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Listening to the Daimyo's overly polite, almost obsequious words, Hiruzen had a strong suspicion the man had been hit on the head.
But it was a fleeting, absurd thought.
"Old man!"
Just as they were about to leave the palace, a familiar figure came barreling out.
Hiruzen looked at his youngest son, who had matured considerably, and felt a warm swell of pride in his chest.
"Asuma, you've grown."
He actually had to look up now to take in his son's impressive frame.
Kakashi heard Hiruzen's words and frowned in confusion.
His gaze drifted downward.
He… didn't really think there'd been that much growth.
He, Kakashi, remained the undisputed king of their generation.
A smug smile touched Kakashi's lips.
Asuma felt the weight of that stare. His eyebrow twitched.
Why had Kakashi turned into… this?
Weren't you the brooding, silent type before?
Kakashi: "…"
The hell!
Who was 'brooding'?
I was genuinely cool, okay?
Asuma and Hiruzen exchanged a few brief, warm words.
Asuma's focus quickly shifted to Heshu. A sincere grin spread across his already rugged face.
"Heshu, you're amazing!"
He gave Heshu a thumbs-up.
This was a far cry from the arrogant brat he used to be; now, Asuma finally resembled the reliable uncle from the manga of Heshu's past life.
[Ding! Affection level for Asuma Sarutobi has reached 60!]
Asuma's guard duty wasn't over; he'd just stepped out to see them off. Finally, under Asuma's watchful gaze, Heshu's group left the area.
The round trip to the Daimyo's palace took three days.
When Heshu returned to the village, he discovered the Hokage Monument was complete.
The carving of each Hokage's face was a task that mobilized the village's best stonemasons. And since it had to be finished before the new Hokage took office, they worked with incredible speed.
"It's beautiful," Juri said, smiling up at Heshu's likeness.
"…"
Heshu's worst fear had materialized.
"Heshu-sama, what do you think?" The ninja in charge of the monument project beamed at him. "In the hearts of the village's shinobi, you are both beautiful and powerful. Of course we had to carve it perfectly!"
"…" Heshu forced a smile. "Thank you."
The stone visage staring back at him had nothing to do with the word 'handsome'. The flowing locks, the delicate features—they all screamed one undeniable fact:
Tsukimi Heshu was a woman.
"…Isn't he?" The System chimed in, genuinely puzzled.
"Do you need me to check your head?" Heshu replied with a terrifyingly gentle smile.
Two days later.
The day dawned clear, the sky a brilliant blue. The sun shone with a fierce, almost summer-like intensity, a rare gem in the heart of winter.
The streets were draped in colorful banners and lanterns.
For Konoha, a new Hokage meant a new beginning. And this new Hokage, Tsukimi Heshu, was a shinobi who rose from the common people. His monumental achievements made him the ultimate role model in everyone's eyes. His reputation in the Leaf was sterling.
Even the power lines were strung with vibrant tassels.
Every soul in Konoha—shinobi and civilian alike—packed the vast square below the Hokage Tower. Their collective gaze was fixed on the high platform in anticipation.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood on that platform, looking down at the sea of hopeful faces, and smiled.
Kakashi, Shisui, and Juri formed a triangle, positioned at the corners of the ceremonial stage, ready for any unexpected trouble.
"Where the leaves dance, the flame of will burns eternal!"
After considering countless speeches, in the end, Hiruzen only spoke these words.
Yet, thunderous applause erupted all the same.
Perhaps this aged Hokage had made his share of mistakes. But in this moment, everyone acknowledged his lifetime of dedication to the village.
Heshu stepped forward. His warm smile never wavered.
Standing here, looking down at those countless faces alight with joy… the feeling was entirely different.
He had once stood down there too. Back then, Minato had stood in this very spot, bathed in light, the sun itself seeming to favor him.
But now, as Heshu stood here, a tidal wave of tenderness and fierce ambition surged within him, threatening to sweep him away.
"Thank you for your trust. I swear I will never betray it." His voice, amplified, carried clearly across the square. "From this day forward, I will devote myself to building a Konoha that is peaceful, safe, prosperous, and strong!"
"Konoha is the home we all share. Let us move forward together, and create a bright tomorrow for our village!"
He accepted the long, white Hokage robe from Hiruzen's hands. The fabric was smooth, heavy. No wonder Minato had looked so good in it—it had excellent drape.
The applause crashed over him like a physical wave. Cheers erupted from the crowd in rolling bursts.
From Shisui's angle, he could only see Heshu's back. He watched Heshu's silhouette standing against the light, and suddenly felt like he, too, was bathed in sunshine.
Everything was getting better. The dreams of their youth were slowly, surely, becoming reality.
In the crowd, Hizashi Hyūga held his son, Neji, in his arms. He looked up at Heshu's figure.
"She really did it," Hizashi whispered, his eyes growing suspiciously bright.
"So cool!" Hyūga Tenri, standing in the front row, was practically vibrating, her eyes shining with X-ray intensity. "I'm gonna be Hokage too, one day!"
Itachi watched Heshu quietly.
He remembered a certain afternoon, their first meeting. The words his Tsukimi-sensei had said to him then.
"A new world will come. I believe it."
A faint, genuine smile touched Itachi's lips.
"Tsukimi-sensei is amazing," Akiaoi Shinya murmured, his eyes full of worship.
"Don't you guys feel it? Seeing this?" Tenri looked left at Itachi, then right at Shinya. "Doesn't it make your blood boil? Don't you wanna be Hokage?"
"I feel it," Shinya nodded, his smile shy but firm. "But more than being Hokage… I want to be the one who supports the Hokage."
Tenri considered this seriously. "Okay then! You can support me when I'm Hokage!"
"…" Shinya fell silent. His gaze slid past Tenri to land on Itachi. Seeing the unprecedented light in Itachi's eyes, Shinya smiled inwardly.
Compared to Tenri, he thought the powerful, calm Itachi had a better shot.
Meanwhile, in another part of the village, someone else was celebrating this long-awaited moment.
The dim corridors of Root were illuminated, every lamp lit.
Danzō sat in his chair, wearing a smile never seen before. The sounds of joyous celebration filtering down from the surface above felt like his own victory.
"Hmph." The sound was laced with genuine pleasure.
He pulled out a bottle of sake. A gift from Heshu some time ago.
That boy Heshu really knows how to show respect, Danzō thought with satisfaction. A day like this called for a celebratory drink.
[Ding! Affection level for Danzō Shimura has reached 85!]
Clear liquor splashed into a small ceramic cup. The clean, sharp aroma of good sake reached his nose. In a rare moment of abandon, Danzō threw back the entire cup in one gulp. The flavor lingered wonderfully.
He smacked his lips. "Excellent!"
"Truly excellent!"
He raised the bottle for a refill. Suddenly, his vision blurred. Double.
"Mn?"
He shook his head.
The double vision worsened.
"Wha… what's…"
THUD!
Danzō slumped sideways, crashing to the floor. His breathing grew labored, a flush spreading across his cheeks.
A figure emerged from the shadows. Kabuto Yakushi.
Remembering Tsukimi Heshu's specific instructions, Kabuto took a steadying breath. He bent down, hauled the unconscious Danzō up, and unceremoniously dumped him back into the chair.
"Fool. To think you'd actually trust someone like Tsukimi Heshu," Kabuto muttered, looking down at the sleeping form with cold contempt.
His job was simple: wait. Watch. The moment Danzō showed signs of stirring, knock him out again. Rinse and repeat.
With the inauguration over, Hiruzen Sarutobi truly let go.
He carefully placed his Hokage robe in the dedicated storage cabinet within the Hokage Tower, the one that held the robes of all his predecessors.
"This time," he said softly, patting the fabric, "I hope I won't have to put you on again."
A relaxed smile finally settled on his face as he walked out of the building that had been his life for decades.
The moment he stepped outside, sunlight enveloped him. Hiruzen stretched, a wide, carefree grin breaking out.
"Ah! It's still early. I think I'll go see little Naruto!"
Clearing his throat, he set off at a brisk pace toward Heshu's home.
Back in the Hokage Tower, the atmosphere was starkly different.
The Hokage's meeting room was packed. Every clan head of Konoha was present, along with several elders who wielded traditional authority.
"Hokage-sama."
Heshu smiled. After all these years of saying those words to others, it was finally his turn to hear them.
Damn, it felt good.
He took his seat at the head of the table. "Please, everyone, sit."
To his left sat Fugaku Uchiha, head of the Uchiha clan. To his right was not Hyūga Hiashi, but Nara Shikaku, head of the Nara clan. Hiashi sat below Shikaku, his expression visibly troubled. It wasn't just the seating arrangement; it was the weight of his clan's future. The memory of his clan elders' bluster, their subsequent humiliation by the Third, and now Heshu's ascension… it made the Hyūga look like fools.
"I've gathered you all today to inform you of several decisions," Heshu began.
Before the meeting, he'd had Juri rearrange the seating. The elders' chairs were now placed behind the clan heads. So, besides the awkward Hiashi, the elders themselves sat with faces like storm clouds.
"Please proceed, Hokage-sama," the clan heads chimed in, eager to please.
"First. I intend to establish four new Konoha Security Forces."
The original Security Force was a single unit, entirely controlled by the Uchiha. Adding three more meant other clans could finally enter the village's higher echelons of power.
"A brilliant idea, Hokage-sama!"
"Indeed!"
"I fully support it!"
"As do I!"
Eager to curry favor, the clan heads voiced their unanimous approval.
"Since we agree it's a good direction, let me outline the composition," Heshu continued. "Each of the four Security Forces must include medical-nin, combat specialists, intelligence and reconnaissance personnel, and tactical analysts."
"In other words, I am breaking from the tradition of a single clan staffing an entire unit. The new forces will be mixed, composed of members from various clans."
Silence blanketed the room.
"I fully support the Hokage's plan." Shikaku Nara's voice cut through the quiet. As the village's chief strategist, he saw the immense benefits at a glance. It would dissolve barriers between clans, foster cooperation, and act as a check on any single clan's expanding influence. Mixed units meant mutual oversight. It also treated all clans equally, a crucial move to win over the small and medium-sized ones.
Shikaku's eyes rested on Heshu. A precise first move. He knows what he's doing.
"We support it too!" Shikaku's endorsement broke the spell. The heads of the smaller clans erupted in enthusiastic agreement, desperate not to miss the boat.
"It seems the proposal has broad support," Heshu said smoothly, choosing to ignore the few clans who hadn't spoken. "As for personnel, each clan is welcome to recommend their elite shinobi. I will hold an open selection tournament."
"Remember. I will only choose the best. To be selected will be a mark of exceptional talent."
The fact that the Hokage himself would oversee the selection sent another wave of excitement through some, and prompted reconsideration from others. Even the initially resistant clan heads frowned. With such overwhelming support, opposing it would make them outliers. Now, they had to seriously consider which of their clansmen to put forward.
"Clan Head Fugaku," Heshu turned his gaze. "I have a special task for the Uchiha clan."
"Please instruct me, Hokage-sama." Fugaku's face remained an impassive mask.
The original Security Force was the Uchiha's sole domain. Heshu's reform had sparked a flash of anger in him, but his earlier promises didn't seem empty. He would wait and see.
"I will select five elite shinobi from the Uchiha clan to form the Hokage's Personal Guard."
[Ding! Affection level for Fugaku Uchiha has reached 70!]
The room exploded.
The Hokage's Personal Guard? That was a direct line to the Hokage himself! It meant proximity to the very center of village power.
In an instant, Fugaku was bombarded by envious, jealous stares from every other clan head.
"Ahem." Fugaku's lips quirked upward, just a fraction. "The Uchiha clan will not fail your trust, Hokage-sama."
Shikaku hid a smile. Pulling the Uchiha, Konoha's strongest military asset, firmly into the fold meant securing absolute authority. Another masterful move. Shikaku believed in trusting those you used. Hiruzen's frequent wavering due to Danzō's influence had often frustrated him, the military advisor. His nephew, Nara Sōsai, would likely have an easier time now.
The Uchiha were a double-edged sword. But with Shisui, Juri, and his student Itachi by his side, that sword would never cut its wielder.
"Unacceptable! I disagree!"
All eyes snapped to the source of the objection.
Homura Mitokado. He glared at Heshu. "I find the Hokage's arrangements highly improper."
"Improper?" Heshu's smile didn't reach his eyes. "Please, Elder, enlighten us. What is improper about them?"
[Ding! Affection level for Fugaku Uchiha has reached 75!]
"The Hokage has the ANBU for protection," Homura stated, his tone carrying a hint of condescension. He saw Heshu, barely twenty, and assumed he was soft, malleable. "Even for a personal guard, members should be drawn from the ANBU. Selecting directly from a single clan… is that not a clear impropriety?"
"Elder Homura must be getting forgetful," Heshu said lightly.
"What did you say?" Homura's eyes widened. Such disrespect!
"Are you not forgetting?" Heshu's gaze turned sharp. "I am the Hokage now. I decide the village's policies. I decide personnel movements."
Homura stared, speechless, ready to launch into a stern rebuttal.
"That includes you. You are also subject to my decisions."
"My second announcement is the dissolution of the Elder Councilor positions."
Heshu tapped the nameplate in front of Homura, then the one in front of the silent Koharu Utatane. The meaning was crystal clear.
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