After the clan head inauguration ceremony, Senju Mori had barely returned to the Hokage's office when he immediately summoned Senju Tao to meet him privately.
"Tao, I have a special task I need you to handle."
Senju Mori intended, under the Hokage's authority, to send a ninja delegation to Uzushiogakure — to invite representatives of the Uzumaki clan to visit Konoha in celebration of the twentieth anniversary of the Konoha–Uzushio alliance.
After Tao accepted the order and departed, Mori leaned back in the Hokage's chair, his gaze drifting out the window, taking in the bustling beauty of the entire village.
He knew well that although several powerful ninja clans within Konoha had supported his rise to the position of Third Hokage, he hadn't forgotten who had helped him first.
Merely upon receiving a verbal message he'd sent, Uzumaki Chisawa had, without hesitation, infiltrated the area around Konoha — and then followed Mori straight into the Land of Lightning, risking his life at Mori's side.
Though that mission had gone smoothly, Senju Mori would never forget such loyalty and friendship.
Now that he had firmly secured the Hokage's seat, it was time to fulfill the promises he had made to the Uzumaki clan — and to Chisawa himself.
...
Political credibility was no trivial matter.
Even in a world of superhuman power like the shinobi world, until one possessed enough strength to stand against the entire world alone, one had to protect and maintain political trust above all else.
Because no matter who you were — once you lost your political credibility, you would pay an unimaginable price for it.
Even the so-called "God of Shinobi," Senju Hashirama, had been no exception.
Whatever one gained through false promises would inevitably be lost again one day.
Madara's departure, while certainly influenced by Black Zetsu's manipulation of the Uchiha Stone Tablet, was also deeply rooted in Hashirama's political betrayal — a responsibility he could never deny.
If one cannot fulfill a promise, one should never make it. That was the simplest truth.
Hashirama had personally promised Madara that he would make him the First Hokage, yet when he later thought he had found a "better option," he broke his word without hesitation.
Even worse, after taking the position himself, he shamelessly asked Madara to continue helping him.
Perhaps his intentions came from a "noble ideal," but from a rational standpoint, it was nothing less than deception and betrayal.
Madara could forgive Hashirama once — for the sake of the dream they had shared since childhood, even swallowing the agony of his brother's death.
But to believe Hashirama a second time, after such betrayal? Then he should no longer be called Uchiha Madara, but rather "Uchiha Naive Sweetheart."
It was obvious: if Tobirama could convince Hashirama to change his mind once, he could — and would — do so again, and again after that.
Thus, when the jōnin confidence vote system was later established, Hashirama's new promise — "You shall succeed me as the Second Hokage" — was nothing more than empty words, a lie never meant to be realized.
Madara had seen through it, and so he left, enraged.
When someone chooses to trust you, once you've spoken a promise aloud, you must see it through.
Not out of some lofty sense of honor or morality, but because it is, in truth, the cheapest and most effective way to maintain stability and power.
...
Besides fulfilling his earlier promises, Mori also, in secret, entrusted a sealed letter to Senju Tao — a letter to be personally delivered to Uzumaki Chisawa during this mission.
Hmm… how should one put it…
Back then, Senju Mori hadn't been completely confident that he would win the Hokage succession, so he deliberately kept a hidden trump card — entrusting three of the Six Paths Treasures (all except the Bashōsen) to Uzumaki Chisawa for safekeeping.
Of course, his reasoning was simple: if he lost the election, he wouldn't have to hand the items over to the village under Sarutobi Hiruzen's orders, and if he ever needed to launch a coup, those weapons would give him a crucial element of surprise.
But now, there was no longer any need for such precautions. He intended to publicly reveal those three unused Six Paths tools — not for combat, but to trade them for prestige and political capital.
Naturally, he couldn't say any of this openly. It would be far better for Uzumaki Chisawa to secretly deliver them to Konoha under the cover of the Uzushio delegation's "goodwill visit."
Beyond that, Mori's greater concern was the potential marriage alliance with the Uzumaki clan, and how to support Chisawa's rise as the next head of the Uzumaki clan…
...
Uzushiogakure wasn't far from Konoha — it lay on a small coastal island east of the Land of Fire.
Senju Tao had been there before; this wasn't his first visit. Traveling alongside three other shinobi in his team, the journey was familiar and uneventful.
Departing from Konoha in the heart of the Fire Country, they reached the eastern border within a single day. From there, they took a special transport ship, and before long, they arrived at the Land of Whirlpools, home of the Uzumaki clan.
Though the Land of Whirlpools wasn't large in territory, its strategic importance was immense — on the map, it looked like a wedge driven between the Lands of Water and Fire.
As long as the Uzumaki clan remained there, Kirigakure would never be able to invade the Land of Fire undetected, nor launch a surprise attack on Konoha.
For Konoha, Uzushiogakure served as the first line of defense against Kirigakure.
Uzushiogakure didn't have a formal "Kage," but since the village was composed almost entirely of Uzumaki shinobi, the Uzumaki clan head essentially functioned as its kage— its "Uzukage."
In response to the invitation from the new Hokage, the current Uzumaki clan head — Uzumaki Chihaya, father of Uzumaki Chisawa — showed great sincerity and respect.
He personally led a welcoming party to greet Senju Tao and his team, holding a grand ceremony in their honor within the village.
Only then did Chihaya finally feel at ease. After all, the message that Senju Mori had once sent back through Chisawa had been deeply alarming —
Ah, these young mean nowadays...
They casually spoke of things like "the fall of the Senju," "potential coups," and even "seeking alliances with Kumo or Iwa."
Such dangerous talk made the old man's heart race every time he recalled it.
Fortunately, in the end, the Senju clan — the Uzumaki's sworn ally — had triumphed, and the new Third Hokage turned out to be his son's closest friend.
Everything had turned out perfectly.
...
Later that day, Senju Tao found an opportunity to speak privately with Uzumaki Chisawa. He solemnly drew from his robes a sealed scroll — a secret letter from Senju Mori — and handed it over.
"This is from Mori, for you," Tao said.
Chisawa smiled as he accepted the scroll, appearing relaxed.
He had never been one for competition or ambition, and upon hearing that Mori had successfully become Hokage, the great weight in his heart had finally lifted.
"That's right," Tao nodded. "Mori says he's now firmly established as Hokage, and it's time to help you secure your position within the Uzumaki clan. He also told me to remind you that…"
As Tao relayed Mori's message, Chisawa read the scroll in silence.
But as he went on, his expression gradually grew serious — and by the time he had finished, he suddenly stood up, face grave and voice firm:
"I understand everything Mori means. The Six Paths tools are already sealed within a scroll and ready to be delivered. Tomorrow morning, I'll depart with you for Konoha."
"As for the other matter Mori warned of… it's of great importance. I must discuss countermeasures with my father immediately."
TL/N: I will uploade 1 more chapter later!