The First Hokage had always been something of an idealist.
As the founder of Konoha, Hashirama Senju never wanted the position of Hokage to become hereditary, but things rarely go according to plan. Ever since, nearly every Hokage had come to power through personal connections.
This was actually normal. After all, it was difficult for ninjas who weren't close to the current Hokage to get near the center of Konoha's power. How could they ever gain the qualifications to succeed as Hokage?
"Tsunade is the most suitable candidate," Jiraiya said in a low voice, tapping his arm. "She is the granddaughter of the First Hokage, one of Konoha's Sannin, the founder of our medical ninja system, and the strongest female ninja in the world."
Jiraiya conveniently left himself off the list of candidates. Konoha's highest position held no appeal for him. He'd have to deal with two high-level advisors every day, be stuck at a desk handling trivial matters, and have a security detail following him everywhere.
Most importantly, as Hokage, he would have to maintain his image. How could he find time to go "researching" at the hot springs?
"Is little Tsuna really that amazing?" Hashirama was surprised by his granddaughter's achievements, but his brow furrowed slightly. "Is there no suitable ninja from the Uchiha clan?"
From what Hashirama had gathered so far, no Uchiha had ever become Hokage. He remembered the unfulfilled promise he'd made to his friend, Madara Uchiha, and subconsciously thought of them. He sincerely hoped that Konoha could allow all clans to integrate into one large family, leaving old loyalties behind.
But when Jiraiya heard him mention the Uchiha, his expression grew strange. There was only one Uchiha left in all of Konoha. Clearly, the First Hokage didn't know about the tragic massacre of the clan.
"Eh? Sasuke can be Hokage?" Naruto's face lit up with excitement. "Then I can be Hokage, too!"
Hashirama looked bewildered. "...Sasuke?"
Jiraiya couldn't help but glance at Naruto before explaining in a heavy voice, "Sasuke Uchiha is the last member of the Uchiha clan in Konoha. He's only thirteen... Five years ago, all the ninjas of the Uchiha clan were killed by a rogue ninja named Itachi Uchiha."
Even without knowing the full truth, Jiraiya stuck to the official story. He might be leaving some details out, but the basics were correct. Five years ago, Itachi Uchiha had killed all of his clansmen, including his own parents. Ninjas and civilians alike died by his hand.
The only survivor was a child named Sasuke Uchiha.
That child was Itachi's younger brother. Perhaps it was compassion, or perhaps he just felt it was unnecessary, but Itachi spared his life. On the night of the massacre, Itachi defected from Konoha. The village publicly issued a warrant for his arrest, labeling him an S-rank rogue ninja. Before that, Itachi had been a captain in Konoha's Anbu.
At the time of the massacre, Itachi was only thirteen years old.
Of course, Jiraiya's account was tinged with personal bias. For instance, he left out Danzo Shimura's less-than-honorable role in the affair.
"After Itachi defected, the old man issued a confinement order for Danzo and disbanded his Root organization..." Jiraiya didn't hesitate to tell Naruto about Danzo, as they had already clashed with him several times. Besides, concerning the Konoha Crush during the Chunin Exams, only a complete idiot like Might Guy would believe Danzo wasn't involved.
Naruto suddenly looked up. "I remember that guy Danzo said he had a good relationship with Sasuke's father..."
Near the border of the Land of Rice Fields, they had been ambushed by Danzo. At the time, the one-eyed old man had claimed his friendship with the Uchiha was eternal in an attempt to recruit Sasuke.
"That's a complete lie!" Jiraiya frowned. "Any Jonin in Konoha knows that Danzo and the Uchiha would have been happy to see each other dead. It wouldn't be surprising if he planned the massacre himself..."
Even if Jiraiya didn't pay much attention to Konoha's politics, he knew how bad the relationship between Danzo and Fugaku Uchiha was. Especially during the period when Hiruzen and Danzo jointly held power, being hostile to the Uchiha was practically the politically correct thing to do for a Konoha ninja.
Hashirama looked on in disbelief, finding it hard to accept. "That child from the Shimura clan was always so well-behaved. How could he become like this?"
"..."
Jiraiya fell silent for a moment, recalling how Orochimaru had once criticized the policies of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. He lowered his head and sighed.
How was he supposed to explain this? Was he supposed to tell the First Hokage it was all because of the mess his younger brother made? Every Hokage who took power tended to strike at their political opponents. It was clear that Tobirama's opponents were the Uchiha, and that ideology had been passed down.
"In short... besides the Hokage, no one can openly deal with Danzo," Jiraiya said, glancing from the thoughtful Naruto to Hashirama. "If we can't find Tsunade to become Hokage, then no one will be able to suppress Danzo's ambition..."
"Pervy Sage," Naruto objected, "that guy's strength isn't that great. He just has one troublesome jutsu. Let's just go kill him..."
"You can't!" Jiraiya shook his head, his voice low. "Although Danzo has always operated in the shadows, he still holds a lot of prestige in the village. If we rashly kill him, we'll be branded as rogue ninjas..."
"Who cares?" Naruto clenched his fists, a confident smile on his face. "If anyone supports Danzo and wants to treat us as rogue ninjas, then they're just his accomplices..."
"Naruto, don't be so bloodthirsty!" Jiraiya scolded coldly. He squatted down, pressing his hands firmly on Naruto's shoulders. "Many people in the village don't know the truth. They will only think you're attacking one of the village's leaders..."
"Pervy Sage."
Naruto slowly pulled away from Jiraiya's hands and looked him straight in the eyes. He raised his own hand, then slowly lowered it, a chilling smile playing on his lips. "Fine. I'll listen to you."
He wasn't giving up that easily. The moment he got the chance, he would definitely go and kill Danzo. But the man in front of him, Jiraiya, was someone Naruto had chosen to trust and respect. He didn't want to disappoint him.
However, what neither Jiraiya nor Naruto expected was that the next time they saw Danzo, it would only be his funeral portrait.
-----
Bonus:
Jiraiya: Danzo, my friend… I never thought our last meeting would be our final farewell...
Kakashi: Cough, cough... Lord Jiraiya, try not to be too sad...
Jiraiya: Cough, cough, cough... I was just thinking about something else.
Kakashi: What?
Jiraiya: Do you think Orochimaru will use the Impure World Reincarnation on Danzo?
Kakashi: Rest assured, Lord Jiraiya... To prevent a repeat of what happened with the Third Hokage, we chose to cremate Lord Danzo...