Who Would Inherit the Hokage Position?

Who was Utatane Koharu?

She was an old crone who had lived through all three great ninja wars and survived to this day. Her strength might not have been anything special, but when it came to schemes, only Chiyo of the Sand Village could rival her among her peers.

The moment she saw Asuma was tempted, Utatane Koharu knew this plan would succeed.

As long as Asuma started thinking about the Hokage position, even if there were flaws in it, he would unconsciously overlook them.

That was human instinct.

"You could put it this way: the Hokage position should originally have been yours. It was only because the timing was wrong that Tsunade needed to take charge of the overall situation."

Asuma was no child. Though Utatane Koharu's words tempted him somewhat, he also knew full well how vast the gap between himself and Tsunade was.

Besides, Tsunade had already become the Fifth Hokage. Could they really kick her out now?

"Originally, once Tsunade arrived, you would have had no chance."

"It's just that I never expected Tsunade to disregard the old master-disciple bond she shared with Hiruzen and secretly suppress the Sarutobi Clan." At this point, Utatane Koharu paused, giving Asuma time to prepare himself mentally while planting a seed of doubt in his heart.

"If that were all, we could endure it and let it pass. After all, a change of Hokage concerns Hidden Leaf Village's safety. We can't treat the village like a joke."

Asuma nodded in agreement.

Even when fighting for power and profit, they had to consider the village's existence.

Without Hidden Leaf Village, people like them were nothing.

"Yesterday, we received intelligence that the Daimyo does not fully approve of Tsunade serving as the Fifth Hokage. He intends to cut Hidden Leaf Village's military funding as punishment."

Asuma froze.

"That's impossible. Lady Tsunade is one of the renowned Sannin. How could the Daimyo possibly not trust her?"

Utatane Koharu smiled. If not for the maneuvering of several old fossils like them behind the scenes, Tsunade would naturally have succeeded the Hokage position smoothly.

But now that Tsunade held great power and showed them old people no respect whatsoever, she could not blame them for being ruthless.

They could elevate Tsunade to the Hokage position, and they could just as easily drag her back down.

"Don't forget that Hiruzen was killed by Orochimaru."

"Perhaps in the Daimyo's eyes, the bonds among the Sannin run deep. Orochimaru's actions may well have been planned by Tsunade behind the scenes. Before the suspicion is cleared, it is only natural for the Daimyo to have doubts."

Asuma frowned. He kept feeling that something was wrong, but he could not put his finger on it.

To be honest, he truly wanted the Hokage position.

A real man could not go a single day without power.

When the Third Hokage passed away, someone had already tried to persuade him to become the Fifth Hokage.

But Asuma knew that, with his strength, he was still a little short of being qualified to become the Fifth Hokage.

If it were some ordinary small ninja village, his strength would be more than enough to serve as its leader. But this was Hidden Leaf Village, the foremost of the five great rogue ninja villages. Even if Tsunade stepped down, it would not be Asuma's turn to become Hokage.

"Therefore, Homura and I discussed this and hope to make you a backup candidate in this matter."

Asuma voiced his doubts.

"My strength is far inferior to Lady Tsunade's. Even Kakashi is someone I cannot defeat. Under such circumstances, even if I became Hokage, I would not be able to convince everyone."

A ninja village was, in essence, an institution of violence. To hold power here, one had to possess corresponding strength.

Otherwise, it was nothing but a daydream.

Asuma, you're about to take the bait!

Utatane Koharu was very satisfied with this development. If Asuma had not been tempted, he would not have said such things at this moment.

"Hiruzen's former summoning beast, Enma, is quite powerful. If you can take it over, then aside from Tsunade and Jiraiya, no one in Hidden Leaf Village will be your match."

(Kakashi: What about my Kamui?! What about my Raikiri? Where did you put my Purple Lightning, you old hag?!)

(Might Guy: Kakashi, this move was prepared just for you. Eight Inner Gates: Gate of Death: Open!)

"As for Enma, I have its summoning scroll, so that will not be much of a problem. But that alone probably won't be enough, will it?" Asuma shook his head, his gaze burning as he stared at Utatane Koharu. Anyone unaware of the situation might have thought he was about to confess to her!

Faced with such a scorching gaze, Utatane Koharu thought it was nothing.

Back in the day, she had been one of Hidden Leaf Village's beauties. Countless men had relentlessly pursued her. A gaze like this was far too common.

"Since you still think that is insufficient, I have another source of power I can tell you about. As for whether you dare to pursue it, that depends on you. After all, if you want strength, you cannot avoid every risk."

"Where?" Asuma grew excited.

Strength, strength!

Only now did he understand the importance of strength.

Thinking of how Itachi Uchiha had single-handedly suppressed Kakashi, Kurenai Yuhi, and himself, Asuma felt a sharp pain in his balls.

More than once, he had wondered why he had not been born into the Uchiha Clan. If he had, he could have awakened some fancy eyes too—one glare, and people would die.

That kind of fighting style was just too damn cool, wasn't it?

"Hoshigakure, a small village. During its prosperous days, it had quite a few jonin, but later declined for unknown reasons. According to Danzo's investigation, this was because Hoshigakure's supreme treasure, the 'Star,' was stolen. Your objective this time is to find Hoshigakure and, while you are there, practice its secret ninja technique—the Mysterious Peacock Method."

"If you successfully master such a technique, your strength will surely advance by leaps and bounds."

"Of course, there will certainly be considerable danger involved. I hope you think it through carefully. One careless mistake, and you may die. As Hiruzen's old classmate, I truly do not wish to see you die young."

"Likewise, I do not wish to watch Tsunade lead Hidden Leaf Village into the abyss."

"I hope you consider it carefully. Even if you choose not to go, being an honest jonin in Hidden Leaf Village is quite good as well. But if that is the case, I hope you will voluntarily hand over the three Ino-Shika-Cho clans. That will also reduce Tsunade's excuses for targeting you."

With age came cunning.

Utatane Koharu knew there were many decisions she could not make for Asuma. What she needed to do was guide him.

People always believed what they saw. Even if it was an illusion, they would believe in it without question.

And all Utatane Koharu needed to do was provide Asuma with a little guidance, and this matter would be settled.

Today truly was a bright and sunny day.

Asuma sat inside the room, watching Utatane Koharu leave, his expression shifting unpredictably.

Some said he had gone to serve as a guardian ninja for the Daimyo out of rebellion. But only he himself knew that this had been the path Hiruzen arranged for him long ago.

When the Third Hokage retook the Hokage position, it had been to pave the way for him.

To be a good Hokage, one needed the Daimyo's support. Asuma had voluntarily attached himself to the Daimyo and served as a guard for ten years. When he returned to succeed the Hokage position, the Daimyo would return the favor and offer considerable support.

This was collusion between old schemers. Outsiders only saw his rebelliousness, completely failing to notice that this arrangement not only allowed Asuma to earn merits beside the Daimyo, but also spared him from carrying out dangerous missions.

The moment he returned, he directly became the teacher of Ino-Shika-Cho. Hiruzen had arranged this bright path for him perfectly.

Even his wife had been arranged for him.

Thinking about it, with Kurenai Yuhi's excellent qualities, why had she never had a boyfriend or even anyone she was romantically involved with all these years? The more one thought about the details, the more terrifying they became.