Preparing to Become Hokage

My name is Hiruko, and growing up in Konoha, I had one dream: to become Hokage.

Yet now, my peers Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya have already carved out illustrious reputations on the battlefield, their title as the "Sannin" renowned throughout the Ninja World.

As for me, I am nothing more than a mediocre, unremarkable jonin in Konoha.

Is this because those three are superior to me? Of course not. Even that dead-last Jiraiya could reach his current status simply because the three of them were taken as disciples by the Third Hokage.

I had to prove myself, so I doubled my efforts, training and improving until I finally fulfilled my wish to become a jonin of the village—and then, I fell into despair.

Humanity has its limits; the bottlenecks of the body constrained me deeply. I understood clearly that people are not created equal; the chasm known as talent blocked my path, leaving me unable to advance even an inch.

However, fate eventually stood on my side. As I researched and analyzed kekkei genkai, I noticed that this special power originated from a unique cellular structure within a ninja's body.

Unlike those mortals limited by the superficial power of ninjutsu, I unlocked the secrets deep within the ninja bloodline.

With further development of medical ninjutsu, I discovered that the Yang release transformation of the Mystical Palm Technique could promote growth at the cellular level, effectively reducing rejection during cell transplantation.

Furthermore, the Delicate Illness Extraction Technique need not be limited to removing toxins or pathogens; it could penetrate deep into the human body, sensing and manipulating at the cellular level with precision.

I cannot remember how long I studied, but now, I have finally completed the prototype of this technique.

It is the forbidden technique among forbidden techniques—the Chimera Technique.

With it, I can seize the kekkei genkai of multiple other ninjas, taking their strengths to compensate for my weaknesses, and become the ultimate life form without flaws. I shall become the new—God of the Ninja World!

When that day comes, whether it is becoming Hokage or conquering the entire Ninja World, both will be nothing more than trivial matters.

But perfecting this technique requires time. For the sake of the stable and safe environment of Konoha, I cannot let the village discover the unethical experiments I am preparing to conduct.

Thus, I secretly built a laboratory in the Forest of Death and began fusing various animals from the forest to further refine the Chimera Technique.

However, just in the darkest hour before the dawn, the "Darkness of Konoha," Shimura Danzō, found me with his men.

"That is about the gist of it." Orochimaru spoke slowly to Chiba Genichi: "To urge me to develop the Hashirama Cells, Danzō also had Hiruko participate.

I have seen the Chimera Technique confiscated from his lab; it is nothing more than crude accumulation. Forcibly fusing other people's bodies still leaves rejection, and in the end, only destruction awaits him."

Chiba Genichi nodded without refuting him. The initial version of the Chimera Technique was indeed rough. Who could have foreseen that Hiruko would later conceive a "Godly Move"—using the special celestial phenomenon of the "Golden Ring Eclipse" to resolve the flaws in his body and achieve the ultimate leap?

Orochimaru continued, his tone growing increasingly excited: "But it is not entirely without value. Other people's bodies have rejection, but what about one's own?

I use cloning technology to screen and cultivate bodies with different attributes, then use the Chimera Technique to fuse them, obtaining a perfect vessel. Finally, I use the Living Corpse Reincarnation technique to transfer my soul into the soulless flesh.

When that day comes, Chiba Genichi, to use your words, I will shed my snake skin and ascend into a dragon!"

"Then I congratulate Teacher Orochimaru in advance. However, this process will likely be very long. Whether it is maintenance or screening, it requires a high tolerance for error and will consume a great deal of time and resources." Chiba Genichi also felt this line of thinking was correct and had the potential for success.

"Indeed. The current village would never tolerate me conducting such unethical experiments, let alone provide so many resources to fulfill my ambitions." Orochimaru said candidly: "So, Chiba Genichi, when exactly will you become Hokage? I can hardly wait.

The unchanging status quo is disgusting. Konoha is a rotting windmill that needs a new wind to give birth to new possibilities."

"Soon." Chiba Genichi said confidently. If he did not intend to stage a direct military coup, he would still need to wait a while. Chiba Genichi re-evaluated his plan.

Sigh, if I had transmigrated into the Uchiha Clan, I would only need to wait until my power was sufficient and then launch an armed coup in a legitimate manner. But for a civilian genius like me in the Hokage faction, there are far too many things to consider to become Hokage.

Some time ago, Fugaku Uchiha held a wedding with a female ninja from his clan, and recently, his wife had naturally become pregnant.

Chiba Genichi decided to go to the Nara family's pharmacy to buy some nourishing, pregnancy-stabilizing natural medicines. On the way, he "coincidentally" met Nara Shikaku on the commercial street, and then, under Chiba Genichi's enthusiastic invitation, Shikaku "had no choice" but to accompany him to visit Fugaku Uchiha's home.

Chiba Genichi, Nara Shikaku, and Fugaku Uchiha drank tea while discussing the matters ahead.

Chiba Genichi: "I remember Fugaku-dono said last time that even if I were to launch an armed coup, you and the Uchiha Clan would support me?"

With Nara Shikaku watching from the side, Fugaku could only take a tactical sip of tea to hide his embarrassment, then said:

"A misunderstanding, a misunderstanding. The Uchiha Clan is also a part of the village; how could we launch a coup so casually? However, if you, Chiba Genichi, want to run for Fourth Hokage, I am willing to provide help. I believe you will surely become a better Hokage than Sarutobi Hiruzen."

Better than Sarutobi Hiruzen? For a moment, Chiba Genichi could not tell if Fugaku was praising him or being sarcastic.

He then went straight to the point: "I have decided to become the Fourth Hokage, and I hope that both of you and the clans behind you will support me.

Regarding the current situation of the Uchiha Clan, whether the Third Hokage and his cohorts inherited the Second Hokage's will to target the Uchiha, whether they are suppressing ninja clans for the sake of the Konoha they envision, or for the interests of their own families—the past is hard to change.

But I do not come from a ninja clan, and I value the overall interests of Konoha more. Whether it is a ninja clan or civilians, the greater your contribution to me, the greater the rewards you will receive.

In the future, the Uchiha Clan will not only stop being targeted and excluded, but will instead be given important roles. Even if there are survivors of the nearly extinct Senju Clan or Uzumaki Clan who wish to rebuild, I will support them.

Konoha should not be limited to a small village. I will expand outward sooner or later. The more territory I manage, the more administrative personnel I will need, and Shikaku, this is also your family's advantage.

I will lead Konoha toward a higher, more magnificent future, and I will not hoard this glory for myself."

Shikaku and Fugaku looked at each other and nodded deeply.

Shikaku's thoughts: Chiba Genichi is so young, yet his strength already faintly surpasses the Third Hokage. He definitely cannot be stopped. This is for the best; perhaps he really can lead Konoha to new heights. For the Nara Clan, for Konoha!

Fugaku's thoughts: In this way, the rift between the Uchiha Clan and the village will be resolved. Although I did not become Hokage, the Uchiha Clan is no weaker than others, and in the future, through fair competition, we may yet ascend to the position of Hokage.

Seeing that both had agreed, Chiba Genichi nodded:

"How can I become Hokage? Shikaku, tell me your thoughts."

After careful consideration, Shikaku spoke: "The situation in the Ninja World is becoming increasingly chaotic. It would be better to accumulate a massive amount of prestige during the war.

Once the war ends, the Third will likely step down as a matter of course. By then, with your strength and prestige, there will basically be no accidents."

Chiba Genichi, however, shook his head: "The war ends? I don't have that much time to waste on them."

"But in times of peace, there are no opportunities, and during wartime, the Third Hokage will likely use the excuse of maintaining stability to forcibly suppress any change in the Hokage position. I fear we will find it very difficult to secure an opening!" Shikaku analyzed carefully after hearing Genichi's thoughts.

"Don't be anxious, Shikaku. Let me ask you both another question." Genichi was not in a hurry, speaking slowly: "In a negotiation, what should we do to secure the greatest benefits?"

Fugaku thought about how the Uchiha would handle it and said, "Kill the negotiation opponent?"

Shikaku shook his head. If they wanted to move against the Third Hokage, they could have done so long ago; there was no need to wait for war to break out. After thinking carefully, he said, "Investigate the opponent's intelligence, engage in constant back-and-forth during the negotiation, gradually erode their position, and finally probe their bottom line?"

"What you both said is not wrong, but a person's bottom line can change. If there is no opportunity, we shall create one."

Genichi explained slowly: "If I want to open a new window in the Hokage office, the Third Hokage will likely disagree. But what if I intend to tear down the entire Hokage building? The Third Hokage might then be willing to sit down and talk, thinking that opening a window is not something that cannot be discussed."

"I intend to take advantage of the gradually intensifying situation and the rise of pro-war factions within the village. First, Fugaku, you will step forward and firmly state that the Third Hokage has grown old, which is why other villages dare to repeatedly offend our strongest ninja village. Now, we must campaign for the Fourth Hokage to protect the village and make Konoha great again."

"The Third Hokage and his faction cannot accept an Uchiha as Hokage, nor can they ignore the threats from outside villages to forcibly move against the Uchiha clan at this stage. In all likelihood, they will try to find a way to deal with you, Fugaku."

"Shikaku, you are a Konoha strategist. When the time comes, you can drop hints and guide them to push me forward to compete for the Fourth Hokage position to suppress Fugaku."

"Once I become Hokage, I will take advantage of the wartime period to resolve some internal issues, and then bring the war to an end."

"Not bad. Usually, everyone might be accustomed to the Third Hokage sitting in the Hokage building handling administrative affairs, but when war arrives, the Third Hokage's weaknesses—his advanced age, his refusal to go to the battlefield, and his weakness in foreign affairs—will be exposed," Shikaku added.

"We can secretly guide everyone to notice the problems with the Third Hokage in advance, but it cannot be too obvious. Leave this matter to me."

Fugaku also nodded in agreement. He hadn't expected to have a role in campaigning for the Fourth Hokage, but it could be considered a way to give his clansmen an answer.