Minato had originally planned to let Wen Lan become the Fifth Hokage, but Wen Lan flatly refused.
What a joke—who would want that miserable job?
Wake earlier than a chicken, sleep later than a dog, eat worse than a pig, work harder than an ox.
Ever since Minato became Hokage, dark circles under his eyes had practically become standard equipment. Even with Shikaku assisting him, he still worked nonstop and rarely went home.
Kushina was understanding and never complained about it.
But judging from the fact that Naruto only saw his father three or four times a month, Wen Lan had absolutely no intention of becoming Hokage.
Naruto complained constantly—just like Boruto would in the future.
He grumbled that Minato never came home, didn't spend time with him, and just slept whenever he did return.
Fortunately, Kushina had strong values and a strong personality. She kept Naruto in line, preventing him from growing up crooked.
Eventually, Minato had no choice but to start grooming Kakashi as a future Hokage.
Kakashi had mostly emerged from the shadows of Rin and Obito's deaths, and his personality was now much like in the original timeline.
The only difference was that, as the Hokage's bodyguard, he had remained stationed in the ANBU.
In truth, Wen Lan's recent actions were also paving the way for Kakashi.
One was the son of the Fourth Hokage.
The other was the young heir of the Uchiha clan.
Just those two identities alone were enough to raise Kakashi's standing.
After receiving Kakashi's approval, Wen Lan went to Fugaku's house.
The Uchiha family was eating dinner.
Without ceremony, Wen Lan walked straight into the kitchen, grabbed a bowl and chopsticks, then sat down beside Sasuke—and casually pulled Sasuke's meal in front of himself.
Sasuke's head buzzed with anger.
Fortunately, Itachi quietly slid his own portion over to Sasuke.
Mikoto shot Wen Lan a reproachful look.
"There's more in the pot. Why do you always steal Sasuke's food?"
"This kid keeps copying the clan head's deadpan expression all day," Wen Lan replied cheerfully while taking a bite of grilled saury.
"I can't stand it."
Fugaku, who had been eating silently, paused. He lifted his head and glared fiercely at Wen Lan.
"Do you have business here? If you do, say it. If not, get out."
Wen Lan ignored him.
Mikoto stood up and went to the kitchen to refill Itachi's bowl. The family finished the meal in relative quiet.
After eating, Wen Lan wiped his mouth and said:
"Sasuke, after school this afternoon, tell Orochimaru you'll be training with me for the next few days. Then meet me on the back mountain."
Sasuke, who had been sulking moments earlier, froze—then his face lit up with excitement.
"Yes, senpai!"
Fugaku and Mikoto exchanged surprised looks.
They had once asked Wen Lan to take Sasuke as a student, and he had refused. Why the sudden change?
Wen Lan simply shrugged and left without explaining.
Of course he hadn't agreed to be Sasuke's teacher before.
Being Sasuke's teacher carried risks.
That afternoon, after school, Wen Lan sat on a fallen log in the back mountain.
He watched Sasuke running toward him energetically, a faint smile forming on his lips.
"Senpai, I'm here!" Sasuke called out, full of energy.
Wen Lan nodded.
"Today, I'll teach you Chidori."
He formed hand seals.
"Chidori requires three seals: Ox, Hare, Monkey."
As the final seal completed, blinding blue lightning burst from his right hand. The chakra crackled violently, sounding like a thousand birds chirping at once.
Sasuke's eyes burned with excitement.
He stared at the Chidori as if it were the key to becoming strong.
Taking a deep breath, he began forming the seals himself—Ox, Hare, Monkey.
His movements were stiff but precise.
A faint spark of lightning flickered in his palm—then dissipated.
Sasuke showed no frustration. He tried again.
Wen Lan watched quietly from the side, offering occasional guidance.
"Your chakra is too loose—compress it.
Increase your sealing speed. The faster your seals, the smoother your chakra flow."
Time passed slowly.
Dusk turned into night.
The back mountain grew dark, illuminated only by the intermittent flashes of lightning from Sasuke's palm.
Hours went by.
Yet Sasuke still could not fully form Chidori.
That was only natural.
First, Sasuke had not yet awakened the Sharingan.
Second, reaching this level already qualified him as a genius.
But Fugaku constantly compared him to Itachi.
And Itachi was practically built with cheat codes.
Wen Lan looked at the exhausted yet stubbornly persistent boy and felt a flicker of approval.
He stood up, walked over, and gently placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder.
"That's enough for today. You've already gone farther than most people."
Sasuke panted heavily and looked up.
There was no disappointment in his eyes—only stubborn determination.
"Senpai… can I come again tomorrow?"
"Of course," Wen Lan replied with a smile.
After escorting Sasuke home, Wen Lan returned to his own residence.
As soon as he entered the courtyard, he noticed something unusual.
Over a hundred pounds of rice, flour, cooking oil, and various meat, eggs, and dairy products were neatly stacked along the corridor.
He paused for a moment.
Then he realized—another month had passed.
It was time to visit Might Dai again.
Yugao stepped out after hearing movement outside. When she saw Wen Lan, she said softly:
"There's food saved for you in the kitchen."
Noticing his gaze on the supplies, she added:
"It's been a month. You didn't buy anything yesterday, so I figured you forgot. I purchased them for you. You can deliver them tomorrow."
Seeing her careful attention, Wen Lan smiled warmly.
He stepped forward and gently hugged her.
"Thank you. I really did forget."
Yugao's cheeks flushed red. She pushed him away lightly.
"Go eat before the food gets cold."
Wen Lan nodded with a smile, organized the supplies, and headed to the kitchen.
After he entered the house, Yugao took two deep breaths.
Her face turned as red as an apple.
She stamped her foot lightly, unable to hide her happiness.
The next morning, Wen Lan set out at dawn with the supplies on his back.
Morning dew glistened along the quiet streets of Konoha.
The sunrise spread across the sky like spilled vermilion, painting his determined profile in warm light.
As he approached Might Duy's home, he heard voices training nearby.
"Lee! Keep going! Work harder! Today you must reach two thousand reps!"
"Yes, Guy-sensei! I will become the strongest ninja—stronger than any genius!"
"Well said, Lee!" Guy shouted passionately.
"Remember—if you work hard enough, you can surpass geniuses!"
Wen Lan walked closer and saw Might Duy clenching his fists, cheering enthusiastically for Rock Lee. Sweat sparkled under the morning sun.
Little Lee gritted his teeth as he continued doing push-ups, his young face full of stubborn determination.
Might Duy sat nearby, smiling broadly and nodding.
"Yo, Wen Lan, you're here!" Duy said cheerfully, standing up and taking the supplies from Wen Lan's back.
"Assistant-sama!" Rock Lee stood up with shining eyes and bowed respectfully.
Wen Lan smiled and rubbed Lee's head.
"Not bad—starting training this early."
"Yes! I must work harder than yesterday, every day!" Lee declared proudly.
"Excellent!" Guy gave a thumbs-up and laughed.
"Lee! Let us surpass the geniuses together!"
—------------------------------
Pat reon Advance Chapters: patreon.com/YonkoSlayer