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

Inside the bustling Hokage's office, members of various ninja clans, familiar with each other, huddled together whispering amongst themselves. Uchiha Izuna, standing apart from the group, crossed his arms and did not join in the conversation. Uchiha Gin, who should have been following behind him, was nowhere to be seen.

Just as he was looking around in confusion, a shout that didn't belong to the current scene suddenly came from the crowd. Hearing that familiar voice, Uchiha Izuna was filled with shame and indignation, wishing he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

"Beer, soft drinks, mineral water, peanuts, melon seeds, eight-treasure porridge, you name it!"

"Make way, make way!"

Uchiha Gin, who had just disappeared, was now pushing a small cart that he had somehow acquired, enthusiastically hawking his wares. The cart was piled high with a dazzling array of snacks, offering everything imaginable.

Most of the people who came today were old acquaintances. Everyone seemed to have gotten used to Uchiha Gin's eccentric behavior. Not only did it not cause any disturbance, but some people were even seriously choosing snacks to eat.

As a true member of the Akimichi clan, Shinji Akimichi adheres to the daily code of conduct of always having snacks in hand.

"Gintoki, how much is this?"

When he saw the snacks sold by Uchiha Gin, he couldn't help but be tempted. After browsing for a while, he pointed to a bag of potato chips and asked,

"A generous offer of 1000 taels!"

"Wow! It's so expensive?"

Shinji Akimichi was a little surprised when he heard the price. The same bag of potato chips would cost at most 100 taels outside, but here it was worth ten times more.

"Expensive? These are snacks sold in the Hokage's office, so they're subject to tax."

Uchiha Gin, disguised as a street vendor, gave Akimichi Shinji, who complained about the price, a subtle look, and then whispered to him why it was so expensive.

"Sakura ni~ Give me a pack!"

Having grasped the secret, Shinji Akimichi didn't say much. He simply pulled out some money and bought a bag of potato chips. The long wait was too tedious, and with his snacks in hand, he immediately began to devour them.

"Crunch~ Crunch~"

"Give me a bag of sunflower seeds~"

Do you have any bananas?

"Cola! Cola! I want an iced cola!"

"."

Attracted by the sound of Shinji Akimichi chewing, the crowd also took out their wallets and bought their favorite snacks. For a moment, the scene was quite lively, and there was even a scramble.

"Wow, this is really lucrative. I should have ordered more stock!"

The nearly expired snacks, purchased at a low price, were snapped up in no time. Uchiha Gin counted the money in his hand with a smug look on his face, regretting why he hadn't stocked up on more goods.

"Big cousin, how could you do such a thing? It's a disgrace to the family!"

With a slightly flushed face, Uchiha Izuna pulled Uchiha Gin aside, who had just earned a small sum of money, and questioned him with a look of exasperation.

"Making money is nothing to be ashamed of~"

Uchiha Gin scoffed at his younger cousin's accusations, saying, "Can family traditions put food on the table?"

"Gintoki, have you heard? The Hokage convened this meeting to elect another village chief."

Just as the two brothers were arguing, Sarutobi Sasuke familiarly squeezed next to Uchiha Gin and whispered something, while holding a slightly blackened banana and eating it with relish.

"Is Zun Du fake Du?"

"Would I lie to you, my dear!"

Unexpectedly, this news has already reached the ears of the ninja clans. It's a shame that Tobirama Senju had previously vowed that the news would not leak out and that it would be announced only after the daimyo's appointment letter was issued.

"Big cousin, what's Hashirama Senju up to?"

Unaware of the situation, Uchiha Izuna frowned as he looked at the empty Hokage's desk not far away and asked his older cousin in a low voice.

"Whether it's a cure or a deadly poison, we'll just have to wait and see."

After stuffing the banknotes into his pocket, Uchiha Gin stretched lazily, looking rather uninterested, and then turned his head to look around.

Finding no place to rest, he pulled a small stool from his bag and sat down boldly.

To be honest, although this plan was proposed by Uchiha Gin, and its purpose was indeed to give his younger cousin a legitimate position, otherwise, waiting for the Second Hokage position would probably be a long time coming.

But knowing that white-haired guy's personality, he'll definitely interfere. That guy is just asking for trouble, his fate is inherently wicked, and he's definitely a born despicable little devil.

"Crunch~"

Just as Uchiha Gin was pondering, Senju Hashirama, clad in the Hokage robes, pushed open the door and entered with Senju Tobirama and Uchiha Madara. His usually serious expression nearly gave way to a rude awakening upon seeing the chaotic scene in the office.

Everyone in the office had some snacks or drinks in their hands, and several female ninjas sat together, eating sunflower seeds and gossiping. Laughter could be heard from time to time, turning what should have been a serious meeting into a New Year's tea party.

"Ahem, everyone, please be quiet!"

After clearing his throat a few times, Hashirama Senju channeled his chakra into his voice, creating a deep, penetrating tone that made everyone's eardrums bulge. They all stopped talking and turned their gazes towards him.

"Lord Hashirama, what brings you to summon us in such a hurry?"

An elderly man who looked quite venerable stepped forward first to ask a question, but judging from his attitude, he didn't show much respect. Uchiha Gin propped his neck up and saw the clan crest behind the old man, and immediately understood.

Isn't this the Elder Senju that Tobirama Senju mentioned? He definitely doesn't look like a good guy~

"Elder, please calm down."

His seniority was undeniable; even after Hashirama Senju became Hokage, he still maintained a very humble demeanor.

"I have gathered you all here today to announce something."

Hashirama Senju's gaze swept over the Senju Grand Elder, then, after surveying the entire group, he spoke in an extremely loud voice.

Those who already knew the news wore eager expressions, since it hadn't been said before that they couldn't run for another leader. Those who were unaware, however, frowned, wondering what Hashirama Senju was going to announce.

"Because it is too difficult for me to handle all the affairs of Konoha by myself, I have created a special position with authority equivalent to that of the Hokage. This position has been approved by the Daimyo, and the appointment letter was personally issued by the Daimyo."

Hashirama Senju raised the scroll in his hand and said loudly,

"what!"

"What?!"

"."

As soon as the news was announced, the entire Hokage's office erupted in chaos. The astonished crowd began whispering amongst themselves. Among them, the Senju Elder, who had just asked the question, had an old face as black as the bottom of a pot.

"Lord Hashirama, why wasn't this reported to the clan?"

The Thousand-Handed Elder's withered face trembled slightly as he gritted his remaining teeth and questioned in a hateful voice,

"Elder, watch your words!"

Standing behind Hashirama Senju, Tobirama Senju stepped forward and warned him upon seeing this, showing no regard for respecting the elderly or the young.

"Elder, the Hokage is the Hokage of Konoha, not the Hokage of Senju. Don't say those kinds of things again. I don't want to hear them again."

It was rare to see Hashirama Senju get angry, but this time, the Elder Senju's words were indeed presumptuous, so he was very angry.

"What are the responsibilities of the other position?"

At this moment, an impatient ninja representative raised his hand and asked a question.

"The other position is called the village party secretary, whose authority is equivalent to mine as the village head. We will be in charge of either people's livelihood or military affairs according to our respective abilities, with people's livelihood being the most important."

Hashirama Senju was happy to explain the problem and then reiterated the plan that Tobirama Senju had previously perfected. Everyone present listened attentively, afraid of missing any details.

"The power is so great that it is a high-level game that ordinary ninja clans like us can't possibly participate in."

After hearing Hashirama Senju's explanation, Sarutobi Sasuke, who had been full of enthusiasm, instantly became like a wilted eggplant, completely losing his fighting spirit, and even eating bananas tasted like cardboard.

"Oh? Sasuke, aren't you going to give it a shot? As the saying goes, 'Give it a shot, and you might just turn a bicycle into a motorcycle!'"

Uchiha Gin, always eager for a good show, couldn't resist egging him on.

"Farewell, our Sarutobi clan can't afford to cause trouble."

Knowing Uchiha Gin's quirky personality, he quickly waved his hand to indicate that he was forfeiting.

"Ugh, this is so boring."

Uchiha Gin sighed, then turned his gaze to Hyuga Tenyo, who was not far away, and said with a very sincere look in his eyes,

"Tianyao's younger brother is young and promising, I wonder if that's true?"

"No, no, goodbye!"

As expected of the Hyuga clan, who have perfected the art of hiding in the shadows, they are faster than anyone else at dealing with things they are not confident about. They immediately launched a triple rejection, leaving Uchiha Gin to leave disappointed.

"Big brother! Big brother's pregnant!"

"What do you mean, 'what do you mean'? Be careful, or I'll sue you for defamation!"

You only dare to spout nonsense when Madara Uchiha isn't around.

"What are you thinking? I meant, Big Brother has finally become a leader!"

In Uchiha Izuna's opinion, the position of village chief was none other than Uchiha Madara; there was absolutely no other suitable candidate among them.

"I think it's not that simple."

Uchiha Gin disagreed with his younger cousin's words. He glanced up at the white-haired man behind Senju Hashirama and saw him looking at the crowd below with a sly smile.

It smells of conspiracy; that white-haired guy is definitely up to no good!

"Quiet! The purpose of my gathering here is to vote for the best candidate for village party secretary. Whether you are recommending someone or nominating yourself, please feel free to speak your mind."

Seeing that the atmosphere had been built up to this point, Hashirama Senju's deep voice rang out again, and the discussion among the crowd immediately quieted down.

"Sasuke, we're going to recommend you, you'd better seize the opportunity!"

In the crowd, Kenichi Shimura sneaked up to Sasuke Sarutobi and excitedly told his friend the good news, looking smug as he waited for Sasuke to thank him for his brilliant decision.

"Get lost!" You wish I were dead, don't you?

"I recommend Tobirama Senju!"

The Senju Elder, who had just been publicly reprimanded by Tobirama Senju, slowly raised his withered hand and said in a deep voice.

"How can we tolerate others when we have someone else by our side?" In the eyes of the elder, Konoha was the land conquered by their Senju clan. Even though there were some minor conflicts with Tobirama Senju, he still recommended that white-haired boy to be the leader, determined to seize the highest power in Konoha in their clan's hands.

"!!!"

Izuna Uchiha, who was envisioning a bright future for the Uchiha clan, was instantly enraged when he heard someone recommend Tobirama Senju. He immediately steeled himself, raised his hand, and shouted...

"I recommend the eldest brother!"

Madara Uchiha, standing behind Hashirama Senju, smiled with satisfaction upon hearing his younger brother's voice. He glanced at Tobirama Senju not far to his side, his eyes filled with undisguised provocation.

"Two already, anyone else recommending or volunteering?"

Just as Hashirama Senju had predicted, he had seen from the previous Tailed Beast Capture Competition that these newly joined ninja clans were still biding their time and dared not participate in such a power struggle.

"."

"Crunch~"

A moment of silence fell over the audience, broken only by the crisp sound of a shell being cracked open, drawing everyone's attention.

"What are you looking at me for? To watch a show!"

Just as he put a melon seed in his mouth, Uchiha Gin looked at the puzzled gazes of the crowd, scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly, and...

"Since no one else is participating, the candidates for village secretary are now Tobirama Senju and Madara Uchiha."

With a dark expression, Hashirama Senju, seeing that no one else spoke, announced the end of the recommendation segment and then turned his gaze to the two people beside him.

This was an extremely difficult choice; both options were equally important, and choosing either one would be suicidal for him. Therefore, Hashirama Senju chose to pass the question on to everyone present.

"To ensure a fair and impartial election, let everyone present choose the candidate for village party secretary."

"Sasuke, who are you going to choose?"

The members of the Ninja Clan Alliance have been of one mind since the day they formed the alliance, so the members of other ninja clans immediately sought out Sarutobi Sasuke to ask for his opinion as their leader.

"Oh, this."

When asked the question, Sarutobi Sasuke glanced with considerable difficulty at the composed Uchiha Gin beside him; he too was now caught in a dilemma.

Tobirama Senju was his son's teacher, but Gin Uchiha was also his son's savior. A conflicted feeling grew deep within him, making this usually decisive man feel somewhat lost for the first time.

"Gintoki, it's me."

"It's alright, Sasuke. Don't worry about saving face for me. Make the choice you think is right."

Uchiha Gin expressed his complete understanding of the ninja alliance's dilemma. After all, his son was in the hands of that white-haired man, and if he offended him, it was not impossible for his lineage to be wiped out in no time.

Moreover, it seems that the Uchiha clan has offended quite a few people.

"Who do you want to choose?"

"No need to even think about it, of course I'd choose Lord Tobirama! The other day when I went out drinking and carousing, I got arrested by the Uchiha clan's anti-prostitution squad and locked up in a small dark room for a whole day and night before being released. Who would choose the kind of guy who's always giving that kind of attitude!"

An old ladybug, who wished to remain anonymous, muttered through gritted teeth,

"Uchiha? No way, those guys in the police force torture people indiscriminately without asking questions. If an Uchiha gets elected, they'll have even more leverage. They'll have to be very careful then."

In addition, some people have interpreted it even more deeply.

"Think about it, Tobirama-sama is the Hokage's younger brother. Of course, he'd prefer his brother to be elected. This is a rare opportunity to choose sides, so you'd better seize it!"

The noisy discussions around him couldn't escape Uchiha Gin's keen ears. He subtly curled his lip, looked at Hyuga Tenyo who had remained silent, and asked curiously,

"Brother Tianyao, who are you going to choose?"

If the Hyuga clan openly supports Madara Uchiha's rise to power, it might influence some fence-sitters to switch sides.

"Gintoki, whoever takes over won't have much to do with our Hyuga clan. However, given our personal relationship, I will vote for the Uchiha clan head."

Hyuga Tenyo's words surprised Uchiha Gin. He hadn't expected that this guy with thick eyebrows and white eyes would be such a kind and righteous person. While he was moved, he couldn't help but feel a little sad.

After all, people only voted for Madara Uchiha because of their personal relationship. This shows that the younger cousin didn't cultivate his network of relationships and focused all his attention on Madara's coma, leaving the Uchiha clan without any allies.

A huge "misery" is written all over your face~

"Young Clan Chief, the Clan Chief's secret order!"

Just as Uchiha Gin and Hyuga Tenyo were talking, a middle-aged man with white eyes crept over, whispered a few words in his ear, and then left.

Hyuga Tenyo's expression, which had been calm and collected at first, turned somewhat bluish, then slightly flushed. He turned to look at Uchiha Gin, whose face was full of confusion, and said somewhat embarrassedly,

"Gintoki, I'm really sorry, but I can't disobey my father's orders."

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Gin raised an eyebrow, his gaze towards Hyuga Tenyo filled with not a hint of blame, but rather deep sympathy.

This kid is so pitiful, still being so tightly controlled by his parents at his age!

"It's alright, it's alright. One more or one less won't make a difference. I'm content with your kind intentions."

Gin Uchiha gently shook his head; there was no anger on his face.

"Big cousin, the situation is not looking good!"

Uchiha Izuna wasn't deaf; he heard everything the people around him were saying, including the slanderous remarks about the Uchiha clan. His initial confidence vanished instantly.

"See? I told you to explain how your tribe members usually maintain good relationships with everyone, but you didn't take it seriously. Now look what happened, you have no friends!"

You reap what you sow. The Uchiha clan's aloof and arrogant nature made them unpopular, let alone easy to make friends. It was only because Uchiha Gin was cheerful, humble, and sociable that he managed to salvage some of the Uchiha's reputation.

Huh? You haven't mentioned a word about the money-grabbing scheme, have you? Kenichi Shimura dreams of tearing you to pieces, you curly-haired bastard.

Madara Uchiha, standing on the stage, was also in great agony. He thought that after Gin Uchiha's proposal was approved, his position as leader was secure. Even if it wasn't the Hokage position he longed for, being a village headman didn't seem so bad.

Moreover, she doesn't have to wait for Hasi Hot Mom to retire to be able to work with him every day legitimately, no longer being a paid intern whose job is uncertain. In the past, Uchiha Madara would never have dared to dream of such a good thing.

I never expected that Tobirama Senju would use such a cunning trick, retreating to advance, not taking the initiative, but relying on his usual maneuvering to get people to put him on the seat of village party secretary. It was really too despicable!

"Mada!"

Unexpectedly, a single public opinion poll resulted in a one-sided outcome. Caught off guard, Hashirama Senju looked somewhat flustered, his eyes filled with deep apology as he gazed at Madara Uchiha.

"No need to say anything more, I was oversimplifying things."

Feeling that the position of village party secretary was getting further and further away from him, Madara Uchiha was no longer anxious as before. It was his consistent way of doing things to find a way to win from failure. He knew where he had lost this time, so he was not too discouraged.

"Brother, I didn't expect this either. Who knew everyone would..."

Meanwhile, Tobirama Senju, standing to the side, looked conflicted as he gazed at Hashirama Senju with an innocent expression, as if he hadn't expected so many people to support him.

But could you please tuck your lip a little tighter? It's practically stretching to your ears.

"snort!"

I, Madara Uchiha, am ashamed to associate with a despicable fellow like you.

He didn't lose unjustly; Tobirama Senju was such a good actor, he understood human nature too well.

"hehe."

On the surface, Tobirama Senju appeared innocent, but inwardly he was laughing like a fool. In order to secure the position of village chief, he deliberately leaked the contents of his plan when he went to the capital of the Land of Fire to meet the daimyo, while also giving a warning to those opportunistic ninja clans.

As for the ninja alliance led by Sarutobi, he had no worries. His purpose in taking on disciples was not pure; it was to control the ninjas' fate at crucial moments and make them work for him.

Then there's the Hyuga clan. Although that clan is struggling to make ends meet, the old patriarch of the Hyuga clan is a cautious man. If you give him even the slightest hint, he will naturally make the right choice.

Moreover, it was he who suggested that the Uchiha clan be allowed to take on law enforcement duties. He saw that the Uchiha were naturally arrogant and had eccentric personalities, and that they would inevitably clash with others during law enforcement, which was within Tobirama Senju's expectations.

Hmph~ Konoha is full of my pawns from top to bottom. I originally planned to use them when I was running for the Second Hokage, but I didn't expect them to come in handy so early.

"Sigh~"

With a sigh from Hashirama Senju, the representatives of the ninja clans below the stage had already submitted their choices.

As expected, Tobirama Senju defeated Madara Uchiha with an overwhelming advantage and successfully ascended to the position of village head.

"Big cousin! Are you just going to stand there and watch?"

Seeing Tobirama Senju, that white-haired villain, so smug, Izuna Uchiha was furious. He wished he could pilot a Gundam and give that guy a good beating to vent his anger.

"What else can we do but keep an eye on him? When it comes to playing mind games, the entire Uchiha clan combined can't outmaneuver him as well as he does alone."

This village was the result of their joint efforts. In Uchiha Gin's vision, Senju Hashirama would definitely go against the majority opinion and directly appoint Uchiha Madara as the village head, assisting him in managing Konoha, indulging in his leadership fantasies, and never thinking about the Hokage position again. As for Senju Tobirama, he could just continue to wait to become his second Hokage.

But to everyone's surprise, this white-haired guy doesn't play by the rules. Instead of becoming the future Second Hokage, he insists on competing with Madara Uchiha right now. He really has no foresight at all!

"But that's good too, my younger cousin's dream of becoming Naruto is getting more and more promising~" (End of this chapter)