Traitor !

Day 740

— "Can you hear me ?"

It was with this first sentence that Hashuba Shôta's anaesthetised mind tried to get out of the state he had been in for several hours. To him, the voice seemed so far away, he felt as if he was at the bottom of the water, which did not allow the sound waves to be heard normally.

As his consciousness returned to normal, the Daimyô also became aware of his condition, he realised that it was dark and misty, as if a thick fog had been placed before his eyes. His throat was dry and an irresistible urge to drink assailed him as well.

He had this feeling of being in the middle of a dream and not being able to get out of it. He wanted to move but couldn't find the strength, as if a weight was preventing him from doing so.

— "Can you hear me ?"

That voice again.

Hashuba wondered who it could be. He felt he knew the person, but couldn't put a name to it, even though the voice had been less distant than the first time he had heard it.

Unable to wake up, Hashuba concentrated on his body. But as he did so, he felt an immense tiredness coming over him as the effort required exhausted him... as if he had just run a marathon. How could a simple sleep be so difficult to get out of ? The Daimyô did not understand what was happening to him.

— "Daimyô-dono ?"

The voice called out to him again, and this time he knew it was him who was being addressed. For a moment he wondered if he was dreaming, for he had already experienced a similar sensation, but if so he had never had any difficulty in waking up from this state of wakefulness.

Then a thought occurred to him : was he dead ? But the little logic his brain could muster at the moment made him think that nothing could justify such a possibility.

He wanted to answer the voice's question, but the effort to speak was immense. He concentrated his mind to try to coordinate his thoughts with the muscles of his mouth and vocal cords.

— "H-hai ?" Hashuba sighed almost imperceptibly.

— "If it's too hard to talk, squeeze my hand," the voice explained, and it was getting clearer.

Now that the voice was saying it, Hashuba realised that someone was indeed holding his right hand and that this person was exerting a slight pressure on it. The hand was soft, delicate and could only belong to a woman. But here again, applying light pressure with his fingers seemed so complicated that he had the impression of being out of step with the will of his brain and the execution of his body's movements. But he still managed to signal to the person waiting for a reaction from him that he could hear him.

— "Well, try to open your eyes gently," the voice that was melodious to his ears but whose voice he still couldn't determine was his own.

Besides, why hadn't he thought of doing that in the first place ? But now that the idea was being suggested, Hashuba concentrated on his still closed eyelids. He could feel himself gradually coming out of this hazy state he didn't understand, and the effort to lift his heavy eyelids also took a moment. But as he managed to open his eyes, the surrounding light dazzled him strongly, even painfully, and he had to close them again at once.

— "Take your time," the voice he recognised as belonging to a woman guided him.

It could only be a woman calling him and helping him out of the anaesthetized state he was in. Yes, Hashuba Shôta was sure of himself, especially since he knew that the hand holding him was female.

He tried to open his eyelids again, but he did so more delicately, until his eyes became accustomed to the light and he could put a face to the voice he was sure he knew.

By the time his visual cells were acclimatised to receiving light stimulation again, the first thing his brain analysed and recognised was a pink colour.

Pink ? It took less than a fraction of a second for Hashuba's mind to associate all the information he had accumulated since he heard the voice.

— "Sa-Sakura ?" Asked the uncertain Daimyô.

— "Hai, you've come a long way Daimyô-dono," Sakura replied with a small smile and an imperceptible relief in her voice.

— "Where... am I ?" Asked the man who didn't recognize his surroundings now that his sight had returned completely and all his lucidity was also back.

— "In the hospital," Sakura answered seriously, but without wanting to worry him too much.

— "What happened to me ?" Hashuba asked worried about why he was here. He had regained the use of his senses, but he had a memory lapse about the events that had led to his presence in this bed.

— "You were the victim of an assassination attempt," Sakura answered with a little more harshness in her voice.

Assassination ?

Then suddenly the memories came flooding back. He remembered that man, the one who had broken into the palace, who had killed his men in seconds. Then he remembered the fight he had engaged in against him, the stratagem he had chosen to get rid of his enemy. Like many of his opponents, he had seen the astonishment that he could easily dodge and even retaliate against the blows and he had taken advantage of his hidden abilities to decide on the fatal blow. Except that he had obviously failed in his manoeuvre because the memory of the sharp pain that had gone through him came back to him. But after that, he couldn't remember anything... until the conversation he had had with the enemy came back to his mind as well.

— "Konoha !" He exclaimed as his eyes widened a little more.

— "Yes... Konoha No Sato mandated your assassination, we captured the one who did this to you," Sakura revealed as she remembered her return to Heiwa.

No sooner had she and Madara arrived in the valley on the back of the Nibi than some Uzumaki rushed up to them to explain what had happened. Sakura didn't waste a moment and rushed to the Daimyô's side to check on his condition and above all to take care of him. It hadn't been easy, but Hashuba Shôta was safe.

— "How... am I alive ?" The Daimyô asked as Sakura performed a health diagnosis.

— "My seal," Sakura replied simply as she checked to make sure everything was in order.

— "I beg your pardon ?"

— "Do you remember over a year ago ? I put a Fûinjutsu seal on you, and even though I hoped in my heart that it would never activate, it saved your life," the rose said as she lifted the Daimyô's arm slightly to show him.

Where Sakura had marked the Daimyô, the seal was now visible as it was inked into the skin like a scar or tattoo. Indeed, as it was activated, the chakra discharge that was impregnated in the seal spread brutally through Hashuba's body. Through the permanent existence of this mark, the Daimyô would always remember this day, the day he had escaped death.

— "Arigato," the man said simply, well aware that if he was still among the living it was only because of what the young woman had done to him.

— "It is normal Daimyô-dono, we all take great risks in what we do. It is thus more than normal that I affixed this seal of Fûinjutsu to you : your life was at stake."

— "Yes... but you won't be here forever... and maybe next time...," the man said rather pensively. If it had happened once, there was no reason why it couldn't happen again.

— "There won't be a next time, because we're going to revise our defensive system so that it doesn't happen again," Sakura assured with determination.

— "How long will I stay in bed ?" The Daimyo asked in order to change the subject.

— "Hmm, that's the bad news Daimyô-dono."

— "What do you mean ?" The man suddenly worried.

— "The seal saved your life by stabilizing you while you were being taken care of by the medical teams. But the assassin's wound caused you to lose a lot of blood before anyone could stop the bleeding. And unfortunately the massive blood loss caused some brain damage that even my skills can't repair, leaving you with some after-effects," Sakura explained.

— "Get to the point Sakura-san. I'm not a child to be held by hand anymore," the man retorted in a determined voice.

Sakura looked at the Daimyô with compassion, but not with undue pity. He was right about that : a man of his value and status should not be spared, she owed him the truth.

— "You will never walk again," she said simply.

And as she said this, Hashuba Shôta felt the weight of his life and his age fall heavily on his shoulders. This was the price he had to pay for choosing to believe in this dream of peace. He closed his eyes and sighed heavily.

Day 745

Hiruzen Sarutobi was in his office looking at the frames of his predecessors hanging before him. It hadn't even been a year since he had been placed in charge of the Leaf Village and become the Sandaime Hokage. And in not even a year, he was already feeling the weight of this heavy office. He hadn't imagined how much of a burden it could be to have so many lives at stake in his hands or to decide who should live or die.

— "How did you do it ?" Sarutobi asked aloud to the portraits. Of course he didn't expect answers, but this way he could fully appreciate the difficulty of such a position, which was so envied by many shinobi.

— "Hokage-sama ?" A man said as he entered the room.

— "Hai ?"

— "A message has just arrived."

— "Put it on my desk," Hiruzen replied, still staring at his predecessors. His country was on the verge of collapse, famine was at their doorstep, and if nothing was done, his country would pay a heavy price.

He had tried to make agreements with neighbouring countries, but they were all in the same state as Hi No Kuni : food supplies were meagre. And in this complicated and precarious context, Sarutobi had been forced to impose food rationing on the people, which was not necessarily well accepted by some of the smaller villages in the Land of Fire.

Sarutobi sighed heavily as his secretary closed the office door behind him. He hoped with all his heart that this message would bring good news.

He walked back to his desk and picked up the small rolled up parchment : it was Nao hyûga's handwriting.

'Consider your request fulfilled, if you do not receive a second message from me by tonight, I will be dead.

Bird in a cage.

PS : Tsunade Senju is in Heiwa !'

The beginning of the message reassured the Sandaime Hokage greatly.

Deciding to get rid of a Daimyô might seem a bit extreme, but it wasn't normal for this country to be prosperous while all the others were struggling to get back on their feet. The excuse of having been a neutral country was not enough in Sarutobi's eyes to explain this more than exponential growth. That is why he had come to this decision : to eliminate this Lord in order to destabilize his country and thus recover some, if not all, of their wealth.

But when he read the end of the scroll, Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately frowned. What was his student doing in Heiwa ? And how long had she been there ?

Upon reflection, the man realized that he had not had enough time to devote to his students whom he had not finished training. The Hokage position had taken up all his time and it had been a long time since he had heard from any of them.

He knew that Orochimaru had chosen to isolate himself while he recovered from the loss of his parents after the last war. Tsunade Senju had also chosen to cloister herself after the terrible realization that her entire clan was gone. Jiraiya had informed him that she was still training and that he was accompanying her in this process. But the young ninja had told him this months ago. What was the situation now ? And what had happened that the last of the Senju had arrived at Heiwa ? The only mission ordered in this area was the one he had given to Nao Hyûga.

Could it be that...

— "BEAR !" Sarutobi shouted in sudden panic.

The Hokage began to have a multitude of questions in his mind. Had she been kidnapped and was she being held prisoner ? If not, how had she managed to get there without him knowing ? And above all : was she okay ?

Indeed, the thought that Konoha might lose another clan heir would be completely destabilizing to the thin balance he maintained in the village. If he found out, Sarutobi feared that a village revolution would break out within Konoha itself and that was unthinkable.

He absolutely had to have answers to these questions and quickly... very quickly !

A second after he had shouted the code name of one of his Anbu, the latter appeared on one knee before his military leader.

— "Command and I will obey Hokage-sama !"

— "Go to the Senju estate immediately and find Tsunade ! If she is not there, find out how long it has been since she lived there ! Also find Jiraiya and Orochimaru !" Hiruzen ordered with a strength of voice he rarely used, it showed the worry he felt inside.

— "Hai !" Said the Anbu before disappearing to accomplish his mission.

— "Make sure she's okay," Sarutobi muttered to himself as he looked out the window.

The afternoon was drawing to a close and the Sandaime Hokage was still standing looking out the window where the nightlife of Konoha was beginning to prepare itself. He hadn't heard anything from the Anbu he'd sent to find his students, nor had he received a message from Nao.

The twilight tended to increase his fears : why had he not yet received any information. Waiting and patience were part of his duty, but today Hiruzen Sarutobi found it unbearable.

Then, as the lights of the city were gradually coming on, he was interrupted in his thoughts.

— "Hokage-sama," said the voice of the ninja in question, muffled by the Anbu mask.

The Hokage turned around sharply and held back an exclamation as he saw only two people standing before him : Bear and Orochimaru who looked at him with a surprised look on his face at having been summoned at this time of day.

— "Where are the others ?" Sarutobi asked even though he already knew the answer.

— "Untraceable Hokage-sama."

— "What's going on sensei ?" Orochimaru asked confusedly.

— "Orochimaru, when was the last time you saw Tsunade and Jiraiya ?" Hiruzen asked ignoring his student's questioning.

— "Several months ago, I've been a bit isolated lately," he replied.

— "They didn't say anything to you that seemed strange ?"

— "Strange how ?"

— "Did they talk to you about leaving ?" The Hokage continued.

— "No," he continued.

The answers of his only student present did little to reassure him. Hiruzen was fully aware that he had neglected them for far too long. Where was their team spirit ? Even though each of them had needed to isolate themselves, why hadn't they tried to stay in touch with each other ?

— "And at Tsunade's house ? What did you find ?" Hiruzen asked, turning to his Anbu.

— "No sign of life for a long time. The estate is predictably silent and her house is empty of occupants. Jiraiya wasn't there and no one has seen him in a while. They simply disappeared from Konoha Hokage-sama," the man stated in a deep voice before adding, "However, there was this at the girl's house."

He then handed a green-covered book to his leader who immediately grabbed it. Hiruzen turned it around before asking :

— "A book ?"

— "Yes, it was on a coffee table with a lot of other papers, I thought it might mean something to you."

— "How to Become a Ninja Medic Volume 1 by Sakura Haruno," Sarutobi read aloud. "Who's that ?"

— "I have no idea."

— "I do," Orochimaru interjected this time.

He recognized the book in question, it was the one the woman had given to Tsunade during the war.

— "Who is this book ? Tell me right now !" His sensei ordered.

— "It belongs to the pink-haired woman. The one who accompanied the man everyone was looking for during the war. The one whose identity and motives nobody knew."

— "When did she give it to you ?" Hiruzen demanded, surprised that his student had such information and that he hadn't informed him sooner.

— "It was during the war, when we were ambushed on our way to the front against Tsuchi No Kuni. We had been separated sensei and..."

— "And what ?" Asked the Hokage who remembered that day very well, he had been so worried about the fate of his students who had miraculously escaped unscathed.

— "And we wouldn't be alive if they hadn't come to save our lives. Jiraiya had been seriously injured and Tsunade had tried to heal him. But the woman intervened and healed that idiot Jiraiya..."

— "Why didn't you tell me about her medical intervention and this book ?" Sarutobi questioned, needing to understand why none of the three had told him the truth at that time.

— "Because Tsunade made us promise to keep it a secret..."

— "What secret ?" The sensei asked suddenly suspicious of the intentions of those individuals who had crossed paths with his students during the war.

— "The woman gave this book to Tsunade and told her that when she was ready, she could come and join her," Orochimaru explained, seeing his sensei growing less and less calm.

— "Join her where ?" Hiruzen demanded.

— "No idea, sensei," the pallid teenager admitted truthfully.

He knew his student was not hiding anything from him now. He let out another sigh before opening the book to a random page. He quickly read the contents which were very detailed and disturbing. Indeed, he had never had a book like this in his hands. He was considered a scholar, but some of the terms were completely unknown to him. He flipped through the manuscript again and concluded that these were the teachings necessary to become a healer, but in a way he never thought possible.

He then reached the last page of the book and what he read there immediately provoked a violent anger. The explanation for the disappearance of his student, the last of the Senju, was there, before his eyes and in that book.

'Meet me at Heiwa.'

Everything became clear to the Sandaime Hokage. He even understood why his late master Tobirama Senju had told him to beware of the two individuals from the old war. Not only did they raze villages to the ground, but one of them had no qualms about turning shinobi away from their village, making them deserters and traitors to their country. And this could not go on, it was high time to put an end to this threat once and for all.

— "Sensei ?"

— "Hai, Orochimaru ?"

— "Night has already fallen, and I would like to visit my parents' grave. May I go ?"

But instead of answering his student, Hiruzen Sarutobi realized something else : Nao Hyûga had not given any sign of life. The night was indeed here and that could only mean one thing : he had failed in his mission.

This observation finally ended the Hokage's calm and he resolved to eradicate this country himself. Too much was too much and it had to stop immediately. The days of them blithely playing with their heads as a neutral country were over ! No neutral country used such methods.

— "Bear !" He shouted while the Anbu was still in the room

— "Hai ?"

— "Get a contingent of the army ready ! We are going to war with Ta No Kuni !"

Day 750

For several days now Nao Hyûga had been locked up in a cell under high surveillance. There were always at least two people keeping him in sight and at a sufficient distance so that the alarm would be given in case the idea of escaping came to him. In any case, he knew that in his situation it would have been wrong for him to try anything. Especially as he knew full well that he would have had no chance to escape.

Yet he was surprised that he was still alive.

His Byakugan had not been blocked in any way, but all his personal belongings had been taken from him. So it was with some apprehension that the royal assassin waited day after day for his fate to be decided. Could it be that his enemies were negotiating his release with Konoha ? Thinking about this, Nao Hyûga wondered in what state the Sandaime Hokage must be in since he had not been able to send him a message as planned.

But this morning his cell was opened and he was taken to another room. This room was empty except for a table and two chairs in the middle, one of which was already occupied by someone with his back to him.

He was seated on the second chair without being able to see who the person in front of him was. The guards removed his bonds, which allowed him to regain some freedom of movement. He began to think about how he could get out of there.

— "Stop dreaming, you're not getting out of here," said the voice behind the guards, who shifted to give the prisoner a chance to see who he was talking to.

— "It wasn't what you thought, Uzukage-dono," Nao said immediately, recognizing Ashina Uzumaki who was sitting down and staring at him with a cold, stern expression.

— "Yes of course I believe you, and my daughter is still alive ?" Ashina asked sarcastically. "If it's not what I think it is, answer me this : Where was Konoha when his ally was in need ? Where was Konoha when my people were sacrificing themselves for their damn war ? Where was KONOHA WHEN MY DAUGHTER WAS MISSING !?"

Ashina was a clan leader, a Kage, and his so-called ally had taken the most precious thing in the world from him : his daughter. So it was with unconcealed rage that Ashina demanded answers.

— "I... I'm only a spy, Uzukage-dono, I can't answer you," the Hyuga admitted sincerely, taken aback by the Uzukage's admittedly legitimate anger.

— "A spy... and I'm the Rikudô Sennin," Ashina retorted with a more than pronounced sarcasm as another person entered the room with a small cart.

The Uzumaki stared at his prisoner who was watching the newcomer. He was placing some utensils in front of Ashina. Strange tongs, scalpels and a glass jar filled with a suspicious liquid.

— "What are you going to do to me ?" Nao asked, unsure of his fate.

— "This ? It's for your eyes," the Uzumaki said bluntly.

— "My eyes ?" The Hyuga worried.

— "Yes, it's not every day that a Dôjutsu of this kind shows up at your door, so you might as well be good for something since you came all the way here."

— "Aren't you going to question me ?" Nao asked, seeing that the situation was getting more complicated, his enemies had obviously not started any discussions with Konoha about his release.

— "What for ? We know that Konoha is behind this assassination notice, your act is more than enough for us to decide your fate."

— "Except that you won't be able to get my eyes," Nao exclaimed confidently.

— "Oh no ?"

— "No," affirmed the Hyûga in a burst of courage and defiance.

Indeed, the prisoner knew very well that the wards of his clan were coveted like all the other Dôjutsu. That was why all the members of the secondary branch were marked so that the power of the wards would be sealed upon their death or if someone tried to take them by force, thus protecting the secrets of the Byakugan.

Concerning Nao Hyûga, his case was particular, he belonged to the main branch, but in view of his weak chakra capacity, he had been judged as an easy prey. Very quickly, the man had understood that if he wanted to be useful to his clan as well as to his village, he had to voluntarily have the cursed seal affixed to him. This had been a great first for the Hyûga clan, but this step had finally been accepted because it showed his total devotion to his clan. The only thing that differentiated him from the members of the secondary branch was that no member of the Soke had control over him. He was still a member of the main branch and therefore free.

— "Oh yes... that's right, it's on you !" Ashina nodded, crossing his arms as he stared at the green cross-shaped seal on Nao's forehead.

Nao continued to hold the Uzumaki's gaze, a surge of confidence in his mind. He was a trained shinobi and even though he had never had to endure real interrogation, he had been prepared for a lot of torture. That's why he was showing his future torturer that he wasn't afraid of him.

— "Hmm, it's true that this seal complicates things... though..."

Ashina was arousing the curiosity of his prisoner who was gradually losing the little confidence he had. The Uzumaki was enjoying this exchange with the Hyûga in front of him, he had not become Uzukage for nothing. Ashina Uzumaki was a very high level shinobi and despite his casual looks, he knew how to be cold, calculating and bloodthirsty.

Currently, he was having fun treating the prisoner like a little mouse that was about to be eaten by the cat.

— "Yes, in the end it doesn't make any difference that you have that mark on your forehead," Ashina admitted as if it were obvious.

— "I'm sorry ?" The Hyûga became more and more worried at this statement.

Ashina looked at him even more intensely before adding with real pleasure in his voice:

— "According to you, who in the world is capable of being the author of this seal ?"

— "You don't mean that...," Nao swallowed with difficulty as he realized what the man was implying.

— "Oh, of course I do ! Your clan leader called upon my people to make this seal. He wanted so much to remind the members of the Bunke where their place was and to protect the secrets of the Byakugan. What a pleasure it was for us to create this caged bird Juinjutsu !" Ashina explained with a toothy grin.

No sooner had he finished his sentence than Ashina raised his index finger and Nao felt a sharp pain in the back of his head like he had never felt before. He felt as if his brain was trying to get out of his head, as if blades were being stuck in his eyes and turned. The Hyûga clutched his skull in his hands, screaming in pain at the top of his lungs for several seconds before the pain finally stopped. So this was what the members of the secondary branch were going through ? Why hadn't any of them rebelled against this condition ? But this was no time to question the practices of his own clan, for even if the pain had subsided, he knew full well that his torture session had only just begun.

— "You see, little Hyûga of mine, you are only here to answer my questions. Once I have obtained what I want, I will take great pleasure in taking the breath of life from you."

— "I will say nothing !" The Hyûga shouted in defiance and conviction.

— "But you can resist as much as you like, I'll get your eyes back anyway ! I know very well how to deactivate this frontal seal and thus preserve your two pupils. What a magnificent recompense you are offering Ta No Kuni for having wanted to assassinate his Daimyô," assured the Uzumaki, who was now appearing in a light that few people could testify to having survived.

— "Finish me right now ! Let's get it over with !" The prisoner begged angrily, knowing that he was finished anyway.

— "But everything will depend on you... a quick death... or a long agony until you tell me everything I want to know."

— "I won't say anything," the Hyûga reiterated forcefully.

— Too bad, that's what they all say," Ashina retorted, uncrossing his arms. "Oh, I thought of it : one more thing !" The Uzumaki added in the direction of his prisoner.

— "What ?"

— "The Daimyô is still alive," the Uzukage announced before seeing the surprised look on the assassin's face. "I wouldn't have missed your reaction for the world."

Nao Hyûga didn't have time to figure out how his victim had survived the mortal blow he had dealt him because Ashina Uzumaki had just raised his index finger again. The pain radiated once again in his skull, making him lose all notion of reality.

Day 770

The attack on the Daimyô was known to all, but this did not prevent the military and administrative councils from meeting to continue their work. Like every month, about twenty people gathered around the big table to discuss what was going to be put in place for the next month.

Everyone was seated and the only person absent among them was Hashuba Shôta, the Daimyô himself, who was probably still recovering his strength after the incident he had suffered.

At least, that was what everyone thought when they did not see him among them. However, their attention was drawn by a steady noise on the floor that was approaching the meeting room. The guards opened the door to make way for Hashuba Shôta in a wheelchair pushed by another guard.

— "Daimyô-dono !" Exclaimed many people with that sometimes exaggerated deference in their voices.

And almost all the members of the assembly stood up to see one of their leaders still attending the meeting despite his current physical condition.

— "Remain seated," Hashuba ordered before being seated in his usual place.

— "It's not reasonable to come here Daimyô-dono, you need to rest," Sakura insisted solicitously.

— "I know, but I needed to make an announcement to this council today," Hashuba said in a determined voice.

— "Would you like to start so you can get back to resting ?" Sakura asked as everyone in the assembly looked on.

There were still many members here who were having trouble adjusting to Sakura's presence among them. No one had openly voiced their disapproval but some found it disturbing that she was here. Especially since Hashuba Shôta accepted her and treated her with great respect. But as is often the case in the political world, people had this tendency not to express their opinions clearly.

— "Indeed," replied the Daimyô before turning to all those rather worried faces.

Only two people among them didn't seem the least bit concerned about his situation : Madara and Ashina. After all, those two couldn't have reacted any differently and the Daimyô surely couldn't blame them for not conforming to the manners of the other people present. Hashuba Shôta could expect nothing more than that from these two greatest shinobi of their time !

— "Let's get to the point : I am announcing that as of the end of this meeting, I will relinquish my position as Daimyô," Hashuba said.

This announcement had the effect of a bomb, for as soon as he had finished his sentence, there was a brouhaha among all the counsellors. Many thought that this was not possible, that he should not stop governing them. The people needed him and his wisdom. This attitude lasted for many seconds until Madara released some of his killing intent and everyone calmed down as they felt the oppression wash over them. They all turned their heads in the direction of their Heikage before swallowing.

— "Have you appointed your successor Hashuba-san ?" Ashina asked without using a pompous title.

— "Hai," replied the man concerned.

— "Who is he ?" Madara asked this time.

— "Before revealing who I have chosen, I will explain why I have come to this choice. The goal of all of us here is the prosperity of Ta No Kuni and by extension, world peace... true peace ! And unfortunately, the recent event I was the target of will undoubtedly happen again", the Daimyô began to say. "I know that we can and will improve our defensive system, but there will always be a loophole, no matter what we do. And that is why our future administrative leader must be someone strong so that stability resides in Heiwa and in all of Ta No Kuni."

— "If you chose me, old man, you can forget it," Ashina warned as a few whispers were heard at such disrespect.

— "I thought of you at first, my friend... but unfortunately your character didn't match the huge responsibility it represents," Hashuba replied with a small smile.

— "Don't tell me you're giving that weirdo even more power ?" The Uzumaki questioned, pointing at the dark-haired man.

— "The other weirdo has a name Ashina ! And cool it if you don't want me to force you to call me Heikage-sama," Madara retorted with folded arms.

— "Well, I'd like to see you try," Ashina scoffed.

All the members around the table were watching this conversation, which was severely lacking in protocol and manners. Yet no one dared to raise the slightest objection, especially since a few minutes before, the Uchiha had called them to order by simply stating his intention to kill.

— "No, I didn't choose Madara-san as Daimyô, he has enough work to do on his own," Hashuba reassured them while containing a smile at the impetuousness of these two shinobi.

— "Who did you choose as Daimyô-dono ?" Asked one of the advisors around the table, taking advantage of the convalescent's answer.

Everyone was now hanging on his every word as Hashuba spoke in a clear and determined voice.

— "Sakura Uchiha."

It took a few seconds for everyone to react to this announcement.

— "Me ?" The concerned one gasped.

She hadn't expected such a decision at all and was even very surprised that he had appointed her as his successor.

However, the news was not so easily received by the assembly.

— "This is unthinkable... she is only a woman !" A man on the council shouted.

— "And ?" Hashuba asked, turning to his advisor.

It's true that two years ago, he himself would have had the same reaction, but after having been around this woman, he had learned to rethink his opinions towards the female gender. Especially since this person was unique.

— "Because this is not a woman's place !" The man added with conviction and palpable animosity. He was expressing aloud what many did not dare. They tolerated Sakura's presence among them, but to accept that she should become their superior was no exaggeration.

— "And where does a woman belong, counselor ?" Sakura interjected, unimpressed by this more than misogynistic remark.

The young woman didn't hesitate and clearly showed her threatening side as she glared at the man who had just made her remark.

— "I'm listening, counsellor ! Go ahead, have the courage to say what you think !"

The man held his gaze out of pride and opened his mouth to finally speak openly in front of everyone.

— "To the home."

Sakura's gaze was hard and closed, but she was not at all offended by the man's words. On the contrary, it showed her that attitudes were far from changing.

It was hard to know what other people were thinking, but one thing was certain : they were uncomfortable.

But of course, the reaction was not long in coming from Uchiha Madara who had to restrain himself from gutting in cold blood the individual who had just opened his mouth.

— "Counselor, this is the only warning I will give you, and consider yourself lucky that I am doing this because we are in Heiwa and we are doing everything we can to build a more just and peaceful world !" Madara exclaimed in a loud voice that silenced everyone.

The man was now staring at the Uchiha and was clearly not sure he could stand up to this individual.

— "Who do you think you are to dare create a diplomatic incident like this ? Do you know that you just insulted the wife of a clan leader : mine, the Uchiha clan ? Moreover, you have just belittled the wife of your Heikage ! And finally, you question the decision of your Daimyô to whom you have sworn allegiance and loyalty ! Must I remind you that you are only advisors ? So if you don't want your head to be detached from your body, you will apologize to my wife immediately !" Uchiha Madara said as he glared at the man.

The man realized as the dark-haired man spoke that he had committed the worst kind of stupidity by doing so without thinking about the consequences of what he had said to Sakura.

— "I apologize, Uchiha-dono !" The man said immediately as he bowed to Sakura.

Taking advantage of this moment when the tension was easing a bit, Hashuba Shôta spoke again.

— "I'm going to answer your question as an advisor... I naturally chose Sakura because she's the most involved in this project of all of us. Don't forget that it's thanks to her that we've been able to finance everything we've undertaken and that we can still undertake. It is always thanks to her that we have now two Bijû in our possession as well as a Jinchûriki. It is also thanks to her that the mortality rate has dropped drastically since her arrival in Heiwa. Should I continue or is the evidence of her involvement in this peace project not enough for you ?"

Hashuba turned his head slowly to each of the council members around the table, and it was clear that none of them could refute what he had just said. On the contrary, he could see that reminding them of these facts was more than necessary for everyone to appreciate the importance of this woman, and that just because she was a woman did not mean she was not as valuable as a man.

— "And I would also add this : it is thanks to her that I can still speak to you today. She saved my life ! Without her seal and without her knowledge of medicine, I would have been killed by an assassin in the other world."

This remark made the people around the table nod in agreement as they were definitely convinced by the more than judicious choice made by their current Daimyô.

— "Finally, if I had to finish convincing you, I remind you that in this city, she is one of the most powerful people we have. Moreover, she is intelligent, she has the support of the people, the people revere and admire her. When she walks down the street, the people thank her, cheer her... What could be better for a Daimyô than to be loved and respected by his people ? It is for all these reasons that I am making Sakura the next Daimyô of Ta No Kuni !"

— "Your will shall be done Daimyô-dono," exclaimed many of the advisors.

— "I am no longer your Daimyô," Hashuba Shôta retorted before removing the ring from his finger and placing it before Sakura. "Matû, take me back to my quarters."

At the command, his personal guard began to push the wheelchair out of the room. However, just before they arrived at the door, it swung open to let a person through who bowed low to the council.

— "Heikage-sama, an army has just crossed the southern border of Ta No Kuni !"

— "Which country ?" Madara demanded.

— "Hi No Kuni !"

— "The south ?" Sakura questioned more to herself before exclaiming, "oh no ! Hitomi !"

The young woman immediately thought of her best friend, surrogate mother and godmother to her daughter. Hitomi lived on the edge of the border. Sakura didn't think any further before rushing out of the room followed by her husband who called out to her :

— "Sakura !"