Tobirama, the Second Hokage

The weather was lovely. Kazemori Masaki and Satomi finished their training for the day and sat in the courtyard to rest, admiring the flowers and greenery as they enjoyed a rare moment of leisure.

A few days earlier, Hashirama had officially convened the first Five Kage Summit. He hoped the five nations would sign a pact pledging not to invade one another, offering the seven tailed beasts he had captured as the terms of the agreement. One would go to the Land of Wind, which already possessed the One-Tail, while the remaining six would be divided equally among the other three nations.

The summit had not gone smoothly. For the sake of the Land of Wind, the First Kazekage proposed receiving land and money instead of a tailed beast as his condition for signing the pact, provoking the anger of the other three nations. With Hashirama mediating, however, their Kage calmed down and began discussing the matter carefully.

After a round of open disputes and behind-the-scenes maneuvering, the five Shinobi Village leaders solemnly signed the pact. The summit ended successfully, with the Land of Lightning, the Land of Water, and the Land of Earth each paying for two tailed beasts, while the Land of Wind received money and land. Since no nation could be allowed to possess three tailed beasts, and the Land of Wind did not need another, the remaining Seven-Tails went to the Land of Waterfalls.

Once the pact was signed, the young people of Konoha Ninja Village breathed a sigh of relief, believing peace was truly about to arrive. Satomi felt the same. She glanced at Kazemori Masaki and said softly, "Masaki, now that all the nations have signed the pact, you don't have to keep yourself so busy, do you? You can make some time to relax."

"Satomi, how long do you think this pact will last?" Kazemori Masaki asked.

Satomi paused, not expecting that question from him. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Five years should be no problem."

Satomi actually thought it would last longer, but seeing Kazemori Masaki's expression, she deliberately gave a shorter estimate. Even so, that was a long time. There was no need for him to act as though he was about to head onto the battlefield.

Kazemori Masaki shook his head. "I think war will come soon, within the next year or two."

"That can't be right, can it?" Satomi was startled. Although she did not believe a pact could guarantee peace forever, she did not think an agreement they had only just signed would be torn up so quickly. Five years seemed reasonable to her, but Kazemori Masaki was saying one or two. Didn't that mean war was almost upon them?

Had he not known what lay ahead, Kazemori Masaki would have thought the same as Satomi. Even Tobirama shared that view. Hashirama had hoped to give the tailed beasts to the other nations, using goodwill to ensure they honored the pact. Tobirama, however, felt that was not enough, which was why he insisted they pay for them. His aim was to deplete the other nations' Shinobi Village funds.

Without money, even if they did start a war, they would not be able to sustain it for long. Tobirama believed the Shinobi Villages would need at least some time to stockpile food and money in preparation, making it impossible for them to launch a war so soon.

What Tobirama had not anticipated was that the other side never intended to fight a prolonged war. During the First Shinobi World War, the Land of Lightning would stake everything on a surprise attack by more than a thousand ninja, hoping to end the war quickly. Tobirama probably would not even have considered such a reckless operation, yet that was exactly what they did.

Kazemori Masaki felt that war might not truly have been Kumogakure Ninja Village's idea. Judging by what he had learned in another world, the real reason was probably the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning's desire for annexation. Ninja villages were organizations hired by nations, and obeying their employers' orders was a ninja's duty. Even if they thought an order was ill-advised, they still had to carry it out. That was the ninja tradition.

"Sometimes, these things aren't for us to decide. Ultimately, the ruler of this nation is His Lordship the Daimyo, not the Hokage," Kazemori Masaki said.

"Zhenghui..." Satomi's eyes widened slightly. His words sounded like a mere complaint, but she vaguely sensed that he was trying to say something else. She did not know where to begin asking.

"In any case, it's better to be cautious. Lord Tobirama is making preparations, too. He's been putting together a unit lately, and I might be recruited." Kazemori Masaki did not dwell on the Daimyo, turning instead to another matter.

After the Five Kage Summit ended, Hashirama returned to the village for a month before announcing that he would step down and let his younger brother, Tobirama, inherit the Hokage position. Under the rules established when the village was founded, a candidate for Hokage had to be recommended to the Daimyo. Only after receiving the Daimyo's approval and passing a vote of confidence among the village's Jonin could the appointment be confirmed.

The current ruler of the Land of Fire had worked with Hashirama for years, gradually building a small nation into the Land of Fire as it stood today. He trusted Hashirama deeply and had no objections to Tobirama, so naturally he agreed. As the person who actually managed Konoha Ninja Village, Tobirama also enjoyed the jonin's trust. He encountered no difficulties in the vote of confidence and passed unanimously. Thus, Tobirama officially became the Second Hokage of Konoha Ninja Village.

After taking office as the Second Hokage, Tobirama first dissolved the Konoha Academy, which no longer served its purpose, and reestablished it as the Ninja Academy, allowing civilians with no clan background to enroll. He also established a department called the Konoha Military Police Force, responsible for security throughout the village.

Because of Madara, the villagers had long been quietly distancing themselves from the Uchiha Clan. Besides feeling angry, the clan members worried that Tobirama might go even further and suppress them—especially since he had little affection for their clan. To their surprise, however, Tobirama put the Uchiha Clan in charge of the Konoha Military Police Force. This was the department responsible for the village's internal security! If he did not trust them, how could he possibly leave it entirely in their hands?

This proved that the Uchiha Clan had not lost the village's trust at all. On the contrary, the Hokage had entrusted them with an important role, and their clan head was his student. Suddenly, their future seemed bright. Kagami Uchiha was also delighted, but he did not lose his head. He knew his teacher could not possibly trust the Uchiha Clan completely. This department might also be a test.

That was indeed what Tobirama had in mind. He hoped the Uchiha Clan could become a true part of Konoha Ninja Village, and Kagami Uchiha had convinced him that this was possible. The clan as it stood, however, had yet to meet his expectations.

Not much time had passed since Madara's attack on Konoha, and the villagers still deeply distrusted the Uchiha Clan. The clan members themselves surely understood this. Yet even so, in that short span of time, Tobirama had already heard from Kagami Uchiha about some discordant voices within his clan.

The Senju Clan had fought the Uchiha Clan for years, and Tobirama had gradually come to understand some of their traits. The reason the Sharingan awakened, in particular, chilled him. A kekkei genkai born of lost love and suffering was far too dangerous and could easily become a source of instability. Madara's attack was a warning of precisely that.

Thus, however willing he was to accept the Uchiha Clan, Tobirama's cautious nature still compelled him to take precautions against them in secret. Publicly, he gave them considerable authority to demonstrate his trust. Privately, he would have Kagami Uchiha and the Anbu he was planning to establish watch for unstable individuals within the clan, checking whether anyone might follow the same path as Madara Uchiha.

As Kagami Uchiha suspected, the Konoha Military Police Force was part of that plan. Tobirama had granted them such extensive authority for two reasons. First, it demonstrated his trust and reassured the Uchiha Clan. Second, under the force's arrangements, every member of the clan would go out on patrol, making them easier to monitor. It would also let him see how they conducted themselves while enforcing the law, and whether they could develop pride in their duties and a commitment to protecting the village. So long as they enforced the law properly, they could gradually win the villagers' acceptance. Tobirama could then confidently withdraw the surveillance and place his faith in the clan's future.

What Kazemori Masaki had mentioned was the Anbu, an outward-facing organization Tobirama was establishing specifically to guard against enemy infiltration. It would answer directly to the Hokage. Tobirama intended to select outstanding ninja to join, and his seven students would naturally be among them. Joining the Anbu meant Kazemori Masaki would have to face other nations' probing moves and the destabilizing elements that threatened the village.

"Is that so?" Satomi hesitated, then looked up at Kazemori Masaki. "Masaki, I want to join this organization called the Anbu, too. Could you speak to Lord Tobirama for me?"

"Hm?" Kazemori Masaki turned toward her in surprise. "What did you say?"

Satomi repeated herself. Kazemori Masaki's expression gradually grew grave as he looked at her. "Satomi, this is an organization that regularly faces danger. I don't want you getting caught up in that trouble, so I won't agree to it."

Satomi froze and stared at him for a long moment. Then she suddenly said angrily, "Why? What do you think I've been training for? Just to indulge some whim? You should know that I'm a ninja, too. Protecting the village is my responsibility as well. Are you telling me to watch you all face the village's enemies while I stay somewhere safe, useless except for praying for you?"

This was the first time Kazemori Masaki had seen Satomi so angry. It seemed he had underestimated her resolve. She had never thought of herself as a housewife; she had always trained to meet the standards of a ninja. Yet Kazemori Masaki had not seen her that way. Subconsciously, he had never regarded her as a ninja, only as a wife to cherish and protect. As a result, that one remark had provoked her fury.

At that moment, Kazemori Masaki somewhat regretted not having children. If they had a child, he could at least use that as a reason to persuade Satomi. As things stood, however, he had nothing to counter her declaration: "I'm a ninja, too."

"Let's talk about this later." Sweating profusely, Kazemori Masaki brushed the matter aside, then got up and headed outside. "I'm going to check on Lord Hashirama."

Even as Kazemori Masaki left the house, he could still hear Satomi speaking angrily behind him. He could not help quickening his pace, thinking, This is bad.

(End of chapter)