Chapter 70: You Are the Hokage
Along with Tsunade's shout, her small figure lunged forward, and her fist came crashing down.
Bang!
Her body looked delicate, but the power behind that punch was astonishing, sending even the fully grown Hiruzen flying backward.
"Is this really the destructive power a child can have?"
Hiruzen came back to his senses. Looking at the wrecked ground in front of him, he could not help but feel a little ashamed.
Although Tsunade was still very young and had yet to formally train in ninjutsu, having only followed Uchiha Kei to study medical ninjutsu, the signs of her monstrous strength had already begun to appear.
Even without mastering any ninjutsu, relying only on her natural power and basic taijutsu, she could already compete with many capable shinobi.
"Young people really do have fiery tempers."
He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and quickly found an excuse to retreat.
Behind him, Tsunade still looked ready to charge again, but Kei grabbed her firmly and held her back.
"That old pervert deserved it!"
Tsunade fumed, her angry expression somehow still cute.
"He actually showed you those kinds of books!"
It turned out that Jiraiya's habit of writing Icha Icha Paradise had roots.
Their teacher, Hiruzen, had already been fond of those types of books in his youth.
Although Icha Icha Paradise had not yet been published, there were already plenty of similar works around. Hiruzen not only read them himself but had even tried to recommend them to his disciple, Kei, only to be caught red handed by Tsunade.
And so, the earlier scene had taken place.
Kei looked at the furious Tsunade and could not help but feel a little amused.
From his perspective, the books Hiruzen had shown him were nothing special. They could not even be called smut. At most, they were borderline.
If they were going to be borderline, they should at least do it properly. Instead, they mixed in philosophical life lessons, making the whole thing feel awkward and unprofessional.
If he were the one writing, he could definitely do a better job.
Hm. Maybe he really could give it a try.
Kei suddenly found himself interested. Not because of any benefits, but simply out of personal hobby.
In his previous life, he had enjoyed writing and had even published several online novels with moderate success. It was one of his few true hobbies, and perhaps he could pick it up again in this world.
He kept those thoughts to himself while calmly restraining Tsunade and preventing her from chasing after Hiruzen.
Time passed.
Within Konoha, while busy with medical infrastructure projects, Kei took advantage of the available resources to begin building his own laboratory.
On the surface, the laboratory was for researching medical ninjutsu. In reality, it was meant for studying his own techniques and preparing for the future research on the First Hokage's cells.
Living in Konoha, Kei had not forgotten this enormous opportunity.
As the reincarnation of Asura, the First Hokage's cells contained Asura's chakra power. They were a bloodline puzzle piece he could not afford to ignore.
Most importantly, obtaining this particular piece would not be difficult.
If someone tried to pry into the bloodline limits of other clans, it would inevitably provoke backlash. But the First Hokage's cells were different.
They were simply there, unable to resist. As long as one held sufficient influence within Konoha, access for research was entirely possible.
Many people would study them later on.
Danzo and Orochimaru both conducted research on the cells. Even Tobirama might have studied them for a time. After all, a researcher's curiosity was difficult to suppress.
In any case, Kei was not in a hurry.
Each reincarnation came with a fifty year time limit, and he was only twelve years old. There was plenty of time.
He remained in Konoha, steadily building his reputation and influence while waiting for the right opportunity.
During this period, he also met Danzo, Koharu, and others through Hiruzen.
Unlike the sinister figure he would later become, the current Danzo was still in his prime and appeared relatively normal. He rarely smiled and always carried a serious expression.
At first glance, his temperament was somewhat similar to Tobirama, consistently cold and stern.
Of course, how different their true natures were remained to be seen.
Still, his strength was undeniable. At this time, he was second only to Hiruzen, placing him among the top elite jonin of Konoha.
His stance toward the Uchiha was already somewhat radical, but for now, it was still within normal bounds. He was even quite friendly toward Kei, Hiruzen's disciple.
Aside from Danzo and the others, the heads of the Ino Shika Cho clans also gradually grew familiar with Kei during this period.
It had to be said that Tobirama's arrangements had been extremely thorough.
Around Hiruzen were not only elite shinobi of the younger generation like Danzo, but also the clan heads of the Ino Shika Cho alliance. All of them maintained good relationships with Hiruzen.
There was also Uchiha Kagami, a genius of the Uchiha clan and one of Hiruzen's close friends.
Combined with the support of the Senju clan he represented as Tobirama's disciple, as well as his own Sarutobi clan background, Hiruzen's political foundation was extremely solid.
Under normal circumstances, Kei could not see anyone capable of shaking Hiruzen's position as Hokage.
Unfortunately, Danzo did not seem to realize this.
He continued to work tirelessly, trying to surpass Hiruzen in every aspect.
Kei watched everything quietly, saying little and focusing only on his own work.
At last, the turning point he had been waiting for arrived.
A few years later, the great war of the shinobi world finally broke out.
Aside from the remote Sand Village, the other three great villages all declared war on the Land of Fire. The pressure on Konoha became unprecedented.
In later history, this conflict would be known as the First Great Ninja War.
It lasted for a long time, until every village grew exhausted and the intensity gradually subsided.
In the end, the Raikage of the Land of Lightning was the first to falter, inviting the Hokage to peace talks and proposing a formal truce.
Negotiations over the terms had taken a long time, but only recently had both sides reached an agreement.
After confirming the sincerity of the truce, Tobirama personally led an escort unit to the Land of Lightning to sign the agreement with the Raikage.
However, at the critical moment, disaster struck.
The radicals of Kumogakure, the Kinkaku brothers, were dissatisfied with the truce and launched a coup.
In the chaos of the sudden attack, the Raikage was killed on the spot. Tobirama and his escort unit were also besieged and barely managed to escape the Land of Lightning.
"The pursuers are getting closer and closer."
On a stretch of grassland, Tobirama stood at the rear, glancing back.
"If this continues, none of us will escape alive."
"Someone must stay behind to block them."
As his words fell, the expressions of those present changed.
"Someone has to stay behind…"
Danzo took a deep breath.
"It's time…"
He understood Tobirama's meaning and had already prepared himself for this moment.
But when he tried to step forward, his body hesitated.
There was great terror between life and death. No one could face it without fear.
The young Danzo was no exception.
He wanted to stand up, but his body felt frozen.
"If I stay behind, I will definitely die. Do I really have to go?"
"As a Konoha shinobi, as the teacher's guard, staying behind for him is only right."
"Even if I die, as long as the teacher and Hiruzen survive, it will be enough."
His thoughts churned in turmoil.
And while he hesitated, another voice sounded.
"Let me go."
Across from Danzo, Hiruzen stepped forward without the slightest hesitation.
He looked straight at Tobirama.
"Among everyone here, I am the strongest besides you. I am the most suitable for this rearguard mission."
"Teacher, please let me do it."
His expression was firm, his gaze unwavering.
Whether in the past or the future, Hiruzen might have had moments of weakness, but he never feared death.
Facing this situation, he did not hesitate.
While Danzo was still struggling, Hiruzen had already stepped forward and accepted the responsibility.
As he did, everyone's eyes turned toward him.
"Hiruzen, you…"
Danzo stared at him, his emotions tangled and complex.
There was relief at not having to die, shame for not stepping forward, and frustration at falling behind.
Then, those feelings intensified even further.
Tobirama looked at Hiruzen and, for the first time, a faint smile appeared on his usually stern face.
"Very good."
He reached out and patted Hiruzen on the shoulder.
"New leaves must always take over from the old and lead everyone forward."
"Hiruzen, from this day onward…"
"You are the Hokage."
The moment those words fell, everyone was stunned.
Especially Danzo.
He stared blankly at Hiruzen, his entire body stiff.
A surge of unwillingness rose in his heart, making him tremble slightly.
From this moment on, the gears of fate began to turn.
In the face of life and death, the Second Hokage chose to stay behind as the rearguard, buying time for the newborn king.
Carrying the Second Hokage's expectations, Hiruzen and the others hurried back toward Konoha.
"Once we cross this river, we'll be within the territory of the Land of Fire."
A few days later, Hiruzen looked at the distant landscape and let out a long breath.
"We'll be home soon."
"Our supplies are almost gone. We need to rest and replenish."
Nearby, Koharu spoke while using medical ninjutsu to treat their companions.
"Kagami and the others are still unconscious. If we keep moving like this, there could be serious problems."
.....
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