💎 WEEKLY POWER GOALS 💎
🔥 30→2ch | 60→5ch | 100→8ch | 200→15ch | 400→25ch
⏰ Resets Monday!
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
The impact of Heshu's words hit the room like a meteor.
Many clan heads couldn't hide their shock, their eyes snapping toward Tsukimi Heshu. Their gazes then shifted to the grim, stormy faces of Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado. Everyone felt it—the tense, heavy air before a downpour.
"What is the Hokage trying to do?" Homura's voice was low, his stare pressing down on Heshu like a physical weight.
"Advisors Utatane and Mitokado," Heshu began, her smile pleasant. "You've served for so long. It pains me, as Hokage, to see you still burdened with such labor at your age."
Her words were polite. Far more polite than Homura's blunt challenge.
"I'm only thinking of your health." Heshu turned her gentle smile on Koharu. "You understand my concern, don't you, Advisor?"
Koharu Utatane said nothing.
This one… is not going to be easy.
"You are still young," Homura said, forcing his temper down. He reminded himself not to underestimate this girl. "Certain matters still require our… guidance."
Heshu's expression was pure sincerity. "You were both advisors to the Third Hokage. Lord Third has already retired to enjoy his golden years. How could I, in good conscience, disturb the peaceful retirement you so richly deserve?"
Before Homura could retort, Heshu continued. "Besides, shouldn't we give the younger generation of the village a chance?"
The moment the words left her mouth, Homura and Koharu saw it—the sudden, fierce gleam in the eyes of every clan head in the room.
The Fifth Hokage is saying she'll replace the old guard with new blood?
Our clans' younger members could get those positions!
"I believe the Hokage is absolutely right," said a voice from behind Nara Shikaku. It was Sōsai Nara, his young face filled with earnest admiration. "Status is secondary. The fact that our two esteemed advisors have toiled for Konoha for decades moves us all. How could we allow them to suffer any further strain in their twilight years?"
Koharu Utatane: "…"
Homura Mitokado: "…"
Homura frowned. He had to stop this.
He opened his mouth to speak—and was immediately drowned out by a chorus of agreement.
"He's right!"
"A wise decision!"
"The advisors have worked so hard, it's heartbreaking!"
"Exactly!"
"We'd be wracked with guilt if they overworked!"
Homura's face darkened with each word.
"Enough!" he barked, turning his threatening gaze back on Heshu. "Konoha receives vital aid and resources from the Land of Fire's Daimyo. I handle those negotiations. I manage the logistics. Aside from myself and Advisor Utatane, is there anyone in Konoha capable of such a crucial duty?"
A thread of smugness ran through his voice. His look at Heshu said it all: Try and beat me, girl.
The clan heads' expressions faltered. To lose such a prime opportunity… it made them want to punch the two old fossils right then and there.
Seeing their faces, Koharu allowed herself a small, cold smile. She and Homura had steered Konoha from the shadows for years. A girl not even twenty thought she could challenge them?
"To be perfectly honest," Heshu sighed, her smile turning wry. She pulled a scroll from her robes. "The wish to… reassign your duties… did not originate with me."
A terrible premonition struck Homura and Koharu.
Heshu held one end of the scroll. She let the other end drop, unfurling it slowly before the assembled clan heads.
The contents were laid bare for all to see.
"Advisors," Heshu said, looking at them with a pained expression. "This is the Daimyo's request. My hands are tied." She offered a helpless shrug. "I didn't want to air such an… impolite matter publicly. But… I have no choice."
The clan heads' eyes gleamed. They mentally finished her sentence: But you two old fools left me no choice.
"Impossible!" Homura spluttered, his mind racing through every interaction with the Daimyo. He'd always been perfectly respectful! The accounts were always flawless! Why would the Daimyo dismiss him just like that?
Koharu's face was even paler than Homura's. So much for his brilliant plan.
Then she remembered.
Danzo!
Hope flickered across her aged features. She instinctively turned to look for Danzo's usual seat.
…Huh?
Where is Danzo?
He missed a meeting this important?
Koharu's eyes widened. Danzo's absence was a far more terrifying blow than losing her title.
"Advisors, do you see my dilemma now?" Heshu asked, her voice full of regret. "I pleaded until I was hoarse. The Daimyo's mind could not be changed."
Homura stared at Heshu, the hand clutching the scroll trembling with fury and humiliation. The Daimyo might have given the order, but this girl's attitude was utterly infuriating!
Heshu's gaze shifted between the two defeated elders. Then, a determined light entered her eyes.
"Advisors, I have a proposal," she announced. "What if your positions were changed to… Honorary Advisors?"
Her magnanimous tone caught Homura completely off guard.
"You… what did you say?" he stammered, unable to believe his ears.
Koharu was just as stunned. She stared at Heshu suspiciously. Could this world really produce someone so naive and kind?
"You have both dedicated your lives to Konoha," Heshu said, her voice thick with emotion. "How could I abandon you? Even if it risks the Daimyo's displeasure, I must ensure you have a place of honor here!"
Homura studied her face for a long moment. Finally, he sighed, a look of profound relief washing over him. "Hiruzen's judgment was sound. To entrust Konoha to you… puts our old hearts at ease."
Homura and Koharu accepted the titles of Honorary Advisors with serene dignity.
Everyone in the room knew the truth. "Honorary Advisor" was a fancy title for a gilded cage—all prestige, zero power. A complete sidelining.
But Homura and Koharu had been pillars of Konoha's leadership for decades. Their authority was deeply ingrained in the minds of the village's shinobi.
Heshu's move was masterful. It eliminated the threat of elder interference and secured the public goodwill of the two she was ousting.
The Daimyo is such a useful tool, Heshu thought as she calmly rolled the scroll back up.
Control the Daimyo, and you control the Land of Fire. With the Daimyo's unwavering support, no one in Konoha could stand in her way.
"Now, regarding the upcoming personnel changes within the village…"
Heshu didn't leave the conference room until dusk painted the windows.
"My apologies for keeping you all so long," she said with a genuine, tired smile.
The clan heads, who should have been exhausted after a full day of meetings, were instead buzzing with energy.
"The Hokage is the one who worked the hardest!"
"I can already see Konoha growing stronger under your leadership!"
"Such foresight, Hokage-sama!"
Promotion always came with a shower of flattery.
Heshu's reforms had carefully balanced the interests of all parties. The village's resource distribution would become fairer. With the planned developments, this village would indeed become a cradle for a new dawn of peace and prosperity.
Madara's dream of a perfect world through an illusion was a fantasy.
Real change had to be built, brick by brick, starting now.
"Sōsai."
Heshu's hand shot out, grabbing Nara Sōsai by the collar as he tried to slink away with the dispersing crowd.
"H-Hokage-sama." Sōsai offered a weak, evasive smile.
"I'll need you for one more task tonight." Heshu pointed a delicate finger at the mountainous pile of documents on the Hokage's desk.
"What?"
Sōsai's legs nearly gave out.
This is a nightmare!
"Sōsai," Heshu said, her gaze earnest. "Surely you're willing to help your Hokage shoulder this burden?"
Sōsai Nara trudged to the desk like a condemned man, hauled the stack of papers to the assistant's table, and slumped into the chair with the air of one accepting his fate.
"Hokage-sama, where are you going?" he asked, narrowing his eyes dangerously as Heshu made for the door. Don't you dare run off on me!
"To get you some supper," Heshu replied, flashing him a sweet smile.
The next instant, she was gone.
The realization hit Sōsai a second too late.
…Why send the Hokage? Why not an ANBU?
I've been had.
The night was going to be very, very long.
Sōsai stared at the paper mountain, face utterly blank.
Today is also a good day to die.
…
Heshu returned home.
Little Naruto was already fast asleep, lulled by Hanzo. For convenience, Hanzo always slept in the same room.
When Heshu peeked in to check on the boy, Hanzo's eyes snapped open instantly, sharp with alertness. Seeing it was Heshu, the tension left his frame.
"Congratulations," Hanzo said simply.
On becoming Hokage.
Heshu smiled. "Thank you. Get some rest." She quietly closed the door.
Looking at Hanzo now, Heshu was startled to realize he'd shed the last vestiges of the legendary, fearsome leader of Amegakure. Time's power was truly terrifying.
After a shower, Heshu stepped out of the bathroom wrapped in a proper robe—thankfully, she'd chosen the full-length version and not just a towel around her waist.
Someone was sitting on the tatami in her room.
"…"
"How does it feel?" Obito Uchiha asked, idly spinning an intricate teacup in his hand. His tone gave nothing away. "To be Hokage."
"Do you want the truth or the polite answer?" Heshu raised an eyebrow.
"…"
Obito hadn't expected Heshu to play along.
"Both."
Heshu nodded, sitting on the edge of the bed—keeping a clear distance from Obito.
"The polite answer: It feels… adequate."
"The truth: We're one step closer to our goal."
Obito's single visible eye bored into her. "Good. Remember, you will betray Konoha eventually."
He paused, then corrected himself. "No. 'Betrayal' isn't the right word. You were never truly one of them. You're a spy."
"…"
Did he have to put it so bluntly? 'Spy' sounded so crude.
"As for when you'll leave Konoha," Obito continued, "once the Nine-Tails is captured, your mission is over. You'll return to the organization."
"Don't worry about the aftermath of your 'departure.' I'll handle everything."
His mind briefly flickered to the other kid in Akatsuki, the one around Heshu's age.
"…"
He really doesn't need to plan it out in such detail.
Heshu had been hoping for a few more years of quiet life.
Her eye twitched.
"Understood," she said.
Obito's form dissolved into swirling darkness, vanishing from the room.
[Host, are you really going to follow Obito's plan?] The system's voice chimed in Heshu's mind.
Heshu chuckled, the sound devoid of mockery.
"System, are you as naive as he is?"
"…"
The system felt insulted.
"Between me and Obito Uchiha, who's always been steering whom? When have you ever seen me blindly follow his arrangements?"
Heshu slipped under the covers and closed her eyes.
Sleep is bliss.
The system processed this.
It was true. Not just Obito. Didn't Danzo Shimura also dance to the host's tune without ever realizing it?
"…"
I really shouldn't bother worrying about the host, the system decided.
The next morning, Nara Sōsai shuffled out of the Hokage's office, dark circles under his eyes, looking utterly drained.
Heshu arrived for work just as he was leaving.
"Sōsai, go home and rest well!" Heshu patted his shoulder, beaming with paternal pride.
Sōsai's eye twitched.
The moment Heshu settled into her chair, the office door was thrown open with violent force.
A man who looked utterly deranged stormed in.
"…"
Heshu stared at the disheveled, haggard figure of Danzo Shimura.
For the first time in her life, she felt a pang of genuine guilt.
I only told Kabuto to keep an eye on the drunk Danzo. I didn't tell him to torture the man!
Look at the state of him!
It's heartbreaking!
"Lord Danzo," Heshu said, her voice dripping with gentle exasperation, as if addressing a misbehaving child. "It's just an honorary title. No need to get this excited."
Danzo felt blood rush to his head, choking him. His wrinkled face flushed an impressive shade of purplish-green.
"Lord Danzo, once you reach a certain age, you must start taking care of your health!" Heshu rummaged through the desk and pulled out a forgotten piece of Hiruzen Sarutobi's clutter—a transparent "health" mug. She placed it on the desk with a soft click. "Goji berries with red dates—keeps you young and spry!"
"…"
Danzo felt even worse. The terrifying part was, he couldn't tell if Tsukimi Heshu's concern was genuine or the most cutting sarcasm he'd ever heard.
"That wine," Danzo finally managed, his voice rough. "What was in it?"
"Wine?" Heshu frowned in apparent confusion. She waited until Danzo's scowl deepened before her face lit up with understanding. "Ah! Lord Danzo, you must have been drinking to celebrate my appointment last night! That was premium medicinal wine! Excellent for the elderly constitution!"
Her smile was radiant. "If you liked it, I'll have more sent to you."
Every question about the wine's contents died in Danzo's throat. Looking at Heshu's guileless, cheerful face… did this girl even have a scheming bone in her body?
[Ding! Target 'Danzo Shimura' Favorability: 90!]
Danzo Shimura took a seat opposite Heshu, changing the subject. "This 'Honorary Advisor' business. Explain it."
Waking up to find his hard-won authority reduced to a hollow title had nearly given Danzo an aneurysm.
"Lord Danzo, I'm still young," Heshu said, her eyes wide with unmistakable dependence. "There are so many things where I'll need your help."
The rage in Danzo's chest evaporated instantly. That intoxicating feeling from last night's drinking session—the thrill of being needed, of being the power behind the throne—ignited within him once more.
"Lord Danzo," Heshu leaned forward, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "While the title is 'Honorary,' I intend to entrust you with real power. Greater power."
Danzo's eyes blazed with sudden, fierce light.
[Ding! Target 'Danzo Shimura' Favorability: 95!]
One last step.
Heshu knew exactly what Danzo craved.
"Lord Danzo," Heshu murmured, her voice like a temptress's promise. "Wouldn't you prefer to wield power in the open, under the sun, where all can see? Instead of lurking in the shadows with Root?"
Danzo's breathing hitched. His hands, resting on his knees, began to tremble slightly.
Could it be…?
Is she saying…?
A dream he'd chased for half a lifetime dangled before him. Even the usually ice-cold Danzo couldn't suppress the violent surge of emotion.
[Ding! Target 'Danzo Shimura' Favorability: 100!]
Heshu smiled inside.
Old man Danzo really goes for the bait, doesn't he?
She hadn't even started drawing the full picture yet. She'd just let Danzo catch a whiff of the scent, and the man was already salivating.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
Read up to (40+ ) advanced chapters on Patre\on
Visit us here: patreon.com/GoldenLong
Happy reading, everyone!