Hokage and the Village (Part 1)

Following Kurenai into her home, Shuichi truly experienced the difference between Konoha's family residences and those of ordinary civilians.

The lawn in the entry garden was impeccably maintained. Once inside, it felt as though he had stepped from Konoha's bustling streets into a quiet countryside retreat.

At the door, a middle-aged woman dressed in traditional Japanese attire smiled at them.

"Oh my, Kurenai, is this your classmate? This is the first time you've brought a male classmate home!" She looked at Kurenai with a teasing glint in her eyes.

Upon hearing that, Yūhi Kurenai seemed to grow embarrassed at once and hurriedly explained, "Mom, this is Shuichi, Uncle Takeda's son. He seems to have something to discuss with Father today."

"Oh... so you're Shuichi! You're so handsome. No wonder you started bringing extra lunches during that time. I knew your appetite couldn't possibly be that big," Mrs. Yūhi said in the knowing tone of someone who had been there before.

Yūhi Kurenai's face was bright red, and she could barely stand listening any longer. Shuichi, meanwhile, felt as though the matter had been exposed on the spot and grew a little embarrassed as well. He could only brace himself and reply politely.

"Hello, ma'am. Sorry for intruding so abruptly today."

"It's fine. Come in." Mrs. Yūhi smiled warmly at them.

Unlike the grand estates of great clans such as the Hyuga and Uchiha that Shuichi remembered, this house was small and exquisite overall.

After taking off his shoes and passing through the courtyard, Shuichi saw Yūhi Shinkō in the main hall. His eyes looked extremely similar to Kurenai's, while his sharp facial features gave him a somewhat stern appearance.

Having heard the sounds from the front yard, he had been kneeling on a cushion, waiting for Shuichi to enter.

"All right, you two talk slowly. I'll go prepare dinner." With that, Mrs. Yūhi left through the doorway.

After entering, Shuichi saw two cushions before him. He first stood at the doorway and politely greeted Yūhi Shinkō. "The son of an old friend has come to visit unannounced. Please forgive the intrusion."

Yūhi Shinkō's expression softened as well. Seeing the son of his former comrade, he felt somewhat emotional.

This child has had it rough. With that thought, he invited Shuichi to sit.

Shuichi sat down properly according to etiquette. Beside him, Kurenai picked up a cushion and sat off to the side.

"It's been several years since I last saw you. I imagine Kenta would be especially gratified to see how outstanding you've become. Why haven't you come by our home all these years?" Yūhi Shinkō began with casual conversation.

"I was young and ignorant, and I was afraid of causing you trouble. I'm already very grateful that you still remember me."

This was one reason Shuichi was somewhat reluctant to visit elders like these. Although he could handle such interactions, they never quite suited his nature.

The two began talking about Shuichi's father, and they also touched on Shuichi's life over the past few years.

"Did you come here for something today?" Once the small talk had ended, Yūhi Shinkō asked about Shuichi's purpose.

"Yes, I do have a small question I'd like to ask you, Uncle. First, I'll be graduating early soon. This was arranged by the Third Hokage, and he said that he and Lord Orochimaru would personally conduct my graduation ceremony. Lord Orochimaru will also become my teacher."

Yūhi Shinkō was slightly stunned by Shuichi's words. His daughter often spoke to him of Shuichi's excellence, but he truly had not expected Shuichi to catch the Hokage's attention so quickly.

"I feel that Lord Hokage thinks too highly of me, so I wanted to ask you, Uncle, whether there's a reason for this," Shuichi continued.

"Shuichi, you're graduating early?" Kurenai had been listening normally enough, but when she suddenly heard that Shuichi was going to graduate early, she could not help asking.

"Yes. Teacher Tomohisa called me in this afternoon because of it."

"Hmm..." Hearing this, Yūhi Shinkō fell into thought as well.

After a long while, his expression became somewhat solemn. "I can probably guess some of it, but it wouldn't be convenient to tell you. Still, I believe this is indeed a good thing. You needn't think too much about it."

Judging solely from Yūhi Shinkō's reaction, Shuichi had obtained some information. But seeing that Yūhi Shinkō was prepared to end the topic, he wisely did not continue pressing it.

After chatting for a while longer, Shuichi politely declined the invitation to have dinner with the Yūhi family.

After the visit ended, he found a ramen shop in central Konoha and finished his dinner before hurrying home.

Sitting in a chair at home, Shuichi gradually calmed down. He took out paper and a pen from nearby and began sorting through the events that had happened recently.

The major recent event was the White Fang's death, along with something that others still did not know: he would graduate early and become Orochimaru's disciple.

Thinking of the reactions from the major clans and carefully examining the events that had occurred in Konoha in the original story, Shuichi came to his own conclusion after more than half an hour.

"So that's how Konoha Village and the Hokage work." Shuichi felt that his guess was probably close to the truth.

The matter perhaps had to be analyzed from Konoha's founding. The most obvious change it brought to the ninja world was the shift from clan politics to village politics.

The First Hokage's dream was to build a village where everyone could understand one another, where the strong could protect the weak who admired them, and where the younger generation could grow up safely.

During the reigns of the First and Second Hokage, the Ninja Academy was established in order to carry out this ideal.

One purpose was the need for a more advanced system for selecting talent. The original clan-based selection system had become somewhat outdated.

The second was to unite all the large and small clans within the village by having them send their outstanding descendants to the Ninja Academy. In the end, it would make everyone believe that the village was greater than the clan, while also fostering a sense of identification with the village among all its people.

First, the First and Second Hokage led by example. In the wars that began with the founding of the village, the Senju Clan had always been the first to step forward. After making enormous sacrifices, the major clans gradually came to recognize the First Hokage's ideals.

After the First Hokage died and the Second Hokage succeeded him, the Second Hokage established a rule in order to prevent the position of Hokage from being monopolized by the great clans and to ensure that the Will of Fire could be passed on: every future Hokage of Konoha had to be a graduate of the Ninja Academy.

That was the rule on the surface. There was another rule that perhaps could not be spoken aloud: the Hokage had to come from the same master-disciple lineage.

More than ten years after the village's founding, the First Great Ninja War broke out. At that time, Konoha's academy had only existed for a little over ten years and had not yet had time to cultivate enough civilian strength. Thus, the main force in the war consisted primarily of ninjas from clans large and small.

To establish the system of Hokage succession, the Second Hokage first made his position clear by dissolving all remaining members of the Senju Clan and having them relinquish their surname to become Konoha civilians.

At the same time, he took six disciples at the Ninja Academy: Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzō, Torifu Akimichi, Kagami Uchiha, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu. Some came from large or small clans, while others came from civilian backgrounds.

His stance made it completely clear that from then on, whether from great clans or ordinary civilians, anyone outstanding enough was qualified to inherit the position of Hokage.

The major clans all basically understood the Hokage's intentions. Once these rules had been established, Konoha's ninja clans did not hesitate to commit all their resources during the First Great Ninja War.

At that time, Konoha had lost its two great pillars, Hashirama Senju and Uchiha Madara. Yet through everyone's united efforts, it survived the village's most difficult period, when it had been closest to falling apart.