Ninja Clans and the Hokage

The leader of a ninja village was called a Kage. The Kage of Konoha Ninja Village was known as the "Hokage."

In Konoha, there were two explanations for the origin of the Hokage title. One was that it represented Konoha Ninja Village's cooperation with the Land of Fire. The other was that when the Senju Clan and Uchiha Clan joined hands to establish the village, Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara each drew on their best friend's greatest specialty for the title. Senju Hashirama named the leader "Hokage," while Uchiha Madara named the village Konoha Ninja Village.

However, after Uchiha Madara left Konoha and was defeated by the First Hokage when he attacked the village, Konoha's promotion of the Hokage title's origins shifted entirely toward the first explanation. As for the history of the Senju and Uchiha joining hands, after the bewildering chain of events that included Uchiha Madara's departure, the Battle of the Valley of the End, Tobirama's death, and the Senju's retreat from public life, it too was gradually buried beneath piles of old papers. Other than a small number of Uchiha clan members, no one mentioned it again.

The Uchiha Clan's resentment toward the Hokage Faction stemmed from this as well.

As one of the two clans that founded the village, after the Senju withdrew, the Uchiha Clan was unquestionably the First Great Clan Ninja Clan, whether within the ninja village or across the entire Ninja World. In the eyes of most Uchiha clan members, regardless of strength or prestige, the Hokage position rightfully belonged in the Uchiha Clan's grasp.

During the era when the Second Generation governed Konoha, there was still Kagami Uchiha, one of the Hokage's disciples, so most clan members placed their hopes on him. They hoped he would obtain the Hokage position and fulfill the Uchiha Clan's dream. Yet after the Second Generation died, his disciple Sarutobi Hiruzen ascended to the Hokage position on the strength of a last will whose authenticity was impossible to determine. Kagami Uchiha, in whom the Uchiha clan members had placed such high hopes, also fell during the First Great Ninja War. From then on, the Uchiha Clan had no representative among Konoha high-ranking officials and remained trapped in the Konoha Military Police Force, unable to rise any further.

Fortunately, with the large-scale eruption of border conflicts, and because the Hokage Faction misjudged the situation and believed a major war was about to begin—or perhaps because they were eager to weaken the Uchiha Clan—they actually handed the entire Northwest Border Defense Force over to the Uchiha Clan. They had not expected the Uchiha Clan to use this opportunity to break free from its shackles. Not only did they take the entire border force into their hands, they nearly turned the Land of Grass into Uchiha territory.

The Daimyo of the Land of Grass had invited Uchiha Kamon to lead a team to the Capital City in order to borrow their influence. The Daimyo of the Land of Grass was old, frail, and sickly, while the heir he had designated was still young. To avoid court unrest, the Daimyo of the Land of Grass invited Uchiha Kamon to lead the Clan Ninja Army into his country and serve as guards for the heir's investiture ceremony. He also solemnly entrusted the Uchiha Clan with a long-term task: protecting the Daimyo's Eldest Son. After consulting Elder Setsuna, Uchiha Kamon accepted the task.

"So... our clan members are now the guardian ninja of the Daimyo's Eldest Son of the Land of Grass?"

After returning from the Capital City of the Land of Grass, Uchiha Kamon told Uchiha Tokimitsu about what he had been doing recently.

"More or less. After all, twelve clan members have remained in the Capital City of the Land of Grass."

Uchiha Tokimitsu clicked his tongue in amazement.

"Still, hasn't the Land of Grass always funded Kusagakure? Why did they suddenly assign our clan a protection mission?"

"Perhaps precisely because Kusagakure is supported by the Land of Grass, they sought us out. After all, our clan has no roots or interests in the Land of Grass. Accepting this protection mission also puts the current Daimyo more at ease."

"...That makes sense." Uchiha Tokimitsu thought so as well. The Uchiha Clan was renowned, and recently they had swept through the Land of Grass without opposition. Even Iwagakure's army from the Land of Earth had been forced to hole up and refuse to come out. If he were the Daimyo, he too would rather pay a high price to hire Uchiha ninja than use those infamous, fence-sitting Grass Ninja.

"Speaking of which, Uncle Kamon..." Uchiha Tokimitsu asked with some confusion, "Why have nobles such as Daimyos and feudal lords been able to continue existing?"

"What do you mean?" Uchiha Kamon was taken aback.

"Given the power Daimyos command, they are far inferior to ninja. Why has no ninja ever wanted to replace them?" This question had troubled Uchiha Tokimitsu for a long time.

As a group possessing extraordinary power, ninja had not used their strength to seize the right to directly rule and obtain a transcendent position in the public eye. Instead, they were constrained by Daimyos through missions, funding, and similar means. Uchiha Tokimitsu found this deeply puzzling.

"Hmm... what you're describing was actually similar to the Warring States period." Uchiha Kamon had lived through the end of the Warring States period, so he knew something of the past. "Do you know that during the Warring States period, ninja clans were also members of the nobility..."

"Uh..." This time, it was Uchiha Tokimitsu who was stunned.

"Our clan was once a great noble house spanning both the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning. The Senju, Hyuga, and other ancient great clans were the same..." Uchiha Kamon sighed with emotion.

"Then why..."

"During the conflicts of the Warring States Period, every family lived from day to day. It was not only secular nobles; ninja clans like ours were the same." Uchiha Kamon's expression turned grave. "If one had lived for a thousand years in a chaotic era of mutual deceit and betrayal, where allies could betray one at any moment and slaughter women and children in the rear while a ninja clan was away on campaign, everyone would long for a stable, peaceful life. Whether secular nobles or great ninja clans, compared with a peaceful and secure settlement, that little bit of worldly prestige was no longer worth mentioning..."

Uchiha Tokimitsu still did not quite understand.

Uchiha Kamon could see his confusion from his expression.

"A ninja village... is a harbor, a harbor where one can entrust women, children, and juniors. It allows the Ninja Army to go to war without worrying whether so-called allies in the rear will betray them. That is enough." Uchiha Kamon sighed. "And that is why Lord Hashirama was praised as the 'God of Shinobi.' He ended the chaotic era. The 'One Country, One Village' system he advocated also reestablished order in the Ninja World and made peace possible."

"But the scale of the Ninja World Wars far exceeded that of the ninja clan wars during the Warring States period." Uchiha Tokimitsu pointed out a problem.

"That is true, it certainly is. But what about the common people?" Uchiha Kamon poured himself a cup of tea and took a slow sip.

"Common people..." Uchiha Tokimitsu froze again. All Along, he had treated even unfamiliar ninja as though they did not exist, much less common people with no sense of presence.

"Common people in the Warring States period were as worthless as grass. At least now they can live." Uchiha Kamon's expression was somewhat stern. "Senju Hashirama's greatness lay in redefining order. No matter how poor or unreasonable that order may have been, it was still better than the chaotic, lawless, slaughter-filled Warring States period."

Uchiha Tokimitsu fell silent.

"Secular nobles such as Daimyos may not possess the powerful military strength of ninja, but in an era when great ninja clans had all entered ninja villages, they could still govern the secular world through bureaucrats, samurai, monks, and the like. We ninja only needed to obtain support through missions. This was also why ninja clans were willing to give up their secular status and join ninja villages."

"But right now, the village has clearly encroached upon the interests of ninja clans." Uchiha Tokimitsu pointed out a key issue.

"This actually began with the Second Generation. Tobirama believed that ninja clans being too strong was detrimental to promoting the so-called 'Will of Fire,' so he wanted to suppress ninja clans and support commoners." Uchiha Kamon's face showed disdain. "He even staged that farce of the Senju retreating from public life, dispersing more than half of the clan's strength. Combined with the losses of the Ninja World Wars, he left the once-mighty Senju Clan barely clinging to life. He was Far From It compared to Lord Hashirama."

"The secular belongs to the nobles, while the extraordinary belongs to ninja." Uchiha Tokimitsu raised an eyebrow. "Only the ninja clans get the worst of it."

"Haha! Tokimitsu-kun, you truly are an Uchiha in every sense of the word." Uchiha Kamon was delighted to hear that. "And it is not only our clan. The other ninja clans are deeply dissatisfied with Sarutobi and the others as well."

"They simply lack the strength?"

"Yes, and because we are too strong." Uchiha Kamon's expression once again became smug. "Our clan is unquestionably the number one great ninja clan in the Ninja World. Naturally, Sarutobi that Monkey is somewhat wary of us."

Uchiha Tokimitsu was speechless. What was there to be proud of? "A ninja's foundation is strength. Things like reputation are far too intangible."

"I have to say, Tokimitsu-kun, your way of thinking is very similar to Lord Madara's." Uchiha Kamon poured himself another cup of tea and continued savoring it slowly.

"The Hokage's duty is to safeguard the village's interests and provide a safe haven for ninja clans to prosper and multiply. Yet ever since Lord Hashirama died, from Tobirama's time in power until now, they have deviated from the purpose of founding the village and instead begun pursuing the illusory 'Will of Fire.'" Uchiha Kamon racked his brains to organize his words, then spoke slowly. "Therefore, our clan's dissatisfaction with the Hokage Faction stems from this as well. It is not merely because the clan has no chance at the Hokage position, but because they regard the Hokage position as private property and pass it down in secret between masters and disciples."

Uchiha Tokimitsu was stunned yet again. This explanation was completely different from everything he had learned and understood in both his past and present lives.

"It is fine, Tokimitsu-kun. You will understand gradually." Uchiha Kamon laughed a few times, then rose and left. He had already emptied out all the knowledge he had heard from the clan Elders. If he continued, he would expose himself, so he needed to flee quickly.

Uchiha Tokimitsu sat alone in the tent, mulling over the implications hidden within Uchiha Kamon's words.

Ninja clans and commoners, ninja clans and the Hokage, the Hokage and commoners—like the three corners of a triangle, they were independent yet mutually balanced. As those in power, the Hokage Faction naturally had the urge to expand its Scope of power and control every level of the ninja village. As ninja clans possessing power of their own, they would not pass up opportunities to strengthen themselves and seek benefits for their members. Thus, conflict between ninja clans and the Hokage was unavoidable.

"What a terrible world." After pondering for a long while, Uchiha Tokimitsu shook his head and cast aside the chaotic thoughts in his mind.

"It seems only strength is the truth." Uchiha Tokimitsu extended his left hand. A mass of purple Chakra flames sprang to life within it, shifting with his thoughts into shapes such as fire cats and fire crows.

The One Village, One Country system—or rather, order—which seemed utterly childish to him, had nevertheless endured until now even after Senju Hashirama's death. It had to be said that Senju Hashirama's title of "God of Shinobi," earned through strength and prestige, was truly well deserved.

Although some of Uchiha Kamon's words had been unexpected, upon careful thought, they were only natural.

Just as someone who had lived in a relatively peaceful environment in both his past and present lives would find it difficult to understand the yearning of those living through chaos for a peaceful Pure Land.

It was like how, as an only child in his previous life, he sometimes could not quite understand sacrifices of the individual made for the sake of family interests. Yet since he had become a member of a great ninja clan in this life—and one of the strongest, most overbearing, and most unruly Uchiha at that—then regardless of right or wrong, he had to stand with the Uchiha. This was purely a matter of where one stood, entirely unrelated to justice, evil, right, or wrong.

Just like what he had argued about with Jiraiya yesterday, since he was a ninja clan ninja in this life, he had to consider matters from the perspective of ninja clans. If, after living two lives, he could still be bewitched by so-called "Hokage thinking," then he might as well die early.

"Xinyan-kun." Uchiha Tokimitsu called over Uchiha Nobuhiko, who was responsible for the day's guard duty. "I have a letter I want to send back to the clan. Can your Ninja Cat deliver it for me?"

"That will not be a problem, Lord Tokimitsu." Uchiha Nobuhiko replied respectfully.

Uchiha Tokimitsu planned to write down everything he had seen, heard, and thought since leading the army out, as well as his recent cultivation progress. In particular, he intended to detail the so-called Yin Fire he had been exploring, then discuss it with his father Uchiha Nakagen and Elder Setsuna. Perhaps drawing parallels would bring new gains.

Just as Uchiha Tokimitsu began carefully weighing every word of his family letter, the F3 of the Hokage's Office Building was troubled over the Northwest Border Defense Force's complete loss of power. Meanwhile, the Land of Rain—undisputedly the powder keg of the Ninja World—rolled out a brand-new version!

After several rounds of maneuvering with Konoha, the leader of Amegakure, the "Demigod" Hanzō of the Salamander, and his Rain Ninja began launching an attack against the Sunagakure forces entrenched in the Western Border of the Land of Rain!

Meanwhile, Iwagakure of the Land of Earth, stationed in the Northern Border Region of the Land of Rain, was also skilled at opportunism. Seeing that Amegakure's main forces had been deployed along the Western Border of the Land of Rain, they seized the chance to march south and plunder freely Within the Land of Rain. Neither nobles nor commoners escaped their cruelty.

For a time, the Border region of the Land of Rain had become a complete mess.

Konoha, Sunagakure, Iwagakure... all Three Great Ninja Villages had established Ninja Army Camps Within the Land of Rain and occupied quite a few Border Cities as well. As the Three Great Ninja Villages continued to Dispatch more personnel, the situation Within the Land of Rain became increasingly perilous.

The Ninja World's attention was drawn to this unlucky country where rain fell without end all year round.

By comparison, due to the influence of the Hokage's Edict, the Northwest Border Defense Force controlled by the Uchiha Clan, along with the Land of Grass and Kusagakure, had swept away underground forces and cowed Iwagakure. The Northwest Border Defense Force had effectively become the most powerful gathering place for ninja in the Land of Grass, while the Uchiha Clan's rules and will began taking root in the Land of Grass and the northwestern region of the Land of Fire.