"Captain, that joke isn't funny."
"The Shadow Guard exists to protect the Hokage with their lives. Even if every last guard dies, the Hokage must not."
"How could a Hokage die protecting his own guards?"
Inka wasn't as steady as his brother Tetsuka. He spoke bluntly, unable to hold himself back. Tobirama's death was already surreal enough—but this supposed manner of death bordered on the absurd.
"Inka, you need to understand something," Hokuto said calmly. "Stories are required to make sense. Reality often doesn't."
The room fell silent.
Everyone stared at Hokuto's grave expression. Instinctively, they wanted to believe he was spouting nonsense—deliberately dragging things out, messing with them for effect.
Yet in the end, they still chose to believe him.
Hokuto's position didn't allow him to fabricate something like the Hokage's death inside the Military Police.
Suddenly, something sparked inside Tetsuka's mind.
A strange heat ignited in his chest.
"Captain," he asked, his voice tightening, "if the Second Hokage has truly fallen… has the Third Hokage already been decided?"
The question landed like a spark on dry tinder.
Every Uchiha in the room felt the same flame ignite inside their hearts.
If the Second Hokage was dead—
Then who would become the Third?
It couldn't possibly still be the Senju, could it?
The Uchiha were co-founders of Konoha as well. Even if their ancestor, Uchiha Madara, had defected, that didn't erase the clan's foundational contribution. The Senju had already produced two Hokage.
This time, no matter what, it should be the Uchiha's turn.
Breathing grew heavier throughout the room.
Their gazes shifted back to Hokuto.
He had been the first to receive news of the Hokage's death—and he had immediately summoned everyone.
Did that mean… he had designs on the Hokage's seat himself?
After all, above Hokuto still stood the clan head, Uchiha Tomita.
But no one doubted Hokuto's strength. He had proven himself on the battlefield.
Even Tomita might not necessarily defeat him. Leaping over the clan head to aim for the Hokage's position wasn't exactly shocking.
Among the younger generation of Konoha, who didn't harbor dreams of becoming Hokage?
And within the Uchiha, the ethos was simple and brutal:
The strong rise. The weak step aside.
Whoever's fist was bigger spoke louder.
No matter what—
If the Third Hokage position was going to fall into anyone's hands, it should fall into the Uchiha's pot first.
"It's been decided."
Hokuto's four simple words were like a bucket of ice water dumped over the room.
The flame inside everyone was instantly extinguished.
Another Senju?
Among the Senju, only two people still carried enough weight to command broad support.
One was Uzumaki Mito, the First Hokage's widow. Though she kept a low profile and lived quietly within the village, no one dared underestimate her.
The other was Senju Tōma, the First Hokage's son—pure bloodline, formidable strength, and well respected within Konoha.
…This was bad.
A chilling thought surfaced in Tetsuka's mind.
Is the captain thinking about launching a coup?
If Hokuto truly intended something that reckless, Tetsuka would have to stop him—even if it meant saving the captain from himself.
"Who is it?"
"Lady Mito? Or Lord Tōma?"
"That's completely unfair. The Senju already produced two Hokage. It's our turn now!"
"…"
While Tetsuka was still wrestling with his thoughts, Inka had already burst into loud protest.
"Neither," Hokuto said flatly. "It's Sarutobi Hiruzen."
…What?
For a heartbeat, everyone wondered if they'd misheard.
The captain must be joking again.
"Who?"
"Captain, I'm starting to think you've been messing with us from the beginning. Maybe you should come with me to see the clan medic. You're the backbone of the Uchiha—your head can't afford to go wrong."
Inka's words spilled out before his brain could catch up.
A flicker of irritation passed through Hokuto.
I'm discussing the future of the Uchiha seriously, and you think I've lost my mind? Have I been smiling too much at you lately?
He swept his gaze across the room.
To his dismay, most of the Uchiha present seemed to agree with Inka. A few even looked at him with faint sympathy.
Hokuto turned, retrieved the ninja blade he used in battle, and smiled warmly at Inka.
"Inka, it seems your hide has gotten itchy again."
"I'm having a serious discussion about the Uchiha's future, and you think my brain is broken?"
"After this meeting, the two of us will find a place to spar. I'll make sure you're lying in the clan infirmary afterward."
Inka blanched.
He stumbled back several steps and desperately jabbed his brother with his elbow for help.
If the captain really beat him down, he'd be bedridden for half a month.
Tetsuka shot his idiot brother a helpless look.
How did this fool manage to speak without ever engaging his brain?
"Captain, don't take him seriously. He's always like this."
Then Tetsuka's expression hardened again.
"Captain… what you said earlier—about the Second Hokage appointing Sarutobi Hiruzen as his successor. Is that truly confirmed?"
"Of course it's true," Hokuto replied evenly. "I've been serious this entire meeting."
He sighed inwardly.
Tobirama's final move was so outrageous that even stating the truth sounded like a bad joke.
"Sarutobi Hiruzen? What kind of trash is he?"
"I could take him three-on-one by myself. And he thinks he's fit to be Hokage?"
"If that guy becomes Hokage, I'll be the first to refuse to acknowledge it!"
Inka shot to his feet immediately.
If Tobirama had appointed Lady Mito or Lord Tōma, the Uchiha could still negotiate, squeeze out more benefits for the clan, and grudgingly swallow the result.
But Sarutobi Hiruzen?
Who did he think he was?
And the Sarutobi clan—what were they worth?
Back in the Warring States era, they had merely been a minor clan attached to the Senju. If the Uchiha had truly wanted them gone back then, erasing the Sarutobi wouldn't have taken much effort.
Now they wanted to climb over the Uchiha's heads?
Having the Senju above them was already irritating enough. Add the Sarutobi on top of that—and what were the Uchiha supposed to be?
The Uchiha were not some insignificant backwater family.
They were a thousand-year-old great clan.
They had pride.
Hokuto glanced at Inka and gave a small nod of approval.
Good. That finally sounds like something worth saying.
"Yes! The Uchiha refuse to accept this!"
"I don't believe even the Senju will accept letting that coward Hiruzen become Hokage!"
"As the Shadow Guard, they couldn't even protect the Hokage. What right does he have to become Hokage himself?!"
"…"
The room erupted into heated shouting.
The once-quiet chamber boiled over with fury and indignation.
In the eyes of the Uchiha, only two clans were qualified to produce Konoha's Hokage:
The Senju.
Or the Uchiha.
Everyone else—
Was unworthy.
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