[Start sending power stones please]
Konoha had elected its Fifth Hokage.
The news spread through the shinobi world at astonishing speed, and the other great villages reacted in different ways.
Especially once everyone learned that the new Hokage was, unsurprisingly, Senju Hikaru—the man who had single-handedly annihilated Kumo's entire army.
Whether out of sincerity or fear, every village sent congratulations.
Even Kumogakure did the same.
Aside from Kirigakure, which gave no response at all, the rest of the shinobi world showed a surprisingly united attitude.
Konoha had also become the first of the Five Great Shinobi Villages to enter the era of its Fifth Kage.
That night, Konoha was brightly lit.
The whole village celebrated until dawn.
After all, everything that had happened this year was worth celebrating for Konoha.
And Hikaru himself was exhausted by the end of the night.
Fortunately, his physique was excellent. Otherwise, he really did not know whether he would be able to report to the Hokage Building on time the next morning.
Being late on his first day as Hokage would be far too embarrassing.
Thankfully, his body did not let him suffer such a disgrace.
He still got up right on time.
However, after waking, he ran into a small problem.
His clothes.
As Hokage, he could no longer dress as casually as he usually did.
Even if he could still run around in combat gear, the Hokage cloak was exclusive to the position, and Hikaru had to wear it.
Especially since this cloak was his own.
On its back were embroidered the four characters: Fifth Hokage.
"What a hassle."
Hikaru shook his head and complained softly while helplessly letting ayame help him arrange his clothes.
In the past, he had never needed to care about so many things.
A quick wash was enough.
Now, everything was troublesome.
"It's only for today. Your first day must be formal. After this, you can be a little more casual."
ayame adjusted his clothes as she spoke softly.
Once she was nearly done, she nodded.
"There. Hokage-sama, it did not waste that much time, did it?"
"Maybe. I'm just not used to it."
Hikaru shook his head and moved his body slightly.
He had to admit, the Hokage cloak was quite good.
It looked impressive, and it did not restrict his movement.
No wonder Minato Namikaze liked wearing the Hokage cloak in battle.
Aside from displaying his identity, it was also because the cloak truly did not get in the way.
As for Hiruzen Sarutobi, Hikaru guessed that his old-style armor simply did not match the Hokage cloak well, so he had given up on wearing it in battle.
Speaking of which, Hikaru remembered that the Senju Clan also had old-style armor at home.
Both red and blue versions existed.
Similarly, in ANBU's equipment system, the ANBU combat uniform had also been improved based on the concept of that old-style armor.
Sometimes Hikaru wondered whether he should start a little renaissance, take out the old armor from home, modify it slightly, and wear it himself.
"After all, I do resemble Senju Tobirama somewhat. If I wore that kind of armor, maybe I could even pretend to be an Edo Tensei summon."
Hikaru let his thoughts wander for a moment, but soon returned to normal.
This was the kind of thing he could think about for fun.
If he really made it, he might not necessarily wear it.
After all, for him, what he wore hardly made a difference.
After smoothing the red-and-white Hokage cloak one last time, Hikaru picked up the Hokage hat placed nearby and looked at ayame.
"By the way, handle the transition at ANBU soon. Choose people who are trustworthy and capable as much as possible. Also, remember to tell Saya to prepare as well."
"You mean..." ayame instantly understood what he meant. "We're moving into the Hokage's office?"
"Of course."
Hikaru smiled and placed the Hokage hat on his head.
"And I plan to turn the Secretariat into the Secretariat Department. There won't be a department head. Only two equal positions: Executive Secretary and Personal Secretary. Same as in ANBU.
"Sorry for the trouble. I'm afraid you'll have to start over again."
"No. I don't know about Saya, but as for me, I should be thanking you."
ayame immediately shook her head.
She took a deep breath and said with unusual seriousness:
"You gave me a chance to prove myself. You helped me find my own value.
"Hikaru-kun, please don't say thank you to me. Without you..."
Hikaru did not wait for her to finish.
He smiled and patted her shoulder, cutting her off.
He understood why this usually cool girl was so emotional.
But in Hikaru's eyes, all of that was already in the past.
The moment he became ANBU Commander, those things had already passed.
And now he was Hokage.
Konoha's Fifth Hokage.
Everything was bound to turn to a new chapter.
"It's all in the past. This was the result of your own hard work, understand?"
Hikaru comforted her softly, then continued asking:
"By the way, what about Elder Shōma? Has he left?"
"Elder Shōma left long ago. After all, today is an important day for him too."
ayame took a deep breath and suppressed her excitement, returning to her usual manner.
Hearing her words, Hikaru nodded.
Today was Hikaru's first day working as Fifth Hokage.
At the same time, it was also the day he would face all of Konoha's jōnin and clan heads as Hokage and hold a special meeting.
Hikaru had actually met most of Konoha's clan heads before and had a fairly good relationship with them.
But Konoha was truly large.
There were still many small clans, as well as families that had risen due to Hiruzen Sarutobi's past policies, whom Hikaru had never met or contacted.
Today was the day Hikaru would meet them properly.
It was also the day he would begin pushing his policies forward.
For most Hokage, the first day would usually be spent familiarizing themselves with the "business" and showing goodwill to the various clans in exchange for support.
But Hikaru was different.
He had basically already obtained all the support he needed.
He could skip that step entirely and begin doing what he wanted to do.
At the same time, today was also the day he would properly distribute the cake he had promised.
And it was also the day Hikaru would see how those who hated him to the bone would behave.
If they cooperated and performed well afterward, Hikaru did not mind letting them go.
After all, he had just taken power.
If he started with too much killing, what difference would there be between him and Danzo?
But if they made any suspicious moves, Hikaru would absolutely not let them off.
He had never made a list before, but that did not mean he could not make one.
"Besides, the term Great Purge has a certain poetic quality to it. I hope they don't force me to actually use it."
...
The Flying Thunder God Technique activated instantly.
Hikaru appeared silently inside the Hokage's office.
In truth, there had always been Flying Thunder God marks inside the Hokage's office.
They were left from Minato Namikaze's era, and Hikaru could use them freely.
Whether he did so or not depended entirely on his own wishes.
If he was willing to show enough respect to the title of Hokage, he naturally would not use them.
But things were different now.
Because he himself was the Hokage.
He could do anything he wanted inside his own office.
Leaning back in the chair behind the desk, Hikaru stretched slightly.
To be honest, the Hokage's chair felt just like any other chair.
It was not even as comfortable as the commander's chair in his ANBU office.
But only a handful of people had ever been qualified to sit in this chair.
The most typical example was Danzo.
He had pursued it his entire life and done so many things, yet whether in this world or the original, he had never truly achieved it.
Perhaps in this world he had sat in it once.
But that had only been a brief experience.
"Looks like I came too early. It's not even time yet."
Hikaru glanced at the clock on the wall, then smiled and shook his head.
Using Flying Thunder God to travel made it hard for him to be late, but arriving early was not exactly pleasant either.
Fortunately, Hikaru had ways to pass the time.
Now that he had taken the Hokage's seat, it was time to properly review his own strength.
On the path of pursuing power, Hikaru had never stopped.
Even if he could accept moving a little slower at times, he would never accept standing still.
He had deliberately avoided checking before.
To put it plainly, he had been exploiting a "bug" he had discovered years ago.
As long as the progress of his unique mission rose, the growth rate of his planted seeds would also be stretched rapidly.
After all, he had experienced the moment when the little Nine-Tails went from seed to finished fruit in an instant.
Thinking of this, Hikaru slowly closed his eyes.
At that moment, the system interface unique to him appeared in his mind.
And in that instant, a vast power suddenly erupted inside him.
The eruption nearly made him lose control of his chakra.
Name: Senju Hikaru
Gender: Male
Birthday: March 24, Konoha Year 34
Level: Kage-level (system evaluation without using any abilities) (vast chakra reserves) (small portion of sealed Dragon Vein chakra)
Dōjutsu: Jōgan (initial stage) (development progress: 60%)
Bloodline Development: Intermediate (Senju secret techniques, beginner Yang Release secret techniques), Kekkei Tōta (unnamed), beginner Yin Release secret techniques, Yin-Yang Release (can improve along with Yin Release and Yang Release)
Jinchūriki: Nine-Tails (Three-Tails) (intermediate; can grow by devouring large amounts of special chakra; plant high-grade Nine-Tails fruit to accelerate growth) (has absorbed excessive chakra and is continuing to grow)
Seeds: None
Fruits: Intermediate Fire Release Fruit (1), Intermediate Water Release Fruit (1), Intermediate Earth Release Fruit (1), Sharingan Origin Seed Fruit, Beginner Eight-Tails Fruit, Advanced Lightning Release Fruit
Mission: Become the true final boss of the shinobi world (unique) (progress: 85%)
Ten-Tails Jinchūriki (optional) (Nine-Tails and Three-Tails acquired; fusion progress not yet activated)
Once everything settled down, Hikaru looked at his panel and could not help feeling amazed.
As expected, every power he had planted had completed a full upgrade the moment his progress updated.
The only thing that made him sigh was that his guess had still been correct.
Even after crushing Kumo in one stroke and becoming Hokage, the progress had improved tremendously—but it still had not reached one hundred percent.
Still, what he could accept was that the mission progress had already reached eighty-five percent.
"The next improvements will be difficult, but at least I already have plans. And it seems the system has counted those Ōtsutsuki as well."
Although Hikaru's current strength already stood above the shinobi world, he knew very well that absolute monsters like the Ōtsutsuki were still hidden within it.
Of course, even without considering the Ōtsutsuki, Hikaru felt that if he encountered Uchiha Madara or Senju Hashirama, he probably still would not be able to win.
After all, there was still a fifteen percent gap.
Just how many people, how much influence, and how great a difference were contained in that fifteen percent was very hard to say.
However, with the system, Hikaru was still confident he could achieve everything.
After all, with the system's help, he had even obtained Yin-Yang Release.
Yin-Yang Release was absolutely one of the greatest killing tools in the Naruto world.
Its characteristics also meant it was among the hardest powers to master and control.
It was not surprising that a genius like Uchiha Madara mastered it.
After all, he even awakened the Rinnegan. Learning some Yin-Yang Release was not unexpected.
As for Obito, that kid was purely lucky.
He was an Uchiha, had obtained Hashirama cells, and was taught by Black Zetsu, who had lived for a thousand years.
Even if that guy were a pig, he would absolutely be able to grasp and learn it.
Even a little would be terrifying.
Yin-Yang Release could be integrated into any ninjutsu.
And based on Hikaru's control and feedback from this power, it likely did not interfere much with other powers, just like senjutsu.
Hikaru could fully imagine it.
If he used Wood Release together with Tenseigan Chakra Mode, senjutsu, Yin-Yang Release, and then detonated everything...
What level of power would that unleash?
"Just thinking about it is exciting. And that's not even all my power. I still have Nine-Tails Chakra Mode. If I release everything at once..."
Hikaru swallowed.
The image was too beautiful.
Even he did not quite dare imagine it.
Unfortunately, his Yin-Yang Release could technically only exert beginner-level power, because his own mastery of Yin Release and Yang Release was only at the beginner level.
But what was interesting about Yin-Yang Release was that as long as those two powers improved, his Yin-Yang Release would inevitably become stronger as well.
"Still, it's a pity. My Jōgan doesn't seem to have improved because of this progress update."
There was good news, but naturally there was also news that frustrated him.
For example, the development progress of his Jōgan.
Although the Jōgan had indeed grown a little, it clearly had not improved because of his unique mission's progress.
This made certain thoughts in Hikaru's heart even firmer.
However firm they were, he still had to finish dealing with the present matters first.
After all, he was now Hokage.
And today, there were still many important things to handle.
...
Time passed bit by bit.
When the scheduled time arrived, all the jōnin currently in Konoha began entering the meeting hall in order.
Hikaru had already moved from the Hokage's office into the venue.
He watched with a smile as figures entered one after another.
The first to enter was the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Although Hikaru had forced him out of the Hokage position in the firmest possible way, Hikaru had still given him an elder position.
This almost humiliating title made Hiruzen's face very unpleasant.
Thus, when he walked in, his expression was nearly black.
There were quite a few others with similarly dark expressions.
The most typical examples were Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado.
Hikaru did not actually want to see those two at all.
But his requirement for this meeting was all jōnin.
Unfortunately, these two still held the title of jōnin.
Even though everyone knew they no longer possessed that level of strength.
But under the old rules, there had been no system for demoting jōnin.
Therefore, they truly did have the qualifications to attend.
Aside from them, everyone else looked much more normal.
Led by Nara Shikaku, Akimichi Chōza and Yamanaka Inoichi entered together.
Behind them were Hyūga Hiashi, Hyūga Hizashi, and the other jōnin of the Hyūga Clan.
After the Hyūga Clan came not the Uchiha Clan, but the heads of the Aburame, Inuzuka, and other clans, along with their jōnin.
Hikaru was very familiar with these people.
After all, they had contributed the most during the war between Kumo and Konoha.
Hikaru's own Senju Clan entered very quietly after them.
Most of those who came were middle-aged or elderly.
Walking at the very front was naturally Senju Shōma.
This scene caused many people present to sigh inwardly.
The Senju Clan did not have many attendees.
And their decline was visible to the naked eye.
In a certain sense, the strength of a shinobi clan was tied to its numbers and the overall quality of its shinobi.
The Uchiha had not yet entered.
Among those already present, the strongest was naturally the Hyūga Clan.
That clan alone had more than ten, nearly twenty jōnin.
And that was without the older generation of the Hyūga appearing.
Of course, whether those elders still possessed jōnin-level strength was hard to say.
But their titles were sufficient.
If they truly fought with their lives on the line, the result would not be easy to predict.
That was what a powerful clan should look like.
Even before Hikaru's reform policy had been introduced, this was already an extremely fearsome force.
As for the current Senju Clan, even after bringing out their older generation, they still did not have even half as many people as the Hyūga.
This was truly embarrassing.
Unfortunately for everyone else, the Senju Clan had produced a monster.
A monster named Senju Hikaru.
One could only say the Senju Clan was truly lucky.
And their foundation was truly deep.
Otherwise, how could they have raised someone like Senju Hikaru?
After the Senju Clan entered, the Uchiha Clan finally came in.
What made the scene intriguing was that the Uchiha entered in two groups.
Their representatives were Clan Head Uchiha Fugaku and Elder Uchiha Shin.
Only two or three people followed Uchiha Fugaku, making his side look extremely shabby.
By comparison, more than ten people followed Uchiha Shin.
His side looked far more imposing.
This situation was truly thought-provoking.
A clan head's authority was inferior to that of an elder.
How many stories lay behind this?
Only the Uchiha themselves likely knew.
Of course, everyone present understood one thing.
The Police Force was now deeply connected to the Fifth Hokage.
And during the war between Kumo and Konoha, the Uchiha had sent quite a few shinobi to battle.
Those shinobi were basically all closely connected to the Police Force.
"It seems our Hokage-sama truly made many preparations."
Many clan heads sighed inwardly.
Hikaru's move was genuinely impressive.
With the Police Force in his grasp, it meant the Uchiha's main artery was already in his hand.
The Danzo incident had allowed Hikaru to build good ties with most of Konoha's important clans.
The war with Kumo had also given him a deep connection with the Hyūga.
In other words, Konoha's two great dōjutsu clans, along with many secret technique clans, now stood behind Hikaru.
At this point, Hikaru was already unmatched.
Most importantly, how long ago had he laid out his plans for the Uchiha?
How long before the conflict had he begun planning to challenge the Hokage seat?
They could not figure it out.
Nor did they want to.
Because the more they thought about it, the more terrifying it became.
After the Uchiha entered, the remaining civilian jōnin in Konoha entered the hall one after another.
Clearly, they knew it was best not to compete with the clan shinobi for seats.
Even though they had heard quite a few rumors, those were still only rumors.
Until everything was confirmed, they were unwilling and afraid to do anything improper.
Once the spacious meeting room was packed full, Hikaru lightly tapped the table.
The crisp sound of wood being struck was not loud.
But in that instant, everyone fell silent.
Although some clan heads and jōnin had been whispering to one another after entering, they had all been paying attention to Hikaru's movements.
So the moment Hikaru tapped the table, their attention immediately shifted to him completely.
"Since everyone is here, let us begin today's meeting."
Hikaru calmly looked at everyone present and spoke directly.
His swift and decisive style surprised some of the jōnin who did not know him well.
But none of them objected to Hikaru skipping the pleasantries and getting straight to the topic.
They were more expectant now.
They wanted to see whether the rumors spreading through Konoha were true.
"As everyone knows, Konoha has gone through a series of troubles recently. Now, things can be considered temporarily stable. Everyone here contributed to that.
"Since Konoha has now turned to a new chapter, I believe many people and many policies should also be redeployed and adjusted."
At this point, Hikaru paused slightly.
His gaze swept over everyone present.
Especially the two members of Konoha's former four-person leadership who still wore gloomy expressions.
Then he smiled.
"So I have decided that today's meeting will focus on reform.
"Whether personnel reforms or policy reforms, today we will set the tone.
"Please do not think I am rushing.
"From the Third Hokage to the Fourth Hokage, and even to this day, the vast majority of Konoha's personnel arrangements and policies have not changed.
"The times are changing. Any policy must adapt to the development of the times.
"And people are the same."
...
Hikaru's opening remarks were not especially passionate.
But their content absolutely stirred every heart present.
The attitude in Hikaru's words was undisguised.
He intended to change everything in Konoha.
This caused everyone's expressions to shift.
Those who were happy were naturally overjoyed.
Those who had known the answer in advance remained calm.
But those who could not accept it looked even darker.
They had guessed Hikaru would act.
After all, so much information had already circulated before this.
But they had still held a trace of hope.
They hoped Hikaru would spare them for the sake of Konoha's stability.
Even though they themselves knew this idea was unrealistic, people always carried some wishful thinking.
However, Hikaru's calm words, carrying the scent of blood and storm, shattered all their illusions.
They now realized Hikaru had absolutely no intention of letting them go.
Their hearts were filled with anger.
They truly wanted to stand up and leave.
But they did not dare.
They knew that if they stayed, perhaps there might still be some vague chance.
But once they left, they would truly have nothing left.
"Hokage-sama wishes to make adjustments. Naturally, Hokage-sama has his reasons."
While everyone was still immersed in Hikaru's words, Nara Shikaku was the first to express his stance.
"On behalf of the Nara Clan, I fully support Hokage-sama's proposal."
"The Yamanaka Clan and Akimichi Clan also support Hokage-sama."
After Shikaku spoke, Yamanaka Inoichi and Akimichi Chōza also led their clansmen in expressing support.
Their words immediately prompted all the clan heads who had already "colluded" with Hikaru to state their positions as well.
For a moment, voices saying "We support Hokage-sama" became especially loud.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat in the meeting hall.
Hearing those voices, he shook his head lightly, then lowered his head and stopped looking.
Even when members of his own clan turned their gazes toward him, he said nothing.
But he also knew that at a time like this, he had to show his stance.
So he simply nodded to his clansmen, then lowered his head again.
If possible, he would never have wanted to give that nod.
But now, none of this was within his control anymore.
"Very good."
Hikaru tapped the table again.
In that instant, all the voices stopped once more.
The smile on his face became even gentler.
He looked calmly at everyone, and his voice slowly sounded.
"Once again, thank you all for your support.
"After all, without your support, there are many things I would not be able to accomplish.
"First, let us begin with adjustments to ANBU.
"As everyone knows, before I was fortunate enough to be elected Hokage, I had always served in ANBU.
"Now that I have left ANBU, the position of ANBU Commander is vacant.
"Although I could hold the position concurrently, I believe my energy should be placed somewhere more useful.
"So ANBU must select a new commander.
"My idea is to have Kakashi succeed as ANBU Commander.
"I wonder what everyone thinks?"
Regarding ANBU, Hikaru truly intended to let it go.
But letting it go did not mean allowing it to leave his control.
After all, he himself was the best warning.
He had relied on ANBU, along with a series of operations and actions, to ultimately reach the Hokage position.
He did not want another person like himself to appear.
Kakashi was not actually an outstanding choice.
He lacked extensive management experience and did not possess enough overwhelming strength to control ANBU.
Even though his strength had indeed grown more and more impressive, and after years of cooperation with Hikaru he had learned many things, Hikaru still was not entirely reassured.
In truth, if personal factors and factional positions were set aside, the best choice would have been the old man, the Third Hokage.
After all, he had been Hokage and had experience controlling ANBU.
Letting him become ANBU Commander would absolutely be suitable.
Unfortunately, Hikaru did not want to trust him at all.
So that idea was decisively discarded.
ANBU was far too special.
It could be called one of the most powerful real-authority departments beneath the Hokage.
The Root of the past had only been a department split off from ANBU.
Yet Danzo, by merely controlling Root, had been able to cover the sky with one hand in Konoha and oppose the Third Hokage.
From that alone, one could see how important this position was.
Of course, if possible, Hikaru would very much like Minato Namikaze to manage ANBU.
Strictly speaking, Hikaru and Minato did not have a fundamental conflict of position.
Their relationship leaned more toward competition and cooperation.
Even though Hikaru had indeed schemed against Minato, before Minato was injured, the benefits Hikaru brought him had been more than enough.
And Minato's injury had actually been the best outcome.
Minato himself knew very well that without Hikaru, he would have died.
"But Minato's recovery will still take time. Before he returns, someone has to temporarily hold the ANBU Commander position.
"Of course, whether he'll be interested in becoming ANBU Commander after returning is another issue.
"After thinking about it, the only useful option seems to be Kakashi."
Kakashi was the choice Hikaru reached after excluding various factors.
Whether it was the best choice, he himself was not certain.
That was why he brought this proposal forward for everyone to discuss.
Of course, this was also groundwork.
All jōnin present, whether clan shinobi or civilian shinobi, could participate as long as they held the title of jōnin.
When doing things, one had to distinguish priority and sequence.
Hikaru understood this very well.
He would proceed step by step and first let them feel enough of the atmosphere.
After that, many things would become much simpler.
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