Torifu just wanted to say, there's a lot more you don't know yet. I'll tell you slowly in the future.
Tobirama leaned back in his chair, his gaze fixed on Minato. Yet, he couldn't see anything particularly special about the boy. It was just like with Amado all those years ago. He thought he was just an ordinary child, yet he'd gone on to achieve so much, bringing great prestige to Konoha!
"What kind of talent do you plan to train this child to be? One of those scientists you're always talking about?"
Torifu shook his head. "This kid is definitely not cut out to be a scientist! He's just not that material!"
Although Minato didn't know what a "scientist" was, he still felt a little disappointed. But Torifu wasn't finished yet. "This kid has the makings of a Hokage! I'm going to train him to be the future Hokage of Konoha!"
Tobirama nearly spat out his tea! Had he heard correctly? Train him to be what? The Hokage?
Minato's brain instantly went into a meltdown, his CPU practically smoking. His older brother was saying he would train him to be the Hokage? Was that something you could say in front of the current Hokage?! And could he really do it? He was just an ordinary outsider…
Tobirama calmly composed himself. "Since you're so confident, then give it a try."
"It's not going to be that fast, of course. He's only six right now."
Tobirama looked unfazed. "Well, since he's too young to be the Hokage now, then you can take over the position."
What?!
Torifu checked his ears again to make sure they were working correctly. So what he just heard was actually real?
"Hey Minato, did you hear what that white-haired geezer just said?"
Hearing Torifu call him a "white-haired geezer," Tobirama was tempted to draw his sword and slice him in two! But then he remembered this was the child he raised, so he suppressed his urge.
Minato stammered, "The... no, no! The Hokage-sama said he wants you, Nii-san, to become the Hokage… I think that's what he said…"
Now it was Torifu's turn for his brain to crash. This shouldn't be happening! Wasn't Sarutobi Hiruzen supposed to become the Hokage? This didn't fit his plan at all!
"Tobirama-sama? How could I become the Hokage? Shouldn't Hiruzen-nii be the one? How did it fall to me?"
Tobirama was even more bewildered. Why would the position fall to the Monkey? Even if he passed away, it still wouldn't be Hiruzen's turn. What was so special about him?
He couldn't do much, but he was great at having children! Out of all his students, he was the first to have kids. Although his grand-students were quite cute—chubby and always eating—that wasn't a qualification for the job! Hiruzen's personal resume wasn't impressive enough. He was an outstanding elite jōnin, but still a long way from being Hokage! Why did Torifu make it sound like Sarutobi Hiruzen was the fated one?
Tobirama suppressed his confusion and said to Torifu, "Who was it that overpowered all the other village's successors at the Five Kage Summit, bringing glory to Konoha?"
Torifu heard the sudden praise and felt like it must be a trap. But his mouth was honest. "It was me! It was me!"
"Who followed me and, with just the two of us, successfully captured the Six-Tails?!"
Torifu held Minato up high. "It was me!"
Tobirama wasn't finished yet! He continued, "Who was it that killed nine thousand ninja alone during the First Great Shinobi War?! And who killed the Twin Lights of the Clouds, Kin-Gin?!"
"It was me!!!"
"Who was it that went to the Village Hidden in the Clouds by himself to kill the Third Raikage for refusing to apologize and pay reparations?!"
"It was me! It was all me!"
Tobirama smiled. "Then you tell me! Does Sarutobi Hiruzen still deserve to be the Third Hokage?!"
Torifu's brain was completely short-circuited. Without a second thought, he blurted out, "Him? Not a chance!!"
Tobirama could no longer hold back his laughter. "Hahaha! Then you tell me, if you're not going to be Hokage, who will?"
"I'd say the Hokage should be... me..."
"... What the heck?"
Torifu suddenly realized! He had just been tricked! How could he have been so foolish?! He was so easily taken in by a few sweet words!
"Um, hehe, Tobirama-sama, if I said Sarutobi Hiruzen is the only one who deserves to be Hokage, is it too late now?"
Tobirama nodded. "It's too late."
Torifu didn't give up and tried to argue for his good friend. "Tobirama-sama, actually, Hiruzen is really excellent! He's more suitable to be Hokage than I am! Please reconsider."
Tobirama waved his hand. "Do you think I don't know my own student? What part of his resume can possibly beat yours?"
"If you can't be Hokage, do you think he can?"
You're saying you want him to be Hokage? I'm not going to be the one to expose you! Tobirama thought to himself.
Torifu was utterly helpless. Why had he agreed so quickly just now? He had carelessly fallen for the old geezer's scheme! As expected of Tobirama, the mastermind of Konoha. They were all so devious! He just came to register Minato, and now he was getting a Hokage position?
Meanwhile, Minato was still struggling to digest all the information he had just heard. He didn't understand the Five Kage Summit or what a Six-Tails was. But he had heard his father mention the Great Shinobi War before. He never knew his Nii-san had participated in it! And he had killed nine thousand people by himself! And killed the Third Raikage!
So that meant his Nii-san was the one who made the Village Hidden in the Clouds disappear! His Nii-san was that powerful! He had only thought his Nii-san was just a simple, ordinary person, and that all the things he said before were just empty promises!
And! From their conversation, was his Nii-san about to become the Hokage?! Wouldn't that make him the strongest person in Konoha? Why did he seem so reluctant?
Tobirama stood up and walked over to Torifu, patting him on the shoulder. "I was going to have you succeed me as Hokage a few years ago, but you were too young then. Now you're the perfect age."
"And that fruit you gave me will let me live for a few more decades. It's time for me to enjoy life. After all, I've been busy my entire life."
Torifu was almost convinced to take the job, but as soon as Tobirama mentioned being "busy his entire life," Torifu immediately didn't want the job anymore.
But it was too late to back out now. Torifu had, with his "strength," secured the Hokage position for himself. There was no one else in Konoha more suitable to be the Third Hokage.
"Tobirama-sama, how about you serve for another twenty or thirty years? Then I can give you another fruit, and you'll still be able to enjoy life."
"I'm still too young. I need to learn more."
Under Torifu's hopeful gaze, Tobirama uttered just two words: "No thank you."
Then he added, "Tell me your thoughts on the design for the Third Hokage's coat by tomorrow night. I'll have Madam Beni custom-make it. Even if you don't say anything, it won't matter. I'll just have her make a random one, but don't blame me if you look silly at the succession ceremony."
The longest road Torifu had ever walked was Tobirama's. He had just started living a peaceful life, and now, all of a sudden, he was going to become the Hokage. What peace? This was a disaster!