Chapter 55: Marriage Alliance
February 1st.
The inauguration ceremony for the First Hokage was held as scheduled.
On the platform stood the clan heads of the various clans, the four freshly minted Elders, and the newly established Hokage Guard Platoon. In addition to them, the most important guest was the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, accompanied by a young girl, and six members of the Guardian Shinobi Eighteen.
"That girl is less than ten years old... She can't be the Daimyo's daughter, can she? She's quite pretty, but I'm not a lolicon... Besides, the Daimyo is at least fifty." Masahiko's mouth twitched as he thought this.
Why invite the Daimyo? Why must Konoha be subordinate to the Land of Fire? There were many reasons for this.
The profession of "ninja" was unique. Ever since the Sage of Six Paths created Ninshu, ninjas had gradually pushed the samurai, who once dominated the world, out of history.
However, the emergence of ninjas also signified the beginning of the millennium-long Warring States Period.
It could be said that the profession of ninja meant destruction. At the same time, ninjas did not engage in production.
During the Warring States Period, the main policy of the powerful clans was to plunder and sell resources to supply the cultivation and daily life of their clansmen. Weaker clans, including the Uzumaki, took in ordinary civilians and collected rent from them to sustain the clan's needs.
But after the establishment of Konoha, everything changed. All the clans were arranged in the same village, and there were no targets left to invade nearby.
Therefore, the issue of resources became the primary problem. Hashirama had thought of several ways to solve this.
The first was to accept commissions from civilians outside the village in exchange for payment to cover the village's expenses. However, this was obviously a drop in the bucket. Helpless, they had no choice but to nominally submit to the Daimyo of the Land of Fire and obtain funding from him.
So now, Konoha was nominally a military organization belonging to the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, merely enjoying the right to self-governance.
Therefore, for a major event like the inauguration of the Konoha Hokage, the Fire Daimyo naturally had to be present.
It was nearing noon, and the ninjas and civilians below the stage had basically all arrived. Hashirama nodded to Tobirama, and Tobirama stepped forward.
"I declare the Hokage Inauguration Ceremony officially open! Please welcome the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, to deliver his address!"
"Pfft..."
Amidst the silence on and off the stage, Masahiko's laughter was exceptionally piercing. Masahiko looked around and quickly apologized. He hadn't expected Hashirama to actually accept his suggestion and start the ceremony like this. The most exaggerated part was that such a bureaucratic line was read out with a straight face by Senju Tobirama.
Hashirama stepped forward, facing all the villagers.
"Today is the first time all of us have gathered together since the founding of our village. This is an exciting moment. It marks the formal establishment of our village. We will bid farewell to frequent wars and live together in this beautiful village. From this moment on, peace will coexist with us, and we will use our own hands to guard this peace!"
"I am very happy to be chosen by everyone as the First Hokage." Hashirama wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. "I will use all my strength to maintain this hard-won peace!"
After calming his emotions, Hashirama continued, "A thousand years ago, since the passing of the Sage of Six Paths, the Ninshu he established split apart, engaging in endless wars with one another, bringing a millennium of flames of war to this world!"
"During this long period, the entire world has been devastated. Whether ninjas or civilians, everyone lived a precarious life, not knowing if they would see the next day."
Hashirama looked back at Madara. "Between friends, one dared not even reveal their surname for fear of a war breaking out at any moment."
"Children could be sent to the battlefield at any time. Countless families were torn apart, and countless clans were annihilated in the fires of war!"
"But I want to say, starting today, everyone will live together in one village! There will be no more war, no more hatred! People can interact freely and say their surnames without fear! No longer do we have to push children onto the battlefield!"
"The era of peace has arrived!"
Hashirama's shout resonated throughout the entire Hidden Leaf Village. There was silence both on and off the stage.
After a long while, someone in the audience reacted.
"Is peace... really here?"
Suddenly, the scene erupted into an uproar, with cheers ringing out incessantly.
"Banzai! Long live peace!"
"No more going to the battlefield!"
"I... I actually lived to see an era of peace!"
Looking at the cheering villagers below, Hashirama revealed a heartfelt smile.
Masahiko sat on the stage, watching Hashirama's declaration the entire time, feeling emotional inside. 'In my past life, I didn't really pay attention. I only knew the First Hokage was a powerful but somewhat goofy ninja. It's only now that I realize why everyone is willing to call Hashirama the God of Shinobi. It's definitely not just because of his strength.'
Unlike the long, tedious meetings of Masahiko's past life where one speaker followed another, after Hashirama finished speaking, the Hokage Inauguration Ceremony was considered over. However, the excited ninjas of various clans and some civilians fell into a revelry, refusing to disperse for a long time.
It wasn't until evening that the ceremony officially ended. Hashirama signaled that the clan heads could return to their clans, while he needed to accompany the Daimyo on a tour of Konoha to let him understand the village's current status.
Madara had no interest in accompanying the Daimyo on a tour. Although today, he also felt that his dream had truly been realized and had a bellyful of words he wanted to say to Hashirama...
Hyuga Tenjin also nodded to Hashirama and returned to the Hyuga clan. In the end, only Masahiko, the Nara Clan Head, and Tobirama remained.
The four of them accompanied the Daimyo's group around Konoha, proactively introducing the residential areas of each clan.
During the tour, Masahiko spoke up proactively. "Lord Daimyo, do you remember me?"
The Daimyo hesitated. "You are... Oh, right! The '108 Generals'!"
Masahiko's face went dark. This Daimyo held a grudge. He didn't speak again.
Thus, along the way, it was mostly Hashirama and the Nara Clan Head explaining things to the Daimyo, while Tobirama fulfilled his duty as a guard.
It wasn't until dark, when they escorted the Daimyo to the guest room specially prepared for him, that the Daimyo pulled the little girl who had been following him forward and spoke:
"Clan Head Hashirama... oh, no, I should call you Hokage of Konoha now... This is my youngest daughter, Princess Kaori. She is nine years old this year."
Masahiko chuckled inwardly. It really is his daughter. The Daimyo sure is virile for his age...
"I heard the Hokage has a son named Senju Kenji, who is 13 years old this year."
"Why don't we become family? I would like to betroth my daughter to your son. Of course, we will wait until she is 16, but we can settle the engagement now."
Hashirama hesitated. To maintain their bloodline, the Senju rarely married outsiders. However, the Daimyo had proposed it himself, and the Nara Clan Head and Tobirama were winking at him frequently from the side. Gritting his teeth, he agreed.
As for Masahiko, he wasn't paying attention to Hashirama at all. His mind was filled with only one thought:
'This little girl wouldn't happen to be the legendary Tsunade's mother...'
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