After Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi's proposal won near-unanimous approval at the jonin meeting, it was swiftly formalized into an official document and sent to the Land of Fire's capital under the highest security by the Hokage's personal Anbu.
By convention, until the Feudal Lord of the Land of Fire formally approved the nomination and held an inauguration ceremony, the nominee would serve as "Acting Hokage," temporarily assuming all the Hokage's duties.
And so Uchiha Ling naturally appeared in the Hokage Office.
Uchiha Ling made no move to take the seat that symbolized Konoha's highest authority. Instead, he stood before the broad window, gazing down at the village as it gradually awoke in the morning light.
People began to gather in the streets. Ninjas hurried about, while children laughed and played. It was a peaceful scene.
Yet Uchiha Ling's eyes held a profound calm, touched by a hint of chill that was almost impossible to detect.
The Hokage... needs the Feudal Lord's approval? Uchiha Ling silently scoffed.
A system that gave a secular noble, far removed from the battlefield and ignorant of the hardships ninjas endured, part of the authority to appoint the leader of a hidden village was itself one of the flaws he would need to eliminate in his future plans.
Power and order should be defined and safeguarded by those who wielded power, not entrusted to an old, decaying class system.
If the Feudal Lord of the Land of Fire could behave himself, then he could keep his position. If he couldn't, then the Land of Fire would have only one voice.
"Lord Ling." A calm voice sounded behind him.
Hatake Sakumo appeared in the office without a sound, like the most loyal of guards. He held a scroll bearing Sunagakure's secret seal. "A confidential message from Rasa