Feeling the shift in natural energy within Ryūchi Cave, Akira knew that the White Snake Sage had begun her dragon transformation.
This piqued his curiosity—what kind of dragon would the White Snake Sage transform into?
With that question in mind, Akira and Hinata made their way toward the White Snake Sage's temple. As they approached, the three priestesses—Tanshin Hime, Ichikishima Hime, and Takitsuhime—also appeared, evidently sensing the start of the transformation as well.
Together, they entered the temple.
Inside, the White Snake Sage had already reverted to her massive serpent form, coiled in place as vast amounts of natural energy converged toward her.
Her body was slowly beginning to change.
First, in the chest and abdomen area of her snake-like body, something began to push out.
Gradually, a pair of dragon claws emerged from her torso.
Simultaneously, horns began to grow from the White Snake Sage's head. However, unlike Akira's antler-like horns, the White Snake Sage's horns were smooth, resembling those of Kabuto's transformation in the original series.
"The Sage is truly beginning her transformation into a dragon!" the three priestesses exclaimed, exchanging glances filled with excitement.
The White Snake Sage was the true ruler of Ryūchi Cave, and now that she was successfully transforming into a dragon, Ryūchi Cave would finally live up to its name.
"This dragon transformation is quite different from mine," Akira thought to himself as he observed the changes.
Even though he had shared his insights with her, it seemed that each being interpreted the process differently.
The White Snake Sage's transformation was more akin to that of a jiao (a lesser dragon), rather than a true divine dragon.
Her smooth dragon horns and the fact that she only had claws emerging from her chest and abdomen—without any at the lower half—confirmed this.
A true dragon, in Akira's understanding, would have claws both at the top and bottom of its body.
The White Snake Sage's transformation was progressing quickly—perhaps because becoming a jiao required less energy than Akira's full dragon transformation, or perhaps because of the Sage's vast chakra reserves.
In any case, after only two hours, the transformation was complete. The White Snake Sage opened her mouth, releasing a powerful roar that echoed like the clashing of metal, a clear and sharp dragon's call.
Even the forked tongue that once signified her as a snake had fused into a singular, solid form.
"Congratulations on your successful transformation, Sage!" the three priestesses called out in unison, their faces alight with joy.
"Congratulations, Sage," Akira added with a nod of acknowledgment.
"All of this is thanks to you, Lord Akira," the White Snake Sage responded, her eyes resting on Akira as she addressed him with deep respect.
"Unfortunately, my transformation is not complete. Compared to your form, Lord Akira, mine falls far short," she continued, her tone humble.
The White Snake Sage had initially believed that her transformation would rival Akira's. However, now that she had completed her transformation, she realized that there was a vast, insurmountable gap between them.
While she had shed her serpent form, the difference between her and Akira remained immense.
Hearing the White Snake Sage address Akira as "Lord," the three priestesses exchanged shocked glances, realizing just how superior Akira's dragon form truly was.
They had thought the White Snake Sage's dragon form would be the pinnacle of transformation. But now, it was clear that Akira's transformation was on a level far beyond even the Sage's.
"It's not that you failed, Sage. Each of us interprets the process differently," Akira replied, shaking his head. He silently admired the White Snake Sage's wisdom and clarity—attributes that came with living for over a thousand years. Not everyone could so easily recognize the gap between themselves and another.
With this, Akira's purpose for visiting Ryūchi Cave was fulfilled.
After bidding farewell to the White Snake Sage, he and Hinata left the cave together.
This visit had been quite fruitful. Hinata had found new allies in both Garaga and Takitsuhime, and she had even temporarily activated her Tenseigan.
As for Akira, he silently marveled at the power of his Mangekyō Sharingan. With it, he could grant Hinata access to abilities like the Eight Gates or Sage Mode at will. If she could consistently activate the Tenseigan, it would significantly aid her future development.
Returning to Konoha, Akira and Hinata spent some quiet time together before she reluctantly headed back to the Hyuga Clan compound.
"Lord Captain!" A masked Anbu member suddenly appeared before Akira, kneeling on one knee.
"What is it?" Akira asked, recognizing that the Anbu wouldn't appear without reason.
"The Hokage has summoned you," the Anbu replied.
It seemed that while Akira and Hinata had been in Ryūchi Cave, the Anbu had been searching for him throughout Konoha.
"Understood," Akira said with a nod. Without wasting a moment, he used his Shunshin no Jutsu to swiftly arrive at the Hokage's office.
After knocking, he waited for Fugaku's acknowledgment before entering.
"Hokage-sama, what do you need from me?" Akira asked as he stepped inside.
"Akira, there's something important I need to discuss with you," Fugaku said, getting straight to the point.
Akira remained silent, his expression curious as he waited for Fugaku to continue.
"It's regarding the Five Kage Summit," Fugaku explained. "After the attack on Konoha by the Akatsuki during the recent Jonin exams, the entire ninja world has become aware of their power.
"Moreover, Yugito Nii, the Two-Tails Jinchuriki of Kumogakure, was killed by the Akatsuki while on a mission."
Akira's expression darkened upon hearing the news of Yugito Nii's death.
He knew who Yugito Nii was—a perfect Jinchuriki, much like Killer B, able to control her tailed beast with full consciousness.
Yet even someone as skilled as her had been killed by the Akatsuki?
Needless to say, the Two-Tails had likely been sealed into the Gedo Statue by now.
"Because of this, the Raikage has agreed to the summit, and the other Kage—Kazekage, Tsuchikage, and Mizukage—have all expressed their willingness to participate as well," Fugaku continued.
"We've been wanting to hold this summit for a while. Now that the other Kage are on board, let's move forward with it," Akira replied. The Five Kage Summit had been planned for some time, and now that the other Kage were ready, there was no reason to delay it any longer.
"That's the plan. But the question is—where should we hold the summit?" Fugaku asked.
"Where to hold it?" Akira paused, considering the options.
Given that Konoha had initiated the summit, and that Konoha was now the strongest village, shouldn't it be held here?
"The other Kage aren't comfortable coming to Konoha," Fugaku explained, reading Akira's thoughts.
"Fair enough," Akira nodded in agreement.
While the other Kage were powerful, Konoha had become even more formidable. Between Fugaku, the legendary Sannin, Akira himself, Sasuke, Kakashi, and Naruto, there were eight Kage-level fighters in Konoha alone.
This lineup could easily rival the Akatsuki.
If Konoha were to lay a trap during the summit, the other Kage could potentially be wiped out in one fell swoop.
After all, who wouldn't be wary of such a scenario?
On top of that, there was the allure of power. If one of the other villages hosted the summit, wouldn't they also consider eliminating the other Kage in a bid for dominance?
"In that case, we should choose a neutral location that everyone can trust," Akira suggested.
"That's why I wanted your opinion," Fugaku replied.
"I think the Land of Iron would be a good choice," Akira proposed, drawing from the events of the original timeline.
"The Land of Iron?" Fugaku considered the suggestion for a moment before nodding. "That's an excellent idea."
"The Land of Iron is a land of samurai, led by Mifune, who is known as the strongest of all samurai," Fugaku continued.
"Most importantly, the samurai are neutral and uphold a code of fairness and justice.
"If Mifune were to host the summit, I believe all the Kage would feel reassured, knowing that he wouldn't favor any particular side."
_________________
Next bonus chapter if we reach 700 Powerstone
____________
Note: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 285+ at patreon.com/Emik01.
Extracting chakra!
After waking up, Uchiha Akira extracted his chakra as usual, then activated his life simulator. Lines of text from the simulator began appearing in front of him.
[After several days of discussions, the Five Kage Summit commenced. The Hokage, along with Jiraiya and Kakashi, headed to the Land of Iron to attend the meeting, leaving you to act as Hokage in their absence.]
[Half a month later, the Five Kage began to arrive at the Land of Iron.]
[Twenty days later, on their way back to their villages, the Kazekage, Tsuchikage, and Mizukage were attacked by the Akatsuki.]
[Kazekage Rasa died in battle, Tsuchikage Ōōnoki was severely injured, and Mizukage Mei Terumí was gravely wounded and fell unconscious.]
[Seizing the opportunity while the three Kage were either dead or incapacitated, the Akatsuki sped up their plans to capture the tailed beasts.]
[Half a year later, the Akatsuki successfully gathered the power of all eight tailed beasts.]
[Just as the village of Konoha was preparing to defend Naruto Uzumaki, the Ten-Tails appeared, and Madara Uchiha was resurrected.]
[You fought Madara, but were overwhelmed.]
[Madara absorbed the Ten-Tails, becoming its jinchūriki and reaching the Sage level.]
[You died.]
This life simulation was different from previous ones, especially the intel about the Five Kage Summit.
The information shocked Akira. He hadn't expected the summit itself to be uneventful, but for attacks to happen after it ended?
The Kazekage, Tsuchikage, and Mizukage were ambushed?
So, the Hokage and Raikage were deemed too strong to attack, leaving the weaker ones as easy targets?
Well, it made sense. Among the Five Kage, the Hokage and Raikage were indeed the strongest. Though Tsuchikage Ōōnoki was powerful as well, missing a leg meant that even with his ability to fly, his overall strength was compromised.
Furthermore, attacking the Kage wasn't the Akatsuki's main objective—their real goal was to capture the tailed beasts. With three Kage either dead or gravely injured, they took advantage of the chaos to target the tailed beasts.
Now that Akira knew this information, he couldn't just sit back and do nothing.
After washing up, Akira had breakfast with his grandfather, Keiko, and Konan. Then an Anbu appeared, informing Akira that the Hokage wanted to see him.
Akira had a rough idea of what it might be about and nodded, heading straight for the Hokage's office.
When he arrived, the office was already crowded. The heads of the Ino-Shika-Chō clans were there, as well as several elite jonin who were prominent figures in the village.
"Uchiha Akira, you're here," Fugaku said as Akira entered, addressing him formally.
"Lord Hokage, what can I do for you?" Akira asked.
"The Five Kage have decided to go to the Land of Iron to discuss how to deal with the Akatsuki. Each Kage may bring two guards. I've decided that Kakashi and Jiraiya will accompany me," Fugaku said.
"In my absence, Uchiha Akira will act as Hokage. Any objections?"
After announcing his decision, Fugaku scanned the room for any dissent.
Since the Hokage's safety was paramount, someone strong was needed to stay behind and protect the village. Leaving Akira behind made perfect sense.
"No objections. It's the right decision," Nara Shikaku was the first to speak, endorsing Fugaku's plan.
The others quickly followed suit.
After all, with the Hokage leaving, who else but Akira could command the respect and authority needed to protect Konoha?
In terms of both power and intelligence, Uchiha Akira was undeniably qualified for the role.
"Lord Hokage, there's something I feel I should remind you of," Akira said.
He had no reason to reject the role—not that rejecting it would make a difference.
"What is it?" Fugaku asked, his expression serious. Kakashi, having witnessed Akira's predictive abilities, also paid close attention.
"Be wary of an Akatsuki ambush, especially for the Kazekage, Tsuchikage, and Mizukage.
"Among the Five Kage, those three are the easiest targets.
"While the Kage are together, the Akatsuki might hesitate to attack. But once the summit ends and everyone returns to their villages, an ambush is likely.
"If something happens to those three, the resulting chaos in their villages will only make it easier for the Akatsuki to pursue their tailed beast collection plan."
Akira laid out everything he knew clearly for Fugaku.
"Hmm, what you say makes sense. After the summit ends, I'll make sure to warn them properly," Fugaku said, nodding. He took Akira's warning seriously.
Once all the necessary instructions were given, Fugaku wasted no time. After a brief preparation, he left the village with Kakashi and Jiraiya, heading towards the Land of Iron.
With Fugaku gone, Akira sat comfortably in the Hokage's seat.
He didn't make any grand changes; instead, he told everyone to continue their usual duties and perform them well. He also asked Shikaku to keep an extra watch on things.
After assigning tasks, everyone gradually dispersed.
Those who left couldn't help but admire Fugaku's decision—leaving Akira to act as Hokage was a wise move that garnered everyone's respect. If he had appointed Sasuke as acting Hokage, no one would have been convinced.
"Lord Akira, here are today's documents for your review." Soon, a large pile of paperwork was brought to Akira.
Seeing the massive stack, Akira almost wanted to cry.
So, even before becoming Hokage, he had to bear the burdens of the role?
Flipping through a few documents, Akira realized they were all important matters—nothing trivial at all.
And of course, with Konoha being as large as it was and essentially managing all of the Land of Fire's military affairs, there were no small issues.
After spending the entire afternoon working, Akira found that the more documents he processed, the more seemed to appear. It was endless, leaving him stretching his sore muscles.
In the original story, even Naruto struggled to keep up with the workload despite using numerous shadow clones. Now, Akira truly understood how exhausting it could be.
"This workload… it's impossible!"
"Just like the ancient kings from my past life who spent late nights dealing with memorials."
"I can finally understand their pain."
As the sky darkened, Akira still had a huge pile of documents in front of him. He shook his head in frustration.
Wait—if he remembered correctly, many ancient rulers had systems in place to reduce their workload. Like the cabinet system!
Early on, prime ministers handled government affairs while the emperor served as a symbolic figurehead.
This system had been abolished during the reign of Zhu Yuanzhang, who got rid of the prime minister role. Akira wasn't planning on appointing a prime minister for Konoha, but a cabinet could certainly take on that role.
He wouldn't need to worry about giving too much power away either.
For example, these documents—why not let the cabinet review and make recommendations?
Then, Akira would do a final check. If there were no problems, he would approve it. If there were issues, he would suggest appropriate revisions.
With such a system, his workload would be significantly reduced while still maintaining decision-making authority. This was precisely what a cabinet system was meant for.
With his mind made up, Akira decided to head home for now.
As for the unfinished paperwork? Well, that could wait until the Hokage's cabinet was set up tomorrow.
Upon returning to the Uchiha compound, Akira found Hinata wandering near the entrance. When he approached, she admitted she had been waiting for him since around 7 p.m.—it was now 10 p.m.
She had waited for three hours.
This touched Akira deeply.
But while Akira was heartbroken that Hinata had waited for him, Hinata felt even worse seeing how tired Akira was after standing in as Hokage for so long.
With both of them feeling sorry for each other, their affection grew, and they couldn't help but cuddle.
"W-Wait, Akira, we're still outside!" Hinata stammered, her face flushed as Akira's bold moves caught her off guard.
"So, it's okay if we're indoors then?" Akira teased, smiling as he noticed Hinata's red face.
His words made her blush even more. She lowered her head, unable to meet his eyes.
To Akira, her reaction was a silent confirmation.
Smiling, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and whispered something in her ear, causing her face to turn an even deeper shade of red. Yet, she still nodded silently...
_________________
Next bonus chapter if we reach 300 Powerstone
____________
Note: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 285+ at patreon.com/Emik01.
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