When it came to choosing the Fifth Hokage, Jiraiya and Tsunade kept pushing the position onto each other—neither of them wanted it.
Watching this ridiculous back-and-forth, the two advisors couldn't help but twitch at the corners of their mouths.
Their old comrade, Shimura Danzō, had been willing to crawl through the darkest shadows just to seize that very position…
And here these two were, treating it like a hot potato.
Honestly, the difference was almost insulting.
But then again, this wasn't new.
Jiraiya and Tsunade had both rejected the Hokage position more than ten years ago.
The problem was—things weren't the same anymore.
Back then, Konoha still had plenty of promising candidates.
Now?
It was basically just the two of them.
—
Kakashi Hatake glanced at the two advisors and said calmly,
"Elder Koharu, Elder Homura… let's step outside for now."
The advisory duo exchanged a look, then silently got up and left the office with their canes.
They weren't fools.
The conversation inside involved the future power structure of Konoha.
Better to stay out of it.
Besides… Kakashi might very well become a key figure under the next Hokage.
—
Out in the corridor, Mitokado Homura turned to Kakashi.
"Kakashi… what kind of reforms are Jiraiya and Tsunade planning? Are they targeting the ninja clans… or the system itself?"
After decades as an advisor, Homura wasn't naive.
A violent takeover. Seizing control of the ANBU.
That clearly meant one thing—
They were preparing to break from the past.
Kakashi narrowed his eyes slightly, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
"I don't know what Jiraiya-sama is thinking exactly…"
"But if Konoha keeps going the way it has been… sooner or later, it'll fall behind—and get wiped out by the times."
A clean dodge.
No real answer.
The two elders were annoyed—but helpless.
In the end, authority came from strength.
And they no longer had the strength they once did.
All they could do now was rely on their experience… and try to keep Konoha stable.
—
After chatting a bit longer, Kakashi fell silent.
Moments later, the office door opened.
Jiraiya and Tsunade stepped out.
Decision made.
Jiraiya would become the Fifth Hokage.
Tsunade, however, would handle most of the village's daily affairs.
Anything involving life-or-death decisions would be discussed jointly—with the elders included.
—
The advisors' expressions turned… complicated.
A Hokage who doesn't handle administration?
Isn't that just an honorary title?
Then again…
There was precedent.
The First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, had basically left all the paperwork to Tobirama Senju.
And when Tobirama officially took over, it was smooth as hell—because he'd already been doing the job the whole time.
So technically…
This weird arrangement could work.
—
Honestly, Jiraiya had played this brilliantly.
By structuring things this way, he forced Tsunade to stay in the village.
No escape.
After years of wandering, that idiot had finally grown up.
—
Tsunade shot Jiraiya an annoyed look.
"Let's get one thing straight—my salary better not be low."
Jiraiya grinned like he'd just won the lottery.
"Don't worry. I've got plenty of savings from my books."
"We'll start by clearing your gambling debts."
Tsunade: "…You bastard."
—
Truth was, when they were busy refusing the position, Jiraiya had suddenly flipped the script—accepted the role, then immediately dragged Tsunade in with him.
High salary.
Debt repayment.
Zero chance to run.
Perfect trap.
He even had the nerve to say:
"A Hokage shouldn't be stuck in an office. They should stand on the front lines with their comrades."
And somehow…
Half against her will, half because it actually made sense—
Tsunade agreed.
Even now, she still felt a bit dazed about it.
—
But Jiraiya wasn't wrong.
When the village faces crisis, the Hokage should stand at the front—
Not hide in the back making plans.
That…
Was the Will of Fire.
—
…
That same afternoon, Konoha's sealed roads were reopened.
A formal announcement was issued from the Hokage Building:
Due to exposure of illegal human experiments, Shimura Danzō had defected with his subordinates.
Because of poor oversight, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had voluntarily stepped down and handed authority to the advisory council.
The Fifth Hokage election would begin shortly.
Candidates: Jiraiya and Tsunade.
—
The entire village exploded into discussion.
Human experiments?
What the hell had Danzō been doing?
And what role had the Third Hokage played in all this?
As for how Jiraiya and Tsunade forced Hiruzen to step down?
Almost nobody cared.
Their reputation as Sannin spoke for itself.
And since they were his disciples, internal conflict wasn't exactly shocking.
—
The real concern for most clans was simple:
How to deal with the next Hokage.
Especially for clans with large numbers of chūnin.
Because not all chūnin were equal.
Those assigned stable village positions lived comfortably.
Those sent out on missions?
Yeah… they risked dying every other week.
Big difference.
—
A few days later, the Jōnin Assembly was held.
Jiraiya won overwhelmingly.
All that remained was approval from the Fire Daimyō.
Once that was done—
He'd officially become the Fifth Hokage.
—
Meanwhile, Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't attend.
Official reason: illness.
Real reason?
He'd been forced out.
He'd lost control of ANBU.
Lost his position.
Now he could only remain within the Sarutobi clan compound, watching as his clan members were gradually pushed out of key positions.
Naturally, complaints poured in.
And there was nothing he could do about it.
—
This wasn't a normal abdication.
He had no influence left.
And Jiraiya's aggressive consolidation of power made one thing clear—
Major reforms were coming.
Hiruzen couldn't interfere.
Couldn't even try.
—
Sitting quietly, he sighed and asked the ANBU agent monitoring him:
"How's the situation outside? Is Jiraiya's succession going smoothly?"
After a moment, the ANBU replied,
"Both the Third and Fifth Hokage have stabilized control of the Hokage Building. The major clans are very supportive…"
"…Just like when you led Konoha over ten years ago."
—
"Over ten years ago…"
Hiruzen murmured, eyes distant.
"…Was I wrong all these years?"
"…Did my decisions actually harm the village?"
—
The ANBU hesitated… then spoke carefully:
"Third Hokage-sama… you are Konoha's hero. The embodiment of the Will of Fire."
"But after the Fourth Hokage's death…"
"…you shouldn't have resumed the position."
—
"Once a Hokage becomes indecisive…"
"…they are no longer fit to lead the village."
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