Konoha seems to have become a bit strange.
Tsunade never thought the duties of the Hokage would turn out this way.
If she didn't succeed the Fifth Hokage, the Hokage Assistant Akihara Kagura in the village would become uncontrollable and recklessly start a new ninja world war.
In the past, the Hokages in the village were always dealing with external threats, but now the purpose of succeeding the Hokage is actually to suppress the Hokage Assistant within the village?
"Are you kidding?"
Tsunade's lips curled into a sarcastic smile as she looked at Jiraiya and said, "There's no need to tell such lies. Do you think I would believe this? Would the others in the village really follow his orders to start a ninja world war?"
"I'm not joking."
Jiraiya shook his head and continued seriously, "Tsunade, you should remember Danzo, right? Kagura inherited Danzo's Root, and from a young age was treated by Danzo as a killing tool, acting decisively and sternly. We taught him for years to see slight improvement, but it's still difficult to change his tough stance..."
"Also..."
"Kagura's power is extremely strong."
Jiraiya gazed into Tsunade's eyes and continued explaining in a deep voice, "From childhood to now, Kagura has never lost to any enemy, which gave him infinite confidence. Facing any enemy, he firmly believes in his ability to kill the opponent..."
"However, war is a field he's never engaged in, which makes him always curious about what he can achieve in war..."
"This time, the Hidden Sand Village and Hidden Mist Village caused a disturbance in Konoha, presenting Kagura with a perfect opportunity. Even though both villages expressed a desire for peace talks, Kagura refused and insisted on taking advantage of this opportunity to start a war. Neither of the Hokage Advisors could sway his resolve..."
This is actually an extremely awkward situation in Konoha's politics.
If Akihara Kagura were the Hokage, he might need to respect the advice of the Hokage Advisors to avoid leaving a legacy of autocracy;
However, Akihara Kagura is just the Hokage Assistant and not the supreme leader of Konoha. In theory, he holds an equivalent or slightly higher status than the Hokage Advisors...
At this point, Akihara Kagura can act independently without bearing the reputation of autocracy, and he probably doesn't care about this at all.
"..."
Tsunade immediately felt the impending trouble.
If she really succeeded the Hokage, the first matter would be internal strife; what's the point of taking over the Hokage's role?
If she didn't take over as Hokage, the once-brutal ninja world war might descend again, resulting in countless sacrifices...
This Hokage position...
Feels like a hot potato!
"Kagura isn't that kind of person!"
Naruto Uzumaki interrupted their conversation, feeling very displeased by Jiraiya's disparagement of Akihara Kagura: "Kagura wouldn't want a war or anything like that..."
"Shut up!"
Jiraiya shot a cold glance at Naruto Uzumaki and said harshly, "You're just a Genin; how could you understand the matters at the top!"
"Even if Kagura doesn't want to start a war, there's no one to resolve the village's conflict with other villages. Enemy nations certainly won't miss the chance to attack Konoha..."
"I will protect Konoha!"
Naruto Uzumaki thrust out his palm and smacked his chest firmly: "I will strive to become the Hokage and resolve the conflict between Konoha and enemy nations, ensuring the world has no more wars!"
"..."
There was something peculiar in Jiraiya's eyes.
At this moment...
The words of the Great Toad Sage echoed again in his mind!
However...
Now is not the time!
"You idiot!"
Jiraiya punched Naruto Uzumaki's head and scolded coldly, "Even if you aspire to be Hokage, wait until you grow up. By the time you're old enough to become Hokage, the ninja world war will have already started, and you might end up on the battlefield..."
As Jiraiya said this, he turned his gaze back to Tsunade, his eyes hinting at things unsaid: "Tsunade, if war breaks out, you know the survival odds of this brat who dreams of becoming Hokage, right?"
"..."
Tsunade felt a pang in her heart.
Because her brother Nawaki once dreamt of becoming Hokage too, but ultimately died in the war from an Explosive Tag, and even her lover Katou Dan died the same way...
"Then let him die."
Tsunade closed her eyes, pretending not to care: "These brats who only dream of being Hokage all end up dead, don't they?"
With her eyes closed, Tsunade tilted her head back and continued speaking to herself: "Maybe if they learned to retreat a little, hiding behind others during the war, they might survive?"
"I won't die!"
Naruto Uzumaki looked at Tsunade with anger, loudly declaring: "Until I become Hokage, I won't die! I won't hide behind others. To protect the village, I will charge ahead..."
"Absolutely!"
"Absolutely!"
"No retreat!
"..."
Tsunade suddenly fell silent.
"Master that Rasengan jutsu first!"
Tsunade coldly said, removing a pendant from her neck and tossing it to Naruto Uzumaki: "Let's make a bet; if you can master that jutsu within a week, I'll believe you'll become Hokage and won't die..."