Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi

And so, a prolonged and tragic war came to an end.

This time, Konoha's losses were not small. Similarly, a large number of Sand Village genin and chunin lost their lives in the Leaf Village, and more than half of them were slain by Hatake Kusuo's hand. As for the few surviving elite chunin and jonin-level captains, many were captured by Konoha. If the Sand Village wanted to ransom their people back, they would have to pay a massive amount in war reparations. Otherwise, there was nothing to discuss.

At the same time, back in the Sand Village, another shockwave was felt. The body of the Third Kazekage had been found. And it was highly likely that Orochimaru was the one who had done it.

This news, for a Sand Village that had already been severely wounded, was like a bolt from the blue, a freezing frost in the middle of summer that sent a chill through their entire bodies. The majority of their core forces were lost. Their Lord Kazekage was assassinated. In an instant, the entire Land of Wind was shaken. A sense of panic spread, and everyone feared for their own safety.

As one of the few remaining elite jonin in the Sand Village, Baki was pushed to the forefront to temporarily preside over some reconstruction work, with elders like Chiyo assisting from behind the scenes.

"You're saying that ninja from Konoha... scared Shukaku with a single sword? That the One-Tail voluntarily retreated into Gaara's body and didn't dare to come out again?"

Receiving the report, Baki looked at the other jonin with disbelief. He was the squad leader who had been responsible for monitoring Shukaku in the Forest of Death.

"It's the absolute truth. That scene was too shocking. If we hadn't seen it with our own eyes, it would be hard to believe it was real. But it happened right before us. That brat, Hatake Kusuo, is a monster, in no way inferior to a Tailed Beast." Recalling the scene from that day, the jonin's heart was still filled with lingering fear.

"Dammit! Then why didn't you relay this information to the battlefield sooner? You let our ninja face such a terrifying guy, needlessly losing so many lives! Now our people are being held captive by Konoha, and they're demanding a huge amount in war reparations!" Baki cursed loudly. How could he not be angry? He was overwhelmed by the current situation, this complete mess.

"Er... we wanted to, but the battle scene at that time was simply too dangerous. The entire half of the forest had been turned into a sand field by Shukaku. We were worried that if we got any closer, we would be injured by the aftershocks of the battle, so we retreated first."

For a moment, everyone fell silent. That's right. A person who could chase a Tailed Beast around with a sword, how could his perception be weak? If they had really dared to approach rashly, what would have awaited them would have likely been a sword aura that cut to the heavens. At that point, their entire army would have been annihilated.

"Sigh." Baki waved his hand dejectedly. "There's nothing to be done. Let's just think about how to compensate Konoha. Dammit!" With that, he slammed his fist hard on the table. "Damn you, Orochimaru! For assassinating Lord Kazekage... we, the Sand Village, will settle this score with you sooner or later!"

They didn't dare to cause trouble for Konoha. With his existence, no one dared to challenge his might.

...

It had to be said, as the head of the Five Great Nations, the Land of Fire was indeed financially powerful. The war reparations from the Sand Village had not yet arrived, but the Daimyo of the Land of Fire had already sent people with a large amount of financial and material resources to help Konoha rebuild.

In just one month's time, the parts of Konoha Village that had been all but destroyed by Kusuo's sword slashes had been rebuilt and looked brand new.

Kusuo walked down the street with his arm around Hinata, his left hand holding Hanabi's. Along the way, pedestrians would bow their heads in reverence, not daring to meet his gaze. After he had passed, they would turn their heads back to sneak a peek.

"Look, that's the Hatake clan's Kusuo! The one who defeated Shukaku and thwarted the S-rank missing-nin Orochimaru's conspiracy! I heard that even Lord First and Second Hokage, and Lord White Fang, were defeated by him!"

"Really?"

"Isn't that too monstrous? How old is he?"

"It's true! I was there at the time! Lord Kusuo was just like this, one arm around that young lady, swinging his sword with the other. Every sword aura cut through the clouds, the roar of the blade making the Sand-nin and that Orochimaru fellow flee with their tails between their legs..."

"I'm so envious of you. Unfortunately, I was assigned to the evacuation shelter at that time and didn't get to see it with my own eyes."

The pedestrians on the street discussed amongst themselves when they saw Kusuo, the stories of his deeds being passed around with great detail. When these exaggerated descriptions reached his ears, he couldn't help but be amused. Fighting while holding Hinata? What do you think this is, a storybook?

However, this idea did make his heart stir. In the future, when he could truly unlock one hundred percent of the template, and Hinata could also possess a pair of pure Tenseigan... at that time, holding the two sisters while fighting the Sage of Six Paths Madara one-on-one seemed like it would be quite nice.

"Kusuo."

Just as he was lost in thought, Asuma's figure suddenly appeared in front of him.

"What is it, Sensei?"

Hearing Kusuo still call him "Sensei," Asuma was first stunned, then immediately broke into a wide smile. Although his father, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had died in battle, Asuma had quickly recovered his composure afterward. Plus, his own student had saved the village, so he was still quite happy.

"It's like this. The Daimyo has sent an order, saying that a village cannot be without a Kage for a single day. The village is now mostly rebuilt, and with everything getting back on track, it's time to choose the Fifth Hokage."

"The council of elders is already waiting in the Hokage Tower conference room. The Daimyo has specifically requested that you attend as well."

The Hokage election? A personal request from the Daimyo?

Kusuo had a sudden realization. After the battle, he had been busy digesting the rewards given by the system and had begun to develop combat techniques other than Sun Breathing: Thunder Breathing, Water Breathing, Flame Breathing, Wind Breathing... and so on. The rest of his time was spent happily with Hinata, with the addition of Hanabi, who had insisted on squeezing in.

Calculating the time... the Third's funeral was over. It was indeed time to choose the next Hokage.

"Alright, I understand."

Releasing Hinata's small waist, Kusuo said softly, "I'll go over first. You take Hanabi home and wait for me."

"Mm." Hinata nodded shyly and left with Hanabi. As she was leaving, Hanabi pouted and looked back at Kusuo, seeming a little unhappy.

Following Asuma, he walked all the way to the newly built Hokage Tower, which looked no different from the original building. On the main seat was the fat and oily Daimyo of the Land of Fire. Koharu Utatane, Homura Mitokado, and Danzo sat to his left and right respectively. Next to them were Kakashi, Shikaku Nara, and other elites of the village.

Seeing Kusuo arrive, Danzo, his hands resting on his cane, had a sinister glint flash in his eyes. At the same time, a deep desire was hidden in the depths of his eyes, which he concealed well.

"Alright, since everyone is here, let's begin," the Daimyo said, as if he had been specifically waiting for Kusuo. The moment he arrived, he announced the start of the meeting.

The moment the Daimyo spoke, Danzo's eyes immediately lit up with an undisguised desire. Hiruzen Sarutobi is dead. The only one in the village who can carry the banner of the Kage's name is me, the one who controls Root. Danzo's eyes flickered as he began to analyze the situation in his mind.

But...

"I won't beat around the bush. Regarding the village's next Kage, I have always believed that the capable should hold the position. Only those with great strength can win the respect of the masses," the Daimyo said.

"I see that Hatake Kusuo's contributions in the previous defense of the village were outstanding, slaying a Tailed Beast and successfully defeating the invasion led by the powerful ninja Orochimaru. My nomination for Hokage, I cast it for him."

The Daimyo's words were so simple and blunt that it made everyone's eyelids twitch. He had directly named his favor for a mere boy. After all, as the Daimyo of a country, he had countless affairs to attend to every day. It was impossible for him to know every ninja in the village. It didn't matter to him who became Hokage. The only requirement was that they were strong and loyal enough to the village. Kusuo had protected Konoha with his own strength and was from the Hatake clan; he fit his requirements very well.

"I object!" Danzo suddenly slapped the table and stood up to object. His fierce reaction startled everyone.

"Why do you object?" the Daimyo asked, looking at Danzo with displeasure.

Danzo, realizing his gaffe, quickly apologized to the Daimyo. "My apologies, I lost my composure just now. But the position of a village's Kage is so important, shouldering immense responsibility. How can it be so easily given to a wet-behind-the-ears brat?"

"You should know, the Hokage not only has to handle the affairs of the entire village, liaise with the Land of Fire, but also deal with the prying eyes of other countries and maneuver between the great hidden villages. Such a task can absolutely not be entrusted to a child!"

"Whether in terms of seniority or experience in dealing with people, he is far from being qualified for the position of Hokage."

The moment these words were spoken, Koharu and Homura, the other two elders, looked at each other and immediately expressed their opposition as well.

The Daimyo's face was displeased, but he did not refute it. After all, what Danzo said also made sense.

"Whether he can shoulder the position of Hokage is not for me to say, nor for you to say. This depends on his own will," Nara Shikaku, Konoha's top strategist, said after a long silence, wanting to hand the choice over to Kusuo.

Feeling the gazes of the crowd, Kusuo did not immediately speak. He had already guessed this possibility on his way here. The Daimyo would not have invited him to participate in the Hokage election meeting for no reason. So he had come. But just because he had come to the meeting didn't mean he wanted to become Hokage. The Kage of a village... it sounded nice. On the surface, it was a position held by the strongest person in the village, and it was Naruto's lifelong dream. But for him, it wasn't much.

I, Hatake Kusuo, have no interest in being Hokage. I might as well not be this Hokage.

There was only one thing he could be sure of: If I don't become Hokage, you, Danzo, you old schemer, can forget about it too.

"To be able to receive the Daimyo's trust, I am deeply honored," Kusuo said, standing up. He first gave a perfunctory response to the Daimyo's enthusiasm, then glanced coldly at Danzo and said, "Regarding the position of Hokage, I am still young and it would indeed be difficult to win the respect of the masses. Moreover, I have always been used to my freedom and do not like to be constrained. So, regarding the matter of serving as Hokage, I can only say I'm sorry."

Hearing this, Danzo was secretly delighted.

"However," a single word of transition immediately made Danzo's heart seize up again.

"Regarding the candidates for Hokage, I do have two good suggestions."

The Daimyo was a little disappointed that Kusuo had refused the position. The others all turned to look at his face, curious as to who the two candidates were.

Under the watchful gaze of all, a corner of Kusuo's mouth lifted slightly. The image of a woman with an exaggerated bust line appeared in his mind. He softly spoke, "These two people are the other two of the Sannin, Jiraiya, and the granddaughter of the First Hokage, Lord Hashirama Senju, Tsunade."

Jiraiya, Tsunade...

The people present mulled over these two names, and their eyes instantly lit up. That's right! How could they have forgotten these two names? The legendary Sannin, and also the direct disciples of Lord Third. Their strength was without question. Whether in terms of prestige or seniority, they were more than qualified. Either of them becoming the Fifth Hokage would put the people of the village at ease.

"Hmph! And here I thought it was some good candidates. It's just a gambler and a pervert. We don't even know where the two of them are now. Where are we supposed to find them?" Danzo suddenly sneered, expressing his disdain for Kusuo's two suggestions. He was extremely annoyed that Kusuo had ruined his plan to take power through this meeting. He had already secretly conspired with the other two elders. If there were no accidents, they would have both fully supported him in becoming Hokage. Who would have thought that a Kusuo would come out of nowhere, specifically requested by the Daimyo to attend?

"Heh." Kusuo chuckled lightly, not taking Danzo's provocation to heart at all. The other's reaction was also within his expectations. In any case, there was no way he was going to let him become Hokage. Besides, he hadn't even settled the various accounts with this guy yet. We have plenty of time to play later...

"Lady Tsunade's location... Lord Jiraiya might know. In any case, if we find Lord Jiraiya, the rest can be planned slowly." In the end, Shikaku was the first to propose a suggestion. The Daimyo did not object, and the motion passed unanimously.

A sinister glint flickered in Danzo's dark eyes, but he could only give up helplessly.

-------

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