I, Naruto Uzumaki, don't need your approval.

As a veteran Kage-level ninja, he had long noticed the commotion outside and knew that the Hokage Building had been surrounded by dozens of ninjas. The ninjas who launched the coup against him were his two disciples.

The Third Hokage looked at Jiraiya and said, "Since we're here, why don't we, master and disciple, sit down and have a good talk?"

Jiraiya did not refuse and sat down opposite the Third Hokage. The two chatted like close master and disciple.

"Jiraiya, why did you have to launch a coup? And why drag Tsunade into it?"

"With your prestige, the position of Fifth Hokage is definitely yours as long as you participate in the Hokage election. There's no need to make a big fuss and let the village ninjas laugh at you."

Jiraiya stared at the Third Hokage and said in a low voice, "Third Hokage, you know the reason."

The Third Hokage sighed softly, then said, "Are you still upset that I didn't deal with Danzo? Every village has someone like Danzo. Although Danzo was cunning and treacherous, he did many things that even a Hokage couldn't do..."

"If you were the Hokage and wanted to implement policies that would benefit the village, but there were always ninja clans obstructing you, what would you do? As the Hokage, you can't personally take action against the ninja clans, as that goes against the will of fire. You can only reveal some ideas and let someone like Danzo do it. As long as you punish Danzo afterward, you can alleviate the hostility of the ninja clans."

"Even if it goes against the Will of Fire?" Jiraiya asked, puzzled.

The Third Hokage nodded, his eyes filled with reminiscence: "That's right, even if it goes against the Will of Fire, I will do it. Only in this way can the village's strength be united and the village overcome crisis after crisis."

"There's nothing I can do about it. I don't have the power of the First Hokage, nor the ability of the Second Hokage to build the ninja village system. I can only rely on these underhanded methods and schemes to make these ninja clans under my command obey my orders."

Jiraiya was not swayed by the Third Hokage's heartfelt words, and instead asked:

"Is this why you stood by and watched the Cloud Village delegation attack the Hyuga, and tacitly allowed Danzo to attack the Uchiha? Because the Hyuga clan wasn't obedient enough? Because the Uchiha threatened the Hokage Building?"

"How could Naruto be the one who made the villagers discriminate against him, and then become the only light in Naruto's life? The Third Hokage is indeed a ninja hero, his methods are truly upright and honorable."

The Third Hokage's expression changed slightly, and he no longer spoke with such confidence.

While he didn't spread the rumor that Naruto was a demon fox, he did tacitly acknowledge its spread, and deep down, his thoughts were exactly the same as Jiraiya's.

Controlling Jinchuriki is something every Hokage should do.

The first and second generation Jinchuriki were both wives of the Hokage. He could only play the role of an old man in front of the Jinchuriki. Once the Jinchuriki's stance deviated from his own, the Hokage's position would be threatened.

In this respect, Minato has presented him with a difficult problem.

After letting out a soft sigh, the Third Hokage slowly said, "I will not stop you from taking over Konoha and becoming the Fifth Hokage, but I am very curious about what you plan to do after becoming Hokage to deal with the current crisis facing the village."

Jiraiya smiled and said, "The current plan has only three steps: first, to occupy the Hokage Building; second, to disband the Anbu; and third, to capture Danzo and expose all of Danzo's crimes to the public."

"So that's how it is... You justified your coup by taking all the power away from us old men."

The Third Hokage gave Jiraiya a deep look and sighed, "You weren't like this before. Naruto told you about all these plans and actions. That kid is a monster."

"However, under your rule, the village might become even worse."

Jiraiya gently shook his head: "Tsunade and I will manage Konoha well, and the situation in Konoha will not be worse than it is now. Old man, you may not know, but almost all the ninja clans are disappointed in you."

"They haven't made any move so far, and they're not worried about the Hokage's safety at all."

Chapter 188 'The Battle for Hokage'

The Third Hokage remained silent for a long time, trying to numb the pain with a cigarette, but to no avail.

Jiraiya was right. After the Nine-Tails' Night, his reprimand of the Hyuga clan and his indulgence of Danzo caused his prestige, which he had built up since World War II, to gradually decline.

Although the Konoha Jonin wouldn't openly oppose him, they secretly always complied while secretly going against his wishes.

As for these Jonin who hold important positions in the village, even as the Hokage, he couldn't find a reason to manipulate them at will.

Now, even the Hokage lineage's supporters, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, and his own disciples have begun to oppose him, leaving him with almost no control over the Anbu.

It seems that it's time for the Hokage to step down after holding this position for so long.

Looking up at the towering Jiraiya, the Third Hokage took out paper and pen, wrote down a document relinquishing his position as Hokage, and gazed at Jiraiya with a meaningful expression.

"Give this document to the leader of the Dark Guard; he knows what to do..."

After saying that, the Third Hokage got up from his seat, stood by the window, and looked at Konoha in the distance.

……

After taking control of the Third Hokage, Jiraiya found two advisors: Koharu Utatane, the leader of the Anbu, and Homura Mitokado.

Upon seeing Jiraiya's menacing arrival and the contents of the handwritten note, the two advisors stared at Jiraiya in shock, but ultimately accepted the fact that Jiraiya and Tsunade had launched a coup.

Unlike the Uchiha coup, Jiraiya and Tsunade's actions were tantamount to a prince's rebellion.

As long as a suitable reason is given, the transfer of power will be very smooth, and there will not be much turmoil in the village. At most, a few scapegoats will be found to sacrifice themselves.

With the assistance of the advisors and elders, Jiraiya easily took control of the Anbu and appointed his trusted confidants as leaders and squad leaders, among whom Kakashi also contributed significantly.

After successfully taking his seat in the Hokage's office, Jiraiya's challenges had only just begun.

Leaving aside the documents that needed the Hokage's review and approval, how to deal with the Third Hokage and Danzo, and how to promulgate new reforms, became a problem that Jiraiya could not escape.

Executing the Third Hokage is impossible; at most, he can be placed under house arrest within a certain area.

If he were to actually attack the Third Hokage, neither he himself could accept it, nor could the Konoha ninjas.

After all, within Konoha, the master-disciple relationship is the closest relationship besides blood relatives, and it is also the source of the bonds in the Will of Fire.

Jiraiya was considering how to leave a stain on the Third Hokage's reputation that would prevent him from ever making a comeback, while still giving his teacher a respectable appearance.

Of course, these were conclusions he reached after discussing with Naruto.

Pulling his wandering thoughts back, Jiraiya, feeling somewhat agitated, was unable to make a decision and could only focus his attention on capturing Danzo, who had to be brought down.

Just then, Tsunade led her people into the Hokage Building and walked into her office with a frown.

Jiraiya quickly asked, "Tsunade, how is the operation to capture Danzo going?"

Tsunade shook her head, her face grim, and said, "There's nothing in the Root base except for traps. Danzo left Konoha ahead of time with dozens of his men and even sent people to spread the news of our coup."

Jiraiya, his face grim, looked at the advisor elder beside him: "Danzo's Root organization has had its funding restricted by the old man several times, so where does he get the money to support so many subordinates...?"

The advisors remained silent; this had nothing to do with them, as they never trained private armies.

This is one of the reasons why they have remained in power. No matter who becomes Hokage, they cannot pose any threat; at most, they can exert economic control.

Silence is the best answer. Jiraiya knew the answer to the question; it lay with the Third Hokage.

However, the Third Hokage had just announced his retirement and given up command of the Anbu, so it was really inappropriate for him to go and disturb the retired Third Hokage.

Tsunade ignored the advisor elder and said with a grim expression:

"Whether Danzo escaped or not is not the point. The point is that Danzo was still using his grandfather's cells to conduct Wood Release experiments, and he also found Sharingan and other bloodline limit cells in the Root base. Danzo has been researching the village's ninjas and creating weapons for war."

Upon hearing this, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado's expressions darkened.

They originally thought that Danzo would restrain himself a lot under the pressure of the Third Hokage, but they didn't expect him to become even more ruthless in secret and set his sights on the village's bloodline limit.

The Third Hokage didn't lose his ambition due to old age; he simply became utterly senile.

At that moment, Kakashi walked into the office and said expressionlessly:

"Not only that, Danzo also secretly contacted Orochimaru. They had been cooperating and researching the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan. They even sent people to steal my Sharingan."

"The person who attacked Uchiha Shisui back then was also Shimura Danzo. Lady Tsunade, it's fortunate that you didn't encounter Danzo, otherwise Danzo might have used the Mangekyou Sharingan against you."

The group was somewhat surprised by Kakashi's appearance, but they quickly understood what was going on.

Even with the Third Hokage's handwritten letter, the Anbu would not have been able to resist without Kakashi's involvement. This Anbu squad leader played a significant role in this coup.

As the master and grand-disciple, it was perfectly normal for them to join forces to deal with the Third Hokage.

Ultimately, this was nothing more than a power shift within the Hokage faction and a purge of Danzo, one of its high-ranking members.

"Orochimaru is still cooperating with Danzo..." Jiraiya said through gritted teeth.

Danzo is still cooperating with Orochimaru, isn't he...? Kakashi was speechless, but since the relationship between Orochimaru and Jiraiya was just like his relationship with Obito, he didn't say anything more.

After a pause, Kakashi continued, "My lords, the most urgent task is to first list Danzo as a fugitive rogue ninja and to select the Fifth Hokage as soon as possible to stabilize the situation in the village."

Before they finished speaking, Kakashi and the advisor's gazes fell on Jiraiya and Tsunade.

For them, either Jiraiya or Tsunade could become Hokage, but the position of Hokage could not remain vacant. Without a clear leader, the village could easily descend into chaos.

Tsunade stared at Jiraiya without letting go, and said coldly, "Jiraiya, I have no interest in becoming Hokage. I will leave Konoha Village sooner or later to continue traveling in the ninja world. The current situation is all your doing. The position of Fifth Hokage is rightfully yours."

Jiraiya glanced at the documents on his desk, swallowed hard, and said without backing down, "Tsunade, you are the granddaughter of the First Hokage and the director of Konoha Hospital. You are more suitable to be the Fifth Hokage than I am."

Chapter 189 You are no longer the Hokage

In the election for the Fifth Hokage, Jiraiya and Tsunade politely declined the position, neither wanting to become Hokage.

This caused the two advisors watching to twitch at the corners of their mouths. The position of Hokage that their old man, Shimura Danzo, was willing to fall into darkness to fight for was insignificant in front of the two of them.

However, Jiraiya and Tsunade's reluctance to become Hokage wasn't a recent development; they had had this idea for over a decade.

But can the situation then be the same as it is now?

More than ten years ago, there were many young people in the village who were suitable to become Hokage, but now, only Jiraiya and Tsunade remain as Jonin capable of becoming Hokage.

Kakashi glanced at the two advisors and said, "Lord Koharu, Lord Yan, let's leave for now."

The two advisors glanced at Kakashi, then left the office, leaning on their canes.

Jiraiya and Tsunade's conversation touched on the future power structure of the village. It would be best for these two remnants of the old era not to get too involved, while Kakashi might become a confidant of the Fifth Hokage.

Once in the corridor, Mitokado Homura looked at Kakashi and said, "Kakashi, Jonin, what kind of reforms do Jiraiya and Tsunade plan to implement in the future? Will they target the ninja clans or the departments?"

Having served as an advisory elder for decades, Mitokado Homura was certainly no fool.

Jiraiya and Tsunade became Hokage through violence, seizing control of the Anbu, clearly to sever ties with the past and prepare for future reforms.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes and said with a half-smile, "I'm not entirely sure what Jiraiya is thinking, but if Konoha continues to be complacent and closed off, it will eventually fall behind the times and be eliminated by the other ninja villages."

The old couple were a little annoyed that Kakashi wouldn't reveal anything, but there was nothing they could do about it.

The right to speak is based on strength. They no longer have the strength they had in their youth. All they rely on is the prestige and experience accumulated over the years. Maintaining the stability of Konoha is their greatest wish.

After Kakashi chatted with the two advisors for a while, Jiraiya and Tsunade left the office.

After some negotiations, the two decided that Jiraiya would become the Fifth Hokage, but Tsunade would be in charge of handling all the administrative affairs. When it came to matters of life and death for the village, the two would discuss them with the elders.

Upon hearing this, the two advisors exchanged somewhat subtle glances.

What's the difference between a Hokage who doesn't handle administrative affairs and an Honorary Hokage? However, there have been Hokage who didn't handle administrative affairs in the village's history.

The First Hokage is the best example.

According to their fathers' recollections, the First Hokage hardly managed village affairs, and the Second Hokage handled almost all the village's affairs, which made it exceptionally smooth for him to inherit the position of Hokage.