Chapter 119: Senju Tobirama: Huh? Uchiha became Hokage?

With Konohagakure's reconstruction completed, Fugaku began sending out invitations loudly.

Following the policy of casting a wide net to catch more fish, Fugaku didn't care whether Konohagakure would show respect or if they would show the Uchiha clan any favor.

Anyway, any power he knew, no matter big or small, he made sure to send an invitation.

Becoming the Fifth Hokage was groundbreaking in the entire Uchiha history. Even Uchiha Madara hadn't achieved this, so it was definitely worth celebrating and recording in the history books.

With this mindset, Fugaku even paid out of his own pocket and personally oversaw the setup of the venue. He was determined to make this succession ceremony the first step toward a new era for Konohagakure. It wasn't just about extravagance—it had to showcase the Uchiha clan's status as the strongest in the village. 

Everyone in Konohagakure, from top to bottom, could see just how much importance their Fifth Hokage placed on this ceremony. 

Not that it mattered much to the villagers—it wasn't their money being spent. They could just show up, work for a paycheck, and enjoy the spectacle. 

Besides, by now, everyone had figured out big brother Fugaku's true nature. 

Despite everything he'd been through, he was still the same Uchiha clan leader who loved to show off. Deep down, he hadn't changed at all. 

It wasn't hard to accept. Once people got used to the Uchiha clan's bragging, they couldn't deny that the village was slowly improving. 

Over time, the villagers even figured out how to deal with the Uchiha. 

Ignore the facts—just start the conversation by hyping them up, praising their bravery. That would put a smug smile on their faces, and they'd even invite you for a drink at Satoshi's place. Sure, their bragging was still irritating, but it worked. 

And if you genuinely treated them as friends and earned their respect, they'd have your back when you were in trouble. If they saw you hurt, they'd be so furious their eyes would bleed. 

These guys weren't impossible to get along with—you just needed the right approach. 

What really surprised the higher-ups in Konohagakure was how many people confirmed they'd attend the Fifth Hokage's succession ceremony. 

Even more shocking, every single Kage from the other four major ninja villages accepted the invitation, saying they'd come to Konohagakure to congratulate big brother Fugaku. 

The Five Kage gathering just to celebrate a Hokage's succession? 

That had never happened in Konohagakure's history! 

It made big brother Fugaku feel incredibly proud. He was practically walking on air, looking down on everyone with a condescending smirk like he might take off into the sky at any moment. The retired old village leader couldn't help but feel jealous watching it all. 

But what could he do? 

Sure, a Hokage succession ceremony was no small matter, but it was still just an internal affair for the Land of Fire. 

Take the Fifth Mizukage's recent succession in the Land of Water, for example. They didn't even make a big deal out of it—just issued a statement to the public. 

Even when Sarutobi became Hokage back then, the ceremony was a simple, low-key village event. Forget blessings from the other ninja villages—even the smaller neighboring countries didn't care. 

The stark difference made the Third Hokage feel like he'd swallowed a lemon. 

Why? 

What did Uchiha Fugaku do to deserve this treatment that I never got? 

The old man became even more determined to ruin Uchiha Fugaku's big day and make him lose face during the ceremony. 

The news that the Five Kage were about to gather in Konohagakure spread across the ninja world in no time, instantly igniting excitement everywhere. 

But anyone with a keen eye could tell this wasn't about honoring Uchiha Fugaku. 

What truly drove the Kage of the other four ninja villages to attend was the appearance of a mysterious man at the ceremony. 

Hyuga Hitoshi. 

The leader of the Hyuga clan, the man who led his clan out of Konohagakure and, unbelievably, to the moon. 

But that was just the start of his legend. 

Beyond being the head of the Hyuga clan, investigations over time had led the major ninja villages to confirm something extraordinary—Hyuga Hitoshi was also the Daimyo of the Sun God Kingdom. 

Of course, it seemed the Sun God Kingdom didn't use the title "Daimyo" for their leader. Instead, they called him Lord Sun God, based on their faith. 

They saw him as the man most likely to become a god.

Many people sneered at this situation. 

God? 

Could someone in this world truly be so foolish? 

A so-called god should be an immortal being that transcends everything. Yet, throughout the history of the ninja world, even someone as strong as the "God of Shinobi," Senju Hashirama, succumbed to illness. And even the Sage of Six Paths, who created everything, eventually reached the end of his lifespan. 

Most chose to see the rumors within the Sun God Kingdom as merely a method Hyuga Hitoshi used to maintain control over his subordinates. 

What was even more ridiculous was that some people actually believed the stories. According to island rumors, they even claimed that Hyuga Hitoshi could control life and death at will and bring the dead back to life. 

The people of the Sun God Kingdom were completely brainwashed! 

This conclusion was what most preferred to accept and believe. 

At most, they would admit that Hyuga Hitoshi was just a particularly strong ordinary person—anything beyond that was impossible. 

Their focus on Konohagakure was straightforward. 

Previously, the Sun God Kingdom announced that their leader would appear at Konohagakure to attend the inauguration ceremony of the Fifth Hokage. The leaders of the villages wanted to confirm once and for all whether Hyuga Hitoshi was indeed the person behind the Sun God Kingdom. 

Once confirmed, they would take further action! 

The structure of the Five Great Nations had existed for a long time, and they would not allow anyone to unite the smaller nations and disrupt the hard-won balance. They certainly wouldn't permit the formation of a "Sixth Great Nation" like the Sun God Kingdom to divide their interests. They were determined to make the arrogant Sun God Kingdom pay the price. 

They wanted to show Hyuga Hitoshi that no single person could change the entire ninja world. 

Even Senju Hashirama, the God of Shinobi, had to bow his head and humbly plead for peace during the first Five Kage Summit to stop the ongoing wars. 

Do you think you're stronger than the God of Shinobi? 

What gives you the right to be more arrogant than Senju Hashirama? 

Even if Hyuga Hitoshi was truly unbeatable, could he protect his clan forever? 

If he wanted to create a safe environment for his people, wouldn't he, like Senju Hashirama, have to bow his head to the leaders of the Great Nations and beg for their mercy? 

No matter how strong someone was, once they formed bonds and cared for others, they also gained weaknesses. 

As the leader of his clan, Hyuga Hitoshi would inevitably pay a price. 

Now, the Hyuga clan was like the Senju clan of the past. But while the Senju clan was able to integrate into the village and fade away, the Hyuga could not. 

With this mindset, the Five Kage gathered in Konohagakure, hoping to make Hyuga Hitoshi face reality while he was unable to support his clan. 

"My brother's reputation is way bigger than mine." 

Konohagakure. 

In the Hokage's office, Fugaku casually fiddled with the intelligence reports, clicking his tongue in amusement. 

He himself wasn't particularly bothered. 

It didn't matter why these people came to Konohagakure or what their goals were. Since they were here, Fugaku simply treated it as them showing respect. Their presence would make the inauguration ceremony even grander—that was their role. 

"I'm actually starting to regret agreeing to your idea of inviting other ninja villages." 

Jiraiya, standing nearby, gave a wry smile and spoke with a complicated expression. Even if he tried not to think about it, just using his imagination, he could tell that Konohagakure would be a mess when the time came. If things went poorly, the newly rebuilt village might end up destroyed again. 

"Don't worry. What you're afraid of won't happen." 

Fugaku kept a calm face. 

"Anyone who provokes my brother will ultimately be taught a lesson by my brother Hitoshi. Do you think my brother came to Konohagakure alone without a reason?" 

"Does he not know that leaving the Sun God Kingdom would expose it to potential threats? Yet he still came, and he came openly and boldly." 

It had been almost half a year since the Hyuga clan left Konohagakure, the village was destroyed, and then rebuilt. 

During this time, Fugaku had a brief stint as Hokage and seemed to have learned to think from the perspective of a leader. 

"You should know that this time, those coming to Konohagakure are not only the leaders of the major nations but also many small countries' leaders who will attend the Hokage succession ceremony. Their purpose is clear—they want to see if my brother truly dares to come and observe his demeanor before deciding whether to submit to the Sun God Kingdom." 

The Sun God Kingdom's efforts to bring smaller nations under its influence were no secret. 

And this succession ceremony was the perfect opportunity for these undecided nations to evaluate whether the Sun God Kingdom was trustworthy. 

What they didn't know was that after this conflict ended, the conditions to join the Sun God Alliance would no longer be so simple. They were missing this opportunity by their own hesitation. 

"I just hope the village won't be destroyed by him again." 

Jiraiya let out a cold snort. As someone who wasn't Hokage, he had been dismissed by Fugaku many times and knew that his opinions meant nothing to this man. 

Still, as a loyal member of Konohagakure, Jiraiya would never disobey the Hokage's orders as long as the Hokage was doing a decent job. 

After realizing his strong opposition was futile, he began to resign himself to the situation. Even so, he wouldn't completely let go until the succession ceremony was over. He simply couldn't trust Hyuga Hitoshi. 

The man who had destroyed Konohagakure and brought pain to the village would always be his enemy! 

Of course. 

Jiraiya wasn't the only one who saw Hyuga Hitoshi as an enemy. 

In a corner of Konohagakure, Sarutobi Hiruzen pushed open a door in a hurry and looked at Danzo, who was sitting there nonchalantly. His face was filled with frustration. 

"Danzo! You're such a useless piece of trash!" 

"How long has it been? Long enough for a kid to grow up and buy soy sauce! Where's your Edo Tensei?" 

Being scolded out of nowhere, Danzo's expression darkened as he glared at Sarutobi, ready to retort. 

But just as he opened his mouth, something seemed to cross his mind. He forcibly held back and instead spoke in a calm, soothing tone. 

"Sarutobi, don't be so impatient." 

"Your impatience hasn't changed over the years, and that's clearly not a good thing." 

Danzo earnestly tried to advise him, with a look that said, "I'm only doing this for your own good." This unfamiliar demeanor left Sarutobi stunned. 

"Impatient, overly ambitious, and endlessly hypocritical—you seem to use all your abilities to deal with your own people. If you had been a bit tougher externally, the Third Ninja War wouldn't have gone so badly for Konohagakure. The Hyuga clan wouldn't have left, and the Sun God Kingdom wouldn't be flaunting its power in Konohagakure now." 

With a slight sigh, Danzo pointed out Sarutobi's flaws and the reasons for his failures. 

"That's why, after so many years as Hokage, you never grew as a leader. It's also why you were removed from your position. And now, even after stepping down, you haven't learned to reflect. Sarutobi, your current behavior really disappoints me." 

Wait. 

Something felt off. 

Very off! 

Sarutobi, who knew Danzo inside out, began to sweat slightly. Usually, when they argued, Danzo's insults were far from this refined or polite. He would drag ancestors into the mix without hesitation. 

Why was he now calmly pointing out issues during Sarutobi's time in office? 

It felt like he was speaking for someone else to hear! 

The old Hokage stiffly turned his head, sensing something unusual. 

Sure enough, a tall figure stood there with arms crossed, watching him with a scrutinizing gaze. 

"Tobirama-sensei." 

In an instant, Sarutobi Hiruzen's hair stood on end. Under that gaze, he felt completely exposed, as if all his secrets had been laid bare. 

"You've grown old, Sarutobi. It seems I've been dead for quite a long time." 

After studying Sarutobi for a while, Senju Tobirama let out a small sigh and finally turned his eyes toward the window. 

He was always good at reading people's minds. 

Just now, he saw a lot of emotions on Sarutobi's face—guilt, shame, and embarrassment. 

His student must have gone through a lot. 

But guilt and shame? 

It was probably about the village. 

"Just like Danzo said." 

Senju Tobirama glanced at Sarutobi again, this time with clear disappointment. 

"I never imagined that the Third Hokage, handpicked by me, would be forced to step down. And not just once, but twice!" 

Yes, something like that would undoubtedly shake the entire ninja world. He was certain it was a first, setting an unprecedented record in ninja history. 

"I also never expected the Hyuga clan, who once made an alliance with the Senju under my brother's invitation and always behaved so quietly, to choose to leave Konohagakure years later." 

No matter the reason for the Hyuga's departure, just the act itself was enough to make the ninja world laugh. After all the effort he'd put into stabilizing Konohagakure as the leading ninja village after his brother's death, it felt like a complete joke in that moment. 

Of course, there was something even funnier. 

"Hmm, and…" 

Senju Tobirama's wise yet somewhat perplexed reincarnated gaze fell on the Hokage Rock in the distance, now featuring two unfamiliar faces. 

One of them was so large it dwarfed the other statues combined, while his smallest disciple's face looked like a mere nostril compared to the giant one. 

"I never imagined I'd live to see a member of the Uchiha clan become Hokage." 

Are you all joking with me? 

That naturally evil Uchiha brat actually made it to this position? 

Doesn't this mean all my efforts were for nothing? 

The most ridiculous part was when he used his sensing abilities to scan the village earlier. He found something bizarre—villagers were smiling and cheerfully greeting the Uchiha patrol guards! 

I must be caught in a Genjutsu. 

Unaware that Hyuga Hitoshi had once advised Fugaku on such matters, Senju Tobirama couldn't wrap his head around it. 

Hitoshi didn't understand politics. 

But he understood people. 

So when Fugaku invited Hitoshi to his succession ceremony and they discussed how to manage subordinates, Hitoshi shared a simple yet effective idea regarding the Uchiha police force. 

Hitoshi pointed out that if the Uchiha wanted to show off, they had to pick the right targets. Think about it—if you were a Konohagakure villager, when would you feel good about the Uchiha showing off? 

The answer was obvious. It's when they were dealing with troublemakers—those unpopular bullies and scoundrels the villagers already disliked. 

At moments like that, the police force would look like heroes. 

Additionally, they needed to regularly publicize the capture of criminals, making sure the villagers could see their hard work. 

This was a classic "divide and conquer" strategy. 

Once this dynamic was in place, the villagers might even applaud the police force and say, "The Uchiha really know how to show off!" 

In summary, Hitoshi told Fugaku clearly: 

The Uchiha could show off. 

But before doing so, they needed to get things done—solve problems, do their jobs properly. Only then could they flaunt as much as they wanted. 

Fugaku initially doubted the effectiveness of the new approach. After all, the Uchiha clan had a reputation for acting arrogant before even getting things done. He figured that even if they changed their ways, the villagers would still dislike them. 

But after he ordered the changes, the results were unexpectedly good. Now, the villagers in Konohagakure even looked forward to the Uchiha showing off because it usually meant they had done something good. People could understand that. 

And let's not forget—after the Hyuga clan left Konohagakure and there was no longer any Byakugan surveillance, spies coming into the village became bolder. They even caused injury incidents from time to time. The Uchiha Police Force had done a lot for the village in response. 

On top of that, Fugaku had recently learned how to use moral authority and had also picked up the idea from the Third Hokage about starting education with young children. Teaching ninja academy students about the Uchiha clan's proud history had greatly improved their image. 

Things were getting better! 

But Sarutobi, Danzo, and even Senju Tobirama were still in a bad mood. 

Yes. 

Even though the village had stabilized under Fugaku's leadership and nothing serious had happened, the arrogant Second Hokage still believed that having Uchiha Fugaku as Hokage was like placing an unstable bomb in the village. If that bomb went off, it would bring devastating losses and possibly destroy the village. 

Tobirama didn't think this was bias against the Uchiha. He prided himself on understanding the clan. Known as the "Clan of Love," their deep emotions made them dangerous. The loss of a loved one could ignite their extreme behavior. 

Right now, Uchiha Fugaku appeared stable, but Tobirama didn't think that was the truth. 

"The one who might ignite him is none other than the current Hyuga clan leader," Tobirama said coldly. 

"Based on the information Danzo provided, it's likely that Uchiha Fugaku becoming Hokage was orchestrated by Hyuga Hitoshi." 

As for what Hyuga Hitoshi stood to gain? 

Thinking about Danzo's report that Fugaku had already given him two wives and was now planning an internal Uchiha beauty contest to offer a third wife to Hyuga Hitoshi... 

Tobirama paused. 

No, this didn't hold much value as evidence. He dismissed the thought, unwilling to dwell on the idea. 

If that man's only goal was Uchiha women, he wouldn't have needed to go to such lengths. Such a person wouldn't be worthy of Tobirama's attention. 

"Teacher, in my humble opinion, we absolutely cannot let the inauguration ceremony happen. Once it does, everything will be set in stone, and dealing with this will become extremely difficult." 

Danzo spoke with a sincere tone, though his overly deferential attitude made Sarutobi Hiruzen feel sick to his stomach. 

This was all an act! 

Humble opinion? 

Disgusting. 

But there was nothing Sarutobi could do. Tobirama had been resurrected by Danzo, and upon seeing his two disciples, he quickly noticed the stark difference between their performances. 

So far, Danzo had completely outshined Sarutobi, and Tobirama didn't hesitate to praise him. 

"That's right. If the ceremony takes place, even if we later overthrow Uchiha's rule, this grand inauguration, blessed by so many ninja villages, would make Konohagakure a laughingstock." 

Exactly. 

Even Tobirama had to admit that if Danzo's information was correct, the inauguration ceremony would be unprecedented in scale and could even go down in history. Trying to depose Fugaku after that would indeed be embarrassing. 

"Teacher, honestly, we don't need to care about outsiders' opinions. After all, the people coming to the ceremony aren't doing it out of respect for Konohagakure. They're here for other reasons." 

Sarutobi eagerly tried to prove himself, hoping to restore his image in Tobirama's eyes. 

But after he finished speaking, he saw the disappointment in Senju Tobirama's eyes. 

"Sarutobi, the older you get, the less confidence you have," Tobirama sighed. 

"You need to understand, no matter why they've come, it's because they want something. They're using the succession ceremony and our Konohagakure as a venue because they have a need. As the first ninja village, allowing them to use our village is already doing them a favor!" 

"When the time comes, before the ceremony begins, I'll let them witness the abolition of the Hokage system. That too is doing them a favor, not the other way around." 

"Konohagakure has never been weak toward outsiders!" 

The iron-willed Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, looked sternly at Sarutobi, his dissatisfaction evident. 

"However, considering Konohagakure's current situation, after they serve as witnesses, I also agree to let them discuss how to deal with that inherently wicked Hyuga brat. But ultimately, the decision about the Hyuga clan's fate should rest with Konohagakure, not them." 

His familiar tone and unwavering confidence were reminiscent of the calmness he had when making sacrifices in the past. 

Sarutobi glanced blankly at his teacher, then at his old friend Danzo. 

He could hardly imagine what kind of information his old friend had been feeding their teacher. 

He just wanted to tell Tobirama-sensei, 

"First ninja village? Doing other villages a favor? 

Please, stop dreaming!" 

He truly wanted to tell Tobirama-sensei that times had changed. Under his leadership, Konohagakure had already become a shadow of its former self. 

But he couldn't bring himself to say it. 

He knew Tobirama-sensei well—his stubbornness meant he would at most listen to Senju Hashirama. Sarutobi's advice would fall on deaf ears. 

Still, seeing his teacher's confident demeanor, Sarutobi, out of options, decided to comply. 

After all, when it came to dealing with the Uchiha, Senju Tobirama was the expert. Trusting his teacher this once didn't seem like a bad idea. 

The mission began! 

Senju Tobirama pointed toward the distant Hokage Rock, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. 

"Let me teach you one last time—how to overthrow the Uchiha's tyranny!" 

Since he had been revived, starting with a demonstration wasn't a bad idea. 

He hoped his two students would watch carefully and learn well. 

If you're bad at it, practice more! 

---

---------------------------------------

You can read 10 chapters ahead on patre on

patr eon.com/JYouyi