Chapter 19: Everything Arranged Clearly

Absurd!
Utterly beyond belief!

The atmosphere at the voting scene was eerily unsettling. Representatives of the great clans remained silent, quietly watching the four brothers standing together.
The scene was nothing short of surreal.
Even Chu Yang was covered in goosebumps, fearful that his spontaneous meddling might ruin everything.

Fortunately, the course of events did not stray far from destiny’s path—only slightly off track.

Apart from Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama, only a fraction cast their votes for Uchiha Madara.
Those votes were arranged in advance by Senju Tobirama.
Everything was going according to plan.

Uchiha Madara was somewhat disappointed with the outcome. He knew his reputation among the villagers of Konoha did not match that of Senju Hashirama, but he had not expected such a vast disparity.
In the end, however, he chose to accept it calmly; even Uchiha Izuna held no objections.

“Madara...” Senju Hashirama looked at his friend with deep regret, as if apologizing for becoming the first Hokage.

Feeling the sincerity in Hashirama’s gaze, Madara sighed and said, “Hashirama, this is everyone’s choice, including mine. You need not feel guilty.”
“I chose you because I believe you can realize our ideals.”

At this point, Hashirama stopped declining and gratefully accepted his friend’s charge. Surrounded by the crowd, he announced himself as the first Hokage of Konoha.

As many clan representatives and villagers stepped forward to offer congratulations, Uchiha Izuna quietly approached Senju Tobirama and stood beside him.

“Now I understand why my brother could befriend him,” Uchiha Izuna said sincerely. “He... the Hokage truly possesses a unique personal charm. I hope Konoha thrives under his leadership.”

Senju Tobirama nodded. “Our elder brother will not disappoint anyone. You have my word.”

Suddenly, Uchiha Izuna extended his hand, surprising Tobirama, and smiled:
“Let’s get acquainted again. Uchiha clan, Uchiha Izuna.”

Tobirama was momentarily stunned, then looked deeply into Izuna’s eyes and reached out his hand in return.
“Senju clan, Senju Tobirama.”

As the main representatives of their respective clans’ military factions, their handshake drew even more attention than that between Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara.

From the outskirts, Chu Yang watched this scene with great interest, only to suddenly feel Tobirama’s approving gaze upon him.

It seemed to say, “Kid, your cunning little scheme actually worked pretty well.”

Chu Yang was speechless.

Thanks to Chu Yang’s subtle intervention, Konoha’s developmental trajectory diverged slightly from the original history.
The Uchiha and Senju clans entered an unprecedented honeymoon period of cooperation.

As days passed, one major event after another shaped the village’s future.

The first was the official establishment of the Anbu under Tobirama’s leadership.

Everyone expected Tobirama to naturally become the Anbu commander, but no one anticipated that he would hand this vital position to Uchiha Izuna.
Tobirama instead settled for the role of Hokage’s assistant.

Everyone thought Tobirama had made a sacrifice—this included the Uchiha clan.
Only Chu Yang seemed to understand Tobirama’s true intentions.

The Anbu’s primary mission was to covertly protect the Hokage’s safety; secondly, to serve as a special assassination unit tasked with eliminating key enemies.
Reconnaissance and defense against external threats were lower priorities.
Protecting the Hokage was paramount.

Handing over Hashirama’s safety to Uchiha Izuna was a clear demonstration of Tobirama’s trust in the Uchiha clan.
This gained considerable goodwill from the Uchiha people, including Izuna himself.
Undeniably so.

Was there any risk in this decision?
Of course.
But the risk was manageable because Izuna’s strength was insufficient to threaten Hashirama. Even if he betrayed them, he could not harm Hashirama.
Tobirama had already taken this into account.

Then, following Chu Yang’s suggestion, Tobirama planned to embed a special team within the Anbu to secretly monitor its operations.
This would later become known as Root, founded by Shimura Danzo.

Based on these two points, Tobirama entrusted the Anbu leadership to Uchiha Izuna, with further arrangements made to guarantee absolute security.

What truly impressed Chu Yang was the position of Hokage’s assistant.

Who wielded more power—the Anbu commander or the Hokage’s assistant?

Most would say the Anbu commander!
Isn’t the assistant just someone who runs errands? What power could they possibly have?

But do not forget Hashirama’s personality. He would surely delegate both major and minor affairs to his younger brother Tobirama.
Thus, Tobirama would become the actual power behind the Hokage.

Everyone believed Tobirama had sacrificed his rightful authority for the sake of peace and stability. In reality, his power remained intact, merely concealed.

Uchiha Madara might have sensed something amiss but would not overthink it, since the Anbu, the true power base, was firmly in Izuna’s hands.
Moreover, Madara knew Hashirama well enough to understand that Hashirama would relinquish troublesome matters to his younger brother.

With the Anbu issue resolved, the second major event was the establishment of the Security Division.

Again, due to the Anbu’s influence, Tobirama granted half of the Security Division’s authority to the Hyuga clan.

As the third most powerful clan after the Senju and Uchiha, the Hyuga had both the weight and justification to claim a share of power.
Thus, the Security Division, which had been under Uchiha control, now had a balancing force.

Even so, the Uchiha clan did not lose out.
Tobirama skillfully won the Hyuga’s loyalty through this arrangement.

The Uchiha clan gained many benefits, yet Uchiha Madara, as clan leader, only received the title of senior advisor—without any real advantage.

What was truly astonishing was that no one saw this as a problem!
Not even within the Uchiha clan itself.

Beyond these two major developments, the third had the most lasting impact on Konoha’s growth.

The founding of the Konoha Ninja Academy!

It provided a healthy environment for children ravaged by war, where they could train and learn to protect themselves—this was a shared wish of both Hashirama and Madara.

Tobirama, skilled in teaching young ninjas, was unanimously chosen as the academy’s first principal.
Chu Yang, as the first Hokage’s direct disciple, became the academy’s inaugural instructor.