The normal path to becoming Hokage was completely blocked as long as Senju Tobirama was alive.
For Uchiha Nan, there was only one option left.
Wait.
Wait until Tobirama dies.
It wasn't that Nan lacked a trump card. In his possession was something that could briefly stand against Tobirama himself—the Mangekyō Sharingan experience voucher.
But what if he had the Mangekyō?
Tobirama wasn't someone who had never killed a Mangekyō user before. Uchiha Izuna had died by his hand.
What—was he supposed to rally the Uchiha clan and launch a coup?
That was even less reliable than trying to defect to Uchiha Madara, who was supposedly hiding in some cave somewhere. At least Madara didn't discriminate by clan—he despised everyone who wasn't Hashirama equally.
Those Mangekyō Sharingan experience vouchers were treasures Nan guarded with his life, trump cards he'd refused to use even when cornered multiple times.
There was no way he'd waste them on Senju Tobirama.
No one knew how many anti-Uchiha forbidden techniques Tobirama had developed while alive. If one really wanted to find out, the only chance would be after becoming Hokage—by reading the Scroll of Seals.
But now—
Nan had finally endured to the end.
Once tonight passed, Tobirama's corpse should already be cold.
The gloom brought on by his bad luck with the lottery was instantly swept away. Joy surged uncontrollably in Nan's chest, his lips stretching into an unrestrained grin—one that soon evolved into the Uchiha clan's signature manic laughter.
"Hahahaha—!"
"Kehehehe!!"
"…"
"Cough, cough—went down the wrong pipe."
Nan coughed twice. Just then, he heard two soft meows.
A pitch-black cat leapt in through the window.
The cat hopped onto Nan's bed with practiced ease, its tail swishing twice before it settled down.
"Nǎn, I got the information."
"The negotiations between Konoha and the Raikage really were an ambush. Just like you guessed—the Second Hokage drew the pursuers away alone. Odds are, he won't make it."
The black cat licked its paw, shifted positions, then sprawled belly-up on the soft mattress, four paws in the air.
Nan sat beside it and began stroking its fur with practiced ease.
"This intel came from Yuki. It took a lot of effort to pry it out of her."
"Well done, Genji."
Genji was Nan's summoning beast. Yuki belonged to Uchiha Kagami. The Uchiha clan had been close allies of the Ninja Cat clan for generations, frequently forming contracts with the ninja cats under Granny Cat's command.
Small, agile, and elusive, ninja cats excelled at gathering intelligence. They even possessed their own information networks across the shinobi world.
After Nan displayed his talent at the Ninja Academy, the clan arranged an introduction. Granny Cat allowed Genji to sign a contract with him—back then, Genji had still been a tiny kitten.
Over the years, Nan and Genji had survived countless life-and-death missions together outside the village. Nan trusted him enough to send him out for intelligence work without hesitation.
"So," Genji purred, "how are you going to thank me?"
A low rumbling sound came from the cat's throat, its face filled with bliss as it enjoyed Nan's expert petting.
"Three bottles of catnip."
"Nope. Double it."
Genji's tail flicked in displeasure.
"Deal."
Nan was in an excellent mood. He pulled out a can of catnip from a drawer and tossed it over.
"The remaining five bottles—I'll buy them for you tomorrow."
Genji tore it open immediately, grabbed a handful, and took a deep bite.
"That's the stuff. Pure quality."
"AA+!"
Looking utterly intoxicated, Genji dumped the rest of the catnip onto the bed and began rolling around wildly, limbs splayed.
"Genji, tell the ninja cats you're close with to stay in Konoha these next few days. Keep gathering intel for me."
"Genji? Genji?"
His eyes were vacant. Tongue lolling out, paws mechanically stuffing catnip into his mouth.
Clearly, he was already too high to function.
Forget it.
Hiruzen and the others hadn't returned yet, and Tobirama's death hadn't been officially announced. No need to rush.
Let the bullet fly a little longer.
Sleep.
A few days later, Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others rushed back to Konoha.
They brought no news of peace.
They brought news that would shake the entire village.
The negotiations between Konoha and the Raikage had collapsed.
The Raikage had been assassinated by his own subordinates—Gold and Silver.
And Senju Tobirama had died in battle.
Senju Clan Compound
"…Tobirama is dead?"
"How is that possible? How could Tobirama die?"
Uzumaki Mito stood frozen, her expression vacant and lost. She hadn't yet processed the thunderbolt of this news.
She simply couldn't imagine her brother-in-law—Tobirama—dying.
In Mito's memories, Tobirama had always been calm, incisive, unfailingly rational. After Hashirama's death, he had managed Konoha with flawless order.
His strength ranked at the very top of the shinobi world. He had survived the chaos of the Warring States Era—yet now he'd died during a peace negotiation?
Mito couldn't accept it.
Her gaze turned to Hiruzen, silently urging him to say something—to deny it.
But reality was reality.
Hiruzen remained silent, afraid that speaking would only shatter her further.
Tears slipped from the corners of Mito's eyes. She wiped them away almost instantly, then fixed Hiruzen with a sharp, piercing stare.
"Tell me everything," she demanded coldly.
"From beginning to end. Not a single word was omitted."
Her unstable emotions caused chakra to surge with her voice.
The Uzumaki clan already possessed vast chakra reserves. Combined with Mito's status as the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, the pressure radiating from her made it hard for everyone present to breathe.
Konoha had just emerged from a great war.
The First Shinobi World War lasted a full eight years. Even for a village as powerful as Konoha, eight years of constant warfare had taken a devastating toll.
At a moment like this, with the Hokage dead—if the situation wasn't handled properly, Konoha could very well fall apart.
"Yes, Lady Mito."
Hiruzen nodded repeatedly and began recounting everything.
The negotiations between the Second Hokage and the Raikage.
The ambush by Gold and Silver.
The elite pursuit force they led.
Tobirama chooses to act as bait, sacrificing himself to cover their escape.
From start to finish, Hiruzen told it all.
Naturally, he did not omit Tobirama's final decision—to appoint him as the Third Hokage before going to his death.
Mito interrupted several times, asking pointed questions. She made Hiruzen repeat key details again and again. Others present were questioned as well.
Coupled with the Nine-Tails' unique ability to sense emotions, Mito finally reached a conclusion.
They were not lying.
Mito looked at Hiruzen with a complicated expression.
For the first time, she doubted Tobirama's judgment.
Were these children really worth him sacrificing his life?
And this Sarutobi Hiruzen standing before her—
Was he truly worthy of the title of Hokage?
Advance Chapters available on Patreon
patreon.com/NightScript