Tsunade froze for a moment, recalling the past, before slowly speaking:
"You mean the Minister of Shinobi Affairs?"
That's right. After Senju Hashirama took office as the First Hokage, the position he entrusted to Uchiha Madara was the same one Kenya had held in Sunagakure for the last four years under the name "Aizen" —
Minister of Shinobi Affairs.
It was a role with near-absolute authority, overseeing every branch of a shinobi village:
The Investigation Division.
The Intelligence Division.
The Assassination Division.
All shinobi could be mobilized at the Minister's command, second only to the Hokage's authority.
This immense power was Hashirama's way of proving his trust in Madara Uchiha.
Unfortunately, once the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, came to power, the Ministry of Shinobi Affairs was dissolved. Its responsibilities were divided between the Hokage's Anbu Black Ops and the Uchiha Clan's Police Force.
And everyone knew what came after.
"Are you planning to rebuild the Ministry of Shinobi Affairs?" Tsunade suddenly guessed at Kenya's intentions.
"After all, it wouldn't sit right to call me Sunagakure's minister now," Kenya replied with a faint smile. "And the title of Konoha's Minister of Shinobi Affairs suits me no better. But… don't you think our relationship mirrors Hashirama and Madara back then? Hokage from the Senju, Minister from the Uchiha. Feels almost like fate, doesn't it?"
"Don't make it sound so sentimental. I don't get along that well with you, brat."
Tsunade scoffed in mock disgust, though her brow furrowed as she sank into thought.
Nara Shikaku remained silent, waiting with the others.
At first glance, Kenya's words did make sense. The bond between him and Tsunade echoed that of Hashirama and Madara — Senju and Uchiha, two powerful bloodlines standing side by side. In this comparison, Tsunade was the Hokage, and Kenya the Minister.
But anyone with a shred of political instinct could see the danger.
Hashirama could entrust Madara with such power because he alone had the strength to suppress him if Madara betrayed that trust.
And Hashirama had been Hokage by overwhelming strength and popularity; Madara, despite his power, had only ever stood beside him as a supporter.
But now? Tsunade's authority rested almost entirely on Kenya's backing.
Even though most had never seen Kenya's true power, all had heard the whispers of "Aizen" — the man who could stand against a Tailed Beast head-on.
Nara Shikaku and the others wanted to stop her, to beg Tsunade not to agree.
But they couldn't.
This man was too dangerous.
He was like a lone player at a chessboard, with everyone else reduced to pieces in his game.
And yet no one dared oppose him.
Because even stripped of formal control over Sunagakure's military, Kenya still had the loyalty of its elite. Many recognized him as their Fifth Kazekage. He also held ties to Kirigakure. If he wished, he could rally both villages against Konoha.
No one in the room could afford to offend him.
"I don't see any objections. Do you, Shikaku?" Tsunade asked, turning to the strategist.
"…No, Lady Hokage. We have no objections," Nara Shikaku replied, his words heavy.
Kenya had maneuvered everything perfectly, leaving them no cracks to exploit. That helplessness, cold and suffocating, made them dread working under him.
He was terrifying.
And yet, in Sunagakure, they worshipped him like a god.
Shikaku and the others left the office.
Now only Tsunade and Kenya remained.
"So this is your true purpose," Tsunade said quietly, picking up her brush again, "to return to Konoha… to reclaim the Uchiha's former power?"
She glanced at the mountain of paperwork before her, suddenly feeling like she had boarded a thief's ship.
"Don't misunderstand me," Kenya said, rising to stand by the window with his back to her. "I have no real attachment to the clan. But Konoha… I like Konoha. That much is true."
Tsunade kept writing, only half-listening, until his voice grew quieter, steadier:
"You know… in Sunagakure, I saw a great deal. Their lives and Konoha's couldn't be more different. Perhaps because their environment is so harsh, they don't waste time on infighting. They're united against the outside. Konoha, though… perhaps because of abundance, or peace… the enemy is neglected, while conflict brews within."
Tsunade's brush stilled for a moment. Then she continued her work.
Her lips parted slightly:
"…And what are you trying to say?"
"An era without war." Kenya turned, handing her a sealed document he had prepared in advance. "That is my plan."
Tsunade stopped writing, opened the letter, and read.
Her eyes widened with every line, her face paling.
"You… you're serious?" she whispered, staring at him in disbelief.
Kenya met her gaze calmly.
"I'm simply doing what Hashirama and Madara should have done. Don't you think now is the perfect time, Tsunade-senpai?"
He stepped closer, extending his hand to her — gentle, but unwavering.