As the village gradually took shape, other ninja clans began arriving one after another.
The streets transformed from muddy paths into orderly stone-paved roads.
Houses rose one after another.
Training grounds, storehouses, a rudimentary hospital—though simple, it was beginning to look like a real village.
This land, once soaked in bloodshed and hatred, now carried the first breath of daily life.
As the Uchiha’s strategist, Uchiha Hikaru knew very well—the reason the Uchiha fell so quickly in the original story was ultimately because they had no allies in the village.
That old fox Tobirama Senju had been suspicious of the Uchiha from the very foundation.
Add to that the later Nine-Tails incident, the clan’s arrogance and isolation, and step by step, the Uchiha were pushed into the abyss.
Now, while that old demon Tobirama Senju was still confined to his wheelchair, he had to seize the opportunity to pave the way for the Uchiha—make more friends and fewer enemies.
These past few days, Hikaru had been run off his feet.
He had received several waves of ninja clans—the Shimura, the Sarutobi, and the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.
He paid particular attention to the Shimura and Sarutobi clans.
Though they were not yet major powers, Hikaru decided to take Shimura Danzo and Sarutobi Hiruzen as his disciples—giving that old fox Tobirama Senju a taste of his own medicine.
As for the Ino-Shika-Cho trio—the Yamanaka, Akimichi, and Nara—they had always been staunch allies.
The Nara clan in particular possessed the sharpest minds in the shinobi world.
Hikaru did not hide his intentions.
He made his stance clear: “Konoha belongs to all clans, not the Uchiha alone, nor the Senju alone.
As long as every clan cooperates in good faith and sets aside past grievances, the Uchiha will never betray its allies.”
As for the Hyuga clan, they had not yet arrived.
But according to intelligence from scouts, the Hyuga clan head—Hyuga Ten’nin—was already en route with his clan’s elite.
They would reach the village within days.
Hikaru placed particular importance on the Hyuga clan.
The Byakugan stood alongside the Sharingan and Rinnegan as one of the Three Great Dojutsu.
The Hyuga’s reputation in the shinobi world was formidable.
If the Uchiha could forge an alliance with the Hyuga, their position in the village would become even more secure—in the original story, the Hyuga were known as one of Konoha’s noble clans.
Half a month later.
Nearly every prominent ninja clan in the Land of Fire had arrived.
A dozen or so clans, large and small, had gathered at the Senju and Uchiha encampment—no, it should now be called Konohagakure.
In the plaza at the village center, a sea of people filled the space, clan banners snapping in the wind.
Madara Uchiha, Izuna Uchiha, Uchiha Hikaru, Hashirama Senju, and Tobirama Senju—five of them stood shoulder to shoulder on a raised platform, looking down at the crowd below.
They were the core decision-makers of Konoha, controlling the village’s key departments.
They were the “Five Elders of the Founding.”
Madara Uchiha stood at center stage.
He wore a brand-new white haori, custom-made at Hikaru’s request.
The name “Hokage” had also been proposed by Uchiha Hikaru.
Back when they were discussing the village’s name, everyone had chimed in with suggestions.
Some proposed “Uchiha Village” or “Senju Village.” Others suggested “Hundred Ninja Village.” But Hikaru recited the famous line from the original story—the one Hiruzen Sarutobi often repeated: “Where the leaves dance, fire burns eternal.” That gave Tobirama Senju a little shock.
And so the village was named Konohagakure.
The village leader would be called Hokage.
Hashirama Senju’s eyes lit up the moment he heard it.
“Excellent!
That name is excellent!
Konoha…
Hokage…”
At this moment, countless eyes below were fixed on the five figures on the platform.
There was reverence, curiosity, anxiety, and hope.
These clan heads had brought their entire families to seek refuge, entrusting their fates to this newly born village.
They did not know what the future held, but they knew this much—if they did not join, they would only be swallowed up.
Hikaru took a deep breath and stepped forward.
“I have a dream.”
Hikaru spoke.
His voice was not loud, but amplified by chakra, it reached every ear in the plaza with perfect clarity.
The crowd fell silent.
“The most precious thing to a person is life.
Life is given to each person only once.
A person’s life should be lived in such a way: that when he looks back on the past, he will not regret squandering his years, nor be ashamed of living in mediocrity.
So that at the moment of death, he can proudly say—”
Hikaru’s voice carried an almost inflammatory power: “My entire life and all my energy have been devoted to the greatest and most magnificent cause in the world—the struggle for the liberation and peace of the shinobi world.”
He paused for a moment, then thrust his arm upward: “Struggle!
Struggle!”
As the final word fell, the plaza was silent for two seconds.
Then, the pre-arranged “cheer squad” began clapping first.
Hikaru had planted several young Uchiha shinobi throughout the crowd.
At the third shout of “Struggle,” they immediately burst into thunderous applause and cheers.
But soon, they were no longer needed.
More and more people in the crowd were moved.
These clan members had all survived the Warring States Period by the skin of their teeth, living on the edge of death.
They yearned for peace more than anyone, and hated endless war more than anyone.
Hikaru’s words had ignited a flame that had been smoldering in their hearts for far too long.
The applause swelled like a tide, wave after wave, rolling ever higher.
The applause lasted a long time.
One minute, two minutes, five minutes…
Tobirama Senju’s face was pale, the corner of his mouth twitching.
He could see it clearly—those people’s timing was too perfect, their expressions too deliberate.
They were obviously plants Hikaru had arranged in advance.
“Absolutely shameless!” Tobirama cursed inwardly.
But…
but.
He had to admit, that speech was truly well written.
Tobirama gritted his teeth and forcibly suppressed the urge to applaud.
The applause continued for a full ten minutes before finally dying down at Hikaru’s signal.
“Next, the First Hokage of Konohagakure—Madara Uchiha—will conduct the village foundation ceremony.”
Hikaru stepped aside, bowing slightly and gesturing with his hand.
Madara Uchiha strode forward to the center of the platform.
His white haori billowed in the wind.
Everyone’s gaze followed him.
Madara crouched down and personally planted a tender sapling into the prepared soil bed on the platform.
Then Hashirama Senju stepped forward.
Hashirama took out a watering can and slowly poured water over the sapling’s roots.
The tiny sapling began to grow at a visible rate—roots burrowing into the earth, trunk rising skyward, branches spreading in all directions, tender green leaves unfurling one by one.
In the blink of an eye, a towering tree stood upon the platform.
Wood Style: Tree Planting.
This gesture served both as ceremony and as demonstration.
In the gentlest possible way, Hashirama Senju showed everyone what it meant to be the “God of Shinobi.”
Madara Uchiha rose to his feet, turning to face the crowd below with a solemn expression.
“I swear an oath here,” Madara declared.
The crowd fell instantly silent.
“Together with all of you, I will build this village.
I set aside the old clan enmities and abandon senseless warfare.
With my life, I will protect the people of this village, pass on the Will of Fire, and shelter the old and young in safety.”
This oath had been written by Uchiha Hikaru specifically for Madara.
Hikaru stepped back half a pace, turned to face the crowd, and began leading them in the pledge.
“We shall renounce generational hatred and end the chaos of war!”
The crowd responded in unison: “End the chaos of war!”
“Together we build this village, to protect all life within!”
The crowd: “Protect all life within!”
“We uphold the Will of Fire, and guard it with our lives until the very end!”
The crowd: “Guard it with our lives until the very end!”
Hikaru took a deep breath and called out the final line: “We devote our entire lives to peace, without regret!”
“WITHOUT…
REGRET!”
Tobirama Senju watched Hikaru with a complicated gaze—this wicked Uchiha was far too skilled at stirring people’s hearts.
And so, the founding of Konoha came to a perfect close.