"You want to become Hokage, but the biggest obstacle is Konoha's ninja clans. The Uchiha are the first among them."
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded. The news of his teacher Tobirama Senju's death had been leaked by the Uchiha. He believed Kagami Uchiha wasn't the one who had leaked it, which meant the Uchiha had their own information network.
They might even have known in advance that Lord Tobirama would be attacked during this negotiation.
The Uchiha had never made any secret of their desire for the Hokage Position. Even while Tobirama Senju was Hokage, there were still outrageous voices within the Uchiha Clan calling for his rule to be overthrown.
But people like that always seemed to die conveniently on some mission or in some war. The Uchiha Clan could never find the slightest evidence that their deaths had anything to do with Tobirama Senju.
After several extremists died, the Uchiha grew uneasy and quieted down considerably.
Besides, Tobirama Senju had been fair in his dealings. The Uchiha had received every bit of the benefits due to them, and over the years, Konoha's other ninja clans had prospered and come to fully accept Tobirama Senju as Hokage.
Unfortunately, his teacher Tobirama's sudden death during this negotiation had given the Uchiha a golden opportunity to reach for Konoha's Hokage Position.
"I'm confident I can handle the Uchiha. They've always been the same: they follow whoever has the strongest fist. Back then, Hashirama defeated Madara, and Madara ultimately left Konoha. The Uchiha Clan didn't follow him."
"And now, no Uchiha in Konoha can stand against me. Unless they're crazy enough to send out their clan's elite at any cost, they might manage to kill me."
"But they don't have the guts!"
Mito Uzumaki changed the subject, her voice brimming with confidence. No one in Konoha could match her right now. Already extraordinarily powerful, Mito Uzumaki also had the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox inside her. She was a walking natural disaster.
Watching Mito Uzumaki's self-assured expression, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt his spirits stir. He could sense the presence of a mighty warrior from the older generation.
He had just experienced Mito Uzumaki's strength firsthand. It was so overwhelming that it left him breathless.
"I can deal with the Uchiha, but they're not the only clan standing in the way of you becoming Hokage."
"The Senju Clan is hardly eager to see you become Hokage, either."
Mito Uzumaki sighed. The real danger didn't come from the Uchiha outside her family, but from the Senju Clan she herself belonged to.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes widened. He'd thought Mito Uzumaki supported him, and had naturally assumed that meant the Senju Clan was on his side.
"You don't think I can speak for the Senju Clan, do you?"
Mito Uzumaki studied Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression and spoke slowly.
"Usually, my position lets me do whatever I want within the Senju Clan. Even Tobirama had to give way to me. But Tobirama is dead now, and the position you're vying for is the Third."
"Two Hokage have already come from the Senju. The clan has enjoyed that prestige and grown accustomed to the benefits that come with having a Hokage. They've already come to see a third Senju Hokage as a foregone conclusion."
Mito Uzumaki spoke slowly, giving Hiruzen Sarutobi time to take it in.
How to persuade the Senju Clan to accept Hiruzen Sarutobi—that was what troubled Mito Uzumaki most.
The Senju Clan had founded Konoha, and two Hokage had come from their ranks. Both had died in office. That brought them immense prestige.
What's more, during the First Shinobi World War, the Senju Clan had contributed more than anyone else to Konoha's war effort. Their Clan Head was the Hokage, after all, and Senju Clan Members were often sent to the most dangerous fronts.
The Senju Clan Members were just as willing to give their lives to protect Konoha. Almost the entire clan believed the Third would also come from the Senju. Some extreme members even believed that the Senju Clan was Konoha itself!
Now the war was nearly over, and the clan was about to reap the fruits of victory. The Senju sons had nearly bled themselves dry, only for the Sarutobi Clan—a clan that used to trail behind them, picking up scraps—to swoop in and steal the prize.
Mito Uzumaki couldn't imagine how bitter they would be.
The old men in the Senju Clan who had survived since the Warring States Period weren't all dead yet. Every one of them valued the clan's future more than their own life.
They were older than Hashirama, and some were even two or three generations above him. They'd devoted their whole lives to the Senju Clan. They could slap Hashirama, and he'd still cheerfully urge them on.
"Great-grandfather, did your hand hurt? I won't do it again."
Mito Uzumaki could already picture how furious they'd be if she told them Tobirama had passed the Third Position to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Even if Tobirama were still alive, they'd probably curse him out and call him a piece of shit. And Mito would fare even worse.
One remark—"You're an Uzumaki. What right do you have to discuss Senju family matters?"—would be enough to leave her speechless.
Those old men, once pushed too far, would say any kind of outrageous thing. Even though Mito Uzumaki was unmatched in combat, she couldn't lay a hand on them.
Besides, those old men had stopped fearing death long ago. They'd stick out their necks and let Mito Uzumaki cut them down, as long as she could guarantee the Third was still a Senju. They'd die willingly.
"Lord Mito, I..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't find the words. If the Senju Clan opposed him, there was nothing he could do. What could he do to his teacher's family?
He couldn't beat them, and he had no moral ground to stand on.
"The old men in the Senju Clan have already settled on their choice for Third: Toma Senju."
"He's Hashirama's son and one of the Senju Clan's finest. He's earned great merit in this war. As a frontline commander, he held off the pressure from the Hidden Stone Village."
"He's on his way back to Konoha now and will be home soon."
Mito Uzumaki looked Hiruzen Sarutobi over. She could help him shoulder the pressure from the Uchiha, but she couldn't do the same with the Senju Clan.
The best she could do was remain neutral. Besides, Toma Senju was her son. He'd looked up to his father, Hashirama, since childhood and dreamed of becoming Hokage and protecting Konoha.
Mito Uzumaki wasn't so selfless that she'd help an outsider defeat her own son.
"If you want to become Hokage, you have to defeat Toma. You must beat him fair and square in front of the Senju Clan. Only then will I have a chance to persuade them to accept you."
Mito Uzumaki continued. This was the most she could do. She'd seen how much Toma had sacrificed to become Hokage.
Damn you, Tobirama. You're even worse than Hashirama. You really know how to make things difficult for me.
Mito Uzumaki was torn. She wanted to drag Tobirama Senju out of the underworld and give him a beating.
"Lord Mito, I understand. You've already done more than enough."
Hiruzen Sarutobi was filled with gratitude. Mito Uzumaki had already been selfless enough. Toma Senju was her son, after all, and she'd deliberately left that fact aside earlier. Lord Mito had been more than fair.
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