With the death of the Fourth Raikage, the war between Konohagakure and Kumogakure had come to a temporary halt.
But before the Cloud could announce whether they would continue the fight or sue for peace, Senju Haruto received an unexpected summons from the Daimyō.
At that moment, Haruto stood inside the Hokage's office, his expression tinged with surprise.
"That's right," Sarutobi Hiruzen confirmed with a nod, making it clear Haruto had heard correctly and needn't doubt it.
"No matter how you look at it, you're the hero who brought this war to an end. It's only natural that the Daimyō would want to meet you personally."
Hiruzen paused before adding, "Back when the Third Great Ninja War had just ended, the Daimyō also summoned Namikaze Minato."
"The Fourth Hokage?"
"That's right. More than just a meeting, it was almost like an evaluation. Not long after, Minato was chosen as a Hokage candidate, and before long…" Hiruzen's voice trailed off, memories weighing heavily on him.
In every respect, Namikaze Minato had been an outstanding shinobi. Recommending him for the position of Fourth Hokage had been the best decision of Hiruzen's career.
His only regret was failing to detect the intruder in time, leading to Minato's death on the night of the Nine-Tails' rampage.
Even now, every time that night came to mind, Hiruzen couldn't help but feel a deep sense of loss.
Perhaps it was simply fate — the heavens envying the talented.
But whatever the case, based on the precedent of Minato's summons, Hiruzen couldn't help but feel the Daimyō's intentions this time were very similar.
Aside from Haruto's youth, his abilities were beyond question.
Making him a Hokage candidate was entirely reasonable.
"I see…" Haruto murmured in response, fully aware of the history Hiruzen was referencing.
Though Konoha had technically won the Third Great Ninja War, the victory had been a narrow and costly one.
In the aftermath, Hiruzen had been forced to step down voluntarily, issuing what was essentially a personal decree of self-blame.
Back then, alongside Namikaze Minato, Orochimaru had also been a candidate for Fourth Hokage.
But Orochimaru, already obsessed with immortality, had no interest in the title.
With Hiruzen's strong recommendation, Minato had been swiftly elevated to the position.
"So, in other words… the Daimyō might want me to become the next Hokage?"
The thought echoed in Haruto's mind, and he didn't consider it impossible.
After all, it was he who had stopped Naruto's rampage.
It was he who had intimidated Rasa into backing down.
It was he who had slain the Mizukage… and brought down the Raikage.
These days, walking through Konoha's streets, nine out of ten people greeted him on sight — and the tenth usually wanted his autograph.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say he could now rally the village with a single word.
As for raw strength? Forget Konoha — even across the entire shinobi world, few, if any, could rival him.
"I was actually planning to wait until Orochimaru invaded Konoha — let him take out Hiruzen first, then step in to 'save' the village. I'd even written the whole script in my head. But history's current pulled me forward faster than expected…"
The reason for that "script" had been simple:
First, Hiruzen was unlikely to step down willingly.
Second, while Haruto was a hero with overwhelming power, he was still young by the standards of a Hokage. Even Naruto hadn't taken the position until his twenties.
Still… if the Daimyō insisted on supporting his rise now, Haruto wasn't about to refuse.
With that thought, he glanced sideways at Hiruzen.
"Let's go," Hiruzen said, shaking off his reminiscence of Minato. With a gesture, he motioned for Haruto to follow. "We can't keep the Daimyō waiting."
"Understood," Haruto replied crisply, falling into step behind him.
In truth, the Daimyō had summoned nearly all of Konoha's top leadership this time.
When Haruto followed Hiruzen into the meeting chamber and pushed open the door, a long rectangular table came into view.
On the left sat an elderly man in a black kimono, seated with perfect posture.
On the right sat Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu, and Nara Shikaku.
And at the head of the table — there could be no mistake — was the Daimyō of the Land of Fire himself, the true political ruler of the country.
"…Shikaku's here too?"
Haruto was mildly surprised. He hadn't expected Shikaku to have a place at such a high-level meeting.
Come to think of it, while the Nara clan was part of Konoha like any other, they did seem to enjoy a somewhat special status.
"Have a seat," Hiruzen said, drawing Haruto's attention back to the present.
There were exactly two empty seats left.
Hiruzen walked deeper into the room, taking the one to the Daimyō's left — which placed him on Haruto's immediate right.
Shikaku gave Haruto a small glance, signaling for him to take the seat beside him.
Haruto nodded, crossed the space in a few quick steps, and sat down. He let his gaze sweep the room.
This was, in fact, the first time since arriving in the Naruto world that Haruto had ever laid eyes on the Daimyō — and the first time he'd attended a meeting at this level.
Once he was seated, the guards lining the chamber quietly withdrew, closing the heavy doors behind them.
After all, the Hokage was the Daimyō's strongest protector.
With Hiruzen in the room, there was no need to worry about personal security.
Still, the atmosphere in the room was heavy.
While Haruto was sizing up the others, they were likewise sizing up him.
"You must be Senju Haruto," the Daimyō finally said, breaking the silence.
"I hear you are a descendant of the Senju clan?" he asked.
"Yes," Haruto confirmed with a nod.
For some reason, when the Daimyō asked that, Hiruzen himself seemed to grow a bit tense.
"This time, we have you to thank for ending the war so quickly," Hiruzen suddenly spoke up, giving Haruto high praise for his accomplishments.
Koharu and Homura remained silent.
As for Shikaku, he sat with arms folded, looking as though the matter had little to do with him — unsurprising, since he was here as a clan representative.
"Indeed," the Daimyō nodded, acknowledging the point.
But then, to everyone's surprise, his next words were sharply pointed.
"However… it was the Senju clan and the Uchiha clan who together founded the village of Konoha."
"As I understand it, during this war, the Uchiha suffered devastating losses. Nearly all of their fighting-age men perished in the forests near the Temple of Fire."
The Daimyō's gaze turned cold and piercing.
"Senju Haruto… have you nothing to say in your own defense?"
Haruto: "???"
Hiruzen: "???"
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