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Inside the Hokage Tower, Manji massaged his temple and stared through the window at the village sprawling below.
"Time passes faster than you expect," he murmured. "It's almost time for me to leave—for good."
He should have stepped away years ago.
Manji had once planned to die of old age not long after Madara was born. He had already lived much longer than most people and saw no reason to stay in the spotlight.
Then Tajima had dragged him back into public life.
One thing led to another, and before Manji realized it, he had founded Konoha, united the Land of Fire, and become the First Hokage. He knew what it was like to build a shinobi village from scratch and guide it through its early years.
Now that his work was done, it was time for him to leave.
.....
Two years passed.
One morning, Manji summoned Konoha's leadership to the Hokage Tower for an important assembly.
The hall was filled with senior administrators, village advisers, and respected clan elders. There were also representatives from the Shinobi Academy, Medical Corps, Police Force, and other important departments. Everyone involved in Konoha's government or daily life had been asked to come.
Manji sat in the Hokage's chair at the front of the chamber.
He started by talking about Konoha's recent progress, mentioning the village's economy, security, education, and how the clans were coming together. He praised Madara, Hashirama, Tobirama, and Izuna for their efforts, as well as the officials who helped keep the peace.
After he had talked about all the main issues, he finally got to the real reason for the meeting.
Manji raised his hand and cleared his throat.
The murmurs inside the hall faded.
"I didn't call you here to talk about routine matters or any outside threat," he said. "There's only one thing on today's agenda, but it will affect the future of the whole village."
Every eye settled on him.
"I have decided to step down as Hokage and am officially asking to retire."
The hall went silent.
"Once I step down, I will give up all the authority that comes with this office. I will leave Konoha's central government and will not take part in running the village anymore."
For several seconds, no one moved.
The announcement left everyone in the room staring at him in shock.
Nothing like this had ever happened in the Shinobi world. In the old clan system, leaders kept their power until they died in battle or from old age. No clan head had ever reached the top and then chosen to leave.
Manji was more than just Konoha's leader. He was its founder, the one who shaped its laws, and the person everyone believed had kept the village together from the start.
Hearing him say he would retire was as shocking as hearing a daimyō announce he would step down while still alive.
The silence broke all at once.
"LORD HOKAGE, YOU CAN'T!"
A senior Hyūga elder shot to his feet. "You are the foundation of Konoha. The village stands because you are here!"
"If you step down now, people will panic. The clans have only recently settled into the new order. We cannot predict what unrest your departure might cause."
Several advisers rose beside him.
"Every department in the village still depends on your judgment."
"Please reconsider. Konoha still needs you."
Worry spread through the hall. For most people there, Manji had always been the village's last line of defense. No matter what crisis came up, they believed he would solve it.
If he left, that sense of security would go with him.
At the front of the crowd, Madara, Hashirama, Tobirama, and Izuna were just as stunned. None of them had expected Manji to announce his retirement without warning.
But once the initial shock faded, people started to understand.
Manji was nearly one hundred and thirty years old.
He spent his life protecting the Uchiha, building Konoha, ending the clan wars, and keeping the new order together. He had led the village for so long that people no longer saw him as an old man.
People started acting as if he would always be around.
"Konoha is stable now," Manji said. "The clans have found their place, the government functions without constant intervention, and the village has an entire generation capable of carrying it forward."
"My life's work is finished."
He gripped his wooden cane tighter as his body wobbled.
A fit of coughing overtook him.
When the coughing stopped, a sickly color spread across his wrinkled face, and his tired posture was clear to everyone.
"This body can no longer bear the responsibilities of Hokage."
The resistance inside the hall began to fade.
"..." Guilt appeared on more than a few faces.
They had depended on Manji for years without thinking about what it cost him. While they enjoyed the peace he brought, he kept working long after most people would have retired.
He deserved a chance to rest.
The Sarutobi clan head stepped forward.
"Lord Hokage, have you chosen your successor?"
The mood in the room shifted right away.
Madara, Hashirama, Tobirama, and Izuna all straightened as everyone looked at them.
A few clan leaders glanced at Madara.
According to old customs, the answer was clear. Madara was Manji's great-grandson, one of the strongest shinobi alive, and the leading figure among the younger Uchiha. If the role was inherited, it would go to him.
Manji let the silence hang for a moment, then pointed at the four men.
"The next Hokage will be chosen from among Madara, Hashirama, Tobirama, and Izuna!" Before anyone could debate which of them held the strongest claim, he continued. "We will abandon the customs of the clan era."
"The next Hokage will be elected by the people of Konoha—"
The hall burst into noise.
An elected Hokage?
The idea went against everything the Shinobi world knew about leadership. Clan leaders gained power through family ties, strength, and passing it down. Authority always belonged to the strongest family or the strongest fighter in it.
Regular villagers had never been asked to pick their leader.
Now Manji wanted to give them that choice.
This plan did more than just change how the next leader would be chosen. It took away the idea that the Hokage's role belonged to a family. No clan, not even the Uchiha, could claim Konoha's leadership as their own anymore.
For the first time, the role would belong to the whole village.
Voices filled the hall as clan elders and officials tried to understand what this meant. Some were shocked, others cautious, but everyone knew Manji had changed another rule the Shinobi world thought would never be broken.
He didn't explain any further.
Manji stood up with his cane and bowed to everyone in the room.
"My final request is that you allow an old man to retire." His tone remained earnest. "Thank you—for helping me build this village and for allowing me to serve as its first Hokage."
He raised his head.
"This meeting is adjourned."
No one tried to stop him this time.
The hall stayed quiet as the officials watched the old man on the platform. They still felt some fear and hesitation, but now there was respect too.
Manji was not abandoning Konoha.
He had completed the work he set out to do.
As he turned to leave, many found themselves wondering whether they would ever see him standing before them again.
The next time the village gathered to honor him, he might be lying under Konoha's flag.
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