Author's Note: Don't forget to vote, comment and leave a 5 star review to help the story grow and reach more people.
Read upto +30 Chapters worth of content ahead and receive extra updates daily by going to my Patreon and becoming a fellow Patreon.
Patreon: mrfanfiction140
Be sure to read my other Novels as well:
- There Will Be No Third Dark Lord At Hogwarts!!!
-----
"Oh, by the way, where's Orochimaru?"
Lady Tsunade suddenly remembered Orochimaru, the 'culprit,' and immediately asked, "Wasn't Orochimaru captured alive? Where is he now? Take me to him!"
Lady Tsunade always felt there was some hidden agenda in this matter, especially with the Uchiha Clan's involvement; Orochimaru must have been pulling strings behind the scenes. So, she intended to question him face-to-face, as the 'mastermind.'
"This—"
Upon hearing Lady Tsunade's words, Nara Shikaku's face showed a hint of embarrassment. He said, "Um—Lady Tsunade, Orochimaru has escaped."
"What?!"
Lady Tsunade's anger flared upon hearing Nara Shikaku's words. She grabbed his collar and demanded, "Wasn't he captured? How could he escape so easily? What good are you people?!"
....
Nara Shikaku hung his head in shame, speechless.
In fact, he was also baffled. They had clearly subjected Orochimaru to the strictest confinement, even placing a triple Chakra seal on him, yet he still managed to escape.
Even with Nara Shikaku's intellect, he couldn't figure out how Orochimaru did it—unless someone released him.
But for a 'major criminal' like Orochimaru, no one in the Village, except for the two Advisors, could directly access him. Thinking of this, Nara Shikaku suddenly felt as if he had uncovered something extraordinary. Could it be that the two Advisors actually released Orochimaru?
The more Nara Shikaku thought about it, the more possible it seemed. After all, the two Advisors' attitude towards Danzo Shimura's betrayal was very ambiguous; while seemingly aimed at suppressing the Uchiha Clan, it actually looked more like they were protecting Danzo Shimura.
If they could treat Danzo Shimura like that, it wasn't impossible for them to find an opportunity to release Orochimaru, who was allied with Danzo—no, it was entirely possible for them to do such a thing.
Damn it, these old geezers only cause trouble!
After Nara Shikaku figured out the 'truth' behind Orochimaru's escape, he couldn't help but curse inwardly.
"Useless!"
Lady Tsunade cursed upon seeing Nara Shikaku's expression, then asked again, "Now that the Hokage is gone, what are the Village's plans? Have you discussed who will be the next Hokage?"
Nara Shikaku and the other two immediately looked up in unison, their gazes fixed on Lady Tsunade. The answer was self-evident.
Lady Tsunade, seeing their gazes, was first stunned, then erupted in anger: "You bastards, you're actually setting your sights on me?!"
"This was the decision of the two Advisors!"
Nara Shikaku, seeing Lady Tsunade's anger, immediately revealed the 'masterminds' of the situation and explained, "Ever since the Third Hokage's sacrifice, the Uchiha Clan's reputation and prestige in the Village have soared, especially the new Clan Head, Uchiha Itachi, who has been idolized by many young people in the Village. Recently, there have even been rumors that 'the Uchiha Clan will produce a Hokage.'
Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado, the two Advisors, originally wanted to wait until they contacted you and Jiraiya before deciding on the next Hokage.
But after hearing these rumors in the Village, they immediately submitted the names of the next Hokage candidates to the Daimyo. There were only two names submitted: you and Jiraiya.
However, Jiraiya has clearly stated that he will not become Hokage, and coupled with your lineage—so the probability of your name being chosen by the Daimyo should be higher than Jiraiya's."
Although all three were 'Sannin,' in terms of lineage and prestige, Lady Tsunade, as the granddaughter of the First Hokage and possessing incredibly powerful medical Ninjutsu—having saved countless lives on the battlefield—was far superior to both Jiraiya and Orochimaru. She even matched them in combat power.
Therefore, if a Hokage were to be chosen, as long as Lady Tsunade was willing, her name would undoubtedly be the top candidate.
"Those two old geezers!"
Lady Tsunade cursed under her breath after hearing Nara Shikaku's words, then glared at the three and threatened, "I'm leaving Konoha right now. You are not to tell anyone you saw me, understand?"
Her return to Konoha this time was only to find out what had happened in the Village and to see if Jiraiya was still alive. She had no intention of staying to become Hokage. So, upon hearing that the two old geezers had placed her name among the Hokage candidates and submitted it to the Daimyo, she immediately wanted to slip away.
....
Nara Shikaku and the other two immediately showed troubled expressions.
Because from their perspective, they also hoped that Lady Tsunade would become the next Hokage.
In the current Konoha, in terms of prestige and power, only Jiraiya and Lady Tsunade could suppress the young Clan Head of the Uchiha Clan. Even in terms of power, it was hard to say, as the Uchiha had directly defeated Orochimaru, who was also one of the Sannin.
Although Orochimaru was injured at the time, it was still enough to prove Uchiha Itachi's strength. Moreover, the power of Susanoo that Uchiha Itachi used at that time brought immense shock to the ninja of the Village, stunning a large number of people.
If neither Lady Tsunade nor Jiraiya were willing to become Hokage, it was possible that the Uchiha Clan might actually produce a Hokage. That was a result that all the current ninja clans of Konoha were unwilling to see. Therefore, even if it meant forcing it, they had to push one of the two into the position of Hokage. So—they had already sent out the message the moment they met Lady Tsunade.
This move of yours is like walking right into a trap!
"Tsunade!"
At this moment, a world-weary voice came, causing Lady Tsunade's body to tremble slightly, and her face immediately fell.
"Damn it, just as I feared."
Lady Tsunade muttered softly, then turned around and looked at the two old men walking towards her. She greeted them ungraciously: "Oh, aren't you two Advisor Elders? You're not dead yet?"
Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado's faces darkened upon hearing Lady Tsunade's 'greeting.' The latter then spoke, "Tsunade, you must already understand the current situation of the Village. Don't leave this time. The Village needs you now."
"Hmph, don't try to fool me with that talk."
Lady Tsunade, hearing Homura Mitokado's words, crossed her arms with a disdainful expression and said, "For something like this, you should go find that bastard Jiraiya. This old woman isn't serving."
To put it bluntly, if she had wanted to be Hokage, she would have been the Fourth Generation directly back then, and Minato Namikaze wouldn't have had a chance.
"Jiraiya is not suitable."
Utatane Koharu spoke in a deep voice, "At this time, it is more suitable for you to succeed as Hokage than Jiraiya."
They had carefully considered it. To truly suppress the rising Uchiha Clan, they needed to use the Senju Clan's name. Moreover, only if Lady Tsunade became Hokage could Jiraiya also be persuaded to stay. The reverse might not be true.
"Hmph."
Lady Tsunade snorted and turned her head, saying, "What does that have to do with me? I'm leaving."
"Wait!"
The two old geezers, seeing Lady Tsunade about to leave, immediately called out to her, saying urgently, "Are you going to watch the future of the Village be controlled by the Uchiha Clan?"
"So what?"
Lady Tsunade stopped in her tracks upon hearing this, then turned back to glare at them and said, "Perhaps the Village, under the management of the Uchiha Clan, might be better than in the hands of you useless freeloaders."
Lady Tsunade actually had no ill feelings towards the Uchiha Clan, much less any aversion. So, she didn't have much objection to someone from the Uchiha Clan becoming Hokage.
The two old geezers' faces turned green with anger upon hearing Lady Tsunade's words, but they still suppressed their irritation and patiently advised, "Tsunade, anyone can sit in the Hokage's position, except the Uchiha Clan. You should know this better than us. Have you forgotten why the Second Hokage made such arrangements for the Uchiha Clan back then?
If the Village were truly handed over to the Uchiha Clan, it would definitely not be what the Nidaime-sama and Hiruzen wished to see!"
"Dad, is there something wrong with the Uchiha Clan? Why can't someone from their clan become Hokage?" Naruto immediately asked Minato Namikaze in his mind, puzzled by the two old geezers' words.
The Uchiha Clan…
Minato Namikaze pondered for a moment upon hearing Naruto's question, then replied, "That clan tends to go to extremes too easily. They are indeed not suitable for high positions."
'Go to extremes easily?' Naruto asked thoughtfully upon hearing Minato Namikaze's words. 'Is it because of the Sharingan's influence?'
Minato Namikaze's words reminded Naruto of the Masked Man who called himself 'Uchiha Madara.' In Naruto's perception, his emotions were in a state of extreme distortion.
"Hmm… you could say that."
Minato Namikaze nodded, then explained, "The Uchiha Clan's Sharingan is too heavily influenced by emotions.
And the more emotional a person is, the greater the chance of awakening their eyes and gaining power. People who are prone to emotional outbursts often have emotions that easily swing to extremes, making them unsuitable for high positions."
Initially, Minato Namikaze also found the 'tradition' of rejecting the Uchiha Clan, which had been passed down since the Second Hokage's era, very difficult to understand. He believed that the Uchiha Clan should also be an important part of the Village and should not be treated differently.
However, after he became Hokage and reviewed the Second Hokage's research on the Uchiha Clan, he discovered that the Second Hokage's arrangements for the Uchiha Clan were not without reason.
Leaving aside everything else, the mere fact that witnessing a tragedy involving close friends or family could awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan meant that truly powerful individuals within the Uchiha Clan would likely not have a completely normal mental state.
The crucial point was that they themselves often didn't realize this and would only believe that they were in the right. That was the most terrifying aspect.
Although Minato Namikaze believed that the Second Hokage's arrangements for the Uchiha Clan were indeed somewhat harsh,
but when he himself was Hokage, he couldn't come up with a much better way to manage the Uchiha Clan. At most, he could only try his best to maintain the balance in the relationship between the Village and the Uchiha Clan.
'I see.' Naruto nodded slightly upon hearing Minato Namikaze's explanation.
"Grandpa Second,"
On this side, Lady Tsunade, after hearing the two old geezers' words, remained silent for a moment, then said, "I need to consider it—and also,
Danzo's arrest warrant must be issued immediately, or I'll leave right away!"
Although Lady Tsunade believed there must be some hidden truth behind the Third Hokage's death, she also thought that neither Orochimaru nor Danzo Shimura could have been wrongly accused—especially Danzo. If she were in power, she would have to cut off any possibility of that guy returning to the Village!
If the two old geezers still wanted to protect Danzo under these circumstances, then this Village wasn't worth staying in.
'If this old woman really becomes Hokage, after dealing with Danzo, it'll be time to clean up you two old geezers!' Lady Tsunade thought to herself.
"This—"
Utatane Koharu immediately wanted to defend Danzo upon hearing Lady Tsunade's words, but Homura Mitokado stopped her, then assured Lady Tsunade, "No problem. As long as you agree to stay, we will immediately agree to issue an arrest warrant for Danzo."
Compared to Danzo, whose 'crimes are already proven,' it was clearly more important to keep Lady Tsunade now.
As for Danzo's matter—he wasn't dead, and they hadn't retired. After stabilizing Lady Tsunade, there would always be a way to clear Danzo's name.
Regarding Danzo Shimura's existence, their attitude was the same as Hiruzen Sarutobi's: someone had to bear the darkness of the Village, and Lady Tsunade clearly had no one suitable for that kind of work around her.
They believed that once Lady Tsunade became Hokage and understood these matters, she would surely understand their intentions.
If the two old geezers knew that if Lady Tsunade actually became Hokage, the first thing she would do would be to restrict, or even revoke, their power, they would probably not be begging her to stay with such an attitude.
On the other side;
The recovered Orochimaru and Danzo, who was about to become a wanted criminal, met again.
"Orochimaru, why did you do that?" The first thing Danzo did upon seeing Orochimaru was to question him about why he betrayed him.
"Why?"
Orochimaru's gaze also turned cold upon hearing Danzo's words. He said, "Didn't you, Lord Danzo, try to kill me first?"
Saying this, he cast a sinister glance at Yakushi Kabuto, who stood beside Danzo, and said, "Kabuto, I trusted you so much, yet I didn't expect you to be Lord Danzo's spy placed by my side. I really misjudged you."
"My apologies, Lord Orochimaru."
Yakushi Kabuto pushed up his glasses and said with a smile, "Lord Danzo's orders are absolute; I had no choice."
"Absolute?!"
Orochimaru gave a cold laugh, then looked at Danzo and said, "Lord Danzo, you probably don't know yet, do you? Lady Tsunade has returned to the Village and is preparing to take over as the Fifth Hokage, and the first thing she'll do upon taking office is to issue an arrest warrant for you, officially branding you as a rogue ninja!"
"What?!"
Danzo was startled by Orochimaru's words, then pondered for a moment. Suddenly, he looked at Orochimaru and said in a deep voice, "Orochimaru, let's team up again."