Looking out from the window of the Raikage's office, one could see clouds drifting between the mountains. When the clouds were especially dense, the view transformed into a vast "white sea," the peaks of Kumo rising like islands in an ocean of mist.
The Fourth Raikage sat at his desk, staring at the document in front of him.
Ten minutes had passed since this document had been delivered.
The office was silent. Aside from the Raikage himself, there was no one else present.
The bodyguards and secretarial staff had all left the room.
However, they had only left the office itself; they were now waiting outside, prepared for the young Raikage to unleash his anger and grief within.
"He hasn't made a sound. Not even broken anything," one guard whispered, shifting uneasily.
"That's what worries me. The Fourth never stays quiet this long," another replied.
Yet, ten minutes passed, and not a sound emerged.
"It's about time. Let's go in," the leader of the guard unit said.
The others looked at him but didn't move.
The leader sighed and had no choice but to step forward and knock on the door.
"Come in!" The voice of the Fourth Raikage echoed from within.
It sounded as if nothing was wrong.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as the leader opened the door, and the group went inside.
The burly Raikage sat there, his expression unchanged.
"Raikage-sama," the leader began cautiously, "please provide the next set of instructions."
"The next step?" The Fourth Raikage glanced at his confidant. "Can you birth an Eight-Tails now? Or perhaps a Nine-Tails?"
The guard captain immediately fell silent.
"Of course, there are instructions." The Fourth Raikage picked up the report that had been on his desk for ten minutes. "Killer B is dead. Surveillance of the shinobi world must be strengthened. If the Eight-Tails reappears, it must be captured immediately. Additionally..."
He turned his gaze to his head of security.
"This Masashi—is he the one who captured Yugito? Is he truly connected to Edo Tensei?"
"Yes. Currently, even within Konoha many are paying attention to this matter. However, most are old-timers, and... they aren't particularly concerned with Edo Tensei. They seem more focused on that man's remains."
"His remains..." The Fourth Raikage smirked. "Speaking of that, didn't Orochimaru ask about it as well?"
"Yes."
"That guy has ascended. There's no point in keeping his leftovers. Just give it to him."
"Raikage-sama!" The captain objected tactfully, sweat beading on his forehead. "Orochimaru is an extremely dangerous individual. His role in provoking the war between us and Konoha likely conceals ulterior motives..."
"I don't recall you being this timid," the Fourth Raikage said in a deep voice.
The captain stiffened.
Words like "timid" were extremely harsh in Kumo, signaling the Raikage's dissatisfaction.
"My apologies, Raikage-sama. I understand now."
"No, your mistake isn't what you think it is." The Fourth Raikage stood and approached his captain. "Are you afraid?"
"..." The captain remained silent for a moment, back straight, meeting his leader's gaze. "I would never feel fear."
"Good. A man of Kumo does not make excuses." The Raikage clapped his confidant on the shoulder, the force nearly buckling the captain's knees. "There's nothing to regret. Losing is no big deal. While we may have lost a tailed beast, the village's foundation remains intact. Hand over the remains to Orochimaru. He will definitely retaliate against Konoha in the future. I'm sure of it!"
"And this time?"
"If we lost, so be it. Our current enemies are Iwa and Suna. Konoha is not an enemy—they're a friend." For now, his tone implied.
"Understood. I will endure."
"Good. Pass on the instructions. Also, summon the head of the ANBU for me."
The captain turned and left.
Soon after, he returned with another man.
"Raikage-sama."
"How are the current ANBU of Konoha?" the Fourth Raikage asked, already knowing the answer would please him.
"Nothing to worry about, Raikage-sama."
"Oh?" The Fourth Raikage found this rare piece of good news. "Explain in detail."
"After the death of Danzō, the quality of the ANBU has significantly declined. Their coordination shows gaps, their response times have lengthened."
"How long will it take them to recover?"
"It will be difficult in the short term. While their ANBU operatives are competent, their new commander lacks the skills of Danzō."
"Then how effective is our infiltration of Konoha now?"
"Apologies, Raikage-sama. It's much worse than before..."
"Huh?" The Fourth Raikage was momentarily confused, his brow furrowing.
Wasn't the other side supposed to be run by amateurs now?
"Konoha's security forces have vastly improved, Raikage-sama. Our operatives are detected long before they can get close."
"I see. The Byakugan truly is formidable..." The Fourth Raikage frowned.
He had coveted the Byakugan for quite some time.
Kumo was one of the few—no, the only village with no qualms about pursuing clans with bloodline limits.
The village's bloodline clans thrived.
The largest of these was the "Storm Release" clan.
Since the era of the First Raikage, Kumo had actively sought out bloodline limits.
Given the challenges of their mountainous and frigid terrain, their development depended on a long-standing philosophy of "If we don't have it, go get it from the mainland."
Their primary targets were ninjutsu and bloodlines.
They craved the Byakugan. The Sharingan? Less so.
Kumo favored taijutsu and "light"-based techniques like lightning, lasers, and light speed. In the Fourth Raikage's vision, his village's taijutsu, ninjutsu, genjutsu, and jinchuriki mastery were nearly flawless.
All they lacked was the Byakugan.
The Sharingan was undeniably powerful, but it didn't align with their techniques.
The Fourth Raikage's thoughts swirled but ultimately landed on a singular goal.
"I must obtain the Byakugan. It will be mine. Has Konoha continued urging us to sign the agreement?"
"They asked last month but not this month." The ANBU head's voice held a note of satisfaction.
"Any movements from Iwa?"
"Yes, they're active, but their target remains unclear. We could showcase our strength to demonstrate we're still capable."
"No!" The Fourth Raikage waved his hand, cutting him off. "We must feign weakness."
He knew his father's killer too well.
That old schemer had a complex not just against Konoha but specifically against the Uchiha.
"Additionally, secretly promote the Uchiha's reputation. Focus on the 'White Ghost' and 'Teleporter' specifically!"
"Raikage-sama, I don't understand."
"Just do it!" The Fourth Raikage commanded with authority. He pointed at a young woman in the secretarial team. "You, take note."
"Yes, Raikage-sama." The young woman, with her tan skin and short silver hair matching the Raikage's clan, responded briskly, brush already poised over paper.
"Arrange a meeting with the Kazekage to discuss a friendship treaty between Kumo and Suna."
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The activities in Kumo caught the attention of a few people—though not including Konoha.
Konoha's ANBU had been diligently working on intelligence gathering, particularly those formerly under Root.
Upon returning to ANBU, many of them were promoted—it was unavoidable, as they were the most adept at this line of work.
The one most burdened was the ANBU captain, whose comfortable days were long gone.
"Captain," a senior agent appeared at his door. "Another report from the border."
"Let me guess—nothing substantial again?" The captain rubbed his temples. The agent's silence was answer enough.
He even entertained the idea of asking the Third Hokage to come out of retirement or resurrecting Danzō with Edo Tensei to get him back to work.
Of course, such thoughts were just idle musings.
Thus, the ANBU captain continued to stretch his imagination, trying to avoid being outmaneuvered by the ANBU captain from Kumo again.
He had plenty of time to hone his professional skills because no one in Konoha was criticizing him at the moment.
No one had the time.
The election for the Hokage Advisor had begun, and this was now the primary concern for Konoha's shinobi.
Even the villagers were highly engaged. Such a grand-scale "drama" was a once-in-a-lifetime event, and they were determined to savor it.
The streets buzzed with speculation and debate.
"The Uchiha nominated?" One merchant said to another as they set up their stalls.
"Times are different now," his friend replied, arranging his vegetables. "Have you seen how the Police Force has changed? They're actually helping people these days."
The nominated candidates had made their official appearances and entered the public eye of Konoha.
There were four nominees: the Third Hokage Hiruzen, the Fourth Hokage Minato, Elder Advisor Koharu, and Homura.
The people they nominated were intriguing—some expected, others unexpected.
The Third Hokage nominated Shikaku, the current leader of the jonin corps. This was unsurprising to everyone.
The Fourth Hokage nominated the head of the Police Force, Fugaku. People had anticipated this but didn't think much of it. After all, the Uchiha clan had been nominated for Hokage positions in the past, though it always ended at the nomination stage.
Koharu's nomination was interesting: Shimura Hiryū, the nominal leader of the Shimura clan.
The term "nominal" was used because the Shimura clan had essentially disbanded as a ninja clan and become part of the civilian ninja category.
Lastly, Homura nominated Sarutobi Tazuna, the head of the Sarutobi clan.
Tazuna was the strongest member of the Sarutobi clan apart from Hiruzen himself. Skilled in taijutsu and adept in fire, lightning, and earth techniques, as well as medical ninjutsu, he had been part of the jonin corps since the Third Hokage's era.
These four individuals were the candidates for the Hokage Advisor role.
Shimura, the veteran jonin, displayed a calm and composed demeanor, smiling politely.
Sarutobi exuded confidence.
Shikaku enjoyed significant popularity; the jonin from the Ino-Shika-Chō clans showed no signs of voting for anyone else.
As Chōza put it, "If someone attacked Sarutobi, we'd be the first to step up, but when it comes to voting, sorry—we have to stick with our buddy."
Likewise, just as Tazuna didn't expect the Ino-Shika-Chō clans to vote for him at the start, Shikaku didn't anticipate the Sarutobi clan jonin to give him much face either.
There was plenty of time to sway votes.
As for Fugaku, he observed his opponents closely. Within the jonin ranks, he had no established base, save for Masashi—an advantage so slight that it didn't even compare to Hiryū's position.
While Danzō's name carried infamy, the Shimura clan itself enjoyed a good reputation. Danzō had always kept his clan at a distance, and Root had no other members with the Shimura surname. Thus, the clan remained untarnished by his deeds.
This was just the beginning.
Next, the candidates would need to make speeches throughout the village, presenting their policies to the villagers. They would have ample time to engage in strategic maneuvering.
This was part of the election process. Each candidate could fully utilize their abilities to secure votes, demonstrating the competencies required for a Hokage Advisor.
An advisor to the Hokage wasn't just a conversational partner in the office. Without the ability to engage with villagers and negotiate with various ninja clans, one couldn't hope to be an effective advisor.
Though the villagers didn't vote, candidates' public performances would influence the votes of civilian ninja.
The election period would last one month.
After a month, the first round of voting would take place.
To test the candidates' ability to recover from setbacks or handle favorable situations with composure, the second round of voting would occur a month later.
Then the final results would be announced.
The most intriguing part? The entire voting process was anonymous.
When Masashi learned about the procedure, he couldn't help but marvel at how elaborate it was.
The Hokage Advisor election was far more complex than the Hokage election itself. After all, the Hokage election required only one round of voting.
When the election process began in earnest, Masashi found his duties increasing. In his role as a prominent Uchiha clan representative, he accompanied Fugaku on speeches and visits to various ninja clans.
Perfect. More time playing politician when I could be training. But at least this might be useful later...
When he first learned of this task, though his heart sank, he maintained a polite smile. After all, he couldn't let it show—adults needed to maintain decorum.
The first stop? The Hyūga clan.
Due to the Police Force's recent expansion, relations between the Uchiha and Hyūga had grown significantly closer. Moreover, Masashi had earned goodwill among the Hyūga for personally assisting Elder Shijime with a task outside the village, further strengthening their bond.
As a result, when Fugaku and Masashi visited the Hyūga clan, they received a warm reception.
All members of the Hyūga main house attended, along with all the jonin from the branch house.
"Fugaku, we understand your intentions," said Hiashi, the current clan leader, in a courteous tone. His eyes briefly flickered to Masashi. "However, please understand our position. Due to our clan's size, all four factions are vying for our votes, so we haven't decided how to allocate them yet."
Fearing a misunderstanding, he added, "Of course, we hold you in high regard. Rest assured, you will not be overlooked in our considerations."
"Hiashi, you're too kind," Fugaku replied with a smile. "Frankly, whether I'm elected is secondary. My main goal is to expose the younger generation to these experiences and help them build connections."
At this, the Hyūga members all turned their attention to Masashi.
Masashi maintained a flawless, polite smile. There he goes again, making me part of his schemes without even asking. Was he secretly writing speeches at home again? Something about his tone feels off.
"Oh? So, Fugaku, are you grooming Masashi to take the reins in the future?" Hiashi asked, his interest piqued.
Many in the Hyūga clan were familiar with this young Uchiha.
In the Land of Whirlpools, he had saved several Hyūga members' lives, earning respect and friendships within the clan.
In the Land of Hot Water, his performance was equally commendable.
Additionally, Elder Shijime had a positive opinion of him, which influenced others in the clan to view him favorably.
As one of Konoha's youngest Kage-level ninja, the Hyūga high council held Masashi in high regard.
Fugaku did not deny Hiashi's question. He simply laughed and said, "It's too early to say. There's no rush—I can still hold the fort for a few more years."
"The Uchiha truly are a clan of prodigies," Hiashi remarked, full of admiration. "Your clan's transformation has been remarkable to witness."
With Fugaku now officially a candidate, his true strength had come to light. The consensus among the community was that Fugaku was both remarkably patient and showed just how naturally gifted the Uchiha clan was at being ninja.
People now referred to the Uchiha as "a clan of three Kage-level ninjas." However, the Uchiha had undergone a major transformation. Their reputation in the village had drastically improved, becoming a source of reassurance rather than apprehension.
Having multiple Kage-level ninjas was a rare and remarkable achievement in Konoha's history.
The last clan to achieve such a feat was the Senju clan during the village's founding days.
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90/150 reached for bonus chapter.
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