Preparing to Become Hokage

My name was Hiruko. I had grown up in Konoha, and I had a dream: to become Hokage.

But now, Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya, who had been my classmates, had already made names for themselves on the battlefield. Their title, the Sannin, was renowned throughout the Ninja World.

As for me, I was nothing more than an utterly unremarkable jōnin in Konoha.

Was it because the three of them were more talented than me? Of course not. Even Jiraiya, that dead-last loser, had reached his current position simply because the Third had taken all three of them as his students.

I had to prove myself, so I worked twice as hard, trained, and improved. At last, I became a jōnin in the village, just as I'd hoped. And then I fell into despair.

Human beings had their limits. The bottleneck of my body held me back, and I understood perfectly well that people were not all the same. A gulf called talent stood in my way, stopping me from making any further progress.

But in the end, fate was on my side. Through my research and analysis of Kekkei Genkai, I realized that this special power came from a unique cellular structure within a ninja's body.

Unlike ordinary people who only focused on the surface-level power of ninjutsu, I had unlocked the secrets buried deep within a ninja's bloodline.

As I continued developing Medical Ninjutsu, I discovered that the Yang Release transformation of the Mystical Palm Technique could promote growth at the cellular level and effectively reduce rejection during cell transplants;

and the Delicate Illness Extraction Technique didn't have to be limited to removing toxins and pathogens. It could reach deep into the human body, sensing and precisely manipulating cells.

I'd lost track of how long I'd been researching, but now I had finally completed a preliminary version of the technique.

It was none other than the forbidden technique among forbidden techniques—the Chimera Technique.

With it, I could take the Kekkei Genkai of multiple other ninjas, combine their strengths, and become a flawless, ultimate life-form. I would become the new—God of the Ninja World!

By then, whether I wanted to become Hokage or conquer the entire Ninja World, it would be child's play.

But perfecting the technique would take time. For the sake of Konoha's stable and secure environment, I couldn't let the village discover the unethical experiments I was preparing to conduct.

So I secretly built a laboratory in the Forest of Death and began fusing the various animals living there to further perfect the Chimera Technique.

But at this darkest hour before dawn, Shimura Danzō, the Darkness of Konoha, showed up with his men.

"That's more or less how it happened." Orochimaru spoke slowly to Genichi. "Danzō wanted to push me to develop the Hashirama Cells, so he brought Hiruko into the project.

"I also looked at the Chimera Technique they found in his laboratory. It was just a crude pileup. Forcing other people's bodies together didn't eliminate rejection. No matter how small the reaction was, it was still there. In the end, all that awaited him was destruction."

Genichi nodded without arguing. The initial version of the Chimera Technique was indeed crude. Who could have guessed that Hiruko would eventually come up with a masterstroke—using the special celestial phenomenon known as the Golden Ring Eclipse to fix the flaws in his body and achieve the ultimate leap?

Orochimaru continued, growing more and more animated. "Still, it wasn't entirely worthless. If other people's bodies reject each other, what about your own?

"I'll use cloning technology to cultivate bodies with different traits, then fuse them using the Chimera Technique to create a perfect vessel. Finally, I'll use Living Corpse Reincarnation to reincarnate into a body without a soul.

"When that day comes, Genichi, to use your words, I'll shed my snake's body and ascend into a dragon!"

"Then let me congratulate you in advance, Orochimaru-sensei. But the process will probably take a long time. Whether it's maintaining the bodies or selecting them, you'll need plenty of room for error, and it'll consume a lot of time and resources." Genichi also thought the idea made perfect sense. It had a chance of succeeding.

"Exactly. The village wouldn't tolerate me conducting experiments that cross ethical boundaries, and it certainly wouldn't provide enough resources to help me." Orochimaru said frankly. "So, Genichi, when exactly are you going to become Hokage? I can hardly wait.

"The unchanging status quo is repulsive. This decaying windmill called Konoha needs a new wind if it's to give birth to new possibilities."

"Soon," Genichi replied confidently. Unless he planned to seize power by force, he would have to wait a while longer. Genichi reviewed his plan from the beginning.

If only I'd been born into the Uchiha Clan. I'd just have to wait until I was strong enough, then launch an armed coup with a perfectly legitimate claim. But as an ordinary-born genius from the Hokage's faction, there's a lot more to consider if I want to become Hokage.

Some time ago, Fugaku Uchiha had married a kunoichi from his clan. Recently, his wife had naturally become pregnant.

Genichi decided to visit the Nara Clan's pharmacy to buy some natural remedies for nourishment and to support a healthy pregnancy. On the way, he "coincidentally" ran into Nara Shikaku in the commercial district. Then, at Genichi's enthusiastic invitation, Shikaku "had no choice" but to accompany him to visit Fugaku Uchiha.

Chiba Genichi, Nara Shikaku, and Fugaku Uchiha sat drinking tea as they discussed what came next.

Genichi said, "I remember you saying last time, Fugaku, that even if I launched 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 awkwardness. Then he said:

"Misunderstanding, misunderstanding. The Uchiha Clan is part of the village. How could we launch a coup on a whim? But if you're running for Fourth Hokage, Genichi, I'm willing to help. I'm sure you'll become a better Hokage than Sarutobi Hiruzen."

Better than Sarutobi Hiruzen? For a moment, Genichi couldn't tell whether Fugaku was complimenting him or being sarcastic.

Then he got straight to the point. "I've decided to become Fourth Hokage. I hope both of you and the clans behind you will support me.

"As for the Uchiha Clan's current situation, it doesn't matter whether the Third and the others are carrying on the Second's will by targeting the Uchiha, suppressing the clans for the sake of Konoha, or pursuing the interests of their own families. The past can't be changed.

"I'm not from a ninja clan, and I care more about Konoha's interests as a whole. Whether you're from a clan or an ordinary family, the greater your contributions to me, the greater your rewards will be.

"From now on, the Uchiha Clan won't be targeted or ostracized. On the contrary, you'll be entrusted with important responsibilities. Even if members of the nearly extinct Senju Clan or the Uzumaki Clan want to rebuild their clans, I'll support them.

"Konoha shouldn't be confined to a little village. Sooner or later, I'll expand beyond its borders. The more territory we govern, the more administrators we'll need. Shikaku, that's where your clan has an advantage.

"I'll lead Konoha toward a greater, more glorious future. And I won't keep that glory to myself."

Shikaku and Fugaku exchanged a glance, then nodded deeply.

Genichi is so young, yet his strength already seems to surpass the Third's. There's no way to stop him. Maybe that's for the best. Perhaps he really can lead Konoha to new heights—for the Nara Clan, and for Konoha!

This will resolve the rift between the Uchiha Clan and the village. I may not have become Hokage, but the Uchiha Clan is second to none. With fair competition in the future, we may still have a chance to claim the Hokage Position.

Seeing that they agreed, Genichi nodded.

"How do we get you elected Hokage? Shikaku, tell me what you think."

After careful consideration, Shikaku replied, "The situation in the Ninja World is getting more and more chaotic. We should use the war to build up your reputation.

"Once the war ends, the Third will probably step down of his own accord. With your strength and reputation, Genichi, there shouldn't be any surprises."

Genichi shook his head. "The war ending? I don't have that much time to waste waiting for them."

"But there won't be any opportunities in peacetime. During the war, the Third might use the need for stability as a reason to forcibly block a change in Hokage. It'll be hard for us to find an opening," Shikaku said, carefully analyzing Genichi's plan.

"Don't worry, Shikaku. Let me ask you both something." Genichi wasn't in a hurry. He spoke slowly. "During negotiations, what should we do to get the best deal?"

Fugaku considered how the Uchiha would handle things and replied, "Kill the other side?"

Shikaku shook his head. If they planned to go after the Third, they could have done it already. There was no need to wait for war to break out. After thinking it through, he replied, "Investigate their situation, keep pushing and pulling during negotiations, gradually chip away at them, and ultimately find out where they draw the line?"

"You're both right. But people's bottom lines can change. If there's no opportunity, we'll create one."

Genichi explained slowly, "If I wanted to open another window in the Hokage's office, the Third probably wouldn't agree. But what if I planned to tear down the entire Hokage Building? Wouldn't the Third want to sit down and talk? Opening a window is a small thing. It's not out of the question.

"I plan to take advantage of the growing tensions and the rise of the village's hawks. First, Fugaku, you'll stand up and firmly declare that the Third is too old. That's why other villages dare to repeatedly provoke our strongest ninja village. We must elect a Fourth Hokage now to protect the village and make Konoha great again.

"The Third and the others can't accept an Uchiha becoming Hokage, but neither can they ignore the threat from other villages and attack the Uchiha Clan by force at this stage. Most likely, they'll find a way to deal with you, Fugaku.

"Shikaku, you're one of Konoha's advisers. When the time comes, you can drop hints and steer them into putting me forward as a candidate for Fourth Hokage to keep Fugaku in check.

"Once I become Hokage, I'll use the war to deal with some internal problems, then bring the war to an end by taking the fight to the other villages."

"Exactly. Normally, everyone might be used to seeing the Third sitting in the Hokage Building handling village affairs. But when war comes, the Third's advanced age, his refusal to go to the battlefield, and his weakness toward other villages will all be exposed," Shikaku added.

"We can subtly draw people's attention to the Third's problems ahead of time, but we can't make it too obvious. Leave this to me."

Fugaku also nodded in agreement. He hadn't expected to have a shot at becoming the Fourth Hokage after all. At least it would give him something to show his clan.