Pot-kage Ninja (TL)

Only three candidates remained.

If sorted by age, they were Danzo, Jiraiya, and Kakashi.

Danzo ascending to the position would align with the Yamanaka Clan's interests, but not necessarily with the Ino-Shika-Cho Formation's. As before, Danzo was someone who operated outside the rules, with a domineering personality that made ninja clans reluctant to deal with him.

Kakashi, on the other hand, simply lacked the seniority. He had always been a frontline fighter and had yet to prove his leadership abilities. The Third Hokage had been guiding him toward higher responsibilities, but time was too short. Now, with Kakashi absent from the village, he had missed a golden opportunity to demonstrate his worth.

That left Jiraiya as the remaining candidate.

The Ino-Shika-Cho Formation quickly divided their tasks.

Ino went to find Tsunade to seek her opinion.

Inoichi continued supporting Danzo. Regardless of who became Hokage, intelligence operations and Root Ninja couldn't be ignored. With Ino in the Yamanaka Clan, they had influence both openly and covertly, ensuring they remained in an unassailable position.

Shikaku immediately left the village to find Kakashi, probing the Copy Ninja's stance on the new Hokage. If Kakashi had no interest in the position, he would be persuaded to support Jiraiya instead.

The burly Choza, leveraging his amiable reputation, went to approach Jiraiya.

In his younger days, Choza had briefly been teammates with Minato Namikaze and was thus quite familiar with Minato's teacher, Jiraiya.

A day later, Kakashi encountered Shikaku first. Upon learning that the village had been attacked by Orochimaru and Sunagakure, he immediately abandoned his mission to track down Danzo and rushed back to the village under the cover of night, leading a squad of Anbu Ninja.

Without Shikaku needing to say much, Kakashi made his stance clear—he had no real interest in becoming Hokage. If no one else stepped up, he'd reluctantly take the role, but with other candidates available, he was perfectly content remaining a frontline ninja.

He joined the Ino-Shika-Cho Formation in persuading Jiraiya.

At first, Jiraiya's attitude was resolute—absolutely not! He'd rather die than take the position! His student had been the Fourth Hokage; if he became the Fifth, wouldn't that be embarrassing?

Shikaku, skilled at reading people, spoke bluntly, using himself as an example. He described himself as someone with many methods but few ideas, whereas Jiraiya was the opposite—a man full of ideas but lacking methods. Often, Jiraiya knew what needed to be done but not how to do it.

A strategist like Shikaku was the perfect complement to a Hokage with Jiraiya's temperament.

"You're the Hokage. You say what you want to do, what goals you want to achieve. As your strategist, I'll present you with three plans—best, middle, and worst-case options. You pick the most suitable one, and we execute it. Simple as that."

"You won't be overworked, and I won't feel burdened. It's a win-win."

Shikaku further admitted his own limitations as a ninja, expressing his desire to focus solely on strategy. He was willing to step down from his position as Jonin Commander, leaving it open for either Kakashi or Asuma to take over.

Jiraiya's stance softened slightly, and he agreed to seriously consider the proposal.

That same day, the village elders assigned Ino a B-rank mission—to locate Tsunade and ensure her return to the village.

Three days later, news arrived that Orochimaru had been killed. Danzo, no longer needing to be pursued, withdrew his ambush and returned to the village with his Root Ninja in tow.

Danzo was absolutely furious!

What's going on? Orochimaru is dead, yet the Third Hokage survived?

On the fifth day after the failure of the Konoha Crush Plan, Ino made a round trip to bring Tsunade, Shizune, and their pet pig Tonton back to the Hidden Leaf Village.

The Third Hokage's injuries were too severe. The Slug Sage had only managed to restart his heart, but his body was still extremely weak. He couldn't even stand up to handle official duties, let alone stay conscious.

The Slug Sage was helpless against the fragility of human bodies and souls. What the Third needed now was medical treatment, not Senjutsu Chakra.

Asuma was holding up fine, but Konohamaru had fainted from crying multiple times.

Ino, carrying the hopes of the entire village, came to ask Tsunade to return.

It wasn't about becoming Hokage—just treating a patient. That shouldn't be too difficult.

Tsunade had some grievances with the Third, but not enough to watch him die. If she could save him, she would.

On the way back, Ino bluntly asked Tsunade if she had any intention of becoming Hokage.

Unsurprisingly, Tsunade refused, citing her hemophobia as the reason.

The trio and the pig quickly returned to the village. Without time for nostalgia, they headed straight to Konoha Hospital.

"Please, you have to save my grandfather!" Outside the ward, Konohamaru was crying his eyes out.

Tsunade had no patience for this. Who's your grandfather? With so many injured in Konoha, how could I possibly save them all?

She grabbed Konohamaru by the collar and, without a word, flung him aside.

Jiraiya, Ino, Shizune, and Tonton all wore solemn expressions, clearly shaken.

Naruto, however, rushed out noisily to rescue Konohamaru.

"Thank you for your hard work," Asuma, the filial son, nodded gravely to Ino.

Without Ino's connections, it wouldn't have been so easy to find Tsunade or bring her back. Every second counted—a delay of two days might have been fatal.

He was deeply grateful to Ino.

Ino accepted the thanks without hesitation. She deserved it. Without me... well, we'd be holding a funeral feast by now!

She had every right to this gratitude.

"Are you all doctors? Anyone irrelevant, get out! Now!" Tsunade roared, shooing everyone—Jiraiya, Asuma, and the rest—out of the ward.

Only her two disciples and the pet pig Tonton remained.

Tsunade's medical skills were indeed formidable. A day later, the Third Hokage finally regained consciousness. Along the way, Tsunade also healed Hayate Gekko, who had been comatose in the next room.

Hayate claimed that the one who tried to kill him was Sunagakure's Jonin, Baki, and that the Sand Village was plotting something.

Ino smiled, signaling her former flower shop VIP to rest easy—his intel was just a tad too late.

When the Third Hokage opened his eyes, even he was surprised. How could he still be alive after using the Reaper Death Seal?

Tsunade had no idea either.

You're asking me? How should I know? You're the one who used it, not me!

After treating the Third, Tsunade wanted to leave immediately. But at the earnest pleas of many acquaintances, she agreed to stay a couple more days—at least until the critically injured were out of danger.

The Third's soul was too fragmented, and his body was aged. Though he could still move one hand, he would never be able to use ninja techniques again.

A person who cannot use ninja techniques naturally isn't a ninja, let alone qualified to become the Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village.

The Third still had numerous trusted aides, and with the support of people like Asuma, Kurenai, and Kakashi, his authority hadn't been significantly affected for the time being. However, he knew his own situation best—his organs were failing, his lifespan was counting down, and he could no longer use ninja techniques. He had to quickly arrange for a successor, the sooner the better, as very little time remained for him.

He approached Jiraiya first, followed by Tsunade, earnestly hoping they would take up the position of Hokage. As expected, both refused.