Take Jiraiya himself for example, although he's one of the renowned Sannin in the Ninja World, outside of wartime, in Konoha, he's just a Jonin with no other position.
Because Jiraiya has to travel the Ninja World to find and teach the Child of Prophecy, he obviously can't hold an office job in any Konoha department.
Tsunade used to hold an important position in the medical department, but she resigned once she decided to take it easy.
"So what's the bad news?" Obito asked curiously.
"The higher-ups want Mokgetsu to take some ninja back to Konoha, and they have to set out tomorrow," Jiraiya sighed and said.
"Doesn't that count as good news?" Namikaze Minato said puzzled.
Going back to Konoha is certainly more comfortable than being on a dangerous battlefield.
"If Mokgetsu goes back, where are we going to eat such delicious food?" Jiraiya tapped Namikaze Minato on the shoulder, frustrated at his lack of talent.
They look similar, but how could there be such a gap in cooking skills? It'd be great if he were even half as good as Mokgetsu.
Namikaze Minato scratched his head, having to admit that Jiraiya was right. Mokgetsu going back was indeed bad news for them.
Not only would the quality of their meals plummet, but they would also lose a forceful power that could suppress a Jinchuriki.
"It's already noon, I'll go prepare lunch," Mokgetsu said with a faint smile.
Jiraiya was almost broadcasting "I want to mooch a meal" all over his face.
"You guys don't need to train right now either. Rest for a while after eating before you start again," Mokgetsu turned to his students and said.
Shisui and the others obediently stopped; those who could help with tasks assisted, while those who couldn't just waited quietly for lunch time to come.
When dinner started, the atmosphere became quieter.
While enjoying Mokgetsu's cooking, only newcomers would chat. Those familiar with the food knew to talk less and eat more, missing out on a few bites over a word was too costly.
"So satisfying," Jiraiya commented after finishing his meal.
Even though Mokgetsu had to leave tomorrow, for this moment, he was blissful.
The people around all showed expressions of agreement.
"With such a great achievement this time, Konoha Newspaper's new issue is sure to feature you as the protagonist. You've definitely become the top of the new generation in Konoha," Jiraiya said while picking his teeth.
Namikaze Minato appeared in Konoha Newspaper quite often, but usually as a supporting character.
Once the new issue of Konoha Newspaper was published, Mokgetsu's influence was bound to overshadow Namikaze Minato's.
At that time, talks about the two strongest in the Konoha New Era would disappear. The North Mokgetsu and South Minato concept would fade, and Mokgetsu would be unrivaled as the strongest of the new generation.
Of course, if Minato won a significant victory against a famous powerful ninja within a short period, the narrative could shift back.
However, from a realistic standpoint, that would be difficult to achieve.
"It's just meaningless fame," Mokgetsu shook his head slightly.
He really didn't care about it. Having a reputation comparable to Minato's was actually sufficient. Rising higher wouldn't bring much benefit.
After all, Mokgetsu didn't aspire to become Hokage.
If he were some system of Konoha's prosperity, aiming for Hokage to wield more authority would certainly be necessary, but as a holder of the Teacher System, becoming Hokage would just be creating trouble for himself.
In the end, Mokgetsu was a transmigrator, having only transmigrated for just over three years.
Mokgetsu didn't particularly care about Konoha itself. There were many reasons he went to the battlefield, but fighting solely to protect Konoha wasn't one of them.
Compared to the forces of Konoha, Mokgetsu cared more about the people within Konoha, the ones with whom he was familiar.
The students who affectionately called him Teacher, those disciples who trusted him, the friends who helped each other.
"It's not entirely meaningless, though. It's quite useful for becoming Hokage," Jiraiya explained.
In Konoha, selecting a Hokage is based on one's credentials, but if fame and contributions are high enough, it can somewhat overrule credentials or other limitations.
It's just that Mokgetsu isn't really a Hokage insider and doesn't have a master-disciple relationship with Sarutobi Hiruzen or Jiraiya.
Otherwise, with Mokgetsu's current momentum, if he wanted it, he could almost secure a Hokage position, whether the Fifth or the Fourth.
"Which is why I say Minato, you have to work hard, or you won't be able to compete with Mokgetsu for the Fifth Hokage spot in the future," Jiraiya encouraged while looking at Namikaze Minato.
Jiraiya knew that Namikaze Minato had always strived with Hokage as his goal.
"Yes, although Mokgetsu is excellent, I won't give up," Namikaze Minato nodded seriously.
He admitted that he was currently not as good as Mokgetsu, whether it was in strength or in commanding a Ninja Squad effectively.
But Namikaze Minato wasn't a person who would give up lightly. Not being as good as Mokgetsu now didn't mean it would be so in the future.
Even if he still didn't surpass him after trying his best, Namikaze Minato would accept it.
Losing honorably after having tried is much better than losing and regretting not having tried.
Obito scratched his head, his feelings quite complicated.
According to information from the future provided by Yamato and Naruto, Namikaze Minato became Hokage, not as the Fifth Hokage, but as the Fourth Hokage.
If they successfully changed the future and Mokgetsu didn't die, might it result in Namikaze Minato losing the competition to Mokgetsu, failing to become the Fourth Hokage?
Obito had no doubt that Namikaze Minato would lose to Mokgetsu.
After all, no matter how formidable Namikaze Minato was, he was still a mortal. His opponent was the almighty Sage Mokgetsu.
"For Teacher Mokgetsu's sake, Namikaze-sensei will just have to bear the hardship," Obito thought with a hint of apology in his heart.