Stop Staring at Pretty Uchiha!

At those words, Kagami Uchiha stopped and slowly turned around. A small figure stood behind him on the dirt road.

The little girl looked as though she had run all the way there. Her chest rose and fell slightly. Her fluffy, short, pale-blond hair was a mess, her cheeks flushed from running, and her round face was adorably chubby.

Her tea-brown eyes sparkled as she tipped up her face and looked straight at him.

"What is it, little miss?" Kagami Uchiha asked gently.

Tsunade caught her breath, then asked in a clear voice tinged with curiosity, "Are you Kagami Uchiha?"

"That's right. I am," Kagami Uchiha replied.

"I'm Tsunade. I came here specifically to find you," Tsunade said firmly.

"Tsunade? From Lord Hokage's family?"

"What did you need me for?" Kagami Uchiha asked, puzzled.

"I heard everyone say Grandpa Tobirama only made it back alive because of you. You're a hero of Konoha. So I wanted to see what you were like!" Young Tsunade studied him with open curiosity, sounding utterly certain.

Kagami Uchiha smiled at the adorable little girl. "They're exaggerating. Lord Hokage was fortunate enough to survive. My contribution was nothing worth mentioning."

"But that's what they all say! They say you defeated the wicked shinobi from Kumogakure and saved Grandpa Tobirama. Even Grandma Mito and the others can't stop praising you."

"Hahaha, thank you for the praise. Was there anything else?" Kagami Uchiha asked, accepting Tsunade's compliment with some reluctance.

"Not really. I was just curious what kind of person you were. I didn't expect you to be handsome as well as strong." Tsunade looked pleased and spoke without a hint of hesitation.

Kagami Uchiha looked a little embarrassed. He was tall, well-featured, and handsome enough to be known as a fine young man throughout the surrounding villages. Still, being praised so bluntly by a ten-year-old girl made him uncomfortable.

While he was wondering how to respond, someone hurried up behind Tsunade.

The newcomer wore clothes bearing the Senju Crest.

He gave Kagami Uchiha a slight nod, then said to Tsunade in a helpless tone, "Lady Tsunade, why haven't you gone home yet? Lady Mito has been waiting for you."

"I know!" Tsunade turned to him with an impatient look. "Honestly, you always bring up Grandma Mito to make me go back."

Then she waved to Kagami Uchiha. "Hey, Kagami Uchiha, I'm heading home! See you next time!" With that, she turned and skipped away.

Watching Tsunade leave, Kagami Uchiha felt a faint stir in his heart.

Honestly, anyone who liked watching Naruto liked watching Tsunade. Who wouldn't appreciate a woman as generously endowed as her?

But the busty woman of the future was still just a little sprout... Amitabha Buddha. Forgive these sinful thoughts!

At the Senju Clan Compound.

Tsunade was creeping along on tiptoe.

She kept her steps light, trying to place her feet in the gaps between the courtyard paving stones without making a sound. She planned to sneak back to her room.

"Tsunade, you're back?" came a voice filled with helpless affection.

Mito Uzumaki stood beneath the veranda, her hands at her sides.

Tsunade jumped at Mito's voice and spun around. "Grandma, why are you standing there? You scared me! Hmph." She pouted, looking thoroughly displeased.

"Oh, our little princess didn't come home after school. Instead, she ran off to meet a strange man. How could her grandmother not worry?" Mito said with a teasing smile.

"Oh, Grandma, that's not what happened! I was just taking a walk after school and happened to run into Kagami Uchiha." Tsunade protested, throwing herself into Mito's arms and acting spoiled.

"All right, all right. Now that you've met him, what do you think?" Mito gazed fondly at her granddaughter.

"Hmm... He's handsome, and he seems like a man you can count on." Tsunade looked up, her eyes full of curiosity.

Seeing the dreamy look on Tsunade's face, Mito Uzumaki's vision nearly went dark.

Damn those Uchiha. How many more Senju are they going to bewitch?

Her late husband, Hashirama Senju, had been the same. Whenever he saw Madara Uchiha, he could hardly tear himself away. Even Mito, who had shared his bed, sometimes felt that Hashirama loved Madara most...

And now there was Kagami Uchiha. Ten-year-old Tsunade looked positively starry-eyed whenever she spoke of him...

This is bad! If Tobirama sees this, there's no telling what he'll do.

Starting tomorrow, the Senju Clan might have a new family rule: stop staring at pretty Uchiha!

Imagining Tobirama beside himself with frustration sent an unexpected thrill through Mito Uzumaki, usually so composed and elegant.

After all, who wouldn't want to see the stern, steady Tobirama lose his cool?

Meanwhile, Tobirama, swamped with work at the Hokage Building, suddenly sneezed.

He rubbed his nose and turned toward Hiruzen Sarutobi, who stood before him.

"Monkey, what did you come to see me about? You know I've had a mountain of work to deal with since the peace talks with Kumogakure fell apart."

Tobirama Senju spoke calmly, his expression unreadable.

"Teacher, I came to ask you to withdraw your appointment of the next Hokage." Hiruzen Sarutobi stood straight, his tone earnest.

"Oh? Is that what you want?" Tobirama frowned slightly.

"Yes. You chose me as your successor during a crisis, when an urgent decision was needed to ensure the village would have a future. Now that you've returned safely, Konoha will regain its stability under your leadership. There's no need for a Third Hokage," Hiruzen Sarutobi said firmly.

"Monkey, I did decide to make you the Third Hokage, but it wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision. I've always seen you as a future successor," Tobirama Senju said evenly.

"To my mind, only two people are qualified to succeed me as Hokage: you and Kagami."

"Kagami?" Hiruzen Sarutobi was gratified by Tobirama's confidence in him, but the mention of Kagami Uchiha puzzled him.

"Yes. Kagami was born into the Uchiha Clan, but he's gentle, loves the village, and can see beyond the limits of his clan. If he became Hokage, the Uchiha would support him. With his kind nature, he would also be able to ease the tensions between the Uchiha and the village," Tobirama Senju patiently explained to his confused student.

"That's true. If it were Kagami..." Hiruzen Sarutobi murmured.

"Monkey, I'm over fifty. Even without the ambush in Kumogakure, I wouldn't be able to protect the village much longer. You're different. You're young shoots just beginning to grow. You're Konoha's future."

"I don't have much time left... During the breakout battle in the Land of Lightning, Kagami awakened the legendary power of the Uchiha: the Mangekyō Sharingan. It was a power once held by the late Madara Uchiha and his brother. To an ordinary shinobi, calling it the power of a god would be no exaggeration," Tobirama Senju said with a sigh.

"The Mangekyō Sharingan? Madara Uchiha? But..." Hiruzen Sarutobi had been born before Konoha was founded. He had witnessed Madara Uchiha's devastating power, and the news startled him.

"That's why I can't pass the Hokage Position to you yet. Kagami killed Kinkaku and Ginkaku. He's Konoha's hero now, and his reputation far outstrips yours, Monkey."

"Of course, the stronger Kagami is, the better it is for the village. Madara Uchiha may have been evil by nature, but Kagami is different. If we guide him properly and keep his power in Konoha's service, I can go to the Pure Land with peace of mind, even if I die. If that means letting an Uchiha become Hokage, so be it. Anything can be sacrificed for the village," Tobirama Senju said coldly and rationally.

"Teacher, I also—"

Tobirama Senju cut Hiruzen Sarutobi off. "Monkey, I know no one loves this village more than you do. And I haven't said outright that Kagami will become Hokage. I need time to judge his character. If there's any chance he might lose control, I'll give everything I have to take him down!"

"When that time comes, you'll be my safeguard."

"Do you understand, Monkey?"

Hearing the chill in Tobirama Senju's voice, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally understood what his teacher had in mind.

He dropped to one knee. "Teacher, if Kagami truly passes your test, I, Hiruzen Sarutobi, will devote myself to supporting him."

"And if Kagami does lose control, I'll protect Konoha. I won't let you down."

Tobirama Senju looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi's solemn face and nodded approvingly. His voice softened. "Good, Monkey. I was right about you. You truly have inherited the Will of Fire."

"Go on."

Hiruzen Sarutobi rose and gave a solemn nod. He was about to leave the Hokage Office when Tobirama Senju spoke again.

"One more thing. I've just received word that Kumogakure has chosen a Third Raikage. He sent me a letter. Take a look."

He picked up the letter from his desk and handed it to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Hiruzen Sarutobi stepped up to the desk, took the letter, and read it carefully.

To His Excellency Tobirama Senju, Second Hokage of Konohagakure:

I am the newly appointed Third Raikage of Kumogakure. Since assuming the office of Raikage and taking charge of the village's affairs, I have put an end to the disorder within our borders and restored order to our laws and frontiers.

I write to you on three matters.

First, I wish to inform Your Excellency that the friendship between our villages remains unchanged. We are willing to honor our former agreement, respect each other's lands, and put an end to needless conflict.

Second, I wish to offer a formal apology. The traitors Kinkaku and Ginkaku defied our village's laws and led troops in an unauthorized ambush, destroying the peace talks between our villages and provoking bloodshed that threatened both our peoples. Their disruption of the talks and initiation of hostilities were the result of Kumogakure's failure to keep them in check. Kumogakure accepts responsibility.

Since taking office, I have made a public record of their crimes and exposed the full extent of the harm they caused. Today, I offer this apology in the hope that the grievances between our villages may end here, and that the remnants of their rebellion will not undermine the greater cause of peace.

From this day forward, Kumogakure will secure its borders and discipline its forces. We will never again allow such criminals to cross into your lands and bring harm to Konoha.

Third, when war still threatened our lands, Your Excellency traveled a great distance to the Land of Lightning to negotiate peace between our villages. Kumogakure has never forgotten your sincerity.

Courtesy demands a return visit, as is proper in the Shinobi World. I will therefore choose a date to visit Konoha in person. I wish both to thank Your Excellency for your past efforts toward peace and to settle new rules for our border face-to-face, eliminating the danger of private clashes and securing lasting friendship between our villages.

I hope Konoha will accept this gesture. May we preserve the peace together for the sake of all people in the Shinobi World.

With my best wishes.

Written personally by the Third Raikage of Kumogakure!

Autumn, Year Twenty of Kumogakure.

"This..." Hiruzen Sarutobi looked baffled when he finished reading. "Teacher, the Third Raikage certainly has nerve. They just attacked us and cost us so many comrades. Now he dares to visit Konoha in person?"

"I've heard of him. He's the current head of Kumogakure's Yotsuki Clan, a powerful shinobi with strong support in the village." Tobirama Senju was puzzled as well.

"Never mind. When we hold the Full Jōnin Meeting in a couple of days, we'll inform everyone and hear what they think."

With that, he turned toward the window behind him. Beyond it rose Hokage Rock, where two enormous faces were carved into the yellow-brown cliff, looking out over the village.

Seeing that Tobirama had no wish to talk further, Hiruzen Sarutobi quietly left the Hokage Office without disturbing him.