Inside the meeting room of the Hokage Tower.
"Begin," Sarutobi Hiruzen commanded from his seat at the head of the table, waving his hand.
"Yes."
Upon hearing this, two Anbu ninjas sprang into action. One pulled the curtains shut and dimmed the lights in the room, while the other projected a piece of footage onto the screen mounted in the center of the wall.
At that moment, five people joined Sarutobi Hiruzen in the meeting room: Heiyan, Fugaku, Hiashi, Tsunade, and Sakumo Hatake.
Everyone turned to the big screen, watching the top-secret S-ranked report coming from Kiri.
On the screen, thousands of ninja were shown attacking the Mizukage building. Then an old man with white hair emerged from the building, fighting alone against the thousand-man army—slaughtering countless enemies. Continuous strange Ninjutsu were released, especially the last one, which sucked up massive amounts of rocks and nearly a thousand people high into the air, forming a giant ball over a hundred meters in diameter!
The final frame showed this old man standing proudly as all the Kiri ninjas were completely subdued, kneeling before him like gods.
"Hiss—"
After finishing the video, everyone except Heiyan let out sharp intakes of breath and exchanged glances.
Swish!
Sarutobi Hiruzen shot up from his chair, staring intensely at the solitary, arrogant elder frozen on the screen. His eyes brimmed with shock and disbelief. So overwhelmed by emotion that his muscles tensed, he even snapped the stem of his pipe in his hand with a "Crack!"
"Madara Uchiha?!"
The Third Hokage spoke the name that chilled everyone to the bone, his voice trembling.
There was no mistake about it.
Although the person onscreen had aged with wrinkles and white hair, Sarutobi recognized the unmistakable features of Madara Uchiha—the legendary ninja who once stood equal to the First Hokage.
"Madara Uchiha..."
Tsunade's expression turned razor-sharp upon hearing the name. She instinctively looked toward Heiyan, who nodded back at her confirmation—the Third Hokage hadn't made a mistake in recognizing Madara.
In an instant, painful memories crashed over Tsunade like a wave—her brother Nawaki's death playing over and over in her mind.
Madara Uchiha was the very culprit responsible for killing her little brother, the sworn enemy Tsunade had vowed to avenge.
A life for a life—blood debts must be repaid with blood.
Thinking of this, Tsunade clenched her teeth and fists, her eyes burning with rage and murderous intent.
At this moment, seeing the right timing had come, Heiyan stood up and gave them the full picture.
"It seems Nagare, who appeared at the Valley of the End a year ago, was actually Madara's clone. The recent attacks launched by various factions against Uzugakure were also orchestrated by Madara from behind the scenes. Now, he has suppressed Kiri's rebellion and taken control of the village."
As soon as these words left Heiyan's mouth, Fugaku, Hiashi, and Sakumo quickly pieced things together—they had already fought Madara a year ago.
Never could they have imagined that this legendary ninja had survived until now—and had been secretly opposing Konoha all along...
It took quite some time for everyone present to fully digest the devastatingly shocking information.
Bang!
Tsunade slammed her fist on the table. Even without using Monster Strength, the meeting table nearly fell apart.
"I'm going to kill him," she glared at Madara Uchiha displayed on the screen, speaking each word with deadly seriousness, as if she could instantly teleport to Kiri and finish him off herself.
"Count me in."
Fugaku also stood up, saying firmly. Madara had long betrayed the Uchiha clan, taking away numerous ancient scrolls and the priceless treasure known as the blazing war fan.
These were things Fugaku was determined to retrieve at all costs.
"I'd like to join the fun too." Hiashi Hyuga eagerly chimed in.
Sakumo Hatake remained silent, instead turning his gaze toward Hiruzen Sarutobi. The latter looked at Heiyan, asking, "Heiyan, what do you think?"
Suddenly, everyone's attention focused on Heiyan as they waited for his response.
"Did you guys notice that Madara's eye isn't Mangekyo Sharingan?"
Heiyan pointed at Madara shown on the screen, "If I'm not mistaken, it's the same kind of eye possessed by the legendary Sage of Six Paths. It's called Rinnegan."
"What?!"
This statement immediately shocked everyone present.
They hadn't failed to notice Madara's eyes, but before Heiyan's reminder, none of them had connected it to the Rinnegan.
"The power of Rinnegan is far too overwhelming. Even I wouldn't stand a chance against Madara Uchiha. Therefore, I suggest we carefully plan our next move."
Heiyan added cautiously, hoping to prevent rash actions that might lead to unnecessary deaths.
"Rinnegan..."
Hiruzen frowned deeply. Suddenly, he recalled seeing patterns of such eyes in ancient mythological records. Could the legendary Immortal Sage's Eye really exist?
Fugaku and Hiashi exchanged glances, both clearly showing shock in their eyes.
Because they had already known for a long time that the Uchiha and Hyuga clans descended respectively from the elder and younger sons of the Sage of Six Paths. Madara Uchiha naturally belonged to the lineage of the sages as well—and apparently—was among the most exceptional ones.
The Rinnegan served as solid proof: Madara Uchiha had obtained the same power as the Sage of Six Paths.
Tsunade's face went blank as she slumped back into her seat.
Everyone in the room fully understood how powerful Heiyan was. If even *he* can't beat Madara Uchiha, how powerful must Madara have become with the Rinnegan?!
Realizing this made the atmosphere inside the meeting room suddenly more serious and heavy than ever before.
A dreadful possibility crossed everyone's minds—if Madara launched an attack against Konoha right now, how could they possibly resist? Would they only be able to await death helplessly?
Perceiving the anxiety within the group, Heiyan spoke again to rally morale:
"Don't panic just yet. Though Madara has awakened the Rinnegan, he possesses only one eye, so its ocular power should significantly diminish. Also, considering Madara's age, his physical body and mental stamina might not withstand prolonged intense battles. If we unite against him, even facing Rinnegan, we still stand a fighting chance."
He spoke with unwavering confidence in his voice.
In the original timeline, even after awakening the Rinnegan, Madara Uchiha still survived beneath the earth for twenty years, secretly plotting his moves without ever directly attacking Konoha.
This shows that even with the Rinnegan, the elder Madara, after careful evaluation, still didn't have full confidence to destroy Konoha. Or perhaps even if he succeeded in wiping out Konoha, he himself would definitely perish too—an outcome of mutual destruction.
After all, Madara was no longer young and had been declining from his prime for many years already.
"Heiyan, what would your recommendation be on how we proceed?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi slightly relaxed his furrowed brows and once again sought Heiyan's opinion. In this meeting room, the latter was unquestionably the backbone everyone relied on.
Upon hearing this, Heiyan remained silent for a moment before replying,
"I believe news about Madara Uchiha still being alive must be strictly suppressed to prevent unnecessary panic among villagers. At the same time, we must increase surveillance over Kirigakure and constantly monitor Madara's movements to prepare countermeasures accordingly."
"I propose assembling a tactical unit consisting of myself, Tsunade, Fugaku, and Hiashi. The four of us can focus specifically on developing a series of battle plans targeting Madara Uchiha."
In Heiyan's view, currently within the village, aside from Hiruzen Sarutobi himself, these four were undoubtedly the strongest among all ninjas—and each bore personal grudges against Madara Uchiha.
A four-person team confronting Madara would be most appropriate. Having more people could easily become burdensome.
His suggestion was immediately accepted by everyone in the room.
"Proceed as Heiyan suggested."
Hiruzen Sarutobi made the final decision and turned to Sakumo Hatake. "Sakumo, immediately deploy Anbu personnel into Kirigakure. They must maintain round-the-clock surveillance on the Mizukage building. If anything unusual is detected, intelligence must be sent back immediately."
"Yes."
Sakumo Hatake's expression became solemn, taking no chances as he promptly left to carry out the orders.
Then,
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at everyone else, lingering slightly longer on Heiyan. After clearing his throat, he announced solemnly,
"Starting today, I officially appoint Heiyan as my advisor—the Hokage's advisor."
At those words, everyone present—including Heiyan—fell into a brief silence, caught off guard. After a while, when Tsunade, Fugaku, and Hiashi recovered their senses, they simultaneously displayed delighted expressions, offering their congratulations to Heiyan one after another.
"Hokage-sama, I..."
Heiyan slightly furrowed his eyebrows and instinctively started to decline, since he had always disliked getting involved in the village's complicated administrative affairs.
However, upon a signal from Hiruzen Sarutobi, two Anbu ninja had already stepped forward—one holding a commission scroll and the other carrying a piece of the Hokage's ceremonial sleeve. The two stepped forward respectfully, one on each side, bowing deeply before offering them to him.
"Just take a look first," Hiruzen Sarutobi gestured towards the document.
With no option but to comply, Heiyan accepted the scroll. Upon reading it, he found not only the official appointment as the Hokage's advisor, complete with the seal, but also a detailed outline of the powers granted to his new role.
He could freely access the Kinjutsu Archive, summon Anbu or other ninja units at any time, decide promotions and appointments of ninja within the village, and even use funds from Konoha's treasury...
This authority was practically no different from that of the True Hokage.
At the same time, Uzumaki Heiyan also enjoyed an extraordinary degree of freedom. He wouldn't be burdened by daily affairs and would only need to attend gatherings of the High-Ranking Elders.
One could say that after becoming the Hokage's advisor, Heiyan would enjoy supreme power second only to the Hokage himself, yet without bearing any corresponding obligations.
After finishing reading the letter of appointment, Heiyan lifted his head and noticed Hiruzen Sarutobi watching him closely.
Within the Third Hokage's eyes, there was guilt, gratitude, hope, and sincerity.
No words were needed—they understood each other completely.
Tsunade stepped forward silently, picked up the Hokage Semi-Sleeve, and carefully fastened it onto Heiyan's left arm.
Then, she stepped back to stand beside Fugaku and Hiashi, all three watching Heiyan with hopeful eyes. All of them wished for Uzumaki Heiyan to lead them forward, overcoming every hardship and difficulty on the path ahead toward a better tomorrow.
"I understand everyone's intentions."
Moved by this atmosphere, Heiyan finally stopped resisting. Carefully tucking the letter of appointment into his robes, he bowed deeply to Hiruzen and declared clearly,
"Advisor Uzumaki Heiyan reporting to the Hokage, sir."
"Excellent!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's face lit up with satisfaction. He gently patted Heiyan's shoulder and gave him a few encouraging words, urging him not to feel pressured and simply give his best effort.
Then, waving the broken pipe stem in his hand with a self-deprecating chuckle, he said,
"Ah well, I've always been like this. If I go a while without smoking, my whole body feels uncomfortable. You young folks can continue your discussion—I'll leave you alone."
With those final words, he quickly exited the meeting room, almost as if afraid Heiyan might change his mind again.
"Perfect. Let's use this meeting room to watch the footage several more times, analyze Rinnegan's abilities thoroughly, and see if we can develop some countermeasures."
Uzumaki Heiyan said this to Tsunade, Fugaku, and Hiashi, grabbed the projector remote, and pressed the replay button.
"Alright."
The three nodded together, instantly slipping back into focus, their expressions turning serious once more.
...
After exiting the meeting room, Hiruzen made his way straight to the Hokage Office.
He pulled out a new pipe from the drawer, leaned back in his chair, and began puffing away contentedly.
"Hiruzen."
Not long afterward, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado rushed inside anxiously, immediately confronting him with questions,
"Did you really think this through carefully before appointing Heiyan as Hokage advisor? Wasn't it too hasty?"
"Heiyan is far too young and lacks experience—he may not be suitable for such an important position."
Deep worry filled both of their faces.
They never doubted Heiyan's strength, but entering village leadership meant every order he issued could affect thousands—perhaps even millions—of lives. Physical might alone was nowhere near enough—what one truly needed was wisdom, experience, knowledge, and deep insight.
"You don't need to say anything else," Hiruzen replied calmly. "I believe in Heiyan."
Hiruzen Sarutobi put down his pipe and said firmly.
Moreover, he revealed an even more startling decision to his two friends. "I plan to step down within the next couple of years and let Heiyan become The Fourth Hokage."
"What?!"
Koharu and En were both shocked. They then earnestly urged Hiruzen to reconsider carefully—how could the choice of Hokage be taken lightly?
"Sigh. You still don't understand at all. The biggest problem now isn't whether I allow Heiyan to take over, but whether he's even willing to replace me in the first place."
Hiruzen sighed deeply as he spoke. "Earlier, I used the opportunity when everyone was present to announce Heiyan's appointment suddenly. He only refrained from refusing outright to save face for me, the Hokage."
After hearing this, the two looked at each other in silence. Those who had long held power and been accustomed to giving orders truly couldn't understand how someone might not desire authority at all.
Ten minutes later.
Another announcement was issued from the Hokage's office to the entire village.
The notice stated that the village hero, Uzumaki Heiyan, had already awakened from his coma and was in excellent physical condition. Additionally, due to the sudden illness and retirement of the former Hokage advisor, Danzo Shimura, after internal discussions among the village elders, it was decided to appoint Heiyan as the new advisor to the Hokage (a role equivalent to second-in-command of the village). Hiruzen himself personally bestowed a Semi-Sleeve of the Hokage upon him, honoring Heiyan's outstanding contributions during the battle in Uzugakure (the Village Hidden in the Whirling Tides).
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