The entire square fell silent.
At the very heart of Konoha, the vast plaza was shrouded in utter stillness.
Only one voice lingered in the air, echoing across the space.
"As long as I stand here, Konoha will remain the number one shinobi village in the world!"
The Number One Village!
How many years had it been…
How many long years…
No one in Konoha had spoken such proud, defiant words to the outside world in ages.
The Number One Village.
A title both familiar and distant.
Perhaps, in private, they still whispered it with pride—that Konoha was once the greatest of them all.
But since the death of Hashirama Senju and the outbreak of the three Shinobi World Wars, that title had long become hollow.
And now, before the eyes of all, that young man had declared it once more: the First Shinobi Village had awakened!
Every gaze was drawn to the figure standing at the center of the plaza. He wasn't tall, nor imposing, yet none could look away.
No one had thought they would live to see this day again—
A day when Konoha could once more proclaim with pride: We are the First Shinobi Village!
This was not empty bravado, not a hollow claim of strength.
This was real.
"Hakken-kun..."
At the edge of the plaza, his voice still reverberated through the air.
Crowds of villagers and shinobi had gathered there—though they held no right to approach the negotiation grounds, curiosity had drawn them to witness this historic moment.
Among them stood a violet-haired girl, her hand brushing against the necklace at her throat—a small gift Hakken had given her after returning from his very first mission.
Now, he stood beneath the sun, radiant and unshakable.
All eyes were on him.
He shone so brightly that even just watching him from afar was enough.
Just this... was enough.
"Ken-san."
Itachi's eyes were steady, devoid of unnecessary emotion. As always, he stood behind Hakken—his shadow, his support—and he was content to remain that way.
"Kakashi-senpai," Yamato murmured from afar, his voice trembling slightly, "is this… that unique charisma you said a true leader has? I think I finally understand."
He stared blankly at the scene before him.
That presence—just by standing there—drew people in, made them want to follow, to believe.
In that single moment, Yamato could feel his own blood surge with heat.
Born into Root, he had been molded by Danzō's doctrine since childhood, taught that the only true way to protect the village was to remain cold, unseen, emotionless.
But now, he understood.
Even standing here, basking in the light, sharing in that sense of pride and warmth—it was happiness unlike anything he'd ever known.
This… this was the true Will of Fire.
"Hakken!"
Even Might Guy, the man who wore youth like armor—the one who had once trained alongside Hakken—raised his thumb high and shouted across the plaza.
"Sensei… your successor has appeared."
And somewhere behind the crowd, a man could no longer contain the heat in his chest. A single tear slipped down his cheek.
A man no one expected to cry—
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
He had made many mistakes, that much was true.
His gentle heart had too often stayed his hand—allowing Danzō to act unchecked, unable to strike down Orochimaru when he should have.
Those were his failures.
But one thing could never be denied—his heart had always belonged to Konoha.
He might have lacked strength and decisiveness, but like every Hokage before him, he would have given his life for the village without hesitation.
He too had once been young and full of fire.
And this moment—this sight before him—brought those memories flooding back.
The true successor had finally appeared.
With a soft smile, Hiruzen nodded to the boy, then turned away, a quiet melancholy settling in his gaze.
He was old now.
Minato had been right. It was time to rest.
Beside him, Danzō's expression betrayed no emotion. His eyes flickered briefly as he watched Hiruzen's departing figure, then he too vanished into the crowd.
The negotiations were over.
The Kumogakure delegation had no reason to remain.
The Raikage was still gravely injured—they needed to return to Kumogakure immediately.
After casting one final glance at Hakken Yoru, Mabui turned and led her people away.
On the plaza, Minato smiled proudly at Hakken, pulling his custom kunai from his robes. Step by step, he approached the Wall of Honor, stopping before the section reserved for the village's greatest leaders.
Only one name was freshly engraved there—clear and bold.
Hakken Yoru.
Current Head of Konoha's ANBU Division.
Graduated from the Ninja Academy at age six. Joined ANBU that same year to support the front lines. Completed an S-rank mission, severely wounded the Kumo's Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, Killer Bee, and successfully captured the Two-Tails Jinchūriki for Konoha. Ended the border war and secured highly favorable terms for Konoha in subsequent peace talks.
On the night of July 1st, that same year, the Raikage personally led an infiltration squad into Konoha. Hakken Yoru detected their presence and engaged them in battle.
In this battle, he slew six Jōnin from the Kumo and captured the Raikage alive.
Raising the kunai, Minato's expression turned solemn as he personally carved the final words into the stone.
"July 5th.
Hakken Yoru personally led negotiations with the Kumo envoy, securing vast reparations and resources for Konoha.
Furthermore, he achieved merits equal to—or even surpassing—those of the Hokage throughout history.
Truly, the first to expand Konoha's dominion."
The Hokage himself had engraved his subordinate's name upon the Wall of Honor.
Minato had said it clearly before: this achievement belonged to Hakken Yoru, not to him.
"Tch. Seriously…"
Hakken shrugged, looking half-amused.
His own accomplishments would one day fill this entire wall anyway—he didn't need this one to feel satisfied.
Yeah.
He wasn't impressed.
If they were going to record something, conquering new land wasn't nearly dramatic enough.
Even "defeating the Raikage" sounded kind of dull.
Wouldn't 'Unified the Shinobi World' look way better?
Why make things so complicated?
Shaking his head, he turned away. The negotiations were done, Kumogakure had been pressured enough, and now it was just a matter of monitoring the world's response and preparing for the upcoming Nine-Tails incident.
If Obito dared show his face, Hakken would erase him without hesitation.
Sure, Kamui was annoying to deal with—but it wasn't invincible.
All he needed was one opening. One chance—and Obito would be dead.
Just as he was about to leave, Minato suddenly stepped forward, blocking his path.
Hakken raised an eyebrow. "Sensei? What are you doing?"
"I—representing Konoha's Fourth Hokage!"
Minato's clear, powerful voice rang out across the entire plaza, echoing off every wall and rooftop.
Everyone turned their eyes toward him.
What now?
"I'm not being Hokage," Hakken said flatly, taking two wary steps back, a hint of annoyance flickering across his face.
Minato scratched his head, embarrassed.
Truthfully, he had wanted to take this chance to announce that his student would be the Fifth Hokage—but even saying it aloud felt too heavy.
Not because Hakken lacked merit or strength—far from it. He was simply too young.
In a few more years, after helping his disciple protect Konoha a bit longer, Minato could finally retire.
"I, in the name of the Fourth Hokage—"
"—hereby bestow upon Hakken Yoru the title of Konoha's Kenpachi.
From this day forth, Konoha's Kenpachi shall wield the full authority and responsibilities of the Hokage!"
Kenpachi.
Those were the two words Hakken occasionally muttered to himself.
Minato thought they had a strong, commanding ring to them—much better than his earlier idea of "Konoha's Blade-Happy Young Warrior." So he seized the moment to give his student a proper title and momentum.
He would grant him the power and duty of the Hokage—but not the title itself.
The title of Kenpachi was his alone to bear.
Finishing his declaration, Minato produced a small golden cross-shaped sword and fastened it to Hakken's chest.
It had been prepared long ago, crafted from the same materials as the Hokage's cloak—a symbol of unmatched honor and recognition.
"This…"
Hakken blinked, half-expecting to complain that this wasn't Bleach and Minato might've wandered into the wrong series.
But before he could say a word, the plaza erupted into cheers.
The shouts of "Konoha's Kenpachi!" echoed across the air, shaking the village to its core.
Hakken sighed faintly, then smiled and nodded.
From this day onward—
He was Konoha's Kenpachi.
The one and only.
...
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