Orochimaru's Laughter, and the Sky Ninja
Despite being the biggest political shift the ninja world had seen in years, Konoha's change in leadership barely caused a ripple across the wider shinobi world.
That didn't mean no one reacted.
Orochimaru, for one, laughed until his shoulders shook.
For someone like him, such unrestrained amusement was rare. He had expected Fujimoto Tōma to kill Danzo, yes, but not like this.
First, Tōma shattered Danzo's lifelong obsession with becoming Hokage. Then he killed him again and again, stripping away every scrap of dignity.
If Orochimaru had handled it, he would have imprisoned Danzo and broken him slowly. That would have been satisfying.
But compared to what Tōma did?
Not even close.
Physical pain was crude. Mental collapse was art.
Especially when Orochimaru heard that Danzo had ultimately taken his own life.
"So you ended up like this too," Orochimaru hissed, long tongue sliding across his lips. "How ironic."
Back when he had exposed Danzo, he never imagined the man would end up helping Tōma like this.
The more Orochimaru thought about it, the more intrigued he became.
Knowing Danzo, he definitely had more hidden cards. The fact that none of them surfaced meant one of two things.
Either Tōma was so overwhelmingly strong that Danzo never had the chance.
Or Danzo's spirit shattered completely before he could use them.
Orochimaru favored the first answer.
He trusted Tōma's strength far more than Danzo's willpower.
This only reinforced something Orochimaru had long believed. Simply possessing the Sharingan meant nothing. Without genuine Uchiha blood, its power was fundamentally incomplete.
Otherwise, Orochimaru would have taken a pair for himself long ago.
Konoha already had the perfect example. Hatake Kakashi.
One Sharingan, enormous cost, limited payoff.
It even slowed his growth.
What Orochimaru wanted was a body with both supreme talent and Uchiha blood.
That was why he had targeted Uchiha Sasuke.
And once again, Tōma had ruined everything.
Now, though, Orochimaru wasn't particularly bothered. His interest had shifted.
Let the world descend into chaos.
He would live long enough to see how far Fujimoto Tōma could go.
That alone was entertaining.
Of course, stirring chaos required manpower.
Orochimaru's expression changed. His hand slid across his face, and in the next instant, his appearance twisted.
Kabuto stood where he had been.
Kabuto stared at the grave before him and sighed. "Figures. All the dirty work falls to me."
Still, he was curious too.
And so he moved.
Meanwhile, back in Konoha, Fujimoto Tōma was deep in discussion with Nara Shikaku.
After appointing Shikaku as his secretary, Tōma had laid out his plans for reform in detail.
Shikaku had been genuinely shocked.
The first thing the new Hokage wanted to do… was reduce his own authority.
Unable to hold it in, Shikaku asked why.
"Shikaku," Tōma replied calmly, "this world has always followed strength. When power reaches a certain level, there's no need to grip everything tightly. Look at the First Hokage. Aside from Uchiha Madara, who dared challenge him?"
Originally, Tōma had called him uncle, but Shikaku had firmly refused. In his role as secretary, personal titles had no place.
After hearing Tōma's explanation, Shikaku understood.
So that was why Tōma had displayed such overwhelming power during the inauguration.
It hadn't been emotion.
It had been preparation.
When strength surpassed others by entire tiers, ambition withered on its own.
Because everyone understood one thing.
If they pushed too far, Tōma could end it with a single jutsu.
With that settled, the two began identifying which responsibilities could be delegated to reduce the Hokage's burden. After hours of discussion, they finally reached a rough framework.
Next would come meetings with the advisors.
Judging by the changes, not only would the advisors not object, they would probably applaud. Their authority was expanding.
As Shikaku continued briefing him on routine matters, Tōma suddenly frowned and turned toward the window.
"Hokage-sama?" Shikaku followed his gaze but saw nothing. "Did something happen?"
"Shikaku," Tōma asked, "are there shinobi who can fly using equipment?"
Shikaku's expression tightened as he searched his memory.
"…There is one," he said after a pause. "The Sky Ninja."
He explained that the Sky Ninja Village once relied on specialized flight gear. They had been defeated by Konoha during the Second Shinobi World War and were believed to have been wiped out.
"In theory, they shouldn't exist anymore."
"They do," Tōma said quietly. "And they're here for revenge."
Shikaku's eyes widened as dark shapes appeared on the distant horizon.
A dense swarm.
Flying figures.
"Hokage-sama, we need to evacuate immediately—"
"No need," Tōma said, opening the window. He stepped forward, and in the next instant, he was standing high above Konoha.
His voice carried on the wind.
He briefly explained who the Sky Ninja were and why they had come.
As he spoke, the airborne formation crossed into Konoha's airspace. Panic rippled through the village.
Then Tōma spoke again.
"Remain calm. Just make sure you don't get hit by falling bodies or debris."
The calm certainty in his tone erased fear almost instantly.
Everyone had seen his power.
If the Sixth Hokage said it would be handled, then it would be.
Some even started wondering how he would do it.
Tōma looked at the Sky Ninja. Their chakra levels were low. Without their equipment, most of them wouldn't last seconds on the ground.
But airborne combat was another matter. Most shinobi had no reliable answer to enemies at that altitude.
Especially when explosives were involved.
Tōma raised his hand.
A metallic projectile rested between his fingers.
Lightning erupted around him.
He flicked his finger.
The projectile vanished in a streak of light.
"Ninjutsu: Railgun."
Before the Sky Ninja could even react, the light multiplied.
"Ninjutsu: Shuriken Shadow Clone."
The single streak split into thousands.
This was a tactic Tōma had carried over from another life.
Saturation fire.
At his current strength, the railgun's speed and power were absolute. The Sky Ninja saw only a flash before everything went white.
Then nothing.
From below, Konoha watched as the invading force was pierced midair and dropped from the sky like rain.
Only then did they fully understand Tōma's warning.
The danger wasn't the enemy.
It was getting hit by them on the way down.
Shikaku watched the scene and let out a dry laugh.
All that worry… for nothing.
With a Hokage like this, what was there to fear?
One thought echoed clearly in his mind.
Their Hokage was absurdly strong.