Tsubasa saw Biwako Senju again, Tsubasa somewhat embarrassed. He had driven her fiancé Hiruzen Sarutobi, off the stage and out of Konoha, causing her to not be married yet. He did feel a little guilty.
Cherry blossoms from Konoha fell on Tsubasa -Yi's Hokage robe as he stood beneath the statue of the Third Hokage, gazing at the approaching figure— Biwako Senju. She wore a moon-white robe with a crimson outer sleeve, the bow at her waist neatly tied, her black hair braided into three strands with coral beads, cascading over her shoulders. At twenty, she was in the prime of her life, her cheeks as full as ripe peaches, her brows and eyes still retaining a touch of childishness, only the faint frost in her eyes betraying the turmoil of her recent days.
"Senior Sister." Tsubasa paused in his waving, cherry blossoms falling on the boy's shoulder like scattered snowflakes. Biwako stopped five steps away, looking at her junior brother who was only half a head shorter than her. She suddenly remembered that seven years ago, when he first became her father's disciple, he had to stand on tiptoe to touch the top of her head. Now, her amber eyes were filled with sharpness, and even the fingertips hanging at her sides when she spoke had calluses from years of training.
" Lord Hokage." She deliberately dragged out the last syllable, and seeing the tips of Tsubasa's ears turn red instantly, a soft spot in her heart was suddenly gently touched. Villagers passed by, their curious gazes lingering on the two of them—everyone knew that this young lady of the Senju Clan had once been Hiruzen Sarutobi's fiancée, and the boy before them was the one who had personally overthrown the Sarutobi Clan.
Silence spread between them, broken only by the soft rustling of cherry blossoms falling on the stone path. Tsubasa suddenly remembered how, as a child, Biwako always loved to hide candied fruit in her sleeve pocket. After each sword practice, she would magically pull out a piece, which would make her wrinkle her nose from the sourness. Now, her sleeve was as smooth as new, without any trace of bulging.
"I heard you... are going to marry Hiruzen Sarutobi..." His throat tightened as he spoke, the apologies he had rehearsed countless times in his mind now feeling like a pebble stuck in his teeth. Biwako lowered her eyes, staring at the crystal ornament at his waist, an accessory her father had given him before his death. "It's all in the past," she said softly, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the cherry blossom pattern on her sleeve. "It was just an engagement, and besides... when he left, he didn't even say a proper goodbye."
Tsubasa gazed at the Yin Shadow cast by her eyelashes beneath her eyes, suddenly recalling the intelligence he'd seen in the Anbu files last month—when the Sarutobi Clan left, Hiruzen deliberately circled around the Senju residence for a long time before ultimately not going in. This discovery had caused him to drift off into a daze three times during his training last night, finally forcing him to soak himself in ice water to calm down. "I'm sorry..." he said again, his voice as light as a feather, "I should... have handled it more gently."
"Gentle?" Biwako suddenly looked up, a glint of light flickering in her eyes. "The day you ousted Hiruzen from the Hokage position, you showed no mercy. All sorts of accusations crushed his arrogance, leaving even Uncle Tobirama speechless. The villagers say you're just like the First, but my father was far more merciful and gentle than you." Her tone carried a sarcasm she herself didn't realize. "Now the whole Land of Fire is saying that Konoha has produced a brilliant and mighty young Hokage, who can break all laws with sheer force, no matter what schemes or plots he has, he'll just smash them to pieces first."
Tsubasa lowered his eyes, staring at the Senju Clan crest on Biwako's body, and said, "They harbor selfish motives, wanting to turn Konoha into a quagmire of intrigue, swallowing up the martyrs' pensions, and seizing the Senju orphans' estates." His voice carried the stubbornness unique to young men, "What I want is a village with an impregnable fortress, not a stage for people to scheme and plot for wealth. Senior sister, you know, back then, Father was constantly annoyed by those conspiracies and schemes..."
"So you're going to wipe out every possible threat? Most of Konoha's people left, are they all scheming and plotting?" Biwako interrupted him, her fist clenched white beneath her sleeve. " Hiruzen's father may have gathered troops, but he didn't actually harm a single soldier from the Land of Fire. He even served the Land of Fire. Yet you went straight to the Land of Rice Fields and slaughtered him. He didn't even deserve to die! You've already driven the entire Sarutobi Clan out of the border, why couldn't you be a little more merciful and gentle? My father never taught you to be so ruthless, Tsubasa, you're only thirteen! How can you be so arbitrary..."
"Then what does Senior Sister think we should do?" He suddenly looked up, anger blazing in his amber eyes. "Like Master, watching the various clans continue their infighting, the Land of Fire constantly threatened by these people. In the end, even our own funeral has to be held in secret?" The boy took a half-step forward, a cherry blossom falling on his trembling eyelashes. "I don't want to see Konoha bleed anymore, so someone has to be the villain."
The wind suddenly picked up, and a flurry of cherry blossoms fell between the two of them. Looking at the boy's tightly pursed lips, Biwako suddenly remembered her father's dying words, clutching her hand and saying, " Tsubasa, you have a fire in your heart; don't let it burn you." At that time, she didn't understand. It wasn't until she learned that he had single-handedly stormed into the offices of various countries' leaders, taken them down, and pointed his sword at their noses, demanding reparations and the secret techniques, that she finally realized this junior brother seemed to want to end the war quickly so he could continue his training. His special visit today must have been for a reason.
"You... do you want me to take over your job? So you can free yourself up to Immortal Cultivation?" She suddenly spoke, and seeing Tsubasa's sudden head tilt, a certain guess in her heart was confirmed. The boy's ears were so red they were about to bleed, but he stubbornly refused to speak, his boots unconsciously grinding the petals on the ground. Sure enough, Biwako sighed inwardly, it was no coincidence that he was waiting for me here today and deliberately said these things to me.
"Senior sister, you are the rightful heir of the Senju Clan, and your strength is close to Kage Level. You are qualified." He finally spoke, his voice so low it was almost a whisper. "You are kind, intelligent, and understand human relationships... unlike me, who only knows how to speak with my sword. Now that the war is over, Konoha doesn't need a war god, but a Hokage who can mend the wounds."
Biwako stared at the new fuzz on his head, suddenly feeling a mix of laughter and tears. This young man, who had transformed his village into the world's number one, had found a tool to help him cultivate in peace, yet now he seemed as flustered as a child who couldn't hand in his homework. "So you're putting me on the hot seat?" She reached out and poked his forehead, the touch as soft as deer fur. "The villagers worship you like a god now. If it were suddenly me, the ' Senju- handed heiress who was betrayed and jilted,' I'm afraid they'd tear the roof off the council hall."
Tsubasa rubbed his forehead and muttered, "I can build up the momentum first... like letting you gradually take charge of Konoha's affairs, or going to appease the refugees..." "Stop!" Biwako shook her head with a smile, the cherry blossoms on her sleeves fluttering with the movement, "Let's not even talk about whether I have the ability, do you think being Hokage is child's play? You have to manage agriculture, scientific research, machinery, runes, review ninja missions, and deal with other ninja villages... I don't understand any of these things, but you are clearly proficient in them all, yet you want to be a hands-off manager?"
The boy's secret was exposed, and his ears turned so red they almost bled. Just then, Little Tsunade's voice rang out from afar.