Land of Fire.
Shadows darted through the forest.
"Damn it! Sister Tsunade, they're so shameless! They went to the Daimyo's mansion half a month early!"
Uzumaki Kushina pouted unhappily. Shirou couldn't help but smile as he watched Kushina stand up for him.
"Kushina, enough."
Shirou ruffled her red hair. Kushina, still harboring a grudge, muttered under her breath:
"Shirou, this isn't just for you; it's for me too. Only if you become the Hokage can I stay by your side…"
At this moment, Kushina was even more determined. Only if Shirou became Hokage could she become the Hokage's wife.
If she became the Hokage's wife, who would dare call her Konoha's ultimate weapon anymore? Who would dare confine her to the village, forbidding her from leaving at will?
Faced with Kushina's little schemes, Tsunade and Shirou exchanged glances and both smiled.
Only Mikoto stepped forward with a smile to comfort Kushina, giving Tsunade and Shirou some space.
"Shirou, what are your plans this time?"
Tsunade raised an eyebrow and asked the question in her heart.
Shirou's previously relaxed smile gradually disappeared, replaced by a serious expression.
"Sister Tsunade, based on the information Orochimaru revealed, it seems Root is researching things they shouldn't be. I've already secretly ordered Hizashi to investigate."
Hearing Shirou's reply, Tsunade frowned and then showed a look of annoyance, snapping:
"That damn old man. But I heard that before Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane came this time, they secretly visited the Hyuga clan!"
At this, Tsunade gave Shirou a meaningful glance. Shirou, of course, understood her implication. He smiled faintly and glanced at Kushina in the distance.
"Sister Tsunade, did they visit the Hyuga branch family?"
Tsunade was stunned for a moment and then seemed to realize something. She blurted out in surprise, "Kushina succeeded?!"
Over the years, Kushina had been delving into sealing techniques, particularly researching the Hyuga clan's Caged Bird seal in secret, something Tsunade was aware of.
Shirou's words indicated that she had succeeded.
Shirou's lips curled into a smile as he nodded. "What can I say? Kushina is incredibly talented, but others only see the Nine-Tails."
Tsunade finally understood and glared fiercely at Kushina in the distance, annoyed that she hadn't been informed.
"Now that the war is over, we should try to avoid causing unrest, regardless of the circumstances. After all, it's still Konoha's strength."
Reaching this point, Tsunade had already discerned her teacher's tactics—deliberate stalling. The so-called resignation to take responsibility was merely a way to retreat behind the scenes.
This realization left Tsunade both disappointed and resolute.
She had long supported Shirou, but she had also hoped to avoid bloodshed and pursue a peaceful transition. However, it was clear that her wait-and-see approach had been interpreted as weakness and submissiveness, leaving her thoroughly disillusioned.
When she decided to fight for the Hokage seat, she knew there was no turning back. Tsunade understood this better than anyone.
"Sister Tsunade, at this point, either you become a puppet, or as long as these high-ranking elders are alive, they'll continue holding onto power under the guise of Konoha's stability."
Faced with Shirou's teasing, Tsunade rolled her eyes at him.
"Don't think I don't know about the preparations you've been having Mikoto handle in secret."
"I wasn't hiding it from you in the first place."
Shirou was speechless. All his secret arrangements had been laid out in the open for her to see. There was no attempt to conceal them.
"Speaking of which, I only know a little about the Daimyo's mansion, but I'm not entirely clear on the specifics."
When the Daimyo's mansion was mentioned, Shirou's eyes gleamed with a meaningful look. Perhaps the Daimyo's mansion could be considered a second iteration of the Senju clan.
Hearing this, Tsunade fell silent for a moment before shaking her head and slowly recounting the past of the Senju clan, a memory she had always avoided.
"Back then, when the Senju clan planned to integrate its peripheral members into Konoha, there was significant internal opposition. The one leading the opposition was our Second Grandfather.
Although the plan was eventually implemented, the Second Grandfather split the Senju clan into two…"
Listening to Tsunade's words, Shirou couldn't help but feel shocked. Truly, Tobirama Senju was a force to be reckoned with. He had gradually taken control of the Daimyo's powers through marriage alliances.
Or rather, when Konoha was established and the legitimacy of the Land of Fire's Daimyo was confirmed, the Second Hokage had already begun implementing this plan.
Now, the Daimyo's lineage and the Senju clan were so intertwined that they were practically indistinguishable—a case of the cuckoo taking over the sparrow's nest in the shinobi world.
While everyone else's attention was on the shinobi villages, Tobirama had set his sights on the Daimyo's mansion.
"The Daimyo's mansion in the Land of Fire also possesses significant military strength. Samurai and monks trained at the Fire Temple have long been loyal to the Daimyo…"
At this point, Tsunade sighed helplessly. "Your Uchiha clan knows how to split into two factions. Naturally, the Senju clan had its internal differences too… especially back when the Third Hokage came to power.
At that time, Granny Mito decided to abide by the Second Grandfather's dying wishes, while the Daimyo's faction wanted someone from the family to inherit the position. So…"
Well, it seemed every family had its troubles.
Even within the Senju clan, there were internal divisions. After years of separation, one branch remained in Konoha while the other stayed in the Daimyo's mansion, leading to differing opinions. Coupled with the Senju clan's decline in Konoha over the years, it all began to make sense.
Shirou suddenly recalled something. No wonder, in the original story, when Konoha's elders discussed the Fourth Hokage with the Daimyo, the latter seemed displeased when Danzo was mentioned.
The Third Hokage and his group were playing a good cop/bad cop routine.
Plus, the Twelve Guardian Ninjas of the Daimyo's mansion turning on each other and the Fire Temple's apparent closeness with the Third Hokage…
At this thought, Shirou shook his head. Indeed, where there were people, there were always conflicts.
"But none of this matters."
After explaining the internal conflicts of the Senju clan, Tsunade's expression became indifferent, and she conveyed one key point to Shirou.
"Sister Tsunade, it seems the Daimyo's mansion also has its share of internal strife. That said, our Third Hokage is certainly skilled at making empty promises. They've been here for so long…"
Shirou joked with a smile, while Tsunade scoffed disdainfully. She was well aware of the endless schemes behind the scenes.
"Alright, coming to the Daimyo's mansion is just for show. I'll handle things here. You focus on escorting those two old geezers back. After all, they're still Konoha's Hokage advisors!"
When she said the last words, Tsunade's tone carried a mocking sneer.
"Are you going alone?"
Shirou was taken aback. Looking at Tsunade's confident expression, he knew she had her trump cards. However, getting the Daimyo's Senju faction to support a Uchiha seemed like a tall order.
Tsunade, however, chuckled confidently, her smile turning mysterious.
"Don't worry, there's a surprise waiting for you. You'll find out later. For now, focus on Namikaze Minato's situation!"
Faced with Tsunade's cryptic demeanor, Shirou chuckled helplessly. His mind flashed to Nawaki, the Wood-Style user Yamato, or perhaps even Tsunade's awkward attempts at Wood-Style.
Thinking of this, Shirou smiled and nodded.
"I'll handle Namikaze Minato."
"So confident?"
"Of course."
Looking at Shirou's confident demeanor, Tsunade couldn't help but twitch the corner of her mouth. Alright, it seemed her man had been keeping secrets from her.
The two exchanged a glance before both broke into smiles.
...
The Daimyo's Residence of the Land of Fire.
As the flames of war in the ninja world subsided and while the ceasefire agreements between the major ninja villages were still under negotiation, the prosperity of the Daimyo's residence seemed unaffected by the war.
On the luxurious palace rooftops, a golden figure darted about as if in pursuit of something. Eventually, two figures stopped in a small grove in the distance.
"Nawaki?! How… how can it possibly be you?!"
Namikaze Minato looked in shock at the face that had turned toward him. He couldn't believe it—the person who had secretly lured him out here was none other than Nawaki, someone long believed dead.
"Minato, it's been a while."
The once-youthful face now matured, overlapped with his memories as Nawaki smiled at his old friend.
"This… this can't be! Back then… and the traces of Wood Release I saw earlier…"
Minato stared in disbelief at the scene before him. If Nawaki wasn't dead, then the traces of Wood Release he had secretly discovered before—must have been part of the method used to lure him out.
"Minato, are you talking about the Wood Release?"
The now 23-year-old Nawaki, with a mature smile, slowly raised his hand. Under Minato's astonished gaze, it seemed as though Nawaki was about to unexpectedly perform a Wood Release. But instead, Nawaki scratched the back of his head and laughed loudly:
"Haha, of course, it's not me."
Good grief!
This hot-blooded, goofy personality immediately left Minato speechless. It was just like Nawaki's old self.
But at that moment, a figure suddenly appeared behind them.
"It was me."
As the mask was slowly removed, it revealed a plain, expressionless face. Nawaki burst into laughter and said, "This is Yamato, my dear friend."
"You two! What is this?!"
At this moment, Minato truly felt like his brain was failing to keep up. However, Nawaki simply smiled brightly and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"The Wood Release is Yamato's jutsu. Naturally, it was used to lure you out."
The young man, Yamato—about the same age as Kakashi—nodded. Forming hand seals, he immediately caused Wood Release to sprout from the ground, making Minato's pupils contract sharply.
It was Wood Release!
The young Yamato stood calmly, vigilantly watching the surroundings, while Nawaki and Minato stood together, seemingly deep in conversation.
Minato's expression shifted from shock to extreme discomfort, finally settling into one of disbelief.
"Nawaki, you're saying that back then, you…"
"Well," Nawaki chuckled, "I'm not entirely sure myself. But anyway, there wasn't any evidence to prove it. If it weren't for my sister receiving certain information…"
Nawaki's smile remained as carefree as ever, but his gaze now carried a maturity and steadiness it lacked before.
It was precisely this kind of indifferent smile that caused Minato's expression to stiffen. It directly challenged his understanding of the world.
There was no concrete evidence, yet everything pointed toward the involvement of Konoha's higher-ups at the time.
By the stream, Minato's face grew more and more solemn.
"So, Nawaki, you've revealed your identity now because…?"
This was the only conclusion Minato could think of. However, Nawaki simply waved his hand with a smile and said:
"You're overthinking it. My sister sent word that I no longer needed to hide."
"No longer needed to hide!"
This simple statement carried an overwhelming sense of confidence, making Minato's pupils contract. The implications behind those words were clear.
This was absolute determination!
Lady Tsunade had truly thrown her full support behind Uchiha Shirou.
By the stream, Nawaki calmly recounted the hidden life he had led all these years, leaving Minato lost in thought.
The grandson of the First Hokage, forced to fake his death to grow up—what did that say about Konoha?
"Minato, don't overthink it. Someone wants to meet you, and I'm just here to bring you to them."
As Nawaki shrugged, Uchiha Shirou's figure slowly appeared on the opposite riverbank, gazing at the two of them calmly.
"It was this morning that my sister and Shirou arrived."
When Nawaki saw Shirou, he couldn't help but look embarrassed, lowering his head as if trying to avoid eye contact.
Uchiha Shirou—his former rival in school—and now his sister's lover. What kind of situation was this?
"Minato, seeing Nawaki here, you should understand what this represents, right?"
At this moment, Shirou calmly walked across the water toward them. However, his words left Minato's expression complicated.
"Do we have to go this far?"
Minato had inherited the will of the Third Hokage. For him, Konoha's stability was paramount above all else. But the events unfolding before him were shaking him to his core.
Nawaki's reappearance in Konoha would cause enormous upheaval!
The mere fact that the First Hokage's direct descendant had to fake his death to grow up was already Konoha's greatest scandal.
"Minato, I think you've misunderstood."
At this moment, Shirou looked at Minato and said in a deep voice, "I'm inviting you to help uproot the rotten, parasitic roots of Konoha that greedily drain the life from its new branches. The Will of Fire that Konoha once upheld has already been twisted!"
"Did you not witness the Third Ninja War? Children under ten years old were sent to the battlefield one after another, while a group of old geezers stayed safe within the village, enjoying the fruits of others' sacrifices—all under the pretext of doing it for Konoha!"
Shirou's furious voice echoed, and Nawaki, standing nearby, also showed a sullen expression.
Back then, when he had to fake his death and leave, how could he not feel anger?
And regarding the events of that time, though there was no solid evidence, all signs pointed toward those higher-ups.
"Shirou, Nawaki! Do you have any idea what kind of impact this will have? I…"
At this moment, Minato felt his scalp tingling. This wasn't about a normal Hokage succession anymore—it was about overthrowing the entire leadership of the Third Hokage's administration!
Shirou had never intended to take the position of Hokage only to play politics and compromise with the old factions. He had prepared for this moment for a long time.
Even Minato—Shirou was fully confident he could bring him into his camp.
The more the Third Hokage trusted Minato now, the more devastating the eventual betrayal would be.
"Impossible…"
"What if it's true?"
By the stream, Minato's face turned red as he struggled to believe what he was hearing. But Shirou remained firm, his calm gaze locked on Minato.
"During the Second Ninja War, traces were already found in the Land of Rain. On the battlefield of the Land of Whirlpool, I fought against…"
At this point, Shirou's face was full of anger as he shouted:
"Wood Release! Sharingan! The Uchiha and Senju clans, who founded Konoha, have long become research material for corrupted and dark experiments. And yet, you still cling to the idea of stability for Konoha?!"
Faced with Shirou's accusations, Minato's face turned pale. If it had been earlier, his determination and trust in the Third Hokage would have made him dismiss such claims outright.
But now, with the First Hokage's direct descendant, Nawaki, having been forced to live in hiding for years, Minato's faith was beginning to waver.
"The current Konoha is no longer simply decaying; it has fallen into darkness. You can explain the Wood Release cells as something the Senju once agreed to, but what about the Sharingan? Our Uchiha clan has never compromised!"
Shirou's cold voice echoed, causing Namikaze Minato's face to turn pale. In the end, his expression became dazed, and he rasped, "If it's false..."
"What if it's true?! Namikaze Minato, are you willing to overthrow the current corrupt and dark leadership?"
From a distance, Yamato, who was on guard, watched the intense argument with a puzzled expression. Although he didn't know what was being said, it was undoubtedly something significant.