After Danzo was forced to defect and the Third Hokage voluntarily relinquished his position, the village welcomed a new Hokage.
As one of the instigators, Kakashi naturally gained considerable benefits. Jiraiya invited him to become the new Anbu Captain. As long as he worked diligently for a decade or so, becoming a Hokage candidate would be effortless.
Yet after achieving his goal, Kakashi found no happiness. Instead, he fell into endless emptiness.
He had opposed the Third Hokage and Danzo and supported Jiraiya's rise to the position of Hokage not only to avenge his father, but also because he could no longer stand the lifeless atmosphere in the village.
Could Jiraiya truly change that stagnant atmosphere after becoming Hokage?
Kakashi himself was not certain. Besides, Jiraiya had been far too lenient in his handling of the Third Hokage. Could merely stepping down erase all those years of indulgence and incompetence?
With a soft sigh, Kakashi lay down on the tatami, watching the fan overhead spin and spin and spin.
After resting for a few more days, he planned to apply to lead a team out to hunt down Danzo and the remaining Root members. If Danzo, who possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan, went into hiding in the Land of Fire, he would become a threat the village could not ignore.
As for the agreement with the Third Hokage from several months ago, those Ninja Academy graduates had long since been sent back on the pretext that they had failed. They could study at the Ninja Academy for a few more years before becoming ninja.
After an unknown amount of time had passed, Kakashi rose from the tatami, walked over to the desk, and picked up a pen and paper.
Within the Land of Rivers.
After several days of arduous travel,