Konoha Anbu Base.
Sitting in his office, Shihouin Naraku was deep in thought.
He leaned back in his chair with his feet propped up on the corner of the desk, swaying slightly.
"Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu are worried about losing their influence, so they oppose my candidacy and support Hatake Kakashi instead."
"The Third Hokage should favour me more. Otherwise, Nara Shikaku wouldn't have backed me. He must have understood Sarutobi Hiruzen's intentions, which is why he spoke up. Shikaku is a clever man."
"Although Danzō didn't say it outright, he definitely doesn't support anyone. He wants to be Hokage himself."
The information Shimura Danzō had shared with Shihouin Naraku wasn't very detailed, but Naraku had pieced together the general situation.
"So, my chances of becoming Hokage are actually better than Hatake Kakashi's?"
"Wait... does that mean I would become the sensei to Uzumaki Naruto and the others?"
Naraku scratched his head, looking troubled.
This news immediately disrupted his plans.
"No, the Konoha Crush will happen soon. No matter who is chosen now, Tsunade will still end up as the Fifth Hokage."
"Not necessarily..."
After the Konoha Crush took place, Konohagakure suffered terrible damage. According to what Naraku knew from the original timeline, the village would lose many outstanding shinobi, starting with Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen, and more than half of Konoha's fighting strength would be wiped out.
Such devastating losses were really not something Hatake Kakashi could handle. Additionally, at that point in time, he wouldn't have been the sensei of Uzumaki Naruto's team for very long. In several aspects, he truly wasn't as suitable as Tsunade to become Hokage.
But with Shihouin Naraku in the picture, things would be different. With him involved, Konoha Village's losses would definitely not be as severe as before. In this case, with Naraku's strength and qualifications, he could potentially surpass Tsunade and become Hokage directly.
After all, the Third Hokage would have died by then, and the dire situation in Konoha Village wouldn't allow for any delays. This way, Naraku might actually become the Fifth Hokage!
There was a significant difference between Shihouin Naraku and Hatake Kakashi!
"Damn it, the more I think about it, the more likely it seems I'll become Hokage..."
Various thoughts raced through Naraku's mind. He tried his best to predict future changes. With him in this world, everything might unfold differently.
"Actually, I'd be fine with being Hokage. I have nothing against it, but..."
Naraku's view of the Hokage position was only related to the system lottery qualification because it offered benefits that could improve his own strength. Of course, if he really became Hokage, he would perform his duties properly.
"System, if I were to be promoted directly from my current position to Hokage, how many draws would I be eligible for?"
[Host can get up to five lucky draws!]
The minimum was three draws, and the maximum was five. Becoming Hokage would give him the most draws possible.
But this was actually a loss for Naraku.
After all, his position could be promoted from Anbu deputy captain to captain, and from deputy medical director to medical director. Even at the lowest reward qualifications, he could accumulate six draws total. This was the promotion plan Naraku had set for himself.
But becoming Hokage directly would change everything.
"The most important thing is that after becoming Hokage, you need to stay in Konoha Village for a long time. It would be troublesome to do other things because you'd be watched everywhere."
Thinking of this, Naraku felt a headache coming on. Becoming Hokage now would impact him too much—there were many disadvantages and not many advantages!
"No, no, we still have to follow the original plan!"
"Hatake Kakashi leaves Anbu and becomes the sensei, and I will become the Anbu commander.
When Tsunade returns and becomes the Fifth Hokage, I will become the head of the medical department, and with the future position of assistant to the Hokage, this will maximize my benefits."
After thinking for a long time, Naraku made up his mind and decided to stick with his original plan.
Becoming Hokage directly would be a huge loss.
It would pose a significant risk to the improvement of his strength.
Naraku had never forgotten how dangerous the late-game shinobi world was, with Kage-level enemies appearing constantly, not to mention the mysterious Ōtsutsuki clan.
So for him, improving his strength was the most important thing!
"Then the most important thing now is to make sure Hatake Kakashi becomes the sensei of Uzumaki Naruto and the others!"
Naraku needed to get himself removed from consideration by the Third Hokage!
"Let me think..."
...
Before Shihouin Naraku could figure out how to get himself eliminated from consideration, an order from Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen arrived.
"What? You want me to be a bodyguard for Uzumaki Naruto?"
Naraku was completely stunned when he received this assignment.
Wait, hadn't the Third Hokage already decided to make him a candidate for Hokage?
Big things were happening!
After quickly leaving the Anbu base, Naraku headed toward the Hokage's office. It would be best to refuse the position of Hokage directly.
"Hey..."
Because he was lost in thought, Naraku didn't hear anyone calling him at all and continued running quickly toward the Hokage Tower. It wasn't until Hatake Kakashi appeared beside him that he snapped out of it.
"What? I'm busy today!"
"...Is it time to go look after Uzumaki Naruto?"
A hint of helplessness flashed in Hatake Kakashi's half-lidded eyes. He had also received orders from Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"Huh? How did you know... oh, so we both got this mission!"
Naraku heaved a sigh of relief when he realized what was happening. It seemed that things hadn't been finalized yet, but there was still time.
Now he understood. The Third Hokage intended to use this mission to see who was more suitable to be the sensei between him and Kakashi!
Alright, this was perfect!
Naraku was relieved now and followed Hatake Kakashi to find Uzumaki Naruto.
...
Ninja Academy.
"Ha..."
Shihouin Naraku almost laughed out loud because he witnessed an extremely funny scene. Uzumaki Naruto, Nara Shikamaru, and Akimichi Chōji had been angrily kicked out of the classroom by Umino Iruka and made to stand in the hallway as punishment for sleeping in class.
As a result, the three of them hadn't learned their lesson at all. They chatted in the hallway, ate snacks, and even fell asleep while standing there.
Hatake Kakashi, who was standing nearby, had no smile on his face but looked at Uzumaki Naruto with a complicated expression.
"Swish!"
"Kakashi-senpai! Naraku-senpai!"
Tenzō appeared on the leafy tree where Naraku and Kakashi were standing. Since this was a mission, he greeted them respectfully.
"Just do your own thing, and don't worry about us!"
"Yes!"
Yamato glanced at the silent Kakashi. At this moment, Hatake Kakashi was in a depressed state and showed no intention of paying any attention to him.
Naraku waved his hand, and Tenzō had no choice but to leave.
When Yamato returned to the shinobi team he led, he immediately attracted everyone's attention.
"You two seniors must have other tasks. Let's continue!"
"Yes!"
Glancing at the hiding place of Tenzō and the shinobi team, Naraku had no intention of getting involved with them. Whether they were there for protection or surveillance, these people had their own protocols to follow.
"The Yamanaka clan's sensory-type ninja and the Hyūga branch house ninja are really suitable candidates..."
The shinobi from these two families were indeed well-suited for surveillance or protection, and Uzumaki Naruto basically couldn't escape the sight of these people.
"By the way..." Naraku stroked his chin curiously. He remembered something. "The ninja of the Hyūga family are perfect for monitoring and protecting Naruto because of their Byakugan. Have they discovered that their eldest daughter, Hyūga Hinata, has feelings for Naruto?"
At this time, Hyūga Hinata was the heir of the Hyūga main family, and her status was not low!
"Could it be that Hyūga Hiashi has long had the idea of making Uzumaki Naruto his son-in-law? Imagine him enjoying family gatherings with people activating their Byakugan all day long?"
Interesting.
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