Tsukasa suddenly looked up at Haruki, eyes wide in disbelief, sweat forming on his brow.
Hiashi, standing nearby, had nearly the same reaction. He was shocked and visibly uneasy.
At their level, Hokage wasn't just some dream yelled by starry-eyed kids. It was a serious, high-stakes game of politics and survival.
A single wrong move could doom an entire clan.
But the way Haruki said it... so casual, like he was talking about what to eat for lunch. It made Tsukasa feel like the title of Hokage was no different than some random guy on the street.
A storm of thoughts surged in his mind.
He could take this sentence straight to Hiruzen or Danzo, and Haruki's life would spiral into a nightmare.
There was no doubt about it.
But then he shook his head. 'What's the point?'
The reason the Hokage trusted their clans was exactly because they knew when to keep quiet and play the long game.
Tsukasa understood that if the clan grew too strong, the Hokage would be the first one to see it as a threat.
He glanced at Hiashi, noting the serious look in his eyes.
'The kids these days… they're something else,' he thought, before speaking carefully.
"Haruki, are you saying... you want to be Hokage?"
Tsukasa's voice was calm but cautious.
"No. I don't want that job," Haruki replied, shaking his head. "But I think Tsunade would make a great Hokage."
"Tsunade?"
Tsukasa and Hiashi were stunned. That was not what they were expecting at all.
Tsukasa knew Tsunade was Haruki's girlfriend, but the position of Hokage was one of the most powerful roles in the world. Most people wouldn't pass it up if they had the chance.
And truth be told, if Haruki threw his hat in the ring, based on everything he'd shown today, Tsukasa might've actually supported him.
But he wasn't so sure about Tsunade.
Maybe it was the bias people had toward medical ninja. Or maybe it was her reputation about always gambling, living like a drifter.
She didn't exactly scream trustworthy leader.
"I'm not asking for your loyalty," Haruki said with a smirk, clearly seeing through Tsukasa's doubts.
"I'm talking about a partnership. There is no such thing as permanent allies, just permanent interests."
Tsukasa looked genuinely surprised. He hadn't expected Haruki to just lay it out like that.
"How would that… partnership even work?" he asked after a pause, clearly intrigued now.
Haruki let out a long breath. "It's a long-term thing. No rush. I'll put together a proposal with everything laid out, then we can talk terms properly."
Honestly, he hadn't expected the Hyuga to be this receptive already. But there were a lot of moving parts, and rushing it could screw everything up.
"Heh, maybe I was getting ahead of myself," Tsukasa said, chuckling.
If Haruki had come in with a detailed plan from the start, Tsukasa would've definitely suspected that all the recent events had been orchestrated.
Instead, he stood up, bowed slightly, and said, "Thanks for helping the Hyuga out today, Haruki."
"More importantly... I see now that you're not just talented. You've got real vision. You're someone who commands respect. If the Hyuga clan rises in the future, we won't hesitate to follow your lead, even through fire." his voice was firm and resolute.
Haruki just smiled.
'Now that's a veteran for you,' he thought.
Tsukasa's words were smooth, polite, and sounded great… but at the end of the day, they didn't actually mean much.
A whole lot of nice-sounding nothing.
After seeing Tsukasa and Hiashi off, Haruki turned to welcome Satoshi, who entered with his usual professionalism.
"Lord Haruki, the first batch of Master Jiraiya's new book hits the stands today," Satoshi reported straightaway.
"Good," Haruki nodded. Then added casually, "Let's not spread any wild rumors like we did with the Hyuga this time."
"Let's go simple. Use flyers and posters," Haruki said, still smiling.
"Hire some people to pass out flyers at major crossroads. Then talk to local hot springs, inns, and hotels. We'll pay them to let us hang up posters." He paused, then added, "Make it big. Obnoxiously big."
"Yes, sir," Satoshi nodded. "What about the design? Should we just go with the title and that subtitle you gave me?"
"Yeah, use those. And toss in this for the synopsis. 'The Child of Destiny who is fated to save the Shinobi world from destruction.' " Haruki grinned.
In his last life, apocalyptic conspiracies always made headlines, even if no one really believed them. This would hit the same nerve.
"Well, aside from the blurb, what about the artwork? Has the artist I asked you to find shown up?" he asked.
"Wait for a minute, Lord" Satoshi said, then stepped out. A few moments later, he returned with a composed-looking middle-aged man in tow.
The man wore a sharp black kimono, stood tall, and his perfectly sculpted hair looked like it hadn't moved in a decade.
Haruki gave a slight nod of approval.
"This is Takeshita Isamu," Satoshi introduced. "He's a well-known artist in the Land of Fire."
"Lord Haruki," Isamu greeted politely.
"Please, Master Takeshita," Haruki replied with an easy smile.
He trusted Satoshi's judgment, so he didn't bother verifying the man's reputation. He went straight into explaining the concept.
Isamu started out confident. But the more Haruki described, the more his expression twisted with uncertainty.
He gave Haruki a strange look. "Um… sir, what you're asking for sounds a bit… how do I say it… bold?" He held back the word indecent.
"I think it's perfect," Haruki said, grinning.
Isamu hesitated. "Let me confirm, then. So, one guy, blonde, handsome, center stage. Around him, six women. One has cat ears and black stockings. Another one's got a full-on snake tail and only the top half's human. Then there's a courtesan in a flashy kimono. One's in a skintight latex outfit. One's got a military-style white uniform and a super short skirt. And the last one's wearing a fancy evening gown, barefoot, but with bright red heels. That… that's all correct?"
"Yes," Haruki nodded, barely hiding his laughter.
The whole thing was bait... visual bait, clickbait, whatever kind of bait you could think of.
Isamu's mouth twitched. His pride as an artist was screaming at him.
"Master Isamu," Haruki said smoothly, catching his hesitation. "Do you not want the job?"
If not, he'd simply hire someone else.
No hard feelings.
Isamu weighed the offer for a moment, then gave in with a pained look. "It'll cost more."
Haruki smiled like he'd been expecting that answer all along. "Money's not a problem."
He waved his hand, pleased. "Just make sure I like it."
'With the cover taken care of, all that's left is to wait and see the reaction.'
After Isamu left, Satoshi turned back with a thoughtful look. "So, what should we do about the Hyuga clan situation? People are still talking."
"No need to do anything," Haruki replied with a relaxed smile. "Public memory's shorter than a goldfish's when it comes to stuff that doesn't affect them directly."
"Give it a week. That's already pushing it for how long people can stay interested. Once the buzz from our new book hits, all that energy will shift."
That was the exact reason he'd gone with such a ridiculous, over-the-top cover.
He believed in the power of culture.
His cover was carefully designed to hit every angle. A good-looking blond male lead, a cast of stunning and eccentric women.
It was eye candy for everyone, regardless of gender.
Some people would raise eyebrows. Others would be hooked instantly. But either way, people would be talking. It was, in a way, the gateway drug to a whole new genre.
"The first promotion will only last a week," Haruki said, thinking aloud. If something dragged on too long, public interest would drop off hard. The hype needed to be timed just right.
And he still had two more waves of promotion lined up.
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