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

The excited cheers of his clansmen echoed in Uchiha Izuna's ears, but he felt nothing unusual. Instead, he felt a sense of emptiness in his heart.

Me, the Hokage?

With a self-deprecating, stiff smile, a hint of loneliness flashed across Uchiha Izuna's face.

Father is not here.

My older brother isn't here.

Even that wretched white-haired guy isn't here.

Those who were chasing me are no longer here, so what's the point of me taking the Hokage position?

"Congratulations, Shadow Assistant."

Just as Uchiha Izuna was lost in thought and feeling dejected, Sarutobi Sasuke and the representatives of the Shinobi Alliance arrived to offer their congratulations. Their aged faces bore an undisguised resentment.

"There's nothing to congratulate you on."

Uchiha Izuna gently shook his head, his expression neither sad nor happy, but to the members of the Shinobi Alliance, this action was seen as nothing short of showing off.

The Hokage position that you all crave but cannot obtain, I, Uchiha Izuna, can have easily obtained.

"Lord Kagesuke is too modest. Hiruzen, do you see? There's still a lot you need to learn."

Sarutobi Sasuke cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, then turned and nudged the dejected Hiruzen Sarutobi, signaling him to quickly say something nice.

"You could never learn everything from Lord Kagesuke in your entire life."

Left with no other choice, Hiruzen Sarutobi had to utter a lie. Izuna Uchiha nodded slightly, his gaze fixed intently on the young man before him.

"That white-haired guy thinks highly of you?"

"Forehead"

The unexpected question caught Hiruzen Sarutobi off guard, leaving him momentarily at a loss for words.

Fortunately, Jingzai, who had just escaped from the cheering clansmen, arrived and, upon hearing the problem, immediately smoothed things over for his friend.

"Yes, Lord Izuna, our teacher repeatedly praised Hiruzen as having the potential to become Hokage."

"The potential to become Hokage, huh?"

Uchiha Izuna glanced at the smiling Mirror, but did not continue to question Hiruzen Sarutobi. However, a somewhat ambiguous look appeared in his eyes.

Not far away, Senju Hisana watched Uchiha Izuna being fawned over like a star, and her anger flared. That bastard becoming Hokage made her want to betray the village.

"hateful!"

Increasingly angry, Senju Hishima stormed off her seat, and the Senju clan members who followed her immediately gave chase.

"My lady! There's a village committee election later!"

"What are you still looking at? Is there any suspense?"

Senju Hisami said in an annoyed tone,

According to the rules, candidates who have participated in the Hokage election are ineligible to run for village head. Uchiha Kagami, with his immense popularity, had no rivals; the village head position was essentially a trap for him.

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"But if we leave now, won't it seem like we're being petty?"

The Senju clansman hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice.

"snort!"

She represents the face of the Senju clan at this moment; it would indeed be undignified for her to leave like this.

Helpless, Senju Hisama had no choice but to sit back down, cursing the traitors of the Ninja Alliance in her mind.

"Don't let me find out who it is!"

creak-

"Da da da"

Just as Senju Hisa was mentally stabbing herself in the back, the tightly closed door to the conference room was pushed open a crack, and a short figure crouched down and slipped in.

Pfft!

"Xiaogang, where did you go just now?"

Turning her head to look at Tsunade, who had plopped down next to her, Senju Hisama's tense expression eased slightly.

"Don't even mention it, I just gambled away all my lucky money for this year."

A listless Tsunade looked up, her expression one of utter despair. Faced with her adoptive aunt's question, she pouted and answered truthfully.

"You didn't start betting on sports too, did you?"

"Huh? Auntie, how did you know?"

Tsunade blinked, tilting her head in confusion as she asked, completely unaware of the word "also" in Senju Hisami's words.

"I just saw that curly-haired guy at the opening of the trading window."

Senju Hisama, who had also suffered heavy losses, couldn't help but feel a sense of kinship with him.

Sure enough, I wasn't the only one who lost badly.

"Sigh~ I should have listened to Grandma."

"You must listen to your aunt, otherwise you shouldn't gamble at all."

Senju Hisama nodded in deep agreement. He guessed that Senju Momoka must have stopped Tsunade from giving away the money, but his little granddaughter was no ordinary person. She must have placed the bet behind her sister-in-law's back.

"No, Grandma told me to bet on Uchiha Izuna, but I overthought it and went all in on Sarutobi Hiruzen, whom Grandma was pessimistic about."

Tsunade pouted, her face full of resentment.

"My aunt said Uchiha Izuna will win?"

At first, Senju Hisako just thought her granddaughter was grumbling and laughed it off. But the more she listened, the more uneasy she felt. Something flashed through her mind, and her crimson pupils contracted sharply.

Is it

A disbelieving guess formed in her mind, Senju Hisana immediately searched for Senju Momoka, with whom she had just spoken. She happened to see her sister-in-law leading her subordinates, gracefully walking towards Uchiha Izuna, who was surrounded by a crowd.

"Congratulations, Shadow Assistant."

"You're too kind, First Lady."

Uchiha Izuna looked at Senju Momoka, who was congratulating him, with surprise. He wasn't very familiar with her; he had only met her a few times during his cousin's group activities.

Since Hashirama Senju disappeared and Tobirama Senju sacrificed himself, Momoka Senju's influence within the clan has grown increasingly stronger, and matters large and small must be approved by her before they can proceed.

"Kagesuke, don't misunderstand. The relationship between our two families isn't actually as bad as you think, is it?"

As if sensing Uchiha Izuna's confusion, Senju Momoka smiled slightly, uttered a profound statement, and then led her subordinates away, leaving behind a group of onlookers who were completely bewildered.

Back in the area where the Senju clan gathered, Senju Momoka had barely sat down when Senju Hisama, who had come to demand an explanation, arrived at the battlefield.

"Auntie, did you make this?"

Looking at her sister-in-law, who seemed somewhat unfamiliar to her, Senju Hisami asked in a deep voice.

"What are you doing? Hisana, what are you saying? I don't understand."

Faced with the questioning, Senju Momoka covered her slightly open mouth in surprise; her performance was flawless.

"Tsuna told me everything, so how did you know Izuna Uchiha would win?"

How could the naturally suspicious Senju Hisa possibly believe the other party's one-sided story?

"Seriously, Tsuna's mouth is so loose!"

Upon hearing that she had been betrayed by her own granddaughter, Senju Momoka stopped pretending, gently lowered her small hand, and her expression became somewhat serious.

"Yes, I did it."

It was indeed she who, at a crucial moment, secretly instructed the Senju ninja who followed her to cast his election vote for Uchiha Izuna, who was her mortal enemy.

"That's the inherently evil Uchiha clan. Handing Konoha over to him is tantamount to ruining my great-uncle's life's work!"

Seeing Senju Momoka so openly admit it, Senju Hisami nearly fainted. All her painstaking calculations regarding the Hokage position...

And what did you do? You just opened your mouth and handed the Hokage position to that idiot Uchiha Izuna.

"Himaru, you're still too young."

Thousand Hands Peach Blossom shook her head.

"The waters of Konoha are too deep for you to handle."

"But I know at least that Konoha must not fall into the hands of the Uchiha."

Konoha was indeed rife with complex internal affairs, and Senju Hisa was well aware of this, but all of this was still under her control. The only variable was the Uchiha clan, an unstable factor that she could not control.

"But right now, there is no one more suitable to be Hokage than Uchiha Izuna."

Momoka Senju was well aware of the implications, but she trusted the Uchiha clan more than any insignificant fry in Konoha.

At least in this way, Konoha can still possess a certain deterrent power, making ambitious individuals from other countries hesitate to act.

If it were the Ninja Alliance that had chosen Hokage, the armies of the other major nations would probably have reached the gates of Konoha the very next day.

"I think Hiruzen Sarutobi would be better; he's young and steady, much stronger than Izuna Uchiha!"

Senju Hisama pointed at the towering Hiruzen Sarutobi in the distance, spouting nonsense with a straight face. Taking money to do things—how shameless!

"If it weren't for Uchiha Izuna, the little monkey would be an excellent candidate."

The F6 were children that Senju Momoka had watched grow up, and she had great confidence in Hiruzen Sarutobi's abilities. However, the opponent was too strong, so she had to ask him to wait a few more years.

"It's too late."

As the truth came to light, Senju Hisana took a deep breath. She hadn't expected the mole to be her most trusted sister-in-law. Given her status, she certainly couldn't punish her.

"Who else knows about this?"

After the initial shock, Senju Hisana immediately became alert.

If the Ninja Alliance found out that the Senju clan was the traitor who caused their election defeat, it wouldn't be a matter that could be resolved with just a few words. After all, the Senju clan had spent real money to bribe officials, and she certainly didn't have the money to repay them.

"Besides my loyal subordinates, only Gintoki is loyal to me."

"ha?"

You know about that curly-haired guy too?

Senju Hisa stood frozen in place, a nameless rage instantly igniting in her chest.

Since you know the inside story, why are you still opening a betting market and treating us like韭菜 (a metaphor for being exploited) to be fleeced?

Zhiliwa, give me my money back!

The thought of those hundreds of billions she had painstakingly embezzled falling so easily into Uchiha Gin's pocket nearly made Senju Hisami faint with rage.

How did he know?

Could it be that my sister-in-law was bewitched by that curly-haired man, which led her to do such a rebellious thing?

"I took the initiative to reach out to him, wanting to ask him his opinion on this matter."

"Why did you have to go to him of all people?"

Senju Hisa frowned slightly. It wasn't that he didn't think highly of Uchiha Gin, but that the other party himself wasn't very promising. After so many years, his actual combat strength was still just an ordinary Jonin, spending his days in the dungeon.

"It was Hashirama's request."

"Uncle?"

Why are we bringing up the older brother again?

"Hashirama once said that if the Senju were about to clash with the Uchiha, they should go find Gintoki."

Momoka Senju's tone also carried a hint of ambiguity; she didn't know why Hashirama Senju would ask her to seek help from Gin Uchiha at such a crucial moment.

Is it because of their financial power?

What did you and he talk about?

Now that things have come to this, Senju Hisami can only continue to dig deeper and unravel the doubts in her heart.

"I told him about your alliance with the ninja clan."

"and then?"

"Then he told me to switch sides and vote for Uchiha Izuna."

Senju Momoka spread her hands, revealing a helpless expression.

Before going to find Uchiha Gin, she didn't have any specific plans. She simply wanted to ask Senju Hisami whether the alliance between Senju Hisami and the Ninja Clan Alliance would affect the future of the Senju clan.

Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Uchiha Gin's previously half-closed, dead-fish eyes instantly flashed with a sharp light. After stroking his chin and pondering for a long time, he explained the intricacies of the situation to her.

The main purpose of the alliance between the Senju clan and the Shinobi Alliance was to prevent Izuna Uchiha from becoming Hokage and to prevent the Uchiha clan from becoming too powerful.

However, the Ninja Alliance is not a benevolent force. If they were to actually obtain the Hokage position, the entire Hidden Leaf Village would undergo a major reshuffle.

Because the composition of the Ninja Alliance is not as singular as that of the Senju and Uchiha clans, but rather a combination of numerous small and medium-sized clans, the intricate web of interests among the various parties would likely take three days and three nights to explain.

In short, if the candidate nominated by the Ninja Alliance succeeds as Hokage, the other clans within the Ninja Alliance who contributed their efforts will step forward to demand their compensation.

This reward is not something that can be satisfied with just money. What they want is to divide up the big cake of Konoha, to privatize what was originally public, and to strive to consolidate the long-term development of their own families.

At that time, everything in Konoha will become chaotic and disorderly.

"That makes some sense."

After listening to Senju Momoka's account, Senju Hisa's face showed a thoughtful expression.

She admitted that she had been somewhat emotional in this matter, and now that she had calmed down and thought about it, she realized that what she had done could very well have pushed Konoha into an abyss of no return.

While Uchiha Izuna was certainly despicable, the Uchiha clan was not greedy. On the contrary, they were very dedicated, almost to the point of working for free to build Konoha.

Having Uchiha succeed as Hokage would at least prevent him from dividing up the village's resources, since that bastard Uchiha Izuna has a golden house.

The thought of the small building that Uchiha Izuna had once boasted about, built entirely of gold bricks, filled Senju Hisami with a bittersweet feeling.

So what if he ended up with a good cousin?

He's also my soon-to-be brother-in-law!

"Auntie, this matter is a secret between you, me, and heaven, but we absolutely cannot let the Ninja Alliance find out."

Coming to her senses, Senju Hisa glanced cautiously at the ninja alliance representative who was trying to ingratiate himself with Uchiha Izuna in the distance, and instructed Senju Momoka to keep this matter a secret.

"I know you accepted a bribe, remember to share half with me when you get back~"

Senju Momoka nodded with a smile and directly indicated that she would share the money.

"Um, that one."

"Just kidding, your auntie is keeping it for you for now, to use as your dowry when you get married in the future."

Seeing Senju Hisama's hesitant expression, Senju Momoka immediately added, "A young person carrying such a large sum of money could easily go astray."

"That's all."

"ha?"

I just placed a bet outside.

You won't.

Upon hearing the word "bet," Senju Momoka's face twitched, and her tone became strange.

Senju Hisa gritted her teeth, her heart filled with resentment towards someone.

"That's right, just like you thought, I'm going all in. But don't worry, Auntie, at worst I'll just have to go into the sex industry." (End of Chapter)