The Fifth Hokage Was Terrifying!

The bustling shopping district.

"Lord Hokage?"

"Lady Tsunade!"

Uchiha Xiu and Tsunade walked side by side, and the reactions around them were intense.

A Chunin squad that had just received its war mobilization orders and was out buying ninja tools had been praising the higher-ups for doing the right thing. This time, they hadn't made everyone pay out of pocket for their own rations; instead, they'd proactively allocated funds.

The moment they caught sight of the two around the corner, their voices fell silent.

They instinctively straightened up and greeted them. Their eyes followed the pair until they disappeared from view.

Along with their reverence, their eyes held the curiosity of onlookers eager for gossip.

"They're back. They're all back—the Uchiha and the Senju."

"We'll definitely make it through this crisis."

"That's right! We'll also give those neighboring countries a thorough beating and make them cede territory and pay reparations!"

From a political standpoint alone, one of the Sannin, Tsunade, returning to Konoha did more to reassure the people than Jiraiya would have.

Her status, her strength, and her past achievements were more than enough to make everyone in Konoha feel at ease.

At the roadside, a woman running a vegetable stall was calling out loudly. When she spotted Tsunade, a smile immediately spread across her face.

"Lady Tsunade, Lord Hokage!"

Although the important people surely wouldn't remember, she knew that her son had once been seriously injured on a mission. It was thanks to the medical team led by Tsunade performing surgery in time that he'd survived without being left disabled.

Knowing what someone was up to but too lazy to refuse, Tsunade smiled and nodded, returning the villagers' kindness.

"Lord Hokage."

"Lady Tsunade."

Greetings rang out all along the way.

This was Uchiha Xiu's first time going out to observe the people's lives since taking office. He looked every bit the part.

All the various slogans were exactly to his liking.

In truth, the problem of unruly civilians wasn't limited to Konoha; it was just as bad in the other countries. A culture of bullying had become deeply ingrained.

In Sunagakure, even knowing that Gaara, the One-Tail Jinchuriki, had a penchant for killing people in their sleep, the people of the Land of Wind still dared to get close and provoke him.

They'd achieved the bizarre feat of bullying people equally, anytime, anywhere, no matter who they were.

Now, no one in Konoha dared do that openly.

After all, members of the Uchiha Police Force could land six baton strikes in a second, beating unruly civilians until they cried out without stopping.

In a good mood, Tsunade lifted the curtain to the noodle shop. "Come on in. I'm going to treat you like a fat sheep and fleece you good."

The aroma of food wafted toward them.

Uncle Teuchi's eyes widened when he saw the two come in, then his face broke into a smile. "Lord Hokage, Lady Tsunade!"

"What a rare sight! Please, have a seat."

The two ordinary-looking Chunin in green vests sitting in the small noodle shop immediately fell quiet and paused to pay their respects.

Uchiha Xiu calmly nodded to them, then sat beside Tsunade at the counter.

"It's been ages since I last ate here. Let's start with three bowls of miso ramen with chashu, and double the chashu in every bowl." Tsunade ordered with practiced ease, then glanced at Uchiha Xiu. "What about you?"

"The same." Uchiha Xiu turned to the slightly nervous Teuchi and said warmly, "Sorry for the trouble, Uncle."

"No trouble at all." Faced with the Fifth Hokage, who was deliberately cultivating a down-to-earth image, Teuchi hurriedly waved his hands and turned to get to work.

Ayame, who was helping out, kept stealing glances at them.

The ramen was served soon, steam rising from the bowls.

The two ate quietly, without saying anything more.

Behind the counter, Teuchi wiped a bowl and couldn't help imagining things.

The dignified young Hokage and one of the legendary Sannin, from two families with rich histories, eating noodles in an ordinary little restaurant.

"Age isn't an issue, is it?"

"How much older is Lady Tsunade than the Fifth? Twenty years? Thirty? Legendary ninja really are incredible—they've trained to the point of staying young forever."

Fifteen minutes later.

Outside Ichiraku Ramen Shop, a pretty kunoichi with short hair walked over, carrying a small pink pig in her arms.

"Check, please." Uchiha Xiu finished his last bite of noodles and took out his wallet.

Tsunade had just finished her soup as well and let out a satisfied sigh.

"Shizune's here to get me. I'm off." She stood up briskly.

Uchiha Xiu set down the money for the meal and got up a few moments later.

By the time they left the shop, Tsunade had already taken her little follower away with the Body Flicker Technique.

"Has my life been like walking on thin ice? Can I make it to the other side?"

Whoosh!

A stray thought crossed Uchiha Xiu's mind after he'd eaten his fill, and he leaped toward the Hokage Building.

The office.

Hyuga Hiashi, looking utterly miserable, was bent over his paperwork. When he saw someone appear at the head of the room, he hurriedly greeted him.

"Lord Hokage—"

"Never mind. You've worked hard."

"No, no, Fifth Hokage. I'm not suffering at all. I walk into the Hokage Building smiling every day. The Anbu guards can attest to that."

Hyuga Hiashi, suffering yet somehow happy, didn't dare complain. He was afraid the person in front of him might casually strip him of his advisor position.

So he pointed to the sword on the desk and hurriedly changed the subject.

"Following your earlier instructions, the Anbu found the treasured Thunder God Sword this morning."

"Good."

Uchiha Xiu picked up the special ninja tool and ran his hand over it.

The personal sword of Second Hokage Tobirama Senju!

It was renowned for containing Lightning Release Chakra. Its blade could unleash powerful electrical energy, and it was considered one of the sharpest ninja tools.

"Crackle!"

Chakra surged through it, and dazzling arcs of electricity flashed and crackled across the Hokage's office.

The blade extended to three times the length of an ordinary samurai sword, and that wasn't even its limit. Uchiha Xiu had only infused it with a small amount of Lightning Release Chakra.

"The sword's built-in Lightning Release amplification means even an ordinary slash carries a high-voltage current. Not bad."

"Compared with Kiba, the Lightning Blade of Kirigakure, which one is better?"

At that, Hiashi hurriedly replied, "The Thunder God Sword relies on the wielder's chakra, while Kiba directly absorbs natural lightning. There's a fundamental difference between them, but the treasured Thunder God Sword is definitely sharper. It's every bit as good as the Kusanagi Sword."

"Pity that the entire Kusanagi Sword series was taken by the rogue ninja Orochimaru." Uchiha shook his head. "The Third was wasteful."

One sword could pierce Monkey King Enma's Diamond-hard Body.

Another could be used as a Chidori Blade.

"If I'd had a weapon that suited me sooner, I wouldn't have needed Earth Release: Earth Spear when fighting that duo, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Monkey King Enma. I could've killed them faster."

As he spoke, Uchiha Xiu held the sword and lightly drew it across his other wrist, which had turned black.

A thin line of blood appeared at once!

But the blood didn't spray out. Hashirama Cells healed the wound immediately.

"..." Hiashi lowered his head, not daring to join the discussion.

That night was already behind them. Why was the Hokage suddenly bringing it up?

The blame had been firmly pinned on that dead bastard Danzo's head. It wasn't as if he could crawl out of the underworld and speak up.

Could he be warning me?

That's it. I must not be working hard enough as his advisor!

I'll stay late and work tonight.

There really was more paperwork during the war preparations.

"I've been training for a long time. I'm going to sleep for a bit. You carry on."

After twirling the sword in a flourish, Uchiha Xiu set the Thunder God Sword he was pleased with back on the desk, then leisurely stretched out in the Hokage's personal recliner.

"Yes, Lord Hokage."

Hiashi hurriedly bent over his desk again, handling the paperwork he hadn't finished. There were three enormous stacks of it.

During their conversation, Hiashi had noticed the mark that had appeared on Uchiha Xiu's forehead, and his perception of the man was once again completely overturned.

An S-rank forbidden jutsu, mastered in a single day!

The Fifth Hokage's talent was terrifying indeed.

What would his next study target be?

Chidori.

Impure World Reincarnation.

Flying Thunder God.

Dead Demon Consuming Seal.

Eight Inner Gates: Gate of Death.

Or perhaps he'd create a jutsu of his own!