Uchiha Ren did not keep them in suspense and spoke directly.
"Taking advantage of this war, we have already completely taken control of the Land of Waves. At the same time, Shisui should already be at the daimyō's residence by now."
Minato Namikaze and the others were stunned for a moment before excitement quickly spread across their faces.
Suppressing the surging emotions in his heart, Minato asked in a trembling voice,
"Does that mean… the reforms are going to begin ahead of schedule?"
According to their original plan, everything would only begin after Minato became the Fourth Hokage of Konohagakure and gained control of the village's core authority.
But judging from Ren's tone, something must have happened on the Kirigakure front that forced him to alter their carefully prepared plan.
Ren nodded.
"Plans can't keep up with changes. On the frontlines, I encountered someone."
"Who?" Minato asked.
He was genuinely curious—what kind of person could make Ren change a plan that had been prepared for so long?
"Kado," Ren replied.
Minato froze for a moment and searched through his memories, but the name meant nothing to him.
Seeing this, Ren smiled and explained,
"Don't bother trying to remember. Kado isn't a shinobi—he's a businessman."
"He's the president of the largest maritime shipping company in the shinobi world."
Minato immediately understood.
He rarely paid attention to matters unrelated to shinobi, so it was perfectly normal that he had never heard of Kado.
In fact, most shinobi in this world barely paid attention to ordinary civilians at all.
Shaking his head slightly, Ren continued,
"Kado is one of the richest men in the world. His company has practically monopolized global maritime shipping. You could say he's wealthy enough to rival an entire nation."
"This time he happened to be smuggling a shipment of weapons into the Land of Water, and we ran into him by chance."
"Otherwise, finding him wouldn't have been easy."
Minato's eyes flickered with realization.
"Ren… from the sound of it, you've already brought Kado and his assets under your control?"
"That's right."
Ren nodded.
"Controlling Kado means we now possess a continuous and reliable source of wealth."
"With sufficient financial backing, many of our problems will solve themselves."
"And we finally have the confidence to begin the reforms."
Minato fell silent, carefully weighing the advantages and risks of the situation.
At that moment, Akimichi Dōdō frowned and spoke up.
"Ren… shinobi taking action against civilians… that doesn't seem to follow the rules."
Within the shinobi world, there existed an unwritten rule:
Shinobi should not attack ordinary civilians without cause.
Of course, "ordinary civilians" in this context usually referred to people of high status—such as the daimyō of the Five Great Nations, royal families, and aristocrats.
No one knew exactly when this rule first appeared, but up to the present day, the official shinobi forces of every nation followed it with unspoken understanding.
"Rules?" Ren chuckled softly and looked at Dōdō.
"Dōdō, rules are dead—people are alive."
"Don't forget what our ultimate goal is."
Dōdō's expression stiffened, and he blurted out instinctively,
"To completely change this world."
Since the birth of shinobi thousands of years ago, conflict between them had never truly ceased.
From the chaotic Warring States Period, when various ninja clans fought endless battles, to the current era of large-scale wars between shinobi villages…
This world had almost never known true peace.
After generations of constant warfare, more and more people had begun to despise war.
Even the figures who would later become the ultimate antagonists of this world were, in their own ways, pursuing something called peace.
That alone showed just how deeply this world loathed war.
And it was precisely this ideal that Ren had used to gather a group of like-minded companions around him.
Looking at Akimichi Dōdō, Ren spoke solemnly,
"But if we want to change this world, changing the shinobi alone isn't enough."
"How many shinobi are there in the entire world?"
"Even if we count generously, there are probably no more than two hundred thousand."
"But how many people exist in this world altogether?"
"That number must be counted in the hundreds of millions."
"In other words, shinobi make up less than one ten-thousandth of the total population."
Through a series of questions and answers, Ren began explaining the fundamental structure of the world from a perspective Dōdō and the others had never considered before.
"In the beginning, shinobi simply accepted commissions and carried out missions."
"But because of their overwhelming combat ability, hiring a single genin was often more cost-effective than hiring ten samurai."
"Gradually, shinobi came to be called tools… mission machines."
"And over time, shinobi themselves became the primary ignition point of conflicts throughout the world."
"From ancient times until today, every conflict between shinobi has essentially been an extension of struggles between their employers."
"So if we truly want to stop war and change this world…"
"Targeting shinobi alone is useless."
"If the root cause isn't changed, war will never disappear."
Ren's expression grew increasingly serious.
"I know the path ahead is full of thorns."
"And whether we can reach the end… no one can say for certain."
"But whether in the past, the present, or the future, there will always be people who pursue peace and reform."
"The choices of one generation shape the next."
"Rather than leaving all these problems for our descendants…"
"I would rather have one generation endure the suffering of three generations, fight the wars of three generations…"
"…and carve out a path to the heavens for those who come after us."
As Ren spoke, the expressions of Akimichi Dōdō and the others slowly changed.
Their earlier silence and confusion gradually turned into firm determination.
Minato Namikaze's eyes burned like two blazing torches.
In the past, Minato—deeply influenced by his teacher Jiraiya—had believed somewhat in ideas like fate and destiny.
When faced with problems that seemed unsolvable, he might subconsciously leave them for future generations.
But now, under Ren's influence, Minato felt something different.
In this world, there were no problems that couldn't be solved.
No obstacles that couldn't be overcome.
Even if they ultimately failed, their attempt would at least show future generations one road that did not work, adding to the experience needed for success.
That was the responsibility and duty of those who came before.
Akimichi Dōdō spoke in his deep voice.
"Ren… you see much farther than the rest of us."
Minato nodded sincerely.
"Ren… honestly, you are even more suitable to become Hokage than Orochimaru-senpai or me."
Ren smiled and shook his head.
"Whether someone is suited for a position isn't determined by talent alone. Many factors must be considered."
"Besides…"
"Hokage is only the beginning."
"Our path will not stop at Konoha."
"Our destination…"
"…is the sea of stars."