Raiya, who had been quietly waiting on the side, finally looked at Ron and said, "Wake up, my daydreamer. Let's finish dinner."
Ron snapped out of his thoughts, nodded, and replied calmly, "Actually, the chakra restriction is an unnatural phenomenon. It can be resolved. It's a man-made issue."
He paused briefly before continuing, "But problems like that can only be tackled after thorough preparation. Still, Katsuya Sage, your strength should have surpassed the shadow level long ago. Yet unlike Kurama, who is completely restricted by the Sharingan despite possessing power comparable to a super shadow-level ninja, you've never faced that issue, have you?"
Katsuya Sage reflected for a moment before answering. "You're right. I never encountered such a problem. At most, it feels no different from an ordinary genjutsu, something I can break out of easily."
Ron nodded. "Because you extracted chakra yourself."
That single sentence made everyone at the table freeze.
The implications were immense.
While the others were still processing his words, Ron calmly resumed eating, giving them time to think.
Kurama was the first to speak, his voice hesitant. "It was the old man who spread chakra throughout the ninja world… and who also created us."
Katsuya Sage spoke next, slowly. "Now that I think about it, ninjutsu from before the Sage of Six Paths' era used to leave permanent effects on the world like an earth wall made from chakra, and not raised from the earth would exist if the ninja wishes so and would not disappear and become permanent under the user's control, though more costly. Techniques altered the environment itself. But now, once a ninjutsu is released, it simply dissipates. Senjutsu, on the other hand, is more potent and sometimes leaves a lasting influence on nature, like the weather on The Land of Rain, where the Rain deity perished in the hands of the Otsutsuki clan."
She paused. "This… may be tied to the Otsutsuki clan."
Ron listened quietly, then nodded. "Don't worry too much. Thank you for telling me about the past. I've gained a great deal from this discussion. I'll compile these insights into the ninja world's historical records."
He added casually, "I'll need to update the village library after dinner."
Raiya inclined his head respectfully toward Kurama and Katsuya. "Thank you both for sharing this knowledge."
Then he turned to Ron with a smile. "My dear, you may need to give another lecture at the institution. I'm sure many ninjas would attend. You're quite popular, after all."
Ron nodded. "Yeah. It's been a long time since I last gave a lecture."
He looked around the table and continued, "This discussion was extremely informative. It helped confirm many of my theories and research directions."
Then, as if it were an afterthought, he added, "I'll reward you with ten million ryo. Tsunade, you can take them around the village, explore a bit, and enjoy yourselves."
The words landed with the same quiet weight as his earlier revelation, but without a hint of worry, as if this man had thought out everything and was even more excited about the unknown and new things than afraid.
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Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, Ty, everyone!