Orochimaru coughed heavily.
"Well... that's not something we should be talking about. We're juniors. Let's stay out of the affairs of the previous generation!"
"If Mito-sama wants to see Hashirama-sama again, then of course we have to do everything we can to make that happen. From what I can tell, the Three-Tails, Six-Tails, and Nine-Tails are all willing to contribute to recreating the First Hokage-sama..."
"We have more than enough of the First Hokage-sama's cells. Mount Myōboku has said they're happy to assist with natural energy, and Mito-sama is currently improving Impure World Reincarnation herself. Technically speaking, it shouldn't be difficult."
"But a lot of things aren't just technical problems. You understand that, right...?"
Hiruko shivered slightly.
The older generation of shinobi really did command too much authority.
And when they made a move, they never did anything halfway.
On one side, someone had reanimated Uzumaki Ashina—and possibly powerful shinobi and former Kage from every village...
So the other side was preparing to bring back the God of Shinobi!
The two sides hadn't even truly begun their long-distance contest yet, but the tension and intensity were already so overwhelming that the extremely serious Third Shinobi World War was starting to look like a minor skirmish by comparison...
"To be fair, Mito-sama really is a little terrifying when she's angry..."
"And what she said that day didn't sound like empty anger to me: 'Worst case, I'll sink the shinobi world and rebuild Konoha from scratch.' My heart was pounding just hearing it. Tobirama-sama really went too far. How did he manage to push her this far...?"
Hiruko lowered his voice.
"Enough, enough. I've already reported both the seal structure and the matter of letting the First Hokage-sama see Konoha again to Sensei. Sensei's entire response was a single word: 'Approved.'"
Orochimaru emphasized the official framing of the matter.
"We are not reanimating the First Hokage-sama for the war. This is simply about allowing Konoha's shinobi to see Hashirama-sama once again..."
"You know how deeply Sensei cares about that person. That's why he's been unwilling to admit the truth all this time."
"This matter must remain strictly confidential. We cannot let it spread. Otherwise, Sensei will lose too much dignity, and the consequences could be very dangerous..."
Orochimaru spoke meaningfully.
"You saw what Mito-sama looks like when she's angry. If Sensei truly loses his temper too, perhaps the shinobi world really will end up getting 'sunk.'"
"For now, just let Sensei keep himself busy rebuilding the Land of Water. Think of it as a way for him to relax. I heard Sensei say he's recently gained some new insights into his training too."
"We've already collected all the Tailed Beast chakra Sensei needs except for the Seven-Tails from Takigakure. But now that the major fronts have freed up, we can just send a few Konoha Council Members with Kakuzu to capture it..."
"Iwagakure and Kumogakure don't have the spare capacity to interfere with Takigakure."
"Let Sensei focus on his training! It's about time we did more for the village ourselves. Otherwise, how are we supposed to take over someday?"
Hiruko nodded solemnly.
Hokage-sama's affection for Tobirama-sama was something everyone in Konoha knew.
Even under pressure from Mito, it had never wavered.
To this day, he had never admitted that the mysterious Warring States powerhouse was Tobirama...
So even if they intended to keep Hashirama-sama's reanimation as a contingency and trump card, it absolutely could not be connected to Tobirama-sama...
Hiruko mentally sorted through everything.
Distribution and oversight of survivor benefits and compensation, using the changing battlefield situation to train troops, strengthening Impure World Reincarnation, Kekkei Genkai research...
Analyzing the Third Mizukage as a case study, taking control of the Rōran region and Sunagakure's puppetry techniques...
And after Nagato became the One-Tails' jinchūriki, they would need to arrange contact between him and the Nine-Tails Council Member responsible for Tailed Beast affairs and coordinate everything properly.
There was a lot to do...
But Hiruko wasn't complaining.
He was simply organizing his thoughts.
As a Konoha Council Member, the problem wasn't having too much work.
The problem was having nothing to do...
If you couldn't carry the burden, you should make room for someone else...
Konoha had far too many capable people. If he refused to do the work, there were plenty of shinobi who would!
'Hokage-sama isn't trying to handle everything himself. He's giving us opportunities too...'
'I have to do this properly!'
Hiruko silently resolved himself.
Orochimaru was thinking much the same thing.
One day, sooner or later, he would become Hokage. It didn't matter how long he held the position. That obsession was something he had to fulfill.
But as Konoha developed at astonishing speed under Hiruzen, the village's scope kept expanding. Powerful shinobi were increasing in number, while the interests and balances among its various factions grew increasingly complicated.
It was, in its own way, a fortunate problem to have.
Entropy only increased. Expansion inevitably brought complications to any organization.
But regardless, all of it would pose an enormous challenge to the next Hokage!
'Fortunately, Sensei has given me plenty of time to prepare...'
A gleam flashed through Orochimaru's eyes.
Challenges were exactly what interested him!
This version of Konoha made Orochimaru feel, on one hand, that becoming Hokage would be far too troublesome.
And yet, on the other hand, he still wanted Hiruzen to personally place the Hokage hat on his head...
...
Land of Water.
Hiruzen sat cross-legged by the sea, the ocean breeze washing over him with cool, damp air.
"Uchiha Madara even reanimated Uzumaki Ashina?"
"Looking at it this way, Mito-sama mistaking Madara for Tobirama-sensei actually worked out in my favor. She was the one who proposed reanimating Hashirama, so I don't need to worry about the legitimacy of it anymore."
Although Hiruzen was currently in the Land of Water, Konoha's communications network had become extremely advanced. With various new ninja tools and aerial assets serving as relay stations, remotely directing the various fronts was relatively easy.
He simply didn't want to do so.
Normally, he only established the basic framework and left the shinobi beneath him to carry it out.
People needed real experience to grow.
Without personally trying things, taking responsibility, and even making mistakes, it was difficult for anyone to mature into a shinobi capable of standing on their own.
"Senju Hashirama..."
Hiruzen pondered.
Hashirama was a very unusual shinobi.
Barring unforeseen circumstances, Hiruzen hadn't actually wanted to reanimate him. Hashirama's thinking could sometimes be genuinely naive, and without Madara or Tobirama beside him, he tended to become overly idealistic.
He was also difficult to command.
If Hashirama voiced opinions on many practical issues, Hiruzen's position made it awkward for him to directly contradict the man.
Of course, if matters truly came down to principle, Hokage-sama wouldn't yield either.
Still, compared with Madara and Tobirama, Hiruzen was confident that he and Hashirama would get along better.
Because neither of them wanted to initiate wars.
'I need to approach this differently...'
'Hashirama can never be used as an offensive weapon, but he is a very real deterrent.'
'Even so, I can't reveal him casually. I need to wait for the right opportunity and let events naturally lead there...'
Once Uzumaki Ashina's identity had been uncovered, Hiruzen had already concluded that the mysterious powerhouse could be no one else.
It had to be Madara.
No one else had the ability to do all this!
And the training methods recorded on the Uchiha Sage Stone Tablet gradually made Hiruzen realize something else.
That Great Clan Head of the Uchiha Clan had definitely read it as well, and he must have truly understood something from it...
Otherwise, there was no way to explain the bizarre space-time techniques he now possessed, or those forbidden techniques involving attraction and repulsion...
'Fortunately, I've understood some of it too...'
Hiruzen looked down at his palm.
During his time in the Land of Water, Hiruzen had been reorganizing public security and institutions here, but compared with his old workload running Konoha, it was practically a vacation.
Having large uninterrupted blocks of time available for training was extremely rare for him.
Of course, the main reason this was possible was because Hiruzen had promoted large numbers of Konoha Council Members and mid-level shinobi.
No longer having to personally handle every single matter was one of the benefits the village's institutional development had returned to him.
This war, with Konoha fighting successfully on four fronts at once, had brought the village enormous benefits.
Those gains had also produced clear results through his own talents, steadily translating into progress in his training.
First was the Ten Thousand Seals Body Integration Seal.
Of the five elemental chakras, besides Fire and Water, he had now completed Lightning and Earth as well.
Only Wind remained.
Once that was finished, he would be able to establish the beginnings of a small-scale Five Elements cycle.
Then there was Spirit Release.
His Spirit Release had become considerably sharper. He could activate it faster, use it easily at long range within his line of sight, and its analytical capabilities had improved dramatically.
Recently, Hiruzen had been working on a special technique...
Something similar to his Boil Release and Lightning Release Chakra Mode: a personal "Spirit Release Mode" that would coat the surface of his body in Spirit Release chakra.
First, it would further improve his mastery of Spirit Release.
Second, it would grant him immunity against certain large-scale offensive ninjutsu.
Within the domain created by Spirit Release Chakra Mode, he intended to create an absolute "chakra-dead zone"!
The reason he was pursuing this was that Hiruzen's physical capabilities were also continuing to improve.
It wasn't arrogance...
If both sides were forbidden from using chakra and had to rely purely on physical ability, Hiruzen was quite confident in himself.
At that moment—
At the center of Hiruzen's body, with the "second heart" created by the Ten Thousand Seals Body Integration Seal as its core, a formation resembling a palace was gradually taking shape.
An enhanced Four Symbols Seal formed the palace's main pillars and supports, while the five elements and various other seals served as rivets, and compound chakra threads acted as lighter structural material.
Together, they formed an enormous refining pool.
Ripples continually spread outward from it, nourishing Hiruzen's body.
Reaching this point hadn't been the result of Hokage-sama's hard work alone.
The diagrams Uzumaki Ashina had sent him, along with the methods recorded on the Sage Stone Tablet, had provided him with enormous inspiration.
If he had been working entirely alone, he didn't even know how long it would have taken just to design the structure...
This was a ninjutsu unlike anything the shinobi world had ever seen.
"Now even my punches and palm strikes are beginning to carry a faint sealing effect..."
Hiruzen regulated his breathing.
Aside from further integrating the formation within his body, his next step, based on what the Sage Stone Tablet described, was to attempt to inject chakra from all nine Tailed Beasts into his body as fuel...
Then refine it, fuse it, and engrave it into himself.
However, Hiruzen still had no clear idea how to proceed.
The Sage Stone Tablet's description was frustratingly vague. It almost felt as though this particular section had been casually added by some amateur from a later era...
And Hiruzen's judgment was actually correct.
Black Zetsu only understood the overall direction.
When it came to the actual details of execution, even it didn't know how it worked...
But in Konoha, there was actually someone who did...
"Hokage-sama!"
Nakamaro approached Hiruzen quietly, carrying a lavish breakfast.
"Please eat first. You've been training hard..."
Hiruzen smiled at Nakamaro.
During his time in the Land of Water, Nakamaro had effectively acted as his secretary and had taken excellent care of him.
This was also because Hiruzen had deliberately chosen to cultivate the sensible young man.
Nakamaro's origins in Kirigakure's Kaguya Clan made him extremely suitable to act as a representative. Both his ties to Konoha and his personal qualities were more than sufficient.
His only real weakness was his combat strength.
He wasn't quite powerful enough to dominate the room...
"Sit with me. We'll eat together."
Hiruzen waved a hand and gave half the food to Nakamaro.
Nakamaro grinned and sat down before beginning his report on recent military and administrative affairs.
"Here in the Land of Water, the officials sent over from the Land of Fire have shown both strong motivation and solid ability. They've already established the broad framework, and public security and the economy have stabilized across most regions."
"Of the former Kirigakure shinobi scattered throughout the country, we've recruited roughly two-thirds back. I've already dealt with the diehards who continued supporting the Third Mizukage."
"As for the very small number of nobles and rogue-nin who tried to oppose you, Kisame, Terumī Mei, and I gave them some education a few days ago."
Hiruzen blinked.
"What kind of education?"
"We educated them with the Shikotsumyaku..." Nakamaro answered honestly.
The corner of Hiruzen's mouth twitched.
So they'd taken bone clubs out into the countryside, had they?
"These are exceptional circumstances, so things like that are difficult to avoid. But once the overall situation stabilizes, you absolutely have to follow established rules."
"Following rules isn't weakness. Rules stabilize people's expectations. You can't respond to every problem by immediately forcing a solution through violence. As an administrator, everything you do will be imitated by others."
Hiruzen habitually picked up his pipe, and Nakamaro immediately leaned over to light it for him.
"You need to understand that we're actually the greatest beneficiaries of an established system. So when you uphold the rules, you're also upholding your own authority. Breaking the rules you've established ultimately damages your own prestige."
"Even if force has to be used, first communicate with the relevant parties and make sure the legal and logical basis is in order before you act..."
Nakamaro listened with complete seriousness, rapidly taking notes.
"You brat. Just remember it with your head..."
Hiruzen laughed and patted Nakamaro on the head.
"If you have questions, just ask me directly. How is your condition now? Has your bloodline disease improved?"
"Much better, Hokage-sama..."
Nakamaro smiled with simple sincerity.
Unlike when he had stood before the Third Mizukage, however, this time the sincerity was genuine.
Part of it was because he truly accepted the Will of Fire and Konoha, and Sarutobi Hiruzen was an elder he respected from the bottom of his heart.
The other part was that, after watching Hiruzen gradually maneuver into control through the legal authority of the Daimyō of the Land of Water, Sage Region Pills, and bureaucratic infiltration of grassroots organizations...
Nakamaro finally understood.
No wonder Tenzō-ojiisan behaved himself so well in Konoha...
"Hokage-sama, by the way, are you really not planning to accept the title of 'First Mizukage'? Everyone is hoping you'll establish a new Kirigakure..."
Hiruzen waved a hand.
"If you can find one of the previous Mizukage and have him entrust Kirigakure to me in front of everyone, then at least it would be legitimate..."
Otherwise, taking such a title would amount to declaring it for himself.
Many Kiri shinobi were still flattering him out of fear. Adding another title would only create trouble without offering any real benefit.
Nakamaro smiled awkwardly.
That was a little beyond what someone from the Kaguya Clan could arrange...
"The Three-Tails and Six-Tails are currently being trained in Konoha, and their intensity has dropped considerably. Are you confident you can become a jinchūriki?"
"Tenzō also told me he's planning to allocate a pair of Byakugan to you and permanently solve your bloodline disease. Once the First Hokage-sama's cells are ready for widespread use, you'll be the first shinobi from another village to receive a transplant."
Hiruzen spoke seriously.
If you wanted someone to work for you, you had to give them something in return...
Nakamaro's eyes lit up.
More than the material benefits themselves, what delighted him was the Hokage's trust!
"Hokage-sama, I can do it!"
"Please rest assured. I'll make Kirigakure into Konoha's strongest rear base. But I do have one small request. I plan to support Terumī Mei as Mizukage. In the future, I still want to return to Konoha and work there..."
Hiruzen froze.
"You don't want to become Mizukage?"
"I really don't! I want to go back to the village!" Nakamaro said earnestly.
Hiruzen was left speechless.
This kid really had Konoha on the brain...
At that moment—
Kisame rushed over with a grave expression.
"Hokage-sama! We've located the rogue-nin Kiritori!"
Hiruzen immediately stood.
"Let's go!"
Dealing with the Third Mizukage was the final step in fully integrating the Land of Water.
But there was one other thing worth noting.
Kisame wasn't the only one who had found Kiritori.
Hōzuki Gengetsu and Mū had already had him locked down for quite some time...
A former Mizukage was already on his way!
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