Chapter 269: The Appointed Sixth Hokage
Naruto was swallowed by the toad and taken to Mount Myoboku. Only then did Sakura arrive belatedly with reinforcements.
Looking at the devastated battlefield, Sakura dropped to her knees with a thud, tears streaming down her face. "Waaah… now I'm the only one left."
Ino, who had come along, stood beside her in silence.
Am I not a person? Do I even count as a person?!
"What happened?"
Tsunade arrived at the scene, yawning. After learning what had happened from the distraught Sakura, she found it all rather strange.
"The Second Hokage attacked Jiraiya, then chased him out of the village, and Naruto followed them out."
Was Orochimaru causing trouble?
That didn't seem right either.
The old Tsunade might have suspected Orochimaru, but she was different now.
After thinking it over, she realized that Shiromo was in the Amegakure Village. Her grandfather Senju Hashirama, whom Orochimaru could not control, was also there. What right did Orochimaru have to stir up trouble?
Unless…
Tsunade formed a guess and decided to contact them later to confirm.
For now, she should comfort her student first.
"Sakura, don't be sad. I'll have the Anbu gather intelligence right away. Naruto shouldn't be in any real danger."
"Alright, let's head back to the village. Kakashi, come to the Hokage's office."
Tsunade gave her instructions.
----
Hokage's Office.
Tsunade sat in the Hokage's chair, hands clasped on the desk, chin resting on them.
"Hokage-sama, leave investigating Orochimaru to me. Naruto is my subordinate. I will take responsibility until the end."
Before Tsunade could even speak, Kakashi immediately declared his resolve.
Unfortunately, he had completely misunderstood why she had summoned him.
"No, Kakashi. I didn't call you here for that. I already have some idea about this matter. You don't need to worry."
Tsunade pulled out a stack of manuscript pages from beneath the desk, "Kakashi, do me a favor. I wrote something. I'd like to publish it under your name, to make a little money to support the household."
"Huh?"
Kakashi was stunned.
Why him again?
Had Tsunade also gotten information from Shiromo and come to him because of that?
But the situation with Shiromo had been different. He had volunteered because he wanted to read what Shiromo wrote, so he was willing to help publish it.
Although Tsunade was also one of the Sannin, he had never heard of her having any literary works before.
"…"
Kakashi lowered his head and looked at the manuscript. All he could do was pray that whatever Tsunade had written was at least half as interesting as Jiraiya's works. Otherwise, he would have to find a way to refuse.
"Nani?!"
After reading just the opening, Kakashi nearly lost his composure, utterly shocked by the wild worldbuilding.
What did it mean that in ancient times, a sage was called the 'Sage of Six Paths' because he violated the Six-Tails?
"Ahem. Actually, I'm only responsible for recording this. It was told to me by a friend."
Tsunade guessed why Kakashi was so shocked and suddenly felt a bit embarrassed, so she quickly changed her wording.
"Don't worry, Hokage-sama. I understand."
Kakashi treated the manuscript as if it were something priceless, carefully folding it and tucking it into his pouch.
What 'I have a friend'? That always meant oneself, didn't it?
As expected, every one of the Sannin was a remarkable talent.
"Kakashi, you've done me a great favor. I'll record a merit for you."
Tsunade took out a small notebook and wrote something down.
"It's just a small matter, Hokage-sama. There's no need…."
"Kakashi, with such a great contribution, it seems the position of Sixth Hokage can only be yours. After you help me publish this book, come learn how to handle official duties."
Kakashi's modest words were cut off midway.
Faced with the departure of core laborer Sarutobi Hiruzen, Tsunade had already begun considering retirement.
Even if she could dump work onto Shizune, Shizune was not an inexhaustible tool. If the pressure became too great, she would break.
On the contrary, Tsunade herself had now become the only one who was not an Impure World Reincarnation body yet could possess unlimited stamina and lifespan.
As long as she used the stone Shiromo had given her once.
What was she supposed to do with that?
There was no way Tsunade would accept becoming a workhorse.
She had to abdicate before anyone realized she could work without fatigue.
"This… Hokage-sama, wouldn't that feel a bit like an appointed succession?"
Kakashi was stunned once more.
He, Konoha's infamous latecomer who spent his days reading little yellow books, was going to become a candidate for Sixth Hokage?
And this counted as merit?
He was just about to help the Hokage publish a bizarre novel.
Was this how power circles worked? Just take the blame for the higher-ups, and you become one of them?
"Hokage-sama, actually I still need to…."
"Eh~"
Tsunade interrupted him again. She stood up, walked to his side, and patted his shoulder, "Don't be fooled by how busy the paperwork looks right now. When the time comes, you can just ask some friends in the village to help out."
"Don't forget, under the new system, power is delegated downward. The Kage is meant to have enough time for personal rest and training. That's fundamental."
Right.
With that reminder, Kakashi remembered.
Which made it even stranger.
If she could find people to help, then Tsunade could also recruit plenty of assistance herself.
Why rush to pass on the position?
"…Stop overthinking. You have three days. Publish this for me and then report back here. Otherwise…"
Tsunade clenched her fist in a threatening gesture.
In truth, she had no idea what she would threaten him with. Better to leave it unsaid and let Kakashi's imagination do the work.
The reason she wouldn't simply recruit more help and continue slacking off was simple.
As long as Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama, those two supervisory relatives, were still around, she would never be able to sit comfortably in the Hokage's seat.
"Understood."
Kakashi could only agree with a bitter expression.
After he left, Tsunade contacted the Amegakure Village and learned the real situation.
"So that's how it is. Quite a creative idea."
She approved of staging a performance to force Naruto to strive harder.
That brat belonged to the type who would climb onto the roof if not disciplined for three days. In novels, he would be the kind of protagonist driven entirely by circumstances and plot, rather than one who drives and changes the plot himself.
A kid like that needed to understand the cruelty of reality.
As for Sasuke, the teaching approach had to be the opposite.
He already had motivation and a goal.
Stimulating him further would be meaningless.
What he needed was persuasion through reason and emotion.
‐---
Mount Myoboku.
Naruto was spat out.
Due to the toxic gas in the toad's stomach, he lay unconscious on the ground.
"Isn't this Jiraiya boy's disciple? Pa, come take a look."
Sage Shima, holding a small bag of freshly bought groceries, stepped right onto Naruto's head.
"Oh no, he's been poisoned. We need to give him an antidote quickly."
Sage Fukasaku hurried over, crouched down, fiddled around for a moment, then pulled out two plump worms and stuffed them into Naruto's mouth.
Even in his unconscious state, Naruto frowned and resisted. Seeing this, Fukasaku gave a swift kick, sending the worms straight down his throat.
Inside Naruto's sealed inner world.
The Nine-Tails gagged inside the sealing space.
"Damn toads!"
(End of this chapter)