The lightning slowly dissipated, and whether it was Asuma and Kazuma in front of the palace, or the officials of the Land of Fire hiding in the small chamber, trembling with fear at the approaching Orochimaru and Manda, they all saw a towering figure at this moment.
The divine robes embroidered with flame patterns fluttered in the wind, and even in the darkness, the words "Fifth Hokage," embroidered with gold and red threads, were exceptionally clear amidst the flickering lightning around him.
"Take everyone and retreat. Leave this to me," Uchiha Touhuan said, turning to Asuma, his tone carrying an unyielding domineering air.
Asuma stared blankly at the Mangekyōu Sharingan slowly swirling in Uchiha Touhuan's eyes and nodded.
Meanwhile, Kazuma gritted his teeth and questioned, "Why are you only arriving now? Do you know how dangerous it was for the Daimyō just now?"
Uchiha Touhuanu's coldly looked at this guy from the original timeline who believed the Hokage shouldn't exist and that all ninja power should belong to the Daimyō, even at the cost of causing internal strife among the Twelve Guardian Ninja, and said, "Didn't the guy who taught you ninjutsu ever tell you to have reverence for the strong? Get out of my way before I lose my temper!"
"You!" Kazuma gritted his teeth, staring intently at Uchiha Touhuan's divine robes, wanting to say something, but Uchiha Touhuan had already turned around, gazing at Orochimaru, his eye power and chakra surging forth, and his Susanoo rising from the ground.
This godlike figure stunned Kazuma on the spot. Just then, Asuma and Jiraiya, who had recovered some chakra, quickly stepped forward and pulled him back into the sleeping quarters.
Uchiha Touko's Susanoo slowly raised its hand towards Orochimaru and Manda. In the massive Susanoo's hand, raging lightning slowly gathered, forming a giant vajra engraved with special Sage Mode symbols.
Upon seeing this, Manda immediately dispelled his summoning. Although he was unaware that Orochimaru and Uchiha Touhuan had already conspired to throw the match, he had witnessed the commotion caused by their last encounter. From Manda's perspective, they were both contractors from Ryuchi Cave, and there was no need for them to fight to the death. After Manda fled, Orochimaru also formed a hand seal, his entire body transforming into countless white snakes that scattered and disappeared.
Seeing this, Uchiha Touhuan also dispelled his Susanoo, staggering and panting heavily.
"Are we just going to let this rogue ninja who assassinated the daimyo get away like this?" Kazuma broke free from Asuma and Jiraiya, stood in front of Uchiha Touhuan, and roared at him.
"What else?" Uchiha Touhuan turned around, narrowed his eyes, and sneered, "I rushed here at full speed, and my chakra is almost depleted. Forcing that guy back is already my limit. Where would I find the chakra to pursue him?"
"Hokage-sama, please calm down. Kazuma is just worried about the daimyo's safety." At this moment, Jiraiya also stepped forward, pulled Kazuma back down, and tried to smooth things over for him.
"If you're really worried about the daimyo's safety, you should be ensuring His Highness's safety at this time, instead of shouting for a pursuit." Uchiha Touhuan said coldly, "Asuma."
Asuma, still immersed in the scene of Uchiha Touhuan forcing Orochimaru back, heard his name and came back to his senses, standing in front of Uchiha Touhuan.
"Keep an eye on your colleague, or I wouldn't mind teaching him a lesson in ninja etiquette."
Uchiha Touhuan finished speaking and walked straight into the sleeping quarters.
As Uchiha Touhuan entered, the ministers of the Land of Fire involuntarily made way for him.
On the bed lay a middle-aged man, his face ashen, breathing heavily. His chest looked as if he had suffered a severe blow, a large dent in it; he was clearly not going to survive. Beside the bed, a child not even four years old cried incessantly.
"Your Highness! Your subordinate is late in coming to your rescue! Please forgive me, Your Highness!" Uchiha Touhuan immediately put on an act upon entering, squeezing out two tears from the corners of his eyes, speaking with genuine emotion.
"Don't worry, Lord Daimyo, I'll send a message back to the village immediately and have them search for Tsunade's whereabouts. Your Highness, you must hold on!"
The current Daimyo of the Land of Fire, Minamoto no Mitsuhide, struggled to lift his eyes and look at Uchiha Touhuan, the Hokage he had recently appointed personally.
However, in that instant, he suddenly noticed a falcon that had flown in from outside the bedroom window. The moment their eyes met, a flash of red light appeared in the falcon's eyes.
Having successfully used Kotoamatsukami, a barely perceptible smile appeared on Uchiha Touhuan's lips.
At that moment, the Daimyo spoke with difficulty, his voice weak and feeble, "No need... to trouble yourself. I... am very... aware of my condition."
As he spoke, an unnatural flush rose on his face. The physician attending him at the bedside trembled at the sight; this was clearly a final burst of energy before death.
"Your Highness!" Upon seeing this, the officials in the bedchamber also showed sorrow and cried out in unison.
"I took over the throne from my late father at the age of 21, and more than twenty years have passed since then. I never imagined that I would suffer such a calamity today, and even the Crown Prince..."
The Daimyo spoke, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
"However, a country cannot be without a ruler for a day. Cough cough cough, Yuxie, come here." The Daimyo laboriously beckoned to the four-year-old child beside the bed. The young Crown Prince, his eyes filled with tears, came to the Daimyo's side.
"The Crown Prince is young, and we hope that all the ministers will assist him wholeheartedly..."
Upon hearing this, the officials in the bedchamber all perked up. They knew that what followed was the main event: the Daimyo was about to appoint a regent.
At this moment, several gazes were fixed on a man in the imperial bedchamber. This man was the Left Minister of the Land of Fire, the head of the civil officials in the Land of Fire. In the eyes of the officials in the bedchamber, if there were to be a position of regent, it should undoubtedly be him.
However, the daimyo's words took everyone by surprise.
"I appoint the Minister of Construction, Kikuchi Tomoyuki; the Minister of Economy, Kujo Masaya; and the Councilor, Nagano Kiri, as regents."
The three men whose names were called looked at each other with disbelief. Apart from Councilor Nagano Kiri, the others did not hold particularly high positions. Logically, this position should not have been theirs, yet the daimyo had chosen them as regents.
Soon, they also discovered a common thread: all three of them had been kidnapped by Kakashi that night.
Nagano Kiri looked at the words "Fifth Hokage" on Uchiha Touhuan's back, and a look of horror appeared on his face. The daimyo's next words confirmed some of his suspicions.
"Furthermore, the Fifth Hokage of Konoha, Uchiha Touhuan, is hereby appointed as Grand Minister of State and Grand Tutor to the Daimyo, to instruct the Crown Prince while also protecting his safety."
Although the old Daimyo spoke weakly at this moment, it was no less than a bombshell dropped into the crowd.
What is the position of Grand Minister of State? It's the true head of all officials! Even the Daimyo treats him with the respect due to a teacher. This position is so important that sometimes it's left vacant if there isn't a suitable candidate. The last time the Land of Fire had a Grand Minister of State was over a hundred years ago, during the Warring States period.
However, in some people's eyes, the Daimyo's intentions are not hard to understand. The Daimyo was recently assassinated by a powerful ninja, so he urgently needs a strong protector for his son. Therefore, he even offered the position of Grand Minister of State. The role of the three people previously appointed as regents is obvious: to check and balance Uchiha Touhuan. After all, it's no secret that these individuals recently jointly petitioned against Uchiha Touhuan becoming the Fifth Hokage.
However, apart from those directly involved, no one could have imagined that the lives of these individuals were already in Uchiha Touhuan's hands. Their personal guards, along with those of their families, had all been replaced by members of the Uchiha clan.
Just then, as Left Minister Abe Taiichi was about to speak, Uchiha Touhuan preemptively knelt on one knee and cried out, "I beg you, Daimyo, to rescind your order! I am truly unable to bear this heavy responsibility!"
"You must not refuse, my lord! Cough cough cough, with a formidable enemy at hand, the Crown Prince still needs your protection. I have heard of your name before. During the Third Shinobi World War, you guarded the border, protecting the peace of countless people in the Land of Fire. Now, may I entrust you with the task of protecting my only son?" "
Your Highness!" Uchiha Touhuan forced out a few tears, "Your Highness entrusts me with such a heavy responsibility, I would gladly die for it, but I truly cannot bear it..."
Before Uchiha Touhuan could finish speaking, the Daimyo summoned the Crown Prince.
"Yūkimaru, become his disciple." The Daimyo looked at the four-year-old Crown Prince beside the bed.
"Your Highness!" At this moment, the Left Minister Abe no longer dared to sit still. He knew that if he didn't say something soon, once the young prince became his disciple, the matter would be settled. He immediately knelt down and cried out, "Please reconsider!"
The Daimyo ignored him and looked at Uchiha Touhuan: "While protecting this child, you can also teach him some ninjutsu. In the future, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire must not be without any means of self-defense."
"Your Highness, this..." Uchiha Touhuan looked troubled.
However, Minamoto no Yūkimaru respectfully bowed to Uchiha Touko: "Teacher."
"This...this..." Uchiha Touhuan looked bewildered.
"Good...good...good, with your care, I can rest assured." The Daimyo said, a smile appearing on his face, and closed his eyes tightly.
"Your Highness!" Uchiha Touhuan shouted, but the Daimyo did not respond.
"Respectfully bidding farewell to the Daimyo!" At this moment, a eunuch shouted at the top of his lungs.
Instantly, the officials in the palace burst into tears.
More than an hour later, Kakashi arrived in the Land of Fire with a team of elite Jonin, heading straight for the palace, the only one remaining after Orochimaru's destruction.
Upon seeing Kakashi, those who had been kidnapped that night dared not even breathe.
Uchiha Touhuan slowly rose before the Daimyo's body, glanced at the officials of the Land of Fire in the palace, and then walked directly to Kakashi's side.
"How is it? How many people have arrived?" Uchiha Touhuan asked in a deep voice.
"Due to the urgency of the situation, all the elite Jonin who were previously in the village, except for the Jonin Squad Leader Uchiha Fugaku, have arrived and are already waiting outside the palace. In addition, a temporary force of about 700 people, composed of the guards and ANBU, is on its way, led by Inuzuka Kaze and Gekko Torune, and is expected to arrive tomorrow morning."
"Good." Uchiha Touhuan nodded, then turned to look at the officials in the palace. "Where are Kikuchi Tomoyuki, Kujo Masaya, and Nagano Kiri?"
The three whose names were called trembled at first, wiped the cold sweat from their foreheads, and then stepped out of the crowd.
"What are the Grand Minister's orders?" Nagano Kiri asked.
"Don't call me Grand Minister yet, I am truly unworthy of this position." Uchiha Touhuan said.
"This is the late Emperor's dying wish, please do not refuse, Grand Minister." Nagano Kiri gritted his teeth and spoke after seeing the subtle threat in Kakashi's eyes beside Uchiha Touhuan.
"Alas, let's discuss this matter later," Uchiha Touhuan said, shaking his head.
"I wonder what business Lord Uchiha has with the three of us?" Kikuchi Tomokane asked, quickly changing his form of address.
"The funeral arrangements for the Daimyo are entrusted to the three of you," Uchiha Touhuan bowed deeply.
"Lord Uchiha, please don't do this. This is our duty," the three of them said, nearly frightened by Touhuan's actions. They quickly returned the bow. Kakashi, standing beside Touhuan's, clearly meant that if they accepted Touhuan's bow, their entire families would be dead tonight.
"Orochimaru, the rogue ninja who attempted to assassinate the Daimyo, has not yet been captured. Therefore, from this moment on, the ninjas of Konoha will take over the defense of the Fire Capital. Furthermore, for Your Highness's safety, starting tomorrow morning, I will impose martial law in the Fire Capital. No one is allowed to leave without a valid reason," Uchiha Touhuan said slowly, glancing at the officials in the palace.
"This...I'm afraid it's against the rules, isn't it?" At this moment, Abe Taiichi, the Left Minister who had previously been relatively unnoticed, stepped forward and spoke to Uchiha Touhuan.
"Oh? May I ask who this gentleman is?" Uchiha Touhuan narrowed his eyes, looking at the other party.
"I am Abe Taiichi, the Left Minister of State and Grand Minister of State of the Land of Fire," Abe Taiichi said.
"Is that so? May I ask, Lord Abe, is there a problem with what I said?" Uchiha Touhuan asked.
"Martial law in the Land of Fire is unprecedented. The Fifth Hokage would be wise to proceed with caution," Abe Taiichi said, his tone carrying a hint of hostility.
He wasn't just speaking to Uchiha Touhuan; he was also subtly reminding the officials in the hall that having a Hokage serve as Grand Minister of State, and a Daimyo serving as Grand Tutor, was also a precedent in the Land of Fire, and it was best to avoid setting precedents if possible.
**Support me**
o(╥﹏╥)o
Read 10+ Chapters Advanced chapters ahead at Patreon.
[email protected]/Horizons685
(End of Chapter)