Several days had passed since the funeral of the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, and the end of the high-level emergency meeting convened in its aftermath. On that pivotal day, thanks to the overwhelming power Uchiha Yue demonstrated—subduing both Root remnants and suppressing public unrest with precision—Nara Shikaku, the head of the Nara Clan and a core member of the Konoha Council, finally relented. He accepted Yue's proposal and formally became one of his senior aides.
Although the council had unanimously endorsed Yue as the Fifth Hokage during that emergency meeting, the actual transfer of power was far from immediate. The process of becoming Hokage involved formal recognition by the Land of Fire's daimyo, the selection of an auspicious date, and a public ceremony held in the Hokage Monument Plaza, witnessed by all citizens of the village.
This delay irked Uchiha Yue. He had half a mind to challenge the Fire Daimyo's interference in Konoha's internal matters. But for now, he restrained himself. The fact remained that Konoha's economy and military logistics still heavily relied on the daimyo's financial channels. Until Yue could restructure the village into an economically self-reliant system, it was unwise to directly confront the feudal authority.
Even without formal investiture, however, Uchiha Yue had assumed full Hokage authority. Acting with the council's unanimous backing and the practical absence of other contenders, he had begun implementing sweeping reforms.
His first priority was to restructure Konoha's bloated and inefficient administrative framework. Drawing inspiration from the operational model of the modernized Uchiha Clan compound—where clearly defined chains of command and accountability had yielded rapid revitalization—he divided the entire village administration into specialized departments.
Each department had a Director and Deputy Director, supported by field operatives and administrative staff. Above all was an Executive Support Unit that reported directly to Yue, enabling vertical communication and real-time oversight. The aim was simple: specialization, clear responsibility, minimal redundancy. Whether it involved civilian matters, mission assignments, security, or medical services, each department now had a specific jurisdiction.
Under Hiruzen's rule, Konoha had indeed possessed various departments. However, the Third Hokage's obsession with centralized control had stifled efficiency. Even trivial matters often awaited his personal stamp, creating bottlenecks. Moreover, his leniency toward internal power factions had led to overlapping roles and operational confusion.
The most notorious example was the coexistence of the ANBU and Root divisions. Both were covert operatives, but with divergent allegiances and overlapping missions, their operations frequently clashed. Many shinobi couldn't even distinguish their respective chains of command.
Uchiha Yue saw this as a fundamental flaw. His solution was firm: merge the Root division—already crippled after Danzo's downfall—into ANBU, or dissolve it outright if loyalty to Konoha could not be ensured. The age of ambiguous loyalties was over.
Yue also issued a non-negotiable directive: all departments were to handle matters independently, without needing Hokage-level authorization unless absolutely necessary. However, this decentralization was accompanied by a robust monitoring mechanism—daily operational reports from department heads to his Executive Support Unit.
Although the reforms were still in their early stages and the civilian population had yet to grasp their full significance, Konoha's administrative performance had already improved dramatically. Processes that once took weeks were now resolved in days, and the pace was only accelerating.
Uchiha Yue was confident: with time, these reforms would completely transform Konoha into a new kind of village—efficient, autonomous, and unassailable.
Meanwhile, inside his sealed laboratory within the Illusory World, Uchiha Yue examined two specimens retrieved from Orochimaru's hidden laboratories—flesh samples of Kimimaro and Jugo (Chongwu). Laying them out, he observed the physical resonance of each with focused interest.
"Kimimaro's cells are stable, but his Dead Bone Pulse is genetically linked to a severe bloodline disorder," he muttered, fingers grazing the pale mass. "Jugo's, however… they're saturated with natural energy. Chaotic. Alive."
After days of delay, Orochimaru had finally delivered on their arrangement. With the initial phase of Konoha's reformation stable, Yue turned his attention to this long-awaited project.
Jugo's Kekkei Genkai allowed him to passively absorb natural energy and enter a berserk state, the origin of Sage Transformation. Unlike traditional Sage Mode users who required careful training to harness this energy, Jugo's body naturally adapted—albeit uncontrollably.
"This trait… it's perfect," Yue mused, Sharingan flaring with intrigue. "Unlike the risks of petrification from unrefined Sage energy, Jugo's cells prevent that—but at the cost of sanity. Still, I have the Senju lineage… my Sage Body should be able to assimilate it."
More importantly, Yue theorized that if his own body, already augmented with Hashirama's cells, could merge with Jugo's unique Sage DNA, it might transcend conventional limits. He could achieve a fully stabilized Sage Mode without needing to remain still or undergo environmental absorption. A permanent, battle-ready Sage Mode. A feat that not even Hashirama had fully mastered outside of his natural terrain.
With these thoughts racing through his mind, Yue placed Jugo's sample into the matrix of his Illusory World, activating the reality-altering core. Through it, he began the precise, accelerated cellular assimilation.
The process went smoothly, far better than his previous fusion attempts. In under ten minutes, his entire cellular structure had re-synchronized. As his body shimmered between solid and illusory states, Yue opened his eyes—and saw the world anew.
The air, once invisible, now shimmered with multicolored motes of energy—natural energy, flowing freely all around him. The moment Yue drew breath, the particles rushed toward him, attracted to his presence like metal to magnet.
"So this is natural energy… astonishing."
He inhaled deeply, and the rush of power surged through his body, enhancing every sense, every nerve ending. But he knew better than to let it run rampant. Natural energy, while potent, was volatile. It could not be wielded as-is. It had to be refined.
"In the manga," he recalled, "Fukasaku stated that Sage Chakra is made by blending spiritual energy, physical energy, and natural energy in a 1:1:1 ratio. Let's test that theory."
Activating his Illusory World as both a meditation chamber and energy stabilizer, Yue entered a deep trance. Drawing from his vast spiritual reserves, honed mental focus, and now natural absorption of ambient energy, he began refining the three into a balanced, golden Sage Chakra.
And thus, Uchiha Yue—leader of the reformed Uchiha Clan, interim Hokage of Konoha, master of illusion and reality—began his journey into complete Sage mastery. A future of limitless power was finally within reach.
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