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Early the next morning, mist still clung to the treetops.

Kagami Uchiha set out with four members of the Shadow Guard. Rather than race through the forest at full speed, they followed the official road to the capital.

Early winter was approaching, but the last days of autumn lingered. Across the Land of Fire, the broad woodlands on either side of the road had shed their deep summer green, and gold and russet covered the hills.

Most of the rice fields had been harvested. A few farmers bent to gather the remaining stalks, dead grass lay scattered along the field ridges, and now and then a village repaired after the war came into view.

The scars of the First Shinobi World War had yet to fade. Knife marks and scorch marks still marred the walls of many farmhouses. When villagers saw the ninjas passing, most lowered their heads and stepped aside from a distance, their eyes mixing reverence with unease.

They passed market towns along the way. Compared with Konoha's orderly streets, these towns felt rougher and more alive.

Stalls lined the streets, selling grain, dried fish, handmade pottery, and herbs. Traveling merchants led packhorses and oxen laden with goods through the crowds, while wandering samurai occasionally strolled past with long swords at their hips.

Here, ninjas stood apart. Ordinary people kept a respectful distance. They relied on Konoha for protection, yet feared the power its ninjas wielded.

Hayama Shirakumo watched the villages and towns pass with a quiet expression. Born a commoner, he knew better than anyone how hard it was for ordinary people to survive amid war. Uchiha Tsukiyama, Shizuya Hyuga, and Genichi Senju remained impassive, each taking in the lives before him while lost in his own thoughts.

After three days on the road, the woods fell away and a broad plain opened before them. In the distance, the towering outline of the Land of Fire's capital finally appeared on the horizon.

Kagami Uchiha looked up at the immense city standing before him.

As expected of the Shinobi World's most powerful nation. Even after the First Shinobi World War, its capital brimmed with life compared with the towns they had passed.

Kagami Uchiha did not waste time admiring it. Without stopping to rest, he led the Shadow Guard straight toward the daimyo's palace.

Security around the palace was tight, with elite troops stationed nearby. Of course, such troops could not stop ninjas, which made it easy to guess whom they were meant to keep out.

Most likely, they were there to guard against unruly commoners. The war had ended, but it had left countless people without homes or income, swelling the ranks of refugees. If someone stirred up refugees desperate with hunger and they stormed the capital, alarming the daimyo, that would be no small matter.

Even if the unrest was eventually put down, the daimyo of the Shinobi World's strongest nation could not afford to lose face.

Under the august daimyo's rule, the country was peaceful and prosperous. If troublemakers ran wild in the capital, the model for the rest of the nation, would that not be a slap in his face?

The other nations' daimyo might mock him for it. They might even refuse to let him play first when they sat down to cards...

A thought flashed through Kagami Uchiha's mind. Even after three great shinobi wars, the daimyo of the Five Great Nations could still meet and happily play cards together?

What a ridiculous world!

In a world this twisted, the very existence of daimyo was an insult to every ninja who possessed extraordinary power!

"Unauthorized visitors, stop!" The group had barely approached the palace complex when a guard barked at them.

This was royal ground, after all. Forget entering; a stranger who merely came too close might be killed by the guards without anyone finding it strange.

Kagami Uchiha did not take offense at the guard's attitude. He simply glanced at Uchiha Tsukiyama beside him.

Tsukiyama immediately took out their letter of introduction and handed it to the guard at the gate.

Seeing the doubt in the guard's eyes, Uchiha Tsukiyama showed him the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan. The guard's face turned fearful, but he finally accepted that the visitors truly were Uchiha ninjas.

Rumor had it that a single glance into an Uchiha's Sharingan was enough to trap someone in an illusion.

"Am I still alive..." the guard murmured, his eyes vacant.

There was no denying how much weight the Uchiha name carried.

An ordinary ninja might have been driven off by the guard. So what if he was a ninja?

I'm the daimyo's dog... Ahem. His guard.

But the Uchiha Clan was different.

Its reputation was known throughout the Shinobi World. Even the daimyo had to maintain good relations with the Uchiha Clan.

Everyone knew the clan had a tendency to produce ruthless extremists...

They were a bunch of lunatics, after all. One wrong word, and they would erupt, charging in while shouting things like "Unforgivable!" and "You're wrong!"...

The guard took the letter to his superior. Soon, a broad, heavyset attendant emerged from the palace gates.

"My lords of the Uchiha Clan, please follow me!"

He led Kagami Uchiha and the others to a spacious reception hall.

Meanwhile, deep within the palace, the daimyo of the Land of Fire was copying a calligraphy sample.

He studied the characters before him and copied them slowly. The noon sunlight fell across his body, leaving him thoroughly relaxed.

Whenever something troubled him, the daimyo used this method to ease his mind.

Calligraphy could calm a person's thoughts.

And who had been troubling His Highness?

Who else...

That innately wicked Tobirama Senju!

Why did you have to go to the Land of Lightning yourself to arrange some peace agreement?

The fighting was nearly over, and the increasingly powerful ninja factions had been weakened. You could've come to me, and I could've had a word with my cousin.

Did you really need to go in person?

And then come back gravely wounded?

Only to die not long afterward?

Fine, then. At least pass the Hokage title to your disciple. You thought highly of that good student of yours, Hiruzen Sarutobi, didn't you?

He was so well-behaved. One look told you he knew how to respect a daimyo.

But what did you do? You left the Hokage position to someone from the Uchiha Clan...

Can any Uchiha be normal?

If something goes wrong and he spills my blood on the spot, how is a frail ordinary man like me supposed to stop him?

And look at this. The new Hokage has been in office for months without coming to pay his respects.

What Hokage doesn't need official recognition as soon as he takes office?

Even Shimura Danzō, the future Fifth-and-a-Half Hokage, would come running the moment he took office...

"Sigh..." Thinking of it all, the daimyo could not help letting out a long sigh, worry settling deep in his heart.

Then—

The daimyo focused and swept the tangled thoughts from his mind. He took a deep breath, turned his wrist, and sent the brush flowing across the page.

"A ruler should govern diligently and care for his people..."

"Hmm... My writing is rather good today!"

The daimyo narrowed his eyes and admired it for a while.

"Your Highness, visitors have arrived from Konoha..." An urgent voice sounded beside him.

"What? Visitors from Konoha?" The daimyo, calm a moment ago, spun around.

An attendant had hurried into the hall, panting as he delivered the news.

The attendant paused to catch his breath, then continued more steadily. "Yes, Your Highness. They've just arrived. There are five of them, led by a ninja from the Uchiha Clan. I hear he may be Konoha's new Hokage."

"Uchiha..." The daimyo frowned, but he had no time to dwell on it. He ordered the attendant to lead him to the reception hall.

About half an hour later.

Kagami Uchiha finally met the daimyo of the Land of Fire. The man was around fifty, broad in build, with the prosperous, imposing bearing one would expect of a ruler.

"Konoha hasn't sent anyone to visit in some time. I never imagined its next visitor would be a ninja of the Uchiha Clan."

"Come, refill their tea." Wearing a warm expression, the daimyo instructed his attendants to top up everyone's cups.

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Kagami Uchiha introduced himself and explained why he had come.

"I see. I never thought Tobirama would pass away too. I still remember when he and Hashirama came to see me all those years ago. They cut such fine figures then. To think..."

Seated at the head of the room, the daimyo looked mournful as he spoke.

His expression then grew solemn, and he addressed Kagami Uchiha in a serious tone. "Third Hokage, since Tobirama entrusted Konoha to you before his death, I trust you will live up to his hopes."

"The Land of Fire's government will soon announce to the Shinobi World that you, Kagami Uchiha, are Konoha's Third Hokage!"

Kagami Uchiha was pleased to hear it, though he kept his expression respectful. "Thank you for your trust, Your Highness. I will restore Konoha and serve you well!"

"Hahaha, no need to be so formal, Third Hokage. The Land of Fire and Konoha are brothers bound together. There's no question of serving me. As long as we stand united, our nation will only grow stronger and more prosperous!" The daimyo was quite pleased with Kagami Uchiha's attitude.

Weren't the Uchiha supposed to be lunatics? He's nothing like Tobirama said. Kagami Uchiha is handsome and speaks so pleasantly. What's not to like?

With a broad wave of his hand, he told Kagami Uchiha, "In that case, to celebrate Konoha gaining another Hokage, I've decided to increase its annual funding by ten percent. Consider it my support for Konoha's postwar recovery."

"Also, take twenty million ryō from my private treasury and give it to the newly appointed Third Hokage as a personal gift of congratulations," the daimyo instructed an attendant beside him.

"Your Highness, this is far too generous. I cannot accept such kindness. Please reconsider." Kagami Uchiha watched the daimyo spend money so freely. He wanted it, of course, but his face showed gratitude as he politely declined.

To be fair...

The daimyo had treated Kagami Uchiha with remarkable generosity. Giving him twenty million ryō on their first meeting was lavish by any measure.

Twenty million ryō was no small sum. Under Konoha's future mission rankings, only S-rank missions requiring a Jonin team would pay commissions in the millions.

Twenty million ryō amounted to roughly twenty S-rank missions. For Kagami Uchiha, it was a considerable fortune.

The daimyo brushed aside his modest refusal. With the conversation going well, he began asking about Kagami Uchiha's background, though what interested him most was his personal strength.

That mattered a great deal to him.

The daimyo of the Five Great Nations were related to one another to some degree. A powerful ninja village gave him something to boast about and helped him maintain his standing above the other daimyo.

In the Shinobi World, strength was what counted.

According to the information the daimyo had gathered, Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha had once possessed strength that was... not quite human!

Their battles were said to affect the land for hundreds of miles. From afar, one might see a Wood Dragon soaring or a furious giant cleaving a mountain with its blade...

The accounts were almost too extravagant to believe.

Even the aftershocks of their battles could leave the surrounding land barren.

It was terrifying, certainly. But when men like that belonged to the ninja village under his authority, it was wonderful!

That was why the daimyo of the Land of Fire had stood above his peers for years. With such formidable fighters on his side, he could speak with confidence.

Tobirama Senju had done well enough, but he lacked Hashirama Senju's power to intimidate others.

Now that an Uchiha had become Hokage, the daimyo naturally wondered whether Kagami Uchiha possessed strength like Madara's.

Kagami Uchiha told him honestly that he was nowhere near those two. Compared with the Kage of other ninja villages, however, he was no slouch.

The daimyo was disappointed, but he did not show it.

No matter. Kagami Uchiha is still young and has room to grow. Perhaps he'll reach that level someday.

The daimyo then warmly invited everyone to a banquet to show his hospitality!

At his command, one delicious dish after another was brought before Kagami Uchiha and his companions.

Music and singing began, and lightly dressed dancers entered the room, moving gracefully to the rhythm.

Kagami Uchiha was an upright, easygoing man who understood how others felt. So he chose to watch the dancers openly, not because he was lecherous.

The flowers were in full bloom. Failing to appreciate them would simply show a lack of taste.

There was no denying the daimyo lived comfortably. He ate very well, too...

For a time, host and guests enjoyed themselves together.