"Where's Orochimaru?"
After glancing around, Kain noticed there was no trace of him in the Hokage's office. Nawaki was casually sitting at the Hokage's desk—was it already the era of the Fifth Hokage?
"The teacher is still in the lab," Nawaki replied. "Unless it's something urgent, he rarely comes out. But recently, he took on a student—Mitarashi Anko. She's a huge admirer of Orochimaru-sensei."
Nawaki chuckled as he continued, "She literally threw herself at him, passionately declaring her admiration. And just like that, sensei took her on as a disciple."
"I'll meet Orochimaru later. There are Hokage matters to handle—and also the issue of relocating Konoha. Nawaki, the ninja clans need to lead by example."
Kain shifted the conversation to business. At this point, he wasn't just the daimyo of the Land of Fire, but also Nawaki's brother-in-law.
"Once the Uchiha, Hyuga, Inuzuka, and other major clans start moving, the civilians will follow. But before that, make sure all secret departments are relocated."
Nawaki nodded. "Understood, brother-in-law. I won't let anyone drag their feet. As for the ninjas and residents unwilling to move, I'll assign Anbu to investigate and handle them properly."
In truth, there were already some dissenters.
After all, every society has its share of conservatives.
Konoha had stood in the same place for over fifty years. For many, the idea of suddenly relocating—especially when life seemed stable—was unthinkable.
They only saw the village in front of them.
They couldn't see the bigger picture: the Fire Nation's long-term strategy or the evolving dynamics of the entire shinobi world.
If that group of people united in opposition, it could undermine Nawaki's credibility as future Hokage. That's why it was better to resolve this in advance.
While they spoke, Tsunade—standing off to the side—heard Nawaki calling Kain "brother-in-law" so naturally that her cheeks flushed. She shot Nawaki a glare, but neither man noticed her expression as they continued their discussion.
After wrapping up the topic of relocation, Nawaki suddenly brought up something new.
"By the way, brother-in-law… Danzo is dead. Hanzo of the Rain Village killed him and is now on his way to Konoha with the body—probably hoping to exchange it for the 500 million ryo bounty."
"What? A reward of 500 million?"
Kain looked puzzled for a moment, then patted Nawaki on the shoulder and said sincerely:
"Wouldn't that money be better used to build a new ninja academy in Konoha to nurture future generations? I was already planning to develop an educational district near Konobi, with extended graduation age to fourteen. The initial funding is 150 million ryo. Nawaki, do you really want to hand that kind of money over to the Rain Village?"
Nawaki frowned. "Brother-in-law, what exactly are you suggesting?"
Before Kain could answer, Yoko suddenly chimed in loudly:
"Dad means don't give them the money! Just like how Mom always tricks me by saying we're going to play outside—but we end up at the casino… uhhh—"
"Ahaha! Kid, don't say nonsense!"
Tsunade, flustered, quickly covered Yoko's mouth and dragged her outside.
"Dad and Uncle are discussing serious matters. Let's go prepare dinner, alright?"
Despite the interruption, Kain and Nawaki resumed their talk once Tsunade and Yoko were gone.
Nawaki still looked hesitant. "Isn't doing something like this… bad for Konoha's reputation?"
Kain gave a calm, reassuring smile. "With 500 million ryo, how many schools could we build? How many children could we feed and educate? Every kid in Konoha would have food on the table, books in their hands, and a safe playground to grow up in. The First Hokage's dream—Hashirama's dream—is finally within reach."
Nawaki remained silent for a moment, then straightened his expression and replied:
"But Danzo's body carries a lot of Konoha's secrets. Brother-in-law, do you think there's a risk Hanzo might try to steal or exploit them? If so, at the very least, we'll need to examine the body thoroughly before offering any reward."
After hearing Nawaki's words, Kain couldn't help but laugh out loud. Big-eyed Nawaki actually knew how to find an excuse to frame others—just like a true disciple of Orochimaru. Clearly, he had been deeply influenced.
As for the so-called "review and confirmation"—how could that even work? If Hanzo were willing to submit to a full memory interrogation by the Interrogation Division just for 500 million ryō, then maybe Nawaki would actually consider giving him the money.
But the odds of that happening were close to zero—so Nawaki simply moved straight to mobilizing a response team.
After all, Hanzo was still a demigod of the ninja world, so he deserved a certain level of respect. Uchiha Shisui, Hatake Kakashi, Hyuga Hizashi, and others were placed in the formation, and with the Four Purple Flame Formation from the sealing squad, it would be enough to ensure Hanzo couldn't escape if things went south.
Nawaki then shared updates with Kain about the broader state of the ninja world.
After the end of the last great ninja war, things had remained relatively peaceful—but Cloud and Mist ninja villages were still problematic. These two often provoked minor border skirmishes, trying to exploit Konoha's current focus on domestic reconstruction.
Since most of Konoha's forces were allocated to internal development, retaliating meant pulling resources away from construction efforts.
Still, Nawaki wasn't one to turn the other cheek. He directly dispatched elite covert teams to infiltrate and sabotage enemy territories.
Unlike Hatake Sakumo's approach in the past, these operations were low-profile, long-term, and designed to slowly wear down the opposition.
Cloud and Mist didn't have the same resilience or internal stability as Konoha. They couldn't afford a drawn-out struggle.
Once Konoha completed its relocation near the capital, a major reform would begin. The Hokage would take on an additional role—Commander-General under the Daimyo's Prefecture—and the village would fully integrate into the central government.
Ninjas would no longer claim territory for their own use but would instead become part of the broader Fire Nation infrastructure. All public departments—finance, education, healthcare—would be unified with the national system and opened to the entire territory of the Land of Fire.
Although the ninja world's technology wasn't inherently lacking, its systems were outdated and severely polarized. Some areas were stuck in ancient times, while others had reached a level similar to the modern world.
Thanks to Kain's deliberate reforms, the Land of Fire had begun to change dramatically.
Television stations, newspapers, and computers had become more common. While it wasn't yet realistic for every household to own one, middle-income families were beginning to buy TVs and computers.
Fiber optics and signal towers were being installed—not by large human labor forces, but by engineering robots managed by the Red Queen AI. This was the visible power of a true industrial foundation.
By evening, Kain and Tsunade returned to the Senju clan estate. By now, all of Konoha knew that Tsunade—the famed Sannin—had returned.
Dinner that night left both Tsunade and Yoko satisfied, if only because Tsunade hadn't cooked it herself.
The only thing that still slightly annoyed Tsunade was that Nawaki hadn't married yet—but it seemed that might be changing soon.
She brought it up during dinner, but Nawaki dodged the question with some hesitation. Judging by his reaction, the wedding might not be far off.
Earlier that afternoon, Tsunade had taken Yoko on a walk around Konoha, and now many were gossiping about her return—especially wondering who had married Tsunade, still regarded as the most beautiful woman in the ninja world.
Rumors swirled about a mysterious man seen entering the Hokage building, but few had recognized Kain at the time. No one suspected that the long-absent Daimyo of the Land of Fire had quietly returned.
Uchiha's development had made great strides recently, but Uchiha Fugaku's ambitions had grown even more inflated. He truly wanted an Uchiha to become Hokage—but there was no hope of that happening in his own generation.
Nawaki's strength was overwhelming. Much like the First Hokage in his prime, there was likely no one in Konoha who could stand against him—except perhaps the Fourth Hokage. Fugaku couldn't match him, even with the Mangekyō Sharingan. The gap between them was simply too vast.
Especially with today's news: although most people didn't know, the Uchiha clan members within the police force had recognized the man holding the little girl.
That man was Kain, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire—making it all but certain that Nawaki would be the next Hokage.
However, the Sixth Hokage position might be within reach for the Uchiha. Nawaki had no students or children of his own, and within the clan, Uchiha Shisui had already built a strong reputation. Though both he and Kakashi were Anbu, their fame had already outgrown the anonymity their masks were supposed to provide.
Shisui's Body Flicker Technique, combined with Uchiha-style kenjutsu and Chidori, had become almost his signature—mirrored in Kakashi's style as well. But in terms of influence and connections, Kakashi was no match for the Uchiha clan.
After ensuring Sasuke was well taken care of, Uchiha Mikoto joined the table to eat. Despite being a mother of two, she still retained her elegance and beauty, her figure perfectly proportioned. As she knelt, her graceful posture and natural poise were hard to ignore.
"Have you been in contact with the Daimyo's wife lately?" Fugaku asked calmly.
Mikoto blinked in surprise, then answered softly, "Not recently. But I can take Sasuke to the capital to visit Kushina. It's been a long time since we saw her."
Fugaku nodded. "Thank you. The Sixth Hokage succession is the best opportunity our clan has had to produce a Hokage."
Suddenly, Uchiha Itachi interrupted, frowning. "Father, Mother… Sasuke is still so young. It's such a long trip to the capital..."
"It's alright, Itachi," Mikoto replied with a gentle smile. "I'll arrange for a carriage. Sasuke will sleep through the journey, and the roads are well-maintained now."
"But—"
"Itachi," she said softly but firmly, "don't worry so much. Just focus on your studies."
Fugaku turned to his son and said seriously, "You can't graduate early anymore, but you can ask other clan members to teach you Genin-level skills. Don't bother Shisui—he's already exhausted from fulfilling missions for the clan every day."
The clan had pinned its hopes for Hokage on Shisui now. Though Itachi was gifted, with the academy banning early graduation, he'd have to wait until he was twelve. This made Fugaku pay less attention to his own son—he believed the son of the clan head should be self-aware and prioritize the clan's revival. Otherwise, the Uchiha risked being surpassed by the Hyuga.
"I understand, Father," Itachi replied quietly.
The atmosphere at the dinner table grew heavy. After a moment of silence, Itachi suddenly asked:
"Father… if the village were to do something that threatened the ninja world, what should we do as Konoha shinobi?"
Fugaku frowned at the question. His first thought was Orochimaru. It was no secret among the higher-ups that the Fourth Hokage had a strong interest in research. But how did Itachi know?
"Did someone tell you something, Itachi?"
"No one," Itachi replied calmly. "I came up with it on my own."
He placed his bowl and chopsticks down. "I was just thinking. Where there is light, there will always be shadow… isn't that inevitable?"
Fugaku's expression grew more serious. "Whether someone told you or not, remember this: you are a member of the Uchiha clan—and you will one day become a shinobi of Konoha. That is your path."
…
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