Naruto: I am Uchiha Seiryu

As the thunderous light gradually faded, everyone—whether it was Asuma and Kazuma at the palace doors, or the terrified officials of the Land of Fire hiding in a small side chamber, trembling before the menacing presence of Orochimaru and Manda—witnessed a towering figure standing before them.

The ceremonial robe, emblazoned with a flame motif, billowed in the wind. Even in the darkness, the title "Fifth Hokage," embroidered in golden-red thread, stood out clearly, illuminated by the flickering lightning.

"Take everyone and fall back. Leave this to me," Seiryu said over his shoulder to Asuma, his tone brooking no argument, radiating an overwhelming authority.

Asuma stared into Seiryu's eyes, watching the Mangekyo Sharingan slowly turn, and nodded dumbly.

Kazuma, on the other hand, gritted his teeth and demanded, "Why did you only just get here? Do you have any idea how much danger the daimyo was in just now?"

Seiryu shot a cold glare at the man who, in the original timeline, had advocated for the abolition of the Hokage position and for all ninja power to fall under the daimyo's control—causing so much strife among the Twelve Guardian Ninja. "Did the one who taught you ninjutsu never teach you to respect those stronger than yourself? Get out of my way before I lose my patience!"

"You—!" Kazuma's grip tightened, his gaze boring into the ceremonial robe. He wanted to say more, but Seiryu had already turned away, locking eyes with Orochimaru. Chakra and ocular power surged, and Susanoo erupted from the ground.

That godlike back stunned Kazuma into silence. At that moment, Asuma and Dilu, who had recovered a bit of chakra, hurried forward to drag Kazuma back into the sleeping chamber.

Seiryu's Susanoo slowly raised its hand toward Orochimaru and Manda. In its massive palm, violent lightning gathered, forming a colossal demon-subduing vajra club engraved with special senjutsu runes.

Seeing this, Manda immediately terminated the summoning on the spot. Although unaware of the arrangement between Orochimaru and Seiryu to stage a mock battle, Manda had personally witnessed their last clash and knew both were Ryuchi Cave's contractors. From his perspective, neither had any reason to truly fight to the death.

After Manda's escape, Orochimaru formed a hand seal, his whole body transforming into countless white serpents and scattering.

Seeing this, Seiryu also released his Susanoo, staggering as he struggled to catch his breath.

"Are we just going to let the rogue ninja who assassinated the daimyo get away?" Kazuma broke free from Asuma and Dilu, rushing up to Seiryu and shouting.

"And what would you have me do?" Seiryu Uchiha shot him a narrow-eyed sneer. "I rushed here at full speed and I'm almost out of chakra. Forcing that guy to retreat was my limit. How do you expect me to pursue him?"

"Lord Hokage, please calm down. Kazuma is just worried about the daimyo's safety," Dilu quickly stepped forward to smooth things over, pulling Kazuma back.

"If you really cared about the daimyo's safety, you should be ensuring his security right now—not yelling about pursuit," Seiryu said coldly. "Asuma."

Still lost in the memory of Seiryu repelling Orochimaru, Asuma snapped back to reality upon hearing his name and walked over.

"Keep an eye on your colleague. Otherwise, I wouldn't mind teaching him the rules among ninjas myself."

With that, Seiryu strode straight into the sleeping chamber.

Inside, the ministers of the Land of Fire unconsciously made way for him.

On the bed lay a middle-aged man, face as pale as gold, breathing faintly, his chest sunken as if it had taken a heavy blow—clearly mortally wounded. At the bedside, a child not yet four years old sobbed uncontrollably.

"Your Highness! Forgive your humble subject for being late!" Seiryu immediately began his performance as he entered, squeezing two tears from the corner of his eye, genuinely emotional.

"Please rest assured, my lord. I'll send word back to the village immediately to begin searching for Tsunade. You must hold on!"

The current daimyo of the Land of Fire, Minamoto Mitsuhide, struggled to open his eyes and look at Seiryu Uchiha, the Hokage he had personally appointed not long ago.

But as he lifted his gaze, he suddenly noticed a hawk had landed outside the window. The moment their eyes met, a red glint flashed in the hawk's eyes.

Feeling the brief success of Kotoamatsukami, Seiryu allowed himself a barely perceptible smile.

The daimyo, struggling for breath, whispered, "No need… for all that trouble… I know… my own condition very well…"

A strange flush crept onto the daimyo's face, and the court physician at his side trembled—this was clearly the sign of one's final rally before death.

"Your Highness!" The assembled officials cried out in grief.

"I inherited this position from my father at twenty-one. It's been over twenty years. But today, such disaster struck, and even my heir…"

Blood welled from the daimyo's lips.

"But the nation cannot go a day without its lord. Cough… Yoshinori, come here." The daimyo summoned the four-year-old child to his bedside.

Tears streaming, the young heir approached.

"The heir is young. I ask all you ministers to assist him with utmost dedication…"

The officials instantly perked up—they knew this was the pivotal moment: the daimyo was appointing regents.

Several glances shot toward one man in the chamber: the Left Minister, chief of the civil officials. If anyone should be appointed regent, it would be him.

But the daimyo's next words shocked everyone.

"I appoint Minister of Construction Kikuchi Yaki, Minister of Economy Kujou Masaya, and Councillor Nagano Kiryu as regents."

The named three exchanged incredulous looks. Apart from Councillor Nagano, their positions were not even that high; logically, this should not have fallen to them. Yet, the daimyo singled them out.

They soon realized their common trait: all three had been kidnapped by Kakashi that night.

Nagano glanced at the "Fifth Hokage" insignia on Seiryu's robe, a look of terror crossing his face. The daimyo's next words confirmed his fears.

"Additionally, I appoint the Fifth Hokage of Konoha, Uchiha Seiryu, as Grand Minister and Imperial Tutor. He will teach and protect the heir."

Though weak, the daimyo's proclamation was like a thunderbolt among the officials.

The Grand Minister—what a title! The true head of all officials, revered by even the daimyo. The position was so important that it sometimes remained vacant for lack of a worthy candidate. The last time the Land of Fire had a Grand Minister was over a century ago, during the Warring States period.

But the reason was obvious: the daimyo had just been attacked by a powerful ninja and urgently needed a powerful protector for his son. He was even willing to offer the Grand Minister position. The three regents would act as a check on Uchiha Seiryu—after all, their joint petition against his appointment as Hokage was no secret.

But no one except Seiryu realized that the lives of these three were already in his hands. Their bodyguards had already been replaced by Uchiha clan members.

Just then, as Left Minister Abe Taiichi was about to speak, Seiryu knelt on one knee and loudly protested, "Please, my lord, reconsider! I am unworthy of such heavy responsibility!"

"You must not refuse," the daimyo coughed. "The enemy is at our gates, and the heir needs your protection. I have heard of your name before—during the Third Ninja War you defended our borders and protected countless subjects. Now, can I entrust you to protect my only son."

"With such trust, I must devote myself utterly, but I truly am unworthy…"

Before Seiryu could finish, the daimyo summoned the heir.

"Yoshinori, greet your teacher," the daimyo said to the four-year-old at his side.

"Your Highness!" Left Minister Abe Taiichi could hold back no longer. He knew if he didn't speak now, this arrangement would be set. He rushed forward to kneel and shouted, "Please reconsider!"

The daimyo ignored him and turned to Seiryu. "As you protect this child, you may also teach him some ninjutsu. The daimyo of the Land of Fire must never again be unable to defend himself."

"Your Highness, this…" Seiryu feigned embarrassment.

But the young Minamoto Yoshinori bowed respectfully. "Teacher."

"This… this…" Seiryu acted at a loss.

"Good… good… With you by his side, I can rest easy," the daimyo said, smiling at last as he closed his eyes for the final time.

"Your Highness!" Seiryu cried out, but the daimyo never responded again.

"Farewell to the daimyo!" the chief eunuch cried.

At once, the ministers of the Land of Fire broke down in tears.

…

An hour later, Kakashi arrived at the capital with a team of elite jonin, heading straight for the only chamber left standing after Orochimaru's destruction.

Those who had been kidnapped that night barely dared to breathe when they saw Kakashi.

Seiryu slowly stood before the daimyo's body, surveying the assembled officials before walking over to Kakashi.

"How is it? How many have arrived?" Seiryu asked in a low voice.

"Because of the urgency, all elite jonin in the village except Uchiha Fugaku, head of the jonin squad, have arrived—forty-two in total, waiting outside the palace. In addition, a temporary force of about 700, made up of the police and ANBU, led by Inuzuka Kaze and Tsukikage Tetsu, will arrive by morning."

"Good." Seiryu nodded, then turned to the officials. "Where are Kikuchi, Kujou, and Nagano?"

The three named men shuddered, wiped the sweat from their foreheads, and stepped forward.

"What does the Grand Minister wish of us?" Nagano asked.

"Don't call me Grand Minister. I am unworthy of such a title," Seiryu replied.

"This is the late daimyo's will. Please do not refuse," Nagano said, glancing at Kakashi beside Seiryu, a veiled threat in his eyes.

"We'll discuss this later," Seiryu said with a shake of his head.

"What can we do for you, Lord Uchiha?" Kikuchi asked, changing his form of address.

"The daimyo's funeral arrangements—I leave them to you three," Seiryu said, bowing.

"Lord Uchiha, you must not! This is our duty," they replied, almost panicking, clearly understanding from Kakashi's look that if they accepted this bow, their entire families would be dead by morning.

"Orochimaru, the traitor who assassinated the daimyo, is still at large. From now on, Konoha ninja will take over the defense of the capital. To ensure the heir's safety, starting tomorrow morning, I will place the city under martial law. No one may leave without good reason," Seiryu declared.

"This… may not be proper," Left Minister Abe Taiichi finally spoke up.

"Oh? And who are you?" Seiryu asked, narrowing his eyes.

"I am Abe Taiichi, Left Minister of the Grand Council," he replied.

"Is that so? And what is wrong with what I've said?" Seiryu asked.

"Martial law in the capital has no precedent. The Fifth Hokage should proceed with caution," Abe said, his tone not friendly. He was also subtly reminding the other officials that appointing the Hokage as Grand Minister and Imperial Tutor was unprecedented, and that precedents should not be broken lightly.