Konoha: The thirty-year-old Uchiha lacks motivation.

While the plan proposed by Uchiha Gin was somewhat constructive in the eyes of Senju Hashirama and the others, creating a new position at the same level as the Hokage was not something they could decide in a few words.

To obtain the approval of the daimyo and the recognition of the ninja clan and villagers, Tobirama Senju decided to record the plan first, intending to make it public after it was perfected.

"I was just joking, if it doesn't work out, then forget it."

Seeing that Tobirama Senju remained silent, Gin Uchiha assumed that his absurd plan had rendered the white-haired man speechless, and then scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly.

"Brother Yin, your idea is very novel, I think it's good."

Hashirama Senju nodded with a smile, his gaze falling on Madara Uchiha beside him as he spoke, his true intentions obvious.

"Hmph~"

Feeling the burning gaze, Madara Uchiha immediately straightened his back, adopting an arrogant posture.

"Adding leadership positions suddenly is too hasty; this plan needs further consideration."

He took notes on Tobirama Senju, who was exchanging glances with his older brother Madara Uchiha. His brows furrowed slightly, and he neither agreed nor disagreed with the conversation.

"Ah! Then, could you perhaps arrange my job at the prison?"

Seeing that no one had rejected his suggestion, Uchiha Gin rubbed his hands excitedly and couldn't wait to ask,

"Go back and wait for news."

"Okay~"

Having received the answer he wanted, Uchiha Gin was about to leave when he realized it was already lunchtime. Without saying a word, he grabbed his hardworking cousin and left the Hokage Building.

"Come on, come on, my cousin's in a good mood today, let's go out for a meal!"

Madara Uchiha, who had been forcibly brought out, looked at his older cousin's retreating figure. A hint of gratitude flashed in his cold eyes. After a long pause, he spoke softly.

"Cousin, thank you."

In Madara Uchiha's view, the plan proposed by Gin Uchiha was tailor-made for him, because he was worried that he would not be able to take on the position of Hokage, so he specially created this position.

"We're all brothers, no need to thank me!"

It's just a meal, why is Madara Uchiha being so polite now? It's completely contrary to his character.

"I will try my best!"

Understanding his cousin's good intentions, Madara Uchiha was deeply moved. He then clenched his fists and said with conviction.

"ha?"

Is this kid trying to eat me out of house and home?

Baffled by Madara Uchiha's strange behavior, Gin Uchiha frowned in confusion, then turned and led him into a noodle shop.

Welcome!

"Boss, give me a bowl of miso ramen!"

After exchanging a familiar greeting with the ramen shop owner, Uchiha Gin turned to his younger cousin, waving his hand generously.

"This is a new delicacy I recently discovered, so eat as much as you want!"

"."

However, Madara Uchiha looked up at the meager menu on the wall of the noodle shop and, with a mix of amusement and exasperation, ordered the same miso ramen.

"Huh? Not with Naruto rolls? Their toppings taste pretty good~"

"No, I hate Naruto Maki."

"Tobirama, do you also think Gin's suggestion is feasible?"

After Madara Uchiha left, the Senju brothers, who were left alone in the office, began a private discussion about the plan they had just discussed. Hashirama Senju had a serious expression on his face and looked intently at his younger brother.

"To be honest, this plan does have its merits."

Upon hearing this, Tobirama Senju nodded. If the two of them were to govern Konoha together, although disagreements might arise, it would also prevent a certain degree of autocracy.

Furthermore, in the event that the village leader encounters an accident, another person can step in immediately to suppress instability and prevent the situation from escalating out of control.

"That's good. Quickly write up a comprehensive plan, and I'll take it to the lord for a look."

Since Tobirama Senju thought it was acceptable, Hashirama Senju immediately stood up, his eyes gleaming with excitement, and urged his younger brother to write the report quickly.

"Take your time. Have you decided who you'd like to appoint as the village party secretary?"

With a slightly cold expression, Tobirama Senju raised his hand to signal Hashirama Senju not to rush, his crimson eyes fixed on his elder brother as he posed a probing question.

"It's the motor, of course!"

There's no need to think about it. When the time comes, I and Madara will work together seamlessly, one handling external affairs and the other internal affairs. As husband and brothers, we will work together to make Konoha thrive.

Upon hearing this, Tobirama Senju immediately wore a "I knew it" expression, shaking his head and sighing with a face full of black lines.

"Sigh~ I knew it, you're completely infatuated with that guy and have lost your mind!"

"Huh? I didn't!"

Feeling that he had been unjustly accused, Hashirama Senju repeatedly denied it, but he never dared to look Tobirama Senju in the eye.

"Brother, you need to understand that becoming a leader requires not only the right talent, but also strong leadership skills and a charismatic personality that can win people over. Do you think that Uchiha Madara guy possesses these basic elements?"

Tobirama Senju always harbored suspicion towards the Uchiha clan, whose emotions were notoriously unstable. Even though he had an Uchiha disciple, his interactions with the Uchiha had somewhat changed his opinion of them.

However, not all Uchiha can be generalized; Kagami is curly-haired!

"Tsk, but I think Mada is okay."

After listening to Tobirama Senju's words, Hashirama Senju lowered his head in silence, a hint of struggle flashing in his eyes. But he still resolutely raised his head and spoke up for his dearest friend.

"Your opinion alone isn't enough. From the founding of Konoha until now, has Madara Uchiha made any significant contributions to the village?"

Faced with his stubborn older brother, Tobirama Senju sighed inwardly, took a few steps, leaned against Hashirama Senju's desk, and asked,

"Yes, yes, the Tailed Beasts were captured with Madara's help!"

When it came to contributions, Hashirama Senju immediately perked up and raised his hand to answer.

"Uh, that doesn't count. He was after the Hokage position; that was for personal reasons!"

"Then he carved the Hokage Rock for me~"

"That's your personal relationship, it has nothing to do with the village!"

"He funded the construction of the Hokage Building!"

"Ahem, let's talk about personal charisma instead."

Almost choked by Senju Hashirama's successive remarks, Tobirama quickly stopped talking about contributions and instead started comparing personal charm.

"I swear on my integrity, Madara's character is absolutely upright! As for his charm, what more needs to be said? Madara is Konoha's undisputed handsome man~"

Indeed, as Hashirama Senju said, Madara Uchiha has always held a high position on the list of handsome men and beautiful women circulating in Konoha. He has gained a large number of female fans with his cool and handsome appearance.

"Publicly accepted?"

Tobirama Senju was completely unaware of this; he was always engrossed in his work and had no time to learn about such gossip.

"That's right, Konoha has a list of handsome men, and Madara has always been at the top."

As the unsung hero behind this list, Hashirama Senju answered very seriously.

"By the way, Tobirama, you're on the list too, but your ranking isn't very high."

Looking at Tobirama Senju's wrinkled face, Hashirama Senju thoughtfully told him about his ranking.

"I'm here too? Let me see!"

Tobirama Senju, who hadn't been particularly interested at first, reached out with some curiosity. He knew his older brother definitely had inside information and gossip.

Hehe~

Scratching his head sheepishly, Hashirama Senju took a ranking list from his drawer and handed it to Tobirama Senju. Tobirama immediately began browsing it.

"Heh, the person who made this list has some insight, putting you first, brother."

Unaware that the ranking was inflated, Tobirama Senju looked at Hashirama Senju, who was far ahead in the polls, and nodded in agreement.

"Uchiha Madara is in second place? It's a rigged game! There's definitely something fishy going on! The votes must have been rigged!"

He's a hypocrite from the start.

"Where am I?"

Skipping over the two familiar faces, Tobirama Senju continued his search. The next few were all ninjas with somewhat quirky nicknames, but to his surprise, he spotted another familiar figure among them.

"How can Uchiha Izuna be ranked in the top ten? This list has absolutely no authority!"

"Oh? You mean Izuna? He wasn't in the top ten before, but he recently changed his look and his popularity has skyrocketed. His support rate has soared, which is why he squeezed into the top ten."

Seeing his younger brother's displeased expression, Hashirama Senju quickly explained the reason.

"Hmph~ a cunning opportunist."

Looking at Uchiha Izuna's smug expression on the list, Tobirama Senju felt like he'd swallowed ten pounds of lemon juice; even his breath tasted sour.

Unconvinced, he continued looking down, but after nearly a whole page of the list, Tobirama Senju still couldn't find his name. He frowned and asked,

"You said I was on the list, so why am I not here? Did you get the wrong one?"

"Oh! There's more on the back, take a look."

"back?"

With a puzzled look, Tobirama Senju flipped the list over and finally found his name.

[NO.250: Tobirama Senju]

###! ! !

"Smack!!!"

"This list must have been compiled by the Uchiha clan!!!"

Enraged, Tobirama Senju slammed the ranking list directly in front of Hashirama Senju. The solid wood desk groaned as it was struck with tremendous force.

"Once I find the guy who made that list, I'll make sure his whole family is sent flying to heaven!"

"ah"

Unexpectedly, his usually calm younger brother could be so emotional. Feeling slightly sweaty, Hashirama Senju hurriedly pointed to a name on the list and said,

"Don't get excited, Tobirama. Look, Gin-san is also in the back of the line, isn't he?"

[NO.249: Uchiha Gin]

"."

"Why is that curly-haired guy on top of me?!"

It would have been better if he hadn't pointed at him. But when he saw that Uchiha Gintoki was ranked higher than him, Tobirama Senju went completely mad. His eyes turned bloodshot and he gritted his teeth. He vowed to hang up this person who ranked him and beat him up, and then use the Water Severing Wave to perform a painful excision surgery on him.

"What are you arguing about? I can hear you from outside the building."

Just as Tobirama Senju was jumping up and down in anger, Madara Uchiha, who had just finished getting a free bowl of ramen, returned to work. As soon as he entered, he saw the white-haired man in a fit of rage and immediately looked puzzled.

"It's nothing! Tobirama was just warming up his voice~"

With lightning-fast reflexes, Hashirama Senju shoved the ranking list back onto the table, a warm smile spreading across his face. He shook his head repeatedly to indicate that nothing had happened; his younger brother was simply practicing his voice.

"Oh? I didn't know you were an artist~"

Madara Uchiha never expected that Tobirama Senju had this hobby. As a soul dancer, his inner artistic spirit couldn't help but stir.

"I"

Suddenly being labeled a songstress, Tobirama Senju looked at his older brother with some confusion. He did have a love for music, but he had never revealed it to the outside world. He would only sing alone on dark and windy nights.

"Shh~ Singing, dancing, rapping, and basketball are all pluses. As long as the promotion is done well, the ranking will definitely skyrocket!"

Hashirama Senju tugged at Tobirama Senju, who was leaning against the table, and whispered a serious reminder.

"Uh, cough cough cough, that's right, I'll practice a couple of lines during my break~"

After receiving guidance from the top-ranked expert, Tobirama Senju felt as if he had been enlightened. He then coughed a few times, and with a touch of artistic arrogance on his face, he began to explain.

"Oh oh oh~"

Madara Uchiha's astonished expression pleased Tobirama Senju, who couldn't help but smile and show off his skills.

"Thinking back to those days, my tears never dry."

A few days later, Tobirama Senju, having completed Gin Uchiha's plan, led a small team away from Konoha, heading towards the capital of the Land of Fire, with the aim of discussing the details of the plan with the daimyo of the Land of Fire.

"Ooioi, why didn't the Hokage come in person?"

In the palace of the Fire Country's daimyo, the daimyo, his face pale, looked at Tobirama Senju with interest, resting his chin on his folding fan, and asked in a puzzled voice,

"The Hokage was assassinated while he was away, and he has been stationed in the village to ensure the stability of Konoha's development during this period."

Faced with the daimyo's questioning, Tobirama Senju calmly and humbly offered a reasonable explanation.

"Huh? The Hokage was assassinated? Is he alright?"

"Thank you for your concern, it's just a minor injury."

That makes sense; the clothes are torn, so it's just a superficial injury.

"Oh~ So what is the purpose of your trip?"

Upon hearing that Hashirama Senju was unharmed, the daimyo breathed a sigh of relief. Konoha had helped him save face in front of his brothers, and if anything happened to the Hokage, he would no longer be able to show off in front of the other daimyo.

"Please take a look at your name."

Tobirama Senju didn't hesitate and handed over the plan he had prepared beforehand.

"What's this?" Are they here to ask for money again?

With a puzzled expression, the daimyo took the scroll handed to him by Tobirama Senju and, without any further suspicion, immediately opened it and began to browse.

After a moment, the daimyo, with a strange expression, put down the scroll in his hand, looked at Tobirama Senju who was waiting in front of him, and spoke.

"The Hokage is truly an admirable leader."

The proposal submitted by Tobirama Senju overturned the values ​​of the Fire Country Daimyo; who would willingly share their rights with another person?

"This is also necessary for Konoha's development, and Konoha has the capability to select multiple outstanding individuals who can serve as leaders!"

Indeed, as Tobirama Senju said, there are quite a few people in Konoha who have the strength and courage to take on the position of Hokage.

Even in the future Konoha in the original story, after the Third Hokage's death, there were still two Legendary Sannin who could take over, and secretly there was also the Nagakage waiting for an opportunity to usurp the throne.

Unlike the Land of Wind in later generations, when the young Kazekage Gaara was captured, the entire Sand Village could only muster a mere Maki as a temporary leader, which was quite laughable.

"I think it's good."

Looking at the confident Tobirama Senju, the daimyo nodded in agreement.

In his view, no matter how many leaders Konoha has, as long as they can complete the assigned tasks efficiently, the people's lives are stable, and they can help him earn taxes, that is the result that these nobles are most happy to see.

"As for the selection, Konoha can decide for themselves, as long as the position of Hokage remains unchanged."

The daimyo's gaze fell on the final list of candidates in the plan. Looking at those familiar surnames, he gently shook his head. As long as his in-law, Hashirama Senju, didn't step down, it didn't matter who took the other leadership position.

As long as the plan was approved by the daimyo, then the other leader of Konoha would have at least the authority. Tobirama Senju took the appointment letter signed and stamped by the daimyo and rushed back to Konoha to tell the eagerly awaiting news to Hashirama Senju.

"Big brother, I got it!"

In the office, a travel-worn Tobirama Senju, in front of Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, took out the letter of appointment for the daimyo.

"Thank you for your hard work, Tobirama!"

Excitedly, Hashirama Senju solemnly accepted the appointment letter, his eyes filled with emotion.

"It's just my job."

Tobirama Senju didn't boast about his achievements. He glanced at Madara Uchiha beside him, shook his head, and replied...

"Phew~ Great! The engine's up, look!"

Upon receiving his appointment letter, Hashirama Senju immediately chose to share his joy with his closest friend.

"Now that the appointment letter has been issued, shouldn't this person be confirmed?"

He glanced down at the appointment letter signed by the daimyo, noticing the blank space in the middle where the second leader's name was to be filled in.

"Of course it's you!"

Eagerly pulling out a pen, Hashirama Senju was about to fill in Madara Uchiha's name in the blank space of the appointment letter when he was stopped by a large hand that suddenly appeared.

"Brother, isn't what you're doing a bit hasty?"

All that could be seen was Tobirama Senju, whose expression was grim, staring intently at Madara Uchiha beside him.

"What's the rush? Is there anyone more suitable than Mada?"

"Leaving aside the question of whether there is a suitable candidate, so hastily appointing another leader will likely be difficult to justify!"

Tobirama Senju shook his head and explained.

"Then what do you suggest we do?"

Madara Uchiha, whose plan had been ruined, stared at Tobirama Senju, wanting to hear his thoughts.

Let's call a meeting.

Soon, at the same time, all the major ninja clans in Konoha received summons from the Hokage Building.

The first Konoha Representative Conference has officially begun.

"Sasuke, why did the Hokage summon us?"

The members of the Ninja Alliance met on their way to the assembly point. Kenichi Shimura, watching curiously as the group headed towards the Hokage Building, nudged his friend and asked, "..."

"I don't know what it is, but it shouldn't be related to the war."

Unaware of the inside story, Sarutobi Sasuke frowned deeply. As long as a war didn't break out, he didn't care about anything else.

"I've heard some rumors."

The chubby Shinji Akimichi leaned closer with a mysterious look on his face, while Minako Yamamoto, following behind him, also pricked up her ears.

"It is said that because the Hokage was overwhelmed and felt completely drained, he decided to create another position with power equivalent to the Hokage, but with no overlap in responsibilities."

"Delegating authority? The Hokage is really generous~"

The man with the pineapple-shaped haircut at the back of the line rubbed his sleepy eyes, his gaze thoughtful.

In his view, the Hokage, as the leader of the ninjas of the Land of Fire, should act as a leader, concentrating power while managing all affairs of Konoha in a centralized manner.

"Really? Who would share their rights?"

Kenichi Shimura absolutely refused to believe the rumors about Shinji Akimichi and immediately asked him for clarification.

"Shinji, where did you hear that from?"

"Huh? Has your son told you all about this?"

It turned out that Akimichi Torifu had heard the news from his own teacher and then passed it on to Akimichi Shinji.

"No, I don't?"

Sarutobi Sasuke and Shimura Kenichi scratched their heads; they hadn't heard this news from their own children.

"They must not have been paying attention in class!"

"Hmph! Just wait till I get back and teach him a lesson!" *2

"Big cousin, there's a meeting with the Naruto family, are you going to attend?"

Uchiha Gin, who was strolling around the Uchiha clan's territory, was stopped by Uchiha Izuna, who suddenly appeared.

A meeting? Could it be that his proposal was approved?

"Didn't they say what it was about?"

"No, they only said to send representatives from each ethnic group."

Among the Uchiha clan now, only Uchiha Gin can be considered truly respected, so when Uchiha Izuna encountered this situation, the first person he thought of was his older cousin.

"Let's go take a look!"

Uchiha Gin, eager to see what was going on, didn't refuse his younger cousin's invitation and immediately nodded and followed.

"Hey~ isn't this Tianyao's brother from prison? Long time no see, your hairline's getting higher and higher~"

Unexpectedly, he ran into an acquaintance on the road. Uchiha Gin looked at the black-haired, white-eyed youth dressed in plain clothes not far away and greeted him warmly.

"It's Gintoki. It has been a long time."

As the young master of the Hyuga clan, Hyuga Tenyo had long lost the arrogance he had when he first entered Konoha. He had become much more restrained. Upon hearing Uchiha Gin's lazy voice, a faint smile appeared on his otherwise expressionless lips.

"Are you going to a meeting too?"

"My father has difficulty moving around, so he asked me to go to the meeting."

I met Hyuga Tenyo's father, Uchiha Gin, once. He seemed to be on his deathbed, and I guess he wouldn't even live to see winter before he could have a proper feast.

"Mr. Gin~ Long time no see!"

Just as the two were exchanging pleasantries, a surprised voice rang in his ears. Uchiha Gin turned around and saw members of the Shinobi Alliance, led by Sarutobi Sasuke, waving at him from a short distance away.

However, upon seeing Sarutobi Sasuke's monkey-like appearance, Gin Uchiha couldn't help but feel a tiny bit of guilt.

"Sorry, Sasuke, but Iwagakure has given us way too much~" (End of Chapter)