Amamiya Raizen paused on the platform, staring down at the thousands gathered below. The silence was absolute — like the entire world was holding its breath. Then, with a surge of chakra that made his voice carry across the plaza and into every heart, he began to speak.
"Some of you are wondering if this dream of mine will ever come true. Some of you are afraid it'll die before it even begins.
But I believe—no, I know—that if we stand together and treat each other as comrades, this dream will become reality."
His voice deepened, rolling like thunder over the crowd.
"When our village is built, no one will need to hide behind clan names. The weak will be protected. The strong will act with kindness, not arrogance.
Children will grow up playing in schoolyards, not dying on battlefields.
And no one will be mocked for dreaming of peace."
The air trembled with chakra.
"When this village stands, there will be no division between shinobi and wanderers. No wars between brothers.
We'll all share one name — Konoha shinobi."
Raizen's tone softened then, carrying something painfully human.
"That's my dream. My hope. So I'm asking all of you—put aside your grudges, your clan pride, your hate. Help me build something real."
He bowed deeply — the leader of an army, the survivor of too many wars, lowering himself before the people.
For a moment, no one moved. The silence pressed in until it almost hurt.
Then, one voice cracked the stillness.
"Konoha!"
A lone ninja shouted the word, then grabbed his comrade's arm.
"Konoha Village!"
The words ignited something.
"Build Konoha Village!"
"End this damn Warring States!"
Cheers erupted like wildfire. The entire square roared as the crowd surged forward, shouting, crying, laughing. The noise swallowed the world.
Every man and woman clutched their ballot slips, moving toward the two massive boxes at the center — one marked Agree, the other Disagree.
The "Disagree" box stayed nearly empty.
Even those who wanted to oppose were dragged along by the tide, by the look in their neighbors' eyes — the kind of look that said we've had enough of blood.
Raizen stood unmoving amid the chaos, his expression unreadable.
So this is it, he thought. The end of the Warring States... or the start of something worse.
When the final vote was cast, he walked forward, opened both boxes, and began counting in front of everyone. The crowd watched in silence, breaths held.
Finally, a faint smile crept onto his face.
He raised his voice, and the words rang like a bell that would echo through history:
"The votes in favor outnumber the votes against.
From this day forward — Konoha Village is officially established!"
The crowd exploded. Cheers turned into cries of joy, tears, and laughter. Shinobi who had once tried to kill each other now embraced like brothers. The Warring States era — for that moment — felt like a fading nightmare.
Raizen let them cheer for a while before speaking again.
"Everyone, quiet!"
The voices dimmed, though smiles still flickered across exhausted faces.
"With Konoha founded, the old ways are over. From today, we build something new.
To do that, we'll create six main departments to keep our village running."
He raised his hand, counting each one off.
"The Assassination Unit — Anbu.
The Administration Department.
The Medical Corps.
The Education Department.
The Interrogation Unit.
And the Security Division."
Murmurs spread through the shinobi ranks. Even the Hyūga and Sarutobi looked surprised — Raizen had already thought this far ahead.
"Each department will coordinate the work of the village," he continued. "And every clan — great or small — will have a place in it. From this moment on, your loyalty is not to your clan, but to Konoha."
He paused, scanning the crowd. Their faces were lit with a mix of pride and disbelief. For the first time in their lives, they weren't fighting to survive; they were building a future.
"All jōnin, follow me to the Administration Hall. We'll discuss the next phase — the village's leadership and the shinobi structure."
The civilians remained behind, buzzing with talk of the future. The jōnin followed Raizen through the corridors of the new Administration Hall — a hastily rebuilt structure that still smelled of smoke and wood oil.
Inside, they sat cross-legged on the tatami floor. The air was thick with tension and chakra.
Raizen looked around once, then spoke.
"Now that Konoha exists, we need a functioning system of leadership. I propose we establish two ruling bodies: a Leader system and an Elders' Council."
The room fell quiet. No one disagreed — they all knew who the leader would be. The man who had united them, built this alliance, and just declared a new village.
But the idea of an Elders' Council made several clan heads exchange careful looks.
Hyūga Tennin was the first to speak. "Raizen-sama, may I ask... how many elder positions are there? And what authority will they hold?"
Raizen smiled faintly — the kind of smile that said I expected that question.
"There will be eighteen elder seats in total.
Five will be held by civilians and wandering shinobi, to give them a voice. The remaining thirteen will be distributed among the clans."
He let that sink in before continuing.
"The Council of Elders will stand at the top of Konoha's political system. They'll have the right to participate in decision-making, but final authority rests with the Leader.
However—if two-thirds of the council opposes a decision, it will be nullified."
That line drew quiet murmurs. Fair, balanced, and—most importantly—designed to prevent tyranny.
Raizen met Tennin's gaze across the room.
"No one man should rule unchecked," he said softly. "Not even me."
For a long time, no one spoke. Then Hyūga Tennin inclined his head.
"Wise words, Raizen-sama."
Outside, the wind carried the sound of hammers striking wood — new homes being built, the heartbeat of a village just born.
For the first time in a hundred years, the Land of Fire breathed.