Only Those Who Are Recognized Can Become Hokage

"Lord Hashirama!"

"Lord Hokage!"

The guards at the village gate bowed in succession.

Toji's heart hammered against his ribs.

Facing Senju Hashirama directly gave him the oppressive sensation of being scorched by the sun.

It wasn't fear, but the suffocating weight of a massive gap in strength.

He was too weak, and Hashirama was simply too strong.

Toji's mind was clear; if his plan to plunder hearts were exposed, it wouldn't matter how many hearts he had inside him or the augmentation of Earth Grudge Fear—Hashirama would wipe him out of existence with a casual slap.

Must be cautious, even more cautious... he warned himself repeatedly in his heart.

He hesitated for a fleeting moment.

Toji steadied his mind and spoke in a neither humble nor arrogant tone, "You must be the renowned Hokage of Konoha."

"Yes, I am the Hokage."

Hashirama waved a hand, "I had a feeling Doctor Toji would come to our Konoha, but I didn't expect you to actually show up."

"I am surprised you would know the name of a small figure like me."

"I was near Tanzaku Town at the time... ahem." Hashirama nearly let something slip, coughing twice to mask his embarrassment, "This isn't the place to talk. Doctor Toji, please, follow me."

"..."

Toji had almost forgotten that Senju Hashirama was also a notorious gambler.

He likely heard of him while on the road back to the village after gambling in Tanzaku Town.

This was a good thing! The persona he had meticulously crafted had already been planted in Hashirama's mind as a first impression.

Following Hashirama into Konoha, the scenery along the way gradually grew lively.

As a village established only five years ago, it exuded an air of vibrant, burgeoning vitality.

Senju Compound.

Toji saw many young children chasing and playing in the courtyard, running all over the place.

It was hard to imagine that the Senju Clan would decline to the point of near-extinction in just a few years.

He scanned the area.

Toji didn't see the figure of a blonde girl with twin tails, feeling a tinge of regret.

In terms of seniority...

He would be of the same generation as Tsunade's father.

Toji followed behind Hashirama, passing through the corridors of the compound until they finally reached the Senju Clan's reception room.

After some simple pleasantries.

Hashirama took the initiative to ask, "Toji, are you a ninja?"

"Yes, I come from a very distant land, practicing medicine along the way. Without the ability to protect myself, I wouldn't have survived until now."

Toji provided a reason that no one could doubt.

Thanks to his past experience executing assassination missions, he could hide his chakra exceptionally well. Even to the Byakugan, one could only perceive that he possessed chakra, without knowing its volume or nature.

What he currently displayed was the chakra level of an average Chunin.

"That is true."

Hashirama nodded, "Toji, er... do you have any clansmen still alive?"

"No, all my kin have already perished in the war."

"Then how about you stay in Konoha? Treat this place as your home."

Hashirama extended an invitation.

But Toji did not nod in agreement immediately.

A high-end hunter always appears in the guise of prey; nodding too quickly would only make him seem cheap.

Toji pondered for a moment and asked, "I am merely a nobody, yet from the moment we met, Lord Hokage has been very attentive to me. Why is that?"

Hashirama scratched his head and said bluntly, "Because... Toji, your medical skills are remarkable. Konoha needs talent like you."

"To be honest, I heard of your deeds on the road and saw the methods you used to save people. We share the same philosophy—we both want to bring peace to the Ninja World and dispel people's suffering. With you in Konoha, the ninjas in the village will suffer much less."

What an unreservedly honest statement.

"Are there no other doctors in the village?"

"There are. But not many, and most are members of my Senju Clan. We don't have a dedicated medical clinic, so we are often overwhelmed. Besides, I can tell that your medical skills are likely superior to those of my clansmen."

"It is extremely inconvenient for ordinary villagers to seek medical treatment."

"I see..." Toji pursed his lips and remarked with a sigh, "Before this, I thought that one could qualify as Hokage based solely on absolute strength. It seems that is not the case."

Senju Hashirama looked bewildered. "Hm? Toji, what are you talking about?"

"More important than strength is gaining the recognition of the people. Only those who are recognized by the people can become Hokage."

Upon hearing Toji's words, Senju Hashirama's expression became somewhat dazed. "Not because of strength, but because of recognition..."

Seeing Hashirama looking so bewildered and charmed, Toji secretly found it amusing.

Absolute strength brings absolute confidence and obedience, and only someone like Hashirama would recruit an outsider like him without any defenses, earning everyone's recognition.

If it were Tobirama, who lacked such absolute strength, he would have to compensate through various institutional measures.

Let alone recruiting an outsider like him, the first thing Tobirama would do is drag him off for interrogation.

"The dignified Hokage did not use force to coerce me, but instead considers the villagers' perspective in everything." Toji smiled, striking while the iron was hot. "I recognize your philosophy! I will stay in Konoha and will never betray the Hokage's trust."

"That's great! I knew Doctor Toji was the right person."

Senju Hashirama laughed happily and pulled a scroll from somewhere. "This is a medical ninjutsu from the Senju Clan's collection, the Mystical Palm Technique. I'll give it to you, Toji."

You are far too impulsive, Lord Hokage.

Giving away such a precious gift as a medical ninjutsu upon hiring.

"Thank you."

Toji accepted Hashirama's gift.

The two then chatted for a while, and Toji casually revealed his family's trait of "longevity and slow aging," leaving Hashirama to sigh repeatedly about how vast the Ninja World is and how it contains all sorts of wonders.

This "boss-level direct recruitment" had come to a successful conclusion.

As they parted, Hashirama pulled a piece of paper from his robe and stuffed it into Toji's hand. "This is the deed to a property in the core area of Konoha Commercial Street. It's a two-story building; you can live upstairs, and the first floor will be perfect for a clinic."

Giving away ninjutsu and a house upon hiring...

Coming to Konoha was truly the right choice.

Toji did not decline and accepted everything.

With this, the second part of his plan was complete.

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 strong individuals over a long period of time.

The medical ninja system, along with Konoha Hospital, would not be gradually established until the era of the Second Hokage.

The Warring States period had only ended five years ago.

Compared to combat-oriented ninjas, medical ninjas needed to master specialized medical ninjutsu, study a vast amount of professional knowledge, and possess the intellect and perseverance to put that knowledge into practice... Konoha currently lacked such a foundation of ninjas.

That was why Hashirama was so sincere in recruiting an outsider like him.

Toji did not rush to bring this matter up; if he were too hasty, even someone as thick-skinned as Hashirama would grow suspicious. His current status was that of an outsider, and he had not yet truly integrated into Konoha.

He would first perform under the watchful eyes of the brothers Hashirama and Tobirama for a while to gain the "recognition of the villagers." That was what Konoha valued most.

Possessing Earth Grudge Fear, the thing Toji lacked the least was time.

For this, he had plenty of patience.