"Hehehe…" Jiraiya chuckled in his usual perverted manner.
"You're still up to these pointless antics, huh?" Two elderly voices sounded from behind Jiraiya.
Without even turning around, Jiraiya knew it was Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, two of Konoha's senior advisors.
"Oh, it's Uncle Homura and Teacher Koharu. What brings you here?" Jiraiya set down his binoculars and turned around.
Mitokado Homura, an old man with glasses, said sternly, "You should know without us telling you, Jiraiya!"
Jiraiya stood up but remained silent.
Homura continued, "Don't make that scary face. The negotiations with Sunagakure have ended successfully, but the current situation is bigger than just our relationship with them. Konoha's strength has dwindled to a dangerous level. In these circumstances, we must be prepared for an even greater crisis."
Utatane Koharu chimed in, "Each nation could take drastic actions at any moment. That's why we've decided to assemble elite members from all departments to form an Emergency Response Committee. But before we do that…"
"We need a trustworthy leader. The village is on the verge of internal and external conflicts, and it's not just Orochimaru we need to worry about… Konoha needs a Fifth Hokage!" Homura declared.
Koharu continued, "Jiraiya, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire has already approved the list of candidates for the Hokage position. You can become the Fifth Hokage right now."
"I refuse," Jiraiya cut them off, raising his hand.
"This decision has already been made. If you don't step up as Hokage…" Homura's voice trailed off with worry. "Then the roots will grow in the sunlight."
Homura's eyes reflected his deep concern. Danzo's hunger for power had only grown more intense after the death of the Third Hokage. Recently, Root's activities had become more frequent, making both Homura and Koharu uneasy.
Danzo wasn't suited for the position of Hokage.
Jiraiya scratched his head, clearly aware of the issue. Then he spoke up, "Since you brought up three candidates, there's still one left… Tsunade. She's more than capable."
Utatane Koharu's elderly face showed a thoughtful expression. "Tsunade certainly has the qualifications… but no one knows where she is."
Mitokado Homura chose to remain silent.
Tsunade, the princess of the Senju Clan, granddaughter of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, and one of the Legendary Sannin, was an ideal candidate for Hokage in every respect.
"I'll go find Tsunade and bring her back to be Hokage," Jiraiya said again.
Standing on the outskirts of Konoha, Furen watched Jiraiya and Naruto depart in the distance, a faint smile on his lips. In his hand was a note left by Jiraiya.
"So, they're off to find Tsunade, huh? Guess it's time for me to make a move too," Furen murmured.
He had secretly left a mark on Naruto, ensuring he could track him. Then he headed toward Konoha's mission assembly hall.
"There's still some time before Jiraiya and Naruto find Tsunade. In the meantime, I'll make a trip to Taki no Kuni (the Land of Waterfalls)," Furen planned his journey. One of his must-visit destinations was Taki no Kuni. The reason? The presence of one of the female jinchūriki.
Two jinchūriki, Yugito Nii and Fū, were on his radar. Yugito, the Two-Tails jinchūriki, was far away in the Land of Lightning, but Fū, the Seven-Tails jinchūriki, resided in Taki no Kuni, which bordered the northwest of the Land of Fire.
Furen touched the half-full Yin Seal on his forehead. He had accumulated this much chakra thanks to the One-Tails and Nine-Tails' chakra. If he tried to fill it up on his own, it would take an unimaginable amount of time. The quickest way to fully charge it was to absorb more chakra from tailed beasts.
Moreover, if he used Wood Release techniques, the chakra consumption was so massive that even a fully charged Yin Seal wouldn't last long. The best solution would be to become a jinchūriki himself. However… becoming the Ten-Tails jinchūriki was the only thing that intrigued Furen.
A single tailed beast, even the strongest Nine-Tails, didn't concern him in the slightest.
"If I can gain control of Fū, the Seven-Tails jinchūriki, the rewards will likely be related to the tailed beasts. As long as I can get the chakra from a tailed beast, it'll be enough to supplement my power…"
Since the death of the Third Hokage, nearly all missions in Konoha were handled at the mission assembly hall. Stacks of mission scrolls were piled up like small mountains. Among them, Furen even noticed an S-rank mission scroll.
Wearing his jonin uniform, Furen stepped inside. His youthful face drew the attention of everyone present, all eyes turning to him in shock. He ignored their stares and asked the shinobi managing the missions, "Do you have any long-term escort missions available?"
The responsible ninja pointed to a pile of scrolls. "These are all long-term escort missions."
Furen picked up one of the scrolls with the kanji for "Taki" written on it.
"A mission to escort someone to Taki no Kuni… perfect," Furen smiled.
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T/N:
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