The Daimyō of the Land of Fire had been keeping a close eye on Senju Haruto's growth — and on the course of this war.
But the final outcome left him utterly stunned.
Not only had the Mizukage of the Hidden Mist been killed, but even the Raikage of the Hidden Cloud had fallen… both at the hands of Senju Haruto.
It had to be understood — a Kage was not only the leader of a Hidden Village, but also its ultimate fighting force.
It was no exaggeration to say that the strength of the Kage was the strength of the village… and the strength of the village was the strength of the nation.
This war had not dragged the Land of Fire into a quagmire as many feared. Instead, it had cemented its position as the number one great nation.
For the Daimyō, this was without a doubt incredible news.
And yet, somehow, this news also brought him a deep sense of unease.
So he summoned all of his closest advisors to a secret council.
"I truly didn't expect… that Senju Haruto's strength would surpass both the Mizukage and the Raikage."
"Indeed. While Sarutobi promised us that Konoha would surely win, this victory… feels almost too easy."
The Daimyō's senior retainers began whispering among themselves.
A sweeping, absolute victory was a good thing — but this wasn't the outcome they had envisioned.
For as long as anyone could remember, the Daimyō was the nominal ruler of the country, but lacked the raw power to enforce that authority.
Whenever faced with an especially strong-willed Kage, the Daimyō's influence tended to weaken.
The best example of this was the Second Hokage — Senju Tobirama.
At the founding of the Hidden Villages, the Daimyō of the Land of Fire had made an agreement with Senju Hashirama.
The Hidden Leaf would be a force tied to the nation — transforming shinobi from mercenary clans into the military arm of the country.
The arrangement was straightforward: the Hokage would govern the village, and the Daimyō would govern the Hokage.
They were, in theory, in a superior–subordinate relationship. Even the title "Hokage" wasn't just a name — it was an official post created by the Daimyō himself.
Put bluntly, the Hokage was the chief administrator of the village.
And as with any official post, the right to appoint — and to dismiss — the Hokage should rest in the Daimyō's hands.
But Senju Tobirama's sheer force of will had shattered that balance.
Not only had Tobirama created departments within the Leaf loyal solely to him, building up his own personal power base, but he had even appointed Sarutobi Hiruzen as the Third Hokage entirely on his own authority.
Yes, the circumstances at the time had been special… but there was no denying that Tobirama's actions had infringed upon the Daimyō's power.
Though Tobirama had soon perished in battle, and though Sarutobi Hiruzen had proven to be a suitable choice, that incident remained like a thorn lodged in the Daimyō's side.
And now… the Senju clan had produced another figure with dangerously sharp edges.
"If I recall correctly," one advisor spoke up, "Sarutobi Hiruzen has just appointed Senju Haruto to take over Danzō's position."
The Root Organization, after more than a decade of growth, had not only sunk deep roots in the Hidden Leaf but had become a vast and complex power network.
Handing its control to Haruto was something the Daimyō had not anticipated.
"Speaking of which — don't you think Danzō's death was… rather convenient? I can't shake the feeling that Sarutobi had a hand in it."
"That old fox isn't the one we need to be worrying about right now," another retainer cut in, his tone sharp, his hostility toward Sarutobi clear.
But even he didn't direct the heart of his suspicion toward Hiruzen in this matter.
Almost all of the Daimyō's advisors agreed on one thing: Haruto was the real threat.
"Sarutobi is already old. He can't stay Hokage much longer. But Haruto — how old is he?"
"Around thirteen."
"Exactly. Only thirteen years old, and already the head of Root… now with the feats of slaying the Mizukage and Raikage. If I'm not mistaken, Sarutobi intends to groom him as the next Hokage."
"And Haruto certainly has the strength for it," an elderly counselor said firmly, making no attempt to hide his recognition of the boy's capabilities.
But that was precisely the problem.
Haruto's rise had been utterly inexplicable. Before this year, no one had even noticed him.
Intelligence reports showed that five years ago, he hadn't even been admitted to the Ninja Academy.
And yet here he was — a meteoric ascent: succeeding Danzō, quelling the Nine-Tails, killing the Mizukage, defeating the Raikage…
And on top of that…
He carried the blood of the Senju clan.
"If Haruto really becomes Hokage, it might benefit the village. But… it could also mean that you, my lord…"
The advisor's words trailed off. The rest was too dangerous to say aloud.
The Daimyō, who had been silent until now, cast him a sidelong glance.
The Daimyō's position might be hereditary, but anyone who could claw his way to the top among many heirs was not without a shrewd mind.
If Haruto possessed the raw might of Hashirama and the unyielding iron will of Tobirama…
The seat of the Daimyō could very well be reduced to a ceremonial role.
It wasn't exaggeration to say that, to the shinobi of the village, Haruto was now not just a hero — but a god.
"So… is Haruto a descendant of Hashirama or Tobirama?" the Daimyō suddenly asked.
It was hardly a real question — they all knew the answer already.
"He's believed to be Tobirama's great-grandson. The only remaining line of Hashirama's descendants is that of Lady Tsunade, and she hasn't returned to the village in years."
"Tobirama…"
At the mention of that name, the Daimyō couldn't help but draw in a sharp breath.
Tobirama's strength might not have matched his elder brother's overwhelming power, but his intellect and political cunning far surpassed Hashirama's.
During his tenure, he had come dangerously close to rendering the Daimyō's authority meaningless.
And whenever they clashed… Tobirama almost always won.
It was no exaggeration that, when the news of Tobirama's death arrived, the Daimyō of that era had felt a wave of relief wash over him.
Now… combine Hashirama's power with Tobirama's resolve, and just imagining such a figure was enough to make the Daimyō's head ache.
"So, what do you all propose?" the Daimyō finally asked.
If Danzō were still alive, they might have used him as a counterweight to Haruto — a check against the Sarutobi faction's dominance.
But now that Danzō was gone, Sarutobi Hiruzen held undisputed sway over the village.
And Hiruzen valued Haruto greatly.
"It seems… we have no choice but to find a way to drive Haruto out of the village," one advisor said through clenched teeth.
It was, in his mind, the only remaining option.
"Drive him out?" Even the Daimyō was taken aback.
"Yes. The Land of Water and the Land of Lightning have both suffered devastating blows — they won't start another war anytime soon. The Land of Wind is no threat either; with or without Haruto, Sarutobi can handle them.
"If we lose Haruto during this time of peace, the impact will be minimal. And… I have no desire to push him into becoming a rogue ninja. We have another option — Princess Tsunade."
"Princess Tsunade?"
Both the Daimyō and his other advisors turned toward him, surprise flickering in their eyes.
"Yes. Sarutobi is old — he will eventually retire. We can use that as our pretext: remove Haruto from the village, then cultivate another faction to take the Hokage's seat. No matter what, Tsunade won't return to the village, so she won't interfere."
The Daimyō mulled it over slowly, and at length, he nodded.
Yes… this plan could work.