This was going to be a headache!
Looking at Utatane Koharu, whose face was set with determination and left no room for negotiation, Minato Namikaze's lips curled into a bitter smile.
Although appointing an assistant was the Hokage's own affair, for the sake of prudence, every Hokage Assistant appointment required a certain degree of support—the approval of people in the village who possessed sufficient seniority and authority.
This was also to objectively assess the reliability of the Hokage Assistant. The Hokage could nominate a candidate, but that candidate still had to undergo the higher-ups' review.
For example, when he had appointed Chiba back then, he had obtained the approval of every high-ranking official present.
Of course, he had leveraged the situation at the time. Those higher-ups had had no choice but to agree.
But now that one of the advisors was vehemently opposed, things would not be so easy. Moreover, he had no means of forcing this advisor to agree.
He had no idea why Advisor Koharu opposed Chiba's formal appointment so strongly. Clearly, becoming official and remaining acting were the same.
Whatever Chiba was supposed to do, he would still do.
Whatever he was not supposed to do, he still could not do.
There was no difference at all.
But why?
Why would Advisor Koharu refuse? Did she have a better candidate? No! That should have been impossible. Although Advisor Koharu was usually stern and unsmiling, and treated Chiba with the same sternness, it was clear that she thought highly of him. Several times, she had been the first to relent, allowing some of Chiba's plans—or his explanations concerning crimes and the like—to stand.
In a sense, Advisor Koharu had truly treated Chiba very favorably.
If it had been anyone else, she would not have been nearly so accommodating.