Naruto, Madara is my girl.

Murmurs swirled across the room as the crowd absorbed everything that had just happened. The other ninja clans didn't feel much about Tobirama's death. To them, someone else from the Senju would take over anyway. They were only here to witness the proceedings and return to their duties later.

What caught their attention was the mention of Senju Akira's return. That changed everything.

Whether he'd somehow come back from the dead or had hidden away for over ten years only to reappear after Tobirama's passing, it raised too many questions. Most leaned toward the idea that he had been in hiding, anything else was too unbelievable. However, even that possibility was explosive enough. What kind of event could force the so-called God of War into the shadows for over ten years?

No matter what, they needed to see it for themselves.

As soon as word spread through Konoha's inner circles, every clan leader and official rushed to the Hokage Building. It hadn't even been long since the announcement, but the front plaza was already packed wall to wall.

Yet when each new figure arrived, brows furrowed on arrival, only to relax in recognition when they saw the rest of the crowd carrying that same unspoken understanding. Everyone knew what they were here for. They weren't just here to mourn Tobirama, they were here for Akira.

Any doubts about whether the news was false disappeared immediately. No one could fabricate this kind of wave among Konoha's oldest families and live to tell about it. If it had been fake, someone's entire clan would've been wiped clean by morning.

Inside the Hokage Building, footsteps echoed through the halls with eerie rhythm as powerful shinobi entered in silence. When they reached the meeting room and saw him sitting plain as day in front of them, the tension broke instantly.

Several of the senior clan heads visibly teared up when they saw Akira again.

He looked different, but not in any way that mattered. The cocky tilt of his head, the grin that dared people to question him, it was exactly as they remembered from the Warring States period, when victories were won by sheer willpower.

Hiruzen, standing nearby and preparing to address everyone formally, was completely ignored.

"It's really Lord Akira…"

Some moved forward impulsively to greet him.

"Go away," Akira said without looking up. "I'm not the protagonist today."

They didn't take offense-instead they beamed with joy and shuffled back to their seats with chatter trailing behind them.

"Yes-yes! That's the temperament I remember!"

"In my memories, Lord Akira was always that arrogant."

"Haha, yeah! He used to just point at people and curse 'em out!"

Despite the noise, they eventually sat down as requested, but they kept smiling like children seeing their favorite old war hero alive again.

Hiruzen finally stepped forward again and cleared his throat before speaking.

"Everyone the Hokage has died. Before his death… he entrusted me with the position of Hokage. I'd like to hear your thoughts."

For half a breath, silence ruled, then came rustles and shifting as people glanced at one another. The announcement wasn't shocking, two decades of war had hardened everyone here. Death was just another day for most of them.

What truly held their focus wasn't Tobirama's fate, it was Akira's presence.

Eyes turned to him again, quietly expectant. Many stared directly at his face, making no effort to hide it.

Akira raised his eyebrows slowly and scanned them in return.

"What are you lookin' at? Do I have words written on my face?"

His scolding tone didn't faze them at this point. One of them spoke up boldly anyway.

"Lord Akira… what if you became Hokage instead?"

They spoke casually, as if suggesting lunch after war training. Most assumed Akira wasn't really dead anyway, and those strange fractures running across his exposed skin were just decorative effects from some forbidden technique. After years in battle, strange appearances were standard for survivors, especially weaker ones who compensated with flashy chakra distortion. They thought little of it.

"Don't want it," Akira answered flatly. "Hokage only steps down after dying or if he's too old to walk straight. Tobirama chose Monkey, not me. What do you want me to do, kill him so I get promoted?"

"Wait… is that allowed?" someone asked seriously, turning toward Hiruzen with intent in their eyes.

Hiruzen froze on the spot and felt every eye shift onto him instantly. The tension pressed cold against his spine as he realized how easily this crowd might turn on him if they wanted to revert Akira's rejection.

"L-Lord Akira…?" he whispered anxiously, barely keeping his hands from shaking in front of everyone.

Akira saw the unease and met it with calm indifference before finally speaking again, loud enough for everyone in the hall to hear this time.

"Let's not twist this around, I'm not interested." He exhaled once and adjusted his stance slightly before continuing. "Senju Akira doesn't step over comrades's corpses to take power. I don't climb to the top by stepping on allies."

It didn't help reassure anyone, least of Hiruzen himself, who stood there remembering every bloody story tied to Akira's rise during wartime: betrayal of the Taketori clan; orchestrated annihilation of Uchiha elites; years of silent warfare that left no challengers intact across several hidden villages…

None of it boded well for people in leadership positions now, especially not weak ones like Hiruzen who'd been elevated mainly through Tobirama's favoritism and loyalty chains rather than dominance on the battlefield.

Desperate now, Hiruzen subtly held up two fingers behind his back while standing where only Akira would see it if he glanced his way, a universal shinobi sign among allies that the reward would be doubled if things went smoothly.

Akira noticed, and burst out laughing internally before answering silently with his own smile.

"Spoiling me now? Alright, we'll test your worth later."

Akira stepped forward abruptly and slammed his palm onto the table just hard enough to make several pens jump in place.

"Monkey is destined to be Hokage! Any objections?"

No one dared respond immediately, not even after several seconds passed with only rustling cloth and shifting postures breaking the silence. The older leaders kept their mouths shut, the younger ones wisely followed their lead.

Akira tilted his head again and glanced around slowly before adding,

"No objections? Really? Come on, somebody say somethin' or I'll feel bad about taking his bribe."

No one flinched, but Sarutobi Hiruzen knew he'd lost part of his reputation forever in that moment.

"I didn't become Hokage because I paid for it," he whispered bitterly under his breath, but he couldn't even convince himself anymore.

(T/N: Lol...)

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