Konoha ANBU Headquarters.
Inside his office, Kusunoki Naraku sat lost in thought.
Leaning back in his chair, feet propped on the edge of the desk, he gently rocked back and forth.
"Homura Mitokado and Koharu are worried about losing their authority, so they oppose me becoming a candidate and instead support Hatake Kakashi."
"The Third Hokage should be leaning more toward me. Otherwise, Nara Shikaku wouldn't have spoken up. He's a smart man—he must've read Hiruzen's intentions before opening his mouth."
"As for Danzō… he didn't say it outright, but he's clearly supporting no one. He still wants to be Hokage himself."
The information Shimura Danzō had given him wasn't detailed, but Naraku pieced together the overall situation nonetheless.
"Putting it that way… my chances of becoming Hokage are actually higher than Kakashi's?"
"Wait…"
"Does that mean I'll have to become Uzumaki Naruto'sJōnin-sensei?"
Naraku scratched his head, suddenly irritated.
This news had completely disrupted his original plans.
"No—Konoha Crush is about to happen. No matter who gets chosen now, the Fifth Hokage will still be Tsunade."
"…Or maybe not."
After the Konoha Crush, Konoha would suffer devastating losses. According to the original timeline, a huge number of elite ninja—led by the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi—would die, leaving the village with more than half its combat strength wiped out.
Under those circumstances, Hatake Kakashi simply wouldn't be able to shoulder the burden. On top of that, he would've only just begun serving as Naruto'sJōnin-sensei, making him even less suitable.
That was why Tsunade became Hokage.
But now… Naraku existed.
With him around, Konoha's losses would be nowhere near as catastrophic.
And if that happened, then with Naraku's strength and seniority, he really could bypass Tsunade entirely and become Hokage himself.
After all, by then the Third Hokage would already be dead, and the village's dire situation wouldn't allow for delays.
In that case—
Naraku truly could become the Fifth Hokage.
There was a clear difference between Kusunoki Naraku and Hatake Kakashi.
"…What's going on? The more I think about it, the more likely I am to become Hokage."
His thoughts spun rapidly as he simulated future changes.
With him in this world, everything could diverge.
"Honestly, being Hokage isn't unacceptable. I don't have any personal resistance to it—it's just…"
Naraku's view of the Hokage position was purely practical.
It was tied to system lottery privileges.
There were benefits. Tangible ones. Strength-related ones.
If he really became Hokage, he'd still perform his duties properly.
"System, if I advance directly from my current position to Hokage, how many lottery chances would I get?"
[The host may obtain up to five lottery opportunities.]
Minimum three. Maximum five.
Becoming Hokage granted the highest possible reward.
But for Naraku—
That was actually a loss.
He could still be promoted step by step:
Deputy ANBU Captain → ANBU Captain.
Deputy Medical Director → Medical Director.
Even at the minimum reward per promotion, that added up to six lottery chances.
That was the optimal path he had planned for himself.
If he jumped straight to Hokage, that entire route vanished.
"And the most troublesome part is—once you're Hokage, you're stuck in Konoha long-term. Every move is watched. Doing anything else becomes a pain."
That alone gave Naraku a headache.
Becoming Hokage right now would impact him too heavily.
Too many downsides. Too few advantages.
"No. No. This won't do."
"I have to stick to the original plan."
"Kakashi leaves ANBU to become aJōnin-sensei. I take over as ANBU Captain."
"When Tsunade returns as Fifth Hokage, I become Medical Director—and later possibly Hokage Advisor."
"That's how I maximize my benefits."
After thinking it through, Naraku finally made up his mind.
Becoming Hokage right now would be a massive loss.
And more importantly—it posed serious risks to his long-term power growth.
Naraku never forgot how dangerous the later Naruto world became.
Kage-level enemies appeared one after another.
And beyond that—there was the mysterious Ōtsutsuki clan.
For him, strength came above everything else.
"Then the most important thing right now is this—making sure Hatake Kakashi becomes Naruto'sJōnin-sensei."
Naraku needed to make sure he himself was eliminated as a candidate.
"I need to think…"
…
Before Naraku could figure out how to remove himself from consideration, the Third Hokage's order arrived.
"What the hell…?"
"You want me to be Uzumaki Naruto's bodyguard?"
Naraku was completely stunned.
Wait—don't tell me the old man has already decided to list me as a Hokage candidate?
This is bad. Really bad.
Naraku rushed out of ANBU Headquarters, preparing to go straight to the Hokage Tower.
If needed, directly declining the Hokage position wasn't off the table.
"Wait…"
Lost in thought, he hadn't even noticed someone calling out to him.
It wasn't until Hatake Kakashi appeared at his side that he snapped back.
"What is it? I'm busy today."
"…You're going to watch over Uzumaki Naruto, aren't you?"
Kakashi's dead-fish eyes flickered with helplessness.
He had received the same order.
"Huh? How did you—oh. So we both got the mission."
Naraku finally let out a long breath.
Good. Things weren't settled yet.
So that's it—
The Third Hokage intended to observe who was more suitable to serve as aJōnin-sensei.
Perfect.
Naraku immediately relaxed and headed off with Kakashi to find Uzumaki Naruto.
…
Ninja Academy.
"Hah—"
Naraku nearly burst out laughing.
He had just witnessed an absurd scene.
Uzumaki Naruto, Nara Shikamaru, and Akimichi Chōji had all fallen asleep in class and were angrily kicked out by Umino Iruka to stand in the hallway.
And yet—
They learned absolutely nothing.
Chatting. Eating snacks.
And before long, the three of them were dozing off again while standing there.
Standing nearby, Hatake Kakashi wasn't smiling at all.
Instead, he stared at Naruto with a complicated expression.
Whoosh.
"Kakashi-sama! Naraku!"
Tenzo appeared on the thick branches of a nearby tree. Since this was a mission, his greeting was extremely formal.
"Carry on. Don't mind us."
"Yes!"
Tenzo glanced at the silent Kakashi.
Hatake Kakashi was clearly stuck in a low-pressure emotional state and didn't acknowledge him at all.
With a wave of Naraku's hand, Tenzo retreated.
When he returned to his assigned squad, he immediately drew their attention.
"The two lords have other matters. We continue."
"Yes!"
Naraku glanced once at the hidden positions of Tenzo's squad.
He had no intention of interfering.
Whether for protection or surveillance, they had their own protocols to follow.
"Yamanaka sensory ninja and Hyūga branch-family ninja…"
"Those really are ideal choices."
These two clans were perfectly suited for monitoring and protection.
Uzumaki Naruto wouldn't be escaping their notice anytime soon.
"Speaking of which…"
Naraku rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Since the Hyūga possess the Byakugan, they're the best candidates to watch over Naruto."
"So have they already noticed that their clan's young lady—Hyūga Hinata—likes him?"
At this point in time, Hinata was still the heir of the Hyūga main family.
Her status was anything but low.
"…Could it be that Hyūga Hiashi already has plans?"
"Planning to make Naruto his son-in-law and enjoy a lifetime of Byakugan surveillance at home?"
Interesting.
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