Chapter 247: Konoha Village Cannot Be Without a Hokage
Hiruko talked himself hoarse but still couldn't persuade Jiraiya. Afterward, Advisor Elders Akimichi Torikaze and Inuzuka Jaw both took their turns. No matter how they appealed to emotion or reason, they ultimately returned empty-handed.
At least Jiraiya didn't plan to leave the village immediately.
He would remain for a while.
After leaving the cemetery, Jiraiya first visited the Sarutobi clan estate to meet with former Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen. Afterward, he headed directly to the Hyuga clan—he'd come to see Minato and Kushina's son.
At the same time, Hiruko, Akimichi Torikaze, Inuzuka Jaw, Hyuga Ritsu, Uchiha Fugaku, and Nara Shikaku gathered once more. Ritsu attended as a shadow clone. His real body remained stationed at Tamae Shrine without moving.
"Jiraiya refuses to assume the position of Fifth Hokage."
Hiruko looked at everyone with a headache. "Both Advisor Elders and I tried to convince Jiraiya, but unfortunately we all failed. Jiraiya is as stubborn as a diamond. I think we need to consider other candidates to inherit the Fifth Hokage position."
Akimichi Torikaze and Inuzuka Jaw both looked pained.
Uchiha Fugaku's face remained tense.
Ritsu appeared completely indifferent.
He didn't care who became Hokage now. Even if the Third Hokage returned to power, he wouldn't mind. The ninja world ultimately respected strength above all. As long as one didn't become bound by so-called rules like White Fang had, even a Kage—unless planning a civil war destined to cause massive casualties—could do nothing.
"Jiraiya suggested letting the Third—"
"Lord Hokage Advisor, absolutely not!"
Uchiha Fugaku's reaction was exceptionally intense.
But everyone could understand his stress response. The Uchiha clan had suffered too much torment and suppression under the Third Hokage's rule. Though the Hyuga had been the main force in the coup overthrowing the Third, the Uchiha couldn't escape their role as accomplices.
"I know."
Hiruko glanced at Fugaku. "I rejected Jiraiya's suggestion. Sarutobi Hiruzen lacks the ability to handle the crisis the village currently faces. So we're left with only one choice."
"Tsunade?"
Akimichi Torikaze sighed.
"Correct."
Hiruko nodded. "If Jiraiya refuses to inherit the Fifth Hokage position, then Tsunade is the only suitable candidate remaining. But the problem is Tsunade also seems uninterested in the Hokage position. The messengers we sent have all been driven back. She herself doesn't even plan to return to the village once."
At this point, he couldn't help but sigh. When had the Hokage position become such a hot potato that no one wanted to handle it?
He rubbed his temples with a headache. "So everyone, think of solutions. Should we continue trying to persuade Jiraiya, or should we keep attempting to contact Tsunade? The village can't remain without a Hokage indefinitely. I'm merely the Hokage Advisor. Without a Hokage, this advisory position carries no proper legitimacy."
His words resonated with everyone.
Konoha Village without a Hokage, without a Hokage was incomplete, deficient. Without a Hokage's protection, no one could feel at ease.
"Why would they refuse to inherit the Hokage position?"
Uchiha Fugaku felt utterly distressed.
He couldn't understand what Jiraiya and Tsunade were thinking. Was becoming Hokage something bad... Alright! The risks of assuming the Hokage position at this time were indeed high. That damned bastard Tatsuhata could attack again at any moment.
But they couldn't refuse to inherit the Hokage position just because they feared danger, could they?
"I don't think there's much hope with Jiraiya."
Akimichi Torikaze didn't complain. Having eaten many more bowls of rice than others, he was well-traveled, experienced, and possessed extremely deep experience in dealing with people. "Jiraiya's determination is hard to shake. Though Tsunade's attitude is resolute, hope isn't necessarily lost. As long as we can figure out what troubles her heart, there's still some hope of inviting Tsunade back to inherit the Fifth Hokage position."
"But Tsunade won't even return to the village."
Inuzuka Jaw's brow furrowed tightly. "The messengers we sent have all been sent back. I think continuing to send people won't yield any results. Moreover, the last batch of messengers who were driven back said they nearly couldn't find Tsunade at all. She's very likely deliberately avoiding us."
"So we can't keep sending subordinates to contact Tsunade. We need to send someone truly qualified to participate in village decisions to liaise with Tsunade."
With those words, the room immediately fell into silence.
Not many people were qualified to participate in village decisions.
And coincidentally, they were all sitting in this small conference room right now.
Hiruko leaned back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest, seriously considering Torikaze's suggestion. Not sending subordinate jonin to contact Tsunade, but dispatching someone of real weight to liaise with her.
It felt like a good suggestion!
But who should go?
He looked around. Ritsu was the first eliminated. Stationed at Tamae Shrine, he shouldered the heavy responsibility of guarding the One-Tail, Three-Tails jinchuriki, and Nine-Tails jinchuriki. No one could replace him, so he absolutely couldn't leave the village.
Uchiha Fugaku was eliminated next. Tsunade was the Senju clan princess, the First Hokage's granddaughter. Sending the Uchiha clan head to establish rapport would be a complete waste of effort, possibly even counterproductive.
Therefore, suitable candidates were only the two Advisor Elders and Jonin Commander Nara Shikaku?
Hiruko excluded himself as well. Not because he feared danger or hardship, but because his position made leaving the village inconvenient. Not having a Hokage was already terrible. If even the Hokage Advisor disappeared, chaos would certainly erupt—he firmly believed this.
"Elder Jaw, could you make this trip?"
After weighing everything, Hiruko focused on Inuzuka Jaw.
Nara Shikaku's position as Jonin Commander carried less authority than an Advisor Elder. Sending an Advisor Elder to contact Tsunade clearly showed more sincerity. Between the two Advisor Elders, Akimichi Torikaze was the senior—it wouldn't be appropriate to send him on such field work requiring hardship.
Inuzuka Jaw wasn't surprised. His thinking aligned with Hiruko's. After considering it, he found himself the most suitable choice for this diplomatic task. He didn't resist the assignment, even though leaving Konoha at this time carried significant risks.
But he'd truly prepared himself mentally to be shattered to pieces for the village.
He frowned. "I don't mind making the trip, but let me speak plainly first. I don't have much personal relationship with Tsunade, and I don't know what troubles her heart. So I can't guarantee I'll convince Tsunade to return and inherit the Fifth Hokage position."
He spoke honestly.
Traveling far to meet Tsunade once posed no problem. The problem was his purpose wasn't simply meeting Tsunade—it was convincing her to return to the village and inherit the Fifth Hokage position. If he lacked sufficient confidence in accomplishing this, even ten trips would prove meaningless.
"Have Kimeki Koto serve as your deputy, Elder Jaw. He was Tsunade's former comrade-in-arms."
After a few seconds of thought, Hiruko offered a solution.
Though this approach couldn't guarantee convincing Tsunade either, it was better than having no options at all.
But Inuzuka Jaw wasn't ready to give up. His brow remained furrowed. "Lord Hokage Advisor, I think we need to prepare for the worst case. If we can convince Tsunade, naturally everything will be perfect. But if even Kimeki Koto can't persuade Tsunade, I think we need a contingency plan. We can't let the Hokage position remain vacant indefinitely!"
Hiruko's expression turned painful.
He also understood the Hokage position couldn't remain vacant long-term. But what could he do?
Even a clever housewife can't cook without rice!
The village only had these few individuals qualified and capable of inheriting the Fifth Hokage position. No matter how they chose, they couldn't escape this limitation. He couldn't just randomly pick some trash to deceive people, could he?
If all the tall people in the village had died, they could only select a Hokage from the short ones. No one would criticize him for it. But the village still had several strong individuals. Bypassing them to install someone obviously a tier weaker would be unacceptable to the villagers!
"Elder Jaw, I understand what you're saying, but I'm at my wit's end!"
Hiruko spread his hands, looking distressed. "Besides Jiraiya and Tsunade, who else in the village can compare with them? We can't just randomly find a jonin and put the Fifth Hokage's hat on them!"
"If you ask me, there actually is someone who can be mentioned in the same breath as Lord Jiraiya and Lady Tsunade."
The speaker wasn't Jaw but Nara Shikaku, who'd maintained silence throughout this meeting.
"Hmm?"
Hiruko's eyes widened in surprise. "Shikaku, there's someone in the village who can be mentioned alongside Jiraiya and Tsunade? How did I not know such a person existed?"
Nara Shikaku blinked, speaking somewhat helplessly. "Lord Hokage Advisor, the person I'm referring to is right before us."
"Hmm?"
Hiruko grew even more bewildered.
He frowned. "Shikaku, you're not talking about me, are you? Admittedly, if given enough time to develop the five bloodline limits I possess, speaking boldly, surpassing Jiraiya and Tsunade in the future isn't impossible."
"But that's ultimately a future matter. I can't yet convert potential into strength."
Nara Shikaku felt helpless but also surprised.
He'd almost forgotten this Hokage Advisor wasn't exactly harmless either. Having developed the terrifying forbidden technique Chimera Technique and possessing five bloodline limits, he was genuinely formidable.
Only in the past, he'd been overshadowed by the Fourth Hokage and White Yaksha Hyuga Ritsu's brilliance, making people subconsciously regard this Hokage Advisor as a non-combative civil servant.
After some self-reflection, he spoke. "Lord Hokage Advisor, I'm actually referring to Clan Head Hyuga. Though I equally don't doubt you'll achieve extremely high accomplishments in the future."
"You mean Ritsu?"
Hiruko stared at his student, who'd remained silent like a mute gourd throughout.
"Me?"
Ritsu was equally stunned.
Nara Shikaku didn't wait for rebuttals before speaking rapidly. "Lord Hokage Advisor, Clan Head Hyuga's strength is unquestionably powerful. The Third fell to Clan Head Hyuga. Nagato, the Rinnegan holder, also died at Clan Head Hyuga's hands. Even that damned missing-nin Uchiha Tatsuhata was driven away by Clan Head Hyuga."
"It can be said that without Clan Head Hyuga's turning of the tide, the village's situation would definitely be worse than now. No—the entire ninja world would have fallen into endless bloodshed."
"Lord Jiraiya and Lady Tsunade are also people I deeply respect, but... speaking unpleasantly, what results they could achieve against Tatsuhata is genuinely uncertain. Even someone as powerful as the Fourth paid with his life. At this time, rather than gambling on unknowns, I think it's better to choose certainty."
He'd clearly considered this beforehand.
So once he began speaking, his words flowed like quicksilver.
Everyone fell into contemplation. Only Ritsu himself felt somewhat dazed. He had no desire whatsoever for the Hokage position. His mind was currently focused entirely on thoroughly mastering the Heavenly Transfer Technique to compensate for his greatest shortcoming when facing Tatsuhata.
However...
Becoming Hokage?
Ritsu raised an eyebrow, his mental calculations churning.
When Minato was alive, he'd figured that with his butterfly effect, Minato would likely avoid the Nine-Tails Night death and sit in the Hokage position for decades.
So he'd never harbored any inappropriate ambitions toward the Hokage position.
Unfortunately, fate's corrective force had still taken the Minato couple.
But for him, this might not necessarily be a bad thing. If he could inherit the Fifth Hokage position and seize Konoha Village's supreme authority, doing things in the future might become more convenient?
Ritsu's heart stirred.
However, he restrained the movement in his heart and listened to the exchange between Hiruko and Nara Shikaku.
"Ritsu's strength is certainly beyond question, but... he's too young, isn't he? In such turbulent times, wouldn't long-established experts like Jiraiya and Tsunade better stabilize people's hearts?"
Hiruko pointed out Ritsu's shortcoming.
Ritsu was indeed too young—barely seventeen even after the New Year.
Nara Shikaku looked completely unconvinced. He spoke boldly. "Lord Hokage Advisor, what our Konoha needs now isn't merely stabilizing hearts—it's a truly powerful individual who can protect and shelter the village. Age simply isn't the issue. As long as Clan Head Hyuga can withstand Tatsuhata's attacks, people's hearts will naturally stabilize."
This was an unshakeable truth.
People's hearts were very pragmatic. They would support whoever could protect them!
Hiruko froze.
He'd subconsciously continued thinking of Ritsu as his precious student, even though Ritsu had long since changed completely and had already served as Hyuga clan head for over a year. He was no longer that tiny child!