The Land of Whirlpools, Uzushiogakure.
The moment Uchiha Hikaru and his party stepped into Uzumaki territory, they could clearly sense something unusual—faint chakra fluctuations hung in the air.
The ground beneath their feet, the trees lining the road, the houses in the distance—everywhere they looked bore traces of sealing techniques.
This was the Uzumaki clan’s foundation.
Hikaru admired it silently.
The sealing arts spread throughout the village alone would be enough to give any invader a very bad day.
Leading the procession was Hashirama Senju, with Tobirama Senju close at his side.
Behind them came Hikaru, Izuna Uchiha, and Uchiha Yui.
A sea of red hair—this was the Uzumaki clan’s most distinctive feature.
That vivid red was like clusters of burning flame, marking their abundant vitality and immense chakra.
Every person they passed had hair in varying shades of red, strikingly vivid under the sunlight.
“Hashirama, Tobirama.
You’ve come.”
A deep voice called out from ahead.
A middle-aged man strode toward them with long, powerful steps.
He was heavily built, with red hair flowing over his shoulders, a square face, and thick brows over bright eyes.
The head of the Uzumaki clan, Mito Uzumaki’s father—Ashina Uzumaki.
“Uncle.” Tobirama stepped forward first, bowing slightly.
“It has been a long time.
How is your health?”
“Excellent!” His gaze swept across the group, pausing briefly on Hashirama, and he nodded with satisfaction.
After exchanging pleasantries with Tobirama, Ashina led the group into the reception hall.
Ashina’s gaze settled on Uchiha Hikaru.
“You must be Uchiha Hikaru.
Konoha’s helmsman, the Uchiha’s brain.”
Hikaru paused briefly, then bowed.
“Lord Uzumaki flatters me.
All of this is thanks to Hashirama-sama and Madara-sama.
If they had not set aside their hatred and joined hands, even if the Uchiha had defeated the Senju, it would have been a pyrrhic victory, let alone the founding of Konohagakure.”
Tobirama Senju let out a cold snort, his face visibly darkening.
Wasn’t this just rubbing salt in his wounds?
If not for Hikaru’s sudden intervention, he would have cut down Izuna Uchiha with his own blade.
Then the three of them had ganged up on his brother, overwhelming him.
The Senju and Uchiha had fought for years—his brother had always matched Madara, while he had matched Izuna, and the Senju had consistently held the upper hand!
Damn you, Uchiha Hikaru!
Ashina Uzumaki looked at Hikaru with a hint of admiration in his voice.
“Konoha’s Three Departments and Six Ministries system, the Konoha Grand Charter—I heard they were all your work?”
Hikaru humbly replied, “I merely did my small part.
I dare not claim credit.”
Ashina shook his head.
“Young man, there is no need to be so modest.
Your system has given Konoha a soul.”
He had fought through the Warring States Period for decades and had seen too many powerful factions crumble from internal chaos.
His judgment was keen—this young Uchiha before him would certainly not stop here.
Becoming Hokage was a foregone conclusion.
By then, both Hokages of Konoha would be Uchiha—the Uzumaki needed such allies.
“Uncle.”
Seeing Ashina and Hikaru deep in animated conversation, Tobirama’s internal alarms began blaring.
He had to steer the conversation back on track.
“Where is Sister-in-law Mito now?
Regarding the marriage…”
Ashina snapped back to attention and laughed heartily.
“That girl Mito is right here in the village.
I’ve already sent for her.
It’s good for you young people to get to know each other.”
Ashina’s warmth toward Hikaru was not a good sign for the Senju.
Tobirama needed to finalize the marriage as quickly as possible and bind the Uzumaki firmly to the Senju’s cause.
Before long, Mito Uzumaki and the others arrived.
“Mito, Shiono, Ameori, Nagatsuki.”
Ashina introduced them cheerfully.
“These are the young talents of the Senju and Uchiha clans.
Get to know each other.”
Mito Uzumaki and Hashirama Senju had been betrothed since childhood—they already knew each other well.
That was a done deal.
As for Shiono, Ameori, and Nagatsuki—Ashina was clearly adding some extra incentives.
He wanted to tie both the Senju and the Uchiha, the two strongest clans in the shinobi world, to the Uzumaki’s ship in one go.
Hikaru’s eyes lit up.
This move by Ashina suited his plans perfectly!
He had come to the Uzumaki with the intention of finding a partner for Madara Uchiha.
Even if Madara was uninterested, wasn’t there still Izuna? Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
A windfall like this was not to be wasted.
So he rose to his feet and began the introductions.
“Mito-sama, Shiono-san, Ameori-san, Nagatsuki-san—”
He gestured to his side, indicating Hashirama: “This is Hashirama-sama of the Senju clan, head of the Senju.”
“And this is Tobirama-sama.”
Tobirama felt something was off—Hikaru had called him “Tobirama-sama.”
Then Hikaru walked over to Izuna Uchiha, straightened his back, and raised his voice:
“Beside me is the brother of the current Hokage, wielder of the Mangekyo Sharingan, Prince Regent of Konoha—Uchiha Izuna-sama!”
Izuna: Prince Regent?
Since when was he a Prince Regent?
“I am Uchiha Hikaru, the Hokage’s right-hand man and the current Chancellor of the Civil Affairs Department of Konoha.
I have accompanied this mission for two purposes: first, for Hashirama-sama’s marriage, and second, for the lasting friendship between Konoha and the Uzumaki clan.”
Shameless!
Vermin!
Wicked Uchiha!
Tobirama’s face was black as a pot.
He had found it odd when Hikaru called him “Tobirama-sama”—since when did this wicked Uchiha know how to speak so politely?
But no—his brother and he had barely been mentioned, while Izuna Uchiha and Hikaru had gone into such elaborate detail about themselves!
What was he trying to do?
Since when was Izuna Uchiha the Prince Regent of Konoha?
Did this old fox Hikaru even acknowledge him, the Chancellor of the Chancellery?
This was contempt for the Senju!
When they returned, he would impeach Uchiha Hikaru!
He would impeach Hokage Madara Uchiha!
As for Hashirama, he saw nothing wrong.
His gaze fell on Mito Uzumaki.
“Mito…
it’s been a long time.”
Mito said, “Hashirama-kun, it’s been a long time.”
As for Shiono, Ameori, and Nagatsuki, they found Hikaru quite amusing.
Ashina Uzumaki stood to the side, taking it all in, and could not help but marvel inwardly—
No wonder Hashirama had not secured the Hokage seat.
With someone like Uchiha Hikaru around, Tobirama Senju’s loss was entirely deserved.
It would have been best if Hashirama had become Hokage, but from what he could see now, the Uchiha were not bad either.