Even Knowing About It, He Hadn't Taken It Too Seriously

He paused here and took a long, deep look at Hibari.

"Even... if you wanted to become Hokage, I'd say you had a pretty good chance someday."

"Become Hokage?" Hibari was taken aback for a moment, then burst out laughing. "No, thanks. I'll pass."

Sarutobi Hiruzen stared at him in surprise. "What? From the way you're talking, you look down on the Hokage Position?"

"Not at all." Hibari waved a hand, grinning. "The Hokage is an extraordinary position, after all. Who among the village's shinobi hasn't wanted to be a beloved Lord Hokage like Grandpa Hashirama?"

"Then what are you getting at?" Sarutobi Hiruzen glanced at him.

Just as Hibari had said, almost every shinobi in the village had dreamed of it at one time or another.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was no exception. He, too, had wondered how he would lead Konoha to even greater heights if he became Hokage.

"Being Hokage is exhausting, and you're not free at all." Hibari grinned. "If you ask me, being an advisor would be more my speed. If you got tired of it, you could slack off—or just quit altogether..."

He laughed for a while, then suddenly sobered, his tone turning more serious.

"Besides, this village isn't ours alone to rule, even if we're the Senju Clan.

This might not be the most appropriate thing to say, but Grandpa Hashirama really isn't suited to being Hokage in certain ways. He knows that himself. It's just that the current situation has forced him into the role."

Hibari lowered his voice. "I once overheard him telling Second Grandpa that once things had settled down, he'd resign as Hokage and invite Grandpa Madara to take the position... But now Grandpa Madara's whereabouts are unknown, so that plan's obviously fallen through. Still, Hiruzen, you've noticed it too, haven't you?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen showed no surprise at these "outrageous" remarks. He worked in the Hokage Building, after all, and knew exactly what Lord Hokage was like.

Since Hibari had already said this much, he saw no need to hide it. He nodded. "Yeah... Lord Hokage is deliberately grooming my teacher now, gradually transferring his power to him."

"Then I don't need to spell out what that means, do I?" Hibari raised an eyebrow and smiled.

Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled, too. "You really do know a lot, and you've seen things clearly... That's right. Unless something unexpected happens, my teacher will definitely become the Second Hokage. And from the looks of things, everyone in the village except the Uchiha Clan has already accepted it."

"The Uchiha Clan can't outmaneuver Second Grandpa. They won't be able to stir up any trouble." Hibari waved a hand, sounding certain. "So Second Grandpa will definitely become Hokage. That'll make two generations of Hokage from our Senju Clan.

Do you think the villagers would accept me as the Third? Even if they did, our Senju Clan would be too embarrassed to keep taking the position!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Hibari and smiled.

"You're thinking about this way too early. Let one or two Hokage take the position between you and him. After a couple of terms, you can take over, can't you?"

"Hahaha, no thanks!" Hibari laughed and shook his head. "I can't be bothered."

Just as Sarutobi Hiruzen had said, after two or three terms, the Senju Clan could certainly take the Hokage Position again. By then, probably no one would object.

Hibari waved his hand, looking completely unconcerned.

"By then, I won't have the time to think about the Hokage Position."

He looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen with a grin. "This village just isn't enough to keep me busy. The world beyond it is so vast. I'll have to go out and make a bigger splash to have any real fun."

Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't help laughing.

"You've got quite the ambition, complaining that the village is too small? If Lord Hokage or Teacher Tobirama heard you say that, you'd be in for it."

"Isn't Tsunade here?" Hibari shrugged. "Maybe she'll make something of herself and become Hokage someday. Anyway, let's leave that for now. Honestly, Hiruzen, I think you've got a good chance of taking over from Second Grandpa and becoming the Third Hokage."

He paused, popped a piece of meat into his mouth, and chewed as he spoke. "Work hard."

"Me?" Sarutobi Hiruzen was startled for a moment, then smiled frankly. "Funny you should say that. I really am working toward that goal."

He didn't try to hide it. Wanting to become Hokage was nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, admitting it openly made him seem all the more honorable.

As Teacher Tobirama's direct disciple, it was only natural that he'd want to carry on his legacy, and the Sarutobi Clan had the standing to back him up. So Hibari didn't tease him. He simply nodded.

"I believe in you."

"Heh, you cheeky brat. You're getting more and more full of yourself." Sarutobi Hiruzen laughed and chided him. "Do I need you to believe in me?"

Still smiling, he lifted his cup, took a sip, and looked at Hibari.

"Time to talk business, isn't it? You went out of your way to invite me here. Surely it wasn't just to treat me to barbecue?"

"Hahaha, of course not." Hibari waved a hand with a laugh. "With things as they are, the Ninja Academy is definitely going to open. I figured you'd be teaching there soon, so I wanted to recommend a couple of promising kids to you... Speak of the devil."

Before he finished speaking, his gaze had already drifted toward the window.

Sarutobi Hiruzen followed his gaze. He wasn't surprised that Hibari wanted to recommend some promising students.

The Sarutobi Clan and the Senju Clan were close, and Sarutobi Hiruzen owed his place as Teacher Tobirama's disciple to that relationship. Now that he had proven himself capable and was going to teach at the Ninja Academy, Teacher Tobirama had already told him to keep an eye on little Tsunade.

He understood what that meant: he was supposed to take Tsunade on as a student. He owed his teacher a great deal, so of course he wouldn't refuse. Besides, though Tsunade was mischievous, she had Senju blood and undeniable talent. She was more than qualified to be his student.

And if that position were offered publicly, plenty of people would fight for it. Even the Uchiha Clan probably wouldn't turn down such a good opportunity.

Now Hibari wanted to recommend someone as well, which piqued his interest. He looked up and, sure enough, saw two young boys walking over after spotting Hibari.

"Who are they?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked curiously.

Hibari waved the two boys over and had them stand beside him before speaking. "These are the two promising kids I picked out for you. This one's Orochimaru, and this one's Jiraiya."

He already knew Orochimaru well. As for Jiraiya, he was always hanging around and playing with Orochimaru. Hibari had run into him a few times and thought the boy was pretty interesting, too.

If Orochimaru came from an ordinary family, Jiraiya had it even worse—he was an orphan. His parents had been civilians, and they hadn't survived the chaos of war.

He was now scraping by in Konoha on the monthly relief payments, with Hibari occasionally giving him a hand. So far, the boy hadn't shown any striking talent, unlike Orochimaru, whose intelligence had been apparent from an early age.

As a result, few people in the village knew him, and even those who did hadn't thought much of him.

"Come on, you two." Hibari slung an arm around each of their shoulders. "Say hello to this uncle. He's pretty famous, though he's just a tiny bit less impressive than me... This is Sarutobi Hiruzen.

I want you two to become his students, so hurry up and call him 'Teacher.'"

Orochimaru's eyes lit up at once. He'd only heard about the Ninja Academy that morning and had been thinking about enrolling. He never expected to run into such an opportunity that afternoon.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was a renowned genius of the Sarutobi Clan, skilled in all five nature transformations and highly respected throughout the village. Normally, Orochimaru wouldn't even have had the chance to approach him and say a word.

Orochimaru truly hadn't expected Hibari to be so kind. He'd bought him books, and now he was planning to recommend him as a student to someone so impressive.

He was genuinely grateful, but his nature kept him from showing it. He simply looked calmly at Sarutobi Hiruzen and said softly, "Teacher."

Sarutobi Hiruzen had often heard Hibari praise Orochimaru's talent. Seeing how unfazed the boy seemed, he found himself even more impressed. He smiled and replied, "Hibari's told me a lot about you. Not bad."

But Jiraiya wasn't happy when he heard that they were going to find him a teacher. He raised his voice and protested, "Hibari! You said I was coming for barbecue! Why are you trying to find me a teacher now?"

Hibari raised a hand and smacked him on the back of the head. "Watch your manners. Call me Hibari-nii!"

Only after taking the hit did Jiraiya grumble reluctantly, "Hibari-nii..."

Hibari continued, "I'm doing this for your own good. You're running around unsupervised all the time, getting into trouble. How many times have I had to clean up after you?"

After being scolded, Jiraiya immediately wilted and stood there obediently. Seeing him like that, Hibari went on, "You can't keep drifting around like this. You might not have much obvious talent, but you've got real perseverance. You know how to stick with things.

There are two kinds of people in this world: geniuses, and hardworking geniuses. The guy next to you, Orochimaru, belongs to the first kind.

As for you... I'd say you're the second kind. So, to keep you from wasting your time, I went to the trouble of finding you a teacher. From now on, you're going to learn from your Uncle Hiruzen here. Got it?"

Jiraiya felt warm inside as he listened. He might have been a bit of a rascal, but having experienced the good and bad of life from a young age, he knew perfectly well who cared about him and who didn't. He was just a little embarrassed to show it.

Seeing Jiraiya's awkward expression, Hibari smiled again and patted his head. "Jiraiya, you're still young, but you've grown up enough to know better. You need to think carefully about what you want to do with your life. Aren't you always saying you want to be a shinobi?

I think this is the right path, which is why I went out of my way to find you such a good teacher. With Hiruzen looking after you, at least you won't have to worry about where your next meal is coming from..."

At that, Jiraiya stopped fooling around. He nodded and said in a muffled voice, "Thanks, Hibari-nii..." Then he turned to Sarutobi Hiruzen and called out, "Teacher."

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded, accepting the title, and said, "A hardworking genius, huh? Then you'd better show me what you can do."

"Hahahaha, don't worry, Hiruzen. I promise he won't disappoint you!" Hibari replied with a hearty laugh, then beckoned to the two boys. "Come on, sit down! Order whatever you want. Your teacher's treating us today, so don't hold back!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had been grinning a moment earlier, went rigid. He hurriedly protested, "Hey, hey! What are you talking about? Didn't I come because you invited me to barbecue? How did it become my treat?"

"What do you mean, what am I talking about?" Hibari said righteously. "You know I don't have any money. All my money's been taken by Grandpa Hashirama... Ahem. Anyway, if Lord Hokage doesn't pay me, I'm broke. So you're paying!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen stared at Hibari's shameless face, at a loss for words. After a long moment, he leaned closer and whispered, "How about... we split the bill? Half each, all right?"