At 9 a.m., the chatter among the jonin in the meeting room gradually quieted down.
Footsteps echoed from outside the door.
Soon, the door opened, and Tsunade and Hanekawa walked in.
"Lady Hokage," Hiashi Hyuga was the first to stand up.
He was currently basking in glory.
First, he had connected with Hanekawa through Hinata Hyuga, and then Hizashi Hyuga had exposed Danzo Shimura's control over the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.
No matter how you looked at it, the Hyuga clan had become the loyal supporters of the new regime.
"Lady Hokage," the other jonin reacted in unison.
Fugaku Uchiha twitched his lips.
He hadn't expected the usually composed Hiashi Hyuga to act in such a manner.
In fact, not only him, but even Shikaku Nara and others were caught off guard.
"Please, everyone, take your seats," Tsunade waved her hand and looked toward the front row.
There were four seats in total, reserved for Sarutobi Hiruzen, Danzo Shimura, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado.
Now, Sarutobi Hiruzen was absent, Danzo Shimura was dead, leaving only Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado.
The two sat on either side, leaving a gap in the middle—undoubtedly the Hokage's seat.
Given their status, this seating arrangement wasn't unusual.
"Advisor Koharu," Tsunade walked forward and said, "Please move one seat to the left."
"What do you mean?" Koharu Utatane's eyes narrowed.
"Tsunade, Koharu has always sat in this seat. Why should she move?" Homura Mitokado sensed trouble but still spoke up for his old comrade.
Fugaku Uchiha and Hiashi Hyuga, among others, felt a stir in their hearts.
Was Tsunade planning to replace the two Hokage advisors?
The thought made their hearts race.
The position of Hokage advisor was second only to the Hokage, a true one-above-all role.
Except for a few, most coveted this position.
And Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado had held their seats for far too long, leaving no room for others.
"That was in the past," Tsunade said calmly. "Now, there's someone more suitable than you."
"Who?" Koharu Utatane gritted her teeth, unwilling to back down.
"Hanekawa," Tsunade's lips curled into a smile.
"Tsunade, he's just a junior!" Koharu Utatane clenched her fists.
"Ability matters, not age," Tsunade said bluntly. "I call you 'advisor' out of respect for the old man. In terms of merit, can you compare to Hanekawa?"
Long ago, Tsunade had grown tired of Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado.
They always relied on their seniority to meddle in affairs, but in reality, they were just muddling through.
They had constantly opposed her in the past. Now that she was Hokage, she wasn't going to indulge them.
"You!" Koharu Utatane trembled with anger but was powerless.
Even she, let alone anyone else in Konoha except the late Hashirama Senju, could match Hanekawa's contributions.
"This is the Hokage's order," Tsunade said indifferently. "Are you defying it?"
"N-no, I wouldn't dare," Koharu Utatane reluctantly stood up and moved to the adjacent seat.
"..." Homura Mitokado opened his mouth but ultimately remained silent.
In the past, they could stand against Tsunade because their statuses were similar.
But now, Tsunade was the Hokage.
And the Hokage held inherent legitimacy and authority in Konoha.
"Come, sit," Tsunade took the central seat and patted the spot beside her.
"Yes, sensei," Hanekawa walked forward and sat next to her.
This was his first time facing so many jonin, and he felt a bit out of place.
Hanekawa suddenly let out a soft exclamation.
He had noticed Kushina Uzumaki.
In the past, she wouldn't attend jonin meetings—more accurately, she couldn't.
After all, she was the Nine-Tails jinchūriki.
It seemed Tsunade had more courage than Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"Let's begin the meeting," Tsunade looked at the group.
Her decision to make Koharu Utatane move served two purposes: to establish her authority and to pave the way for Hanekawa.
Though she said age wasn't an issue, some would inevitably bring it up.
But with her strong support as Hokage, it wouldn't be a problem.
The others understood her intentions.
Especially the clan heads, who were mostly seasoned veterans.
Hanekawa was strong, had Tsunade's full support, and possessed the Wood Release, symbolizing Konoha's trademark. He was practically destined to be the Fifth Hokage.
"The first matter: the jonin and villagers' vote will take place the morning after the Victory Festival. The Hokage inauguration ceremony will be on the third morning," Tsunade raised a finger. "Both the vote and the ceremony will start at 9 a.m."
The Victory Festival was on Sunday, the day after tomorrow.
It was to celebrate the victory in the Third Great Ninja War, and no matter the reason, it couldn't be changed.
As for the jonin and villagers' vote and the Hokage inauguration ceremony, they were just formalities.
"The second matter: Danzo Shimura attempted to assassinate the Daimyo and was killed on the spot by Hanekawa," Tsunade continued. "His vacant position as Hokage advisor will be filled by Hanekawa."
The group was surprised, but not overly so.
When they saw Koharu Utatane give up her seat to Hanekawa, they had already guessed as much.
After all, that seat had belonged to Danzo Shimura.
Apart from his young age, Hanekawa was more than qualified to be Hokage advisor.
The happiest were Fugaku Uchiha and Hiashi Hyuga.
The higher Hanekawa's position, the more their children would benefit.
Perhaps the Sixth or Seventh Hokage would come from their clans.
Hanekawa's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
It wasn't because he was surprised about becoming Hokage advisor—he had already known about that. What surprised him was the new talent entry.
**[A-rank Talent Entry: Second Darkness of Blame.]**
**[Trigger Condition: Becoming Hokage Advisor.]**
**[Effect: All stealth-based jutsu effects increased by 150%.]**
Hanekawa couldn't help but want to scold. What the hell was "Second Darkness of Blame"?
As for the effect, it wasn't bad.
Though he hadn't learned many stealth-based jutsu.
To be honest, Hanekawa would have preferred a talent that enhanced sensory jutsu, mainly to detect the presence of White Zetsu.
But having a talent was better than nothing.
This was probably Danzo Shimura's final ripple.
"The third matter: Root has been disbanded and will not be reestablished," Tsunade glanced at Hanekawa. "From now on, Hanekawa will oversee the ANBU."
The group was visibly surprised.
Since the founding of Konoha, the ANBU had always been directly under the Hokage, never entrusted to anyone else.
After all, theoretically, the Hokage could only directly command the ANBU.
Hanekawa was also caught off guard.
But after thinking it over, he understood Tsunade's plan.
She saw herself as a transitional Hokage, someone who would hold the position for a couple of years before stepping down.
Hanekawa couldn't help but twitch his lips.
He didn't actually want to be Hokage that badly—he just wanted to experience it and farm some talent entries.
"The fourth matter: negotiations with the Hidden Cloud Village are scheduled for January next year," Tsunade said, unaware of Hanekawa's thoughts.
Even if she knew, she'd probably say, "You pushed me into this Hokage position, so you'll have to take responsibility."
"Hanekawa, inform Mabui of the Hidden Cloud Village," Tsunade added after some thought.
Today's meeting was for Konoha's jonin, so no Hidden Cloud ninja were present.
As for why she assigned this to Hanekawa, it wasn't because he had been falsely accused of being a Hidden Cloud spy, but because he was now in charge of the ANBU.
"Yes, sensei," Hanekawa happened to have something to discuss with Mabui as well.
He didn't want to give up his identity as a Hidden Cloud ninja.
After all, he still had an S-rank talent entry, "Raikage of Erotica," to obtain.
"The fifth matter: some adjustments to Konoha's organizational structure," Tsunade paused. "We'll discuss the specifics in a later meeting."
Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado exchanged uneasy glances.
They suspected the first adjustment would target the Hokage advisors.
Fugaku Uchiha, Hiashi Hyuga, and the other jonin had the same thought.
But instead of unease, they felt anticipation.
"Any other matters? If not, the meeting is adjourned," Tsunade stood up.
So soon?
The group was taken aback.
In the past, Sarutobi Hiruzen's meetings lasted at least an hour.
But Tsunade's meeting didn't even take half an hour.
"Meeting adjourned!" Tsunade waited a few seconds, and when no one spoke, she waved her hand.
"Yes," the group stood up and responded in unison.
"Let's go," Tsunade turned and left the meeting room.
Hanekawa quickly followed.
"Tsunade!" Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado's voices called out from behind.
"Advisors, is there something else?" Tsunade asked without turning around.
"It's about the organizational adjustments. We'd like to discuss it with you," Homura Mitokado coughed lightly. "The Hokage advisors' duty is to discuss major village matters with the Hokage."
"I said we'll discuss it in a later meeting," Tsunade chuckled. "Advisors, there's no need to rush."
With that, she entered the Hokage's office.
Hanekawa glanced at Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado before closing the door.
"This is too much!" Koharu Utatane gritted her teeth.
"It is indeed excessive," Homura Mitokado's expression was equally grim.
They had never been treated so coldly before. Even Sarutobi Hiruzen wouldn't dare treat them this way.
"Let's go see Hiruzen!" Koharu Utatane, in her frustration, could only think of Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"In the current situation, it's unlikely he can help us," Homura Mitokado sighed. "Let's wait until the Daimyo leaves."
"Tsunade!" Koharu Utatane took a deep breath. "This isn't over!"
---
In the Hokage's office.
"I can feel their resentment practically materializing," Hanekawa leaned against the Hokage's desk.
"Two old relics clinging to their past glory. Don't mind them," Tsunade said dismissively.
Hanekawa was actually quite surprised.
In the original story, Tsunade hadn't removed Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado from their positions as Hokage advisors.
But now, she was taking them down right from the start, which was quite different.
The only explanation was the butterfly effect caused by his actions.
"Sensei, you're so cool!" Hanekawa gave a thumbs-up.
"Enough with the flattery. Don't forget to visit the ANBU," Tsunade waved her hand.
"I know."
As the head of the ANBU, Hanekawa definitely needed to make an appearance.
It would be best to make some beneficial changes, like a new official setting three fires.
"Sensei, where's your Hokage robe and hat?" Hanekawa suddenly asked.
"I'm only acting Hokage for now. I don't have those yet," Tsunade shook her head.
"I'll have someone make them," Hanekawa smiled.
"Mm," Tsunade stretched. "Being Hokage is exhausting."
She then slumped onto the Hokage's desk.
Hanekawa's eyes widened.
In his line of sight, the Hokage's desk bore too much weight, flattened into a spherical shape.
"Sensei, you just had a meeting. How are you already tired?" Hanekawa blinked.
"Look at all these documents. How could I not be tired?" Tsunade asked, looking utterly defeated.
"That is a lot," Hanekawa glanced at the pile.
With the war over, there was a lot to handle.
Originally, this would have been Sarutobi Hiruzen's responsibility, but thanks to Hanekawa's backstabbing, it had fallen to Tsunade.
"We could consider forming a division," Hanekawa suggested. "For example, leave these documents to the Nara clan."
"Good idea!" Tsunade's eyes lit up.
"As for now, sensei, you'll have to tough it out for a few days," Hanekawa chuckled.
"What are you laughing at?" Tsunade sat up straight. "You're the Hokage advisor and secretary now. We'll split the work fifty-fifty!"
"Alright," Hanekawa shrugged. "Since it's your order, sensei, I'll gladly obey it."
---
In the Land of Rain.
Two figures walked side by side.
"How do you plan to join the Akatsuki?" Madara Uchiha stopped and asked.
"The Akatsuki only has Nagato as a real threat. I'll just go see him, show my strength, and I'll definitely be able to join," Obito Uchiha said confidently.
"..." Madara Uchiha was momentarily speechless.
"What's the problem?" Obito Uchiha asked, puzzled.
"The Akatsuki is currently allied with Konoha. Going there directly would be walking into a trap," Madara Uchiha countered.
"Then I won't reveal my identity," Obito Uchiha thought for a moment.
"Without revealing your identity, how will you carry out the Eye of the Moon Plan?" Madara Uchiha sighed. "Your top priority is to break the alliance between the Akatsuki and Konoha."
"How do I do that?" Obito Uchiha frowned.
"It's called an alliance, but in reality, it's just Konoha providing aid to the Akatsuki," Madara Uchiha pondered. "The best way is for you to replace Konoha and provide funding to the Akatsuki."
"But I don't have money," Obito Uchiha said, troubled.
"You have the Mangekyo Sharingan. Are you afraid you can't get money?" Madara Uchiha gave an example. "For instance, you could control the Kage of the Five Great Villages. I suggest the Hidden Mist or Hidden Sand."
"I see!" Obito Uchiha suddenly understood.
"To break the alliance between the Akatsuki and Konoha, Nagato is the key," Madara Uchiha instructed. "His parents were killed by Konoha ninja. He's naturally on our side."
Madara had realized Obito's problem—his lack of intelligence.
The only solution was to give him a thorough lesson before his death.