Two more days later, in the Hokage Office, the F3 held a meeting.
Danzo got straight to the point, "Homura, Koharu, I need your support to become the Fifth Hokage!"
Unexpectedly, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane directly refused, "Impossible! Danzo, we will not support you!"
Danzo's one eye widened, "Why? As long as I become Hokage, not only will your power not be weakened in the slightest, but your families will also gain greater benefits. Moreover, with me leading Konoha, it will only move towards prosperity and flourishing. Why are you unwilling to support me!"
"Danzo, Konoha is not just one family's say!"
Homura Mitokado hit the nail on the head, "The major clans, the Jonin, they will not let you take the position! Not to mention your actions over the years and what little reputation you have left, just look at the village's disaster this time. You were clearly in the village but didn't take action, watching the village suffer huge damage. Do you think everyone else is blind? How can the major clans and Jonin support you?"
Koharu Utatane also said, "Danzo, give up. You don't have Hiruzen's prestige, and your reputation is bad. It's impossible for you to become Hokage!"
They knew this old friend all too well.
Danzo always said he was for the village, but in fact, he was the most selfish. He rarely considered the village's interests in his actions, prioritizing his own interests. Before Hiruzen was alive, he could still suppress Danzo. Now that Hiruzen was dead, no one could control Danzo anymore. If Danzo really became Hokage, Konoha would be in chaos!
It was true that they loved benefits, but the village had to be peaceful and stable to enjoy those benefits better, right?
If Danzo ruined the village, what good would more benefits be!
Danzo was furious, "Besides me, who else is qualified to become Hokage? Only I am suitable!"
Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, however, said, "Of course there is! Jiraiya is the best candidate! He not only has strength, but also sufficient prestige and reputation. His election as Hokage will definitely receive support!"
"You! You will regret this!"
"Danzo! You are not the Hokage! And you will not be the Hokage!"
Danzo was broken upon hearing this. His two old friends' words were more damaging than Sarutobi Hiruzen's phrase "I am the Hokage"; they were a critical hit.
The next second, the door slammed shut, and Danzo stormed out.
"Damn, damn, damn! I didn't expect these two old farts to not support me! I had already privately agreed with Orochimaru that after he killed Hiruzen, I would become Hokage and control Konoha! Why isn't it going according to plan!"
Danzo was filled with anger.
However, he never considered that the obstacle to him becoming Hokage might never have been Sarutobi Hiruzen.
With the evil deeds he had done and the countless black pots he had carried for Sarutobi Hiruzen, his reputation was already ruined. Almost all the clans and Jonin who knew him deeply detested him.
Therefore, even if Sarutobi Hiruzen died, no one would support him to become Hokage. People didn't want to push a failure onto the stage, otherwise, it would only harm themselves.
Another day later, still in the Hokage Office.
It was a small meeting between Jiraiya, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane.
Homura Mitokado got straight to the point, "Jiraiya, the village cannot be without a Hokage for a day. You should become the Fifth Hokage. All of us hope that you can take the position."
Jiraiya shook his head, "No, I'm not suitable."
Koharu Utatane was displeased, "If you're not suitable, who is? Stop refusing!"
Jiraiya still didn't agree, "Besides me, isn't there someone more suitable? She is also Sarutobi-sensei's disciple, and the granddaughter of the First Hokage and Second Hokage, Princess Tsunade!"
"Tsunade!"
Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane sighed, "She is naturally suitable, but she is missing!"
Jiraiya immediately said, "Therefore, I need to go find Tsunade and have her take on the role of Fifth Hokage. Only when she returns will the village be peaceful, and currently, the village is severely lacking in high-level combat power. Tsunade's return will definitely be a shot in the arm!"
At this point, the two elders could not object anymore.
After all, Jiraiya was determined not to be Hokage, and what he said made sense.
However, Jiraiya's next sentence made their brows twitch wildly, "I want to take Naruto with me!"
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! How can the Jinchuriki leave the village! Jiraiya, you're being too reckless!" The two adamantly opposed.
"Well, well, well, don't be nervous, listen to me first."
Jiraiya said with a smile, "I've heard news that a group of rogue ninja called the Akatsuki is interested in the tailed beasts. I'm worried they will target Naruto. Currently, the village lacks high-level combat power, and Naruto is safest by my side. Don't underestimate the Akatsuki. Itachi Uchiha is one of their members, and each of their members is formidable!"
At this point, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane had nothing to say and could only instruct Jiraiya to keep a close eye on the Jinchuriki and be sure to bring Tsunade back.
These things were unknown to Natsuki.
Natsuki was not idle at the moment. After the Hokage's funeral, the higher-ups prioritized the village's safety and did not send out any more missions outside the village. All Ninja teams were arranged to patrol the village in shifts to check for spies as much as possible.
And outside of missions, training could not stop.
Fortunately, Yamashiro Aoba now knew he couldn't teach Natsuki anything and completely let Natsuki arrange his own schedule.
Natsuki naturally hid at home, entering the gravity training room. Besides daily gravity training, he was basically studying the Flying Thunder God Technique, striving to be able to use it in combat as soon as possible.
Although he won the battle against Shukaku this time, he was also constrained.
The main reason was that there were too many villagers nearby, and Natsuki had to consider their lives and deaths. He even had to set up defensive formations before unleashing his powerful moves, for fear of affecting and killing a large number of the villager audience.
Fortunately, Kato Megumi later reported that none of the audience died, they were only injured by the impact or burned by the heat. After treatment, they were basically fine. Moreover, the villager audience, after learning the situation, did not blame him and were instead grateful.
Natsuki didn't care about the villagers' thoughts, but if he had killed many villagers, it would have affected his promotion.
It was also because he had too few means of dealing with enemies that he was so constrained.
"If I could have skillfully used the Flying Thunder God Technique at that time, never mind the Tailed Beast Ball, I would have teleported Shukaku away (Li's Zhao), directly to the forest to fight, and I could have unleashed my powerful moves as I pleased!"
Therefore, Natsuki focused on studying the Flying Thunder God Technique, hoping to master it as soon as possible.
One day, Natsuki had just finished lunch and was about to take a nap when there was a knock on the courtyard gate.
Opening the courtyard gate, he saw that the visitor was none other than Sasuke.
"Sasuke, do you need something? Come in first." Natsuki stepped aside.
"Yes, I have something important to discuss with you... I should say, to ask for your guidance." Sasuke was also not polite and walked straight in.
Natsuki was not in a hurry, and while inviting Sasuke to sit down and pouring tea, he casually asked, "Don't you have a mission?"
Sasuke shook his head, "Naruto, he... he went out of the village with Jiraiya. I don't know the specific situation. Sakura is helping at Konoha Hospital. Team Seven is just me, so it's no longer a team. However, I have also been doing patrol missions and just finished one before coming. I mainly came to ask you... uh, to ask for guidance, guidance on how to become stronger."