Chapter Fifty-Three: Who Is the Right Choice for Hokage? / Chapter Fifty-Four: Rin's Fluttering Heart-A Girl in Love

"Rin, this is the ninja corpse I obtained from the Snow Clan... I was thinking, perhaps we could analyze the combination of Wind- and Water-nature Chakra to obtain information on the Ice Release: Bloodline Limit..."

Akira Sarutobi pointed to the Jonin's corpse that Ringo Ameyuri had killed.

"This will have to rely on you, as a professional Medical Ninja..."

Money, encouragement, and a round of praise... Akira Sarutobi had begun drawing Rin Nohara over to his side.

Akira Sarutobi believed this was a very good start.

"Young Master, Lord Hokage has arrived..." A-Hui pushed open the door and entered, speaking quietly.

"Mm, I understand. A-Hui, stay here with Rin. Help her find anything she needs..."

Akira Sarutobi nodded, gave a few instructions, and left the hidden room.

Who Was the Right Candidate for Hokage?

"Father, Mother."

In the courtyard at night, Akira Sarutobi met his parents.

Asuma was not around. He had probably been subjected to proper discipline. In truth, with Asuma's talent, he could have graduated alongside Kakashi. But Asuma had become infatuated with women at a young age and was attached to Kurenai Yuhi. He wanted to graduate with Kurenai Yuhi, which was why he was still at the Ninja Academy.

"Mm, Shin'nosuke, have you eaten dinner?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi clasped his hands behind his back and began asking after his well-being. He was quite satisfied with his eldest son.

Judging by his defeat of the Guardian Ninja and Raiga Kurosuki, there was no need to worry about his talent. What remained was to assess his understanding of the Will of Fire.

Last time, father and son had spoken outside the Anbu office. Only someone acknowledged by everyone could become Hokage, but his eldest son believed that the majority was not always right. So Hiruzen Sarutobi intended to hear more of his eldest son's thoughts tonight.

"I've given careful thought to what you said last time..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi entered the house with his eldest son, smiling warmly. Akira Sarutobi invited his parents to sit and poured each of them a cup of hot tea.

Actually, "Shin'nosuke" was Akira Sarutobi's childhood name. He found it far too ridiculous, so he had applied to change it.

"Father, you should still call me Akira Sarutobi," Akira Sarutobi said casually.

"Mm, Akira Sarutobi, in your opinion, who is most suitable to become the next Hokage?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi accepted the teacup without paying it much mind, asking with a smile.

Since his eldest son was so confident that he understood the Will of Fire, he might as well test him.

Akira Sarutobi answered without hesitation, "Father, if viewed through ordinary eyes, the candidates capable of becoming the Fourth Hokage would be Konoha's White Fang and the Three Sannin."

"..."

Biwako could not help nodding at that. Her eldest son's judgment was sound.

"Which of them do you think is more suitable?"

In fact, before coming here, the couple had already met Jiraiya, who had returned to the village. After several years apart, Jiraiya had changed somewhat, yet seemed not to have changed at all.

As for Akira Sarutobi, he truly possessed the ambition to become Hokage.

But he was too young.

Before the Third Shinobi World War arrived, he was still young. Even Minato Namikaze would not be able to convince the public.

Or rather... no one would possibly choose a teenager to become Hokage. In this era, everyone's attention was focused on Hatake Sakumo and the Three Sannin.

"In terms of combat strength, the Three Sannin are inferior to White Fang..."

Akira Sarutobi pointed out the gap in strength among the four.

The Three Sannin were in one tier, while Hatake Sakumo was in another.

Of course, combat power was not the only consideration in choosing a Hokage.

And considering that Tsunade had developed hemophobia and left, the possibility of her becoming Hokage could be ruled out.

Jiraiya had made it clear that he had no interest in the position of Hokage, so he could also be excluded.

That left the possibility between Orochimaru and Hatake Sakumo.

"Mm, then... between Orochimaru and Hatake Sakumo, who exactly is the most suitable?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a sip of tea, his expression unchanged. In truth, he already had an answer in his heart.

To outsiders, Orochimaru was the Hokage's beloved disciple, and his military achievements were equally outstanding.

In terms of strength, he ranked first among the Three Sannin.

He was also the only powerhouse who might be able to contend with Hatake Sakumo in the future. After all, Orochimaru was still young and had plenty of room to improve.

However, there were some issues with Orochimaru.

Leaving aside the fact that Hiruzen Sarutobi had seen malice in Orochimaru's eyes.

The official databook had once evaluated Hiruzen Sarutobi's abilities, saying that even Orochimaru could not fully inherit Hiruzen Sarutobi's talents and legacy. Hiruzen Sarutobi greatly regretted this, as his skills would begin to fade into obscurity after his death.

This showed that Orochimaru's talent also had limits when it came to walking the proper path. That was why he had chosen crooked paths such as human experimentation and research into Forbidden Jutsu.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had seen Orochimaru's limits on the proper path, and he had seen the malice in Orochimaru's eyes.

But most outsiders neither knew nor could see this.

Of course, people's hearts were made of flesh. Even if they could not see certain things, it did not stop them from instinctively sensing a certain coldness in Orochimaru and keeping their distance from him.

The final result was that Orochimaru was less popular than the others.

That was an extremely fatal flaw in a Hokage election.

So Hiruzen Sarutobi was not worried at all that Orochimaru would be elected Hokage. He had long since reached his answer.

The Fourth Hokage... would be Hatake Sakumo.

"Orochimaru is unsuitable."

"!"

The moment Akira Sarutobi spoke, Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze changed.

He knew his eldest son had a somewhat solitary personality and spoke bluntly. But being straightforward had nothing to do with having a sharp eye.

Why?

Hiruzen Sarutobi and Biwako questioned him with their eyes.

"To become Hokage, one must seek the village's well-being. In Orochimaru's eyes, I see only selfishness... He has no Will of Fire..."

Akira Sarutobi made the matter clear with a single sentence.

No matter what talents Orochimaru possessed, his very foundation of thought had already gone crooked.

If Orochimaru became Hokage, he would only turn Konoha into a place as desolate as Otogakure in the original story, a playground for his reckless experiments.

Konoha eventually becoming a second Kirigakure was not impossible either.

How could such a future possibly be the future everyone hoped for?

It proved the saying: when the path is wrong, the more knowledge one has, the more reactionary one becomes. Orochimaru was exactly that kind of person.

"..."

Akira Sarutobi's decisiveness left Hiruzen Sarutobi slightly stunned.

After a long while, he nodded and sighed softly.

"Akira Sarutobi, your insight is even more penetrating than I imagined..."

At that moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi believed that his eldest son possessed the Will of Fire, as well as an eye for judging people.

A solitary personality perhaps could not be used as a standard for judging whether someone could become Hokage.

Possessing the Will of Fire and seeking the village's well-being were what made a Konoha Ninja qualified to become Hokage.

"Good... very good..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was deeply gratified.

The assessment ended there.

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood, preparing to teach him something.

After tonight's conversation, he had determined that his eldest son could continue walking the path of the Will of Fire.

Of course, he was still young. It was too early to speak of becoming the Fifth Hokage.

But Hiruzen Sarutobi believed that one day, his eldest son might appear on the list of candidates competing for Fifth Hokage.

"Next, I'll teach you some skills. How much you comprehend will depend on yourself... First, Fire Style: Fire Dragon Bullet..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi stepped into the courtyard and raised his arms. As he formed hand seals, an expression of powerful determination appeared on his face.

"..."

Akira Sarutobi's eyes immediately lit up.

The official databook clearly recorded that Fire Dragon Bullet was a powerful Fire Style ninjutsu known only to the Third Generation.

Though the Boruto anime original content had Jiraiya use it as well, anime-original content was only for entertainment. Much of it was not official history, but secondary settings.

"Akira Sarutobi, even Jiraiya and the others failed to learn this technique. You must study it well and master it..."

Fire Style illuminated the night sky, and Biwako's face was lit by the flames.

Her earnest reminder also proved Akira Sarutobi's guess.

"I understand, Mother."

Akira Sarutobi nodded and began memorizing the details of the technique.

This was also a form of assessment for talent.

If he could master Fire Style: Fire Dragon Bullet, it would prove that his aptitude surpassed even the Three Sannin...

Time passed through the night, and the darkness deepened...

Rin's Fluttering Heart, a Maiden in Love

"A-Hui, I'll take Rin home..."

After seeing his parents off, it was already late.

With his photographic memory, Akira Sarutobi had memorized every detail of his father's technique. He would wait and slowly digest it all.

Now, it was time to send Rin Nohara home.

Analyzing the corpse was not something that could be completed in a short time.

Akira Sarutobi and Rin Nohara agreed that whenever she had time, she could come over to conduct research.

Tomorrow happened to be Saturday and Sunday, when the Ninja Academy was closed. Rin Nohara promised that she would continue coming over during the next two days.

As for the funds and intelligence needed for her Medical Ninjutsu training, Akira Sarutobi would also use his connections and resources to help her.

Rin Nohara was naturally immensely grateful, feeling only that she had encountered a benefactor on her path as a ninja.

Under the moonlight.

The two walked side by side along the road.

The night air was somewhat chilly.

"..."

Rin Nohara turned slightly to look at the man beside her.

His face was resolute and full of strength, while his thoughtful gaze seemed to reach far into the distance...

In terms of appearance, his handsomeness was no less than Kakashi's.

The tempering of life and death had also given Akira Sarutobi a maturity and steadiness that Kakashi could never possess.

Rin Nohara stared at that face, and for some reason, her heart began to flutter.

Girls usually matured earlier than boys.