Chapter 401: Hokage Candidates
In front of the Hyuga clan compound.
Masahiko rubbed Hinata's head: "We're home, go in... Did you remember what I told you?"
"Yes, I remembered... Goodbye, Great Ancestor!"
Hinata walked back into the compound with small steps. Immediately, a branch family member came up, saw Masahiko standing in the distance, and was startled: "Eldest Miss, why did Senior Masahiko Uzumaki bring you back?"
"Great Ancestor told Toneri-kun to leave first, he wanted to bring me back..." Hinata said softly, looking back at Masahiko guiltily.
In the distance, Masahiko waved and smiled, giving her an encouraging look, and turned to leave elegantly.
He praised himself in his heart: "Great Ancestor did this beautifully. Personally bringing Hinata back and telling her to say this will let Hiashi understand my meaning. Not bringing Naruto won't let Hiashi misinterpret my meaning. He will definitely know exactly what my meaning means..."
"Let the children decide their own matters. The few matches I've tried to make, except for Kushina, have been quite the failures... Love is an unreasonable thing~"
"But looking at the scene in the classroom just now, I somehow feel that this child Toneri is going to have a tragedy. That brat Naruto actually unintentionally moved the girl's heart... His training volume will be doubled when I get back!"
...
The next day, Kushina's house.
Masahiko learned from Obito the reason why the Ninja Academy let out early last night.
The Ninja Academy sent five elite teachers to jointly conduct a comprehensive test of ninja knowledge on Obito Uchiha. The final conclusion was: Fail!
Then the five of them helped Obito find his gaps and omissions, listing out the knowledge he needed to master as soon as possible, which was a list as thick as... a whole book.
Masahiko flipped through the list. The dense book titles on it reminded him of his time studying in the Hidden Sound Village. He shook his head, chuckled, and handed it to Minato.
Minato briefly flipped through it and nodded: "These are indeed things a Hokage must master."
Hearing the word 'Hokage', an unconcealable goofy smile appeared on Obito's face. He now knew that he was getting closer and closer to his dream Hokage position.
But as he smiled, he turned into a pitiful look again: "I have to master all these things within this month. How is that possible!"
Obito looked at Minato with a bitter face: "Sensei, do you have any tricks?"
Minato revealed a bright smile: "I have mastered all of these. I can teach you."
Obito's face turned bitter again. He turned to Kushina: "Sensei's wife, do you have any tricks?"
Kushina rubbed her belly: "Be a good baby."
She wasn't exactly cut out for studying either.
Obito's face grew even more bitter. He placed his last hope on Masahiko: "Master, do you have a way?"
"A way... I do have one." Seeing Obito's face light up with joy, Masahiko continued: "When I was studying in the past... don't look at me like that, I did study in the past! Cough, you can use Shadow Clones to study together. But you can't use too many. Studying is mentally exhausting after all. I only dared to use three at most at the same time. You, Obito... one, no more than that!"
Obito was slightly overjoyed: "That gives me double the efficiency. You are still the smartest, Master! But this still isn't enough time. Are there any other ways?"
"Sensei? Sensei's wife? Master?"
Masahiko's mouth twitched: "If you call us like that, Minato will beat you up. When the three of us are together, just call Kushina 'Old Sensei's Wife'... Forget it, it hurts more when Kushina hits people."
Minato and Kushina hadn't noticed at first, but when Masahiko pointed it out, they realized it. Kushina held her belly and said: "Great-grandfather, stop joking around. It's not convenient for me to get physical right now."
Obito shrank his neck: "Master, please don't make such jokes at a time like this. Please help me think of another way!"
The appeal of becoming Hokage was truly great; Obito's face was full of serious earnestness.
Masahiko pondered for a moment: "I have a way!"
"Really?!" Obito looked pleasantly surprised.
...
Half an hour later, Obito's house.
Obito and Obito's Shadow Clone sat behind a Wood Release desk Masahiko had just created. Several thick 'heavy tomes' were placed on the desk.
Standing in front of the desk was an exceptionally beautiful girl. The girl held a wooden stick in her hand, smiling incredibly sweetly, with two cute dimples on her cheeks: "Obito, you have to study hard! I will be watching you all the time!"
Obito and Obito's Shadow Clone looked up at Rin holding the wooden stick in front of them, then looked at Masahiko gloating in the distance. With a numb expression, they opened a 'heavenly book': "Yes, study hard."
...
Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, it was October.
Kushina's lower abdomen had slightly bulged. The fetus inside had grown healthily for four months under the monitoring of Ultrasound Uzumaki.
Under the supervision of Sensei Rin, Obito completed the most painful learning experience of his life, and the grand selection of the Fifth Hokage temporarily came to a close.
This selection did not directly choose the Fifth Hokage. Instead, under the recommendation of the various clans in Konoha, four Hokage candidates were selected. They were Obito Uchiha, Kakashi Hatake, Shinnosuke Sarutobi, and Hiashi Hyuga.
The fact that no one from the Senju clan participated truly shocked many onlookers in the village.
In the following three months, Hiruzen would distribute his work among the four of them, and the true Fifth Hokage would be voted on after the New Year.
The Fifth Hokage selection became so special that smart people in Konoha Village, like Masahiko, could see the hidden motives behind it.
It was nothing more than Hiruzen being unable to rest assured with Obito and wanting to train him first—whether in terms of ideology or capability.
Looking at the specific tasks assigned to the four of them made it even more obvious.
Among the four, only Obito followed behind Hiruzen every day, learning the methods and experiences of a Hokage in handling affairs.
Shinnosuke Sarutobi and Kakashi were responsible for coordinating Anbu, intelligence, missions, and other work.
The current Anbu Commander, Sakumo, was nearing 50 years old and was also affected by his severed arm. He would retire from Anbu after the New Year. These two would perfectly fill the positions of Commander and Deputy Commander.
Hiashi's situation was even more obvious; Hiruzen directly assigned him the work of the Elder Council.
Because Obito Uchiha was selected to become the Fifth Hokage, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado had explicitly stated their intention to 'retire and return home'. Coupled with Kagami Uchiha's deteriorating health, the current Konoha Elder Council existed in name only, leaving exactly three vacancies.
Sakumo would take one position, Hiashi would take one, and the last one would fall to Nawaki. Hiruzen truly wanted to retire this time, but... Masahiko felt that Obito wouldn't 'let him off'.
...
Inside the Fat Sheep Casino.
"Princess Katsuyu, Frog Prince, do you two really have no interest in the Fifth Hokage?"
Tsunade waved her hand: "Even Nawaki didn't run. Why would I compete with that brat."
Jiraiya looked helpless. What the hell was 'Frog Prince': "I'm too lazy to be Hokage."
Masahiko pondered for a moment: "Since these two aren't running, Obito's wave... is completely secured."
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