Amidst the gazes of expectation and respect, the one who stepped onto the podium was not the acting Hokage, but a familiar, aged figure.
Sarutobi Hiruzen.
His speech was the same as always, preaching the so-called Will of Fire.
This rhetoric had long grown stale—not only had the parents present heard it countless times, but even their parents before them must have listened to it many times over.
Nara Shikaku and the others were puzzled. They couldn't understand what their acting Hokage was busy with this time.
As for Takeshi, who was on the minds of many, he was currently seated in the Hokage's office, meeting with the envoy sent from the Daimyō's mansion, under the protection Aburame Tatsuma.
"Without the Daimyō's approval, Kumogakure arbitrarily abolished the Fourth Raikage and established a so-called Ninja Committee. This has already been declared illegal. To defend the rights of the nobility, and also the authority of the Daimyō's mansion, we demand that Konohagakure immediately launch a punitive expedition against Kumogakure."
The envoy from the Daimyō spoke in an impassioned tone, spraying denunciations of Kumogakure's Ninja Committee, to the point that spit nearly splashed onto others' faces.
"I understand the matter, but I am only acting Hokage of Konohagakure. As for declaring war, I still need to consult with the advisors."
Takeshi offered a dignified excuse.
Yet, to the envoy, this excuse sounded utterly laughable.
The Daimyō's mansion, in close contact with Mitokado Homura and Koharu, already knew well that Takeshi had used the Ministry of Internal Affairs to slip out of the advisors' control. In effect, he was the true Hokage in power.
If not for the repeated evasions by the Nara clan and Sarutobi Hiruzen, they would have already deposed this little brat in front of them.
But now...
Recalling Sakumo's half-dead state, the envoy sighed inwardly.
Before meeting Takeshi, he had gone to the hospital to visit Sakumo, only to find that his condition was indeed dire—he was in no state to fulfill the duties of Hokage.
Remembering the Daimyō's instructions before departure, the envoy, however reluctant, had no choice but to compromise at this moment.
"Acting Hokage-sama, you have been handling affairs for a year now. The Daimyō has already recognized you as the Fifth Hokage."
An exchange of interests.
The title of Hokage in return for Takeshi's punitive expedition against Kumogakure.
The whole shinobi world knew full well how much damage Takeshi had once inflicted on Kumogakure.
"I see. Since the Daimyō's mansion has entrusted me with such a heavy responsibility, I naturally will not stand by and let Kumogakure run rampant. I will immediately convene a council, issue a statement, and formally declare a punitive expedition against Kumogakure."
Hearing his position as Hokage confirmed, Takeshi readily agreed to the Daimyō's request.
The envoy also breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that at last he had completed the task entrusted to him by the Daimyō, feeling much lighter all over.
"In that case, the Daimyō's mansion awaits news of your victory. Due to the special nature of the current situation, the Daimyō has specially instructed that you need not come to the mansion for an audience."
Having said this, the envoy produced the already-prepared appointment decree, placed it on the desk, and, without a word of farewell, quickly rose and hurried out of the office.
...
After the entrance ceremony ended, Konohagakure's current leadership gathered together for the first time in quite a while.
Aside from the Konoha Elders, the clan heads of the Ino-Shika-Chō trio, who had been heavily trusted in Sakumo's time, as well as Fugaku and Hizashi, also appeared before Takeshi.
As one of Takeshi's most trusted confidants, Aburame Tatsuma, who oversaw the Ministry of Internal Affairs, naturally did not miss this meeting.
After passing around the Daimyō's decree and offering congratulations to Takeshi—some genuine, some perfunctory—their focus turned to the Daimyō's demands.
For Konoha at present, a punitive expedition against Kumogakure was not particularly difficult.
Both Fugaku and Hizashi were eager to take on the role of supreme commander of this battle.
But Takeshi did not agree to either, instead turning his gaze toward his own father.
Sensing his blockhead son's stare, Danzō, though puzzled, kept his expression steady and took the initiative to volunteer.
"Then I'll be troubling Advisor Danzō with this."
Takeshi smiled and nodded. The others, seeing Takeshi's intent, raised no objections.
Very soon, Konoha issued a declaration, stating that they would answer the call of the Daimyō of the Land of Lightning and dispatch troops to punish Kumogakure.
A great force, under Danzō's command, marched out grandly from Konoha.
According to past custom, when shinobi went on campaign, they avoided passing through lands controlled by nobles, instead taking byways or deserted routes to the front lines.
But this time, Danzō chose to set out along the Fire Country's official highways, with the shinobi not concealing themselves at all, but marching in formation through every town.
Normally, the nobles would have been furious at such disrespect, but now, as if sensing some dreadful aura, they fell silent, not daring to utter a word against Danzō's blatant offense.
Just as the shinobi world's attention centered on Kumogakure, Rasa began imitating Danzō's methods of years past.
Many nobles died mysteriously in their own territories, yet the investigation reports all claimed they just happened to be caught in sandstorms, their mouths and noses blocked by sand, and, coincidentally, suffocated indoors.
Fortunately, apart from the nobles, none of the commoners in those areas were affected by the sandstorms. Even the noble ladies' pet dogs were all alive and kicking.
Massive amounts of wealth poured into Sunagakure's coffers. Seeing that in just one month they had plundered as much as they would normally gain from a year of digging for gold dust, Rasa, while overjoyed, also felt regret at how he had acted before.
The Daimyō of the Wind Country was the most cautious toward shinobi among the five great Daimyō. The moment the incidents began, he realized something was wrong.
Seeing through Rasa's intent to emulate Kumogakure and rebel against the rule of nobles, he immediately dispatched his samurai and shinobi to seize the passes and key routes before Rasa could.
But Rasa was clearly one step ahead.
The samurai in charge of guarding Sunagakure's largest checkpoint had "accidentally drowned while bathing." The passing Sunagakure shinobi, unwilling to see the Land of Wind exposed to foreign invasion, resolutely took over the defense.
...
The shifts in the shinobi world did not escape Yōwan's notice.
After Madara's death, as he wandered the shinobi world, he too realized how obstructive the nobles were. He had intended to hide it from Setsuna and fulfill his ambitions quietly, but unexpectedly, the villages began their reforms before he did.
He did not agree with Madara's talk of a dreamlike world. In Yōwan's eyes, illusions were illusions—no matter how beautiful, they were but dreams.
Only fools would pin their hopes on Infinite Tsukuyomi. As for the so-called Uchiha Madara, he was nothing remarkable.
Of course, Yōwan was also aware of the vast gap in power between himself and Madara, and he knew that all sorts of "Zetsu" around him were merely Madara's planted contingencies.
Until he had absolute certainty, he would never reveal his true thoughts.
Yōwan began taking stock of his own cards.
The Akatsuki members were loyal to him. Setsuna's dōjutsu he had already mostly understood.
The Rinnegan was currently on the corpse of that Uzumaki woman, being used to control the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
Turning his gaze toward where the Demonic Statue stood, Yōwan reached up and touched the mask on his face.
"It's about time to act..."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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