UTBW: Ch. 81

At the Daimyō's Residence, inside a resplendent and opulent palace, a plump middle-aged man with a neatly trimmed mustache sat in court robes dyed reddish-brown, topped with a tall ceremonial crown.

"A letter from the Uchiha clan?"

Upon receiving the report from an attendant, the man raised an eyebrow in slight surprise. After a brief pause, he said, "Since they've come all this way, bring the letter in."

"Yes." The close attendant withdrew.

Soon, a letter, after undergoing multiple layers of inspection to ensure it wasn't poisoned or booby-trapped, was delivered to the daimyō.

The daimyō glanced at the wax seal. Confirming that the envelope was intact, he opened it.

Inside, there was only a thin sheet of paper.

On the sheet were merely a few lines of text.

---

— First Hokage: Senju Hashirama
— Second Hokage: Senju Tobirama
— Third Hokage: Disciple of Second Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen
— Fourth Hokage: Disciple of Third Hokage's disciple, Namikaze Minato
— Fifth Hokage: Senju Tsunade?
— Current Uchiha Clan Leader: Uchiha Junichi

---

"!?"

The daimyō's eyes narrowed sharply.

"Daimyō-sama?" the attendant asked worriedly.

"Nothing." The daimyō folded the paper calmly, but a storm had already stirred in his heart. He understood the message from the Uchiha clan.

Konoha had already become the Senju's village!

This wouldn't be a big issue in itself. The Senju founded Konoha, so it made sense for them to control the Hokage position and pass it down through generations. Just like the Land of Fire, where the position of daimyō and court nobles was also passed down internally.

But the problem was, this was the Senju.

Ever since Hashirama, these people had clung to unrealistic ideals of peace and often ignored his orders as the daimyō. The system of "hidden village" was gradually devolving into a "hidden country" system.

Facing a hidden village that didn't follow orders, couldn't be controlled, and didn't even acknowledge him but rather this so-called Will of Fire, he felt a deep sense of frustration. And yet he still had to grit his teeth and provide massive military funding each year.

"Interesting..." The daimyō lightly tapped the armrest with his finger, his expression contemplative. "I always heard the Uchiha are naturally arrogant, insolent, and often manipulated by others. Never expected that this current clan leader would have such insight. He saw through my concerns so clearly! No wonder Hiruzen and the Konoha Council were all defeated..."

He fell into thought. He knew about the coup that had taken place in Konoha a month ago. With such a big commotion, it couldn't be hidden.

One of his guardian ninja, Asuma, had even requested he intervene to stop the Uchiha clan.

But he had refused.

Hiruzen was skilled at deflecting and stalling his requests, something that deeply annoyed him.

Eight years ago, if it hadn't felt like "anyone would do," he wouldn't have agreed to let Hiruzen return to the Hokage seat.

"If the Uchiha clan want to fight, then I'll go with the flow," he suddenly smiled. "The more fiercely you fight, the better."

The Senju faction was still too powerful. He wanted balance.

"Someone, come!" he immediately shouted, "Bring me my seal and an imperial decree, I am issuing an edict to officially appoint the Fifth Hokage."

The ever-silent attendant bowed and left with a surprised expression.

Soon after, a blank imperial decree was brought over.

With a smile, the daimyō personally wrote the appointment and stamped it with his official seal.

"Give it to that Uchiha ninja. He'll know what to do with it." He let the decree dry and handed it over to the attendant.

"Yes!" The attendant quickly sealed it and departed with the decree.

"At tomorrow's court assembly, I will announce this matter to all ministers," the daimyō continued. "Tell the Ministry of Internal Affairs to select someone to represent me and send a gift to Konoha's Fifth Hokage."

"Yes." Another attendant noted the order.

---

The next day, Junichi woke up and stretched his body.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

With a series of crisp sounds, his body awakened like a fierce beast, and his heart pounded powerfully, pumping out large volumes of blood with each beat.

Under the sunlight, his figure was tall and upright, his build lean and well-proportioned, with streamlined muscles full of explosive strength.

He resembled a panther, exuding an aura of danger.

"Good morning."

Yuki had come to visit early in the morning, his face full of excitement as he held out a bright yellow imperial decree with both hands.

"The daimyō's edict arrived last night."

"Oh?" Junichi smiled and took it, unfolding it to take a look.

Sure enough, it was the official appointment naming him the Fifth Hokage. This outcome was no surprise to him.

Back in the day, Hashirama had earned the title "God of Shinobi" through his unmatched strength in the ninja world, and even his granddaughter was granted the title of "Princess" by the Daimyō.

That's why Tsunade was also respectfully called "Tsunade-hime."

The suffix "-hime" in ancient Japanese referred specifically to princesses.

But to the nobility, ninjas were considered lowly.

A lowly ninja, yet possessing overwhelming power, who reshaped the entire world and led the creation of the one-country-one-village system...

If you were the Daimyō, how would you feel?

To say you felt nothing would be a lie!

How could one tolerate someone snoring beside their own bed?

The person who hated Hashirama the most was undoubtedly the Daimyō of the Land of Fire.

That was just human nature.

"Junichi-sama!"

At that moment, another clan member came running over.

"Junichi-sama…"

The clan member first saluted, then caught his breath and said, "The jonin in the village suddenly announced a full Jonin Council meeting. They want you to attend. And they said they're going to vote to select the Fifth Hokage!"

Hearing this, Junichi immediately laughed. He waved the edict in his hand and looked at Yuki, "What a coincidence, isn't it?"

Yuki also chuckled. "They surely won't expect that you've already arranged everything."

"Haha, come, Yuki. Let's go attend this council meeting." Junichi, holding the edict, left with a smile.

Yuki followed behind, smiling.

Only the clan member who had brought the message remained confused.

This edict had been sent back last night via reverse summoning with the ninja cats. Very few in the clan even knew about it.

---

A dense crowd of jonin had gathered in a grand hall. Everyone was abuzz with excitement.

"It's Jiraiya-sama and Lady Tsunade!"

"Fantastic, they're finally back!"

"We can finally be free of the Uchiha's shadow."

"That Junichi from the Uchiha... his methods are far too ruthless."

"Exactly, someone that vicious can't be allowed to become Hokage."

"That would go against the Will of Fire!"

Voices of conversation rose from every direction. Everyone's gazes kept drifting to the two people standing at the very front, especially Tsunade.

They had received hints that she would be chosen as the Fifth Hokage. But she had never handled political duties before and would clearly need help. Yet those who might assist her were either in the hospital or rotting in the dungeon, enduring the ultimate humiliation.

The Nara clan had also shut their doors due to the Sarutobi incident and withdrawn from their advisory role.

This meant: the high-level seats were vacant!

Everyone present understood the implications. One by one, ambitious eyes locked onto Tsunade's back.

She was their chance to ascend!

"Yo, what a lively crowd." Suddenly, a young voice echoed into the hall.

All conversation came to an abrupt halt. Everyone narrowed their eyes, filled with wariness, as they turned to the entrance, to the black-haired young man who had just walked in.

Junichi!