"Fugaku Uchiha. You will become the 5th Hokage." Homura said, getting an agreed nod from the rest of the elders.
No one else had any objections, also agreeing with the decision.
"Very well, I thank you for your consideration," Fugaku said, keeping his arms crossed over his chest, trying not to give away any emotion
"It's settled then." Jiraiya then said, seeming happy with the decision.
Fuyōna was also pleased, not being able to think of anyone else who would be better suited to the job, as it was way too early for Tsunade to take the mantle.
"Very well, this meeting is hereby adjourned." Koharu then said, causing everyone to stand up and bow their heads in respect towards the new Hokage.
Fuyōna watched as everyone started to leave, feeling that his time in the leaf village was over.
"Lord Mizukage, do you have a minute?" Fugaku of all people suddenly asked.
Fuyōna was a little surprised but agreed nonetheless.
"Of course." He said.
"You too, if you wouldn't mine, Lord Jiraiya." Fugaku then said, looking over at the toad sage.
Jiraiya simply nodded and waited for everyone else to leave the room, leaving only Fugaku, Itachi, Jiraiya and Fuyōna.
Fugaku waited until they were alone before he spoke, looking into Fuyōna's eyes.
"I wanted to discuss our alliance." He suddenly said, being blunt.
"What of it?" Fuyōna asked, raising an eyebrow.
"The Mist and the Leaf are allies, sworn to defend one another from threats are they not?" Fugaku asked.
Fuyōna waited for him to finish, trying to see where Fugaku was going with this.
"Now that the Raikage has taken credit for the death of lord 3rd. I feel that it is only right for us to launch an all-out assault against the Cloud and the Raikage. And I want your support to do it."
"An all-out assault?" Jiraiya asked, not liking the idea.
"Yes. I want to put on a show of force and take out the Cloud for what they did." Fugaku said, interlocking his fingers.
"But father, wouldn't that only cause more unnecessary causalities?" Itachi asked.
Fuyōna could see that Itachi seemed to lean towards the side of Jiraiya, not liking the idea of committing troops to such a cause, knowing that the outcome would result in many of them dead.
"Are you saying that you would rather sit by and let the Raikage get away with killing our Hokage?" Fugaku asked, seeing the look on their faces.
"I agree." Fuyōna suddenly said, breaking the silence.
"We should show the other nations why they should fear us." Fuyōna then said, seeming to take a darker approach to the situation.
"Perhaps the 3rd and I took too soft an approach to this war." He then said, getting a questioning look from Jiraiya.
"But lord Mizukage, launching such a full-scale assault against the Cloud will only result in an all-out war!" He spoke.
Fuyōna sighed, looking into the toad sage's eyes.
"Look around you master Jiraiya. We are already at war." He countered, getting a slow nod from Fugaku.
"It is settled then. Once I am appointed as the 5th Hokage, we shall set the plans in motion, until then, this information does not leave this room." Fugaku said, looking at the others as he said it.
Itachi didn't like the idea, but he knew that there was no other way now, knowing that even if the alliance between the Leaf and the Mist was ended, the other nations would not stop and only press forwards until they were destroyed.
"Very well. I will return to my village and start the slow preparations for war." Fuyōna said, slowly standing to his feet.
Fugaku and the others also did the same, showing their respect to him as he stood.
"Very well." Fugaku then said, giving Fuyōna a nod before he watched him leave the room.
Jiraiya also bid farewell to Fugaku and Itachi before he left the room, seeming to follow after Fuyōna, leaving the two Uchiha alone.
"What are you planning father?" Itachi asked, having a sense that something was off.
"For now, nothing. But I want you to be ready son." He said, turning to face Itachi.
"Soon, everything will change." Fugaku then said, placing his hand on Itachi's shoulder as he looked into his eyes.
"Lord Mizukage, wait up," Jiraiya said, catching Fuyōna's attention as he walked back out into the sunlight.
Fuyōna turned around, surprised to see that he had followed him, knowing that there must be more that he wished to discuss.
"Can I help you?" Fuyōna asked, giving him a small smile.
"Let's talk, but someplace else." Jiraiya suddenly said, hinting at the unwanted attention that they were getting from the Anbu.
"Very well." Fuyōna agreed before he started to walk with him into the village.
"What is it that you wished to speak about?" Fuyōna asked, sensing that they were no longer being watched.
"You may be the Kage of another village, but the old geezer trusted you." Jiraiya suddenly said.
"And your point is?" Fuyōna asked, not knowing where he was going with this.
"I want you to be careful." Jiraiya suddenly said, giving Fuyōna a stern look.
"I'm not sure what it is yet, but something feels off about Fugaku's plan." Jiraiya suddenly said.
"You are worried about Fugaku?" Fuyōna asked surprised.
"But you just vouched for him to become the next Hokage, did you not?"
"Yes... But not for the reasons you might think." Jiraiya suddenly said before he crossed his arms.
"What do you mean?" Fuyōna asked, seeing that there was something weighing heavily upon his mind.
"For now, it is only a hunch, but I believe that there is more to this war than simply our alliance," Jiraiya said, looking Fuyōna in the eye.
"Anyway, for now just be careful." He suddenly said, seeming to relax a little before turning his back to the Mizukage.
Fuyōna was surprised, however, he too felt as if something was afoot, even if he wasn't able to put his finger on it just yet.
"Very well, you too, Jiraiya." He then said, bidding the toad sage farewell as he watched him walk off into the village.
"Looks like my time in the Leaf has come to an end for now," Fuyōna said as he took one last look around.
"Time to go home." He then said, creating an ice mirror and slipping into it.
Fuyōna stepped out of the other ice mirror into his office back in the village hidden in the Mist, seeing Ao and Mei running through paperwork and strategic placement for troops along their borders.
"Fuyōna!" Mei suddenly shouted as she saw him, jumping into his arms.
"Hey, I wasn't gone that long!" Fuyōna said as he caught her, returning her long hug and kiss before putting her down.
"Ugh hmm..." Ao said as he cleared his throat, waiting for them to finish.
"Glad to see your back safe." He then said, having had a bad feeling about the meeting.
"So how was it, did they come to a decision?" Mei asked, not wasting any time.
"Yes. Fugaku Uchiha will become the 5th Hokage." Fuyōna said.
"But?" Ao said, picking up on the expression on his face.
Fuyōna sighed as he leaned back onto the desk, taking a seat and crossing his arms over his chest.
"You don't miss anything with that eye of yours do you Ao?" Fuyōna said jokingly, causing Ao to laugh a little.
Fuyōna took a deep breath before getting serious again, looking at both of them.
"I and Fugaku agreed that perhaps we have been too soft on the war front. And so, we have come to an agreement to punish the Cloud and Raikage for what he has done, putting on a show of force and marching to war with the land of lightning."
Mei looked at her husband in surprise.
"You really want to launch a full-scale attack?" She asked.
Ao also seemed surprised but seemed to agree.
"I have to say Fuyōna. I agree."
"No. Think about this for a moment." Mei said, not liking the idea.
"What is there to think about Mei? We let the Stone and Sand get away with this in the first place. If Fuyōna had put a stop to this right away and not been so soft, we could have avoided this war altogether!" Ao suddenly said, causing Mei to get angry.
"What are you trying to say, Ao? Are you implying that Fuyōna is soft!" She suddenly yelled, getting angry.
"Not at all. I am simply saying that we should have taken action far sooner." He said, trying to defend himself.
Fuyōna sighed, knowing this would happen.
"Alright, you two, that's enough." He said, getting them to go quiet as his voice was cold and deep.
"We... No, I will be launching a full-scale attack against the village hidden in the Clouds, and a personal attack against the Raikage for the death of the 3rd Hokage." Fuyōna suddenly said, becoming deadly serious.
"This time. I will show the other nations why they should fear me."
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Alright that's the end of this chapter! Again, thank you so much to all of you who support this story.
I know times are hard and charismas is on the way, so I completely understand if you cannot afford to remained subscribed.
With that said, I hope you are enjoying the story, and I will be trying to increase the number of chapters! Have a great day!