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Jiraiya carefully observed the young fellow in front of him.

His expression turned serious. "Although Konoha has won this victory, the Third Hokage has perished because of it."

"The position of Hokage cannot remain vacant for long. We must quickly select someone to take on the role of Hokage. Do any of you have any recommendations?"

The upper ninjas of Konoha looked at each other, pondering.

Selecting the Hokage...

To be honest, they hadn't thought about it yet. 

The most basic requirement to become a Hokage is to possess the strength of a shinobi. Without formidable strength, at least there must be prestige.

Having both strength and prestige recognized by the villagers is what makes a qualified Hokage.

"Well..."

"Jiraiya-sama, since you were a disciple of the Third Hokage, perhaps you are the most suitable candidate for the position of Hokage."

One of the council member proposed.

The others' eyes lit up instantly.

Yes!

Jiraiya-sama is one of the legendary Sanin. He achieved glorious feats during all Great Ninja Wars. 

All the higher ups present believed that if Jiraiya were to take on the role of Hokage, he would undoubtedly be a qualified one.

Even the villagers wouldn't have much objection.

Jiraiya's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly refused.

"The position of Hokage is not suitable for me. Besides, I still have missions that require me to go out and investigate at any time."

"I cannot take on the position of Hokage."

Ah...

Jiraiya-sama doesn't want to be Hokage?

The others were surprised, but upon reflection, Jiraiya-sama seemed accustomed to freedom...

Moreover, Jiraiya's pervy tendencies were well known. He frequented the women's bathhouse in Konoha.

 If he were to become Hokage and these things were exposed, the result would be a peeping tom holding the position of Hokage...

Just thinking about it made the higher ups shudder.

But if not Jiraiya-sama, who else could take on the position of Hokage? The ninjas all wore expressions of melancholy.

If it weren't for the Nine-Tails Incident, Konoha wouldn't be in this situation. If the Fourth Hokage were still alive, the Sound and Sand Villages wouldn't have dared to attack Konoha so brazenly.

And in this silence, Danzo, leaning on his cane, entered the room. "Naturally, the position of Hokage will be inherited by me."

Jiraiya looked at Danzo with a grim expression. "Danzo..."

"You can forget about the position of Hokage."

Danzo's cold gaze met Jiraiya's, and he said icily.

"Besides me, no one is more suitable for the position of Hokage. If not for Sarutobi, I would have been the most likely candidate to inherit the position of the Third Hokage."

He had coveted the position of Hokage for many years. Only by becoming the Hokage himself could Konoha possibly regain its former glory as the leading village in the shinobi world.

He would make Konoha great again.

"Your methods are not suitable for the position of Hokage. Konoha will not have a good outcome under your leadership!"

"Jiraiya! You are too insolent!"

Two massive chakra pressures surged around, bringing considerable pressure to the higher ups present.

"I think Jiraiya is right. The position of Hokage is not suitable for you."

"Danzo."

Asuma lit a cigarette and stepped forward.

"Asuma..." Danzo glared at Asuma with a fierce look.

Asuma was the son of the Third Hokage. If Asuma objected to this Hokage position, it would be difficult for Danzo to take it. Even the position of the Fifth Hokage might be taken by Asuma.

"Since you won't let me take the position of Hokage, then you should nominate someone suitable for the position."

For a while, neither Asuma nor Jiraiya had anything to say. Jiraiya glanced at Asuma, hesitated for a moment, and said.

"Asuma, if you want take on the position of Hokage, no one in the village would object. After all, you are the son of the old man."

"Me as Hokage?!"

Asuma was almost startled, almost dropping the cigarette from his mouth.

"Forget it, being Hokage is too troublesome."

"Jiraiya-sama, have you forgotten someone? Besides Orochimaru, isn't there another person who is also one of the legendary Sanin, just like you?"

Jiraiya clapped his hands excitedly.

"That's right!"

"How could I forget about Tsunade!"

Danzo's face turned even darker as he firmly rejected, "Are you suggesting Tsunade to take on the position of Fifth Hokage?!"

"That's impossible!"

"Have you forgotten about the aftermath of the war that Tsunade experienced?!"

"A person who fears blood is not qualified to be Hokage."

Tsunade, the last descendant of the Senju clan, and one of the legendary Sanin along with Jiraiya and Orochimaru, gained notoriety during the Third Great Ninja War.

"Who said being Hokage must involve bloodshed? Moreover, Tsunade has the blood of the Senju clan. It is only natural for her to take on the position of Hokage."

Jiraiya confronted Danzo forcefully.

Ryujiro, feeling somewhat fatigued, yawned. The argument between Danzo and Jiraiya was truly boring. If it weren't for his status, Ryujiro would have somewhat wanted to leave.

After several disputes, Jiraiya and Danzo finally parted ways without resolution. Jiraiya proposed to bring Tsunade back to the village and nominate her for the position of Hokage.

But with Tsunade's personality...

Jiraiya could already feel a headache coming on just thinking about it. Even if Tsunade were willing to return to Konoha, she might not necessarily take on the position of Hokage.

For now, the priority was to bring Tsunade back.

At this moment, only Ryujiro and Jiraiya remained in the room.

Jiraiya looked at Ryujiro and asked, "Ryujiro, did you teach Naruto the Rasengan?"

"Yes."

Jiraiya had recently returned to the village and was surprised when he found out that Naruto could perform the Rasengan.

After all, the Rasengan was created by the Fourth Hokage. It was quite astonishing to him that someone besides himself and Minato could perform it.

"The Rasengan was developed by the Fourth Hokage as a ninjutsu. How did you learn it?"

"I developed it myself. Jiraiya-sama, are you saying that the Rasengan was originally developed by the Fourth Hokage?"

Ryujiro naturally pretended to know nothing. Jiraiya was now probing him.

Although Jiraiya was different from Hiruzen and had his own morals, he wouldn't hesitate to take action if anyone threatened Konoha's interests.

Moreover, Ryujiro had the strength to prevent this tragedy from happening. He needed to continue hiding his true strength for now.

"You developed it yourself."

Jiraiya was somewhat surprised.

Indeed, a genius. In both ninjutsu and kenjutsu, Ryujiro was more versatile than any genius he had ever seen.

The principle of the Rasengan wasn't that difficult. As long as one understood its principles, learning the Rasengan wasn't difficult. So Jiraiya didn't doubt Ryujiro too much.

This time, Konoha's victory was largely due to Ryujiro.

But Jiraiya could see the rebellious and sharp eyes of Ryujiro. He knew that the young man in front of him was definitely not that simple.

"I see."

"Ryujiro, are you interested in meeting someone with me?"

"Who?"

"Another Sanin."

.

Hey! Pervy Sage!"

"Why is Ryujiro with us?"

"Weren't you supposed to take me alone?"

"You're a big liar."

Naruto looked displeased, as if he was not happy with Ryujiro beside him.

Ryujiro put his hand on Naruto's head, then turned to him with a gentle smile.

"Naruto, do you have a problem with me?"

Looking at Ryujiro's friendly smile, Naruto couldn't help but shiver and quickly shook his head, saying, "No, no! Ryujiro, I was just joking to lighten the mood."

Terrifying!

Ryujiro's smile! It's like he's going to devour someone!

"Tch."

"Boring."

They were still within the borders of the Land of Fire. 

Although Jiraiya didn't know Tsunade's exact whereabouts, Tsunade definitely wouldn't leave the Land of Fire, and she usually frequented only a few places.

After all, Tsunade was an old gambler. But even though she was such an old gambler who had been gambling since her youth, she had never won once.

To say that this person had bad luck wasn't an overstatement... as she always lost.

None of the three disciples of Hiruzen were exemplary. One was a pervert, one was a gambler, and one was like a poisonous snake who liked powerful kids.

Ryujiro felt that they shouldn't be called the Legendary Sannin if that was the case.

Following Jiraiya, Ryujiro arrived at a town in the Land of Fire. Since they were looking for Tsunade, the first thing to do was naturally to go to a gambling den.

There were only a few places where Tsunade usually frequented, and although Tsunade had been losing, she had never been short of money.

The reason was that no one dared to approach Tsunade to ask for repayment of high-interest loans. 

If anyone had ill intentions toward her, Tsunade could simply stomp her foot, and the ground would collapse into a pit. Who would dare to approach Tsunade for repayment?

They had already visited several gambling dens but hadn't found Tsunade's whereabouts.

Now there was only one gambling den left. If Tsunade wasn't found there, it would be difficult to find her.

Meanwhile, in a certain casino, a figure stood out among the other patrons.

Golden long hair, mature appearance, and a voluptuous figure that was impossible to ignore, especially the huge balloons on her chest, which made it hard to look away.

But the gamblers in the casino only dared to sneak glances.

After all, this golden-haired beauty was notorious for being difficult to provoke. It was said that several thugs tried to harass her and ended up partially disabled.

"Place your bets! Place your bets!"

Tsunade looked at the chips in her hand with a conflicted expression. She didn't have many chips left, and if she lost again, she would truly be broke.

"Five!"

"It's been even all this time, so it must be odd this time!"

Beside Tsunade was a delicate beauty wearing a black kimono and holding a small piglet. At this moment, a look of despair appeared on Shizune's face.

As long as you bet against Tsunade, you were guaranteed to win.

"Darn it!"

"It's odd after all!"

Tsunade looked somewhat annoyed at the dice, having lost all her chips from morning till afternoon.

"Lady Tsunade, it's getting late. Let's go back," Shizune said helplessly.

If it weren't for Tsunade, Shizune would never set foot in a gambling den in her lifetime.

"Ah~."

Tsunade was still somewhat reluctant, but she had run out of chips.

"Alright, Shizune, let's go back."

Shizune's despondent expression finally gave way to a faint smile. They could finally go back.

"Oh!"

"Tsunade! So you were here!"

Hearing the familiar voice, Tsunade widened her eyes in disbelief, staring at the person in front of her!

"Jiraiya?! How did you end up here?!"

"Lord Jiraiya?"

At this moment, Naruto's face turned red instantly, and he shyly turned his head away, as if he had just seen something he shouldn't have.

Ryujiro squinted at Tsunade.

"Truly one of the Legendary Sannin."

"Indeed very impressive..."

Cough cough! I mean, indeed very much embodies the spirit of the Legendary Sannin."

After chatting with Jiraiya and Tsunade for a while, they all went to a nearby tavern.

When Tsunade and Shizune learned that the Third Hokage had died protecting the village from Orochimaru's attack, they couldn't accept this fact.

"That bastard Orochimaru, he really dared to do it," Tsunade said darkly, feeling a lot of guilt towards the Third Hokage.

Regardless, the Third Hokage was her teacher. She couldn't believe that she wasn't by his side when he was in danger.

What's even more ridiculous is that the Third Hokage died at the hands of Orochimaru, who was once his most promising disciple. 

Even Tsunade herself thought at the time that Orochimaru was likely to succeed the Third Hokage as Hokage.

But now everything has changed.

"Hey, Jiraiya, who are these two brats with you?"

Tsunade brushed away her dark thoughts and finally noticed the two kids beside Jiraiya.

"Oh, this one is Naruto, you could say he's half my disciple."

"What?! pervy sage! How am I only half?!"

Pfft!

Tsunade almost spewed out the tea she had just drunk when she heard "Pervy sage."

Pervy Sage...

It really suits Jiraiya's image.

"And this is Ryujiro, a recently promoted Jonin, and a genius swordsman."

"Tsunade, his swordsmanship is even more terrifying than Sakumo-san."

What?

More terrifying than Sakumo's swordsmanship?

Sakumo was truly a ninja of the highest caliber, and what Jiraiya meant was that this kid already possessed strength surpassing that of Sakumo at such a young age?

Is that possible?

"Jiraiya, even if this kid is a genius, you shouldn't exaggerate like that. I've seen Sakumo's strength firsthand, so I know best."

Tsunade felt that Jiraiya was exaggerating a bit. Although this kid looked quite mature for his age, Tsunade estimated that he couldn't be older than sixteen.

But to have surpassed a Jonin-level ninja like Sakumo at such a young age? Even if this were spread, it would be regarded as a joke by others.

"Hey, Tsunade, I advise you not to underestimate Ryujiro. If it weren't for him, the calamity that Konoha experienced this time would have been no different from the Nine-Tails incident."

"Ryujiro single-handedly stopped a Jinchuriki , and even defeated a Tailed Beast head-on."

Tsunade suddenly stood up, looking at Ryujiro in disbelief, her finger trembling as she pointed at him. "You're saying this kid defeated a Tailed Beast?!"

"How is that possible?!"

.