Absurd.
Utterly absurd.
The atmosphere at the voting site was so bizarre it sent chills down people's spines. Representatives from all the major clans fell silent, quietly staring at the four brothers standing together.
The scene was downright surreal.
Even Chu Yang felt goosebumps all over, worried that his spur-of-the-moment scheming might blow up in his face.
Thankfully, things didn't veer off the rails of fate—only shifted slightly.
Aside from Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama, only a small number of people voted for Uchiha Madara.
Those votes had all been arranged in advance by Tobirama.
Everything was proceeding according to plan.
Madara felt a bit disappointed by the result. He knew his prestige among Konoha's people couldn't compare to Hashirama's, but he hadn't expected the gap to be this wide.
In the end, though, he chose to accept it calmly. Even Uchiha Izuna voiced no objections.
"Madara…" Hashirama looked at his friend with deep apology, clearly feeling guilty about becoming Hokage himself.
Sensing Hashirama's sincerity, Madara sighed and said, "Hashirama, this was everyone's choice—mine included. You don't need to feel guilty."
"I chose you because I believe you can realize our ideals."
With things said to this point, Hashirama no longer refused. Carrying his friend's trust, he stepped forward amid the crowd and formally announced his role as Konoha's First Hokage.
While clan representatives and villagers came forward to offer congratulations, Izuna slowly walked up beside Tobirama and stood shoulder to shoulder with him.
"I understand now why my brother could become friends with him," Izuna said sincerely. "He… Lord Hokage truly has a unique charisma. I hope Konoha prospers more and more under his leadership."
Tobirama nodded. "My brother won't disappoint anyone. You can rest assured."
Then Izuna made a move that completely caught Tobirama off guard.
He extended his hand and smiled."Let's properly introduce ourselves again—Uchiha Clan, Uchiha Izuna."
Tobirama paused, then met his gaze and took his hand."Senju Clan, Senju Tobirama."
As the main hardliners of their respective clans, the handshake between these two drew even more attention than the one between Hashirama and Madara.
Standing outside the crowd, Chu Yang watched with great interest—only to suddenly feel Tobirama's approving gaze land on him.
As if saying, "Kid, your dirty tricks are surprisingly effective."
Chu Yang: "…"
Thanks to Chu Yang's subtle pushes, Konoha's path of development diverged ever so slightly from the original timeline.
The Senju and Uchiha also entered an unprecedented honeymoon period in history.
As days passed, major events unfolded in Konoha one after another—each with the power to shape the village's future.
The first event: under Tobirama's leadership, Konoha officially established ANBU.
Everyone assumed Tobirama would naturally become its commander, but to everyone's shock, he handed that crucial position to Uchiha Izuna instead.
Tobirama himself stepped back to become the Hokage's assistant.
Everyone believed Tobirama had made a sacrifice—including the Uchiha.
Only Chu Yang truly understood Tobirama's intentions.
First and foremost, ANBU's primary duty was to protect the Hokage in secret. Only after that came assassination and special tactical operations targeting key enemies.
Reconnaissance and early warning during special periods ranked lowest in priority.
Protecting the Hokage was paramount.
Handing Hashirama's safety to Izuna was, in itself, a powerful statement of trust toward the Uchiha—one that greatly boosted goodwill among the clan and Izuna personally.
Of course, was there risk?
Absolutely.
But it was a manageable risk. Izuna simply wasn't strong enough to threaten Hashirama—even betrayal wouldn't allow him to harm the First Hokage.
Tobirama had already accounted for this.
Then, following Chu Yang's suggestion, Tobirama planned to plant a special unit within ANBU itself to secretly monitor its actions.
This would later become what Danzo Shimura called Root.
With these safeguards in place, Tobirama could confidently hand ANBU leadership to Izuna—while still making additional arrangements to ensure absolute control.
What truly impressed Chu Yang was the Hokage assistant position.
Which held more power: ANBU commander or Hokage assistant?
Most people would choose ANBU commander.
After all, wasn't the Hokage assistant just a glorified errand runner?
But given Hashirama's personality, he would inevitably dump most administrative duties onto his brother.
Meaning Tobirama would become the true wielder of executive power.
Everyone believed Tobirama had sacrificed his rightful authority for Konoha's peace and stability. In reality, his power hadn't diminished at all—it had merely gone underground.
Madara might sense something off, but he wouldn't dwell on it. After all, the immensely powerful ANBU was already in his brother Izuna's hands.
And he knew Hashirama well—he understood that his friend couldn't handle tedious administration and would inevitably delegate it to Tobirama.
With ANBU settled, the second major event followed: the establishment of the Military Police Force.
Again due to ANBU's existence, Tobirama handed half of the police authority to the Hyuga clan.
As a powerhouse second only to the Senju and Uchiha, the Hyuga had both the weight and justification to claim a slice of the power pie.
What should have been full Uchiha control now had a balancing force.
Even so, the Uchiha still benefited.
And Tobirama successfully won over the Hyuga's loyalty in the process.
In the end, the Uchiha gained plenty—yet Madara himself, as clan head, only received the title of Senior Advisor, with no real benefits.
The frightening part?
No one thought anything was wrong.
Not even within the Uchiha clan.
Beyond those two major moves, the third decision would have the most far-reaching impact on Konoha's future.
The founding of the Konoha Ninja Academy.
Providing war-scarred children a place to grow up safely, train, and gain the means to protect themselves—this was a shared dream of both Hashirama and Madara.
Naturally, the master educator Tobirama was chosen as the academy's first principal.
And Chu Yang—direct disciple of both the First Hokage and Tobirama—
Became the academy's very first teacher.
(End of Chapter)