Chapter 74 (Patreon)

The Fire Daimyō stared blankly at the letter sent by the Hokage.

He could understand Hiruzen wanting to step down. What he could not understand was Konoha choosing a woman as the Fifth Hokage—and a woman with a tailed beast sealed inside her, no less.

Was Konoha truly unable to find another suitable candidate?

“What in the world is Sarutobi thinking? There has never been such a precedent anywhere in the shinobi world! If Konoha goes through with this, won’t the other nations assume every man in the village has died?”

There was another important problem.

If Kushina truly became Hokage, the Fire Daimyō would be too embarrassed to face the daimyō of the other nations.

The court adviser beside him was equally baffled by Konoha’s decision. However, when viewed solely from the Fire Daimyō’s position, choosing a woman as Hokage might actually work in his favor. In his eyes, she would surely be easier to control.

Danzō, the so-called Darkness of the Shinobi, had defected, while Hiruzen intended to retire and leave a woman in charge. If everything went as planned, would Konoha not eventually be forced to follow the Fire Daimyō’s every command?

Many of Konoha’s decisions already required the daimyō’s approval, but that was only because he controlled the village’s finances. Financial leverage was still vastly different from possessing direct authority over Konoha.

The Fire Daimyō’s eyes lit up after hearing his adviser’s analysis.

“That is certainly an unusual way of looking at the situation... but I like it. Very well. Send Hiruzen my reply and tell him that I approve his request.”

The other daimyō might mock him for a while, but it was still uncertain who would have the last laugh.

That same night, one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja assigned to guard duty told Asuma what had happened earlier that day.

He had not shared the news out of kindness. He simply wanted to see Asuma humiliated.

Everyone knew that Asuma carried the Sarutobi name. He was Hiruzen’s second son, while his older brother still remained in Konoha.

Yet Hiruzen would rather pass the position of Hokage to a woman from another clan than consider either of his own sons.

What else could that mean?

Despite serving together as the Twelve Guardian Ninja, there were plenty of conflicts within their ranks.

Those from prestigious backgrounds, including Asuma and Chiriku, tended to stand together. Kazuma and the others from commoner families formed another faction. Their division ran deeper than social status, as the two sides also held opposing beliefs and frequently clashed with one another.

Now that Hiruzen had made such a decision, there was no chance Kazuma’s faction would let the opportunity to mock Asuma pass.

Unfortunately for them, Asuma’s reaction caught everyone off guard.

He did not react at all.

Hokage?

Whoever wanted the hat could have it.

As far as Asuma was concerned, that position was the reason his relationship with his father had deteriorated so badly. Nearly every conflict between them could be traced back to the responsibilities and expectations attached to the title of Hokage.

Now that the Sarutobi family was finally losing the position, Asuma considered it something worth celebrating with a few extra cups of sake.

Furthermore, he had recently been studying Buddhist teachings alongside his close friend Chiriku. Those teachings required him to cast aside anger and resentment.

If Kazuma and the others thought a few petty remarks could disturb his state of mind, they still had a great deal to learn.

Asuma’s complete indifference only made Kazuma and his companions look foolish. With nothing left to say, they could only retreat in embarrassment.

After all, they officially served together as the Fire Daimyō’s personal guard. Trading insults was one thing, but if they actually came to blows, it would become a serious matter.

Once they had left, Chiriku regarded Asuma with a satisfied expression.

Asuma’s state of mind had clearly improved. He was no longer as impulsive or quick-tempered as he had been in the past.

Such mental discipline was also a necessary foundation for learning the Fire Temple’s secret techniques.

In Chiriku’s eyes, the current Asuma was finally qualified to begin learning them.

Meanwhile, news of Danzō’s defection quickly spread to the other hidden villages.

Many of them immediately began preparing to settle their old scores with him. Danzō’s fingerprints could be found behind countless tragedies, but he had always remained hidden within Konoha and rarely ventured outside.

Without enough concrete evidence to demand that Konoha surrender him, the other villages had been forced to swallow their anger time and again.

Now, however, Danzō was officially a missing-nin.

Even if someone killed him, Konoha would have no grounds to object.

If they did not take revenge now, were they supposed to wait until Danzō died of old age and then dig up his grave?

Yet to everyone’s surprise, neither the ANBU dispatched by the various villages nor the bounty hunters searching for his head managed to uncover the slightest trace of Danzō’s whereabouts.

Faced with his remarkable ability to disappear, even Ōnoki and A had to admit that Danzō’s methods were impressive.

Konoha had practically handed them the opportunity on a silver platter.

Unfortunately, none of them seemed capable of taking advantage of it.

“Roy-kun, give me a massage...”

Exhaustion filled Kushina’s voice as she collapsed face-first onto the bed.

For the past two days, she had been dividing her time between researching a safe method of removing the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal and following Hiruzen around to learn how the village’s administrative affairs were handled.

Her head felt ready to split apart.

Breaking the seal itself was not particularly difficult. The real challenge was removing it without endangering the person bearing it.

As if that were not enough, Kushina also had to familiarize herself with Konoha’s civil administration, military affairs, mission requests, and mission assignments.

She had never possessed much of a talent for paperwork. After being buried beneath it for two straight days, she already felt half-dead.

If Roy had not kept an eye on her after she returned home that evening, she might have fallen asleep in the bathtub and drowned.

Even Roy developed a headache after seeing the mountain of documents she was expected to review. It only strengthened his belief that Konoha’s administrative system had serious problems.

Important decisions were one thing, but even trivial matters involving missing cats and dogs eventually found their way onto the Hokage’s desk.

After enduring this routine for so many years, Hiruzen truly deserved to be called the “Strongest Hokage.”

Back when Roy had watched the original story, he assumed Hiruzen personally handed D-rank missions such as weeding gardens, catching insects, and searching for lost pets to newly graduated genin because he wanted to appear approachable and maintain a connection with the village’s younger generation.

He had never imagined that it was simply part of the Hokage’s ordinary daily routine.

Thinking about it now, Minato’s ability to finish his work and return home on time every day seemed even more incredible.

As Roy massaged Kushina’s shoulders, he said, “Konoha’s administrative system needs to be overhauled. If the Hokage has to personally oversee every last detail, it’s no wonder the village can’t develop properly. This isn’t the village’s founding era anymore, when there were barely any administrative matters to handle.”

And these were still considered relatively peaceful times.

By the time Naruto became Hokage, Konoha would be expanding rapidly, and the number of matters demanding attention would only continue to increase. Combined with Naruto’s habit of involving himself in everything personally, it was no wonder he barely had enough time to return home for his children’s birthdays.

“Mmm...”

Kushina let out a comfortable hum.

“Fortunately, I have you here to help me, Roy-kun.”

“Don’t work yourself into the ground. Haven’t you already chosen your advisers? Let them start handling some real work so they can familiarize themselves with their responsibilities.”

At that exact moment, Shikaku—who was relaxing at home with tea and a game of shogi—suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

It was as though a terrible disaster was rapidly approaching.

Roy’s massage involved more than simply pressing and kneading Kushina’s muscles. He also guided a carefully controlled stream of spiritual power through her body, easing her physical tension while allowing her mind to relax more completely.

He had only tried it on a whim, but the results were remarkably effective.

The following evening, Kushina returned home after putting Roy’s advice into practice. Sure enough, she was nowhere near as exhausted as she had been the previous day.

“Roy-kun, you really are my savior.”

A single suggestion from him had drastically reduced her workload.

Unable to think of a better way to repay him, Kushina decided to put her lips to better use than mere words. Halfway through, however, her entire body suddenly stiffened when Roy began returning the favor.

“D-Don’t... not there...”

Roy smiled, completely unrepentant.

“It’s only fair that we help each other.”

In the room next door, Kaorui still had the Mind’s Eye of the Kagura active.

What she sensed left her utterly stunned.

It appeared there was still a great deal about the world that she needed to learn.

As the days passed, Hiruzen finally received the Fire Daimyō’s reply approving Kushina’s appointment.

However, the succession of a Hokage was not as simple as gathering everyone beneath the Hokage Residence and handing over the ceremonial hat from its rooftop.

The cloak of the Fifth Hokage was still being hastily tailored, and Hiruzen had yet to finish transferring many of his responsibilities to Kushina.

Even if he wanted to retire immediately, the official succession ceremony would have to wait at least another ten days—perhaps as long as half a month.