Chapter 55 - Marriage

Drop Some power stones! If you like the chapter! It helps to keep me motivated to upload more!💎💎💎 

------

February 1st.

The inauguration ceremony of the First Hokage was held as scheduled.

On the stage stood the clan leaders from the various families, the newly appointed four elders, and the newly established Hokage Guard. Most importantly, the daimyo of the Land of Fire was present, accompanied by a young girl and six of the famed Eighteen Guardian Ninja.

"That little girl with him can't be his daughter, can she? She's under ten, I think… quite pretty, but I'm not into lolis… Besides, the daimyo must be around fifty, right?" Akio thought to himself, twitching at the corner of his mouth.

There were many reasons behind inviting the daimyo and Konoha's decision to align itself with the Land of Fire.

The shinobi profession was a unique one. Since the Sage of Six Paths established Ninshū, ninja gradually replaced samurai as the dominant force in the world.

But with the rise of shinobi came an era of near-endless warfare—a Warring States period that lasted for a thousand years.

Shinobi, by their nature, represented destruction. And they didn't engage in production.

During the Warring States era, powerful clans relied on plundering and selling resources to support their training and survival. Weaker clans, like the Uzumaki, turned to sheltering civilians and collecting rent to maintain their communities.

However, all of that changed with the founding of Konoha. The clans were gathered into a single village, and with no enemies to fight, the old methods of survival became obsolete.

Thus, the resource problem became paramount. To address this, Hashirama came up with several strategies.

The first was to accept missions from civilians outside the village in exchange for commissions. But that alone wasn't enough. With no better option, Konoha aligned itself—at least in name—with the daimyo of the Land of Fire, receiving funding in return.

So now, Konoha was officially the military force of the Land of Fire, though it retained a degree of autonomy.

Naturally, with the Hokage inauguration being such a monumental event, the daimyo had to attend.

By noon, the crowd of shinobi and civilians had mostly arrived. Hashirama nodded at Tobirama, who stepped forward.

"I now declare the inauguration ceremony of the Hokage officially underway. Please welcome the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, to deliver his speech!"

"Pfft…" Akio's laugh cut sharply through the silence. Realizing everyone was staring, he quickly apologized. He hadn't expected Hashirama to actually go through with his suggestion—and to have Tobirama of all people solemnly read that awkward opening line!

Hashirama stepped forward to face the gathered villagers.

"Today marks the first time since the founding of our village that we've all come together in one place. This is a momentous occasion, a symbol that our village has truly been born. From now on, we will leave behind the constant warfare and live together in peace within this beautiful village. From now on, peace will be with us—and we will protect it with our own hands!"

"I am honored to have been chosen as the First Hokage." Hashirama wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. "I will give everything I have to preserve this hard-won peace!"

After a moment to compose himself, he continued, "A thousand years ago, the Sage of Six Paths passed away. The Ninshū he established fractured, and the world was plunged into endless wars."

"For centuries, the world was ravaged. Whether shinobi or civilian, no one lived in safety."

Hashirama glanced back at Madara. "Even friends couldn't freely share their surnames, afraid that doing so might provoke war."

"Children were sent to the battlefield. Families were torn apart. Entire clans were wiped out."

"But today, I say to you all—from now on, we will live together in one village. There will be no more war. No more hatred! People will be able to speak their names openly. Children will no longer be pushed into the flames of war!"

"The era of peace has arrived!"

Hashirama's voice echoed through the entire village, leaving the crowd in stunned silence.

Then someone in the audience stirred.

"Is peace… really here?"

The crowd erupted. Cheers rang out.

"Long live peace!"

"No more battles!"

"I… I actually lived to see peace!"

Seeing the joy and excitement on the villagers' faces, Hashirama smiled from the heart.

Akio, seated on the stage, watched the whole speech with a complicated expression. "In my past life, I never paid much attention. I just knew the First Hokage was powerful and kind of a goof. But now I understand why they called him the 'God of Shinobi.' It wasn't just because of his strength."

Unlike the long, boring conferences Akio remembered from his past life, where speaker followed speaker endlessly, Hashirama's words concluded the ceremony. But the stirred emotions among the shinobi and civilians alike kept the celebration going long after the speech had ended.

It wasn't until sunset that the ceremony formally concluded. Hashirama motioned for the clan leaders to return to their respective areas, while he stayed behind to give the daimyo a tour of Konoha.

Madara had no interest in such things. Even though today felt like a dream come true, and he had a lot he wanted to say to Hashirama…

Hyūga Tenjin also nodded at Hashirama and returned to his clan. In the end, only Akio, the Nara clan leader, and Tobirama remained.

The four of them accompanied the daimyo and his entourage on a tour of the village, introducing the various clan districts.

During the walk, Akio took the initiative to speak up. "Your Excellency, do you remember me?"

The daimyo hesitated. "You're… ah yes! One of the 108 Generals!"

Akio's face darkened. Still holding a grudge, huh? He said nothing further.

From then on, Hashirama and the Nara clan leader did most of the talking, while Tobirama remained vigilant in his role as bodyguard.

As night fell, they finally escorted the daimyo to the guest room specially prepared for him. There, the daimyo pulled the little girl beside him forward and spoke:

"Lord Hashirama—or should I say, Hokage-sama now—this is my youngest daughter, Kazane. She's nine years old."

Akio smirked. So she really is his daughter… Impressive, old man…

"I've heard that you have a son, Senju Kenji, who's thirteen this year."

"How about we strengthen our alliance through marriage? I'd like to betroth my daughter to your son—of course, they'll wait until she's sixteen, but let's make it official now."

Hashirama hesitated. The Senju rarely married outside the clan to preserve their bloodline. But with the daimyo making the offer, and both the Nara clan leader and Tobirama signaling him persistently, he finally gritted his teeth and agreed.

As for Akio, his mind was elsewhere.

"Wait a second… could this little girl be… Tsunade's mom?"

---For early access to advanced chapters visit my P@treon:

P@treon/ Dexy3

Thank you so much for your support and for reading!