Danzō spoke bluntly,
"Homura, Koharu, I need your support to become the Fifth Hokage!"
But Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu refused outright,
"Impossible! Danzō, we won't support you!"
Danzō's single eye widened in anger, "Why not? If I become Hokage, your power won't be reduced in the slightest, and your clans will gain even more benefits. Under my leadership, Konoha will only grow stronger and more prosperous. Why won't you support me?!"
"Danzō, Konoha isn't ruled by just us," Homura shot back coldly.
"The clans, the Jōnin—none of them will accept you as Hokage. Let's not even get into your reputation, which is already in tatters after everything you've done over the years. Just this last disaster—when the village was under attack, you stayed inside and did nothing. Do you think everyone else is blind? How do you expect the top Jōnin of the Aburame clan, or any other family, to support you?"
Koharu added, "Danzō, give it up. You don't have Hiruzen's prestige. Your reputation is bad, and you'll never be Hokage."
They knew this old friend all too well.
Danzō always claimed to act for the village, but in reality, he was self-serving, rarely prioritizing the village's interests over his own. When Hiruzen was alive, he could keep Danzō in check, but with Hiruzen gone, no one could hold him back. If Danzō became Hokage, wouldn't Konoha be thrown into chaos?
Sure, they liked power and benefits, but the village had to be stable and peaceful for them to enjoy those benefits. If Danzō wrecked Konoha, no amount of power would matter!
Danzō was furious.
"Who else is qualified to be Hokage besides me?! I'm the only suitable candidate!"
But Homura and Koharu replied firmly,
"Of course there's someone else! Jiraiya is the perfect candidate! He has both the strength and the prestige. If he becomes Hokage, he'll have the full support of the village!"
"You… you'll regret this!" Danzō roared in frustration.
"Danzō, you're not the Hokage! And you never will be!"
Their words hit him harder than Hiruzen's declaration of "I am the Hokage." It was a devastating blow.
The next moment, the door slammed shut as Danzō stormed out in a rage.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it! I can't believe those two old fools won't support me! I already made a deal with Orochimaru—once he killed Hiruzen, I was supposed to become Hokage and rule Konoha! Why is everything going so wrong?!"
Danzō seethed with anger.
But he never considered that Hiruzen wasn't the one blocking his path to the Hokage seat.
It was his own past deeds—the countless evil acts, the many crimes he helped Hiruzen cover up, and the trail of hatred he left among the clans and the Jōnin.
No one supported him because they hated him.
Even with Hiruzen gone, no one wanted to see a scumbag like Danzō take power. If they did, it would only bring disaster upon themselves.
Another day later, still in the Hokage's office.
A small meeting: Jiraiya, Homura, and Koharu.
Homura got straight to the point.
"Jiraiya, the village can't go a day without a Hokage. You should become the Fifth Hokage. We all hope you'll take the position."
Jiraiya shook his head.
"No, I'm not suitable for the role."
Koharu frowned.
"If not you, then who? Don't refuse!"
But Jiraiya remained firm.
"There's someone else more suitable than me. She's also a disciple of Hiruzen-sensei, and the granddaughter of the First and Second Hokage—Tsunade."
"Tsunade…"
Homura and Koharu sighed.
"Of course she's suitable, but no one knows where she is!"
Jiraiya immediately said,
"Then I'll go find her. She must become the Fifth Hokage. Only with her back in the village can we have peace.
Besides, the village is critically short on top-tier strength right now. Tsunade's return will be a much-needed boost!"
At this, the two elders couldn't argue. After all, Jiraiya had flatly refused to become Hokage himself, and his reasoning was sound.
But Jiraiya's next words made their foreheads twitch.
"I'm taking Naruto with me!"
"No way! Absolutely not! How can you let the Jinchūriki leave the village?!"
"Jiraiya, this is madness!"
The two elders were adamantly opposed.
"Whoa, whoa, calm down," Jiraiya said with a grin.
"Just hear me out. I've received intel—there's a group called Akatsuki, a rogue organization targeting the Tailed Beasts. I'm worried they'll go after Naruto.
Right now, with the village short on top-tier strength, the safest place for Naruto is by my side.
Don't underestimate Akatsuki. Uchiha Itachi is one of its members, and each of their members is incredibly powerful!"
At this point, Homura and Koharu could say no more. They could only urge Jiraiya to watch over the Jinchūriki carefully, and to make sure to bring Tsunade back.
None of this was known to Natsuki.
Currently, Natsuki wasn't idle either.
After the Hokage's funeral, the higher-ups, for the sake of the village's security, stopped assigning external missions. All ninja teams were ordered to patrol within the village on a rotating schedule, in an effort to root out spies.
Of course, training couldn't be neglected either.
Fortunately, Yamashiro Aoba, realizing he had nothing left to teach Natsuki, simply let him train on his own.
Natsuki naturally holed up at home, spending almost all his time in the Gravity Training Room. Aside from daily gravity training, he focused on studying the Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique), determined to master it for combat use as soon as possible.
The battle with Shukaku, while victorious, had left him feeling restricted.
Mainly because there were too many civilians around—Natsuki had to worry about their lives. Even when using his big moves, he had to set up defensive barriers first, fearing the collateral damage would kill a bunch of spectators.
Fortunately, Megumi later reported that none of the spectators had died—only minor injuries from impacts and burns, all of which were treated. The villagers and spectators, upon learning the details, didn't blame him. Instead, they were deeply grateful.
Natsuki didn't really care about their feelings—his main concern was that if too many civilians died, it might hinder his promotion.
Still, the main reason he felt restricted was the lack of techniques at his disposal.
"…If I'd been able to use Hiraishin no Jutsu proficiently back then, forget the Bijūdama—I could've just teleported Shukaku straight into the forest for a fight. I could've unleashed my big moves without any worries!"
That's why Natsuki was determined to master the Flying Thunder God Technique as quickly as possible.
That afternoon, Natsuki had just finished lunch and was about to take a nap when someone knocked on the door.
Opening it, he saw Sasuke.
"Sasuke? Do you need something? Come on in." Natsuki stepped aside.
"Yeah… I've got something important to discuss. Or rather, I need to ask for your guidance."
Sasuke didn't hesitate and walked right in.
Natsuki didn't rush—he invited Sasuke to sit and poured him some tea, casually asking,
"Don't you have missions to do?"
Sasuke shook his head.
"Naruto… he left the village with Jiraiya. I don't know the details. Sakura's helping out at the hospital, so Team 7 is basically disbanded.
I did just finish a patrol mission. That's why I came—to ask you… well, to learn from you. Please teach me how to get stronger."
(End of Chapter)
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