The respected citizens of the Land of Waves gathered together, arguing heatedly without reaching a decision for quite some time.
"Hiccup~~~"
An old man took a swig from his bottle, let out a long burp, then slammed the bottle on the table decisively. "Everyone pool your money and give it to me. I'll go to Konohagakure to request a mission!"
"Tazuna!"
"Yes, I'd feel better if we leave this to Tazuna."
"Tazuna, the future of the Land of Waves rests in your hands!"
Soon, the villagers gathered their meagre savings and entrusted them to Tazuna, secretly sending him off to the Land of Fire.
Tazuna began his journey toward Konohagakure step by step...
Meanwhile, Uzumaki Naruto and his teammates, who had been training under Shihouin Naraku, had grown much calmer. Under Hatake Kakashi's guidance, they gradually strengthened their foundation as shinobi.
"It's time to give them a more challenging mission," Kakashi thought.
Hatake Kakashi was quite pleased with the growth of Naruto and the others. He decided to reward them by selecting a more difficult mission for them to complete!
Shihouin Harumoto finally returned to Konohagakure after many years.
In truth, this wasn't entirely accurate. When stationed at the border, he occasionally returned to the village during rest periods, but these visits were brief before he had to return to his post.
This time, however, the situation was completely different!
Upon Shihouin Chunyuan's return, he was received by the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, who praised his years of service guarding the border for the Land of Fire and Konohagakure. Then, Shihouin Chunyuan was appointed as Konoha's Chūnin Examination Supervisor!
Everyone understood what was happening—Shihouin Naraku had voluntarily resigned from the position.
Unless someone volunteered to step down, no one in Konohagakure could easily remove Shihouin Naraku from his position.
Even if the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen had persuaded Shihouin Naraku to resign, he would have offered other positions in exchange!
That night, in the Shihouin clan's compound.
The Shihouin household, brightly lit, seemed particularly cheerful and lively.
The adults sat at the banquet inside, toasting one another with smiles on their faces. Sounds of celebration rose periodically amidst their casual conversation.
Children ran happily throughout the clan grounds with treats in their hands. No one would scold them for making noise today, so the youngsters were thoroughly enjoying themselves.
Two figures stood beneath the nearby eaves, chatting leisurely. No one approached to disturb them.
One was Shihouin Chunyuan, the former head of the Shihouin clan!
The other was Shihouin Naraku, the current clan head!
"After seeing all this, I know my original decision was correct! Naraku, you truly are the hope of our Shihouin clan!" Chunyuan said with pride.
Shihouin Chunyuan looked somewhat aged, his short black hair now a mixture of black and white, with more wrinkles lining his face. Years of border duty had clearly taken their toll.
"Uncle Chunyuan, you've endured such hardship for so many years. If it weren't for..."
Shihouin Chunyuan waved his hand dismissively. "Everything is for the clan! Besides, after your position was secured, my situation actually became quite comfortable."
Naraku shook his head slightly. He knew that for the older generation like Shihouin Chunyuan, the prosperity of the clan mattered more than anything—even personal sacrifice was acceptable for this cause.
"Naraku, how could you give up the position of Chūnin Examination Supervisor to me?" Shihouin Chunyuan whispered. "I'm old now. Your future is what matters!"
"I'll speak with the Third Hokage tomorrow and tell him that I've just returned to the village and am not familiar with recent developments. You are the right person to be the supervisor."
"That won't be necessary, Uncle Chunyuan. I'm glad you've returned—there are some things I need to discuss with you..."
Naraku gave a meaningful look, and they went inside together. Sitting down, they began to speak in hushed tones.
"The Third Hokage mentioned some time ago... Hatake Kakashi and I..."
"What? Hokage?"
Shihouin Chunyuan's aged eyes widened instantly, excitement flashing in his pupils. He stood up and began pacing back and forth across the room.
It took him quite some time to calm down.
There was good reason for his reaction. If someone from the Shihouin clan could become Hokage, it would bring tremendous honour to the family.
If this could be achieved, Shihouin Chunyuan would gladly die the next moment with no regrets.
"Let me think, let me think..."
"The clan has accumulated substantial funds over the years. We'll use it all if necessary..."
"We should spread the word about the relationship between the Shihouin and Senju clans during the Warring States period. We are the most legitimate heirs to the Hokage lineage. It's unfortunate that Lady Tsunade isn't in the village; otherwise, many things would be much simpler."
"Although I've been away from the village for years, my old connections remain. I'll mobilize them all!"
"You just said your only competitor is Hatake Kakashi. If that's the case..." Shihouin Chunyuan pinched his chin, his eyes flashing coldly. "I personally witnessed Hatake Sakumo's suicide!"
"The failure of that mission caused great losses to the Land of Fire and Konohagakure. I will ensure the entire village remembers this incident and expose all of Hatake Sakumo's mistakes! Everyone will know that the Hatake clan cannot be trusted!"
"Although Danzo isn't a good man, his plan to drive Hatake Sakumo to suicide was effective. Even if we can't force Hatake Kakashi to the same end, we'll surround him with scandals and eliminate his right to compete with you!"
"By the way, when the Fourth Hokage died unexpectedly, was Hatake Kakashi negligent in any way? Naraku, you've been in the village all this time—have you collected any compromising information on him?"
Shihouin Naraku couldn't help but give Uncle Chunyuan a mental thumbs-up!
Though he understood the temptation of the Hokage position, Shihouin Chunyuan's reaction was truly shocking.
Before Naraku could stop him, the elder was already planning how to eliminate Hatake Kakashi!
As expected of the only Jōnin from the Shihouin clan back then!
"Uncle Chunyuan, wait a moment. I'm not ready to become Hokage right now!"
If he didn't speak up, Naraku worried that Shihouin Chunyuan might start plotting to assassinate the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"I know you definitely want to become Hokage, but our plan still requires... huh?"
Shihouin Chunyuan's mind was racing so quickly that he hadn't clearly heard Naraku's words. It took him a moment to register what was said.
"Ah? What did you say?"
"I said I don't want to be Hokage yet!"
Shihouin Naraku grabbed Chunyuan, who was so excited he nearly jumped up and began to explain.
Of course, he said nothing about the system.
"Mainly..."
Shihouin Chunyuan muttered to himself: "Tsunade... it wouldn't be bad for Lady Tsunade to become Hokage. But it's still not as good as someone from our clan taking the position..."
After considerable effort, Shihouin Naraku finally convinced Shihouin Chunyuan.
"Well, since you've made up your mind, Naraku, we'll do as you say."
Shihouin Chunyuan reluctantly abandoned the schemes he had just devised, but then his eyes brightened again as he whispered: "Naraku, even if you don't want it now, you must become Hokage in the future.
I can privately contact some smaller clans in the village.
Though these families aren't individually powerful, they become quite influential when united.
They could even serve as your supporters when you eventually become Hokage."
"Ah! We have too few people we can rely on in the Shihouin clan."
"That's fine... but Uncle Chunyuan, please keep this matter secret!"
"Don't worry!"
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