The Meeting's Outcome, and the Truth Behind Tōma's Shadow
Tōma had fully expected the meeting to drag on.
He'd gone in prepared to spar verbally with the village elders for hours, and if that failed, to force the proposals through by sheer presence alone. Strength was always the final card.
Instead, the meeting ended far more smoothly than he'd imagined.
In fact, only Tsunade raised any objections at all, and even those were issues Tōma and Nara Shikaku had already anticipated. Shikaku addressed them cleanly, almost lazily, dismantling each concern before it could grow teeth.
The result was decisive. Most proposals passed outright. The few that didn't were exactly the ones they'd already written off as unlikely.
Tōma glanced at Shikaku afterward and found no surprise on the man's face. He'd expected this outcome from the start.
Leaning back in his chair, Tōma rubbed his temples.
So this was experience. He still had a long way to go.
"I didn't think it'd be this easy," Tōma admitted.
"Most of the proposals benefit everyone involved," Shikaku replied. "No reason to resist."
"I know," Tōma said, nodding. Still, if this had been his old world, even a win-win plan would've sparked endless arguments and delays.
He stood. "That's all for today. Thanks, Shikaku. I couldn't have wrapped this up so fast without you."
"You're the Hokage," Shikaku said with a faint smile, stretching his arms. "Helping you helps me."
Truthfully, he was exhausted. Unlike Shikamaru, he'd just grown better at hiding his dislike for trouble. Tonight, he planned to drink with a couple of old friends and celebrate leaving work on time.
Once Shikaku left, Tōma headed straight for the village's secure storage facility.
After checking in with the guards, he entered alone.
"So this is it," he murmured, looking at the preserved sample. "Hashirama cells."
Even isolated like this, the vitality was unmistakable. The First Hokage was long dead, but his cells still pulsed with stubborn life, as if refusing to acknowledge the concept of an ending.
With enough nutrients, they could probably survive indefinitely.
Tōma couldn't help comparing him to Orochimaru. If Orochimaru had possessed a body like this, he'd have scattered backups through every cell. Kill him once, and he'd simply crawl back from another shell.
Absurd. Efficient. Terrifying.
The thought reminded Tōma of a certain fictional mage who resurrected himself through spare puppets. Different worlds, same shameless refusal to die.
They deserved the same title.
Kings of survival.
Tōma carefully extracted a portion of the cells, sealed them, and activated Flying Thunder God. In an instant, the package vanished, delivered directly to his true body.
Yes.
Everything he'd handled these past days had been done by a clone.
Not a normal one, either.
If he had to name it properly, this was a Sage Art: Spirit-Linked Shadow Clone.
Thanks to sage chakra reinforcing its structure and the Spirit Transformation technique linking its consciousness directly to his own, this clone wasn't fragile. It could fight, think, decide, and endure.
A normal shadow clone might disperse mid-meeting from chakra exhaustion. That would look… unprofessional.
This one wouldn't.
As long as it didn't suffer catastrophic damage, it could persist indefinitely. Natural energy replenished its chakra, and mental fatigue was shared and balanced through the spirit link.
No risk of betrayal, either. Betraying himself would be a strange accomplishment.
Of course, there were limits. Mental strain still accumulated. Without an unusually strong soul, this technique would be impossible to sustain.
Even Naruto, with all his experience abusing shadow clones, couldn't pull this off.
After logging the withdrawal, Tōma left the facility.
Being Hokage did come with perks. Access to resources, for one. Though even he couldn't abuse it freely.
Stories about the Third Hokage hoarding village funds to raise thousands of personal troops were pure nonsense. The numbers alone made it impossible.
There simply weren't that many active ninja.
…
When Tōma returned home, he stopped short.
Tsunade was seated at his table, calmly drinking from a cup. Shizune stood beside her, looking uneasy.
"Oh, you're back," Tsunade said casually.
"Tsunade-sensei?" Tōma blinked. "Why are you here?"
"To scold you," she said, face suddenly serious.
"…For what?"
She slammed her hand on the table. "You brat! If you had ideas like these, why didn't you propose them when I was Hokage?!"
"If you'd spoken up earlier, I wouldn't have worked myself half to death!"
Tōma froze.
"I'm sorry, Hokage-sama," Shizune said hurriedly. "I tried to stop her—"
"Why are you apologizing?" Tsunade snapped, pointing at Tōma. "You explain!"
Tōma's eyes flicked to Tsunade's flushed cheeks. Then to the cup.
"…That's not tea," he said flatly.
"I'm not drunk," Tsunade protested, swaying slightly. "Answer me."
He considered his words.
Then decided not to lie.
"Because you weren't strong enough."
"…What?"
"There were people in the village who could oppose you," Tōma said calmly. "Some could even defeat you."
"That has nothing to do with—"
"It has everything to do with it," Tōma cut in, gazing out the window. "Power is the foundation that allows authority to be divided."
"This world runs on strength. I can afford to spread power out because no one dares ignore me."
He looked back at her.
"If you'd used these reforms, every order you gave would've been challenged. That's why I didn't propose them. And why I refused the Hokage seat back then."
Because he hadn't been strong enough either.
Tsunade fell silent.
"So… if you're strong, you can decentralize power," she said slowly. "If you're not, you have to hold everything yourself."
"That's the idea."
She exhaled, expression complicated. For the first time, she realized why Tōma reminded her of her grandfather.
Similar strength. Different approach.
"And what about the next Hokage?" she asked. "Aren't you setting a trap for them?"
"They'll be fine," Tōma said without hesitation. "Future Hokage won't be weak. And the critical authority is still centralized."
"And if they can't handle it?"
"Then they shouldn't be Hokage."
Tsunade stared at him for a long moment. Then nodded.
Her nose twitched.
Eyes lit up.
"Shizune," she said brightly, all seriousness gone. "Bring the food."
"Yes!"
Tōma sighed.
So that's what this was really about.