The daimyō of the Land of Fire usually indulged in pleasures and extravagance, ordering people around with an air of superiority.
But that didn't mean he lacked emotional intelligence or brains.
It was just that his exalted status meant he usually didn't need emotional intelligence, nor did he bother to use his brain.
In fact, the daimyō had long been dissatisfied with Hiruzen.
Especially in recent years, Hiruzen had been asking him for money more and more frequently, with increasingly bizarre reasons, and the amount requested each time had also grown larger.
But after approving the funds, there often wasn't even a splash to be seen.
The daimyō was deeply displeased. As the highest authority of a nation, and someone well-versed in all sorts of schemes, how could he not know what Hiruzen was up to?
That Hokage was abusing his power for personal gain, finding every way possible to swindle him out of money.
But because he was obscenely wealthy, he couldn't be bothered to fall out with Hiruzen just over a few hundred million here and there each year.
After all, the Hokage controlled Konoha's greatest military power, and the village and the Land of Fire had a mutually dependent relationship. If they had a falling out, it wouldn't benefit either side.
Just look at what happened when the daimyō of the Land of Wind fell out with the Third Kazekage, no one gained anything. Instead, because of the constant friction, both the Land of Wind and Suna saw their power gradually decline.
It was much like the relationship between emperors and warlords in ancient times.
No emperor ever liked dealing with warlords, but few dared to move against them lightly. On the contrary, they often had to hand over money and grain to keep them appeased.
Even though the bond between countries and ninja villages in the shinobi world was stronger and more stable than ancient warlord-emperor relationships, the daimyō of the Land of Fire still couldn't do whatever he pleased.
So even though, by law, the daimyō had the authority to appoint or dismiss the Hokage, to call for a re-election, and to decide who would hold the title, since the founding of the ninja villages, no daimyō had ever actually exercised that right.
Not because they didn't want to.
But because they couldn't.
There was one simple reason: the ninjas of each village only took orders from their Kage. Without going through the Kage, a daimyō couldn't command even a single soldier.
If pushed too far, things would only spiral out of control. It was better to maintain the delicate balance shaped by circumstance and mutual compromise.
Still, legal authority was legal authority. Even if the Hokage didn't acknowledge it, public opinion would.
That was why the daimyō naming Tsunade as "Princess of Konoha" had significantly boosted her prestige.
So this time, he came to Konoha to publicly support her, and to make her ascension to the position of Hokage even more legitimate in the eyes of the people.
He also hoped that, by strengthening their relationship, she would be more cooperative with him in the future.
He didn't need her to follow his orders, he knew that was impossible.
He just wanted peace of mind and a comfortable working relationship.
If she could assign a few reliable ninjas to protect him, that would be even better.
After all, they were distant relatives. The daimyō believed that as long as his requests were reasonable, Tsunade wouldn't refuse.
Upon his arrival in Konoha, the daimyō naturally received the highest level of treatment.
To show how much they valued him, even Orochimaru, now a legendary figure in the shinobi world, accompanied him the entire time.
While entertaining the daimyō in every way imaginable, Orochimaru also took the opportunity to educate him on the importance of scientific research, stating that some research could even improve health and prolong life.
Delighted by this, the daimyō proposed the establishment of a dedicated Science Division outside Konoha's current organizational structure.
He also promised to immediately increase funding to vigorously support Konoha's scientific development.
On the day before the Fourth Hokage's inauguration ceremony, Tsunade, representing Konoha's entire leadership, visited the memorial grounds to honor the ninjas who had fallen in the recent war.
Countless Konoha citizens went of their own accord to join the memorial.
At the ceremony, Tsunade recounted the contributions of the fallen ninjas, and together with the leadership, bowed deeply to express their highest respect.
She also gave a short but powerful speech, emphasizing how hard-won peace was and how everyone needed to work together to maintain it.
Many people were moved to tears.
After all, many of the people lying in that memorial were family members of civilians, or teammates, teachers, and students of other ninjas.
Their grief touched everyone present.
Seeing how Tsunade honored the fallen by calling them heroes made people even more emotional. They were genuinely touched, and more than ever, they wholeheartedly supported their new Hokage.
At 10 AM the next day, her inauguration ceremony began on schedule.
The area in front of the Hokage Building was packed tight long before the event started.
The last time such a crowd had gathered was when the public denounced Danzō for his defeat at the front lines.
But today, they were here to witness history.
As the ceremonial cannon fire rang out, Torifu was the first to enter the stage, stepping onto the carefully prepared platform.
As the only surviving disciple of the Second Hokage, Torifu was now enjoying a moment of triumph.
Not only had he regained his position, but due to his outstanding performance in the recent war and his early support for Tsunade, he had earned immense prestige.
At present, aside from the reclusive Mito, he was the most senior figure in all of Konoha, and thus he was given the honor of hosting this inauguration ceremony.
However, he didn't start with a speech right away. Instead, standing before the microphone, he began by reading out the names of the six greatest heroes of the war and their exceptional battlefield achievements.
The six names were:
Tsunade
Orochimaru
Uchiha Shin
Hatake Sakumo
Uchiha Fukuyama
Namikaze Minato
Over the past weeks, their deeds had been wildly praised by returning ninjas, and their reputations had spread to every corner of Konoha, earning them the admiration of countless people.
Now, hearing their names and official commendations in this formal setting stirred up waves of excitement and passion once more.
As each of the six was called, they stepped forward to greet the crowd, triggering thunderous cheers like crashing waves.
Many Konoha citizens were overwhelmed with pride at the strength of their village and couldn't help but beam with joy and pride.
After this segment, Torifu delivered another announcement: the Land of Whirlpools had agreed to restore its alliance with Konoha.
As he finished speaking, Ashina stepped forward to recount the deep history and emotional bond between the two villages, expressing their sincere commitment to mutual support and an unbreakable friendship in the future.
This news thrilled the people of Konoha.
After all, among the smaller ninja villages below the Five Great Nations, two stood out as unique, Ame and Uzushio. These two were in a league of their own, far stronger than other minor villages.
Given that Konoha and Uzushio had always shared a close relationship, rekindling this alliance would naturally elevate Konoha's overall strength even further.
Next, Torifu delivered a ten-minute speech.
The core message was a deep and formal self-reflection on behalf of Hiruzen, Danzō, Koharu, and Homura. He emphasized that the past was behind them, and the future was full of promise.
Torifu himself had been reluctant to give this speech, but he had no choice. Shin insisted on it, and even wrote the speech himself.
Once the speech was over, he officially invited Tsunade to the stage.
She had already gone up once earlier when her name was announced among the heroes of the war, and at that time, the thunderous cheers had been so intense they almost triggered an earthquake, the crowd's reaction far exceeded that for anyone else.
But that time, she stood as a war hero.
This time, she stood as the Fourth Hokage.
Unlike before, the entire audience, though brimming with emotion, now held their breath, waiting for the moment that would mark history.
Then, as the daimyō of the Land of Fire personally stepped forward to officially announce Tsunade's appointment, Torifu presented the Fourth Hokage's robe that had long been prepared.
Tsunade took the robe and, without hesitation, put it on. She strode to the microphone and, with a clear, powerful voice, raised her fist and shouted:
"Konoha!"
"Konoha!"
"Konoha!"
"Konoha!"
The entire crowd roared back in unison, their voices bursting with passion. That one word carried their strongest, deepest emotions.
The chanting went on for a long, long time.
Once the crowd finally settled down, Tsunade gave her inauguration speech.
It was short, only five minutes long, but it left everyone wanting more.
Precisely because it was so brief, it was all the more powerful. Her words struck deep into everyone's hearts.
The message was simple and easy to understand, summed up in a single sentence:
"Konoha belongs to all of us. We are fortunate to live in this era. Let's work together and lead Konoha to unprecedented heights."
After the ceremony, the celebrations began.
Parades broke out across the village.
Every corner of Konoha was filled with various performances and festivities. The entire village buzzed with joy.
Every shop in Konoha launched massive discounts and special offers to join in the celebration and share the happiness of this grand and beautiful day with everyone.
The genuine discounts made people feel even more involved in the occasion.
That day, the celebrations lasted well into the night, before the streets finally began to quiet down again.