Starting with Naruto, I'll become stronger through my own efforts.

Chapter 118 The good show is worth sharing with everyone.

Upon hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's words, Jiraiya's first reaction was to warily refuse, saying, "Old man, we agreed beforehand that I wouldn't become Hokage."

"I am the man who holds the destiny of the ninja world in my hands. I will find the chosen one and change the future of the ninja world."

Hiruzen Sarutobi roared, "Jiraiya, you're already 48 years old and still haven't found your destined one! It's time to forget the dream that Mount Myōboku planted in you and return to reality!"

Jiraiya firmly shook his head and said, "The Great Toad Sage's prophecies have never failed me. I will definitely find the chosen one and make him my disciple."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was so angry he almost had a heart attack, and it took him a long time to recover.

He said softly, "I have made many mistakes in the past, and Konoha Village has been declining day by day. Being impeached and removed from office is the end I deserve."

"But now Konoha Village has no Hokage, and decisions are made entirely by the Konoha Jonin Conference. However, so many Jonin cannot stay in the village forever; they have to carry out missions and be stationed in various places."

"Konoha needs a Hokage who can command respect right now! Now! Immediately!!"

"If you're determined not to become Hokage, then find me a suitable one."

Upon hearing his teacher's confirmation, Jiraiya immediately grinned and said, "Hey, I've heard about it. A Konoha Chunin colluded with various ninja clans and many Jonin to drive you down, teacher."

"If you ask me, this isn't the most suitable Fifth Hokage for me—"

"Ouch! Ouch! Old man, why are you hitting me? I'm just telling the truth, ouch!"

A few minutes later, Jiraiya, his face bruised and swollen, continued, "I wasn't wrong. The fact that he was able to blast you down means he must have already won the trust of the Konoha ninjas. He's more than qualified to be Hokage."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was panting heavily, but he was exasperated with his student who had become too independent. He could only retort verbally, "Nonsense, Natsume is too young. How can someone become Hokage at 17?"

Jiraiya was shocked: "What? 17 years old?"

"Hiss—! Holy crap, he can defeat the Hokage at 17? What was I doing when I was 17?"

"Since Xia Zuo is so powerful, why not make him Hokage? The Hokage title doesn't have an age limit."

Hiruzen Sarutobi once again brandished his pipe and struck Jiraiya: "You infuriating traitor!"

"There was a lot of controversy when Minato became Hokage, but he was already 26 years old at the time."

"I don't care, I just don't agree to Xia Zuo becoming Hokage, absolutely not!"

"Jiraiya, either you find me a suitable Hokage, or you become Hokage yourself."

Jiraiya was caught in a dilemma, but suddenly he thought of a suitable candidate for Hokage: "I've got it! Tsunade, I'll go find Tsunade and bring her back to be Hokage!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi stopped, satisfied: "Alright, go find Tsunade and persuade her to become the Fifth Hokage. I'll leave you to your own devices."

Jiraiya quickly nodded in agreement.

After the business was settled, the master and apprentice began their conversation in a more relaxed manner.

Having just mentioned Minato Namikaze, the two of them found themselves talking about Naruto Uzumaki.

Jiraiya asked with a sense of guilt, "How is Naruto now?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi replied with a smile, "That's great. He's a fourth-year student at the Ninja Academy now, competing with Sasuke Uchiha for the top spot in his grade."

Jiraiya smiled. Although he hadn't stayed behind to take care of Minato's child, Naruto seemed to be being well taken care of by his teacher, which greatly alleviated Jiraiya's guilt.

He said, "Naruto is so amazing, that's wonderful."

"Minato would be very happy if he knew."

"Sarutobi-sensei, I need to go see Naruto. Should I go to the school to find him?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi laughed smugly: "Heh heh, the ninja academy has long since let out for the day, Naruto should have already gone home, you should go to his house to find him."

Jiraiya scratched his head sheepishly and asked, "Oh, I see. Where does Naruto live now?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood up: "Hehe, I'm no longer the Hokage, and I have nothing to do every day. I'll take you to his house."

Jiraiya stood up as well: "Okay."

Neither the master nor his apprentice noticed that two infrared beams, exceeding the visible light range, were reflected on the window of Hiruzen Sarutobi's room.

The vibrations of their voices caused the glass to shake, resulting in a shift in the infrared light spot and thus interference and diffraction phenomena.

The changes in the diffraction spot are captured by an instrument hundreds of meters away, then translated into sound waves and played back.

Xia Zuo and Uchiha Shisui overheard the entire conversation between Hiruzen Sarutobi and his disciple Jiraiya.

Uchiha Shisui looked at Xia Zuo: "Lord Xia Zuo, Hiruzen Sarutobi actually wants to take Lord Jiraiya to see Naruto. What... what exactly does he want to do?"

Xia Zuo sneered, "What do you want to do? You just think you're being nice to Naruto and want to show Jiraiya how kind you are."

"Does proving my kindness and meticulous planning indirectly prove that I'm a bastard?"

"Then we'll play the emotional card and get Jiraiya to try his best to find Tsunade and bring her back."

Xia Zuo sneered, "He didn't intend to make Jiraiya the Hokage. Instead, he had already chosen the 48-year-old Tsunade. It seems he's still thinking of waiting for Sarutobi Asuma to return and succeed Tsunade as the Sixth Hokage after she gets tired of him."

Shisui didn't quite understand the intricacies of this situation and asked疑惑地问道, "Does being Hokage bother Lady Tsunade?"

Xia Zuo nodded and said, "Tsunade is a very impatient person, and she especially hates tedious little things."

"I don't know how the Second Hokage did his job, but Hiruzen Sarutobi managed to turn the Hokage job into a menial one for the past 30 years. He personally handled C-rank missions and the promotion of Ninja Academy graduates to Genin. That must have been incredibly tedious."

"He was Tsunade's teacher and knew her personality very well."

"Tsunade will neither reform the duties of the Hokage nor will she be able to handle government affairs in the old way. Soon she will get so frustrated that she will not want to be the Hokage anymore."

"Then Sarutobi Asuma will have his chance."

Uchiha Shisui scratched his head: "That doesn't make sense. If Lady Tsunade quits after two years, and Lord Natsumi has officially come of age by then, can Asuma compete with you, Lady Tsunade?"

Xia Zuo chuckled and said, "So I think Hiruzen Sarutobi is delusional."

"But his biggest hysteria isn't that, it's that he actually wants to take Jiraiya to visit Naruto's house."

Uchiha Shisui asked, somewhat puzzled, "What's the problem with visiting Naruto's home?"

Xia Zuo could hardly contain his laughter: "Sarutobi Hiruzen doesn't know that Naruto has moved. He only knows Naruto's original room. He's taking Jiraiya to that doghouse."

"Shisui, you've never been to Naruto's old house, so you don't know how bad the environment there was."

"Dirty, cramped, and rudimentary, cold in winter and scorching in summer, most ordinary families only used such rooftops as storage rooms."

"Hehehe, Jiraiya was Minato Namikaze's teacher, and Naruto Uzumaki was Minato Namikaze's child. I wonder how angry Jiraiya, who already felt guilty, would be when he saw that room."

Uchiha Shisui was intrigued and suggested, "Lord Xia Zuo, shall we go and take a look?"

Xia Zuo raised an eyebrow: "Of course, I wouldn't miss such a lively and exciting event."

"Shisui, come with me to call Naruto, Izumi, and Tenten, and um, Kakashi too."

"Such a great show should definitely be shared with good friends."