Danzo, I'm the Hokage! Please Vote

In the forest.

More than a dozen corpses lay with their pupils already unfocused, their warmth steadily fading.

The bodies were in all manner of gruesome states—some hung from tree trunks, while others lay amid the grass. There were traces of ninjutsu, kunai, and shuriken.

There were also Dog Claw Marks, Insect Bite Marks, and Gentle Fist wounds.

"It's finally over."

As a drawn-out voice echoed, a group of Konoha Shinobi appeared in the trees. Though their breathing was somewhat heavy, they had not lowered their guard.

As Shikaku Nara panted, his peripheral vision swept over everyone. When it finally landed on Uchiha Yoru, he could not help but feel secretly alarmed.

As expected of someone who had already been on the battlefield. Although this operation had gone smoothly according to his deployment, after killing the enemy, the one who had preserved the most Chakra and stamina was actually Uchiha Yoru.

It was not that Uchiha Yoru had held back. Rather, during battle, he was more accustomed to killing enemies through rapid movement and techniques involving shuriken, conserving as much stamina and Chakra as possible.

In contrast, quite a few of them habitually relied on overwhelming, spectacular ninjutsu when facing this kind of high-intensity combat.

That approach had its merits, but if they were forced into a second battle immediately, their depleted stamina and Chakra would leave them in a hard fight.

Though Uzumaki Kushina was panting heavily, there was a victorious smile in her eyes.

"I thought they'd be tougher than that."

"Alright, clean up the battlefield and gather any useful intelligence."

Everyone began cleaning up the battlefield skillfully. After all, they were no longer freshly graduated Genin. As Chunin, they possessed at least this much discipline.

"Hiashi, Hizashi, stay alert. Everyone else, hurry up."

Uchiha Yoru calmly sheathed his swords and discreetly swept his gaze across the group.

At the same time, he secretly nodded. No wonder these people would become the village's future Elite Jonin.

They might have had influential backgrounds, but shinobi were not raised in greenhouses.

"Is everyone alright? No one injured?"

With his sunny smile, Minato Namikaze displayed his uniquely approachable nature.

Though he was expressing concern for everyone, his eyes discreetly passing over Uzumaki Kushina did not escape Uchiha Yoru's notice.

"Yoru studied Medical Ninjutsu under Sister Tsunade, after all."

Uzumaki Kushina spoke in a teasing tone, seemingly still needling him over what had happened before.

Facing the others, Uchiha Yoru smiled and nodded.

"I know a little basic Medical Ninjutsu."

The battlefield was the best bonding agent. Though they had not been very familiar with one another before, fighting side by side this time had forged an inexplicable trust between them.

"Let's go!"

In an instant, shadows flashed past, and the forest returned to silence. Only the traces of the recent battle remained behind.

The group spread out in an orderly formation, front and back, continuously leaping onward.

"Kushina, it seems someone's very concerned about you."

As they traveled, Uchiha Yoru lowered his voice and teased her. Uzumaki Kushina immediately glared at him; naturally, she knew who he meant.

"I don't like girly men!"

Along the way, Minato Namikaze had been making his intentions obvious and not so obvious. Anyone observant could have noticed, let alone the more sensitive Uzumaki Kushina.

Yet at this time, Uzumaki Kushina had no favorable impression of this little sun.

Seeing this, Uchiha Yoru merely smiled calmly.

"Is that so? What a pity. Your identity means that everyone who approaches you is bound to be after something."

After he laid it out so bluntly, Uzumaki Kushina glared, baring her little fangs fiercely.

"What about you?! Aren't you approaching me because of my identity too?!"

"Don't misunderstand. You said it yourself before—I'm only using you to get close to Captain Tsunade."

Uchiha Yoru shrugged, wearing a teasing smile. His shameless expression made Uzumaki Kushina glare at him again.

Yet though their exchange seemed like mutual teasing, it caused Uzumaki Kushina to unconsciously become wary of Minato Namikaze.

Uchiha Yoru sneered inwardly. He would not pass up any opportunity to poison her opinion of him.

By directly tearing away that thin veil, he could make Uzumaki Kushina feel that anyone who approached her had ulterior motives. That was psychology.

He, however, was different, because she had known his purpose from the very beginning.

I wonder if I'll get a chance to kill this classmate next.

At that thought, Uchiha Yoru discreetly glanced at Minato Namikaze. Before this man learned the Flying Thunder God, he was an excellent target.

After all, there was no longer any possibility of recruiting him.

There had been a problem from the start with Uzumaki Kushina becoming a Jinchuriki. At present, the Uzumaki surname meant she was one of their own to the Senju Clan and Uzumaki Mito.

But to the Hokage, she was not one of their own. She was an outsider.

How could a Hokage allow such a deterrent weapon to remain outside his control indefinitely? From the various pieces of information in the original work, one thing could be inferred.

First Nawaki, then Sister Tsunade suffered a blow, and finally, on a dark, moonless night, a hero saved a beauty. Tsk tsk.

These words: he was an Uchiha! Only when the village was uncomfortable could the Uchiha Clan live well.

At that thought, Uchiha Yoru smiled. He was doing it all for the clan and the village. He absolutely refused to admit it was for his own selfish desires. Yeah! Absolutely not.

"Get close to Sister Tsunade!?"

Seeing Uchiha Yoru say it so shamelessly, Uzumaki Kushina ground her teeth and cursed him for being shameless, then shot him a fierce glare.

Having come to Konoha from a foreign land, she had always been treated as an outsider. She was extremely sensitive inside, and when she looked at Minato again, her heart was also filled with disgust.

Sure enough! They were all after my identity!

At that thought, Uzumaki Kushina felt a surge of irritation.

Minato's teacher was Jiraiya, so it would not have been difficult for him to learn about her identity. Thus, Uzumaki Kushina did not suspect much else.

What was more, the events from before had already made Tsunade and the Senju Clan secretly wary. How could Tsunade not make preparations to protect Kushina in advance?

"Kushina."

With his sunny smile, Minato Namikaze looked back and smiled. Yet Uzumaki Kushina only answered him with a disgusted snort, leaving him completely bewildered.

Konoha, Hokage's temporary office building.

"Hiruzen, obtaining the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is imperative. My Root has already selected five suitable bodies. They can completely seal the Nine-Tails."

Shimura Danzō spoke with a grave expression, while Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, calmly puffed away at his pipe.

The sight made Shimura Danzō's expression turn angry.

"Hiruzen! Are you listening? How can one village have two voices? If the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is not under our control, it will forever be a hidden threat to the village. I absolutely cannot allow such a situation to arise!"

Uzumaki Mito's body was growing weaker by the day. If he could control the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki now, he would be able to gain a share of the village's authority.

"Danzō! I am the Hokage!"

Danzō said a great deal, only for Hiruzen Sarutobi to rebuff him with a single sentence, making his face flush red with frustration.

"Hiruzen! You will regret this!"

In the end, Danzō slammed the door and left in fury, leaving Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, alone in the office.

Watching the departing figure, Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly exhaled a cloud of smoke, then took out a scroll from beneath the desk. When he opened it, it contained Minato Namikaze's information.

"Lady Mito's body is weakening. Danzō, you are too impatient. If the village relied on you, there would only be more and more trouble."

As Hiruzen Sarutobi murmured to himself with a sigh, only he, the Hokage, could feel just how heavy the burden on his shoulders was.

As long as Uzumaki Kushina had not sealed the Nine-Tails, she would never truly be a Jinchuriki.

"Minato, for the sake of the village, I hope you will not disappoint me. Otherwise, I will have no choice but to face the Senju Clan directly!"

Under the setting sun, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the prosperous village, determination appearing on his face.

As long as nothing unexpected happened, everything could be discussed. He could give the Senju Clan all the respect they deserved, but if Uzumaki Kushina still did not give her heart to the village in the end—

For the sake of the village, he absolutely would not allow Konoha's strongest weapon to be handed over to an outsider.

As a candidate for Jinchuriki, Uzumaki Kushina was merely someone Lady Mito of the Senju Clan had chosen. The Third Hokage had yet to approve her or make a final decision.

It was only that, given the current situation, he did not wish to clash with the Senju Clan.