Hiruzen Sarutobi then called the elders for one final meeting. "Koharu, Homura, this is the last time I will convene a meeting with you in my capacity as Hokage."
Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with disbelief and shock. "Hiruzen, what exactly is going on?" they said in unison.
"It is the teacher's decision," Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a smile. Upon hearing this, the two immediately fell silent. They were aware of their teacher's resurrection and had recently paid him a visit.
When it came to Tobirama Senju, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane were absolutely obedient. They lowered their heads and sighed.
Koharu Utatane's eyes shifted. "Hiruzen, do you really intend to just hand it over like that?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at her. "The one taking over is Ryun!"
"Even if he is powerful, in terms of seniority, how could it possibly be his turn? Is our teacher confused?" Homura Mitokado said indignantly.
Hiruzen Sarutobi added, "He just defeated Lord Hashirama at his full strength, and Lord Hashirama did not hold back."
Homura Mitokado choked on his words, then sat down with a bitter smile. Koharu Utatane sighed.
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at his two old friends and couldn't help but laugh. "You two, Ryun taking office is a good thing for Konoha. The village's current prosperity is closely tied to him. As long as you both serve faithfully and abide by the law, there shouldn't be any major issues."
The two smiled bitterly inwardly. Serve faithfully and abide by the law? They had been thinking about how to benefit their own families. If Hiruzen Sarutobi remained in power, they would feel somewhat at ease.
But if it was that Ryun, then they would probably never have a chance to embezzle again.
After some more casual conversation, Hiruzen Sarutobi announced the meeting adjourned. Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane bowed and took their leave. Hiruzen Sarutobi watched their retreating figures and chuckled.
He knew exactly what his two old friends were like. If he were still Hokage, he might have turned a blind eye. But now that he was stepping down, he had given them a warning. If anything happened in the future, they couldn't blame him.
As Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado left, they ran into Danzō Shimura, who was returning from the Uchiha clan. They exchanged a glance and quickly asked, "Danzō, have you heard about Ryun becoming the Fourth Hokage?"
Danzō Shimura saw it was his two comrades and stopped to nod. "I know. Hiruzen told me."
"What do you think? I remember you always used to say 'the inherently evil Uchiha clan'," Koharu Utatane said, her eyes lighting up.
Danzō Shimura roared, "Stop talking nonsense! When did I ever say such a thing? Don't spout baseless accusations! Do you have evidence? Without evidence, I will have you punished for slander!"
Koharu Utatane: "..."
Homura Mitokado: "..."
In the end, the three parted on bad terms. Danzō Shimura went to tell Hiruzen Sarutobi about this incident, then left the Hokage's office.
Meanwhile, clansmen of the Uchiha clan found a nearby tailor shop and asked them to rush an order for a Hokage haori with "Fourth Hokage" written on it.
The shop owner was shocked. Were the Uchiha rebelling? Then, Danzō Shimura arrived and explained the situation. The shop owner let out a sigh of relief.
He then said cheerfully to the Uchiha clansmen, "It's a bit tight on time, but it can be done. It's just that the price..."
The Uchiha clansmen tossed a bag of money. "The faster, the better. The more detailed, the better. The Uchiha are not short on money."
"Alright!" The shop owner beamed and had his tailors work overtime.
The Uchiha clansmen were very grateful to Danzō Shimura for defusing the situation earlier. The two bowed respectfully.
Danzō Shimura just smiled. "We are all serving the Hokage."
"Thank you, Lord Shimura!" The two ninja bowed, then presented a box.
"This is a gift Lord Ryun asked us to deliver to you. Please accept it. Otherwise, Lord Ryun will punish us when we return," one Uchiha ninja said respectfully.
Seeing this, Danzō Shimura nodded, took the box, and did not open it. "Thank Ryun for me."
"Understood!" The two ninja left the tailor shop. Danzō Shimura shook his head and headed home.
When he arrived home, he opened the box and found three banknotes worth 100 million ryo inside. His eyelids twitched. What did Ryun mean by this! What official could withstand such a test!
In the fierce struggle between money and principles, Danzō Shimura seemed to think of something. He closed the box, personally hid it in a secret compartment under the floorboards, and sighed.
How could he not accept the goodwill of the new Hokage? This was for his own good as well.
And so, that night, countless people were busy and running about. Meanwhile, Ryun rested early at home.
Senju Clan Compound
Tobirama Senju informed Hashirama Senju of the matter. Hashirama Senju nodded. "You handle this as you see fit. I am not as skilled as you in politics."
Tobirama Senju paused. "Big brother, you..."
Hashirama Senju waved his hand. "It's fine. What hasn't your big brother seen? Although Ryun and I have differing opinions, a man must keep his word."
Having said that, Hashirama Senju stood up, smiled, and returned to his room.
Tobirama Senju watched Hashirama Senju's retreating back and thought, "I'm sorry, big brother. All of this is for Konoha."
Tsunade, hiding behind the door, overheard the conversation between Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju. Her small mouth fell open in surprise. What? Her man was going to become Hokage?
Her eyes filled with joy. Hokage. It was a position all Konoha ninja aspired to. And her man, or more accurately, her boyfriend, was going to become the Fourth Hokage before he was even twenty!
Just thinking about it made her ecstatic. She then hummed a tune and skipped back to her room.
Saiken asked, "Is the position of Hokage really that great?"
"Of course! Think about it. The leader of all the village's ninja, the number one person in the village. There are only five such positions in the entire ninja world! The prestige is incredibly high!" Tsunade explained patiently.
Saiken was taken aback. That was quite high. Only five in the entire ninja world!
"Congratulations, future Hokage's wife," Saiken said, offering timely flattery.
Tsunade blushed, but she did not refute it. She snorted and said, "Let's sleep! Tomorrow is a big day!"
The Next Day
The village was bustling before 6 a.m. Every clan had their own channels and had received the news that Ryun was about to assume the position of Fourth Hokage. Thus, they all came out one by one and headed to the Uchiha clan to deliver gifts.
Hirotomo Uchiha had also risen early. He remembered what Ryun had said during last night's meeting. He stood at the entrance, warmly receiving representatives from each clan and personally serving them tea.
But as for accepting gifts, he did not take a single one. Instead, he returned them all, explaining that this was on Ryun's orders. They were all comrades of the same village, and he would handle affairs impartially and stand up for the villagers.
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