Hiruzen Sarutobi eagerly awaited the unfolding drama.
If Dan truly acted with impunity and killed the Daimyo in front of everyone, his brazen behavior would undoubtedly incite fear and concern throughout the entire ninja world.
This, in turn, would sow the seeds of discord for Uchiha’s rule over Konoha.
Hiruzen planned to continue perfecting the Edo Tensei technique until he could revive the past Hokages flawlessly. Only then would be the opportune moment to reclaim Konoha.
Soon after, both the Daimyo’s group and Hiruzen’s faction left, leaving the once bustling temple desolate.
For the temple’s patrons and followers, this would become an enduring mystery.
Two days later.
At dawn, Konoha bustled with activity. It was a significant day for the village.
Visitors from other villages also arrived.
The first to reach Konoha was the Mist Shinobi, led by the striking and elegant Fifth Mizukage, Mei Terumi, escorted by several Anbu members. Accompanying Mei were her three students—Suigetsu Hozuki, Chojuro, and Haku.
Mei brought them along to witness the power of the Uchiha clan firsthand, especially the soon-to-be-inaugurated Sixth Hokage, Uchiha Dan.
After all, they would eventually have to interact with the Uchiha as representatives of the Hidden Mist.
Upon entering the village, Mei noticed something unusual.
By the roadside, an old man, covered in bandages and dressed in rags, sat on a large stone, looking rather like a beggar. Despite his appearance, he sat with a dignified air, as if he were a significant figure.
Surrounded by curious children, the old man was delivering a passionate speech.
“Listen well! I am the greatest Hokage in Konoha’s history, the embodiment of the Will of Fire, the divinely chosen savior! If you pledge your loyalty to me, I will ensure you all rise to greatness.”
The old man pointed at each child, assigning them imaginary roles.
“You will be the Anbu captain, responsible for my security and guarding against external threats.”
“You will lead the intelligence division, training spies to gather information from other villages.”
“And you two will be senior advisors, managing the village’s internal affairs and assisting me. Do you understand?”
The old man assigned roles with great seriousness, urging the children to have a spirit of sacrifice and to dedicate themselves selflessly to the village’s future.
The children, blinking in confusion, exchanged puzzled looks.
“But isn’t Uchiha Dan the Hokage? Today is his inauguration, and we’re all supposed to watch,” a chubby child asked, scratching his belly.
The other children nodded in agreement, echoing sentiments about their parents’ instructions to behave and not cause trouble on this important day.
The old man’s face darkened with each word, veins bulging on his forehead.
“What nonsense about Uchiha Dan! I am the Hokage!” he roared at the children. “You traitors dare support an usurper! I’ll have you all executed! Someone, seize them!”
Terrified, the children scattered, but soon realized the old man was merely bluffing.
Two Konoha genin approached, one of them kicking the old man off the stone.
“Stop causing a scene so early in the morning!” one genin scolded.
The other genin recognized Mei and her entourage, rushing over to apologize.
“Sorry for the disturbance, Mizukage-sama. We’ll remove this madman immediately.”
They dragged the old man away despite his loud protests and threats to strip them of their ranks and imprison them in the Anbu cells.
Onlookers merely watched coldly, showing no sympathy for the old man, only disdain and indifference.
“Mizukage-sama, who was that pitiful old man?” Haku asked, his compassionate nature stirred by the sight, remembering his own past as a homeless child.
“The villagers here are colder than in Mist,” Suigetsu commented.
Mei shook her head, explaining to her students, “Don’t pity him. To Konoha’s ninjas and villagers, even killing him a thousand times wouldn’t erase their hatred. He’s Shimura Danzo, the Fifth Hokage.”
Danzo?
The name shocked Haku, Suigetsu, and Chojuro, who had heard tales of Danzo despite their youth. From Konoha’s perspective, Danzo was a traitor who sold out the village.
Danzo’s downfall was his own doing.
Haku’s sympathy quickly faded as he imagined himself in the villagers’ position.
“Let’s go,” Mei said, leading her students toward the Hokage Tower.
After Mist, representatives from Sand, Stone, and Cloud arrived.
Though welcoming a village’s Kage is a significant diplomatic event, Konoha sent no one to greet the Four Kage.
Despite their irritation, the Four Kage kept their displeasure to themselves, mindful that to Uchiha Dan, they were mere defeated opponents.
At the end of Ichiraku Avenue, the towering Hokage Tower stood resplendent, symbolizing the Uchiha clan’s dominance over the ninja world.
It demanded humility from everyone before it.
When the Four Kage reached the tower, Itachi and Izumi emerged to escort them inside.
“We’ll take you to the waiting room. Once Lord Dan is officially Hokage, you can discuss any matters with him,” Itachi said, his and Izumi’s Mangekyo Sharingan instilling fear in their guests.
“Of course,” Onoki replied, smiling awkwardly. “We’re here to offer war reparations and congratulate Lord Dan.”
“On behalf of my uncle, I thank you for your goodwill,” Itachi replied, leading them forward.
Following Itachi and Izumi, Mei’s students felt overwhelmed by the Uchiha’s presence, realizing the vast gap in power and maturity between them and their Uchiha counterparts.
Mei sighed inwardly, understanding the immense challenge her students faced in catching up to the Uchiha.
Two hours later, Konoha was abuzz with anticipation.
From above, the plaza before the Hokage Tower was filled with tens of thousands of villagers, a scene of unprecedented scale.
The crowd’s attention was fixed on the tower, waiting for Dan’s appearance.
Finally, Dan emerged, now wearing a white Hokage robe emblazoned with the Uchiha clan emblem.
As he looked over the silent crowd, Dan performed a simple gesture—donning the red Hokage hat.
A moment of silence followed before the plaza erupted into thunderous cheers, the sky reverberating with their joy.
Uchiha Dan was now the Sixth Hokage.
Among the cheering Uchiha, the elderly Setsuna wept openly. From Hashirama’s era, he had longed for a Uchiha Hokage, enduring imprisonment and years of waiting.
Now, seeing Dan as Hokage, Setsuna felt fulfilled, his tears of joy reflecting a lifetime’s worth of dreams realized.
Not only Setsuna but Fugaku, Mikoto, Shisui, Yashiro, Kenzō, Tekka, Itachi, and all the Uchiha felt immense pride and joy, many were moved to tears.
“Dan has become Hokage,” Mikoto whispered, overwhelmed by the surreal turn of events.
“Yes, Dan is Hokage,” Fugaku echoed, holding her close, equally emotional.
Nearby, a young Sasuke watched his uncle in awe, the crowd’s cheers embedding a dream in his heart—to become Hokage.
“The Director is Hokage now. Long live the Director!”
“Stop it. We must now address him as Hokage-sama.”
“But calling him Director feels more familiar. I’m sure Dan won’t mind.”
The Uchiha debated how to address Dan, their genuine discussion bringing smiles and laughter.
Itachi, observing his clansmen, couldn’t help but smile. Turning to Shisui, he said, “Shisui, our dream has come true. Uncle Dan has protected the Uchiha and saved Konoha, bringing peace and hope. Shisui, what’s wrong?”
To Itachi’s surprise, Shisui began disintegrating into dust, ascending towards the sky—the Edo Tensei was ending.
Many noticed and surrounded Shisui, concerned.
“Itachi, father, what’s happening?” Itachi asked Fugaku, assuming he was responsible.
Fugaku shook his head, explaining, “Those revived by Edo Tensei remain because of lingering attachments. When their wishes are fulfilled, their souls ascend. This is what’s happening to Shisui.”
To prevent this, the reanimator would usually embed a control tag, erasing the personality to create a mindless killing machine.
The Uchiha, valuing Shisui as family, wouldn’t do this.
“You’re right,” Shisui said, smiling at Itachi. “Itachi, I’m glad my dream came true through Dan. Work hard and strive to become the next Hokage. I’ll be cheering for you from afar.”
Before Itachi could respond, Sasuke boldly declared, “I’ll be the next Hokage! I won’t let you take it, brother!”
“Sasuke…” His brother’s determination took aback Itachi, while the rest of the clan burst into laughter. The joyous atmosphere was a testament to their unity and strength.
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