Land of Fire.
The Daimyo's Residence.
In a solemn and stately room, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire sat at the far end of a long table. His expression was one of unease and quiet submission.
Seated around the table were several high-ranking nobles and generals of the Land of Fire, but none of them exuded even a hint of superiority. Instead, each looked cautious, even anxious.
"...And that's the general situation," Kaede said calmly, sitting at one end of the table, fingers interlaced atop the wood. After speaking, he turned toward the Daimyo and added, "What do you think, Daimyo-sama?"
"Whatever you decide, Hokage-sama..." the Daimyo replied cautiously.
Though shinobi were technically supposed to answer to the Daimyo, acting as their shield and protectors, Kaede was far beyond the usual mold. He wasn't just any Hokage, he was the one who had unified the entire ninja world. Even among civilians, his name carried immense reverence and authority.
It was no exaggeration to say that if Kaede willed it, he could easily abolish the current system and crown himself not only the highest shinobi leader, but also the supreme ruler of the civilian world.
"Good. Then we'll proceed as planned," Kaede said with a quiet nod.
He didn't intend to dismantle the current political structure. Managing just the ninja world was already troublesome enough, he had no interest in ruling over civilians as well.
But with the shinobi world now unified, many systems had to be restructured. Together with Nara Shikaku, Tsunade, and Mei Terumi, Kaede had drafted a broad but functional framework for the future.
Formally, they were submitting the changes for the Daimyo's approval. In reality, it was more of a notification than a request. Everyone knew that true authority now lay with Kaede, not with the Daimyo.
"Is there... anything else, Hokage-sama?" the Daimyo asked nervously.
As the last remaining Daimyo in a newly unified world, he held unprecedented power. Yet in front of Kaede, he didn't even dare act as an equal.
"Nothing else," Kaede said with a soft smile.
"Ah, right, one small thing. Build me a residence here in the capital. Make it a large one. I may visit from time to time."
Compared to the capital of the Land of Fire, Konoha was still smaller in scale. After all, the capital housed civilians, while Konoha was mostly composed of ninja. The sheer number of ordinary people far exceeded that of shinobi.
"Of course, of course," the Daimyo responded with a forced smile, visibly relieved by Kaede's gentler tone.
Kaede stood up. "Then I'll take my leave."
The Daimyo stood as well.
Kaede casually waved him off, indicating there was no need to escort him. Then, he took a step back, and vanished into a swirling portal of black space.
Only after Kaede disappeared did the Daimyo finally exhale deeply.
Just sitting across from Kaede had left him feeling suffocated. After all, Kaede could easily take away everything he owned, status, power, influence, with a mere gesture.
He sat back down and stared blankly at the ceiling above.
The shinobi world had been unified.
He now ruled over a territory nearly five times larger than the original Land of Fire. All the other Daimyos had become his prisoners. And yet, hovering above him was a figure he dared not challenge.
None of the nobles or generals in the room spoke. Even without Kaede releasing any visible pressure, they had all felt the weight of his presence.
"That's enough. We're dismissed," the Daimyo finally muttered with a shake of his head.
There was no point dwelling on it. In truth, this outcome should be cause for celebration. He had become the sole Daimyo of the entire world. And Kaede… didn't seem interested in taking that position from him.
Though,
Now that he thought about it, Kaede hadn't married yet, had he?
His own daughter had just turned sixteen…
If the opportunity arose… perhaps…?
Kaede, of course, had no idea what the Daimyo was scheming.
All he knew was that a little more than ten days later, a formal letter sent from the Daimyo's residence was casually torn to pieces by Rin, who smiled sweetly as she tossed it into the trash.
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Konoha.
Atop the tallest rooftop in the entire village, a dark spatial portal opened. Kaede stepped out.
This was the highest point in the rebuilt Konoha, offering a panoramic view of the entire village. All across the landscape, large-scale reconstruction was underway.
With the influx of civilians from Iwagakure and Kirigakure, especially women and children, the village had expanded to more than three times its original size.
From up here, Kaede could see,
Construction work is being done near the Hokage Rock.
Initially, Kaede had resisted the idea, finding it rather embarrassing. But Shikaku, Hyuga Hiashi, and others had insisted on updating the monument. While the faces of the first four Hokage remained, Kaede's was now being added, at the very top.
In fact, Tsunade had originally proposed renaming the village and replacing the "Hokage" title altogether, much like how Hashirama had restructured everything when Konoha was first founded.
But Kaede was satisfied with how things were now.
He liked the name "Hokage," and didn't see a need for change.
The Hokage building had also been rebuilt, this time from the ground up. Several nearby structures were absorbed into the new layout.
The new Hokage Tower now had seven floors.
The top two served as Kaede's personal residence.
The five below housed the Hokage's office, sealing chambers, meeting rooms, department heads' offices (including Shikaku's), and the mission assignment center.
Kaede was pleased with the new design. The old building really had been a bit cramped.
The only downside? With everyone now squeezed into the same space… it was basically a full house ready for a game of mahjong.
His gaze swept over the entire village.
He saw Might Duy jogging laps around the village.
He saw classes in session at the ninja academy.
He saw Hyuga Hinata listening attentively to her teacher...
He saw Nara Shikaku buried in paperwork.
He saw Mei Terumi relaxing in a hot bath.
He saw Yuhi Kurenai cleaning up her home.
He saw Orochimaru deep in research, studying Urashiki's cells.
And he saw the Nine-Tails lying outside the village, lazily playing video games.
Everything in Konoha, all its life and energy, spread out before him.
Kaede couldn't help but smile.
A flicker of satisfaction and pride rose in his heart.
This was his creation.
His glorious era.
Silently,
Kaede vanished from the rooftop.
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria