Only Those Recognized Can Become Hokage

"Lord Hashirama!"

"Lord Hokage!"

The guards at the village gate all bowed.

Toji's heart pounded rapidly.

Facing Hashirama Senju directly made him feel as though he were being scorched by the sun.

It was not fear, but the suffocating pressure brought by the gap in their strength.

He was too weak, while Hashirama was far too strong.

Toji knew clearly that if his plan to steal hearts were exposed, no matter how many hearts he had inside him or how much Earth Grudge Fear empowered him, Hashirama could casually slap him into oblivion.

He had to be cautious, and then even more cautious... he repeatedly warned himself.

After hesitating for a moment.

Toji composed himself and spoke neither humbly nor arrogantly. "You must be the renowned Hokage of Konoha."

"That's right, I'm the Hokage."

Hashirama waved a hand. "I had a feeling Doctor Toji would come to Konoha. I didn't expect you really would."

"I never expected someone as insignificant as me to be known by you."

"I was near Tanzaku Town at the time... ahem." Hashirama nearly let it slip, coughing twice to hide his embarrassment. "This isn't the place to talk, Doctor Toji. Please, come with me."

"..."

Toji had nearly forgotten that Hashirama Senju was also an old gambling addict.

The other man had probably heard about him while returning to the village after gambling in Tanzaku Town.

This was a good thing! The persona he had carefully crafted had already made a first impression on Hashirama.

Following Hashirama into Konoha, Toji found the sights along the way gradually becoming livelier.

The village, established only five years ago, radiated the vigorous vitality of all things flourishing.

Senju Compound.

Toji saw quite a few half-grown children chasing and playing in the courtyard, running all over the ground.

It was hard to imagine that the Senju Clan would decline so thoroughly in just a few years that it would seem as if they had never existed.

He glanced around.

When Toji did not spot the figure of a blonde girl with twin ponytails, he could not help feeling a little disappointed.

By seniority...

He should have been from Tsunade's father's generation.

Following behind Hashirama, Toji passed through the compound's corridors and eventually arrived at the Senju Clan's reception room.

After exchanging a few simple pleasantries.

Hashirama asked first, "Toji, are you a shinobi?"

"Yes. I come from a very distant land and have practiced medicine along the way. Without the ability to protect myself, I would not have survived until now."

Toji gave a reason no one could doubt.

Thanks to his experience carrying out assassination missions in the past, he could conceal his chakra very well. Even the Byakugan could only sense that he possessed chakra, not its quantity or nature.

What he currently revealed was merely the amount of chakra an ordinary Chunin possessed.

"That makes sense."

Hashirama nodded. "Toji, um... do you still have any clan members alive?"

"No. All my clan members died in the war."

"Then why not stay in Konoha? Treat this place as your home."

Hashirama extended an invitation.

But Toji did not immediately nod and agree.

A high-level hunter always appeared in the guise of prey. Agreeing too quickly would only make him seem cheap.

After pondering for a moment, Toji asked, "I am merely an unknown nobody, yet Lord Hokage has taken such an interest in me from the very beginning. Why is that?"

Hashirama scratched his head and answered frankly, "Because... Toji, your medical skills are exceptional. Konoha needs talented people like you."

"To be honest, I heard of your deeds on the road and saw how you saved people. Our ideals are alike. We both want to bring peace to the Shinobi World and ease people's suffering. If you are in Konoha, the village's shinobi will suffer much less."

What an utterly unguarded, straightforward statement.

"Are there no other doctors in the village?"

"There are. But there aren't many, and most are members of my Senju Clan. We also don't have a dedicated clinic, so there are many times when they cannot keep up. Besides, from what I can see, Toji, your medical skills should surpass those of my clan members."

"It is even more inconvenient for ordinary villagers to seek treatment."

"I see..." Toji pursed his lips and said with feeling, "I once believed that absolute strength alone was enough to become Hokage. Now it seems that is not the case."

Hashirama looked completely confused. "Hm? Toji, what are you talking about?"

"More important than strength is earning people's recognition. Only someone recognized by the people can become Hokage."

After hearing Toji's words, Hashirama Senju looked somewhat dazed. "Not because of strength, but because of recognition..."

Seeing Hashirama look as though he had been sweet-talked into confusion, Toji secretly found it amusing.

Absolute strength brought absolute confidence and obedience. Only Hashirama would recruit an outsider like him without any guard up, having earned everyone's recognition.

If it were Tobirama, who lacked absolute strength, he would have to compensate through all sorts of systems and regulations.

Let alone recruit an outsider like him, the first thing Tobirama would do would be to arrest him for interrogation.

"As the Hokage, you did not use force to threaten me. Instead, you considered everything from the villagers' perspective." Toji smiled and pressed his advantage. "I recognize your ideals! I will remain in Konoha and will never betray the Hokage's trust."

"Great! I knew Doctor Toji was the right person."

Hashirama Senju laughed happily and somehow produced a scroll. "This is a Medical Ninjutsu kept by my Senju Clan, the Mystical Palm Technique. I'll give it to you, Toji."

What a man of temperament, Lord Hokage.

He was giving away such a precious Medical Ninjutsu as a gift upon hiring him.

"Thank you."

Toji accepted Hashirama's gift.

The two chatted for a while afterward. Pretending to mention it casually, Toji revealed his family's traits of "long life and slow aging," prompting Hashirama to repeatedly marvel at how vast the Shinobi World was and how full it was of wonders.

This direct hiring by the boss ended satisfactorily enough.

As they parted, Hashirama pulled out another sheet of paper from his clothes and stuffed it into Toji's hand. "This is the deed to a building in the heart of Konoha Commercial Street. It has two floors. You can live upstairs, and the first floor can serve as a clinic."

Ninjutsu and a house upon hiring him...

Coming to Konoha had truly been the right choice.

Toji did not decline and accepted everything without hesitation.

With that, the second part of his plan had been completed.

Only the third and final part remained—establishing Konoha Hospital and becoming its director.

As long as he became the director, he would have plenty of ways to obtain the hearts of powerful people over the long years ahead.

The system of medical shinobi, along with Konoha Hospital, would only gradually be established during the era of the Second Hokage.

The Warring States had ended only five years ago.

Compared to combat shinobi, medical shinobi needed to master specialized Medical Ninjutsu, study a great deal of professional knowledge, and possess the intelligence and perseverance to put that knowledge into practice... Konoha did not yet have such a foundation of shinobi.

That was why Hashirama had recruited an outsider like him so sincerely.

Toji did not rush to bring this up. If he acted too hastily, even someone as thick-nerved as Hashirama would grow suspicious. His current identity was that of an outsider, and he had not truly integrated into Konoha yet.

He would first perform under the watchful eyes of the Hashirama and Tobirama brothers for a while, earn "the villagers' recognition," and discuss it later. Konoha valued that above all else.

With Earth Grudge Fear, time was what Toji lacked least.

For that, he was very patient.