I Have a Bunch of Relatives Who Want to Be Hokage Chapter 46

Hold them down for me!

"Sister Kushina, wouldn't it be fine if you just stuffed the Nine-Tails back in?" Uchiha Shingen asked directly.

Uzumaki Kushina froze.

Namikaze Minato, who had already brought his hands together to form seals, froze as well.

After a moment, Uzumaki Kushina asked weakly, "Um... is that possible? There's never been any such precedent."

"Has anyone ever tried stuffing one back in?" Uchiha Shingen said irritably. "How would you know without trying? And what kind of parents are you, insisting on making your child an orphan?"

This was the part he truly couldn't understand.

If Namikaze Minato weren't still, at least for now, the greatest buffer between the Uchiha Clan and the Hokage Building, he wouldn't have cared about this couple at all.

After all, their deaths would count as weakening the Hokage Building.

But that small advantage was ultimately dispensable and wouldn't fundamentally change the situation. Keeping them alive offered greater possibilities instead.

"That's right, Kushina, think carefully!" Namikaze Minato's eyes lit up, his face brightening with joy. "Is there any precedent like that?"

"No." Uzumaki Kushina said. "Once a Tailed Beast is extracted, the jinchuriki immediately..."

Then she realized.

There was no precedent because those jinchuriki hadn't been Uzumaki. They had all died on the spot.

Since they were dead, naturally no one could stuff the Tailed Beast back in. And no one would know what happened if it could be put back.

Looking at it that way... this could work!

"It's worth trying!" she said.

Uzumaki Kushina had always been the sort to act as soon as she made up her mind. Once she saw a chance, she immediately began trying.

Moreover, Uchiha Shingen's Four Red Yang Formation had greatly reduced the pressure on her.

She was currently on the brink of death because the extraction of the Nine-Tails had caused her life force to continuously drain away. If stuffing it back in could stop that trend, there were ways to replenish the life force she had lost.

At most, her body would be weaker afterward, but not excessively so. After all, lost life force could be replenished to a certain extent through superb medical ninjutsu.

Convalescence, after all.

"Hah!" With a burst of effort from Uzumaki Kushina, the Nine-Tails was dragged over.

If the Uchiha Clan's power suppressed the minds of Tailed Beasts, then the Uzumaki Clan's power suppressed their bodies.

As distant relatives of the Senju of the Forest, this clan had forged its own path and possessed unique expertise in developing bodily energy.

The Nine-Tails glared in fury. This familiar sensation told it that it was about to be shoved back inside.

And there was another powerful person standing beside her. Just look at that guy.

That was the Four Symbols Seal, wasn't it? This lord recognized it too!

The entire process went as smoothly as sailing with the current.

When it came to sealing Tailed Beasts, Uzumaki Kushina was thoroughly adept, while Namikaze Minato had become highly proficient in sealing techniques under his wife's instruction.

With husband and wife working as one, the Nine-Tails had barely spent a full night outside before they stuffed it back in.

After completing everything, the utterly exhausted Uzumaki Kushina held her stomach and leaned against Namikaze Minato's chest, carefully sensing the changes in her body.

"How is it?" Namikaze Minato asked.

He was nervous to death.

Uchiha Shingen was observing her as well. He felt that Uzumaki Kushina's complexion had improved.

Her face was still pale, but she no longer had the look of someone about to die.

Sure enough, he heard Uzumaki Kushina's delighted voice.

"I'm fine! My life force isn't draining away anymore!"

Hero Uchiha

On the tenth day of October in the fifty-first year of Hidden Leaf Village, the village's shinobi and civilians finally experienced the suffering of a Tailed Beast rampage, just like the other shinobi villages that possessed jinchuriki.

Fortunately, it was only suffering, not devastation.

When the sun rose the next day, everyone in the southern district felt as though they had been given a second life.

Whenever they thought of that event, they thought of the enormous frost giant and Uchiha Shingen.

Then they thought of the Uchiha Ice and Snow Exhibition and the Uchiha Clan.

Overnight, the Uchiha Clan's standing in the hearts of the southern district's residents soared dramatically.

The Hidden Leaf's shinobi had their own thoughts on the matter as well. Those whose families lived in the southern district and who had personally witnessed Uchiha Shingen stopping the Nine-Tails at the city wall were overflowing with goodwill toward the young man.

This included quite a few members of the Jonin Council.

However, shinobi—at least the jonin—would not casually extend that gratitude to the entire Uchiha Clan, even though their views of the clan had indeed changed greatly.

That still did not prevent their enthusiasm toward Uchiha Shingen.

When the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, and Uzumaki Kushina returned to the southern district wall with Naruto in their arms, alongside Uchiha Shingen, and loudly announced that they had resealed the Nine-Tails, the shinobi's cheers resounded through the sky.

The three of them were hailed as heroes.

Namikaze Minato was the Hokage, and Uzumaki Kushina was the Hokage's wife. Everyone wanted to celebrate, but they could not help feeling somewhat restrained.

Uchiha Shingen was different. A youthful hero—he was just a shy big boy.

So the Hidden Leaf ninja, with nowhere to vent their excitement, swarmed forward and lifted Uchiha Shingen up, tossing him high into the air.

Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina walked back, while Uchiha Shingen alone was tossed all the way back by the crowd.

The Uchiha Clan's ninja simply joined in as well.

It was too awkward to just watch from the side. They might as well toss him too.

The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, watched this scene with both gratification and concern.

He was gratified that although Uchiha Shingen was exceptionally talented and powerful, he was still a ninja who possessed the Will of Fire. What concerned him was that the clan might lead him astray.

Sarutobi Hiruzen admitted that he indeed had plenty of flaws, but he swore to heaven that he had never specifically targeted the Uchiha Clan.

During his time in office, he had never specifically targeted any ninja clan.

There were simply rules to the game.

The Uchiha alone held one-sixth of the Hidden Leaf's departmental interests. Since that was the case, should they not make concessions elsewhere?

They could not just take without giving anything back, could they? Everyone ate from the same pot. If they really counted things up, no one's contributions were insignificant.

Sarutobi Hiruzen decided to discuss inviting Uchiha Shingen into the ANBU with Namikaze Minato when they returned.

Joining Root was out of the question. That was where the dirty work was done. From today onward, Uchiha Shingen was a hero of the village; he could not and should not be made to do dirty work.

He should become a bridge between the Uchiha Clan and the Hokage Building.

If he could not join the ANBU, then Uchiha Shingen would leave the Police Force and become part of the regular forces.

Ever since Namikaze Minato became Hokage, the completion rate for S-rank missions had noticeably slowed.

His three former students no longer took missions now.

Orochimaru spent every day hanging around with Danzo. No one ever saw him.

Jiraiya claimed he was searching for the Child of Destiny. No one ever saw him either.

Tsunade was at the casino, thanks.

That meant the Hokage faction's former main force for S-rank missions had all gone down!

How could that be allowed!?

"Danzo, I've decided." Sarutobi Hiruzen turned to Shimura Danzo with a very serious expression. "I must get this child out of the Police Force."

"Oh?" Shimura Danzo's eyes lit up. "Then let him join Root. Root happens to need talent like him."

"No, Danzo. He cannot remain in darkness."

"With his combat power, devoting himself to darkness would be most beneficial to the village." Several plans instantly ran through Shimura Danzo's mind.

For example, there were several organizations he felt could be dealt with ahead of schedule this year.

Those that threatened the Hidden Leaf, those hostile to the Hidden Leaf, those who paid lip service while opposing the Hidden Leaf, those who defrauded the Hidden Leaf of funding...

They all fucking had to die!

"Your vision is too narrow, Danzo." Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head. "This child must walk in the light."

Devote himself to darkness? Forget it. I'm already worried that his clan will lead him astray, and you want him to devote himself to darkness.

Should I bow to you while I'm at it?

Are you afraid he won't think there isn't a single good person in the Hokage Building?

Wave after wave of cheers drifted over as the two old men followed the crowd back.

They were getting old. Staying up all night was hard on the body.

Over the next few days, the Hidden Leaf Village was as lively as if it were celebrating a festival.

Without the devastating losses of the original timeline, the villagers' views of the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki had not changed. The only difference was that they now had a clearer understanding of what a jinchuriki was.

The Hokage Building did seriously reflect on its previously overoptimistic attitude.

During that time, the Hokage Building specifically held a moderately sized award ceremony in the village for Uchiha Shingen.

Because the Minato couple took a rather firm stance, the old men and women truly did not play any tricks this time. The ceremony was held at the Hokage Building, and the prize money was handed over on the spot.

Uchiha Shingen's reputation was thoroughly established.

A huge number of villagers from the southern district came, cheering him on nonstop below. His popularity exploded.

While the momentum was hot, Sarutobi Hiruzen, wearing the air of a kindly old grandfather, invited Uchiha Shingen to join the ANBU.

Uchiha Shingen appeared flattered and overwhelmed, fully demonstrating what it meant to be a diehard Hokage fan.

With a sincere expression, he said that he was still young and needed more training. ANBU work was so important that he felt pressured and feared he might not do it well, so he hoped to take on work better suited to his current state—work that would still allow him to contribute to the Hidden Leaf.

For example, S-rank missions.

Nothing else. He simply wanted to see more of the world, become more useful to the village, and incidentally make a modest contribution to the village's self-generated revenue.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was deeply gratified, saying that young people ought to use their brains more. After all, the thinking of old folks like them was relatively conservative and not as flexible as that of the younger generation.

He then took the opportunity to invite Uchiha Shingen to take up a position at the Ninja Academy, asking him to spare some time to care more about the growth of the village's next generation.

Uchiha Shingen said he would be honored to do so.

The atmosphere was utterly peaceful.

It was filled with democracy, harmony, and friendship.

The touching sight of the new and old generations working together left a profound impression on the staff present, filling them with confidence in the village's future.

Wherever leaves danced, the fire burned on.

The Will of Fire had worthy successors.

This year's S-rank mission completion rate would surely reach a new high.

After all, everyone knew that Uchiha Shingen could use Flying Raijin.

The entire shinobi world knew that the Yellow Flash always completed his mission, and when it came to delivering confidential documents, he was unbelievably fast.

Jobs that took others a month to run, he could finish in a single day.

Ever since Namikaze Minato became Hokage, Leaf Village's efficiency in this type of mission had plummeted off a cliff, dropping to roughly the same level as the other villages.

But now, things were looking up—they were returning to their peak!

Uchiha Shingen arrived at the Ninja Academy by invitation

The next day, after getting up, Uchiha Shingen broke precedent by not heading straight to the training ground.

It was not because he had gotten cocky. It was because, following Sarutobi Hiruzen's invitation, he was going to the Ninja Academy today.

He had not been there in a long time.