Naruto: Starting with Tsunade

Chapter 142 Danzo says, "I want to be Hokage."

Meeting room in Konoha Village.

After Tsunade returned to the village, she immediately alerted three high-ranking officials of Konoha. Before they could even go to see Tsunade, Jiraiya came to find her first.

Koharu Utatane, over sixty years old and with a face full of wrinkles, praised, "Well done, you actually managed to bring Tsunade back."

Jiraiya scratched his cheek, somewhat embarrassed: "Although saying this might be a blow to you, I feel it's still necessary to explain it to you."

Koharu, who was turning the bed, frowned slightly, her face showing a confused expression that seemed to say, "What does this mean?"

Jiraiya relayed Tsunade's meaning: "Tsunade didn't come back to the village to become Hokage."

Xiaochun, who was turning over in her dorm, opened her eyes slightly and looked stunned.

Another high-ranking official, Mitokado Homura, couldn't help but ask, "What do you mean?"

"It means exactly what it says."

Jiraiya inwardly complained that Tsunade had left him with this mess, then relayed, "She only went back to the village to take a look around and treat Kakashi and the others while she was at it."

"If Tsunade doesn't become the Fifth Hokage, then who will?" Mitokado Homura asked, his aged face showing confusion.

"Uh..." Jiraiya drawled, pausing for a long time before pointing to his nose and volunteering, "What do you all think of me?"

Upon hearing this, the three high-ranking officials of Konoha, including Danzo whose face was wrapped in bandages, could no longer remain seated: "Weren't you very resistant to the position of Hokage?"

Jiraiya sighed, looking as frustrated as if he'd swallowed a fly: "Do you think I wanted this? It's because I lost a bet with that woman Tsunade, and I had no choice but to compromise."

Danzo's ear twitched, and a thought arose in his mind.

Koharu and Homura exchanged a glance, thinking that this seemed alright.

After all, their first choice was Jiraiya. In terms of lineage and reputation, Tsunade was undoubtedly better than Jiraiya. But she was a woman, and she was not as intimidating as a man.

"In that case, it's settled then." Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado immediately made the decision and informed Jiraiya, the daimyo of the Land of Fire, of his appointment as Hokage.

Jiraiya sighed, thinking to himself that these two old guys were not as quick as they appeared.

The thought of becoming Hokage and no longer being able to happily gather material everywhere made him incredibly sad.

With things having come to this, Jiraiya could only sigh, "Alas, I really didn't want to be the Fifth Hokage."

Mitokado Homura sternly rebuked him: "At this point, what foolish things are you spouting? From now on, the burden of Konoha rests on your shoulders."

It's precisely because all the burdens are on my shoulders that I don't want to be Hokage... Jiraiya sighed again, feeling like he'd sighed more lately than he'd in the entire year combined.

He thought the matter was about to be settled, but suddenly a voice came from the air, bringing a turning point.

"etc……"

Huh?

Everyone looked over at the sound and saw Danzo with his head bandaged and only one eye showing.

"What's wrong, Danzo? Do you have a different opinion?"

Danzo said in a deep voice, "Since Jiraiya has no interest in the position of Fifth Hokage, I think we can slow down. As the saying goes, haste makes waste. If we force Jiraiya to become Hokage, who knows what kind of trouble will arise later. You all know his personality."

Jiraiya was taken aback and turned to face Danzo. While the others didn't know much about Danzo, he was more familiar with him due to the era in which he lived.

This man is the leader of the Roots, and I remember him as a very self-disciplined guy.

Jiraiya thought to himself that he didn't seem like the kind of guy who was easy to talk to.

However, since someone offered him a way out, he accepted it and gave them a grateful look.

Danzo coughed a few times and explained, "Don't let my usual demeanor fool you; I can be a reasonable person sometimes. Now that Hiruzen is gone, we must be extremely cautious about matters concerning the village."

Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado found it quite reasonable. Since the other party was able to make such a statement, he must already have some strategy in mind. So they asked him what his brilliant idea was.

Danzo pretended to ponder for a moment, then slowly began to speak: "Thinking back to twelve years ago, on the night of the Nine-Tails, the Fourth Hokage successfully sealed the Nine-Tails at the cost of his own life. Although it was touching, the consequence was that the position of Hokage was directly interrupted, and the people in the village were filled with fear."

"At this time, the Third Hokage's strategy was to return to the position of Hokage temporarily, which stabilized the situation."

"Now, the Third Hokage also sacrificed himself to seal Orochimaru's hands, which is why Orochimaru was not able to destroy Konoha."

At this point, Danzo paused, then said in a deep voice, "Since Jiraiya doesn't want to be the Fifth Hokage, we can't force him. So I suggest we learn from Hiruzen's strategy. Once we find a suitable candidate, we can have him take on the role of Hokage."

The purpose of this citation of classical texts was to resonate with the audience, pave the way for him to reveal his true thoughts later, and shut everyone up.

Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado initially thought it made sense, but as they listened, they suddenly realized something was amiss: "Danzo, what do you mean?"

"Where the leaves dance, the Will of Fire burns eternally. Now is the time for this old man to burn himself out. I propose that I, Shimura Danzo, temporarily assume the position of Hokage. When a suitable person appears, I will relinquish the position."

Danzo waved his hand dismissively, as if he had nothing to lose: "I've finished presenting my proposal. Who agrees? Who disagrees?"

After saying that, he deliberately glanced at the two old men, his gaze carrying a hint of threat.

The situation was excellent, and his lifelong dream was within reach. No matter what, Shimura Danzo was determined to become Hokage today.

No one can stop him from saying what he wants.

So he simply stopped pretending.

Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado shut their mouths. After all this trouble, it turns out you want to be Hokage yourself. You're not even hiding your ambition anymore.

Danzo looked at the two silent old men, a satisfied smile playing on his lips.

Just when he thought the Hokage throne was a sure thing, an unexpected event occurred.

"I object..."

Danzo widened his eyes, forcibly suppressing the urge to slap him back.

He was taken aback when he saw that it was Jiraiya.

Jiraiya sighed and said, "Forget it, I'll take on the position of Fifth Hokage."

"Jiraiya, don't force yourself."

Danzo frowned, not understanding what had gotten into the other person at this moment.

Didn't I say I didn't want to be Hokage?

Jiraiya smiled bitterly, "Where the Will of Fire dances in the Leaf Village, it lives on. If I hadn't been traveling all the time back then, away from the Leaf Village, and if I had been in charge during the Nine-Tails Night, Minato probably wouldn't have died. Perhaps Orochimaru wouldn't have defected, and all of this wouldn't have happened. I've thought it through; running away won't solve anything. So this time, I don't want to run away anymore. I will take responsibility for the village."

Danzo was speechless after hearing this, and replied sullenly, "It's good that you understand."

If Jiraiya had truly been determined to become Hokage, then his ambition to become Danzo would have been irrelevant.

"Thank you so much." Jiraiya knelt down in gratitude.

Danzo snorted coldly, realizing he had been happy for nothing.

hateful.

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu breathed a sigh of relief. They would have preferred Jiraiya to become Hokage rather than Danzo.

"In that case, it's settled then. The village will begin preparations for the inauguration ceremony today."

After finishing his discussions with the Konoha leadership, Jiraiya left the room under Danzo's resentful gaze. As he walked down the street, he bumped into his young apprentice.

"Yo, Naruto," Jiraiya greeted.

"Ah, the lecherous immortal."

"From now on, you are not allowed to call me that. Please call me the Fifth Hokage."

Jiraiya felt it was necessary to adapt to his new role.

Naruto disagreed: "I think it's easier to call him the Perverted Sage."

"Well, whatever, call me whatever you want."

Jiraiya looked at Naruto with a touch of affection, as if he were looking at his grandson.

He had observed the middle generation of the village, and the person most likely to succeed him as Hokage was Kakashi, both in terms of reputation and strength. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he would become the Sixth Hokage after Kakashi stepped down.

Coincidentally, he was a disciple of the Fourth Hokage, and even more coincidentally, Naruto was also his disciple.

Although Naruto may seem like a loser to outsiders, Jiraiya knew very well that with Naruto's talent and his continued drive, he would eventually transform from a clown duck into a swan. As long as nothing went wrong, he had a good chance of becoming the Seventh Hokage.

Thinking about all this, Jiraiya felt that it had a great significance in terms of inheritance.

"By the way, Naruto, what are you doing here? Aren't you with Tsunade?"

"I was just thinking that, we wanted to ask her to treat Kakashi-sensei and the others, but instead she went to Konoha and disappeared without a trace," Naruto complained.

After making inquiries, the two finally found Tsunade and the others eating at a barbecue restaurant.

When Tsunade saw them, she waved enthusiastically: "Want to come and eat something? It's been so long since I've been back to Konoha, and I've discovered there are so many more good things here."

"Hey, didn't you promise me?" Naruto pointed at Tsunade and shouted.

Daisuke slurped up a mouthful of noodles, looking completely bewildered: "Agree to what?"

Naruto stamped his feet anxiously, "Heal Kakashi-sensei, Sasuke, and those guys with thick eyebrows..."

"Uh, I forgot..."

"Ugh, you bastard..." Naruto cursed.

"Alright, alright, I'll go treat her now." Tsunade stood up and called to Tsunade, Aokiji, and Shizune.

On their way to the hospital, Tsunade and the others encountered some acquaintances, including many well-known ninjas, who all showed great respect for Tsunade.

Walking beside Tsunade, Tsunade thought to herself, "My future self is truly respected."

Before long, the group arrived at the hospital, went straight into a room, pushed open the door, and found the room to be simply elegant, with a white flower in the room. Judging from the luster of the flower, it was obviously changed every day.

The pink-haired girl in the room was stunned for a moment when she saw so many people.

"Sakura, let me tell you, this beautiful older sister is an incredibly skilled medical ninja. She can definitely heal Sasuke!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly, his face beaming with praise.

(End of this chapter)