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Izuna thought about Hashirama's question. He pictured his students one by one: Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzō Shimura, Homura Mitokado, Koharu Utatane, Kagami Uchiha, and Torifu Akimichi.
They were all still young, but each had already started to show promise.
"Out of all my students, I think Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzō Shimura are the ones who could handle that responsibility," Izuna said after thinking it over.
"The Shimura boy and the Sarutobi boy…" Hashirama said quietly. "Both have the right temperament and talent."
Hashirama had kept track of their achievements during the First Shinobi World War and knew both young men had done well on the battlefield.
"To be honest, I prefer Danzō. But I worry that his attitude and methods might someday take him down the same path as my brother and Tobirama." Izuna shook his head and rubbed his aching forehead.
"We can't let Konoha become too focused on the military again. We must never let the village go down that road," Hashirama said, his face serious.
"I know exactly what's at stake." Izuna looked him in the eye and nodded firmly.
"If you become Hokage, what will you do?" Hashirama asked.
"I'll focus on making Konoha stronger from the inside. We'll keep a low profile, avoid starting new conflicts, and protect the village's peace," Izuna replied right away.
Hashirama felt a bit of relief. He had always trusted Izuna. Even when Konoha was founded, Izuna had been against constant fighting and only wanted peace for the village. That had never changed.
"Izuna, from now on, Konoha is your responsibility." Hashirama reached out with shaking hands and held Izuna's hands tightly.
"Hashirama, you…" Izuna stopped, overwhelmed by the trust Hashirama had given him.
"I will. I promise I will." Izuna's voice shook with emotion as he squeezed Hashirama's hands with both of his.
"Take care, Izuna." Hashirama held his hands for a moment longer before letting go.
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Deep inside the sealed chamber, Madara lay on a bed under a thin blanket with his eyes closed.
He had stopped using his Sharingan years ago to save what was left of his vision. Even though he hated losing his sight, there was nothing he could do.
Someone slipped quietly into the chamber. Madara noticed right away, even though he didn't open his eyes.
"It's you, Tobirama." Madara's voice remained calm.
The figure stepped into view, and Tobirama Senju emerged from the shadows in a black cloak.
"You came. Have you made your decision?" Madara asked.
"Yes. Let's go." Tobirama gave a small nod.
Madara pushed the blanket aside. He was already dressed. He picked up the Uchiha war fan next to the bed, and in a moment, both men disappeared from the chamber.
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Soon after, Hashirama Senju passed away.
Konoha held a large funeral for him, and Izuna Uchiha became the Fourth Hokage.
Izuna now sat in the Hokage's seat, with Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzō Shimura, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado standing by his desk. As more of the village's founding members passed away each year, he knew Konoha had to start preparing its next leaders.
He made Hiruzen and Danzō joint aides to the Hokage, starting Konoha's first dual-aide system. He also created official adviser roles, letting Homura and Koharu learn the job by working with him.
"Lord Hokage…" An ANBU operative rushed into the office and leaned in to whisper a report to Izuna.
"What? How did this happen? Are Konoha's barriers and seals just for show?" Izuna demanded, standing up from his chair.
"They were too strong for us, Lord Hokage. We never even noticed them leave." The ANBU operative bowed his head in shame.
"Take me there." Izuna left right away, telling Hiruzen and Danzō to handle the village until he got back. The two young aides shared a happy look at being trusted with the job.
Izuna walked into the sealed chamber and saw it was empty. The sight made him uneasy.
"My brother and Tobirama left without saying anything… Why?" Izuna paced the room with his hands behind his back.
He closed his eyes and thought about what to do. In the end, he decided not to go after them.
"No one can know about this. Announce that my brother and Tobirama have died," Izuna ordered the masked shinobi behind him.
"Yes, Lord Hokage!" The ANBU operatives knelt down on one knee.
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At the entrance to a courtyard in central Konoha, five-year-old Jiraiya and Orochimaru stood ready to go.
"Today is your first day at the ninja academy. Work hard," Manji reminded them.
"Got it, Old Man!" Jiraiya replied with his usual carefree grin.
"I understand, Grandpa." Orochimaru nodded.
"Old Man, can you give Orochimaru and me some pocket money? We want to buy snacks after school." Jiraiya moved closer with a hopeful smile.
"Kakuzu takes care of the money. Ask him," Manji said with a chuckle.
"Make it last. Money doesn't grow on trees," Kakuzu said, his face tense, but he still took out some bills and handed them over.
"Yes! Oh, come on, Uncle Kakuzu. Everyone knows you made a fortune on Land of Fire stocks." Jiraiya took the money happily and skipped off toward the ninja academy.
"Grandpa, Uncle Kakuzu, I'm leaving." Orochimaru put his share in his pocket and followed Jiraiya at a steady pace.
"A lot has happened lately. I never thought Izuna, of all people, would become Hokage. He never cared about fighting for power," Kakuzu said.
"Indeed," Manji said, nodding.
In the original timeline, Hashirama would have died much earlier. Because of Manji's actions, he lived until about the time Tobirama would have died.
Manji also heard that Madara and Tobirama had left Konoha, so he sent a White Zetsu to follow them. Still, he had no idea what they planned to do.
'So how should this round of Indra and Asura's contest be judged?' Manji wondered.
Because of what he did, Madara and Hashirama never ended up fighting. But unlike Naruto and Sasuke in the original timeline, they never truly made peace either, leaving everything between them unresolved.
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