Chapter 102: The Next Leader

Chapter 102: The Next Leader

Disclaimer: Naruto and all of its characters belong to Shueisha and Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing but the original characters I create.

"Dialogue"

'Thoughts'

-Author notes-

Chapter 102: The Next Leader

"Right, I believe we all have a specific candidate in mind," Koharu glanced at Jiraiya.

"Not everyone..." Danzo was obviously not too happy with their choice.

Homura was also looking at Jiraiya. This was something they had discussed in detail the day before.

"Will you take the position, Jiraiya? As a member of the Legendary Sannin and a former student of the Third Hokage, you are without a doubt the most qualified for the job. I'm sure the rest of the council members will agree."

"Him?..." Naruto looked at Jiraiya with a dubious expression. He had only known this man for a week, but leaving aside his strength, he didn't seem to have the qualities of a good leader.

"I'm not interested," Jiraiya said without hesitation.

Danzo flinched.

"Interested?... Jiraiya, this is not about what interests you. It's about taking responsibility." Koharu looked very upset.

"That's right! As ninjas of Konoha, we should all do what is best for our village. And right now, we are in dire need of a strong leader...someone who has already been recognized by the inhabitants of the entire continent," Homura added.

"As much as I hate it, they are correct," Danzo said.

"Konoha is in a vulnerable position right now. After suffering an attack like that and losing our Hokage, the other Great Villages could see us as an easy target. I would be the most worried about the Cloud (Kumo) and Stone (Iwa) Villages. They are likely watching us right now like a pack of vultures, seeing if there's anything they can pick off. If we don't make a show of strength soon, we may have another war at our door."

"I agree, and that's why we need a strong leader, someone the other Great Villages will be forced to recognize and respect," Homura said.

"I'm not saying your logic is incorrect, but... you're forgetting something. There is another Sannin out there," Jiraiya said.

"You want the snake guy to be our leader?" Naruto asked.

'This man may be even more incompetent than I thought,' he told himself.

"Of course not!" Jiraiya snapped.

"We have yet to agree on this!" Danzo exclaimed.

"I don't need your agreement for anything," Jiraiya confronted the other man.

"Okay, let's calm down..." Koharu could feel the tension rising.

"You, you can take the boy, but this mission cannot take too long... I would say a month at most," Homura added.

"Indeed... if you cannot find and bring Lady Tsunade back in one month, you must return and take your place as our next Hokage. That is your duty." Koharu glanced at the grumpy Danzo.

"What do you think?"

"Hmph... very well. We will entrust him with this mission, and the protection of the Jinchuriki. But you must be back in a month. Or we will have to make a decision without you..." Danzo's words sounded more like a threat than anything else.

"Oh, before you leave, we have one more order of business with Uzumaki," Koharu turned to him.

Homura did the same.

"Your contribution during the attack has not been overlooked, young man. Now... without the Hokage, we cannot do anything official, but if there is something that you require... we can consider it."

"A ninja should need no reward for doing their job!" Danzo huffed.

"I think even you have to agree that Uzumaki's actions were above and beyond what is required and expected from a Genin," Homura said.

"And besides... we always pay our ninjas for their missions. You can consider this as such," Koharu added before addressing Naruto again.

"Now... is there something on your mind?"

"Mmm..." He considered the offer for a minute. At first, he thought about requesting a good blade since he lost his previous one during the Gamabunta test. But then he remembered that he had a promise to keep.

"How many barrels of high-quality sake can you get me?"

The three elders looked shocked.

"Sake?..."

"Did he say barrels?!"

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