A graceful figure emerged from the shadows, possessing a beauty that left even the Daimyo—a man well-accustomed to the charms of women—utterly spellbound.
"Sakura... Haruno?"
The Daimyo had met Sakura once before, seven years ago. At that time, due to economic sanctions, Sakura had made a brief appearance before him. He hadn't expected that even after seven years, he would still remember her so clearly.
Sakura looked at the man before her, her expression calm and unresponsive. In the past, the Daimyo would have certainly charged her with the crime of gross disrespect. But now...
"What is the point of being surprised?"
The man looked at the cherry blossom petals drifting outside the window, a helpless smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "Is this world not governed by whatever you ninjas say?"
Since childhood, the man had been the only son of the previous Daimyo. Consequently, he had naturally inherited the heavy burden of the title from his father. Unlike his faint-hearted and incompetent father, he had truly hoped to take control of this country. However, once he understood the reality of ninjas... he gave up.
He spent his days in debauchery, ignoring government affairs and court politics. Even when foolish commoners tried to stage an uprising, it mattered little. An insurgent army of thousands would find the head of their leader hanging high from their own banner by the very next morning. Such a feat was achieved by a single Chunin leading three Genin. Moreover, in the world of ninjas, such a squad was essentially considered fodder.
At first, the man didn't understand why these powerful ninjas were willing to take orders from an ordinary person like the Daimyo. Later, he realized the truth. It turned out that these so-called "Ninja Lords," much like the nobles themselves, relied on the support of the common people. They didn't want to perform "dirty" or "lowly" labor.
To ensure the ninjas remained obedient dogs, he began—both consciously and unconsciously—to spread tales of ninja prowess among the populace. He made it known that even a common Genin could not be defeated by a hundred ordinary men. Faced with such a massive disparity in martial power, the commoners began to distance themselves from the ninjas. They feared them. As a result, they turned to the nobles, who were the only ones capable of issuing orders to these ninjas. This wasn't just his doing; it was a strategy employed by all the nobility.
Yet, those muscle-brained fools who thought only of their fists seemed to have noticed nothing at all. Was it not laughable?
But now, it seemed some ninjas were no longer content with the status quo. That person was... Danzo Shimura!
The Daimyo recalled the man who had suddenly approached him three years ago. He had cast a technique on him. The Daimyo didn't understand what it was, but it was a seal that would trigger automatically the moment he laid eyes on a specific document.
Hokage position. Sakura Haruno. Recommendation.
Whenever those words appeared on a document from Sarutobi, the technique would activate. He would write the word "No" and apply his seal. At the same time, if anyone recommended Sakura for the position of Hokage, he would immediately lash out and rebuff them.
If Sakura knew the details, she would have instantly guessed that this was a Transcription Seal—specifically, Uchiha Shisui's Kotoamatsukami. By the time the Daimyo regained his senses after the fact, Danzo would have already ascended to the position of Hokage, and it would be too late. Danzo could then use his authority to suppress the Haruno faction. Of course, that was merely the result Danzo took for granted. He was always like that—convinced that no one but himself was fit to be Hokage. It had become his inner demon.
After the Transcription Seal was triggered, the now-sober Daimyo had been waiting for this exact moment to arrive. Danzo had been the first to use ninjutsu to control the Daimyo, shattering the unspoken agreement between the nobility and the ninjas. Naturally, those who followed would walk the same path.
Now, a "successor" had arrived. The Daimyo just hadn't expected this successor to be so flamboyant—bordering on outright arrogant. Yet, behind this extreme arrogance, he alone knew the truth of the situation.
"Can you grant me one final request?" the Daimyo asked, looking at Sakura.
"Speak," she replied.
"Kill Danzo."
"I can do that." Sakura nodded. She naturally had no reason to refuse such a thing. "You must also do one thing for me."
Hearing Sakura's words, the Daimyo became somewhat curious. He showed none of the typical behavior of a man facing death. "Issue a final edict and select one of your sons to become the next Daimyo."
The Daimyo nodded thoughtfully. This Sakura Haruno was quite interesting. He walked to the desk, drew a blank scroll from the side, wrote quickly, and finally pressed his official seal upon it. The final edict was complete.
Sakura looked at the name "Minamoto Musashi" on the document and asked, "Is this Musashi exceptional?"
The Daimyo let out a bitter laugh and shook his head. "Among my sons, he is the most mediocre."
Sakura raised an eyebrow. The man before her was clever; she had truly misjudged him before.
"Do you want a Hokage Edict? I can write one for you as well," the Daimyo offered, looking at her.
"Are you trying to win my favor?"
"You could interpret it that way."
"Even though you are about to die?"
"If I don't write it, won't Musashi eventually write it anyway?"
"You are a sensible man."
Since the Daimyo was being so cooperative, Sakura didn't want to waste any more effort. As the Daimyo put pen to paper once more, a brand-new Hokage Edict was produced. It did not just appoint Sakura as the Hokage; it also denounced Danzo Shimura for insubordination and lawlessness, ordering the entire village of Konohagakure to execute him on the spot!
The Daimyo looked at the scroll in his hand with a hint of regret in his eyes. From this moment on, the balance between ninjas and nobles was utterly destroyed. The thousand-year rule of the nobility began to crumble at this very second.
"Let Musashi live a good life."
As he handed the scroll to Sakura, a look of entreaty appeared on the Daimyo's face for the first time. Sakura took the scroll and glanced at the contents, a trace of mockery appearing in her eyes.
"If he remains obedient."
In that moment, the Daimyo's expression stiffened. This pink-haired woman... she was the same kind of person as Danzo Shimura! Even though he had suspected as much, confirming it now filled his heart with an inevitable sense of sorrow.
"What is it you want? Supreme power? Endless wealth? If you were to marry Musashi while he is Daimyo, just like the daughter of Hashirama Senju—"
The Daimyo looked at Sakura and found himself falling silent. Taking the Hokage Edict, Sakura gave him one last look before vanishing from the spot.
With Sakura's departure, the Daimyo seemed to lose all his strength, collapsing onto the floor. His chest heaved violently. This Sakura Haruno...
In the final moments of his life, the Daimyo looked up at the Seven-Tails in the sky. Endless energy gathered in the creature's mouth, forming a terrifying Tailed Beast Bomb. Its target was the Daimyo himself.
The white light of destruction swallowed him whole. At the brink of death, a single tear escaped the man's eye, rolling down his cheek and through his heavy foundation makeup before hitting the ground.
It was over. They would be swept into the dustbin of history like trash by that pink-haired kunoichi.
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