Chapter 366: There Cannot Be Two Suns in the Sky, Nor Two Sovereigns in One Country!

"You've already dealt with Amegakure? How is that possible?! Are you sure that old bastard Hanzo of the Salamander isn't just stringing you along?"

The moment Chiyo heard Ren's words, her first reaction was disbelief.

Her second thought was that Ren had been deceived by Hanzo of the Salamander.

Of course, Chiyo did not distrust Ren himself. It was simply that, in her impression, Hanzo of the Salamander of the Land of Rain was an ambitious schemer who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

There was absolutely no credibility to anything Hanzo promised.

Chiyo could believe that Hanzo would agree to divert the water resources of the Land of Rain into the Land of Wind. After all, such a project would benefit the Land of Rain as well.

But the real problem was that there would be no guarantee that Hanzo would not exploit the project for his own purposes afterward.

After all, once the project was completed, the source of the water would remain within the Land of Rain.

Whoever controlled the water supply would effectively control the lives of countless people throughout the Land of Wind.

How could Chiyo possibly hand such power over life and death to someone else?

Ren assured her,

"You can rest easy on that point. Hanzo has essentially retired from the front lines. The Land of Rain is now under the control of the new generation—the three members of the Akatsuki whom he himself raised."

"And the three leaders of the Akatsuki are disciples of Jiraiya of the Legendary Sannin."

"I think you understand what I'm getting at."

Chiyo's brows furrowed even deeper.

"I've heard about the Akatsuki. Some time ago, there were indeed reports that Hanzo was grooming the organization's three leaders as successors to Amegakure."

"But Hanzo isn't exactly old and frail yet. He should still be capable of living another ten or twenty years. Would he really surrender his authority at a time like this?"

Ren smiled.

"There's something you don't know."

"Hanzo's strength and stamina haven't declined by much, but not long ago, he clashed with Shimura Danzō, the Darkness of the Shinobi World. They ended up seriously injuring each other."

"Danzō himself wasn't seriously harmed, but a large number of the elite members of his Root were killed."

"Hanzo, on the other hand, fought against multiple opponents alone and suffered severe injuries."

"That's why he's been so eager to groom his successors. I'd say his days are probably numbered."

Chiyo was stunned by this sudden revelation.

But then her eyes shifted, and she looked at Ren warily.

"Shimura Danzō is also from Konoha, isn't he?"

"First you had Jiraiya raise three disciples in Amegakure. Then you had Shimura Danzō seriously injure Hanzo. Finally, Jiraiya's disciples became the new leaders of Amegakure."

"You Konoha have played a very elaborate game."

"You've practically taken control of Amegakure and the Land of Rain without shedding a drop of blood!"

Ren was momentarily taken aback.

"Elder Chiyo, you're overthinking it. All of that was simply coincidence."

"Jiraiya taking those three as his disciples was completely accidental. It was his own personal decision."

"As for Shimura Danzō, there's even less to say. That man has committed countless atrocities in Konoha. Today, he will be publicly executed."

"To be honest, given Danzō's actions, there are even people in Konoha who suspect that he was a spy sent by another village."

"His actions therefore cannot represent Konoha's will."

"It really was just a coincidence."

"Heh. Killing the donkey once the millstone is turned, and tearing down the bridge after crossing the river..."

Chiyo gave a disdainful snort.

"In this regard, the younger generation of Konoha has certainly inherited the style of your former Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi."

After a brief pause, Chiyo did not give Ren a chance to respond.

"Forget about Amegakure for now."

"Aren't you Konoha already trying to annex Sunagakure?"

Ren waved his hand.

"Elder Chiyo, don't put it that way."

"Konoha isn't annexing Sunagakure. We're seeking mutually beneficial cooperation."

"At most, you could call it a merger. How can you call it annexation?"

Chiyo replied coldly,

"A merger?"

"You want Sunagakure to completely disarm. How is that a merger?"

"Without our own armed forces, how are we supposed to protect our legitimate interests?"

Ren shook his head.

"I think you've misunderstood me, Elder Chiyo."

"Once Konoha and Sunagakure merge, there will naturally no longer be any distinction between 'you' and 'us.'"

"In that case, what would be the point of Sunagakure maintaining a separate armed force?"

Chiyo froze.

She suddenly realized what Ren meant.

"You mean our Sunagakure shinobi can continue being shinobi?"

"Of course."

Ren nodded.

"Becoming a qualified shinobi requires immeasurable effort and resources."

"How could we erase all of their efforts with a few words?"

"Once the shinobi of Sunagakure leave the independent structure of Sunagakure, they will naturally join Konoha's ranks."

"After undergoing the necessary screening, the senior leadership of Sunagakure will also be able to enter Konoha's decision-making structure."

"Take you, Elder Chiyo, for example. Once Sunagakure becomes part of Konoha, you'll certainly have a position as a Konoha elder."

"If you're worried about the name 'Sunagakure,' then all I can say is this—don't worry about preserving 'Sunagakure.' Before long, we may not even be keeping the name 'Konoha.'"

"After all, a new era should have new names."

The moment Ren said this, Chiyo showed little reaction.

Tsunade, however, could no longer sit still.

"Uchiha, what exactly do you mean by that?"

Tsunade stepped forward and grabbed Ren by the shoulder, visibly agitated.

"Do you even understand what the name 'Konoha' represents?!"

"Are you trying to disregard all the blood, sweat, and sacrifice our predecessors poured into this village?!"

In Tsunade's heart, Konoha was the village built through the blood and lives of her grandfather, Hashirama Senju; her second grandfather, Tobirama Senju; her younger brother, Nawaki Senju; her lover, Dan Katō; and countless members of the Senju clan.

She herself intended to protect the village with her life.

The name "Konoha" was the embodiment of that village.

If the name "Konoha" disappeared, would the village still truly be Konoha?

That was why Tsunade was furious at Ren's suggestion that the name be abandoned.

Ren looked up at Tsunade.

Well...

All he could see were two enormous peaks.

He couldn't see her face at all.

Even without looking, however, he could easily imagine the expression on it.

Ren calmly said,

"Senju Clan Head, you should understand that the name 'Konoha' was given by Uchiha Madara."

"Who could possibly understand what those two characters represent better than the Uchiha?"

Tsunade froze.

Then she stubbornly retorted,

"So what if Uchiha Madara came up with the name 'Konoha'?"

"My grandfather came up with the title 'Hokage'!"

Ren smiled.

"Then let me ask you something."

"Why isn't the leader of Konoha called the 'Wood Shadow'?"

"Does your Senju clan specialize in Fire Release?"

"Was your grandfather, Hashirama Senju, known for his mastery of Fire Release?"

"..."

Tsunade was instantly silenced.

Based on what she knew about her grandfather, the reason Konoha's leader was called the Hokage was almost certainly connected to Uchiha Madara.

Ren continued,

"Oh, right."

"Uchiha Madara didn't name the village 'Konoha' because of your grandfather, Hashirama Senju."

"It was simply because, when your grandfather asked Madara what the village should be called, Madara happened to be playing with a leaf in his hand."

"So he casually blurted out the name."

"These things are recorded in the Uchiha clan's historical records."

Although the true reason Madara chose the name "Konoha" was undoubtedly connected to Hashirama, with the leaf merely serving as the immediate inspiration, Ren deliberately presented the matter this way to prevent Tsunade from arguing over it.

Tsunade was left speechless.

She no longer knew what to say.

Across from them, Chiyo, Ebizō, and the others were equally bewildered.

This was the first time any of them had heard these secrets.

To be honest, all the other shinobi villages had assumed that Konoha's leader was called the Hokage because Konoha was affiliated with the Land of Fire.

So they had followed the same convention and linked their village leaders' titles to their respective countries.

The Land of Wind had the Kazekage.

The Land of Earth had the Tsuchikage.

The Land of Water had the Mizukage.

The Land of Lightning had the Raikage.

Who could have imagined that the title "Hokage" had something to do with Uchiha Madara's affinity for Fire Release?

These people from Konoha really had something wrong with them!

Although Tsunade had lost that argument, she wasn't about to give up.

"Uchiha Ren, stop dragging this all over the place to change the subject."

"Do you really understand what the name 'Konoha' means to us?"

"What it means to the shinobi of Konoha?"

"What it means to the villagers of Konoha?"

"For decades, we've lived under the name 'Konoha.'"

"How much blood and sweat have we shed for those two characters?"

"How many sacrifices have been made?"

"Do you understand?"

"I dare say that no one in the village will agree to changing that name!"

Chiyo was naturally delighted to see discord between Ren and Tsunade.

She immediately joined in.

"Elder Uchiha, Tsunade is right about this."

"Just as Konoha would never casually abandon the name 'Konoha,' Sunagakure will not casually abandon the name 'Sunagakure.'"

"This isn't something as simple as changing a name."

Ren sighed.

"That's precisely why I say you old-timers are so stubborn."

"You're always worrying about things that don't really matter."

Tsunade angrily replied,

"This is our honor!"

"It is something our predecessors defended with their lives!"

"It is something more important than life itself!"

Ren shook his head.

"The purpose of a village is to protect everyone."

"What our predecessors defended with their lives was never the village itself."

"It was the people who make up the village."

"So from beginning to end, the most important thing has always been the people."

"If the Warring States period was an era in which individuals formed clans, and the era of the hidden villages was one in which clans came together to form villages..."

"Then now is the time for villages to come together and create a new era."

"I'm not saying that 'Konoha' or 'Sunagakure' must necessarily be abolished."

"After all, when the village was founded, we didn't abolish the names 'Uchiha' or 'Senju.'"

"But a new era will inevitably require a new name."

"Just as the Uchiha and Senju came together to form Konoha, Konoha and Sunagakure will eventually have to come together under a new name."

"How is your opposition to a new era for the sake of preserving 'Konoha' and 'Sunagakure' any different from the people who opposed the founding of the village decades ago for the sake of preserving 'Uchiha' and 'Senju'?"

Tsunade and Chiyo were both left stunned by Ren's words.

They hadn't actually done anything.

Yet according to Ren, they had somehow become historical sinners standing in the way of the progress of an entire era.

And yet...

For some reason, what he said actually sounded quite reasonable.

Perhaps they really shouldn't oppose it.

Chiyo shook her head, forcing herself to regain her composure.

"Elder Uchiha, no matter how beautifully you phrase it, this will still be extremely difficult."

"Let me put it this way: not everyone has the perspective that you and I possess."

"You may be able to convince an old woman like me."

"But there are plenty of stubborn people below us."

"When they have made up their minds about something, even the most convincing argument in the world won't change them."

"That's true."

Ren nodded.

"That's why I have no intention of accomplishing everything in a single step."

"The people below may be stubborn, but they're not fools."

"They know what benefits them and what harms them."

"The reason they're so stubborn about this isn't because they love the principle itself."

"It's because that principle benefits them."

"So all we need to do is show them what they stand to gain."

After a pause, Ren added,

"The merger of Sunagakure and Konoha can take place gradually and discreetly."

"Once the East-to-West Water Diversion project is fully underway, shinobi from Konoha, Sunagakure, and Amegakure will gradually work alongside one another throughout the process and let go of their old prejudices."

"Once the benefits of the East-to-West Water Diversion project reach all three villages, the resistance we'll face when we finally discuss the merger will naturally be much smaller."

Chiyo's eyes flickered.

She could not deny that Ren's plan was highly feasible.

But it was still only a plan.

The resistance it would encounter in reality would certainly be far greater than what could be anticipated on paper.

For example, there was one crucial issue Ren had never mentioned.

Chiyo spoke solemnly,

"Elder Uchiha, even if everything you've described can actually be accomplished, have you considered one problem?"

"If Sunagakure merges with Konoha—and even Amegakure as well—what happens to the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire?"

"'One Country, One Village.' That's the established system."

"The Land of Wind has more than just Sunagakure. It also has the Daimyō's court."

"And the Land of Fire has more than just Konoha. It also has the Fire Daimyō's court."

"The Daimyō courts of the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire won't simply stand by and watch the three villages merge."

Ren smiled.

"Elder Chiyo, did you know that the Daimyō's court of the Land of Wind was attacked by an unidentified group of bandits just yesterday?"

Chiyo's eyes narrowed.

Her heart skipped a beat.

Everyone already knew what had really happened.

Although the people who had looted the Daimyō's court had concealed their identities, who else could those people possibly have been besides Konoha?

Ren spoke slowly.

"There cannot be two suns in the sky, nor two sovereigns in one country."

"The 'One Country, One Village' system has always had enormous flaws."

"Personally, I think the system used in the Land of Rain is quite good—the leader of Amegakure also serving as the ruler of the Land of Rain."

"And besides, the world is unpredictable."

"This time, those unidentified bandits merely robbed the wealth of the Daimyō's court of the Land of Wind."

"Next time, perhaps they'll take the life of the Daimyō of the Land of Wind as well."

Chiyo: "!!!"

Tsunade: "!!!"

Everyone else: "!!!"