Late at night, inside the Daimyo's residence in the Land of Fire, the current Daimyo suddenly jolted awake. He sat up and touched his back, finding his clothes already soaked with sweat.
Remembering the nightmare he'd had, the Daimyo furrowed his brow, feeling uneasy and afraid.
"The Land of Lightning is falling apart."
"Konoha Village, in my own country, with the Uchiha and Senju."
"I must take precautions. The past is a lesson for the future."
The Fire Nation Daimyo's movement and muttering woke the beautiful concubine beside him. She reached out her slender hand, her sweet voice drifting into his ear, but the Daimyo, whose body had long been depleted by wine and women, had no energy to indulge the little temptress. He climbed out of bed and strolled through his residence.
The cool, clear moonlight bathed the world. When the Daimyo reached the courtyard, he waved away his attendants. The cold breeze blowing against him cleared his head somewhat.
The situation in Konoha Village gave him much to think about. He despised the village, yet had no choice but to rely on it.
Without Konoha Village protecting his territory, he couldn't hold on to the vast, fertile, and bountiful Land of Fire.
He had little fondness for Hashirama Senju, who had established the system of one country, one village.
With the ninja clans no longer hostile and distrustful of one another, the nobles and powerful lords could no longer maintain their former lofty status.
In the past, if they disliked a ninja clan, they could simply pay another clan to fight it. But against a hidden village—a gathering of ninja—the same tactic no longer worked.
The Daimyo of the Five Great Nations all felt constrained and powerless.
I can't treat the Uchiha and Senju like that reckless fool in the Land of Lightning. I need to be conciliatory, win them over, and apply pressure, so I can avoid getting personally involved while maintaining my position above the fray.
Ninja were tools that could be controlled with money.
That was the consensus among all the powerful nobles and lords, and the Fire Nation Daimyo was no exception. But even clearheaded nobles were wary of the power ninja wielded.
Their wariness had reached its peak after the Uzumaki Clan founded the Land of Whirlpools. The Daimyo of the Five Great Nations weren't pleased at the thought of ninja establishing their own country and standing as equals to them, the noble descendants of the Heavenly Ancestors.
They wanted to send troops to conquer it, but then they remembered the Uzumaki Clan's blood allies, the Senju of the Forest. So they could only leave the destruction of the Land of Whirlpools to the next generation.
"The Land of Lightning was too clever for its own good. Its Daimyo is a useless fool."
The Fire Nation Daimyo knew perfectly well that the first war between nations in the Ninja World had been secretly instigated by the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning. One reason was to weaken Kumogakure, keeping it from growing too powerful and slipping out of his control. The other was to test Konoha Village's strength and prepare to destroy the Land of Whirlpools.
The first goal had been an unmitigated failure. The Land of Lightning had been thrown into chaos, and the Daimyo had planted the seeds of rebellion in the hearts of the ninja.
The only good news from the second was that the Senju of the Forest had been greatly weakened and might no longer be able to protect the Land of Whirlpools.
But when he heard that the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning had asked the other four nations to send ninja to destroy Kinkaku and Ginkaku in South Cloud Village, the Fire Nation Daimyo could only laugh in exasperation. What did he care about the Land of Lightning?
Those who sow the wind shall reap the whirlwind.
Konoha Village was riven by sharp divisions and split into two factions. The Senju of the Forest had been greatly weakened. Could they still keep the Uchiha Clan in check?
If the Uchiha followed Kinkaku and Ginkaku's example and split Konoha into north and south, the Fire Nation Daimyo would never sleep soundly again. Those bloodthirsty Uchiha ninja were madmen. Once riled up, they wouldn't care that he was a descendant of the Heavenly Ancestors, a sacred and inviolable heir. One swing of a blade, and he'd be dead all the same.
"My own ninja force needs to be trained as quickly as possible. I should also keep an eye on the ninja living among the people. The samurai and monks of the past are no match for the colossal hidden villages. Their era is over."
The Fire Nation Daimyo pondered for a while, then decided to send his heir to Konoha Village with a delegation to learn about the major ninja clans, especially the Uchiha Clan, and gauge their attitudes.
He felt uneasy about remaining in the dark.
"I heard Uchiha Takeyasu has awakened the Mangekyo. He must be the strongest man alive. He's also the Young Lord of his clan, and he's still unmarried this year..."
The Fire Nation Daimyo promptly added his most beautiful daughter to the delegation. He also decided to make Tsunade his adopted daughter, granting her the title of princess of the Land of Fire and strengthening his ties with the Senju of the Forest. An alliance through marriage would be even better.
Once they were family, they would have a way to sit down and negotiate, no matter how hostile they became. At least they wouldn't immediately resort to an all-out fight.
The worried Fire Nation Daimyo gazed at the moon on the horizon and gave a self-mocking smile.
The idea that the Daimyo had to personally approve someone's appointment to the Hokage Position was nothing but a lie to fool the common people.
Hashirama Senju hadn't needed his approval. Senju Tobirama hadn't needed it either, and the Third Hokage probably wouldn't need it, either.
The Fire Nation Daimyo felt like nothing more than an ATM. Konoha would notify him, and he'd have to provide money and supplies. Their usual show of respect was like a rag: they only picked it up to wipe something when they needed it.
"If the next Hokage weren't a powerful and forceful member of the Uchiha or Senju, would things be any different?"
The Fire Nation Daimyo laughed at his own thought. Aside from the Uchiha and Senju, who else could hold on to the position of Hokage?
He shook his head, his interest gone, and returned to his quarters. He put an arm around his beautiful concubine's slender waist and fell into a deep sleep.
The moon set and the sun rose. Just as the sky began to brighten, Mito Uzumaki arrived at the Hokage Building and took the Hokage's seat.
After a night of careful consideration, Mito Uzumaki, acting as an elder of the Konoha High Command, assumed the Hokage Position temporarily and issued an important document that would stir the entire village—and even the Ninja World.
"Following the death of Second Senju Tobirama in battle against Kumogakure, Konoha Hidden Village will hold an open election for the Third Hokage in seven days!"
At the Uchiha Clan Compound, Uchiha Takeyasu was in the first-floor living room, eating the meat buns and plain rice porridge Uchiha Shikata had brought him. The two watched the official Konoha news anchor deliver the announcement on television.
Before long, Setsuna Uchiha and Kaku Uchiha came up empty at Uchiha Shikata's place. Holding newspapers, they headed straight for Uchiha Takeyasu's home. The four sat in the living room, and Uchiha Shikata spoke first. "Young Lord, what do you think?"
Though Uchiha Takeyasu had never seen a pig run, he had eaten pork. It wasn't hard for him to understand the Senju of the Forest's move. After gathering his thoughts, he said, "The Senju of the Forest are doing this because they know our Uchiha Clan is powerful but unpopular, and unlikely to win the support of the people. They want to use the public election to shut us out."
"The Young Lord is right."
Kaku Uchiha, who was on fairly good terms with the Senju, nodded in agreement. "Much as I hate to admit it, we're not as approachable as the Senju."
"Ninja don't fight each other over who's more likable."
Setsuna Uchiha looked indignant and said bitterly, "Those Senju ninja are no gentler than us when it comes to killing. They're butchers who've slaughtered countless people. Now they put on this sunny, cheerful act. It makes me sick."
"No matter how unhappy we are, we have to face reality."
Uchiha Shikata clapped his hands and spoke gravely. "If the enemy comes, we'll defend. If the water rises, we'll raise the embankment. We should reach out to people where we can. Let's see whether the ninja clans that used to be affiliated with us are willing to come back."
"Affiliated ninja clans? How come I've never heard of them before?"
Uchiha Takeyasu knew relatively little about the Uchiha Clan's history, so he asked curiously, "What if they refuse?"
"They're a bunch of opportunists. It doesn't really matter whether they come back."
Setsuna Uchiha waved a hand, indicating that Uchiha Takeyasu shouldn't worry about it. Then he added pointedly, "If we lose the election, Kinkaku and Ginkaku in South Cloud Village have already set a fine example."
"We may hate to leave Konoha, but that's the worst that can happen."
"The Senju of the Forest no longer have the power to destroy us, even if it costs them everything."
"The other ninja clans aren't fools. They won't blindly lay down their lives for the Senju of the Forest."
"If we want to leave, no one can stop us, and no one dares to."
"Let's make one last push for Konoha!"
When he finished, the four Uchiha leaders looked at one another in silence. Even Kaku Uchiha of the Conservative Faction silently agreed. Uchiha Takeyasu had given them confidence.
Once the leaders had reached an agreement, Uchiha Takeyasu thought for a moment and took out his [Paradise].
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