The normal path to becoming Hokage was impossible with Tobirama around.
So Haru only had one option.
Wait.
Wait until Tobirama died.
Even though Haru had a trump card that could temporarily let him contend with Tobirama, the Mangekyo Sharingan experience card.
But so what if he had the Mangekyo Sharingan?
Tobirama was not someone who had never killed a Mangekyo Sharingan user before. Izuna had already died by his hand.
It was not as if Haru could really expect to stir up the Uchiha and launch a coup together. That would be less reliable than finding some way to join Madara, who was probably hiding in some cave somewhere. At least Madara did not discriminate by bloodline. He equally looked down on everyone who was not Hashirama.
Those Mangekyo Sharingan experience cards were treasures Haru valued immensely. He had been unwilling to use them even in several life-and-death situations.
There was no way he would waste them on dealing with Tobirama.
No one knew how many forbidden techniques Tobirama had developed specifically to deal with the Uchiha while he was alive. If Haru wanted to know, he would only have a chance to read the Scroll of Seals after becoming Hokage.
But now, Haru had finally endured long enough.
Once tonight passed, Tobirama's corpse should be cold already.
Thinking of that, the gloom in Haru's heart from the failed card draw vanished completely. He could not hold back his joy, and an unrestrained grin spread across his face before turning into the Uchiha clan's inherited maniacal laughter.
"Hahahaha!"
"Kekeke!!"
"..."
"Cough, cough, cough... saliva went down the wrong pipe."
Haru coughed twice, then suddenly heard two meows. A completely black cat climbed in through the window. The black cat skillfully leaped onto Haru's bed, swished its tail twice, and sat down.
"Haru, I got the news."
"Konoha's negotiations with the Raikage really were an ambush. The result was just like you guessed. The Second Hokage went alone to draw away the pursuers. Things don't look good for him."
The black cat licked the fur on its paw, shifted into another sleeping position, and sprawled belly-up across the soft mattress with all four paws spread. Haru sat beside it and began stroking its fur with practiced ease.
"I got this news from Chaz. It took a lot of effort to pry it out of his mouth."
"Nicely done, Manji."
Manji was Haru's summon, while Chaz was Kagami's summon. The Uchiha Clan and the ninja cats had been on friendly terms for generations, and the ninja cats under Granny Cat often formed contracts with members of the Uchiha Clan.
Ninja cats were small, agile, and excellent at gathering intelligence. They had their own information channels throughout the shinobi world.
After Haru had shown his talent at the Ninja Academy, the clan had recommended him, and Granny Cat had Manji sign a contract with him. Back then, Manji had still been a tiny little thing.
Over the years, Haru had gone through life and death with Manji several times while carrying out missions outside the village. Haru trusted him enough to send him out for intelligence work without worry.
"How are you going to thank me?"
A rumbling purr came from Manji's throat, and a deeply satisfied expression appeared on his face. He was clearly enjoying the skilled hands of Haru, a true master of cat petting.
"Three bottles of catnip!"
"No. Double it!"
Manji's tail flicked in dissatisfaction.
"No problem."
Haru was in such a good mood that he immediately pulled out a can of catnip from the drawer and tossed it to Manji.
"I'll buy you the other five bottles tomorrow."
Manji eagerly opened the can of catnip, grabbed a handful, and took a fierce mouthful.
"That's the taste. This stuff is pure."
"AA+!"
An expression of supreme bliss appeared on Manji's face. He dumped all the catnip from the bottle onto the bed and rolled around in it with all four paws spread out.
"Manji, tell the ninja cats you're close with to stay in Konoha these next few days and gather information for me at any moment."
"Manji? Manji?"
Manji's eyes had already gone vacant, his tongue lolled out, and his paws were mechanically stuffing catnip into his mouth. He was obviously completely high on catnip already.
Forget it.
There was no point counting on Manji for now.
Hiruzen and the others still had not returned, and Tobirama's death had not yet been brought back to the village.
Let the bullet fly a little longer.
Time to sleep!
...
Several days later, Hiruzen and the others hurried back to Konoha. What they brought back was not the good news of a ceasefire, but terrible news that could shake the entire village.
Konoha's negotiations with the Raikage had broken down.
The Raikage had been killed in a surprise attack by his own subordinates, Kinkaku and Ginkaku.
Tobirama had died in battle.
In the Senju Clan district.
"Tobirama... is dead?"
"How is that possible? How could Tobirama die?"
Mito had just received the news. Her face was full of confusion and helplessness. She had not yet recovered from the bolt-from-the-blue shock.
She truly could not imagine her brother-in-law Tobirama dying.
In Mito's memories, Tobirama had always been calm, full of schemes, and endlessly resourceful. After Hashirama's death, he had managed Konoha in an orderly and efficient manner.
His strength had also stood at the very peak of the shinobi world.
He had survived the chaos of the Warring States Era, only to die at a ceasefire negotiation.
Mito could not accept that reality.
Her eyes turned toward Hiruzen, hoping he would say something.
But reality was still reality.
Hiruzen could only remain silent, not daring to speak for fear of agitating Mito further.
Tears slid from the corners of Mito's eyes, but she quickly wiped them away. Then her gaze sharpened as she looked at Hiruzen.
"Tell me everything from beginning to end. Not a single word may be left out."
Mito's voice was ice-cold. Because her emotions were unstable, chakra spilled out along with her words.
The Uzumaki Clan's chakra was already naturally immense, and on top of that, Mito was the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki. The chakra fluctuations she released made it hard for Hiruzen and the others to breathe.
Konoha had only just come out of a war.
The First Shinobi World War had lasted a full eight years.
Eight years of war.
Even though Konoha was powerful and full of strong shinobi, after eight years of attrition, even a village as mighty as Konoha had been badly weakened.
At a critical moment like this, the death of the village's Kage could easily cause Konoha to fall apart if the situation was not handled properly.
"Yes, Mito-sama."
Hiruzen quickly responded and began recounting everything from the beginning.
He explained how the negotiations between the Second Hokage, Tobirama, and the Second Raikage had been ambushed by Kinkaku and Ginkaku, and how they had then been pursued by the elite force led by the two brothers.
Finally, he described how Tobirama had sacrificed himself as bait in order to cover their escape.
From beginning to end, Hiruzen told the entire story.
And of course, he did not forget to mention that before going to his death, Tobirama had appointed him as the Third Hokage.
During the process, Mito interrupted several times to ask for specific details. She even made Hiruzen repeat several parts more than once, and everyone else present was also made to recount it multiple times.
Combined with the Nine-Tails' special ability to sense emotions, Mito ultimately came to the conclusion that Hiruzen and the others were not lying.
Mito looked at Hiruzen with a complicated expression.
For the first time, she began to doubt Tobirama's judgment.
Were these little brats really worth Tobirama sacrificing himself for?
And this Hiruzen in front of her...
Was he truly worthy of the position of Hokage?
(End of Chapter)
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