Chapter 24: The Calm and the Coming Storm
A day after their return to Konoha, the village was draped in black. The shinobi all wore their formal, dark attire. Tobirama Sarutobi was not buried in the regular cemetery. He was laid to rest in a sacred, secret place known only to the Hokage, a final honor for the leader who had given his life.
After Tobirama's funeral, Konoha and Kumo sent representatives—Hiruzen Sarutobi and the new Raikage, A—to formally sign the peace treaty once more. The ink was barely dry on the parchment when shocking news rippled across the ninja world. The Second Tsuchikage and the Second Mizukage had also passed away. With the strongest of the "Second Generation" Kages gone, a fragile but real peace settled over the nations. An era had truly ended.
***
Half a year drifted by in this new peace. After returning to Konoha, Tenchi was promoted to the rank of Jōnin. With the new rank, he settled into a comfortable, leisurely life.
His routine was simple. Every morning, he did his exercises. After that, he would find Hiruzen to check in, then head to the mission assignment desk to pick up a few simple, low-risk tasks—just enough to pay for his expenses. Once a mission was done, he would take several days off to relax.
His life was a stark contrast to Hiruzen's. The Third Hokage was buried under mountains of paperwork every day, the documents piling up on his desk. He was so busy he looked like he might explode from the stress.
One afternoon, Tenchi walked through the bustling streets of Konoha, a small, content smile on his face as he watched the villagers go about their lives. His mind drifted back to his life before he came to this world.
*'In my past life, I stayed home every day, watching anime and playing games. I never really accomplished anything,'* he thought. *'Now, I have all this power. I don't have to worry about money. Sure, there's no phone or computer, but every day feels... full. This is the life!'*
His gaze lifted to the massive stone faces being carved on the Hokage Mountain—the First, the Second, and now the Third. *'I wonder who came up with the idea of carving their faces on a mountain. Don't they have anything better to do? As if people wouldn't know you're the Hokage without a giant statue.'*
*'It had to be Tobirama's idea,'* he decided. *'No one else is that full of themselves.'*
The thought of Tobirama brought back a memory from six months ago, a private conversation with Uchiha Seiro.
Shortly after the war ended, Seiro had found Tenchi at the Security Department for a one-on-one talk.
"Tenchi," Seiro had said, his voice low and intense. "With Tobirama gone and most of the Senju clan weakened, our Uchiha are strong. We have powerful shinobi like you and Kagami. We can finally overthrow Hiruzen Sarutobi and put an Uchiha in the Hokage's seat! What right does a minor clan member like him have to lead? What do you think of my plan?"
Seiro was bursting with ambition. He had wanted to use the war to regain power, and now with Tobirama dead and Tenchi's new strength, he saw a perfect chance. If the Uchiha launched a coup now, with the Senju weakened and Tenchi's Mangekyo Sharingan, their chance of success was high.
But Tenchi had refused. Not only did he reject the plan, but he also moved out of the Uchiha compound with the main martial faction of the clan, relocating to the other side of the village.
To make matters worse for Seiro, Uchiha Kagami had revealed the coup plot to Hiruzen. Overnight, the entire Uchiha clan became the focus of Konoha's surveillance.
When Uchiha Seiro heard the news—that Tenchi had left with the clan's strongest fighters and that Kagami had betrayed him—the double blow was too much. The old patriarch coughed up blood in a fit of rage, fell ill, and soon after, passed away in his bed.
His son, Uchiha Mori, who was about the same age as Tenchi, succeeded him not only as clan head but also as the new captain of the Konoha Military Police Force.
***
"Tenchi! The Third Hokage wants to see you! Hurry to the Hokage's office!" A chunin appeared in front of him, breaking his train of thought.
"Got it. I'm on my way," Tenchi said.
The chunin nodded and leaped onto a nearby rooftop, disappearing.
Soon, Tenchi arrived at the Hokage Building. He pushed open the office door with a relaxed expression and saw Hiruzen bent over his desk, buried in scrolls and papers.
"You're here, Tenchi," Hiruzen said, looking up. His face was tired. "How have you been? Settling into village life?"
He had to be kind. After the news of the failed Uchiha coup, he had been terrified that Tenchi would join it. He hadn't slept properly for days. But Tenchi had made the right choice, taking many powerful Uchiha with him and preventing the uprising. That move had earned him Hiruzen's complete trust.
"Same as always," Tenchi replied, pulling up a chair and sitting down. "Do some missions when I need the money, wander around the village when I don't."
"Well, since you have so much free time, I have a mission for you," Hiruzen said.
"A mission?" Tenchi immediately started to complain. "No way! I'm not that desperate. I still need to find a girlfriend, get married, have kids! I haven't lived enough to die on some mission!"
"Relax, it's nothing that will get in the way of your... life plans," Hiruzen said, rolling his eyes at Tenchi's dramatic excuse. "I just need you to help me with my three new students."
"Oh, that?" Tenchi's attitude did a complete flip. "That sounds simple enough. I'll take the job." He agreed without any hesitation.
"Good. Since you've accepted, let me explain. I recently took on three apprentices from the Academy. As you can see," he gestured at the mountain of paperwork, "being Hokage keeps me very busy. I just don't have the time to train them properly. I want you to be their squad's vice-captain and look after them for a while."
When he thought about one of the three genin, Hiruzen felt a headache coming on. The other two were fine, but this one... he wondered if he had been too hasty in accepting him.
Hearing that they were Hiruzen's students, Tenchi's eyes widened. *'The Third Hokage's apprentices... that would be the future Sannin: Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya.'*
*'Has he already taken them on? And he wants me to be their vice-captain? Well, isn't that interesting? This could be a lot of fun.'*
"The other two are fine," Hiruzen continued, "but the one named Jiraiya... I don't know if I misjudged his potential, or if he just doesn't have much. In any case, please keep a special eye on him." He shook his head, a little disappointed.
"Sure, sure," Tenchi said, already heading for the door, not paying much mind to Hiruzen's worries. "I'll go and take good care of them tomorrow."
As he walked out of the Hokage Building, Tenchi thought about Jiraiya. Orochimaru's parents were powerful shinobi, and he himself was a genius. Tsunade was the First Hokage's granddaughter, with a powerful bloodline. They both had advantages.
But Jiraiya? He had no famous parents. He had become a genin entirely on his own merit. Tenchi knew the truth—this same Jiraiya, who Hiruzen wasn't very impressed with, would grow up to be one of Konoha's greatest heroes, a legendary Sannin who would save the world.