Reborn in a daimyo’s court-Naruto SI

Chapter 77-EPILOGUE II

MINATO NAMIKAZE

Minato Namikaze sat in the highest booth for the Chunin exam, as he looked down at the vast arena down below and the thousands of people from all parts of the arena sitting around the arena celebrating joyously as if at a festival. A much contrast from the chunin exams of his time, and he could not be more prouder as he saw both participants and the populace laughing and smiling as the exam began.

And it was at such moments, that he could scarcely imagine that such a scene would have been completely unimaginable just a bit over a decade ago, that this peace was not even as old as his son, and that it was something that he had helped achieve. Something that he had helped build.

It was the proudest achievement for him, for a man who had achieved too much while not even being in his thirties yet.

"It is surreal, isn't it?" the only other occupant of the room added, joining him on the balcony as they watched the first stage of the exams begin down below, one that was basically a race through the forest, but to be run without touching the ground even once.

"It is," he replied. It was a test of chakra control over large distances, a skill rather important for a shinobi, yet there would be no bloodshed. Teams were allowed to force other teams to the ground, using any means necessary, but it was now an unwritten rule that fatal force should not be used.

There were proctors stationed inside the forest, trained ANBU's looking over everything, ready to intervene if anything went wrong, though they rarely had to. The kids in the forest had none of the baggage of his generation. They had been born into a peaceful, united world, one where there were no Grand wars to fight.

"I doubt anyone would have imagined such a thing a decade ago that we would be having chunin exams like this," the man beside him added with a chuckle. Apart from him, he was a person who had accomplished more in his life than any other man in history.

For he was the person who had made all this truly possible. He was the Shogun of the continent—Akihito Shirahoshi.

"I doubt even Jiraiya sensei would have been optimistic enough to think up something like this," he added with a chuckle.

"And yet it is a reality," the young man added, and he nodded.

"One that we must strive to persevere. We must continue to move forward and not linger on our past."

"Indeed," and he couldn't be more proud to have made this possible. But his work was done; he had served as kage for over a decade now, and though he was young and still considered to be the strongest kage alive, he believed it was time for him to put down the mantle.

"That is why I made the decision I did," he added. Being a kage was his and Kushina's dream, and he had achieved it and much more. But now he had a family to think of. He had his children—the young Naruto and Makimo and the one that was set to arrive in a few months.

So, it was time for him to hang up the mantle and pass it on to the next generation as he had done for himself.

"Have you decided on a candidate?" he questioned, for though the man beside him was the Shogun, he was yet also the daimyo of the fire country, the one who oversaw the Hokage appointment, and though the ministerial duties that came with it were mostly seen after by his lady wife, the Lady Miyuki he knew that when it came to ninja affairs, few had an insight like their Shogun.

"The list you sent was rather exhaustive and young," the man added, and Minato shrugged.

"I consulted my council, and most of them believed that with the world as changed as it is, it is better that we pass the torch to the younger generation, trusting them to build upon all this. And look at Iwa and Ame. Both their kages are rather young, and I have heard rumors that even Mei-san from Kiri is thinking of retiring and passing on the torch to her apprentice from the Yuki clan," he argued, not that he needed to. For he knew the man beside him cared little for age. After all, he himself was younger even than Minato and was the strongest person in the continent.

In Iwa, Ohnoki's student was set to take the mantle of the Fourth Tsuchikage in a few years, while Yahiko no Akatsuki Ame's kage was younger than him. Then there was the Situation in Kiri where Mei Terumi had a whole slew of options to choose from.

"Call it what you will, but it will be odd to see someone else in the Hokage chair," the young daimyo added, looking towards him. The youthful features from their first meeting were now long gone, and he stood even a head taller than Minato as his raven black hair fell down his back.

Even now, he stood here dressed in a black and red kimono, with one of his arms resting in its fold, covered in bandages; even a decade later, the wounds from that day had never really healed.

"You will get used to it. Plus, I am only retiring from being a kage. I do hope that we will remain friends," he offered, and the young Shogun nodded.

"Of course," and with that, he sighed as he looked up.

"The truth is that had I not been threatened by your lady wife with severe bodily harm, I would have rejected your resignation," he added. Minato chuckled nervously, already aware of Kushina's letters to the man.

He could only thank the Gods that Akihito was as good-natured as he was. Otherwise, that could have been trouble.

"But I have made my decision. Of course, the person is rather young and will need a few years to come into his own, during which I expect you and the Council to help him along," and he nodded.

"Of course," he added quickly, which was expected. But he was rather curious about the man's choice.

"So, who is it?" he questioned, only for them to be interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Come in," Akihito-sama ordered, and the door to their booth opened to reveal rather familiar figures. Both of them had black hair and were dressed in simple black trousers and a shirt, along with a jounin flask jacket.

On their shirts was a single symbol highlighting their heritage: a gunbai split in half, red in the upper part and clear white in the lower one—the symbol of one of Leaf's founding clans, the Uchiha Clan.

"Hokage-sama, Shogun-sama," the shinobi with curly hair spoke rather causally, even as the one beside him glared at him and gave a proper salute.

"Shogun-sama, Hokage-sama," Itachi Uchiha greeted them both, and he saw the glint in Akihito's eyes and realsied that this was his choice. Itachi Uchiha was his choice.

And once more, Minato was rather impressed. The young Uchiha scion was hailed as a prodigy unlike any and had taken it upon himself to reform the Konoha's academy system, something he had done rather well.

His name had been on the proposed list, much like the shinobi who stood beside him. Uchiha Shisui was a shinobi that needed no introduction. His fame reached every corner of the world where many young shinobi aspired to follow into the footsteps of the clandestine 'Teleporter.'

"At ease, Itachi-san, I have called you here as my guest," Akihito-san welcomed the young Uchiha boy as he motioned for him to join them.

"Come join us. I have always wanted to meet you, Itachi Uchiha," the young Shogun said, and there was genuine appraisal in his tone.

When had he even learned of the boy? But did that really matter, though? He had made his choice, and it was rather fine.

"I would be honored," Uchiha Itachi replied rather stiffly as he joined him and Akihito, even as his childhood friend bumped him on the shoulder.

"Don't be so stiff. You are his guest," said one, handing the message to Uchiha's guardian; he was rather looking for the punishment if any of his current antics were leaked to Chiryuu-sama.

"I have heard much about you, Itachi-kun," Akihito smiled, and the boy frowned, not realizing the source. And he was rather curious as well.

"I do hope you remember Karin-kun. She would often regale me with tales of your greatness when she would come to visit her mother," and it all clicked together: the Uzumaki girl was Itachi's classmate.

"How is Karin-kun?" Itachi questioned as his eyes slightly widened.

"She is fine. She is in Ame currently working with her mother, trying to trace out any other Uzumaki clan members," and that was one thing that Kushina wished to do as well, but with her own children growing up, she had little time for.

But still, the Uzumaki clan was seeing a revival. In the decade since, they had traced out around ten members, and though that was a far cry from the thousands of members it had once, still it seemed that the Uzumaki clan was not as dead as they had thought it out to be.

"That is good," the boy smiled genuinely.

"She did tell me that it was her dream to find more of her family," and it was heartwarming to see this made possible.

Then the boy joined them as they made small talk, and he could see this for what it was—an interview. He suspected that midway through it, the boy caught on as well, even though he suspected that he had no inkling of its purpose.

Shisui Uchiha, as nonchalant as he may seem, picked up on it as well and was looking rather curiously at him.

"Do forgive me, but I read your academy file once, Itachi-kun?" Akihito-kun suddenly began, and he saw that the Uchiha boy was taken by surprise at that claim.

"It was years ago, for reasons I will not divest, but I found myself rather intrigued by the words written inside it," the young lord continued as Uchiha Itachi frowned.

"Which words, Shogun-sama?"

"Your dream," he continued, and the Itachi Uchiha's eyes narrowed as the shogun-sama looked him in the eye.

"I found it rather fascinating, such clarity of thought from a boy so young. A dream that mirrored my own," he complimented as he turned towards him.

"It was the very thing that we dreamt Minato-Kun all those years ago," he said before he looked out the window as Minato nodded.

"It is a dream of idiots, the dream of wiping out all warfare from this world," and at that, he turned towards Itachi Uchiha, who had grown serious as he asked him.

"Tell me Itachi Uchiha. Do you still pursue this dream?" the boy thought about it for a second before he looked Akihito-sama in the eye.

"I do."

0000

And so, the tale comes to a close. It was a small idea that expanded as I wrote it, and here it is. Hope you guys like it.

There will be a bit of surprise coming in a couple of hours. So, keep an eye out for that

Please leave your thoughts.

Drkest out!