Years ago, when the Root was rebuilt, all the clans with secret techniques contributed their members, including the Uchiha Clan, the Yamanaka Clan, and the Aburame Clan.
Because Shino was young, Torune volunteer to join the Root in his place. His outstanding abilities earned him the role of Danzo's left hand, while the other was Fu, who was selected to join the Root during the same period.
With long orange hair and a square, honest face, Fu's hairstyle was like the 'F4 leader'.
Naruto stared at Fu, thinking 'Soul-based Ninjutsu should be useless against me.'
Naruto knew that his soul should be much thicker than others, although he didn't know how much thicker it was.
However, the last time Ino had tried to use the Mind Body Switch Technique on him, he had effortlessly pushed her back.
As Fu approached, Naruto's mind suddenly became active. He really wanted Fu to use the Mind Body Switch Technique on him, to see if he could blow his consciousness apart with one punch.
'As for venomous insects…' Naruto glanced at Torune, 'Kyubi's Chakra should be able to resist it. It would be great if I could learn Senjutsu, but unfortunately, the system hadn't unlocked that option yet.'
'A while ago, when rescuing the three siblings, the system made a series of chimes, but the option panel never popped up. Damn, what kind of lousy system is this? It just takes it easy when I take it easy?'
As Naruto mentally cursed the system, Fu approached him with a blank expression and said, "Danzo-sama understands, you may leave now."
Hearing this, Naruto was somewhat surprised, 'That old thief Danzo was not angry.'
After a brief moment of thought, he decided to let it go for now, nodding as he replied, "Alright."
With that, he turned and slowly walked away.
'This is just a test. There would be plenty of opportunities to stir things up later. There is no need to rush now. In any case, I will not give up squeezing out the higher-ups.'
Naruto firmly believed in one principle: if they won't let you open a window, then break through the roof.
Since the higher-ups wouldn't stop their plans to develop Jinchuriki, he would just push them out and take their place himself. Not becoming Hokage didn't mean he couldn't become a part of the higher-ups.
Since he couldn't influence their decisions, he would just become one of them!
In fact, with Naruto's current resources, becoming part of the higher-ups was far easier than becoming Hokage. As such thing didn't require any specific qualifications or barriers.
It was akin to the process of becoming a councilor. There's no age restrictions, and all one needs is just support from others.
He didn't need to truly serve as a higher-up, he just needed a nominal title to block the higher-ups from pursuing their plans with Jinchuriki. After all, he didn't have the time to deal with all the miscellaneous matters, and he didn't actually intend to turn into a full-fledged higher-up.
Theoretically, it is not possible, but in practice, whether it is possible or not is just a matter of a word from the Hokage's inner circle.
Hokage's Office.
"You want to be part of the higher-ups?" Tsunade turned around and stared at Naruto with skeptical look. "Is this the solution you came up with?"
"Um, is that not okay?" Naruto asked, feeling a little embarrassed, "Isn't this what you were hinting at, Tsunade-sama?"
Seeing the skeptical look on Tsunade's face, Naruto realized that his idea might have diverged from what Tsunade had in mind. However, he still didn't quite understand where the problem was.
"It's not entirely out of the question, as there aren't any age restrictions for the higher-ups." Tsunade said, tapping her desk with a furrowed brow, "After all, Gaara is about the same age as you, and he's almost about to become the Godaime Kazekage."
"That's good to hear." Naruto breathed a sigh of relief.
"But… you said I hinted at this idea?" Tsunade looked at Naruto with a complicated expression.
"Isn't that right?" He asked cautiously.
"What I meant was for you to refuse them face-to-face, humiliate those old geezers, and send their ridiculous proposal back down their throats." Tsunade said, leaning back in her chair.
"You've really taken a wrong turn here!" She pointed at Naruto and said with mix of frustration and disappointment.
Hearing this, Naruto's face was filled with black lines, 'So she was just trying to get me to vent her personal grudges? Damn it, this crafty old lady.'
"In any case, if you want to hold a nominal position among the higher-ups, it's not impossible." Tsunade continued, "After all, you are fairly mature and steady in your actions, a bit sharper than that Gaara from Sunagakure."
"But first, you need a status that fits the role of a high-ranking official."
Naruto understood what she meant. It's like how Danzo was the disciple of the Nidaime Hokage and a comrade of the Sandaime Hokage. Choji's father, for instance, was a comrade of the Yondaime Hokage and the Clan Head of the Akimichi Clan.
If Naruto wanted to join the higher-ups, the other requirements were manageable, but he at least needed a respectable status.
Being Jiraiya's disciple was good, but among the upper echelon, everyone was part of the Hokage's circle, so it wasn't particularly special. As for being a Clan Head?
'Currently, I was alone. Unless I married into another clan, otherwise...'
The office suddenly fell silent. After pondering for a moment, Naruto looked up and said, "How about becoming the Clan Head of the Uzumaki Clan?"
"Pfft!" Tsunade spat out the drink she was sipping, and while still holding the cup, she asked with dumbfounded expression, "What did you just say?"
Naruto looked at the clear alcohol stains at the corner of Tsunade's lips and repeated himself seriously.
"Become the Clan Head of the Uzumaki Clan."
"You are the only one in the clan, right?" Tsunade wiped her mouth with a piece of paper, her expression turning serious, "Are you kidding me?"
Naruto remained calm and explained, "I've gone through the major events in Konoha's history. The Uzumaki Clan has deep ties with Konoha. After verifying it multiple times, I have confirmed that I am a member of the Uzumaki Clan."
"As for the previous Kyubi's Jinchuriki…"
"Cough, cough." Tsunade interrupted, then stood up and said nervously, "Since you want to be the Clan Head, then go ahead and be the clan head. It's just a nominal title anyway."
"I'll ask Shizune help you submit the paperwork later. It's not that troublesome. Although your idea is bold, it might not necessarily succeed. Even so, we should go through the procedure first."
"Ah! We still have to go through proper procedures?" Naruto lamented.
Sakura raised her head from the pile of documents, her eyes showing a hint of fatigue, but it slowly disappeared.
"What are you talking about? You're not trying to threaten them, so this is your only option." Tsunade said, pressing her tea cup on the desk and frowning slightly. "Once Jiraiya returns, there might be a breakthrough."
Tsunade spoke ambiguously. When Naruto mentioned the previous Jinchuriki, she seemed a bit tense. Naruto noted everything, but didn't press further.
"Alright then."
He didn't continue to pester Tsunade, as there were enough troublesome matters piling up at the moment. Becoming the Clan Head of the Uzumaki Clan was just a concept, so he would first mention it to Tsunade.
Naruto didn't care whether this thing could succeed or not. Even if it didn't, it would still annoy the higher-ups.
He could come up with a lot of methods like this. Even if it meant wasting the higher-ups' time, he was determined to keep trying, annoying them back and forth.