Land of Fire, Konohagakure.
The Hidden Cloud did not choose to continue the war. Instead, they sent envoys bearing a treaty to renew peace.
Hiruzen Sarutobi accepted it with open arms.
Yet the matter of him replacing the Daimyō had not gained recognition from the other great nations.
In particular, the Daimyōs of every land denounced Hiruzen's act in the strongest terms.
But words were all they had. Beyond venting outrage, there was nothing they could do.
For now, the Land of Fire stood undeniably as the strongest of the Five Great Nations. No hidden village would dare gamble its future by launching a reckless war without certainty of victory.
Especially after witnessing the fate of Kirigakure and Kumogakure.
The Hokage's Office.
"What's more, now that the Hokage has replaced the Daimyō, I imagine the other Kage will be forced to reconsider their own relationship with their Daimyōs," Senju Haruto said plainly.
In his view, every Kage had likely entertained similar thoughts—at least in passing. But constrained by countless factors, none dared to be the first to "eat the crab."
Now, however, someone had been the first. And that changed everything.
"…Yes." Hiruzen nodded, agreeing with Haruto's reasoning. "Even now, I still find it difficult to believe…"
"There's nothing unbelievable about it," Haruto replied without hesitation. "The Daimyōs are a distorted relic of power in this world. They hold no ability, no strength. What's unbelievable is not that one was killed—but that they managed to survive from the First Great Ninja War until now."
He spoke bluntly, without a trace of guilt over the Daimyō's death.
To Haruto, the man had simply invited his own downfall.
"Haruto… you never cease to surprise me," Hiruzen murmured, once again realizing how hard it was to see through him.
So many things Hiruzen had always considered "natural truths" were, in Haruto's eyes, illusions waiting to be torn apart.
"Phew…"
Taking a deep breath, Hiruzen decided to set aside past matters and focus on what lay ahead.
"Haruto, I want you to serve as my Hokage's Advisor."
"Hokage's Advisor?" Haruto echoed softly, though he already understood what that meant.
Until recently, Shimura Danzō had held that very position—handling matters Hiruzen could not, or preferred not to, deal with directly.
It meant, in truth, that Hiruzen was inviting him into Konoha's inner circle.
And not only Hiruzen. This was the conclusion he had reached after discussions with Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane as well.
Now that the offices of Hokage and Daimyō were merged, Hiruzen's responsibilities extended far beyond the military. He now bore the burden of economy, politics, and governance as well.
The plan they agreed upon was this: Hiruzen would manage what had belonged to the Daimyō. Haruto, meanwhile, would act as Hokage's Advisor in name—but in reality, he would serve as Hokage itself.
At this, Hiruzen rose from his chair, walked over, and placed a firm hand on Haruto's shoulder.
"I see," Haruto said, feigning sudden understanding. "But… is that really alright? My age, after all…"
"True," Hiruzen interrupted. His age was indeed young. If not, Hiruzen would not have named him an advisor, but the Fifth Hokage outright.
But youth aside, Haruto possessed the mind of a Hokage.
No—his way of thinking surpassed even that.
"If not for you, when faced with the Cloud's arrogance at the start, I might have chosen compromise—handing over Hiashi in exchange for peace."
"But as it turned out, this way was far better."
"In a few years' time… I hope you will become the Fifth Hokage."
For the first time, Hiruzen spoke his true feelings aloud, entrusting Haruto's future with his deepest expectations.
Haruto looked at the elder before him, then gave a single, decisive nod.
"But…" Hiruzen's tone suddenly shifted, his hand sliding from Haruto's shoulder as a sigh escaped him.
After all that had happened, he could no longer underestimate Haruto's ambition.
If his guess was right, unifying the Land of Fire's rule was only Haruto's first step.
His true goal… was nothing less than unifying the entire shinobi world.
The direction of the conversation caught Haruto slightly off guard. Yet no matter what, he felt no need to shrink back from Hiruzen now.
Since Hiruzen wanted to know, there was no reason to lie.
Without hesitation or conflict, Haruto met his gaze and nodded firmly.
Yes.
The confirmation left Hiruzen stunned. Guesswork was one thing—but fact was another.
Even if he had been more than sixty percent certain, hearing it spoken aloud still shook him to his core.
After all, Senju Haruto was only twelve, perhaps thirteen, years old.
"…And yet, this is not born of a lust for power."
Haruto locked eyes with Hiruzen. "It is for true peace."
"The history of the Senju is the history of the shinobi world. I know well how brutal the age of endless conflict between the Senju and the Uchiha was."
"Children barely five or six years old had to don armor and fight for survival on the battlefield. And survival meant nothing more than killing the enemy and returning alive."
"In such an age, life expectancy rarely exceeded thirty."
"It was precisely this that Senju Hashirama saw—so he and Uchiha Madara ended their feud and chose reconciliation."
Haruto paused, letting out a deliberate sigh of helplessness before continuing.
Through their efforts, the Senju and Uchiha founded the first shinobi village. Other clans soon joined, or imitated their example.
But rather than dissolving strife, it only escalated.
Even when Hashirama, by sheer power, persuaded the other four Kage to sign a peace pact, it only postponed war—it did not end it.
"At that time, peace among the Five Great Nations wasn't held by the tailed beasts. Truthfully, those beasts' strength was far less than that of the Kage themselves."
"What truly secured peace… was Senju Hashirama's overwhelming might. And when he died, that peace vanished."
"In just a hundred years, three Shinobi World Wars erupted. Countless lesser conflicts have never ceased."
"Only by unifying the shinobi world—removing the very idea of 'enemy nations'—can we bring about true peace."
Haruto's eyes narrowed, his gaze falling upon the peace treaty just delivered by the Hidden Cloud.
"Not through a fragile scrap of paper."
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