To Become Hokage, First Become a Disciple's Disciple

Uchiha Chonhua was immersed in those tomoe eyes.

The Sharingan really was so cool!

[Congratulations, host! You obtained Uchiha Itachi's Character Card!]

Uchiha Chonhua came back to his senses. His first reaction wasn't excitement, but fear.

"System, don't tell me there are different versions of Itachi, like Anbu Itachi, Akatsuki Itachi, and Impure World Reincarnation Itachi?"

[...The system isn't that much of a pain, don't worry, host. The one you got contains Uchiha Itachi's entire life template!]

The system began explaining.

[Once the system's Character Card template is used, it gradually unlocks as the host and the character on the card grow older. It doesn't have the prerequisites of those senior role-playing template systems.]

[Of course, role-playing templates require you to play a role, but the better you act, the faster the template unlocks. The system's Character Card templates don't work that way. They only unlock as you age.]

"Explain in detail."

[No matter how much I explain, it's better for you to try it yourself. It's very simple and straightforward.]

Since the system put it that way, Uchiha Chonhua naturally chose to go along with it.

He used Uchiha Itachi's Character Card.

The next moment, he understood what it meant for the template to unlock gradually with age.

He was four years old, so Uchiha Itachi's Character Card gave him all of Uchiha Itachi's abilities at age four.

Uchiha Itachi died at twenty-one, in his battle with Uchiha Sasuke. That meant the complete template was twenty-one-year-old Uchiha Itachi.

Did that mean he could become the complete Uchiha Itachi when he turned twenty-one?

That didn't sound bad. He'd be guaranteed to become a Kage Level powerhouse.

Uchiha Itachi's astonishing talent, the ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu he had learned, his physique...

Wait!

Uchiha Chonhua opened his eyes. He suddenly realized there was a serious problem.

"Am I going to inherit Uchiha Itachi's bloodline disease, too?"

After Uchiha Itachi awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan at a young age, his body couldn't keep up with the ocular power of the Mangekyō Sharingan. Frequent use of it caused problems with his health, and he developed a severe bloodline disease.

Uchiha Chonhua didn't want to get a bloodline disease.

[Rest assured, host. After obtaining a Character Card from the Ninja World, you can choose what you want to inherit.]

[If you think Uchiha Itachi's physique has problems, you can choose not to inherit it. The Character Cards cover everyone in the Ninja World, and Uchiha Itachi's physique isn't anything special among them. It won't matter if you don't inherit it.]

Whew.

Uchiha Chonhua felt relieved. The system's offerings weren't bad after all.

It hadn't improved Uchiha Itachi's physique, but at least he could choose to leave it out.

In that case, Uchiha Chonhua removed Uchiha Itachi's physique from the inheritance and took everything else, including his talent and abilities!

His chakra reserves suddenly increased, and the chakra control he had only just learned became proficient at once. The same thing happened with the Fire Release Ninjutsu he hadn't yet mastered.

At the same time, techniques he had never learned surged into his mind, melding with him as if they had been honed through countless trials.

Since he had left out the physique, the taijutsu he inherited was incomplete. Fortunately, the training experience was etched into his mind. With enough practice, he could catch up to Uchiha Itachi's four-year-old self.

"As expected of a genius. Even at four, he's terrifying."

Uchiha Chonhua marveled, then pressed his fingers together.

Shadow Clone Technique.

A cloud of smoke appeared, and an identical Uchiha Chonhua appeared beside him.

Uchiha Chonhua studied the Shadow Clone he had summoned. It looked so lifelike, just like a real person.

Suddenly, Uchiha Chonhua threw a punch.

The Shadow Clone raised a hand to deflect it, then swept a kick toward Uchiha Chonhua.

The boy and his Shadow Clone began sparring in the cramped bedroom, using the taijutsu he had inherited from Uchiha Itachi.

Thud!

After they had sparred for a while, the Shadow Clone ran out of chakra and burst into smoke.

Uchiha Chonhua marveled again.

"Four-year-old Uchiha Itachi is terrifying!"

It was wonderful to get Uchiha Itachi's Character Card on his very first draw.

After experiencing it for himself, Uchiha Chonhua couldn't count how many times he had marveled.

The techniques were secondary. The most important thing was Uchiha Itachi's talent.

Uchiha Itachi was exceptionally smart, with an outstanding ability to grasp things. By comparison, Uchiha Chonhua was an idiot.

Damn, was this what it was like to be a genius? He could easily understand even the most obscure theories, then come up with his own insights based on that understanding.

What incredible comprehension. Uchiha Chonhua was extremely envious.

What? He had this extraordinary comprehension now, too?

Oh, then never mind.

Now that he had a cheat, there was no need to keep thinking about becoming the Tempura Sage.

He had big plans to carry out!

And being in debt was awful.

I, Uchiha Chonhua, will become Hokage to pay off my debt!

First, I'll get into the Ninja Academy!

Chapter 3: To Become Hokage, First Become a Disciple's Disciple

To become Hokage, he first had to become a ninja.

For children of the Uchiha Clan, there were generally two ways to become a ninja.

One was to study on their own within the clan, then, once they were strong enough, take the Military Police Force's examination. Those who passed would be reported to Konoha by the Military Police Force and entered into the ninja registry. They would then receive a Forehead Protector and a probationary job with the Military Police Force.

The Uchiha Clan didn't have its own school, but everyone lived close to one another and was surrounded by relatives. Getting access to training resources wasn't difficult. Self-study in a ninja clan like that was no worse than an education at the Ninja Academy—in fact, it was better.

So most Uchiha children chose the straightforward path of passing the Military Police Force's examination to become ninjas.

But Uchiha Chonhua chose the other path.

He would spend five years at the Ninja Academy and become a Genin by passing the graduation exam.

He was going to become Hokage, after all. Naturally, he had to make himself familiar to the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Becoming a Genin through the Uchiha Military Police Force and becoming one by graduating from the Ninja Academy were two different things.

The former kept him within the Uchiha Clan and rarely brought him into contact with the Hokage's circle.

As for the latter, the Ninja Academy's principal was Sarutobi Hiruzen. He often visited the school to give speeches and teach a few lessons, building relationships with the students.

The First, Senju Hashirama, and the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, were brothers. Their succession was a matter of brotherhood.

The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, was different. He had been the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju's disciple. The Hokage Position had passed to him through a master-and-disciple relationship.

With his plot knowledge cheat, Uchiha Chonhua knew that the future Hokage would all either be Sarutobi Hiruzen's disciples or his disciples' disciples.

So Uchiha Chonhua reached a simple conclusion: the Hokage Position was passed down within the Hokage's circle, so if he wanted to become Hokage, he had to join that circle.

"So I need to become one of Sarutobi Hiruzen's disciples' disciples, too!"

[Wow, host, you're so smart!]

Uchiha Chonhua's face fell. He answered the system in his mind: "Honestly, I don't want to become someone else's disciple's disciple. If every Character Card I draw is as powerful as Uchiha Itachi, why would I need to rack my brains over this?"

I could already be striding into the palace with my sword at my side, and no one would dare call my name!

Becoming Hokage through force still counted as becoming Hokage. The system would recognize it, too.

But unfortunately, getting Uchiha Itachi's Character Card had been incredibly lucky. Maybe it was some kind of beginner's bonus.

He only had four draws in total. There was no guarantee the remaining three would be powerful characters. The Character Cards covered the entire Ninja World, and there weren't many outstanding figures in it. Most were mediocre. Getting their Character Cards would make Uchiha Chonhua stronger, but nowhere near as much as getting someone like Uchiha Itachi.

If Uchiha Itachi ended up being his only powerful Character Card, becoming Hokage by force... would still be a little difficult.

He couldn't let the Eight Gates Released Formation kick him to death. Might Duy's kick through the Eighth Gate wasn't as terrifying as Might Guy's would be later on.

But even if he survived that kick, the vast Ninja World was full of countless ninjutsu and secret techniques. Even someone like Uchiha Madara had been tricked by Black Zetsu, who had lived a long time but wasn't especially powerful.

Uchiha Chonhua decided he had to plan carefully.

This was, after all, the real world of ninjas—treacherous and unpredictable.

[So, host, are you going to become Sarutobi Hiruzen's disciple?]

Uchiha Chonhua shook his head. "I'm an Uchiha. Sarutobi Hiruzen would never take me as his disciple."

Even if Sarutobi Hiruzen agreed, his Advisory Council wouldn't.

The Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, had passed his wariness and suspicion of the Uchiha Clan down to his disciples, but not all of them viewed the clan the same way.

Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't like the Uchiha Clan, but as Hokage, he took the bigger picture into account. No matter how much he disliked them, the Uchiha Clan was still part of the village he loved—his comrades and family.

So Sarutobi Hiruzen's attitude toward the Uchiha Clan was that, though he didn't like them, he would try to make them more likable and help them fit into the village.

But his good buddies didn't see it that way.

Uchiha Chonhua wasn't sure about Mitokado Homura and Koharu Utatane, but he knew all too well about the infamous Pot Kage of this world.

Shimura Danzō harbored deep hostility toward the Uchiha Clan, and he was Sarutobi Hiruzen's best friend.

Unless it involved something as extreme as destroying the village, Sarutobi Hiruzen was always prone to hesitation and compromise.

When choosing between a buddy and an Uchiha disciple, the answer was obvious.

"I was thinking of becoming Jiraiya or Tsunade's disciple."

As for Orochimaru, dealing with a snake took too much effort. If he still ended up becoming an obsessed scientist, he'd never be able to avoid dealing with Danzō, and that made it easy for Danzō to stab him in the back.

Of course, Orochimaru had plenty of problems of his own, too.

All in all, being with Orochimaru felt like playing with his life, and it could easily ruin his reputation.

I'm going to become Hokage. How could I tarnish my good name?

Speaking of reputation...

Jiraiya was a lecher who frequented brothels and liked peeping on women while they bathed. He had his own dashing charm, but his private conduct was truly objectionable. He didn't exactly have a good reputation, either.

But in this ninja world, whose culture was based on that of the Land of the Rising Sun, people were surprisingly tolerant of lecherous perverts.

The future Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, was so perfect, yet having a lecherous pervert for a teacher hadn't caused him much trouble with his reputation.

"Hmm, maybe I can use that to my advantage someday."

Uchiha Chonhua made a mental note of it. When it came to the powerful rivals on his path to becoming Hokage, he couldn't be too cautious.

Namikaze Minato was simply too perfect.

What if he became friends with Namikaze Minato—or even ended up as his fellow disciple?

Uchiha Chonhua hesitated for a moment, then shook his head and dismissed the random thoughts.

"I'm thinking too far ahead. No matter what, I need to do my best to become one of Sarutobi Hiruzen's disciples' disciples!"

[Go for it, host! Become a disciple's disciple!]

"...Why does that sound so awkward?"

Time slowly passed.

Uchiha Chonhua's life was simple and monotonous.