Fugaku was initially stunned.
Then, as though he had thought of something, a look of realization appeared on his face.
"Are you referring to those two?"
"That's right. I mean Lord Jiraiya and Lady Tsunade. In today's Konoha, those two are the most qualified and the strongest candidates to become the Fifth Hokage. No one else can compare to them. And I believe Lord Third would be willing to let either Lady Tsunade or Lord Jiraiya become the Fifth Hokage!"
Shōji nodded as he spoke.
As long as Sarutobi Hiruzen truly was a mild-tempered man, there was no reason for him to refuse to let his own direct disciples become his successors.
Everything followed naturally from there.
In the Original Work, Tsunade had ultimately become the Fifth Hokage. What Shōji needed to do was bring that process forward. Although both Tsunade and Jiraiya had their own emotional burdens or personality issues that made them unwilling to return to the village and take up the position of Hokage.
For the continuation of his clan.
He had no choice but to put in more effort in this regard. Whether it was Tsunade or Jiraiya, he had to get one of them to return to the village and become the Fifth Hokage. Only then could the Uchiha Clan truly find a way to break the deadlock.
Moreover, he would soon become a Hokage-direct Anbu, so he would certainly have plenty of opportunities and time to leave the village on missions. He could use those chances to look for the two of them.
Especially Tsunade.
Jiraiya would roam all over the world.
But Tsunade, who loved gambling, would basically never leave the Land of Fire.
After all, only the Land of Fire had the resources and environment to sustain a gambling industry.
If he