There were only three remaining candidates.
In order of age, they were Danzo, Jiraiya, and Kakashi.
Danzo becoming Hokage would benefit the Yamanaka Clan, but not necessarily the Ino–Shika–Choji. It came back to the same point: Danzo acted without regard for rules and had a strong-willed personality, which made the Ninja Clans reluctant to deal with him.
Kakashi simply lacked the seniority. Plus, he had always been a frontline combatant and hadn't proven his leadership abilities. The Third Hokage had consciously tried to guide him towards a higher position, but unfortunately, there wasn't enough time. Now Kakashi wasn't in the Village, which was a wasted opportunity to prove himself.
The only remaining candidate was Jiraiya.
The Ino–Shika–Choji quickly divided their tasks.
Ino went to find Tsunade to ask for her opinion.
Inoichi continued to support Danzo. Regardless of who became Hokage, intelligence work and the Root Ninja could not be overlooked. With Ino's presence, the Yamanaka Clan had people in both overt and covert operations, making them invincible.
Shikaku immediately left the Village to find Kakashi, to gauge the Copy Ninja's view on the new Hokage. If he had no interest in the Hokage position, then he would be asked to support Jiraiya as well.
The big fatty Choza used his good connections to find Jiraiya.
In his youth, Choza had been a teammate of Minato Namikaze for a period, and was also very familiar with Minato Namikaze's teacher, Jiraiya.
A day later, Kakashi first met Shikaku and learned that the Village had been attacked by Orochimaru and the Hidden Sand Village. He immediately abandoned his mission to find Danzo and, traveling day and night, led the ANBU Ninja back to the Village.
There was no need for Shikaku to say much; Kakashi clearly stated that he truly had no interest in the Hokage position. If there was no one else, then he would have no choice but to take it on, but now that there were other candidates, he was perfectly content to remain a frontline Ninja.
He also joined the Ino–Shika–Choji in persuading Jiraiya.
Jiraiya's initial attitude was very firm: 'No! I won't do it even if you kill me! My disciple was the Fourth Hokage, and now I'm supposed to be the Fifth Hokage? How embarrassing would that be?'
Shikaku was very good at reading people's minds. He spoke frankly, using himself as an example. He said he was a person with many methods but few ideas, while Jiraiya was the opposite: a person with ideas but no methods. Many times, Jiraiya knew what needed to be done but not how to do it.
A strategist like Shikaku was most suitable to assist a Hokage with Jiraiya's personality.
'You are the Hokage. You say what you want to do, what goal you want to achieve, and as your strategist, I will give you three ideas – upper, middle, and lower. You choose the most suitable one and then execute it. That's all there is to it.'
'You won't be tired, and I won't have any psychological burden. It's a perfect fit for both of us.'
Shikaku further stated that his Ninja abilities were insufficient, and he wanted to focus on being a strategist. He was willing to step down from his position as the Jonin Squad Leader. At that time, you could choose either Kakashi or Asuma to be the Squad Leader.
Jiraiya's attitude softened slightly, indicating that he would seriously consider the matter.
On the same day, the two Advisors, on behalf of the Village, assigned Ino a B-rank mission: to find Tsunade and ensure she was brought back to the Village.
Three days later, upon hearing that Orochimaru had died, Danzo didn't even need anyone to search for him. He called off the ambush and returned with his Root Ninja.
Danzo was furious!
What happened? Orochimaru died, but the Third Hokage didn't?
On the fifth day after the failure of the Konoha Crush, Ino made a round trip and brought Tsunade, Shizune, and their pet pig Tonton back to Konoha Village.
The Third Hokage's injuries were too severe. The Slug Sage had only managed to restart his heart; his body was actually too weak. He couldn't even stay conscious, let alone stand up and handle official duties.
The Slug Sage was helpless against the fragile human body and soul. What the Third Hokage needed now was medical Ninjutsu, not Sage Art Chakra.
Asuma was doing alright, but Konohamaru had already cried himself unconscious multiple times.
Ino carried the hopes of the entire Village as she invited Tsunade back.
It wasn't to return as Hokage, but merely to treat a patient. This task wasn't difficult.
Tsunade had some grievances with the Third Hokage, but not to the extent of watching him die. If he could be saved, she would save him.
On the way, Ino straightforwardly asked Tsunade if she had any intention of becoming Hokage.
As expected, Tsunade refused. Her reason was still her hemophobia.
The three people and one pig quickly returned to the Village. Upon arriving, there was no time for sentimentality; they rushed straight to Konoha Hospital.
"Please, please save my grandpa!" Konohamaru cried like a fountain outside the ward.
Tsunade had the least patience for this. 'Who is your grandpa? There are so many injured people in Konoha who need treatment; can I save them all?'
She grabbed Konohamaru by the collar and, without a word, flung him out.
Jiraiya, Ino, Shizune, and Tonton all had grim expressions, looking as if they were still shaken.
Naruto, meanwhile, ran out yelling to save Konohamaru.
"Thank you for your hard work, and thank you." The filial Asuma nodded deeply to Ino.
Without Ino, it would not have been so easy to find Tsunade, nor would it have been so easy to bring her back. Now, saving a life was like fighting a fire; if they had delayed even two days, he might have been gone.
He was very grateful to Ino.
Ino accepted the gratitude, feeling completely justified. 'If it weren't for me... haha, we'd be at a funeral right now!'
She deserved this gratitude.
"Are you all doctors? Everyone unrelated, get out! Scram!" Tsunade roared, chasing Jiraiya, Asuma, and all the others out of the ward.
Only her two disciples and pet pig Tonton remained.
Tsunade's medical Ninjutsu was indeed powerful. A day later, the Third Hokage slowly regained consciousness. Along with that, Tsunade also cured Gekkō Hayate, who had been in a coma in the next room.
He said that the Jonin Baki of the Hidden Sand Village had tried to kill him, and that the Hidden Sand Village had a conspiracy.
Ino smiled, signaling her former flower shop VIP customer to rest well. 'Your intelligence is a tad late.'
When the Third Hokage opened his eyes, he himself was surprised. Could he actually survive using the Dead Demon Consuming Seal?
Tsunade also didn't know what had happened.
'You're asking me? How would I know? You're the one who used the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, not me?'
After treating the Third Hokage, Tsunade wanted to leave, but at the earnest request of many acquaintances, she agreed to stay for two more days, at least until the seriously injured were out of danger.
The Third Hokage's soul was too depleted, and combined with his aging body, although one hand could still move, he would never be able to use Ninjutsu again in his life.
A person who cannot use Ninjutsu is naturally not a Ninja, and certainly cannot serve as the Hokage of Konoha Village.
The Third Hokage still had many loyal subordinates, plus the support of people like Asuma, Yuhi, and Kakashi, so his authority had not been significantly affected for the time being. However, he knew his own situation: his organs were failing, his lifespan was counting down, and he couldn't use Ninjutsu. He had to quickly arrange for a successor, the sooner the better, as the time left for him was very short.
He successively sought out Jiraiya and Tsunade, Jiraiya first, then Tsunade, to talk earnestly, hoping they would accept the position of Hokage. As expected, both refused.
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