Early morning.
Tsunade's eyelashes fluttered, and she soon opened her eyes.
She looked at Hanekawa in her arms, her body trembling slightly, her face filled with confusion.
A few seconds later, she remembered what had happened last night.
Tsunade couldn't help but pout.
Was this brat doing it on purpose, or was it an accident?
Really... shameless.
As Tsunade came to her senses, she noticed that Hanekawa was being quite unruly.
Not only was his face buried in her chest, but his hands were also tightly wrapped around her waist.
Tsunade snorted coldly, lifted her foot, and kicked him away.
"What happened?"
Hanekawa, having lost his soft pillow, suddenly woke up.
Looking at Tsunade's stern face, he felt a sense of déjà vu.
There had been a time before when he woke up to being kicked to the edge of the bed.
Damn it!
Hanekawa thought back and felt a deep sense of regret.
How had he missed another opportunity?
"Get out," Tsunade stood up and said, "I need to change."
Today was the Hokage inauguration ceremony, and she had to wear the Hokage robe.
"Yes, sensei," Hanekawa got out of bed and left the room.
The door closed.
Tsunade subconsciously let out a sigh of relief.
She patted her chest, and her fluctuating emotions gradually settled.
After breakfast, Hanekawa and Tsunade arrived at the Hokage building.
Although the Hokage inauguration ceremony was scheduled to start at 9 a.m., many shinobi and villagers had already arrived early.
This made the square in front of the Hokage building bustling and lively.
"Lady Hokage, Lord Hanekawa," Haru approached and said straightforwardly, "Lord Jiraiya is waiting for you in the Hokage's office."
"He actually came back?" Tsunade was somewhat surprised.
Hanekawa raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
Jiraiya posed no threat. Even if he gave up on the Child of Prophecy now, it was already too late.
Moreover, he wouldn't give up on the Child of Prophecy.
"Congratulations, Tsunade," Jiraiya quickly stood up from the couch when he saw Tsunade.
"Thank you," Tsunade glanced at him and walked over to sit at the Hokage's desk.
"Uncle Jiraiya," Hanekawa greeted him and silently stood behind Tsunade, as if he were her Hokage guard.
"I never thought I'd see you wearing this robe one day," Jiraiya said with a sigh.
"Neither did I," Tsunade looked down at the white Hokage robe and couldn't help but lose herself in thought.
She thought carefully and realized that Hanekawa was entirely responsible for her becoming Hokage.
From a very early time, this brat had been nagging her, hoping she would become Hokage.
Now, his wish had come true.
"It's a shame about Orochimaru," Jiraiya shook his head. "Today was supposed to be a reunion for the three of us."
Orochimaru had been placed under house arrest by Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Of course, if he really wanted to leave, no one would stop him.
Orochimaru simply didn't want to come.
After all, he was the loser in the Hokage race.
"He made a mistake and deserves to be punished," Tsunade said calmly.
"Yeah," Jiraiya looked around and asked in confusion, "Why isn't the old man here?"
"It's still early," Tsunade chuckled. "And he's probably still upset that I killed Danzo."
Danzo was killed by Hanekawa.
But everyone assumed it was on Tsunade's orders.
She didn't mind taking the blame.
"But I have to say, Danzo deserved it!" Jiraiya gave a thumbs-up.
Hanekawa couldn't help but snicker that Danzo was truly disliked by everyone.
Aside from Hiruzen, no one seemed to care about his death.
"He brought it upon himself; no one else is to blame," Jiraiya looked at Hanekawa. "Your student is truly remarkable, accomplishing something I've always wanted to do."
He was referring to killing Danzo.
"After all, he's my student," Tsunade's lips curled slightly, her heart filled with pride.
"With Hanekawa around, it'll be hard for Minato to become Hokage," Jiraiya said with some regret.
He knew Minato had always wanted to be Hokage.
But now, he couldn't compete with Hanekawa.
"For Minato, he's found something more important than being Hokage," Tsunade glanced at Jiraiya. "Did you know Minato and Kushina are getting married next month?"
"What?" Jiraiya looked surprised.
He had rushed to the Hokage's office as soon as he returned and hadn't seen Minato yet, so he genuinely didn't know.
Thankfully, Tsunade mentioned it.
Otherwise, he would have left after the inauguration ceremony and might have missed Minato's wedding.
"You're really not a responsible teacher," Tsunade said bluntly.
Jiraiya laughed awkwardly.
"I'm thinking of removing Koharu and Homura from their positions as Hokage advisors. What do you think?" Tsunade asked after some thought.
"You certainly have guts," Jiraiya was momentarily stunned, then praised her.
"Then would you like to be a Hokage advisor?" Tsunade asked again.
"I can't stay in Konoha for long periods," Jiraiya shook his head.
Although Tsunade had expected this, she still felt deeply disappointed.
Removing Koharu and Homura as Hokage advisors would undoubtedly face opposition.
They had deep roots in Konoha and considerable influence.
The only solution was to have new Hokage advisors who weren't afraid of them, or even could suppress them.
Jiraiya was undoubtedly one of the best candidates.
Orochimaru was also suitable, but his involvement in the Wood Release experiments disqualified him.
"For Hokage advisor, you could choose Sakumo Hatake," Jiraiya sighed and suggested.
"My original idea was you and him," Tsunade regained her composure. "Since you're unwilling, we'll go with him for now."
"Minato is strong enough, just a bit young," Jiraiya couldn't help but fall into thought.
There were indeed very few shinobi qualified to be Hokage advisors.
Hiashi Hyuga and Fugaku Uchiha were qualified, but as clan leaders, becoming Hokage advisors might lead to conflicts of interest.
"If all else fails, you could have the old man be a Hokage advisor," Jiraiya suddenly had an idea.
"No need," Tsunade refused without hesitation.
"It seems you already have a plan," Jiraiya paused. "If you run into any problems, you can let me know."
"I have Hanekawa; that's enough," Tsunade glanced at Hanekawa and said bluntly. "If he can't solve it, neither can you."
"..."
Jiraiya wanted to argue but couldn't.
Hanekawa had defeated the Two-Tails, Eight-Tails, and the Fourth Raikage, and he possessed Wood Release.
In terms of strength alone, he had already surpassed Jiraiya.
Even with Sage Mode, Jiraiya probably wasn't a match.
Strength reigns supreme.
With Hanekawa as her student, Tsunade was indeed invincible in Konoha.
No matter how much Koharu and Homura stirred up trouble, it would be futile.
But... Jiraiya felt a complex mix of emotions.
At some point, Hanekawa had become the most important person in Tsunade's heart.
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
"Lady Hokage," Haru pushed the door open. "The daimyo and the Third Hokage have arrived."
"Let's go," Tsunade stood up.
As the Hokage, she naturally had to greet the Land of Fire's daimyo.
By 9 a.m., the square outside the Hokage building was packed with people.
Shinobi stood in orderly rows at the front, while villagers gathered at the back to watch.
Many vendors had set up stalls selling snacks and drinks.
"Something feels missing," Asuma Sarutobi said, stroking his chin.
"It's Hanekawa-senpai," Shisui Uchiha reminded him.
"You're right!" Asuma clapped his hands.
"Hanekawa is the Hokage's assistant now, so he doesn't need to stand with us," Kurenai Yuhi explained.
With Hanekawa absent, she seemed less enthusiastic.
"Hanekawa is also in charge of ANBU, and today is the Hokage inauguration ceremony. He's probably very busy," Rin Nohara said softly.
"Hanekawa didn't come home last night," Kurenai sighed.
"Hanekawa is really working hard," Kakashi Hatake shook his head.
As far as he was concerned, he would never become a Hokage assistant.
He'd rather spend the time practicing his sword skills and improving his strength.
"I almost forgot something," Kakashi added. "Minato-sensei asked me to tell you all to attend his wedding on October 10th."
"Wedding?" Kurenai was momentarily stunned.
"With Kushina-nee?" Rin looked at Kakashi.
"Yes," Kakashi nodded.
"This will be my first time attending a wedding!" Kurenai said excitedly.
"Mine too," Rin agreed.
"Do we need to bring gifts?" Might Guy scratched his head.
"Yes, we do," Shizune couldn't help but start thinking.
As everyone pondered this, the surrounding noise suddenly died down.
They instinctively looked up and saw four figures appear on the roof of the Hokage building.
In the center was the Land of Fire's daimyo, with Hiruzen Sarutobi on the left, Tsunade on the right, and Hanekawa behind them.
Hiashi Hyuga and Fugaku Uchiha were somewhat surprised to see Hanekawa.
The first part of the Hokage inauguration ceremony was the passing of the Hokage hat.
Hiruzen would hand it to the daimyo, who would then give it to Tsunade.
In other words, aside from these three, there shouldn't be a fourth person.
Even Koharu, Jiraiya, and Sakumo Hatake hadn't followed them.
Hiashi and Fugaku now understood Hanekawa's status in Konoha even more.
The crowd in the square fell silent.
The Hokage inauguration ceremony officially began.
Tsunade took the Hokage hat from the daimyo and placed it on her head.
She glanced at Hiruzen and took a few steps forward.
The second part of the ceremony was the new Hokage's speech.
As Hanekawa listened, his eyes scanned the crowd.
He suddenly raised an eyebrow.
At the edge of the square, he spotted two unexpected figures: Orochimaru and Anko Mitarashi.
Hanekawa thought for a moment.
It seemed Orochimaru hadn't become as cold and ruthless as in the original story.
Perhaps it was time to discuss cooperation with him.
Since this was her first speech as Hokage, Tsunade took the opportunity to say a few extra words.
By 11 a.m., the Hokage inauguration ceremony concluded amidst applause.
Konoha officially welcomed its Fourth Hokage: Tsunade.
---
Uchiha Clan Compound.
After attending the Hokage inauguration ceremony, Fugaku Uchiha returned home.
"Father," Itachi Uchiha greeted him.
"Practicing Fire Release jutsu?" Fugaku sensed the lingering Fire Release chakra in the air.
"Yes," Itachi replied. "I've mastered the Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Jutsu."
"That's my son!" Fugaku couldn't help but smile.
Most shinobi at four years old couldn't even perform Fire Release jutsu, let alone refine chakra.
"It's a shame," Fugaku thought of Hanekawa and sighed.
If Itachi could become Hanekawa's student, he might have a chance to compete for the Hokage position.
"Father..." Itachi was about to ask when a young shinobi hurried over.
"Clan leader," the young shinobi bowed slightly. "Lord Hanekawa is here to visit."
"Itachi, come with me to greet him," Fugaku was surprised but quickly composed himself.
"Yes, Father," Itachi quickly agreed.
"Hanekawa," Fugaku stepped forward and greeted him.
"Hanekawa-nii-san," Itachi said politely.
"Uncle Fugaku," Hanekawa smiled. "Where's Aunt Mikoto?"
"You're looking for Mikoto?" Fugaku was surprised.
"I'm here to meet my future student," Hanekawa explained.
"You mean...?" Fugaku's heart stirred, and he couldn't help but ask.
"I plan to take your second child as my student," Hanekawa said directly.
Fugaku's face lit up with joy.
Although it was a pity that Itachi couldn't become Hanekawa's student, having his younger sibling as Hanekawa's student was just as good.
After all, they were both Fugaku's children.
This meant the Uchiha clan's main family would finally have a shinobi aligned with the Hokage.
Previous Uchiha like Kagami, Shisui, and Obito were from branch families, not the main family.
"Additionally, I bring a message from my sensei," Hanekawa said slowly. "Your child will have the opportunity to compete for the Hokage position, and as his teacher, I will support him."
"Really?" Fugaku was stunned, his eyes widening.
"Uncle Fugaku, do you doubt my sensei's and my credibility?" Hanekawa countered.
"Of course not!" Fugaku said excitedly.
Given Tsunade and Hanekawa's strength, status, and reputation, there was no reason for them to lie.
The Uchiha clan had finally been given an unprecedented opportunity!
Their greatest enemy, Danzo, was dead, and the new Hokage, Tsunade, had shown them great goodwill.
Most importantly, there was Hanekawa.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he would become the Fifth Hokage.
With his support, the Sixth Hokage position would undoubtedly go to the Uchiha clan.
If they missed this chance, Fugaku felt he would regret it for the rest of his life.
___
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