For Haku, who was already incapable of resisting, Sako decisively struck, knocking him unconscious.
When she returned to Rin and the others, the battlefield had already been completely cleaned up. Everyone sent by Gatō had died here—except for Momochi and Haku.
One was an elite jōnin, the other possessed a special kekkei genkai. Killing them outright would be a waste. It was better to bring them back to the village and make use of them as tools.
Rin retrieved two massive shackles from a storage scroll and sealed their arms. These were a newly developed ninja tool from the Scientific Research Bureau. Once worn, they interfered with the flow of chakra, completely preventing the wearer from using ninjutsu or genjutsu.
After confirming that the shackles were secure, Rin clapped her hands and said to the three students,
"Alright. Let's go finish this."
The operation proceeded smoothly.
Gatō and his forces were erased from this world.
Even when Gatō knelt on the ground, kowtowing and begging for mercy—vowing to hand over all his wealth to Konoha—Rin showed no hesitation.
With Konoha's backing and the support of the island's residents, Tazuna replaced Gatō as the leader of the island.
In gratitude, he deliberately named the bridge "The Seventh Bridge," honoring Team Seven.
After the bridge's completion, the economy of Wave Country rapidly recovered. Trade flourished, and the people gradually began to live peaceful, happy lives.
Of course, all of this came later.
For now, Team Seven had already returned to Konoha.
At home, Naruko lay sprawled on the sofa, watching the special episode of Snow Princess on television. She held snacks in one hand and gulped down soda with the other, letting out a long, satisfied burp.
"Naruko, you're being noisy."
Sako, sitting nearby and refining chakra, shot her an irritated glance after being disturbed.
"You don't get it, Sako," Naruko said seriously. "There are only two things in this world that truly pair with carbonated drinks. One is Ichiraku ramen. The other is potato chips."
With that, she stuffed another handful into her mouth.
"Who asked you that?"
Sako pinched the bridge of her nose, feeling more than ever that the two of them lived in completely different worlds.
"By the way," Naruko added, "where did Dad go today? I haven't seen him at all."
"It seems a new Kazekage has been selected in Sunagakure," Sako replied. "Dad went to prepare for the appointment ceremony."
The position of a Kage didn't merely signify leadership of a hidden village. They were also the supreme authority of their respective territories, standing above the daimyō and directly acknowledged by Ryoma.
Naturally, such an appointment ceremony had to be personally conducted by Ryoma himself.
Much like the knighting rituals of Ryoma's previous life—where a king would place a sword upon a knight's shoulders—only after this ceremony could one truly assume the title.
Inside the Hokage Building, Ryoma walked steadily down the corridor. Tsunade followed closely behind, holding a stack of documents.
As she flipped through the papers, she sighed.
"I never thought that after all these years, Sunagakure would finally have a true Fifth Kazekage."
Ten years ago, after the Fourth Kazekage Rasa was killed by Ryoma's impersonation of Madara, the village had fallen under the control of its elder council.
Later, during Ryoma's unification campaign, many elders perished—including Chiyo.
Only Ebizō and a few others remained, but time had taken its toll. By now, they lacked both the strength and authority to govern.
To avoid leaving the village leaderless, Sunagakure's upper ranks selected a new Kazekage.
Unlike the interim rule of the elders, this was a legitimate Fifth Kazekage.
Of course, whether the title would truly be recognized depended on the final step—
Ryoma's approval.
Without passing this trial, even Sunagakure's unanimous support would mean nothing.
The two arrived at a spacious hall. Through the open doors, they could already see that the room was filled.
Those present were high-ranking representatives of various forces and regions—figures standing at the very peak of the political pyramid.
The Kazekage Appointment Ceremony carried immense significance. Upon receiving invitations, all of them had postponed prior commitments to witness it firsthand.
The moment Ryoma and Tsunade entered, the entire hall fell silent.
One by one, admiring and reverent gazes turned toward them.
Ryoma hardly needed any introduction.
As the god of the ninja world, his mere presence carried the overwhelming aura of a continental overlord.
As for Tsunade, she was the granddaughter of the First Hokage. Over the years, her role had effectively become Ryoma's chief aide.
Any affairs Ryoma found troublesome—or simply didn't feel like handling—were pushed onto Tsunade. Because of this, she wielded immense authority. Her status was second only to Ryoma himself, and in practice, even surpassed that of the other Kage.
"Ryoma-sama. Tsunade-sama."
The one who spoke was the red-haired boy standing at the front.
The kanji for "love" was carved deeply into his forehead. Beneath his reddish-brown bangs were pale green eyes, surrounded by heavy dark circles. A massive gourd, seemingly formed of sand, was strapped to his back.
Behind him stood a man and a woman. They quickly followed his lead, bowing respectfully in greeting.
Both appeared to be teenagers. They wore dark outfits with purple markings across their faces, and each carried large, wrapped weapons on their backs.
The girl was strikingly beautiful. Her pale blond hair was braided neatly, and her dark kimono was cinched tightly at the waist by a red sash, outlining her figure.
"According to the records, these three are the children of the previous Kazekage," Tsunade said quietly beside Ryoma.
She continued in a low voice, "The red-haired boy is Gaara. He was chosen by Sunagakure's elders as the Fifth Kazekage. He inherited Rasa's Magnet Release, and his control over sand is exceptionally strong."
She gestured subtly toward the others.
"The boy is his second brother, Kankurō. The girl is their elder sister, Temari."
Ryoma nodded slightly as he listened.
In truth, with his near-prophetic understanding of the ninja world, he already knew the identities of the youths standing before him.
What surprised him, however, was something else.
He had drastically altered the course of this world. History itself had been reshaped under his influence—yet certain people, certain encounters, still seemed to emerge along their original paths.
"It's as if… even the timeline itself has limits," Ryoma thought, a faint trace of contemplation flashing through his eyes.
"Is this… the inertia of fate?"
(End of Chapter)
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