Senju Tsunade stood on the rooftop, Hokage cloak billowing behind her.
Embroidered across the back in bold characters was the title: "Fourth Hokage."
Far behind her, on the cliffside of the Hokage Rock, craftsmen had already begun carving a new stone face belonging to Tsunade.
Looking down at the civilians and shinobi gathered below, Tsunade couldn't help but feel her spirit rise.
"From today onward," she declared, voice steady and confident as it echoed through the village, "I will serve as Konoha's Fourth Hokage!"
Her words rolled across the streets of the once-quiet village—and in the next instant, cheers erupted.
"Tsunade-sama!"
"Fourth Hokage-sama!"
"Long live Tsunade-sama!"
Shouts rose one after another, excitement surging like a wave.
She could not surpass Shiki in terms of sheer awe and fear, but Tsunade's reputation in the village was already extremely high—second only to Shiki himself.
And on top of that, she was the granddaughter of the First Hokage, the princess of the Senju clan.
With such prestige and bloodline, no one had any reason to be dissatisfied with Tsunade becoming Hokage.
On the edge of the rooftop stood the major clan heads of Konoha.
The two elders, Koharu and Mitokado Homura, were naturally present as well.
And beside them was the former Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Shiki stood nearby, glancing at Sarutobi's calm, unreadable expression. Without saying a word at first, Shiki then smiled faintly.
"Isn't today supposed to be a happy day? Why do you look so gloomy?"
His tone was clearly mocking.
Everyone present could hear that Shiki was teasing Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"Are you perhaps dissatisfied with Tsunade becoming Hokage?"
"…"
You've already said it all yourself—what else can I even say?
Sarutobi was speechless, but he had no way out.
After noticing the look in Shiki's eyes, even with the complicated emotions in his heart, Sarutobi could only force a smile uglier than crying.
"Of course not. How could I be?" he said stiffly. "Tsunade becoming Hokage is what everyone expects."
Inside, his heart was bleeding.
The status that used to belong to him, the power that used to belong to him—
now, all of it was gone.
But in front of Shiki's overwhelming strength, Sarutobi could only keep smiling and nodding.
At that moment, he understood completely: sometimes, the gap in power was so vast that it could drive a person to despair.
"Hahaha! It's great that you can think that way."
Shiki didn't seem to care in the slightest. Laughing, he patted Sarutobi on the shoulder.
If someone didn't know better, they might really have thought that Shiki and Sarutobi had a very good relationship.
Those watching from the side silently averted their eyes.
What a sorry sight… Sarutobi Hiruzen really has it rough.
Soon, the Hokage succession ceremony came to an end.
Inside the Hokage's office, the person sitting in the Hokage's chair was no longer Sarutobi Hiruzen, but Senju Tsunade.
"Phew…"
Even though she had always said that she didn't care whether she became Hokage or not, now that it was official, Tsunade's heart felt complicated.
A heavy weight settled on her shoulders.
From today onward, the responsibility of the entire village would rest on her.
Thinking this, Tsunade's gaze drifted toward Shiki.
The hesitation in her heart vanished in an instant.
As long as Shiki is here, even if something huge happens, I don't need to panic.
"Fourth Hokage."
Sarutobi Hiruzen finally spoke up from where he stood in the office.
"We, Konoha, should—"
"Wait."
Before he could finish, Tsunade raised a hand and cut him off.
"Since I've become Hokage, shouldn't you be changing out of that Third Hokage cloak of yours?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen was still wearing the robe and hat of the Third Hokage.
"…I know."
After a moment of silence, he nodded.
With a new Hokage already in place, it was indeed unseemly for him to still be walking around in the Third Hokage's regalia.
"And another thing," Tsunade continued, her gaze sharpening. "Whether it's the authority over the Anbu or the sealing techniques—are you planning to hand those over to me as well?"
She was stripping him of power.
Everyone understood: Tsunade was about to reclaim all of the authority still in Sarutobi's hands.
Naturally, Sarutobi didn't want to let go so easily.
"Fourth Hokage… after all, you've just taken office. As for those matters, I think we should… drag it out a bit longer…"
He wanted to stall.
This power—Sarutobi really couldn't bear to surrender it.
Unfortunately for him, if it were only Tsunade standing here, he might actually have been able to delay things.
But Tsunade wasn't alone.
She had Shiki at her side.
BOOM.
Shiki's eyes narrowed, a chilling light flashing within them as he turned toward Sarutobi Hiruzen.
His overwhelming Conqueror's Haki crashed down, locking firmly onto Sarutobi.
Under that pressure, Sarutobi's legs buckled, and he dropped to his knees on the floor.
"Th–This…!"
Sarutobi trembled as he lifted his head to stare at Shiki.
What is this power? Is it… killing intent? Willpower?
But how could a person's will be this strong?
Having never truly faced Shiki's strength head-on, Sarutobi was completely stunned.
This kind of gap in power was enough to crush any resistance.
The other people in the Hokage's office could also feel that suffocating Conqueror's Haki spreading through the room.
However, since it wasn't directed at them, they didn't end up like Sarutobi, collapsing straight to their knees.
"See? With such a difference in strength," Shiki said coldly, one hand resting on the hilt at his waist, "even trying to look up to me has become a luxury for you."
Today, when he decided to come, Shiki had deliberately chosen to bring his swords.
That was already him giving Sarutobi a great deal of face.
"Either you hand everything over on your own… or I'll take it myself," Shiki continued calmly. "But if I have to take it, and the Sarutobi clan gets wiped out in the process, that would be quite embarrassing for you, wouldn't it?"
His tone was flat, almost casual—but no one doubted his words.
The man who had casually crushed the combined forces of Iwagakure and Kumogakure—
For him, erasing one Sarutobi clan would be laughably simple.
It was a threat.
A direct threat.
"I–I understand…"
What else could he do?
Kneeling there, Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't even have the strength to stand back up.
Faced with this gap in power, how could he possibly say "no"?
BOOM.
The moment Sarutobi agreed, Shiki straightened and withdrew his Conqueror's Haki.
The suffocating pressure in the office lifted, and the air felt noticeably lighter.
But after seeing the undisguised look of pity in Shiki's eyes, everyone lowered their gazes and kept their mouths shut.
It was obvious that Shiki had actually spared Sarutobi.
Otherwise, he could've used this opportunity to get rid of him and the entire Sarutobi clan in one move.
Sarutobi, who had just managed to get back on his feet, felt his fear deepen even further when he sensed Shiki's intent.
His body trembled, his former dignity as the Professor and Hokage nowhere to be seen.
"What are you still standing there for?"
Shiki asked bluntly, glancing at him.
"I–I'll go right away!"
Without any hesitation, without trying to defend himself even a little, Sarutobi Hiruzen turned on his heel and left in a lonely, defeated gait—heading off to prepare the transfer of authority over the sealing techniques and the Anbu to Tsunade.
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