Konoha's lantern-lit streets shimmered like a bed of stars.
Then—
An urgent dispatch from the front crashed into the village's quiet like a thrown kunai, turning peace into ripples of whispered fear and political turbulence.
At Konoha's center stood the Hokage building—flanked on either side by the vast compounds of the Senju and Uchiha.
Either clan's territory alone could swallow the Ino–Shika–Chō and families like the Sarutobi or Shimura without feeling crowded.
Tonight, the Senju Clan Hall filled with tension.
The surviving jōnin gathered for an emergency council—
faces grim, eyes shadowed.
Then she arrived.
Silence swept the room as if stilled by an invisible hand.
Mito Uzumaki—widow of Hashirama Senju, sister-in-law to Tobirama, jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails, and matriarchal pillar of the Senju—entered with a serene, queenly presence.
Her red hair was styled in the Uzumaki's signature twin buns, a faint glow from her Yin Seal catching the lamplight.
Time and sealing arts had preserved her beauty; her dignity radiated like quiet fire.
Even the clan's fury eased under her gaze.
With her Kagura Heart Eye, she saw the emotions in the room as clearly as ink on a page—fear, anger, pride, grief, suspicion.
Where over a hundred Senju stood in the Warring States, now barely a dozen remained.
The clan that once held Wood Release in its blood…
…was nearly gone.
(And now an Uchiha youth has awakened a Mangekyō…)
A ripple of quiet dread flitted through her mind.
The path ahead was perilous.
She rose, her white kimono rustling softly.
"You all know the situation."
"Tobirama is dead."
"An Uchiha returned bearing the Second Raikage's body."
"The Uchiha will not lightly yield the chance at the Third Hokage seat."
"Speak."
Immediately, a voice burst forward—hot, cracked with rage.
Senju Moriki, eldest son of the senior line, father of Tsunade, slammed a fist onto his knee.
"It's obvious! That evil Uchiha brat killed Tobirama!"
"Let the Yamanaka comb his memories and expose him!"
Echoes of Tobirama's political stance ran deep.
Many Senju felt the same fury.
But Mito's voice sliced through the hall like steel.
"Enough."
The entire room fell silent.
Her authority was absolute.
She fixed Moriki with a measured, unblinking stare.
"Do you have proof?"
Moriki clenched his jaw until it trembled.
"The proof is in the Uchiha brat's head! Search his memories and everything will spill out!"
A few murmured agreement.
But Mito remained still as a mountain.
Years of leadership, of surviving the Warring States, of bearing the malice of the Nine-Tails within her—
had carved wisdom where others had only instinct.
Moriki's fire faltered under her gaze.
He had Hashirama's sentiment…
but none of his power.
"…I do all this for the Senju…"
he thought, guilt tightening his throat.
Finally, Mito spoke.
"Do not speak of searching an Uchiha's mind again."
"His rogue status will be revoked tomorrow at the Hokage building."
"Remember this well: he defeated the Second Raikage."
"He is one of the few true powerhouses in this world."
"When you meet him… address him as Lord Soren."
The command hit like a hammer.
Even Moriki bowed.
"We understand, Lady Mito."
They knew:
Her word carried weight equal to Hashirama's.
Tobirama, at times, had yielded to her judgment.
With Tobirama gone, Moriki had stepped into clan leadership—
but he would not, could not, defy Mito.
The elders added:
"We will not act without evidence."
"The Senju cannot afford an open clash with the Uchiha."
An elder cleared his throat.
"But we also cannot hand the Third Hokage's seat to the Uchiha. Who in Konoha is fit?"
Mito closed her eyes briefly.
When she opened them, her answer struck the room like thunder.
"No one."
Shock spread.
Then fear.
Then realization.
She continued softly—but with iron beneath each word:
"If we crown someone now, the Uchiha will not accept it."
"A forced successor may ignite a bloodbath."
Her voice deepened.
"You remember what Hashirama and Madara's battle looked like."
No Senju dared forget.
"If we deny legitimacy, the Uchiha will produce Mangekyō after Mangekyō."
"Even a Pyrrhic victory will leave Konoha in ruin."
Her eyes swept the room.
"Who here would trade Konoha's survival for pride?"
Silence smothered the hall.
At last she said:
"Only a result the Uchiha can acknowledge as rightful will resolve this peacefully."
She straightened.
"We will hold a formal Jōnin Council vote."
"All jōnin in Konoha shall cast their decision—fairly, openly."
A murmur turned into relief.
"A Jōnin Council…"
"A legitimate vote…"
"No shadows. No bias. No clan manipulation."
The Senju bowed their heads.
"So be it."
The Third Hokage would be chosen—
not by decree,
not by clan dominance,
but by the voice of the village's elite.
At least on the surface…
Konoha now had a lawful path forward.
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