Maximus rode quietly alongside his 11 soon-to-be comrades and Shigehira, who led the way. The city streets were bustling, with rows of shops selling various items, and soldiers marching among the crowds to maintain order. These weren't shinobi, but samurai in the Daimyo's service; although weaker than shinobi, they were useful against unarmed civilians and riot control (if the situation escalated).
The gates flung open and the group was ushered into the Daimyo's court. The supreme ruler of the Land of Fire, a middle-aged man who hadn't lost the glow in his face, and sported a well-maintained beard. The man was more or less fat, his head resting on his hand. On Shigehira's sight, the Daimyo's face brightened as he greeted the samurai,
"Welcome, Matsumae Shigehira! I hope you bring good news." The latter smiled and replied,
"Of course, my lord. The shinobi here with me is to be your bodyguards, the new guardian 12." The Daimyo glanced behind Shigehira, he was intrigued but unimpressed. The samurai sensed this and notified his lord,
"Although they need some polishing. They'll be as powerful as Asuma's generation in a few months." The Daimyo was pleased to hear that,
"I have complete faith in you, Shigehira. Kono, please escort these men to their quarters." Kono, an old man with wrinkles and a balding head, was an attendant in the Daimyo's court and led Shigehira's contingent through the royal estate.
As they walked through the halls, Maximus could only gaze with awe and wonder at the luxurious gardens to their right, crisscrossed by pathways. It was an old palace, with gardens on the outskirts, and the royal family took residence in the inner quarters. After navigating a maze of halls and stairs, Kono finally halted before a large wooden door. The old man walked so fast -and elegantly- the shinobi struggled to keep up with him.
"Please proceed inside, gentlemen." Kono bowed and silently left.
Shigehira pushed the doors open, which revealed another hall lined with doors on either side.
"Geez, how big is this palace?" One of the young shinobi remarked Shigehira answered him without turning,
"It's called 'palace' for a reason. Trust me, you haven't seen even half of it yet." The twelve shinobi filled the hall as their samurai tutor instructed them,
"You will be given rooms all to yourself, so go and occupy any of those. We'll start the training tomorrow, today you get comfortable." The twelve shinobi were eager to see their new dwellings and were not disappointed as they swung open the doors to their rooms.
Maximus got a comparatively smaller room, but still better than his bedroom in Konoha. The white-haired shinobi lay down on the bed and was soon lost in thought. The capital city was huge, larger than Konoha for a fact, and surrounded by fields of crops. This is the ideal place to live in -if you're rich that is.
Sunagakure
Baki stood at the village gates, eagerly awaiting his students' return. The attack on Konoha had failed and taken a toll on their forces, which coupled with their low population, was hard to recover from. Gaara had been captured in the attack and that accursed Danzo demanded a high ransom for the One-tail. It had to be paid, their tailed beast was arguably the only thing keeping Suna from being overwhelmed by other powers.
Finally, a group appeared on the horizon, and as they got nearer Baki became certain they were his students. Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro, all with a disgraced look on their faces, silently walked past the rest of the shinobi until they came face-to-face with their captain. Baki offered a friendly smile and greeted his students,
"Welcome back, you three, I hope the journey wasn't hard?" Kankuro balled his fists and mumbled under his breath,
"Five million Ryo," Baki heard it and patted his student's shoulder,
"Now, stop sulking over that. Money can be recovered with time, but there isn't another One-Tails." Temari nodded in agreement, Baki continued,
"I am very sorry for your father's death, he was a great shinobi and leader. I had the pleasure to serve beside him." Gaara grits his teeth at the mention of his father, Temari puts a hand on his back to calm him. Kankuro remarked after Baki had finished,
"I still can't believe father was so easily defeated, even if it was Orochimaru." The one-eyed captain smiled suspiciously and commented,
"Well, the village needs a good leader while it is recovering. A leader with skill, a leader with ambitions." Temari's demeanor changed as she matched eye contact with her sensei,
"What do you mean?" Immediately, a dozen Suna Jonin appeared behind the three siblings and restrained them with chakra restriction seals. It was sudden everyone was caught off-guard.
"What is the meaning of this?" Kankuro exclaimed at his sensei, who replied with a cold expression as his students were forced onto the ground,
"What I told you, the village needs a new leader. A better leader." Temari scowled and threatened her sensei,
"The Kazekage's hat belongs to Gaara by birthright." Baki was angered but maintained composure,
"Birthright rule is an obscenity and should have been abolished centuries ago, now is the time for change."
The Suna shinobi took the siblings away as Baki quietly walked back into the village, his brows furrowed.
Konohagakure, council chamber
"Is your decision final?" Koharu questioned a civilian council member with keen eyes, who silently nodded. His name was added to Fugaku's side.
The mood in the council chambers was tense, as the two short-listed candidates for Kageship, Danzo and Fugaku, competed for the support of council members. This was the tradition, if more than one candidate came forward, a general election in the council would designate the next Hokage. So far, Fugaku was winning. It was probably due to Danzo's hostility towards civilians and their representatives, alongside his extremist ideas; overall it wasn't going well for him.
"And you, Lord Hyuga?" Hiashi looked around him and answered,
"Lord Uchiha has helped us countless times, counting his support during the 'Kumo incident', and when our clan was going through financial crises. My vote for Fugaku Uchiha." Koharu nodded and added Hiashi's name to Fugaku's side.
As the voting process continued, and names started stacking on the Uchiha's side, Danzo grits his teeth and intervened,
"This is biased! Lord Uchiha has clearly won over the council members with 'personal favors', a Kage should be selected based on his skills!" Homura was surprised, not because Danzo voiced such concerns, but because he displayed clear anger; usually, he was abnormally stoic.
"Or, the council members find your ideas and methods repulsive? You are an extremist of the old ways, a warmongering one at that. If we let YOU lead the village, it will only harm the Land of Fire and our neighbors. This is no longer the warring states era Lord Danzo. Now, we work towards peace and not war!" Danzo scowled and retorted,
"What is the purpose of a hidden village if not to make war? We are shinobi, and battle is our duty. Do you not remember what the will of fire dictates? Every shinobi must be ready to give his life for the village." Such rhetoric only worked to alienate Danzo from the other council members, who weren't so keen on conflict. Fugaku also had a clear answer for his opponent,
"The will of fire also says Konoha shall work towards peace, and shinobi will sacrifice their lives for THAT purpose, not some old haggard's personal ambitions." Danzo's eyes shot up in anger as his blood began to boil,
"You..." Koharu sensed trouble and calmed things down,
"Easy, you two. This is a meeting not a battle. The Hokage will be decided per tradition, votes will be cast and one will win." Danzo and Fugaku gave each other a hostile look, then slumped back on their chairs, indifferent to the chatter.
The votes cast and the final decision clear, Koharu stood up from her seat and prepared to deliver Konoha her new Hokage,
"The Fifth Hokage of Konohagakure No Sato, shall be Fugaku Uchiha." There were nods of agreement and murmuring throughout the chamber. Danzo could only mumble to himself and stormed out of the council chamber as the talks subsided.
At the gates of Konoha
Shizune struggled to catch up with her mistress, who now fortified with sake, was rushing towards her former home. A confident grin spread on her face and her manner steadfast, Tsunade couldn't be stopped even by the guards.
"Lady Tsunade, please slow down! We've gotta register at the gate first!" Shizune shouted while holding TonTon in one hand and reaching out for Tsunade with the other. The Blonde kunoichi paid no heed to her companion and simply mumbled to herself,
"Ah, Home."