If—if Reiji Sakuhō replaces Hanzō of the Salamander as the leader of Amegakure...
If—if Reiji and Konoha ever have a falling-out and turn on each other...
Would Konoha be able to take Amegakure down then?
At that moment, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, already knew the answer in his heart.
No.
The Third Raikage would never sit by and watch.
Not out of friendship—out of pure self-interest.
Kumogakure had always coveted Konoha's Kekkei Genkai, always hungered for the Land of Fire's fertile lands and temperate climate.
So the moment war broke out—if Konoha got bogged down by Amegakure—the Land of Lightning to the north would waste no time launching a surprise attack.
Has that guy really planned this far ahead?
Hiruzen didn't want to believe it, but the hard truth was right in front of him.
Right now, Konoha and Reiji were still in their honeymoon phase. Relations were smooth—no conflict, no barriers.
But what about the future?
With a heavy drag from his pipe, Hiruzen began mentally reviewing everything Reiji had done since arriving in Konoha.
The more he thought about it, the deeper his frown grew.
At first, the kid had just been a desperate brat trying to survive with his little sister.
Later, he infiltrated the Land of Lightning and, through the absurd move of "bullying tailed beasts," secured a position strong enough to bargain with Hiruzen.
Then he covertly manipulated the iron trade and started doing business with Konoha from a far more powerful, independent position—and even handed over eight hundred million ryō.
From a helpless child under someone else's roof… to someone valuable.
From a critical undercover agent… to a strong negotiator barely on equal footing.
From a Konoha jōnin doing business… to someone standing at Hiruzen's level.
Is it hard to become Hokage?
Absolutely. First, you have to be born into the right clan. Then you need harsh training. And finally, you have to be likable enough to be chosen.
But... maybe it's not that hard after all.
With a weary sigh, Hiruzen set his pipe aside.
Reiji was thinking too far ahead.
There was no hard evidence, but Hiruzen knew—this guy had been planning since day one.
Every move he made was laced with intent.
Even "helping" Kumogakure's economy wasn't just for profit—it was to bind Kumo to Konoha's future.
Still, in Reiji's actions, Hiruzen could sense a hint of goodwill.
What if he hadn't stepped in to stop Kumo's losses?
What would the hot-tempered Raikage have done after losing all that money?
No need to guess—he'd have been the first to declare war.
...
Soon, Hiruzen pulled himself out of his spiraling thoughts and issued his orders.
Forget the Land of Rain's battlefield. The priority was to take advantage of the current peace and build up strength.
Alongside that, the outer wall construction plan for Konoha was brought up again.
After giving a few instructions, Hiruzen's thoughts returned to something the Clan Head had mentioned before—about Reiji setting up the Uchiha Clan Head.
His mind turned rapidly.
He didn't want to turn against Reiji. But he also couldn't let the guy run wild.
Right now, the best move was to draw all the major clans tightly to his side.
And this… was already part of his long-considered strategy.
With that, Hiruzen didn't hesitate any longer and spoke firmly:
"The north still has Kumogakure eyeing us like a hawk—we're in no position to meddle in the Land of Rain.
Let's leave it at that for now. I have one more matter to announce."
"I plan to add two more senior advisor seats, along with one new Hokage consultant position.
The advisor seats—one will go to the Uchiha Clan, the other to the Hyūga Clan.
As for the consultant, I'm appointing Shika Nara."
What the hell? Three high-ranking positions at once? Screw you, Hiruzen Sarutobi! After all the time I spent guiding you, now you're just handing out power like candy?
Fine, whatever—splitting power isn't my problem.
But letting the Uchiha get their hands on it? Do you have any idea how dangerous those people are?
Danzō was cursing up a storm in his heart.
But this wasn't the time to speak up.
Opening his mouth now would only make him look like a power-hungry maniac.
And if word got out? He'd be publicly offending both the Uchiha and Hyūga Clans.
Everyone in the office had clawed their way up—no one here was stupid.
For a moment, Danzō Shimura, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado just looked at each other.
None of them liked the idea, but nobody wanted to be the first to object.
Eventually, Homura and Koharu silently reached a consensus and both turned to stare at Danzō.
In the past, Danzō might've charged out headfirst to protest. But the current Danzō—weathered and war-scarred, one of the most "backstabbed" men in the village—just smiled.
He looked at the two old classmates across from him, his lips curling into a devilish smirk.
You want me to take the fall? To hell with that.
More advisors and consultants? Not my problem. What's that got to do with my ANBU training center?
Actually, when's this meeting ending? Don't waste my off-hours.
My contractor's still waiting on me to go over the renovation plans.
Seeing Danzō's silent grin, Homura and Koharu's faces turned grim.
That old snake—when did he get so slippery?
They had no idea—Danzō had just been burned too many times.
The room fell into silence.
Danzō, the hardliner, just sat there quietly smirking, waiting for the workday to end.
The two fence-sitters cursed internally, too timid to speak.
Hiruzen looked around—Oh? His old classmates were all supporting him this time? His mood lifted instantly.
"Well, since no one objects, I'll take that as unanimous consent. Motion approved!
Meeting adjourned!"
He blurted it out at full speed, then picked up his pipe and took a satisfied puff.
Hearing that, Danzō Shimura stood up immediately and left the Hokage's office in quick strides.
...
The next day, Kagami—still sulking and drinking alone at Reiji's place—got the news.
ANBU found him and delivered the message: he'd been appointed as one of Konoha's senior advisors.
Still half-drunk, Kagami instantly broke out in a cold sweat. He sobered up fast and started calculating.
It was obvious—this hadn't come from the clan. If it had, they'd have picked someone else. Which meant… this was Hiruzen's decision.
Realizing that, Kagami—who had been ready to refuse—slowly nodded and accepted the appointment.
After all, there's a big difference between begging to be promoted and being chosen for it.
Even though Kagami inherited the Will of Fire, the pride of the Uchiha ran deep in his bones.
Watching Kagami, now mostly sober and nodding calmly, Reiji's lips curled into a meaningful smile.
Looks like Old men Hiruzen's finally starting to evolve… one step closer to becoming a true schemer.
For Reiji, that was very good news.
Smart people lay all their cards on the table. But those who value bonds—there are always a few things they'll never sell.
In simpler terms—the more cunning someone is, the fewer lines they won't cross.