
They set off at full speed.
Covering hundreds of kilometers in a single push.
Each member of the guard was practically superhuman. A few soldier pills were enough to sustain long-distance travel.
Perfect delivery workers.
If only the market for that existed.
—
Several days later—
They entered the Land of Grass.
As far as the eye could see—
Grass.
Endless grass.
But the land itself wasn't barren.
On the contrary, it was fertile.
Perfect for agriculture.
Perfect for large-scale banana cultivation.
And yet—
Instead of crops—
The fields lay abandoned.
Overgrown.
Wild.
The Land of Grass truly lived up to its name.
In a world of chaos—
Even being a simple farmer was a luxury.
The situation here…
Was a mess.
The strong bullied the weak.
The Land of Fire had Konoha's protection.
Rogue ninja and bandits didn't dare cause trouble there.
But those who couldn't survive in the Land of Fire—
Came here.
And not just from there.
The Land of Earth.
The Land of Rain.
The Land of Wind.
Rogue ninja.
Missing-nin.
Bandits.
War produced them in endless numbers.
When survival became impossible—
They ran.
And the Land of Grass—
Was where they ended up.
Uchiha Ren opened a map.
Several friendly factions were marked.
But Kusagakure…
Was in a state of collapse.
Fragmented.
Schrödinger's village.
Some days—
They were official ninja.
Other days—
Bandits.
They'd remove their forehead protectors to loot and kill—
Then put them back on when funding arrived.
Flexible.
Very flexible.
And honestly—
The headbands weren't even hard to fake.
Who was a real Grass ninja?
No one knew.
No one could tell.
The elites didn't care.
They had money.
They could hire protection.
The common people didn't care.
They had no money.
They couldn't hire anyone.
As for Uchiha Ren—
He didn't care either.
Obedient and useful—
That was all that mattered.
Soon—
They reached a small city.
A group of Grass ninja controlled the area.
Before even entering—
They saw the market outside the city.
Or rather—
A black market.
When it came to exploiting people—
These vermin had a reputation.
Taxes inside the city were so excessive—
That merchants preferred being extorted by gangs outside.
At least the gangs had some restraint.
Once a month.
Or twice.
Inside the city?
Endless fees.
Endless excuses.
Businesses couldn't survive.
The gangs weren't much better—
Protection fees.
Tributes to officials.
Bribes to ninja.
What remained?
Almost nothing.
So they turned to other trades.
Loan sharking.
Gambling.
And substances that made people feel… euphoric.
Highly profitable.
A complete criminal ecosystem.
Inside the black market—
Chaos reigned.
Pickpocketing was considered mild.
Debt collectors forced people to sell their children in broad daylight.
Killings happened openly.
Blood splattered across the streets.
Within five minutes—
Someone cleaned it up.
The crowd?
Expressionless.
Unmoved.
Used to it.
Even death—
Meant nothing.
Uchiha Ren watched silently.
A trace of pity flickered in his eyes.
Outside Konoha—
The world was still this cruel.
Since he was here—
He might as well do something.
…How sentimental.
Maybe he really was a good person.
As they walked through the market—
A commotion broke out ahead.
Flames erupted.
"I'm eating here—it's your honor!"
"You dare charge me?!"
"I'll burn your shop down!"
"Fire Release!"
Another idiot.
"Someone's dead!!"
"Call the Grass ninja!"
"Evacuate!"
Chaos spread instantly.
Gang members moved quickly, clearing civilians.
This kind of thing happened regularly.
Even with Grass ninja present—
Rogue ninja kept appearing.
Like weeds.
Endless.
"Who dares cause trouble in my territory?!"
"Oh—it's you again, Odai!"
"You've gone too far this time—!"
"Then come at me!"
"Brothers! Take him down!"
Internal conflict.
Grass ninja fighting each other.
Uchiha Ren signaled his team to follow.
Odai wasn't weak.
He had several powerful techniques and decent mastery.
A small specialist.
But against numbers—
He was forced into retreat.
They chased him into a forest.
"You've got nowhere left to run!"
The leader of the pursuing group sneered.
Odai smirked.
"Run?"
"You idiots walked right into an ambush!"
"You collude with Iwagakure and Konoha!"
"All of you are traitors!"
"The great villages only want to exploit the Land of Grass!"
"I will unite Kusagakure!"
"This country cannot go on like this!"
Suddenly—
Dozens of ninja emerged from the forest.
The hunters became the hunted.
"Surrender or die!"
Odai shouted.
Trying to recruit them.
"We'll never submit!"
"Split up!"
Battle erupted instantly.
Uchiha Ren observed from afar.
Odai's character was questionable—
But his ambition?
Interesting.
Unifying Kusagakure.
Reviving the nation.
He might be useful.
With a bit of… correction.
"Move."
Uchiha Ren gave the order.
His guard unit charged in.
The result—
Instant.
Odai was strong—for the Land of Grass.
In Konoha?
At best, a Special Jonin.
His subordinates?
Trash.
Within moments—
They were crushed.
"Where's the money?"
"Talk before the alarm rings—or lose your head."
"…AAAAAH!"
Odai's mind went blank.
One second, he had the advantage.
The next—
He'd been robbed.
"Crying counts toward the time."
Under pressure—
He confessed.
Not willingly.
But under Sharingan genjutsu—
Nothing could be hidden.
Odai.
Registered Grass ninja #1250.
Basic education.
Participated in the First Shinobi War.
Served as auxiliary forces for Konoha, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure.
Picked up a few techniques.
Built a faction.
Later became an intelligence broker.
Selling—
Questionable information.
Interesting résumé.
Kusagakure was fractured.
Each faction had its own stance.
Align with Konoha.
Align with Iwagakure.
Align with Amegakure.
Or—
Kill everyone and rebuild.
"What should we do with them?"
One guard asked.
"Kill them."
"Opposing Konoha is unforgivable."
Uchiha Ren shook his head.
"No need."
"The Land of Grass still needs Grass ninja."
"If Konoha interferes directly…"
"It won't look good."
He smiled faintly.
"The truth is simple."
"The Daimyo and the current leadership have plunged the country into chaos."
"Konoha has been invited—by the people and enlightened Grass ninja—to restore order."
Odai clenched his teeth.
Shameless.
Absolutely shameless.
"Odai," Uchiha Ren said calmly.
"Are you willing to awaken?"
"To invite Konoha to end the chaos?"
"To rebuild Kusagakure?"
"To make the Land of Grass prosperous?"
"I don't—"
A kunai pressed against his throat.
"…I'm willing."
Tears welled in his eyes.
Survival first.
Everything else later.
The will of Grass—
Flexibility.
Adaptability.
Survival.
That was how they endured.
Soon—
Odai led them to his base.
A small village.
Filled with banana fields.
Rows upon rows.
The air itself smelled sweet.
The Hokage Guard's eyes lit up.
Fresh bananas.
A rare treat.
Due to transport and storage limitations—
Fruit was a luxury.
In the Land of Grass—
Even more so.
Transport a cart of bananas?
If you only lost the cart—
You were lucky.
Sometimes—
You disappeared too.
Villagers watched from a distance.
Curious.
Cautious.
They didn't dare approach.
A strong ninja had arrived.
And Odai—
Looked defeated.
The village was changing hands again.
They silently prayed—
That these new masters…
Wouldn't kill people casually.
Here—
A ninja who didn't kill randomly—
Was already considered kind.
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