The Hokage, the Strongest Wins

It was still the Uchiha compound, though many days had passed since the last gathering.

"Genichi, you're already the 'White-Clad Death God,' so why do you still train so hard every day? Wouldn't it be better to take a break and enjoy life?" Nara Shikaku asked lazily, his head propped up by one hand as he half-slumped over the table.

Naturally indolent, Shikaku had been driven to exhaustion by his father, who forced him into extra training every day because of the outstanding performance of Genichi and his peers during their academy years. He had secretly sworn that if he ever had a child, he would make them experience his father's childhood in return.

"I am enjoying my life," Genichi retorted. "Unlike you, just playing around and waiting to go home and inherit the entire 'Nara Clan'?"

"Don't say that, if my old man hears you, I'll be in for a world of pain when I get home." Shikaku was terrified of the rumor spreading and leading to more training.

"True enough. Genichi, with your strength, you probably don't lose to the 'Sannin' anymore, right?" Yamanaka Inoichi sighed, his tone carrying a hint of admiration despite his unreadable expression.

"Hardly. Master Orochimaru still has many things I can learn from," Genichi said modestly.

Having spent nearly two years settling in after the war, Genichi was confident that his strength wouldn't lose to anyone in Konoha. Even compared to Sarutobi Hiruzen, the only gaps were perhaps a lack of comprehensive ninjutsu and experience; if they truly fought, the outcome remained uncertain.

"Click, click. I heard that the giant snakes summoned by Lord Orochimaru require hundreds of living people as sacrifices for every battle. That's just too terrifying." Akimichi Choza wore a fearful expression while continuously stuffing food from the table into his mouth.

"That's not the case. I've also contracted with the giant snakes of Ryūchi Cave. If they can catch something during battle, that's their business, but otherwise, pork or beef works just fine. There are so many snakes in Ryūchi Cave; if Aoda doesn't want to do it, there are plenty of others who will," Genichi explained.

Already planning his path to become the Fourth Hokage, Genichi calculated his advantages in his mind.

His strength was absolutely sufficient. As a disciple of the Hokage's disciple, a nomination from the Hokage wouldn't be an issue; then, it would just come down to the vote.

He had a good relationship with Uzumaki Mito and Tsunade, so the remaining influence of the Senju Clan should support him. The Uchiha Clan would be the same—at the very least, they wouldn't oppose him.

Once the Third Hokage stepped down, the Hokage's faction—the Sarutobi, Utatane, Mitokado, and Ino-Shika-Cho clans—would likely support him as well. Furthermore, the next generation of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio were his classmates, and their relationship was quite good.

As a genius ninja of civilian origin who had intentionally maintained his image, Genichi was also very popular among the civilian ninja.

It was in the bag. The more Genichi thought about it, the more he felt his Will of Fire was profound; he was only one step away from the Hokage seat.

That step was for the Third Hokage to voluntarily step down.

Indeed, the Hokage had no fixed term. The First Hokage died of old age, the Second Hokage died in battle, and at the end of the Second Ninja War, everyone assumed the Third, who had passed his prime, would pass the mantle to one of the "Sannin." Unexpectedly, the Hokage's office remained silent.

Genichi remembered clearly that Sarutobi Hiruzen stayed in power until the end of the Third Ninja War, passed it to Minato, and then immediately returned to office after Minato's death—a tenure that lasted until the 64th year of Konoha.

In his previous life, Sarutobi Hiruzen was heavily criticized.

Although the course of events was caused by various factors, objectively speaking, Hiruzen's performance was truly difficult to describe.

When he and the Second Hokage encountered enemies, the Second died, and he returned to inherit the title of Third Hokage.

When he and the Fourth Hokage encountered enemies, the Fourth died, and he returned to office as Hokage once more.

During his tenure, Konoha's staunch ally, the Uzumaki Clan, was wiped out, and the founding clans, the Senju and Uchiha, were effectively extinguished, with only one or two bloodlines remaining in Konoha.

During the Third Ninja War, he allowed students who hadn't graduated from the academy to be sent to the front lines, yet he himself never stepped onto the battlefield.

After the war, to quickly stabilize the situation, he refused war reparations from the Rock Ninja, and when the Cloud Ninja provoked them, he forced the death of the Hyuga branch head, Hizashi Hyuga.

Under his indulgence, Danzo committed countless atrocities, such as the "Wood Style experiments," the "death of the White Fang," embezzling orphanage funds, spreading rumors that Naruto was the Nine-Tails, and the struggle for the Rinnegan in the Land of Rain...

As for the "assassination of the Hokage," that went without saying; it was just a bit of playful banter between old friends.

The more Genichi thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt. If it weren't for the fact that the Third Hokage had been decent to him, he would have been tempted to arrange an "accident" and seize the position himself.

Calming down to think it over, the Third Ninja War wasn't far off. Instead of trying to become Hokage now and playing political games in a small village, it would be better to continue building his strength. Three years, and another three years—when the time came, he would use overwhelming power to suppress all opposition, integrate Konoha for external expansion, utilize the village's powerful strength and intelligence network to collect items that would help elevate his power, and finally unify the Ninja World for generations to come.

Just as Genichi was envisioning the future, a man with short black hair, wearing a dark blue long robe with the Uchiha clan's fan crest on his back, walked in.

It was none other than the protagonist of the day, Fugaku Uchiha.

At this time, Fugaku was famous for his youth and immense strength; he was in high spirits, determined to make the Uchiha Clan great again.

Having awakened his Three-Tomoe Sharingan early, he thought to himself: Next, I should become the clan head, awaken the Mangekyo, become the Hokage, and embark on the glorious path of an Uchiha's life.

"Thank you all for coming to support me today. Let me toast everyone," Fugaku said with a smile, raising his cup.

Although he had carved out a great reputation on the battlefield, Genichi, who was not yet an adult and could not drink, substituted tea for wine and said, "Congratulations, young clan head of the Uchiha."

Hearing this, Fugaku laughed and said, "Haha, you're too kind. Genichi, you and Mikoto are such good friends; we should keep in close contact in the future."

Aware of the rift between the clan and the village, Fugaku continued to try and win over the powerful Genichi.

The Uchiha clan head—ever since Madara Uchiha left the village with the clan's heirloom, the Gunbai, the Uchiha had been locked in endless arguments over who should be the new leader.

Everyone possessed the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, and the gap in strength was limited. The Uchiha never admitted defeat to anyone, and no one was willing to submit to another.

Later, after finally selecting a respected elder to manage clan affairs, they encountered Setsuna Uchiha, who declared, "With my broken body, I shall become the raging fire that ensures the glory of the Uchiha lasts for another hundred years."

Although this rebellion failed to kill the Second Hokage, it did manage to kill the Uchiha clan head at the time.

After several more years of turmoil, they finally pushed forward a person with a relatively mild temperament and steady conduct to manage the clan—the grandfather of Mikoto Uchiha.

Up until now, there was only one woman in the clan head's household: Mikoto.

Female ninja usually retired from the profession after marriage to return to family life, and the Uchiha clan head had historically always been a man.

Thus, they had to choose a successor from the younger generation. Fugaku happened to be powerful and ambitious, and he held considerable prestige among the youth, which led to today's gathering.

Anyone with a discerning eye could see that today was the day the Uchiha Clan would select their young clan head.

Even if there was some underlying resentment, on the surface, everyone had to give the Uchiha Clan some face. Important figures, large and small, from across the village had arrived. In fact, there was only one person from the Konoha high command who hadn't received an invitation.

Who could that person be? It's so hard to guess.

Isn't that right, Danzo?