The murmurs of the crowd rose and fell like waves.
Ryujin stood high above, calmly observing everything.
Every whisper.
Every glance.
Every shift in emotion.
Nothing escaped his notice.
At first, it was just curiosity.
Confusion.
Speculation.
But then—
A single piece of information spread through the crowd like wildfire.
"The blue giant from that night… was created by the Fourth Hokage!"
The moment that statement appeared—
Everything changed.
"What?! That blue giant… was summoned by him?!"
"I heard it was dozens of meters tall!"
"With a sword that reached the sky itself!"
"It looked like a god descending!"
That night—
Had already left a deep imprint in the hearts of the villagers.
A towering blue figure.
Standing between heaven and earth.
Radiating overwhelming power.
Almost every civilian in Konoha had rushed outside to witness it.
Some had even nearly dropped to their knees in worship.
And now—
They were being told…
That it was the same man standing before them.
The Fourth Hokage.
Uchiha Ryujin.
The rumors spiraled rapidly.
Each retelling growing more exaggerated than the last.
"The Fourth Hokage's blue giant can fight Tailed Beasts!"
"No, no—he is a Tailed Beast!"
"What?! He can control Tailed Beasts?!"
The crowd erupted into chaos.
Because that blue giant…
Had already surpassed their understanding.
It was no longer just a technique.
It was something divine.
Something unreal.
And now—
It had a name.
A master.
A ruler.
A Hokage.
Then—
Another piece of news spread.
"The one who defeated Hanzo of the Salamander…"
"Is also the Fourth Hokage!"
Silence.
For a single moment—
The entire crowd froze.
Then—
Explosion.
Hanzo.
The man known as the "Demigod of the Shinobi World."
A legend.
A monster.
A name that carried fear across nations.
And yet—
He had been defeated.
By this young man.
By their Hokage.
The effect was immediate.
Excitement surged.
Voices rose.
Eyes lit up.
Because in this world—
People worshipped heroes.
And a man who defeated Hanzo…
Was undeniably one.
From that moment on—
Ryujin was no longer just a Hokage.
He was a symbol.
Admiration spread through the crowd.
Respect followed.
Then—
Reverence.
And yet—
All of this…
Had been planned.
Every rumor.
Every piece of information.
Every carefully timed revelation.
Ryujin had arranged it all.
Before the ceremony—
He had already placed Uchiha and Senju shinobi among the civilians.
Their task was simple.
At the right moment—
Release the truth.
Let the people speak.
Let the rumors grow.
Let the legend build itself.
Because nothing spreads faster than belief.
And nothing is more powerful—
Than the will of the people.
Ryujin understood this deeply.
More than anyone else.
In his previous life…
And in this one—
He had learned a simple truth.
Those who win hearts… rule the world.
Even within the Uchiha clan—
His rise had not been based on strength alone.
It was built on admiration.
On trust.
On absolute authority over the hearts of his people.
From elders to children—
Every Uchiha respected him.
Followed him.
Believed in him.
That was why—
His control over the clan had become absolute.
As for the matter of Hanzo—
That truth had been buried for years.
Hiruzen and Danzō had suppressed it.
Silenced it.
Hidden it from the public.
Because they feared this exact outcome.
If the people learned the truth—
If they knew who had defeated Hanzo—
Then Ryujin would gain influence.
Support.
Momentum.
And now—
That suppressed truth had returned.
Stronger than ever.
Meanwhile—
The civilians remained blissfully unaware of the deeper truths.
To them—
Konoha was still bright.
Still peaceful.
Still just.
They did not see the shadows.
The power struggles.
The hidden conflicts.
But the higher-ups did.
The clan leaders.
The elite shinobi.
Those who had attended the wedding.
They all knew what had truly happened.
Ryujin had seized power.
Through overwhelming force.
He had crushed Danzō.
Suppressed the Third Hokage.
And stood above all.
Now—
A man not yet twenty…
Sat at the peak of Konoha.
And that terrified them.
Because they did not know—
What kind of Hokage he would become.
Did he have the wisdom?
The restraint?
The vision?
No one knew.
But none of it mattered.
Because in this world—
Power decided everything.
And Ryujin's power…
Was absolute.
Danzō had been killed instantly.
Hiruzen had been completely suppressed.
The massive earth dragon.
The blue Susanoo.
Each display of power—
Crushed resistance before it could even form.
And most importantly—
He was not alone.
Behind him stood two of Konoha's greatest clans.
The Uchiha.
And the Senju.
Bound together through marriage.
Through alliance.
Through shared purpose.
They supported him.
Followed him.
Strengthened him.
And that alone—
Made opposing him impossible.
So the clans chose silence.
Because resistance—
Was meaningless.
And yet…
Deep down—
Many of them came to a quiet realization.
Perhaps—
This wasn't a bad outcome.
Because with someone like Ryujin…
Sitting at the top—
Who would dare challenge Konoha?
Who would dare start a war?
His eyes alone—
Could kill a Kage instantly.
And that blue giant—
Even without showing its full power—
Was enough to shake the world.
No one knew how strong he truly was.
And that…
Was the most terrifying part.
So in the end—
They accepted it.
If Ryujin wanted to be Hokage—
Then let him be Hokage.
As long as he didn't cross certain lines…
No one would oppose him.
Because strength—
Had already decided everything.