I've Got People, Money and Strength. The Hokage's Seat Will Be Mine Sooner or Later

After rescuing Kana and her daughter, Tamaki took them straight to Shikkotsu Forest with a summoning.

His plan was simple: his uncle could summon Big Sister Katsuyu too.

Using Big Sister Katsuyu as an intermediary, he could travel quickly between Konoha and Tsunade's location.

Everything afterward went smoothly. He returned to the herb shop, settled Kana and her daughter in, and went to report the matter to the Third.

As for whether the Third would agree?

He wouldn't refuse, and even if he disagreed, it wasn't up to him.

The Uzumaki Clan settling in a ninja village was exactly what the Five Great Nations wanted. If they multiplied well, there would be no need to worry about future Jinchūriki.

Even if letting the Uzumaki Clan control a Tailed Beast wasn't a good thing, it was still better than having no candidates for Jinchūriki.

As for the destruction of the Land of Whirlpools back then, at least Konoha hadn't taken part.

Besides, Tamaki was Tsunade's disciple, a genuine member of the Hokage's faction.

Of the Sannin, some had no interest in becoming Hokage, while others lacked the Third's approval. After them, only Minato and Tamaki had the strength and qualifications to succeed as Hokage.

Even if Tamaki really couldn't become the Fourth, the Fifth Hokage's seat was certain to be his. No matter how much of a genius Kakashi was, he couldn't compare to Wood Release, much less a guaranteed supply of Jinchūriki for nearly a century to come.

Besides, Tamaki was on the same team as Asuma Sarutobi. No matter how he looked at it, the Third had no reason to refuse.

And the Third's answer was just as expected: he agreed.

It had nothing to do with Tamaki calling Kushina over to tug on the Third's beard. Absolutely, positively, definitely nothing.

After that, Tamaki went to find Jiraiya, intending to ask about Nagato and the other two in the Land of Rain.

But what happened afterward was a little beyond Tamaki's expectations.

"So, you brought Jiraiya here?"

"Yes. Lord Jiraiya has met the Uzumaki clansman in the Land of Rain, so finding him will be easier."

"Tsunade, long time no see."

Watching Jiraiya grin foolishly over there, Tsunade rolled her eyes and said nothing more.

His reason was so fitting that she couldn't refuse.

"All right, kid, what's the plan from here?"

"Let's set off now. Kusagakure won't have time to entertain us anytime soon."

"And whose fault is that, kid?"

"I haven't asked yet. What happened afterward?"

"Those elders were as good as dead even if they didn't die. Your Ninjutsu was sealed and concentrated. With that much Chakra, it could have drowned them."

"Then Tamaki Uzumaki's debut went pretty well."

"Aren't you afraid a few of the great nations will join forces to kill you, kid? They joined forces to wipe out the Land of Whirlpools back then."

"That's why I sent them back to Konoha, and used a transformation as a disguise when I called myself Tamaki Uzumaki."

"Are you really planning to compete for the Fourth Hokage's seat, kid?"

Hearing the mention of the Fourth Hokage, Jiraiya was a little startled. He did want Minato to become the Fourth Hokage, but he hadn't taken any action yet.

He hadn't expected Tamaki to have already started making preparations.

"Tamaki, are you really planning to become the Fourth Hokage?"

"Lord Jiraiya, neither you nor my teacher has much interest in becoming Hokage. Lord Orochimaru has practically no chance; Lord Third doesn't like him."

"It's only natural for me to become the Fourth, isn't it?"

Jiraiya looked at the young man, who wasn't very old, and felt a little dazed.

"But your age..."

"I have Wood Release, Lord Jiraiya."

"My teacher is Lady Tsunade. I have the support of the Senju Clan's surviving elders, and I have the Uzumaki Clan's support. With Sister Kushina around, Senior Minato might not fight me for it to the bitter end."

"Even if Sister Kushina stays neutral, it won't affect anything."

"I just need to win over the Hyuga and Uchiha, and the Hokage's seat is practically in the bag."

"Leaving the Hyuga aside, the Uchiha will never refuse as long as I promise them a position as an aide to the Hokage."

"Looking at it that way, it would be strange if the Hokage's seat didn't end up yours."

Tsunade tossed out the joke in passing.

Beside them, Jiraiya broke into more of a cold sweat with every word he heard.

"Tamaki, aren't you afraid you'll be too young and have too much of your power taken away?"

"Jiraiya, he has Wood Release, Life Return, the Eight Gates Released Formation, and what little foundation the Senju left behind. With the Uzumaki name, he can even nominally have Kushina, a Jinchūriki, under his control."

"Going by his method of winning over the Uchiha, those red-eyed people would carry him onto the Hokage's seat themselves."

"You're worried about his power being taken away? We'd be lucky if he didn't use his power to crush others."

"Ha, ha."

Jiraiya laughed awkwardly twice. He suddenly felt that Minato's chances of becoming Hokage really didn't seem very good.

Tamaki had the strength; all he lacked were achievements. Aside from that, he lacked neither people, connections, money, nor status. All he needed was a little time.

Minato's path to becoming Hokage was looking difficult.

Still, with his strength and his connections to Kushina and Jiraiya, it wouldn't be difficult for him to land a high-ranking position.

Tamaki didn't intend to let the Yellow Flash slip away either. He wouldn't refuse a peaceful future, so did it matter whether Tamaki or Minato sat in the Hokage's seat?

For a moment, Tamaki and Jiraiya had Minato's future all neatly arranged in their heads, though Minato himself knew nothing about it.

Without dwelling on the subject, Jiraiya led the way, and the others followed as they headed toward the Land of Rain.

The Land of Rain was a country of endless rain. It was much larger than the Land of Grass, but its situation was little better.

Patter.

The four trudged along, their steps uneven.

They were all ninja, so there was no scene of anyone complaining.

On the way, they had also heard that recently, in the countryside outside a certain town in the Land of Rain, a group calling themselves Akatsuki had been taking in refugees. They were led by three children in their teens, one of whom had red hair.

Having learned this, Jiraiya was almost certain it was Nagato and his companions.

All that remained was to keep traveling. They weren't far from their destination now.

In the distance, they could see rows of simple houses, with quite a few people in straw raincoats moving back and forth as they worked.

"Looks like we're here."

Jiraiya happily took the lead and went to ask around. After several years apart, he was delighted to be seeing his former disciples again.

Before long, Jiraiya had found out where Nagato was and led the four straight there.

A short while later, they found Nagato using Ninjutsu to help people build houses.

"Nagato, Yahiko, Konan."

"Teacher Jiraiya!" all three exclaimed.

All four, teacher and disciples alike, beamed at their reunion.

But when Tsunade saw Nagato's eyes, her face filled with disbelief.

After exchanging greetings with his disciples, Jiraiya began introducing Tsunade and the others.

"This is Tsunade, one of the Sannin like me. These two are her disciples, Shizune and Tamaki. Tamaki came here especially to find you this time, Nagato."

"To find me? What is it about?"

"There's no rush. We should find somewhere to sit down and talk first, shouldn't we?"

"That's right, Nagato. Go take care of Teacher Jiraiya, Lady Tsunade, and the others. Yahiko and I can handle things here."

"All right, sorry for the trouble."

Then he led everyone to their own home.

"I won't waste words, Nagato. I came this time because of the Uzumaki Bloodline you carry."