"The title of Hokage was originally meant to be passed down directly by the previous Hokage. But after Minato's death during the Nine-Tails incident, that little monkey took over by force.
And now that I've been brought back by Edo Tensei, I'm just going to go ahead and appoint the next one myself. No objections, right?" Tobirama Senju stared around the room.
"No objections."
The clan heads all nodded in agreement.
"We follow our teacher's will," said Hiruzen Sarutobi, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado. Their bodies trembled as they lowered their heads. In that moment, their eyes lost all light. They collapsed weakly to the ground, hollow and defeated.
Their hair turned snow-white in an instant, as though they'd aged decades in a single breath. They looked like withered husks—elderly, lifeless, and broken.
"Hmph. Stripping you of your authority is your punishment… and your mercy."
"Hiruzen, Koharu, Homura—don't think I didn't know what you were up to. Even when Minato was Hokage, you three held the reins behind the scenes—controlling ANBU and the village's key functions."
"What else were you three old bastards good at besides internal power struggles?"
"You call it 'advising.' I call it pulling strings. You turned Minato into a puppet!" Tobirama snorted and slammed the table in anger.
Hashirama opened his mouth to speak: "…"
Back when I was in charge, you ran everything too! But I wasn't your puppet…
Tobirama glared at him: Shut up. If not for me, Konoha would've collapsed ages ago.
Hiruzen, Koharu, and Homura couldn't argue. They kept their heads down. The truth was undeniable.
Minato nodded in agreement. The Second Hokage wasn't wrong—back when he'd been Hokage, all the real power still rested with the Third and his council. He barely had any say at all.
Outside of a few trusted guards, even ANBU was filled with Hiruzen's people.
He'd held the title of Hokage in name only. It had been an empty honor—painfully hollow.
"From today forward, all military and administrative power lies with the Hokage. ANBU and the Konoha Police Force will report directly to the Hokage."
"All other departments are forbidden from interference!" Tobirama declared.
"Wait…"
The crowd was stunned. The Uchiha were dumbfounded.
Tobirama Senju, being this generous?
Fugaku Uchiha was the Fifth Hokage now—was Tobirama really giving him full control?
Did this mean the Uchiha were officially in charge of Konoha?
Could Tobirama truly be that impartial?
No way. There had to be something more…
"However, considering that we are all currently Edo Tensei summons, and given the unrest within the village, I propose the creation of a Council of Elders," Tobirama continued. "Elders will have the authority to provide counsel to the Hokage."
There it was. The Uchiha all exchanged looks.
So this was Tobirama's insurance policy.
"And who does the Second Hokage think should serve as Elders?" Fugaku asked calmly.
All eyes turned to Tobirama.
"The High Elder shall be Uchiha Tajima.
Second Elder, Hashirama Senju.
Third Elder, Uchiha Madara.
Fourth, myself.
Fifth, Uchiha Izuna.
Sixth, Mito Uzumaki.
Seventh, Sakumo Hatake.
Eighth, Hyūga Tenjin.
Ninth, Minato Namikaze.
Tenth, Kushina Uzumaki."
"What do you all think? Any objections?" Tobirama asked as he finished the list.
The Ino–Shika–Chō trio opened their mouths—but ultimately said nothing.
Every single person on that list was dead. And every one of them had been a powerhouse in their time.
They understood now—starting today, their clans were being completely pushed out of Konoha's power structure.
Unless they performed some incredible feat in the future, they wouldn't be returning to the upper ranks anytime soon.
"No objections," Tajima said. As long as he was the High Elder, he didn't care who came after. Frankly, he'd have preferred it be that old monk Butsuma—so he could stomp him down again.
"No objections," Fugaku nodded. His father, Madara, and Izuna were all in high-ranking positions. It was a win for the Uchiha.
"…No objections," Madara and Izuna both muttered with cold snorts.
Why are Hashirama and Tobirama ranked higher than us?
But since their father had already nodded, they had no room to protest.
Still, both brothers had the same thought in mind:
After the meeting—we challenge them to a duel. Whoever wins ranks above the other.
"I have a question," Kakashi spoke up from the side. "Second Hokage… you're including Lady Mito, my father Sakumo, and a Hyūga ancestor. Are you planning to use Edo Tensei to bring them back too?"
"That's right." Tobirama nodded. "I heard about Sakumo's death."
"From a human perspective—it made sense. But from the village's perspective—it was wrong."
"He abandoned a mission, tarnished the village's reputation. But he also saved lives. The two cancel each other out."
"You once said: 'Those who don't follow orders are scum. But those who abandon their comrades… are worse than scum.'"
"I agree with that. Anyone who doesn't value their comrades is worse than worthless."
"But Sakumo… took his own life. That was truly a tragedy."
"Especially when you look back and realize—those he saved were ungrateful traitors. Scum."
"It must've eaten away at him inside. He died in humiliation."
"A real hero should die on the battlefield—not in some political power struggle. Not by his own hand. Do you understand what I mean?" Tobirama asked.
He spoke without malice—but his words were sharp as blades.
Hiruzen understood. Tobirama was talking about him.
He closed his eyes.
As Hokage, he'd failed to stop the rumors. Failed to defend Sakumo. That failure led to Sakumo's suicide.
It was his fault. His dereliction of duty.
There was no defense. Only shame.
"Yes, I understand. Thank you, Lord Second," Kakashi bowed deeply.
As soon as I get back, he thought, I'll ask Itachi to bring my father back with Edo Tensei.
"No need to thank me," Tobirama said. "Thank Itachi. Those words came from him."
"In extraordinary times, we must use extraordinary measures."
"If we're afraid that Orochimaru might one day use Edo Tensei to summon Konoha's strongest against us… why not beat him to it?"
"Let's bring our own heavy hitters back first."
"Some might say this defiles the dead. But for the sake of Konoha, I believe they'll understand."
"And if, once they're brought back, they choose to return to the Pure Land—we won't stop them."
"Well said." Fugaku nodded in agreement.
"Our ancestors will understand." Hiashi Hyūga nodded too.
"So then," Tobirama asked, "does anyone else have anything to say?"
"I do!" Madara stood up—having memorized the speech Itachi had written for him.
Everyone: "…"
What's Madara up to now?
"As everyone knows, Konoha was founded by me and Hashirama," Madara began.
"From the Warring States era until today!"
"A ruler dies for his people. A king defends the gates!"
"Tobirama and Minato both died protecting this village. They are Konoha's pillars—our eternal role models."
"But ever since Hiruzen Sarutobi took power—our eyes have been stolen."
"The Uchiha's Sharingan. The Hyūga's Byakugan. The Uzumaki Clan… reduced to prey for foreign nations."
"I hear the Jinchūriki of the Sand—Gaara—has red hair. I suspect he may have Uzumaki blood."
"In the Land of Grass, two known Uzumaki are treated as lab rats—blood bags for the Grass ninja to abuse as they please."
"Konoha gives. And others take."
"But if we don't give? They can't take a damn thing!"
"I propose—from this day forward: Any who violate Konoha shall be punished—no matter how far they run!"
"Kirigakure destroyed the Uzumaki Clan. Stole the Byakugan. We will make them pay!"
"The Land of Grass stole our people? We wipe them out—to the last man!"
"The Tailed Beasts—have always—been an inseparable part of Konoha!"
"And we're taking them back."
"I've said my piece.
Who agrees?
Who objects?"