Decision

The war has ended, and Konoha has achieved a resounding victory over Kirigakure.

The Yellow Flash, Minato Namikaze, crushed the Kirigakure forces with an unrivaled display of power, driving the invaders out of the Land of Fire.

Even the Third Mizukage was defeated, eventually forced to retreat in disgrace alongside the remnants of his forces.

Of course, this only meant the situation on the main battlefield had been settled; a formal peace treaty had yet to be signed.

It could only be said that the large-scale war had concluded, not that peace had truly arrived.

Konoha had previously defeated Iwagakure and Kumogakure, yet neither had signed a peace treaty with the village.

Konoha had merely bested them on the battlefield, and small-scale skirmishes between Konoha, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure continued to this day.

Iwagakure, in particular, remained locked in minor combat with Konoha within the borders of the Land of Rain.

Although no peace treaty had been signed, the main body of Konoha's forces had returned, leaving only a small contingent of ninja to garrison the front lines as a precaution.

On this day, Konoha was exceptionally lively, with nearly all the villagers spontaneously lining the streets to welcome the returning heroes.

Uchiha Akira was there as well, blending into the crowd of the Uchiha Clan as he watched the returning troops march toward them.

The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, stood at the very front, flanked by his two advisors, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura.

Behind the two advisors stood the white-haired Jiraiya and the cold, stern-faced Orochimaru.

The group stood before the main gate of Konoha, smiling as they looked toward the approaching army.

Leading the vanguard was Minato Namikaze, followed by Uchiha Fugaku, Nara Shikaku, and others.

Amidst the cheers of the crowd, they wore radiant smiles, waving continuously to acknowledge the people.

That day, Konoha held a grand welcoming celebration, and everyone was immersed in joy.

At night, after the festivities had died down.

In the basement of the Uchiha Clan Shrine, many members of the Uchiha Clan who had returned from the battlefield gathered.

This was not a conspiracy to stage a coup; while the Uchiha Clan was currently dissatisfied with the upper echelons, it was merely dissatisfaction, and they were far from reaching the point of wanting to revolt.

Gathering in the shrine basement for meetings was simply an old tradition that had been passed down.

Someone looked at Uchiha Fugaku with excitement and asked loudly, "Clan Leader, will you be participating in the election for the Fourth Hokage this time?"

"We will definitely support you with all our might. Our Uchiha Clan has earned great renown on the battlefield and made many contributions to the village. Surely, there must be a place for our Clan Leader in this election for the position of Hokage."

"The Hokage title is about to reach the fourth generation; isn't it time for our Uchiha Clan to produce one? After all, we were the ones who co-founded the village with the Senju Clan..."

"Who's to say otherwise? The position of Hokage has been passed down within the Senju lineage for three generations; it's time for our Uchiha to take a turn."

"Quiet!" Uchiha Fugaku raised a hand to signal for calm, then said in a deep voice, "I will not be participating in the Hokage election this time. Compared to the Yellow Flash and the Sannin, I am still far behind."

Hearing Uchiha Fugaku's words, the people who had been clamoring fell silent.

The weight of the names of the Sannin and the Yellow Flash was self-evident; they were not something the 'Wicked Eye' Fugaku could compare to.

"Really now..."

"It seems we can only pin our hopes on the Fifth Hokage."

"The Fifth Hokage must be from our Uchiha Clan. We have geniuses emerging one after another; Shisui is only twelve now, which will be just the right time for him to run for the Fifth Hokage!"

"Akira, what do you think?" Uchiha Akira, who had been immersed in the world of Sealing Jutsu, heard a call.

He looked up to see Uchiha Tekka speaking to him; the two could barely be considered friends.

Uchiha Akira shrugged and said, "I think we should focus on improving our strength. As long as our strength is sufficient, everything else will follow."

"Everything else is hollow; only strength is real." Uchiha Akira chuckled and said, "If someone in our Uchiha Clan possessed strength comparable to the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, would we even need to consider the position of Hokage? We wouldn't even have to take the initiative; they would yield the position of Hokage themselves."

Uchiha Tekka's mouth twitched, and he said sheepishly, "Akira, the way you put it... of course everyone knows that strength is the foundation, but in all these years in the Shinobi World, only one Senju Hashirama has ever appeared."

"Even Uchiha Madara, wielding the strongest Tailed Beast—the Nine-Tails—was no match for the First Hokage. To raise one's strength to that level..." He shook his head helplessly.

Uchiha Akira shook his head, a speechless expression on his face. He found that the people of the Uchiha Clan seemed to have very simple minds.

There was a sense of black-and-white thinking, like a binary switch.

He said helplessly, "My point is that as long as we raise the overall strength of our Uchiha Clan, the position of Hokage will naturally draw closer, and we only need to wait."

"Right! It's not like the Hokage lineage can always produce a qualified successor." Uchiha Tekka's expression shifted to one of sudden realization.

Uchiha Tekka looked at Uchiha Akira, "We have Shisui, Clan Leader Fugaku, and you. As long as our Uchiha Clan grows stronger, the upper echelons will have to consider the choice for the next Hokage!"

"It's good that you understand." Uchiha Akira patted him on the shoulder.

Although the understanding was slightly off, it was close enough.

After the grumbling had been vented, the shrine basement soon became empty.

In the end, only Uchiha Akira, Uchiha Fugaku, and Uchiha Mikoto remained.

"Clan Leader, Mikoto-san." Uchiha Akira greeted them.

Now was the time to discuss serious matters.

"Akira, the trail of the Six-Tails has vanished." Uchiha Fugaku didn't waste any time, immediately dropping a major piece of news.

"Vanished?" Uchiha Akira was stunned.

"Yes, it has vanished." Uchiha Fugaku nodded solemnly and said, "Our men discovered traces left behind by the Six-Tails deep in the forest; it is as if it simply flew away."

Of the nine Tailed Beast, only the Seven-Tails possesses the ability to fly.

Could it be that Uchiha Obito made a move? Uchiha Akira's heart stirred as he thought of Uchiha Obito.

With White Zetsu and Kamui at his disposal, Uchiha Obito would be capable of capturing the Six-Tails without anyone noticing.

"There are no signs of battle at the scene; the Six-Tails had no capacity to resist," Uchiha Fugaku continued.

Uchiha Fugaku looked at Uchiha Akira with a grave expression: "Akira, you must have thought of something, haven't you?"

Uchiha Akira nodded and said, "The person who annihilated the Kirigakure forces pursuing Kakashi and Nohara Rin not only possessed Wood Release, but also a Mangekyō Sharingan."

"Wood Release and a Mangekyō Sharingan gathered in one person?" A look of shock appeared on Uchiha Mikoto's face, finding it hard to believe.

Uchiha Fugaku glanced at her and said in a deep voice, "Although it sounds absurd, based on all the inferences, it is true."

"I never imagined that the Konoha higher-ups had not only regained control of Wood Release but also mastered the Mangekyō Sharingan." Uchiha Mikoto frowned and said, "I truly cannot fathom how powerful someone would be with both Wood Release and a Mangekyō Sharingan!"

Uchiha Fugaku sighed, looked at Uchiha Akira, and said solemnly:

"Perhaps the matter of researching the transplantation of First Hokage Hashirama Senju Cells must be put on the agenda!"