The Will to Dominate, Konoha's Unruly Citizens!

Tobirama studied him in silence. At last, a faint trace of an elder's pride surfaced in those dark red eyes, usually so cold and rational.

Looking at the young Uchiha before him, he remembered defying opposition years ago to bring him into the Shadow Guard.

The Uchiha Clan had always been ruled by emotion. Losing a loved one could easily drive one of them to extremes. But Kagami was different. He was one of the few Uchiha who could look beyond his clan's narrow interests and truly put the village first.

"You understand that. Good."

Tobirama finally spoke, his voice much gentler than before. He turned, walked behind his desk, and sat down, then gestured for Kagami to take a seat as well.

"Konoha doesn't belong to the Senju or the Uchiha. It belongs to everyone." Tobirama looked at Kagami, his tone solemn. "I established the Konoha Military Police Force and entrusted your clan with keeping the peace not to push you aside, but because I trust you. That trust, however, needs someone to prove worthy of it. Someone to carry it."

He paused and looked Kagami straight in the eye. "Kagami, you're one of the people I value most. I hope you'll always remember what you said today. Whatever happens, don't let your clan's grievances blind you. Konoha's future needs people like you."

Kagami Uchiha listened quietly, his expression grave. He lowered his head slightly and answered with conviction, "I understand. I won't let you down, Lord Hokage."

Tobirama gave a slight nod and said no more. His silent approval carried enough weight on its own.

Tobirama watched Kagami leave with a respectful bow and nodded in satisfaction. The office's heavy wooden door closed with a soft click, and the corridor fell deathly silent once more.

With his back to the door, Kagami Uchiha walked steadily away.

The clan and the village... He silently turned over the question Tobirama had posed, a barely perceptible darkness passing through his eyes.

Lord Tobirama, I accept the hopes you've placed in me.

The thought came calmly as he looked through the window at the end of the corridor, toward the vast expanse of Konoha beyond the Hokage Building.

He knew better than anyone that in this cruel shinobi world, kindness and loyalty alone would never be enough to protect what he wanted to protect or change the Uchiha's doomed fate. He had to climb higher.

Only by standing at the pinnacle of Konoha's power, by becoming the Hokage who made the rules and held everything in his hands, could he finally cut through the shadow hanging over the Uchiha and reshape the village's order in his own way.

I'll uphold the Will of Fire. Kagami stopped and tilted his head toward the blinding sunlight outside. Ambition flashed deep in his eyes. But it's time I decided Konoha's future.

Kagami Uchiha pushed open the Hokage Building's heavy doors, and brilliant sunlight poured over him.

He narrowed his eyes at the bustling street. Not far away, a few civilian children too young for the Ninja Academy chased one another with wooden swords, their laughter ringing through the air. Across the street, several Genin fresh from graduation marched past with new Konoha Forehead Protectors on their brows and tool pouches on their backs. Their faces were solemn under their Jonin leader's stern scolding as they headed out on a D-Rank mission to find a lost pet.

What a peaceful, harmonious scene.

A gentle smile touched Kagami Uchiha's lips, as though the sight of such peace had truly moved him. But when he lowered his gaze, his eyes were fathomlessly calm.

He knew how many unseen currents lurked beyond the sunlight's reach.

Shinobi with private agendas at meetings, civilians whispering on street corners, hostile forces watching Konoha from the shadows... This seemingly impregnable village was like a city built on a volcano's rim. Beneath its prosperity, countless people fought silent battles for profit, power, and survival.

And he, Kagami Uchiha, was part of both the prosperity and the currents beneath it.

He drew a deep breath, buried his ambitions once more, and stepped into the bustling crowd.

Time flew. Before long, half a month had passed.

On the surface, Konoha remained calm throughout those two weeks, but everyone could feel the tension beneath it. Lights burned in the Hokage Building through the night. Anbu moved like ghosts through every corner of the village, and patrols had doubled.

Everyone knew what they were waiting for.

An uninvited guest from the Land of Lightning, bearing both the shadow of Kinkaku and Ginkaku's rebellion and an offer of peace.

At last, one morning, there was movement outside Konoha.

Guided by several Konoha Anbu, a group of twelve slowly entered the village gates. They wore Kumogakure's distinctive clothing, and the cloud emblems on their Forehead Protectors gleamed coldly in the morning light.

The Kumogakure delegation had arrived.

The twelve Kumogakure shinobi had barely crossed Konoha's gates when, instead of a welcoming procession, they were met by a powerful stench.

SPLASH!

Without warning, a bucketful of slops and rotten vegetable leaves came flying from a second-story window. It landed right beside the shinobi at the front of the delegation, spraying filthy liquid across his trouser leg.

"Get out of Konoha, you Land of Lightning scum!"

A middle-aged woman leaned from the window above, her face twisted with fury as her shrill curses followed the splash. Far from apologizing, she screamed down at the Kumogakure shinobi, "Those traitors Kinkaku and Ginkaku came from your Land of Lightning! Who are you trying to fool, acting all friendly now? Crawl back to your miserable mountain holes and stop fouling Konoha!"

It was as if she had given a signal.

After a brief, stunned silence, the bustling street erupted into a hostile uproar.

"That's right! Kill those Kumogakure dogs!" A burly civilian spat a thick wad of phlegm onto the stone road in front of the delegation, hatred and contempt plain in his eyes.

Several children produced stones from somewhere and hid in the shadows of an alley. Shouting, "Kill the Kumogakure scum!" they hurled the stones at the delegation. The shinobi blocked them easily, but the hatred coming their way clung like a curse.

A steamed-bun vendor deliberately shoved a scalding steamer into the delegation's path. A shopkeeper watched coldly, muttering pointedly about "bad luck." Worse still, several men in coarse clothes folded their arms and planted themselves across the road like a wall of flesh, staring down the fully armed shinobi with open provocation, as though waiting for a show.

A vein bulged on the forehead of the delegation's burly leader. Several Kumogakure shinobi behind him instinctively gripped the Ninja Blades on their backs, and killing intent filled the air. One word from their leader, and these unarmed troublemakers would be corpses.

"Stop."

Abandoning protocol, Tokuma Hyuga hurried forward. He glanced at the civilians causing the disturbance, drew a deep breath, and addressed them earnestly. "Everyone, these Kumogakure shinobi have traveled a great distance to Konoha to bring peace between our nations. How can you treat Konoha's guests this way? Please disperse!"

The middle-aged woman who had thrown the slops immediately shouted back, "Pah! Easy for you to say when nobody from your Hyuga Clan died! My son was only twenty when they killed him. I suppose it's different when it isn't your son?"

"Besides, your Hyuga Clan is no better! We've all heard how you divide your own sons into a Main Family and a Branch Family. Must be nice to have so many sons." She looked down at Tokuma Hyuga with contempt. There was no fear in her eyes, only the pain and despair of losing her son.

Tokuma Hyuga's face darkened at her barbs.

Seeing her lead the attack, the surrounding villagers immediately piled on.

"Exactly! I heard that anyone put in the Branch Family spends their whole life under the Main Family's control. People say it's good to be born into a great clan, but it doesn't sound all that great to me. Ha!"

"That's right! But you've got it wrong. I heard his younger son isn't actually his, so..." one of the men blocking the road whispered.

"Hey!" The man beside him rushed to cover his mouth.

"Have you lost your damn mind? You can't say that! The Hyuga Clan might make sure you never see tomorrow." He shot Tokuma Hyuga a wary glance.

Tokuma Hyuga's face grew darker as the rumors became more outrageous. Even with his self-control, he was getting angry.

What did they mean, Hizashi wasn't his son? And what was this about the Hyuga Clan making someone disappear? How could they say such things? If Tobirama Senju heard, there was no telling how he might use it against the Hyuga. Damn it!

In the crowd, Shikata Nara slapped a hand to his forehead. Just as I thought. I knew this would happen. Lord Hokage, where are you? If this is meant to put them in their place, surely it's gone far enough.

The Kumogakure leader drew a deep breath and forced down his anger. He could not make a move. They had come to seek peace and could not give Konoha an excuse for war.

Besides, they're just a mob of troublemakers. Every village has people like this. Endure it! A shinobi has to endure what ordinary people can't.

He managed a faint smile for Tokuma Hyuga and said slowly, "Konoha shinobi, please take us to the Hokage. We have no more time to waste here."

"Yes, yes, of course. We'll go to the Hokage Building now. Shikada, what are you standing there watching for?" Tokuma Hyuga replied politely, dragging Shikata Nara out of the crowd while he was at it.

Shikata Nara had no choice but to step forward. "Welcome to Konoha, everyone. Lord Hokage is waiting for you in the conference room. Please follow me." Steeling himself, he pushed a path through the crowd and kept smiling apologetically until he had finally led the Kumogakure shinobi clear.

The group quickened its pace and reached the Hokage Building in less than fifteen minutes.

Sunlight blazed over the square in front of the Hokage Building.

Tobirama Senju stood at the top of the steps in a white Hokage Robe, hands clasped behind his back, as still as a statue. Kagami Uchiha stood quietly beside him with his gaze lowered, every inch the dutiful guard.

At the far end of the street, the Kumogakure delegation finally appeared.

At its head walked a towering man over two meters tall. He had long hair and a long beard, a conspicuous tattoo of the character for "lightning" on his right shoulder, and a lightning-shaped scar across his chest that spoke to his past battles.

The Third Raikage, A.

He walked with steady steps, each one carrying the weight of countless battles. Dodai and the other Kumogakure shinobi followed close behind, their expressions cold, their killing intent held in check.

The delegation stopped below the steps.

The Third Raikage raised his head and fixed his imposing gaze on Tobirama Senju. Then he gave a slight nod and spoke in a voice as deep as muffled thunder.

"Hokage, A of Kumogakure has arrived as promised."

Tobirama looked back, his dark red eyes betraying nothing. He returned the slight nod and answered in diplomatic words, his voice equally steady and cool.

"Raikage, Konoha is honored that you came in person. Thank you for making the journey, and welcome."

"It's no hardship to do my part for peace between our nations," the Third Raikage replied, neither humble nor arrogant, giving nothing away.

"Please."

Tobirama said no more. He merely turned aside and gestured for him to enter. His white Hokage Robe swept in a crisp arc through the breeze as he turned toward the Hokage Building.

The Third Raikage followed him up the steps, with the Kumogakure shinobi trailing silently behind.

Kagami Uchiha walked quietly at the rear, gaze lowered, taking in every move of the flawless diplomatic exchange between the two Kage.

The Third Raikage A was formidable in the original story. After Kinkaku and Ginkaku's rebellion, he put down the uprising, then quickly reassured the village. He was responsible for much of Kumogakure's later strength. During the Third Shinobi World War, he even held off more than ten thousand Iwagakure shinobi alone. He fought for three days and nights before dying of exhaustion.

In terms of authority, his word was law in Kumogakure. No Raikage in its history had held more sway.

As for strength, he fought the Eight-Tails alone several times, and the only scar on his body was one he'd given himself. He belonged in the top tier beneath legends like Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha: a walking weapon of mass destruction, unquestionably a powerful Kage Level fighter.

Even with the Mangekyō Sharingan, Kagami Uchiha could not say for certain that he could defeat the Third Raikage. Against someone like him, conventional methods would likely accomplish little. Perhaps only a fully manifested Susanoo would work.

No wonder he dared come to Konoha in person at a time like this. Securing peace talks probably wasn't his only reason. More than anything, he must be confident in his own strength.