If Genshin died first, the Daimyo would use most of his forces against Shinhiko. If Shinhiko died first, the Daimyo would use most of his forces against Genshin.
Either way, neither the Uesugi Family nor the Kōzuki Family would find it easy to emerge unscathed.
It was not that Genshin and Shinhiko did not want to bow out while they still could. But as Shinhiko had told Madara several years ago, once you reached a certain position, stepping down was no longer simply a matter of wanting to.
At present, the Daimyo was in his prime, while Genshin and Shinhiko were approaching the ends of their lives. Between the Daimyo's vigilance and their own limited abilities, their heirs could not dance on the tightrope as effortlessly as their fathers. That left the two old men with no choice but to place their hopes in military protection from outside.
"Lord Hokage, judging by your dealings with Shinhiko, your ambitions extend well beyond Konoha. Lord Shinhiko and I are willing to help you gain influence and power that no previous Hokage has ever enjoyed. In return, we hope you can guarantee wealth, prosperity, peace, and stability for our two families."
The Kōzuki Family and the Uesugi Family had been "major shareholders" since the founding of the Land of Fire. Over the generations, successive Daimyo had brought down many of the great founding families, one after another. By that reckoning, their turn had come.
But Shinhiko and Genshin were unwilling to let their families fall into decline. To them, family came before country.
As long as their descendants could enjoy wealth and prosperity, it did not really matter who the Daimyo was.
Madara gently set down his teacup, then studied the two elderly men, whose eyes still shone with vigor despite their age.