Ryoma blinked several times, realizing with a frown that he couldn't deactivate his Rinnegan.
"What…?"
Even after canceling the use of the Uchiha Madara character card, the Rinnegan still remained in his eyes.
"System, what the hell is going on here?!"
"The Rinnegan is superior to the Sharingan. But if the Sharingan can be deactivated at will, why can't the Rinnegan be closed?"
[That is precisely because it's more advanced.]
"The Sharingan is awakened when members of the Uchiha clan experience intense emotions — grief, rage, despair — which stimulate their chakra and temporarily alter the eyes. When the user's chakra returns to normal, the Sharingan can be deactivated since the mutation isn't permanent."
"But the Rinnegan is different," the system continued.
"It is the ultimate evolution — the power of the Sage of Six Paths himself. To awaken it, one must possess an immense level of power that ordinary people can't even hope to obtain, much less sustain. Once awakened, it fuses completely with the user's being — an irreversible transformation. Unlike the Sharingan's temporary mutation, the Rinnegan represents a complete and permanent evolution."
"The Sharingan can be retracted, yes — but at the cost of immense strain, even blindness, if overused. That limitation doesn't exist for the Rinnegan… because its transformation is absolute."
Ryoma sighed helplessly after listening to the explanation.
"…Fine. That does make sense."
The system's reasoning was hard to argue with.
It seemed that once you gained the Rinnegan, there was no going back.
"Lord Ryoma?"
Several Anbu appeared nearby. When they caught sight of his eyes, their expressions froze.
Ryoma noticed their wary stares and sighed inwardly. Of course they'd be shocked — anyone would be, seeing such eyes up close.
"Relax, it's still me," Ryoma said, forcing a small smile. "I don't know how, but… I seem to have awakened a new dōjutsu."
He didn't bother explaining further — there was no way to make them understand anyway.
When he returned home, even Uzumaki Mito was momentarily stunned by the sight of his eyes.
Having lived since the Warring States Period, she immediately recognized the power before her.
After a long silence, she spoke solemnly.
"Ryoma… do you know what these eyes are?"
Ryoma feigned confusion. "Grandma Mito, you do?"
Mito's expression grew reverent.
"These are the Rinnegan — the Eyes of Reincarnation! The same eyes once possessed by the Sage of Six Paths himself! This means… you are his inheritor!"
Her voice trembled with excitement.
"This is destiny itself! Konoha truly is the village of fate — and you, as Hokage, are a man chosen by the heavens!"
Kushina, standing beside her, looked between the two in disbelief.
"Grandma Mito, isn't Ryoma supposed to be descended from the First Hokage? How could he possibly…"
Uzumaki Mito explained patiently,
"Kushina, the truth is that both the Senju and Uzumaki clans are descended from the lineage of the Sage of Six Paths."
"Really? The Sage of Six Paths… the legendary founder of all ninjutsu?"
Kushina's eyes widened in awe.
As the realization sank in, she turned to look at Ryoma, her gaze glittering with excitement — and a mischievous thought crossed her mind.
If I have a child with him… would our baby inherit the Rinnegan too?
Her cheeks flushed red at the idea.
The more she thought about it, the more her heart raced — and the stronger her desire grew to give Ryoma a child.
But there was one small problem… Ryoma was too strong. She could never seem to keep up with him; it was always her who ended up being overwhelmed.
Before she could dwell on that thought, there was a knock at the door.
The retired Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had arrived.
Though no longer Hokage, his reputation and influence still carried great weight throughout Konoha.
He had heard that something had happened to Ryoma's eyes — and when he saw them for himself, he nearly stumbled back in shock.
"Th-This is… the Rinnegan…! The eyes of the Sage of Six Paths!"
Uzumaki Mito nodded solemnly beside him.
"Yes. The eyes of reincarnation — a true mark of the Sage's lineage."
Hiruzen examined the eyes closely, his expression growing increasingly serious.
There was no mistaking it — Ryoma now bore the Rinnegan, the power of the divine bloodline itself.
"This confirms it," Hiruzen muttered. "The blood of the Sage flows through him…"
Mito looked to the elder Hokage and asked quietly,
"Hiruzen, should we make this public?"
Hiruzen sighed, his brow furrowed.
"If word spreads too quickly, won't it draw too much attention? Perhaps it's best to be cautious…"
Ryoma crossed his arms. "If I hide it, wouldn't that make me look guilty? I'm the Hokage — not a coward sneaking around in the shadows."
Hiruzen hesitated, then nodded. "You're right. And with the Five Kage Summit about to begin… once they see your eyes, the other villages will have no choice but to take Konoha seriously."
That night, beneath the pale glow of the moon, Ryoma had just returned to his room when Kushina suddenly hugged him from behind.
She was unusually bold tonight.
Her earlier thoughts about their child still burned brightly in her mind — a child who might be born with the Rinnegan.
For the next five days, Ryoma could only shake his head helplessly.
Kushina was getting more and more relentless… and stronger too.
Finally, the day of the Five Kage Summit arrived.
Hatake Sakumo and Namikaze Minato, the two strongest shinobi under Ryoma's command, had returned to Konoha and now stood at his side.
Along with them were eighteen elite Anbu, and a full battalion of Konoha forces ready to deploy if needed.
Ryoma himself thought such a grand escort was unnecessary — after all, there was no one in the shinobi world who could truly threaten him.
But Hiruzen had insisted, reminding him how the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, had once been ambushed and gravely wounded during peace talks with Kumogakure.
Reluctantly, Ryoma agreed.
By now, the fusion rate of his Senju Hashirama character card had reached 20%, and he could feel his power deepening every day.
When Ryoma and his delegation arrived at Amegakure, the neutral ground chosen for the summit, the atmosphere grew tense.
The Iwagakure representative, Kurotsuchi's father, the Loess, had been skeptical at first.
But when he caught sight of Ryoma's eyes — those rippling circles of power — his confidence evaporated on the spot.
The very sight of the Rinnegan made the air heavy.
Even the other four Kage — the Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki, the Fourth Mizukage, the Fourth Kazekage, and the Fourth Raikage — all froze in disbelief.
"This… this can't be real," muttered the Mizukage.
Ōnoki, the eldest and most experienced among them, immediately understood what he was seeing.
The Rinnegan… the true inheritance of the Sage of Six Paths himself…
His face hardened. There was no doubt — Konoha had just become invincible.
Even his own son, Loess, looked powerless before Ryoma's gaze.
When the Five Kage Summit officially began, Ryoma didn't waste time with niceties. He stood tall, his voice calm but commanding.
"Konoha will take the lead in unifying the shinobi world," he declared.
"From now on, every major and minor village will establish a Konoha Supervision Branch — an official division that will oversee your villages' operations and maintain peace."
The room erupted instantly.
"Fourth Hokage, that's outrageous!"
"You can't be serious!"
"We'll never accept this!"
Their anger filled the hall — but not one of them dared to meet Ryoma's gaze directly.
Ryoma's voice was calm as he met the furious glares of the other Kage. "Think carefully, Fourth Tsuchikage. If Konoha doesn't take a leadership role, the old way of doing things will only keep the shinobi world fractured."
He smiled, but there was steel under that smile. "I won't waste time on empty speeches. This is Konoha's decision. If anyone refuses to cooperate, we'll give them war."
A stunned silence fell over the hall.
Ryoma's words carried more force than most realized. Despite Konoha's looming authority, many villages still bristled at the idea of outside supervision.
"Let me make it clear," Ryoma continued, voice steady, "whoever refuses to fall in line, I will go to them personally and settle it. Start here and now."
"The Land of Rain — Amegakure — used to be a battleground. I never took the village by force because every shinobi country deserves its own rule. Our approach now is respectful: a Konoha Supervision Branch is oversight, not occupation. Stay within your rights and there's nothing to fear."
He signaled, and Bofeng Shuimen stepped forward carrying a stack of documents. Ryoma threw the papers toward the other Kage.
"Read them. If you agree, sign."
When Loess — still pale from the shock of Ryoma's Rinnegan — heard the proposal, his face darkened. Though shaken by those eyes, his pride flared.
"Ryoma," he snapped, "you are merely the Hokage — the leader of Konoha. By what right do you command us?"
Ryoma lifted his chin and met Loess's challenge with a cold, unblinking stare. The Rinnegan in his eyes made his next words land like a hammer. "What right? My strength is my right."
Before anyone could intervene, Onoki's hand flashed. He struck Loess across the face.
Loess flew backward, landing hard and spitting blood as his teeth rattled. He staggered to his feet, clutching his mouth, horror overtaking his dignity.
Onoki's expression had hardened to stone. He looked Ryoma in the eye. "Ryoma, you are challenging Konoha's Will of Fire with this. Are you trying to overturn the legacy of Hashirama and Tobirama?"
Ryoma's reply was blunt and final. "Don't waste words. Obey—or die. You may choose only one."
The hall held its breath.
...
TN:
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