The next day.
The Land of Fire appeared calm and unchanged—
quiet as the surface of a still lake.
During this calm, however, an unexpected piece of news suddenly spread from the Fire Country Palace.
A minor official—previously obscure and unremarkable—had abruptly won the Daimyō's favor and been promoted three ranks in a single day.
The news instantly drew widespread attention.
Every move made by the Daimyō was closely watched, and among all matters, official appointments were the most sensitive.
After all—
Who didn't want to rise?
Who didn't want promotion?
That minor official had no illustrious lineage, no powerful backing.
So why had he suddenly soared to prominence overnight?
The answer emerged quickly.
The aristocracy, eager to stay informed at critical moments, maintained long-standing "friendly relations" with the attendants close to the Daimyō. A gold coin here, a gift there—how could relations not be good?
Soon enough, the story spread:
The Daimyō had paid a fortune for tulips.
"Oh—so it's because of tulips!"
"So His Highness likes tulips!"
To accelerate the spread of tulip fame beyond niche circles, the Daimyō deliberately hosted a grand banquet, gathering the Land of Fire's nobles for a lavish feast.
After food and wine had flowed freely—
The Daimyō presented a rare and exquisite tulip, praising it lavishly before the assembled crowd.
"Look at it," he said with admiration.
"How radiant its colors are."
"Only nobles of refined taste and deep cultural cultivation can truly appreciate such beauty."
He then pointed into the crowd.
"You—tell me. Do you find it beautiful?"
The noble singled out immediately responded,
"Your Highness, I have never seen such a magnificent flower in my life!"
The Daimyō nodded.
"Since you have such taste—how many tulips do you keep in your household collection?"
The noble's expression stiffened.
"Your Highness… my household does not collect tulips."
He truly believed himself a man of taste—he fully recognized the beauty of the flower before him—but flowers and plants had never been his interest.
"Hmph. No tulips…"
The Daimyō's expression shifted into open mockery.
At that moment, another noble rushed forward, his face flushed with excitement.
"Your Highness! My household has an entire room filled with tulips! Only those of status and refined taste like ourselves can appreciate their beauty!"
Previously, tulips had only circulated within a small niche of nobles—an elegant but obscure hobby.
But now?
That niche interest had suddenly won the Daimyō's favor.
This was striking gold.
In an instant, the atmosphere grew fervent.
The Daimyō eagerly clasped the noble's hand, admiring the tulip alongside him. The surrounding nobles immediately followed suit, showering the flower with exaggerated praise.
As for the unfortunate noble without tulips—
He was silently excluded.
A noble without taste was no longer fit to share their circle.
After all—
Which noble family didn't have an entire room of tulips?
(Confident nods all around.)
In a single night—
The name tulip completely broke out of its niche.
It spread like a contagion throughout the Land of Fire's aristocracy—and rapidly outward, toward the noble circles of the entire shinobi world.
The Tulip Bubble had begun to inflate.
Meanwhile — Konohagakure
Inside the Hokage's office.
Senju Tobirama sat behind the desk.
Strictly speaking, the chair belonged to Senju Hashirama.
But Hashirama was a master of delegation—
or rather, a master of doing nothing.
Day-to-day village affairs were handled almost entirely by Tobirama.
As for Hashirama?
He was either running around with Uchiha Madara, staying out all night—
Which inevitably resulted in Tobirama being scolded by Uzumaki Mito—
Or sneaking off to gambling dens, happily donating money until he was completely broke, then borrowing money from Madara the next day.
Madara would lend it—grudgingly.
Then the two would disappear together again.
Hashirama wouldn't come home.
And Tobirama would once again be pointed at and scolded:
"What kind of younger brother are you, letting him behave like this?!"
Over time—
Tobirama accumulated a great deal of resentment.
After working himself to exhaustion in the office all day, he still had to endure his sister-in-law's lectures at night.
And really—
What was so great about that innately dangerous Uchiha Madara anyway?!
When faced with Tobirama's complaints, Hashirama followed his usual policy:
Admit fault.
Apologize sincerely.
Refuse to change.
"I'm still going to hang out with Madara."
Of course—
Despite everything, Tobirama was both pained and secretly delighted.
Hashirama wasn't handling affairs.
Madara wasn't handling affairs either.
Which meant—
That innately dangerous Madara was being effectively tied down by his own brother.
Perfect.
That meant the true authority of the village rested firmly in Senju Tobirama's hands.
"I'll use this opportunity to gradually divide the Uchiha clan," Tobirama thought.
"To make them loyal to the village itself—rather than to Uchiha Madara."
"Madara is too dangerous."
"If he ever loses control, the Uchiha clan cannot be allowed to follow him into madness."
"The foundation my brother built… must not be destroyed."
Plan after plan formed in Tobirama's mind.
Using the authority at his disposal, he steadily won over Uchiha clan members' loyalty.
And the village itself—
It was thriving.
One could truly describe it as a scene of boundless vitality, with all things competing to flourish.
This prosperity was the result of Tobirama's tireless efforts—day and night—so much so that he hadn't even had time to conduct his beloved research experiments.
Even for his own sake—
He would protect this hard-won village.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
A knock sounded at the door.
Tobirama raised his head.
"Come in."
The door creaked open, and four people entered.
"Sasuke, Shima—you've arrived."
"Tobirama-sama."
Tobirama smiled as he looked at them.
Sarutobi Sasuke and Shimura Shima—the heads of the Sarutobi and Shimura clans.
Both clans had already confirmed their decision to join Konohagakure.
After brief pleasantries, the two clan heads explained their purpose.
Soon, their clans would relocate to Konoha as a whole.
"That's excellent news!"
"Is there anything the village can assist with?"
The relocation plan involved personally leading their clans to Konoha. Along the way, they would pass through the Fire Country Capital, where they intended to purchase supplies in bulk.
The Shimura clan planned similarly.
If the village could provide some funding support, bulk purchasing would significantly reduce costs.
Tobirama nodded.
Funds wouldn't be an issue.
Though the village was somewhat tight on resources, it could still spare funds to support the first clans to formally align with Konoha.
The symbolic value alone was worth it.
Coincidentally, Konoha itself needed supplies.
Purchasing together in bulk would be economical—every bit saved mattered.
"Wait," Tobirama said suddenly.
"You mentioned passing through the Fire Country Capital?"
"Yes, Tobirama-sama."
Tobirama's thoughts stirred.
Village finances were tight. If they could secure the Daimyō's support, matters would become far easier.
He had already sent two letters to the Daimyō.
The responses had been… vague.
Polite, grateful—
And followed by:
"Under consideration."
"Under active consideration."
Tobirama decided to write a third letter and send it along.
If that still failed—
He would have Hashirama personally visit the Daimyō.
"Oh, that's easy," Sarutobi Sasuke said.
"We'll have Hiruzen deliver the letter. He's already capable of handling matters on his own."
Beside him, Shimura Shima—just like his future son—reacted a beat slower.
"Danzō can go as well."
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