Dak could never have predicted that Hiruzen would make such a bold decision.
Before crossing into this world, Dak had read countless conspiracy theories about the "Naruto" series, which had long instilled in him a stereotype of the elderly Third Hokage as a man who feared death and clung to power.
If it had been the Hiruzen from twenty or thirty years ago making such a decision, it wouldn't have surprised Dak in the least.
But for a 66-year-old Hiruzen to still possess such courage and ambition was truly unexpected.
However, Dak was unaware of all of this and, even if he knew, might not have intervened.
The moment the meeting ended, Konoha entered a state of total war.
"By the way, has Naruto returned?" Hiruzen suddenly remembered something crucial.
The Nine-Tails.
If Naruto and the Nine-Tails had returned to Konoha, the odds of victory against either Iwagakure or Kumogakure would significantly increase.
After all, the Nine-Tails was the most powerful Tailed Beast, and even if Kumogakure deployed both the Eight-Tails and the Two-Tails, they still might not be able to defeat the Nine-Tails.
By using the power of the Nine-Tails to crush Kumogakure, Konoha could then send their remaining forces to the Iwagakure battlefield, greatly improving their chances of victory.
"He's back, and so is the Hyuga clan leader's eldest daughter."
Asuma didn't think much of it.
He had no idea that Hiruzen had secretly ordered ANBU to contact Naruto.
"Oh? Hinata has returned as well?"
Hinata's return surprised Hiruzen. He hadn't made any specific arrangements for her, so this was a pleasant surprise. "They didn't come back alone, did they?"
"No, their elders were worried, so they sent Pokémon to accompany them."
"How strong are these Pokémon?"
"I'm not entirely sure, but they seem quite powerful. The Arcanine with Naruto might even be stronger than me, and the Machamp with Hinata is probably on par with me."
Asuma frowned in thought, but then he smiled. "But with such strong Pokémon guarding them, there shouldn't be any problems."
"They're that strong… Very good."
Hiruzen's eyes flashed, and he nodded lightly. "Prepare yourself and head to the Land of Grass immediately. Make haste."
After Asuma took a deep breath and left the Hokage's office, Danzo quickly entered.
"Monkey, we can use Hanzo. I have a way to get him to fight Sunagakure."
Danzo wasted no time, getting straight to the point.
"Hmm, go ahead and do it."
Hiruzen nodded.
If this had been any other time, Danzo addressing him like that in the Hokage's office would have angered him.
But today was different. Neither he nor Danzo might survive the Fourth Shinobi World War.
They could very well face a scenario where Hiruzen battles Onoki and Danzo faces the Fourth Raikage in a life-or-death struggle. In such situations, no one could guarantee their survival.
So, Hiruzen wasn't interested in arguing over trivial matters with his old comrade anymore.
Besides, Hiruzen believed that with Danzo's scheming nature, the odds of winning the war would increase by at least 10%.
Danzo would undoubtedly stir up trouble between the other nations, possibly even causing them to fight amongst themselves. This was exactly the kind of strategy Danzo excelled at.
"This time, don't leave things unfinished. We may not live to see another chance."
Danzo had no idea what Hiruzen was thinking.
He certainly didn't intend to die on the battlefield—he still hadn't become Hokage.
With his arm full of Sharingan, what could the Fourth Raikage possibly do to kill him?
Likewise, Danzo didn't believe Hiruzen would fall to Onoki. While Onoki's Dust Release was troublesome, Danzo highly respected Hiruzen's strength.
"I know."
Hiruzen didn't say much, simply waving his hand.
In truth, Hiruzen had already begun considering the matter of the next Hokage.
He knew Danzo's ambitions well, but he also knew that Danzo was not suited for the position of Hokage—Danzo would ruin Konoha.
Hiruzen firmly believed in the decisions made by Tobirama-sensei.
Whether it was choosing him as Hokage or implementing policies to isolate the Uchiha, Tobirama's judgment was sound.
Therefore, the candidate for the Fifth Hokage—whether Kakashi was considered or not—never included Danzo.
His choices were Tsunade, Jiraiya, Asuma, and Kakashi.
Of course, his first hope was for Jiraiya to become the Fifth Hokage. Jiraiya might not have been his best disciple, but he was certainly his favorite.
However, given Jiraiya's personality, he would rather die than accept the position of Hokage.
As for Tsunade, unless Konoha was on the brink of destruction, she would never take the role. Even if she did, her hemophobia would be a significant issue.
That left Asuma and Kakashi.
Naturally, Hiruzen preferred his own son, Asuma, for the position.
What's more, Hiruzen had already inquired about Asuma's progress.
Summoned beasts were considered part of a ninja's strength, so if Pancham could grow to the level of an elite jōnin, Asuma would have the necessary strength to become the Fifth Hokage.
"With that, one concern is settled."
Hiruzen sighed in relief.
If he were to die on the battlefield, but Konoha still emerged victorious, he wouldn't worry if Asuma became the Hokage.
While Asuma's strength was a slight concern, Hiruzen had no doubts about his son's Will of Fire.
However, he still needed to inform Mitokado Homura and Koharu Utatane in advance. If he died suddenly without naming a successor, he feared Danzo might use his name to seize the Hokage position.
That wouldn't be enough, though—he'd need to inform Tsunade and Jiraiya as well to be completely at ease.
…
A week passed in the blink of an eye.
Unbeknownst to many, the Fourth Shinobi World War had already begun in the ninja world, and even the live broadcasts of the Pokémon Battle Tournament had fewer viewers than usual.
The qualifiers had ended over the course of the week.
Like the battles in the ninja world, the tournament was intense, though far less bloody.
This qualifier brought many of Dak's "acquaintances" out of the shadows.
In addition to Vice Admiral Saul of the giant race…
There was also:
X Drake.
This man, who would have become the captain of the Marine's secret SWORD unit, saw his future change with the rise of the Pokémon Alliance. The Marines no longer had any plans to establish that unit.
Instead, they had formed a special Pokémon Marine combat force.
Through the cheers of the surrounding Trainers, Dak learned that Drake was a fairly well-known Dragon-type Trainer.
Drake's goal in coming here was simple: to showcase his strength and join the Pokémon Alliance.
In other words, he wanted to skip the ranks.
He didn't want to climb his way up from the bottom.
By demonstrating his prowess in the tournament, he hoped to secure a higher position immediately.
Hannyabal.
The former vice warden of Impel Down.
He had given up on staying in the prison, deciding to pursue the higher rank of Elite Four to satisfy his ambitions.
Ambition didn't necessarily make someone a bad person. While Hannyabal was ambitious and quite lecherous, he was also honorable and responsible.
He hated pirates not because of any personal grudge, but because he cared about the safety of the weak.
Dak had noticed Hannyabal about six months ago and had wanted to promote him to head of the Alliance's inspection or security department.
But Hannyabal had refused, and the matter had been dropped.
It turned out that Hannyabal wasn't satisfied with such a position. He wanted to aim higher, which led him to become a Trainer.
Hannyabal specialized in Dark-type Pokémon.
Leo.
A member of the Tontatta Kingdom, hailing from the northern island of Green Bit, near Dressrosa.
With the destruction of the Celestial Dragons, no one dared to engage in human trafficking anymore, and these little fairies had come out of hiding.
Leo wasn't a specialist in any specific Pokémon type. His team was more balanced.
His goal in coming here was to represent the Tontatta Kingdom and negotiate an agreement with the Pokémon Alliance, allowing his people to live on Pokémon Island.
The Tontatta loved Pokémon and felt a natural connection to them, so they wanted to move to this Pokémon-filled world.
Pedro.
The former captain of the Nox Pirates and now the leader of the Musketeers of the Mokomo Dukedom.
Although he had once led a "pirate" crew, Pedro and his companions had only sailed to help Nekomamushi search for the Poneglyphs.
This act had angered the World Government, which declared them pirates. The Nox Pirates were essentially an archaeological group forced to wear the pirate label.
Pedro's purpose in participating in the Pokémon Battle Tournament was to retrieve the Poneglyphs that had been confiscated by the Pokémon Alliance after the destruction of the World Government, Big Mom Pirates, and Beast Pirates.
After all, both Robin and Olivia were actively studying the Poneglyphs, and the Alliance had taken control of them.
Pedro had learned of this and became a Trainer, hoping to earn a place in the tournament and win back the Poneglyphs.
Shyarly.
A mermaid who had once captured a Seel in the Safari Zone, and the sister of Arlong.
Now, she had become a Water-type Trainer and joined the tournament.
Unlike the others, Shyarly had no specific goal. She was just here for fun—she loved the feeling of performing in front of large crowds.
With this, the tournament saw contestants from various races, including giants, mermaids, dwarves, minks, and even skeletons.
It wasn't just the audience that was excited.
Even Dak didn't want to miss a single match.
The excitement of this first Pokémon Battle Tournament far exceeded his expectations!
(End of Chapter)
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