It was precisely when Uchiha Keizumi developed the Kekkei Tōta, Solar Release, something the shinobi world had never seen before, that he also noticed the conversion efficiency of his Water Contract had risen another level!
"Over in Kirigakure, has the police force already started being established?"
Keizumi knew that the Water Contract could reflect the progress of justice and order within the Land of Water.
And now that the Water Contract was improving, it meant that things over there in the Land of Water were likely developing according to the plan he had envisioned.
He wasn't entirely sure what exactly was happening there, but at this moment, Tsunade herself was a bit stunned.
For her, although witnessing the power of Keizumi and the Tenseigan yesterday had been shocking, she still wasn't Hokage yet—so it hadn't reached the point where she would lose sleep over it.
But Sarutobi Hiruzen, for some reason, had spent the entire night thinking things through in the Hokage Tower.
And when Tsunade opened her door early this morning, the first thing she saw was Hiruzen, who had apparently been waiting outside for quite some time.
"Old man?"
Tsunade looked at him in confusion, unsure why her teacher had come to find her personally.
"Get ready. It's time for you to take over as Hokage."
Hiruzen looked at Tsunade and didn't answer immediately. After a brief silence, he spoke those words.
"W-What?"
Even though Tsunade had long been mentally prepared to take on the role of Hokage, being told first thing in the morning by the Third that she should assume the position still left her stunned.
"From today onward, Tsunade—you will be the Hokage!"
"Haven't you always supported Uchiha Keizumi's sense of justice? Didn't you think I was old and incompetent?"
"Then starting today, I'm handing the Hokage's seat over to you. Let this old man see how you'll do it!"
Hiruzen spoke slowly, his gaze steady and unwavering.
After thinking it through all night, he had come to a clear conclusion—there was no real reason for him to keep clinging to the Hokage position anymore.
"Don't we need a jōnin vote first…?"
Shizune, who had come out with Tsunade, couldn't help but speak up after hearing Hiruzen's words.
Had everything she learned in the Ninja Academy been wrong?
If she remembered correctly, the Hokage was supposed to be elected by a vote among the jōnin and then approved by the Daimyō of the Land of Fire, right?
So why did it feel like, in Hiruzen's case, if he said Tsunade would be Hokage, then she would just become Hokage?
"Is it because Utatane Koharu died, that even you've grown disheartened, old man?"
Tsunade looked at Hiruzen thoughtfully. She already knew the truth behind Koharu's death.
This time, Keizumi hadn't targeted her at all. It could only be said that Koharu had been unlucky—she happened to run into the Hyūga Clan when they were planning something, and ended up dying without even knowing why.
"I'll serve as a Hokage Advisor—helping you, or rather, telling you how I used to handle things as Hokage."
"As for whether you listen or not—that's up to you."
"As for the Root shinobi… if you don't like them, I'll find a way to reintegrate them into Konoha."
Hiruzen continued.
If handing over the Hokage position to Tsunade was both preserving his dignity and following the inevitable trend, then the position of Hokage Advisor was what he was now trying to secure for himself.
Even though Hokage Advisors had been dying rather frequently lately… there was still Homura left, wasn't there?
After all, Hiruzen still held deep feelings for Konoha.
Though he was handing over the Hokage's seat to Tsunade, he clearly still wanted to stay close—watching, seeing how she would handle things, only then feeling at ease.
"Hokage Advisor?"
"No problem, no problem. I don't really like dealing with all those trivial little matters anyway."
"I was even thinking that once I became Hokage, I'd have Shizune handle all that busywork for me. Since you're willing to take it on, old man, that works out perfectly!"
Tsunade laughed boldly, while behind her, Shizune pointed at herself with a completely confused expression.
She felt like she had missed something… and at the same time, like she had just successfully dodged a bullet.
That was only because she had never seen the daily workload of a Hokage.
Otherwise, she would be thanking Hiruzen for taking that responsibility—because even though Konoha was just a village, the amount of daily affairs was anything but small.
And the Hokage… was someone who even had to deal with things like a villager's lost cat!
...
At the same time that Hiruzen voluntarily handed the Hokage position over to Tsunade, elsewhere, at the temporary lodging where Hyūga Neji and the others were staying—Hinata and Hanabi were waking up one after another.
But today, Hinata didn't braid Hanabi's hair like she usually did. Instead, she stared blankly out the window.
For some reason, she felt hollow inside.
And last night, she had been plagued by a series of nightmares.
She couldn't quite remember their contents—but she knew for certain they hadn't been anything good.
"Hinata…"
Just as she was trying to understand where this uneasy feeling was coming from, Neji knocked on the door.
"Neji-nii, can we go back now?"
The moment Hinata saw Neji, the first thing she noticed wasn't the azure Tenseigan floating behind him—
Instead, she grabbed onto his sleeve, asking anxiously.
Even she didn't understand why, but after seeing Neji, the unease in her heart only grew stronger.
It was as if… something terrible had already happened.
"If you want, Hinata, we can return to the Hyūga estate."
Neji looked at her, a trace of pain appearing in his eyes.
After all, it was practically common knowledge in the shinobi world—little sisters tended to be deeply attached to their older brothers.
Before, Neji had at least restrained himself somewhat.
But now that he had broken free from the Caged Bird Seal, and taken on Hiashi's final entrustment…
When he looked at Hinata, his gaze was filled entirely with the affection of an older brother.
"Then… what about Father?"
"Will Father come back with us?"
Hinata looked at Neji, her eyes full of pleading.
She truly wanted things to go back to how they used to be.
If she could return to the past, she promised she would become stronger like her father had said… she would eat less… she would never be scolded by him again.
"Hinata… let's talk outside."
Neji closed his eyes, unable to meet her gaze. His hand trembled slightly.
After a brief pause, he opened his eyes again.
What had happened to the Hyūga Clan couldn't be hidden.
Rather than letting Hinata hear it from someone else, it was better for him—her brother—to tell her personally.
And at the same time, Neji silently made a vow.
No matter what, for the sake of protecting Hinata, he had to become stronger—
Strong enough to protect Konoha.
Strong enough to face the Ōtsutsuki Clan on the moon by himself!
"…Alright."
Hinata looked at Neji, then glanced back at the still-innocent Hanabi behind her.
Her eyes gradually dimmed.