The sudden appearance of Ryoma had completely disrupted the delicate balance of the Black Zetsu's Mother Revival Plan.
Originally, Black Zetsu intended to manipulate the Uchiha clan through Obito, continuing the will of Madara from one vessel to the next—until the emergence of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki herself.
But now, with Obito's shadow gone and the Uchiha line in disarray, Black Zetsu found itself in a dire situation.
It had to first find a way to revive Uchiha Madara.
Finding another "perfect pawn" like Obito was no easy task.
The Ten Tails had already absorbed four of the tailed beasts; only five remained. Once completed, the revival of their "mother," Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, would be within reach.
Ryoma returned safely to Konoha, carrying Uchiha's body with him. This time, the corpse was completely sealed inside a reinforced sarcophagus—no room left for resurrection or tampering.
Yet, despite his efforts, Ryoma couldn't shake off a lingering sense of unease.
It felt as though something crucial had slipped through his grasp.
What am I missing…?
He didn't have time to dwell on it.
The very next day, Ryoma accompanied Hiruzen Sarutobi to hand over the management authority of various departments. Alongside them were senior officials familiar with each division's operations.
With Ryoma assuming the position of the Fourth Hokage, the role of Administrative Department Head would soon be vacant.
"Third Hokage," Ryoma said, "how about appointing Minato Namikaze as the new head of the Administration Department?"
Hiruzen shook his head.
"That won't do. Minato is more suited to lead the Anbu."
"Wasn't the Anbu Commander Sakumo Hatake?" Ryoma asked, frowning.
Hiruzen sighed, a shadow passing over his face.
"No. Sakumo made a grave mistake and can no longer serve as Commander."
At that moment, Ryoma understood.
Sakumo Hatake—the legendary White Fang of Konoha—had abandoned a critical mission to save his comrades.
His decision caused the village to lose valuable intelligence, and the very comrades he had saved turned on him. The scorn and betrayal that followed drove him to take his own life, leaving deep scars on Kakashi's heart.
The original records never explored the event in detail, but now Ryoma saw the truth clearly.
It was a classic trolley problem.
If a train were heading toward ten children on one track and a single child on another, which would you save?
Sakumo had chosen his comrades—the one life over the many. In doing so, he sacrificed thirty years of covert operations buried within Sunagakure. The lack of intelligence that followed caused countless casualties in later conflicts.
It was an impossible choice.
"So," Hiruzen said quietly, "this will be the first matter you'll need to address once you take office."
Ryoma glanced at him, lips curling into a wry smile. This old monkey really knows how to push responsibility at the perfect time.
With a bang, Ryoma's shadow clone dispersed, returning its memories and completed tasks to the original.
Moments later, at the entrance of the Hokage Building, two figures emerged—Ryoma and Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The clone had completed the bureaucratic handover. The real Ryoma now stood for the Hokage Coronation Ceremony.
Before the assembled crowd, Hiruzen placed the Hokage hat—emblazoned with the kanji for "Fire"—upon Ryoma's head.
Then, he draped the Hokage robe across his shoulders. Four ornate flame motifs adorned its back.
The Fourth Hokage.
Stepping aside, Hiruzen smiled, his aged face full of pride as he began to clap.
Ryoma lifted the hat slightly with one hand, revealing his calm, confident face. His lips curved into a faint smile.
"Thank you for your trust," he declared loudly, his voice echoing through the plaza.
"From this day forth, I, Ryoma, shall serve as the Fourth Hokage of Konohagakure!"
The square erupted.
"Long live the Fourth Hokage!"
"Hokage-sama!"
"Lord Ryoma!"
The news of the Third Hokage's abdication and the Fourth's ascension spread through the Land of Fire like wildfire.
And soon… it shook the entire shinobi world.
...
Land of Water — Kirigakure
Inside the mist-shrouded council chamber, the newly appointed Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, was in session with the village elders.
"I didn't expect Hiruzen Sarutobi to truly step down so suddenly," one elder muttered.
"And to hand the position to someone so young!"
"According to our intelligence," another replied, "the new Hokage, Ryoma, fought against Uchiha Madara just yesterday in the bay near our waters. The battle completely reshaped the coastline."
Yagura exhaled slowly, his expression unreadable.
"So young," he murmured.
"And yet a hero who's already surpassed Uchiha… even the Three-Tails wouldn't stand a chance before him."
The Mist Village had long known that the Three-Tails existed, but they had never tried to seize it. Two reasons: there was no suitable human jinchūriki to hold such power, and the bay that sheltered the Mist Hidden Village made any large-scale mainland campaign difficult.
The tailed beasts were an irresistible prize to every great village — and the Mist was no exception.
"Remember how this all started?" an elder muttered.
"Ryoma's rise was triggered when the Mist stole the Uzumaki candidate, Kushina. After that the Mist suffered two crushing defeats — even the Raikage's son and the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki were involved."
"It appears the new Hokage is young," another said.
"Ryoma has already been declared the Fourth Hokage of Konoha."
"The Mist started that fight, and they paid dearly. Their losses only enriched the other side."
Everyone in the council fell quiet. Konoha — the village that had always prized peace — had changed almost overnight. A youth who had risen from nowhere to take the village's highest office in a single month… it was the sort of story that made officials across the shinobi world swallow hard.
In the Land of Thunder, inside the Raikage's office, the Third Raikage slammed a wooden table so hard it cracked.
"Monstrous! Absolutely monstrous!" he thundered. Failure after failure had been pinned on their operations, and Ryoma's actions — and his sudden elevation — felt like a slap to the Raikage's pride. Worse still, his own son remained a prisoner in Konoha.
The thought of having to face that smooth-faced boy in negotiations later made the Raikage's right hand tremble with fury.
Across nations and small hamlets alike, the shinobi world was whispering.
A child, a prodigy — a Kami-level boon in less than a month, then straight to Hokage. It was too much for many to accept. But the evidence of Ryoma's deeds over the last thirty days made the miracle plausible — and the fact that Hiruzen Sarutobi had the courage to place the title upon him made all the rest believable.
That afternoon in the Hokage's conference room, Ryoma convened his first council as Fourth Hokage. The room filled with Konoha's senior leadership.
"Hokage-sama," began one minister, "we've received letters of congratulation from Iwagakure in the Land of Earth and Kirigakure in the Land of Water. Sunagakure and other nations have also sent words of goodwill. Shall we reply in kind?"
Ryoma nodded.
"Also — what's the latest from Iwa and Suna? You mentioned the Raikage earlier."
A strategist answered, "There are changes. Iwa and Suna are quietly mobilizing troops. Intel suggests their attention may be on Konoha — or on the Land of Thunder. They're making moves in secret."
"Of course they might attack us," another officer said.
"To bypass the Rain and the Demigod territory, any offensive still has to cross the Land of Grass and the Land of Rivers. It will take them time."
"And the intelligence hidden in the Shadow lines at the Rain Village?" someone asked.
"We've lost contact," a different voice replied.
"Our long-buried spy network in the Rain has been exposed — all because of Commander Hatake Sakumo's operation. The losses are catastrophic. We have no current movement reports from the Rain Village."
Immediately, hands shot up around the table.
"Punish Hatake Sakumo!"
"I second that, Hokage-sama!"
"Lord Ryoma, this is a grave breach — deliberate, it seems. He must not go unpunished!"
Ryoma studied the assembly. The leaders spoke with the voices of their ministries — Administration, Education, Interrogation — and behind them sat the influential families of the Thirty-Five.
The chorus attacking Sakumo wasn't only anger over intelligence losses. It was political theater: a bid to limit Ryoma's influence and to prevent any single civilian family from climbing too high in Konoha's hierarchy.
Hatake Sakumo had served Konoha for decades. His wartime merits had once earned him favor — and now, that moment of weakness provided the perfect excuse for rivals to strike.
Ryoma rapped the table and said quietly,
"Your concerns are not without merit. Bring Hatake Sakumo in. Also have Minato Namikaze step forward."
Several faces registered surprise. Calling Hatake was expected; calling Minato was not.
A moment later both Sakumo and Minato stood before the Hokage, each half-kneeling.
"Hokage-sama!" they intoned.
"Stand," Ryoma said.
"Minato, call the eighteen elite operatives of the Anbu Division."
Minato's expression hardened and he bowed. "Right away, Hokage-sama."
The room hummed. The "Eighteen Arhats" — a name created that morning by Ryoma's planning and Minato's counsel — were now the core backbone of Konoha's covert forces.
Turning to Sakumo, Ryoma's voice was steady.
"Hatake Sakumo — you exposed a thirty-year-old shadow thread the Rain Village had on us. Is that true?"
Sakumo's face went pale; the man looked like a soul suddenly plucked from safety and given to the knives.
"Yes, Hokage-sama. It was my doing. I take full responsibility. Punish me as you see fit."
Ryoma watched him for a long beat.
Sakumo's honesty was absolute — perhaps too absolute. In this place, the earnest often became scapegoats. To survive in Konoha's halls required a willingness to deflect blame, to negotiate culpability.
Ryoma's jaw tightened. He could see what the other families wanted: to crush Sakumo's name, to keep the Qimu clan — to use their power to elevate their own. If he let this pass, his own standing would be used to make Sakumo a martyr or a stepping stone.
He inhaled slowly.
"This matter is complex," Ryoma said at last.
"But politics cannot be the only justice here. Bring me the full report. Minato — the Arhats will be useful. We will investigate this thoroughly before we pass sentence."
Sakumo bowed again, relieved but wary. Around the table, the ministers mulled Ryoma's words. Some were satisfied at the delay; others visibly bristled, sensing the loss of a sudden triumph.
Outside the windows of the Hokage Building, the village streets carried on as always — children playing, vendors hawking, the soft sounds of a community unaware of the quiet recalibration occurring at its summit. Yet beneath those familiar noises, the world had shifted. The Fourth Hokage had begun his rule, and already the old rules were being tested.
Whether the blame truly belonged to him or not, you don't break someone's life in your hands without cause.
A man like Hatake Sakumo — honest, devoted to his comrades — was hardly the sort to carry blame like a bell and smash himself against it. Yet the council wanted blood.
Hardly had Sakumo finished his confession than a chorus of voices rose against him.
"Hokage-sama, you cannot tolerate an act that endangers Konoha!"
"Hokage-sama, Hatake Sakumo has admitted it! The consequences of this mistake are incalculable — strip him of his insignia!"
"Hokage-sama, demote him to a chūnin at best. He betrayed our covert lines!"
Sakumo bowed his head. His shoulders trembled, but he swallowed his shame and remained composed.
Just then Minato Namikaze returned. Hearing the officials' clamor, his face darkened.
"Seniority and service count for something," Minato snapped.
"Hatake Sakumo has served Konoha faithfully — you will not burn him without a hearing."
The room erupted.
"Minato — watch your tone!" someone hissed.
"You have no right to interfere," another barred.
"Do you understand how much intelligence Konoha lost because of this?" someone shouted.
Ryoma's hand came down on the table and silence fell like a curtain.
"Enough," he said, voice low but carrying.
"Don't rush to judgment."
A murmur of impatience. "If the Rain Village decides to strike because we lost those assets—" a minister warned.
"How many will die, Hokage-sama?"
Ryoma let the question hang. He met each face around the table in turn.
"We don't 'not darken the line' lightly," someone argued.
"Without those shadow threads, we won't know Rain's movements—"
Ryoma cut them off.
"If we simply accept that loss and cower, then yes: we will be blind. But there's another answer."
He leaned forward.
"If the Rain wants war, we won't cower. We will give them war."
The words had the ring of a challenge. Some in the room stiffened, pleased at the promise of strength; others looked at Ryoma with concern — the punch they'd hoped to land on Hatake Sakumo had been deflected by the direction of Ryoma's hand.
Minato stepped slightly forward.
"Hokage-sama, this is not about mercy alone. Sakumo has confessed. That means we need a full, transparent investigation. If his actions cost us, we will account for that. But we must not let political opportunism decide life or death."
Faces around the table shifted. The ministers from Administration and Interrogation exchanged glances; behind them, representatives of the Thirty-Five families watched like predators scenting an advantage.
Ryoma's gaze hardened.
"Bring me everything: the reports, the intercepted transmissions, every name tied to the shadow thread. Minato — ready the Anbu: I want the best of our Anbu operatives assembled. We'll call them the 'Eighteen Arhats' for now — they will spearhead our inquiry and our countermeasures."
A hush fell. The "Eighteen Arhats" — an audacious rebranding proposed by Ryoma and Minato that morning — now had life.
Hatake Sakumo lifted his head slightly, fear and a fragile hope in his eyes.
"Hokage-sama… thank you. I accept the investigation."
Ryoma's voice was neither soft nor cruel.
"Honesty is not always innocence. You will answer for what you've done. But Konoha's safety cannot be traded for factional triumphs. If we punish, let it be for truth and necessity — not spectacle."
Some ministers looked wounded at the rebuke; others admired the restraint. Outside the windows, the village went on — vendors calling, children practicing jutsu in the alleys — unaware of the slow, deliberate reordering being done in the stone council chamber.
Ryoma tapped the table once more.
"Begin the report. If any nation tests us while we investigate, we will meet them prepared. And Hatake Sakumo — you will remain under guard, but you will not be cast aside until we have the full truth."
Sakumo bowed, relief and dread in equal measure.
Around the table, ambitions and anxieties simmered. The first day of the Fourth Hokage's rule had not been a coronation of peace; it was a declaration that the old games would not be played the same way anymore.
...
TN:
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