How Did I Become Hokage?

After an eventful night, Uchiha Toki quietly withdrew his hand from the slumbering Tsunade's side as dawn approached, stealing a guilty glance at her. Seeing that Tsunade remained undisturbed, he hastily dressed and slipped away from the room once again. Unbeknownst to Toki, as soon as he left the room, Tsunade's tightly shut eyes slowly opened.With a complex expression on her face, Tsunade stared blankly at the door through which Toki had departed until Shizune peeked out cautiously, snapping her out of her daze. Tsunade glared at Shizune and demanded,

"Shizune! What did you do last night?"

Shizune shivered, waving her hands frantically.

"It's not my fault! Toki-sama insisted on helping you last night, and I couldn't stop him."

Tsunade almost burst out laughing at Shizune's exaggerated performance. Did they think she'd forgotten everything just because she got drunk? As a medical ninja, skilled in both healing and detoxification, how could she have lost consciousness completely in the dangerous ninja world? At most, she would have... Tsunade seemed to recall something from the previous night, her cheeks flushing red. She seemed reluctant to admit that she had been the one causing all the commotion. Watching the empty room, Shizune sighed with frustration.

"Lady Tsunade, why did you let him go? We finally caught him."

Tsunade's face darkened, and she glared at Shizune.

"If you act on your own again next time, I'll strip you naked and throw you to him!"

Shizune rolled her eyes, feeling disdainful. After all, she was a medical ninja too. Who didn't know who? Wasn't it Tsunade who had clung to Toki-sama so desperately before? But Shizune dared not say it aloud. She had to pretend to be scared and submissive, even though, deep down, she might have different thoughts. After all, it was Toki-sama who had arranged for her to become Tsunade's disciple. However, what Shizune didn't know was that Toki had his own reasons for doing so—namely, to usurp the position of his dead uncle. Watching Shizune's rebellious behavior, Tsunade scolded her angrily,

"Get out and find out why he's here!"

Tsunade sighed inwardly with a complex expression. Was he here to find her? Thinking of this, a hint of anticipation flickered across Tsunade's face. But the next moment, Shizune burst in excitedly, exclaiming,

"Lady Tsunade, something terrible has happened! Toki-sama has become the head of the Uchiha clan and is obstructing the Third Hokage's attempt to return to power. Now Konoha is divided into three major factions—the Sarutobi clan, responsible for external defense, the Uchiha clan, and the various ninja clans that suffered heavy losses in the Third Great Ninja War. The Hokage has lost his power and is merely a spiritual symbol now. You're now the Fifth Hokage! The statues for the Hokage Monument have already been carved for you! Toki-sama appeared here because Konoha is at war with Kumogakure. The Uchiha clan is leading the battle in the Land of Hot Water."

"Huh?"

Tsunade looked at Shizune in confusion.

She understood each word individually, but when strung together, they made no sense to her. What did it mean that she had become Hokage? When did she go back and accept the position? Why didn't she know about it? Was she sleepwalking? What did it mean that the Hokage had lost his power? Why was Konoha divided into three factions? Had she missed something during her few months away? Did Konoha really split while she was gone?

Wait a minute!

Tsunade looked at Shizune nervously and asked,

"Are you saying that only the Uchiha clan was sent to fight Kumogakure? No other ninja clans?"

Shizune hesitated before nodding.

"It seems that only the Uchiha clan is there. They're fighting in the Land of Hot Water, and that's why Toki-sama appeared here."

Tsunade panicked instantly.

"Damn it, it must be Hiruzen Sarutobi playing his old tricks again! How could Toki agree to this? Isn't this sending them to their deaths?"

In the past, the Senju clan had been swayed by Hiruzen Sarutobi's fiery rhetoric, instilling in them the idea of protecting the legacy of the First Hokage and passing on the Will of Fire, believing that only by inheriting the thoughts of the Will of Fire's successor would they fulfill their purpose. As a result, members of the Senju clan rushed to the battlefield, and the Second and Third Great Ninja Wars lasted for over a decade. When the peace treaty with Iwagakure was signed, Hiruzen Sarutobi betrayed their comrades for the benefit of Konoha, and that was when Tsunade finally woke up. However, by then, it was too late. The main line of the Senju clan was reduced to just herself, a mere female member. Even the branch members had scattered, with only a few female relatives marrying into civilian families in Konoha, and the once-proud Senju clan was quietly dissolved.

Naturally, Tsunade fell into endless self-blame. If only she had listened to Toki earlier, the Senju clan would not have fallen so low. But who could have expected that the smiling, carefree old pervert who liked to discuss which bathhouse to peep at with Jiraiya-sensei would be so heartless? Even at the moment before the unconditional peace treaty was signed, Tsunade had always believed that Hiruzen Sarutobi, the grandfather she admired, was the successor of the Will of Fire. So Tsunade, disheartened, chose to leave Konoha, And Toki, at that moment, approached Shizune and asked her to follow him and take care of Tsunade. But now, upon hearing that the Uchiha clan was alone in resisting Kumogakure, Tsunade instinctively thought it was just Hiruzen Sarutobi's usual ploy.

Originally calm, Tsunade became anxious in an instant.