Hiruzen:
Hiruzen Sarutobi, the third hokage of the village, hidden in the leaves, sat in the office of the hokage once again. Unlike the first time, he was not young and hot-blooded. He saw too much in his long life. He saw death, destruction, and every evil that is part of the Shinobi world. In his capacity as a young Hokage, he participated in a lot of that destruction. He fought in battles both big and small. His hands were perpetually drenched in blood. He turned a blind eye to most evil because of his position.
After fighting in the wars, he started to hate them. He felt the pain of losing his comrades and the anguish of sending people to their deaths. He yearned to spread the will of fire and sacrifice himself to let the new shoots bloom. He understood the importance of the next generation. He taught a lot of them, either directly or indirectly. His teachings and skills earned him the title of 'The Professor'. His disciples were his hope and legacy for the next generation. After the last war, he understood that it was time for him to retire. He found the hope he sought in the next generation.
Minato is the culmination of his efforts. He was personally taught by his own disciple, Jiraya. He was strong and kind, the ideal leader in both war and peace. His will of fire burned the brightest. He retired with thoughts of a bright future ahead.
All his dreams and plans crashed overnight. The village that he fought to protect was ravaged by a beast. The hope he found was extinguished. The heavy hat he put down had found his head again, and he did not think he could bear it at his age. But the village needs a strong leader. He must stay strong, at least for a while. Maybe after the situation is stable, he can retire and one of his students can pick up his hat.
" Hokage-Sama, one of the investigation teams found something important." His secretary's words brought him out of his thoughts. He nodded to the secretary to bring out the report. The secretary bowed and placed a written report on the table. Hiruzen looked at the report first. It said that a woman in the civilian district died and it also listed the reason why she couldn't be saved. His eyes narrowed at the extra details pertaining to the death. As loath he was to admit it, a normal civilian's death will not cause such a reaction. He continued on and found that the woman had a child who was named Akira by her dying breath. The report also noted that the child is healthy and has been weaned. His brows furrowed, and he became impatient with the details. He turned to the secretary, questioning him with his gaze.
The secretary then opened the fan, and his eyes widened as he looked at the symbol. A burning leaf flanked by two flame symbols. It is the symbol of the Daimyo's family.
" Who found this, and where is the child?" He asked the secretary.
" A chunin by the name of Soseki Nara. He was part of the first response team. He was also the one who witnessed the death and passed on the child to the survivors. The child is in the hospital and is being taken care of by a nurse." The secretary answered, still bowing his head. He was waiting for the next orders.
Hiruzen thought for a while, and the office fell into silence. " The whole incident would be an A-ranked secret until further notice. Order the chunin to not inform the council and make sure to keep this report out of the archives. "At least until I talk to Daimyo about it."
He will have to hurry up the scheduled meeting with the Daimyo. He put the report and the fan away in his personal safe under the table. " Anything else?" he asked, knowing this was only the most important of the messages as the reconstruction is underway.
" Yes, Sandaime Sama, the third division is lacking..." The secretary continued with the further reports and they put this incident on the back burner while more immediate concerns took precedence.
After a few weeks:
The capital of the Land of Fire is as tranquil as it has always been. The atmosphere is jolly as people are still celebrating the peace after the third great ninja war. The partial destruction of Konoha is covered up so that an average civilian is ignorant of it. Even now, the elite ninja of the Leaf are working hard to keep the mission rate stable to preserve the illusion of strength. Special forces like ANBU are aggressively operating beyond the borders, sabotaging the response forces of various villages.
As the afternoon sun is burning hot, the roads are almost empty, with people resting at their homes or lounging under the shade. A convoy of leaf shinobi is escorting a covered palanquin emblazoned with the symbol of Konoha across the main road leading to the Daimyo's palace.
The civilians did not find it suspicious as it was the routine liaison between the leaf and the Daimyo's court, even though it was a bit ahead of schedule. Some nobles have begun preparations to house the envoy during the stay, as it can lead to favourable deals. The palace of Daimyo is bustling with activity for the evening court, where the envoy is scheduled to present himself.
The third prince, Akihiko Madoka, is waiting with a welcome party for the envoy. As soon as the palanquin reached the party, the prince gave a customary bow. He was assigned to this duty as he is the unofficial successor to the position of Daimyo. The prince is a plump middle-aged man. He wore an orange yukata with a red border that reflects the sunlight making him brighter.
" Sarutobi-Sama, The fire daimyo's court welcomes you. I hope there were no problems during the journey?"
" Ah, Akihiko-chan, it was a pleasant journey; there were no hiccups along the way. But you have grown so much since we last met. I feel like it was only yesterday when the little kid who asked me to show him great fireball. What happened to that little kid who said he would burn all the enemies of the Fire Nation with his bright flames?" Sarutobi could not help but tease the kid.
The prince blushed heavily as his retainers hid their pleasant smiles, imagining the ever-serious prince as a kid. " Sarutobi-Sama, it is not fair to tease me in front of my subordinates, I have grown much more mature since then," he replied with an easy smile forming on his face. Hiruzen chuckled and followed the prince into the palace with two bodyguards. The rest of his retinue disappeared leaving leaves in their wake.
" How is Daimyo-Sama? Can I meet him personally before the court meeting?" Hiruzen asked with a hint of seriousness.
" Father is currently stable, but the physician says he may not have much time left." A hint of sadness can be felt in Akihiko's tone. "He just had lunch and retired to his chambers; I can arrange a meeting if it is important," he finished with a professional tone.
" That would be lovely; we old folks need to catch up with each other about our long lives."
Akihiko nodded, and a servant rushed ahead to inform the daimyo. The rest continued as the prince and the old man talked about some anecdotes.
Daimyo's chambers:
The fire daimyo is a frail old man with a few strands of white hair adorning his head that is dotted with liver spots. He has seen so much in his long life. He witnessed the formation of Konoha as a prince when his father negotiated with the leaders of the Uchiha and Senju clans. He was the third daimyo since then. He had his fair share of political shenanigans and regrets that weighed heavily in his waning days. He too understood the frailty of peace and even sent his daughter to the Lightning Daimyo's court to foster good relations. His daughter, whom he lost at the onset of the third war to the political struggles of the lightning daimyo's court,
She was the apple of his eye and the reason he became aggressive in the third ninja war, fully supporting the leaf in crushing the Kumo. Now that his age caught up with him, he retired from public life, leaving his third son to deal with the insignificant court matters. He chose Akihiko as the heir even though he was the third in line, as he is an ideal heir. His son's youthful hot blood has been tempered by the wisdom of his age and responsibilities. He was ready to depart this world without worries, only wishing he could see his daughter in the pure lands.
His thoughts were interrupted as a servant said "Daimyo-Sama, Sandaime Sama has requested a private meeting with you." bowing in courtesy.
"Hiruzen? Why is he in the fire capital? I thought he retired to his old life." The daimyo questioned himself rather than the servant.
"Its the routine liaison, Daimyo-Sama." The servant answered. He lived to such an old age, relying on his instincts and wits. His instincts and wits are telling him that the meeting is anything but a formality. " Arrange the meeting room and leave us to our own devices. Oh, and tell the third prince that he is invited to the meeting." The daimyo gave his orders as he prepared to receive Hiruzen and quell his unease.
Meeting room:
The meeting room is a large room in the daimyo's courtyard adjacent to his private quarters. It is made of dark wood with intricate cloth paintings for the doors and the walls. The painting in the background showed the battlefield of a war prior to the founding of the villages. Ever since the establishment of the village system, the power between the Daimyo and the Kage has been in a delicate balance.
One has the powerful military and the other heads the civilian population that outnumbers the ninjas vastly. Daimyo is responsible for the civilian administration and for funding the Konoha during wars. In turn, the Hokage is obligated to maintain the sovereignty of the Land of Fire and to protect the Daimyo and his interests. They also take care of internal security issues like bandits, rouge ninjas, etc. The leaf is like a mostly autonomous enclave in the land of fire. The Ninja are prohibited from involving themselves in civilian matters or the court, and the daimyo is prohibited from directly ordering the Ninja force. An envoy is dispatched regularly to report major changes, negotiate the funds, and act as a liaison between the two powers.
The Daimyo is currently seated on a futon in Seiza with a table in front of him. The table has a fine set of China and tools for the tea ceremony. There is a seal under the table for privacy. The servants are adding the final touches and preparing the hot water and tea leaves for the meeting.
The ornate doors of the meeting hall are opened by a servant who bowed to the daimyo and ushered in the guests. The third prince changed into a cream yukuta and bowed deeply in deference to his father. Hiruzen, wearing the white ceremonial robe, also gave a half bow, showing his respect but not deference. The Daimyo invited them over to the table in a professional tone, maintaining his calm facade. The third prince turned to leave but was interrupted by a servant who whispered into his ears. Akihiko then moved to a seat by his father's right side. Once the servants finished everything, the daimyo dismissed them with a wave, leaving only three people in the room.
Hiruzen' s POV:
The Daimyo looked frail, but I know not to underestimate the man. I worked with him extensively during the second war, when his brother was the daimyo, and in the third war, when he was the daimyo. His cruel plots crippled the lighting daimyo's court and delayed resources to the Kumo causing them to withdraw early after the first engagement.
I am not surprised by Akihiko's presence, as the Old Fox would have discerned the importance of the meeting. It also sent a message to the leaf to acknowledge Akihiko as the next Fire Daimyo. Dispensing with the formalities, I went straight to the point.
" Leaf has been attacked." I said in my grave tone that it reflected the importance of the matter. The Daimyo paused while preparing the tea, and his features changed ever so slightly. Akihiko did not have the self-control his father had, as his face turned pale, immediately reflecting shock and fear.
The daimyo continued with the ceremony after the pause and also subtly activated the privacy seal. "Who attacked and what are the losses?" It is likely that the daimyo assumed it was a surprise that we repelled easily. But he is mistaken; it is the most devastating attack since the founding of the village.
" We could not identify the culprit, but it was one man who wore an orange mask. He took advantage of our jinchuriki's weakness and unleashed the Kyubi in the middle of the civilian district, letting it rampage. Yondaime engaged him and subdued him, but he escaped. The Kyubi was eventually sealed, but there is a lot of damage, both in lives and infrastructure. Yondaime and his family also died. " I gave a summarized report while I unsealed the detailed report and passed it to Akihiko. Akihiko's hands trembled while accepting the report.
"Heroes die young, while schemers live long," the Daimyo stated sadly. I couldn't help but sigh. The will of the first Hokage meant that the older generation must sacrifice so that the next generation can have peace. But I couldn't help but doubt it as I grow older and all the youngsters die or wither away in front of me.
There was a long silence after this, during which the Daimyo completed the tea ceremony, offering me tea, which I graciously accepted. We both sipped on the tea as Akihiko skimmed through the report. Daimyo then asked gravely," What is the strategy for recovery and countermeasures? And when and who will the next hokage be chosen? "
I finished my tea and calmly dictated our strategy that I put together after consulting Shikaku and the elder council. " We have closed the borders for non-personnel. Basic normalcy is being restored as we speak. The hospitals are working overtime to treat the survivors, and the council is working to reconstruct the village. We plan to rigorously accept missions to deter other villages. Border patrol has been strengthened, and I require you to tighten the border on the civil side. We would also need a lot of funds." Akihiko finished the report and nodded to his father. Daimyo then asked if they should be prepared for invasion.
" Kiri is in the midst of a civil war and is unlikely to visit the mainland anytime soon. The Rock is still recovering from the damage it received from Yondaime. Onoki, the old fence sitter, will not move recklessly and just based on the spy reports. But I have sent my Anbu to Grass to make sure any scouts sent are taken care of." I stated.
" There is a chance that Kumo might invade, but it is currently undergoing a change in power as the Fourth Raikage is trying to succeed his father, but he is being checked by the elder council and the daimyo's court." There is a hint of hate and anger in the daimyo's eyes as Kumo and lighting daimyo's court are mentioned." The old fox still did not get over his daughter, it seems. Well, it could be a boon or a curse for me, as the recent investigation brought to light some new information.
" I have sent Jiraya to monitor and make sure the status quo is maintained until we get back on our feet. " I reassured him. Daimyo nodded, trusting Jiraya to be capable.
" Wind is a delicate matter, as we are officially allied. But I don't trust them to honour the agreement if they find out about the situation. I have sent the Uchiha clansmen to monitor the border situation through the River Country."
I silently omitted the fact that it was heavily protested against by the elder council as the culprit is suspected to be an Uchiha, but I overruled, stating that it would be better if the Uchiha's were out of the village if it were true. Danzo readily accepted, and the others grudgingly accepted my proposal. I have also ordered Danzo to send his roots for more covert and dirty work. But this is all the internal matter of Konoha, which the Daimyo need not be privy to. The daimyo also understood that I was likely hiding some information, but he just nodded, accepting it. This is how delicate the balance is between Daimyo and Hokage
