In Kyoto, the capital of the Land of Fire...
Inside a solemn meeting room, the Fire Daimyo sat at the head of the table, gently fanning himself with a fan bearing the Uchiha clan symbol, while half-heartedly listening to the report from Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane on his left.
"So, The Fifth Hokage has already been decided?" The Daimyo's voice was slightly high-pitched.
Although Konoha and the Land of Fire lacked a clearly defined hierarchical structure, the Hokage's appointment still required the Daimyo's formal endorsement in order to secure annual funding—this was more a symbolic gesture of respect than a real requirement.
Naturally, the Daimyo held no actual authority over the succession of the Hokage position.
Homura nodded slightly and said, "Yes. The Fifth Hokage, Fugaku Uchiha, has already passed the Jonin Confidence Vote. We now await your formal endorsement."
Koharu added, "[Murderous Gaze] Fugaku Uchiha is one of Konoha's elite ninja!"
Neither of them attempted to hinder Fugaku. Ever since Hiruzen Sarutobi's death, they had lost their nerve and only desired a peaceful retirement, unwilling to leave behind any trouble for their descendants.
After hearing this, the Daimyo tried to express hesitation. He remarked, "The Third Hokage was still doing quite well..."
Compared to Fugaku, whose nickname immediately sounded fierce and intimidating, the more gentle and compromising Third Hokage better suited his preferences.
"Sorry, but the Third Hokage unfortunately passed away during training not long ago," Homura interrupted.
The Daimyo froze momentarily upon hearing this, then slowly replied, "What a real pity."
They exchanged a few more words before the Daimyo handed the commission document to Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane.
Shortly after Homura and Koharu left, the Daimyo tapped the table lightly. A group of people stepped out from behind the screen partition in the meeting hall.
The first to step forward was the samurai Musashi Tsukahara, wearing a General's Robes. Coldly, he said, "Konoha shows less and less respect these days! Do they think they've come here to seek our endorsement? No—they're simply informing us!"
Then Hongji entered, flanked by Maketu.
Maketu chimed in, "Konoha no longer knows its place anymore!"
Lastly came Danzo, who emerged from behind the screen dressed in a half-black, half-white kimono. Still reeling from the news of the Third's death, he looked somewhat dazed.
Now his hair was partially gray, but his right arm had been replaced by a new prosthetic limb. After recovering from his injuries, some color had returned to his face, restoring his usual sharp and cold demeanor.
Once everyone was seated, the Daimyo calmly spoke up, asking, "So, what are your thoughts about Fugaku Uchiha becoming The Fifth Hokage?"
His tone now no longer sounded weak or high-pitched—it now carried authority and weight.
Musashi Tsukahara spoke first: "The Uchiha Clan is arrogant, warlike, and stubborn. If left unchecked, Konoha might eventually become a great threat to the Land of Fire."
The Daimyo nodded without comment and then turned his gaze to Danzo.
Facing the imposing presence of this so-called supreme leader of the Land of Fire, Danzo couldn't help but admit he had underestimated him previously.
"The death of Hiruzen Sarutobi is highly suspicious—I suspect it was the Uchiha who were responsible."
Hiruzen Sarutobi died during training? Nonsense!
He absolutely refused to believe that his longtime rival and companion, Hiruzen Sarutobi, could perish from such a ridiculous cause!
"The Uchiha and the Third's faction have a deep-seated feud. Once Fugaku Uchiha takes office, he will surely purge the old forces loyal to Hiruzen Sarutobi. At that time, with just a bit of provocation and persuasion, Konoha will certainly explode into conflict."
In his view, once the Uchiha came into power, they would inevitably reveal their ugly faces and thus become targets of hatred for everyone in Konoha.
The Daimyo fanned himself, remained pensive for a while, and then said, "Danzo, since you're so confident, then it shall be your responsibility to visit Konoha."
Danzo nodded and replied, "Perhaps I will need one of your subordinates."
The Daimyo asked, "Who?"
Danzo responded, "Asuma Sarutobi from your Twelve Guardian Ninja!"
After a brief moment of consideration, the Daimyo readily agreed.
Once Danzo left the meeting room, Maketu scoffed, "Daimyo, Danzo's arrogance knows no bounds!"
The Daimyo showed no sign of resentment at all. Since forming an alliance with the First, each generation of Daimyo had understood that until they possessed the strength to destroy Konoha, their greatest asset would remain patience.
He looked toward Honji standing beside his left and asked, "Honji, how is your plan coming along?"
Honji bowed respectfully to the Daimyo and answered, "The rank-and-file soldiers are already ready, but we lack powerful ninja corpses..."
He paused momentarily, continuing, "Kitane, Seitou, Samui, and Naruma possess extraordinary strength. Especially when performing their combined technique [Raimei Raizin], which can wreak heaven-shaking destruction, more than enough to annihilate Konoha.
"At that point, with villagers killed or scattered, deprived of civilian support, Konoha ninjas would either become rogue ninjas or have no choice but to seek refuge under you."
Frowning, the Daimyo muttered, "Kitane and the other three..."
These four used to be among his favorite Guardian Shinobi, and they had certainly been diligent in their duties. The only pity was that they hadn't completely devoted their loyalty to him.
After pondering for quite some time, he closed his eyes and said, "Maketu, you go try to persuade them! If that fails..."
He made a chopping gesture across his neck with his fan.
Hearing this, Maketu eagerly replied, "Understood, My Lord!"
...
Konoha, Hokage Office.
Aozora followed Kyudai into the office and discovered that its interior had been entirely rearranged—it now resembled the layout of Fugaku Uchiha's former office, even including Kyudai's desk and Aozora's chair.
At the sight of the chair, Aozora felt a vague premonition stirring inside.
Towering stacks of paperwork filled the office, some rising several meters high. When Aozora walked in, Fugaku Uchiha was still buried in paperwork. He only lifted his head after Aozora entered the room.
Rubbing his forehead, he said, "Aozora, you're here!"
Then, Fugaku Uchiha pulled out two sheets of paper from the mountain on his desk and handed them to Aozora.
"Jonin Appointment? Hokage Assistant?"
After scanning through the contents of both pages, a knowing expression appeared on Aozora's face.
Though he had a feeling something like this would happen, Aozora still felt both joy and hesitation.
One of these documents was a formal appointment letter exonerating Aozora and promoting him to Jonin status, while the other appointed him as the Hokage's secretary.
Both appointments bore Fugaku's official seal. Although confirmation from the Daimyo had not yet arrived, in practice, these documents were already valid within Konoha.
Honestly, Aozora was still quite happy since this showed Fugaku's attention and care.
But he really didn't wanna work at all!
He'd only retired six months ago—he hadn't even gotten to enjoy it yet!
Seeing Aozora's conflicted expression, Fugaku immediately knew what he was thinking.
With a stern face, he said, "The Hokage's assistant only reports directly to the Hokage and doesn't have to take on many responsibilities."
"Oh—," Aozora said, nodding. "So basically no paperwork?"
Upon hearing this, Fugaku's expression turned darker, but he still nodded.
Hearing Aozora try to dodge the responsibility, Kyudai couldn't help but sigh.
Getting promoted from minister's assistant to Hokage's assistant should've been good news, but the thought of still having to deliver documents and run errands made half of his joy vanish instantly.
Thinking he could get paid just by sitting around and chatting, Aozora agreed, "Well then, I guess that's fine!"
Hearing Aozora's reluctant tone, both Fugaku and Kyudai were so annoyed they instinctively rolled their eyes.
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