Konoha's Tag-System Ninja

Time always flies when you're busy.

While Shūichi was deep in his lab, experimenting with human modifications on White Zetsu, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Koharu Utatane, Homura Mitokado, and Nara Shikaku were being escorted by an Anbu squad led by Sarutobi Shinnosuke and Chihiro as they departed Konoha for the Daimyō's palace.

The journey was surprisingly peaceful, with no assassins foolish enough to ambush them.

After all, none of them—Hiruzen, Koharu, or Homura—were so old that they couldn't fight anymore. Together, the three of them still had a formidable presence.

They arrived at the Daimyō's palace without any issues. Waiting to receive them were not only ministers of the Daimyō's court but also the Daimyō's personal guards.

When Hiruzen's gaze fell on his long-unseen son, he noticed a distinct change in his demeanor.

"Hopefully, it's a good change…" Hiruzen thought to himself, though his face remained impassive.

The group was promptly led into the main hall for the meeting, where Hiruzen and the others entered while Shinnosuke and the other guards stayed outside.

By one of the pillars, Shinnosuke removed his mask, smiling at his brother. "Looks like you've gotten a lot stronger!"

Sarutobi Asuma smiled sheepishly. "Compared to Shūichi and Kakashi, I'm still lagging quite a bit."

Shinnosuke patted Asuma's shoulder. "Shūichi once said something wise: the person we need to defeat most isn't others—it's ourselves."

"Your goal should be to surpass your own limits, not to compete with Shūichi or Kakashi."

"Everyone is different. Shūichi is unique—his abilities have surpassed anyone in the village, even Father and the soon-to-be Fourth Hokage."

"Kakashi, on the other hand, has endured a lot and lost a lot. It's by constantly surpassing himself that he's reached his current level."

Hearing this, Asuma nodded solemnly.

Shinnosuke chuckled, "I heard from Shūichi that you've made great progress in the Tailed Beast experiment. How's it going?"

Asuma scratched his head, "Well… I've made progress, but controlling the Tailed Beast's power is still incredibly difficult."

"Oh, by the way, has Kakashi succeeded yet?"

He had resisted asking Shūichi about it before.

"Indeed," Shinnosuke confirmed with a nod.

"You're doing your best—that's what counts. The Tailed Beast's power is just a foundation; what really matters is your own strength."

He tapped Asuma's forehead and chest. "Here… and here."

"Everyone has their own path. Only by walking your own can you stand on your own someday."

Asuma nodded in understanding. "I get it."

Then Shinnosuke suddenly shifted the topic. "Did you hear about how Shūichi took down the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and captured their swords?"

Asuma nodded. "I heard a bit about it. Why?"

Shinnosuke grinned. "Are you interested in wielding one of the swords?"

"Shūichi's looking for users for them!"

Asuma looked confused. "Seven swords… but, I use Wind Style, so I don't think any of them would suit me for close combat."

Shinnosuke laughed, leaving Asuma puzzled.

"Shūichi hasn't found a single suitable wielder for any of the swords yet."

When Asuma heard this, he was shocked. "That… That can't be, right?"

Those seven swords once tore through Konoha's defenses.

And now, no one wants them?

Are they joking?

Shinnosuke thought for a moment. "I think the people Shūichi approached are probably like you—they already have their own styles."

"After all, those seven swords aren't simple weapons; each one has its own unique properties."

…

While the Sarutobi brothers were reminiscing outside, the discussion in the meeting room turned to a critical topic.

The Daimyō, upon hearing of Hiruzen's decision to step down, feigned surprise. "At your age, Hiruzen, aren't you still capable of leading?"

"Even with the concessions made during the last war, isn't Danzo already dead?"

In truth, the Daimyō was thrilled that the "old man" would finally be stepping down. A new Hokage would be much easier to manipulate.

Whether it was Minato Namikaze or Orochimaru, both were better options than Hiruzen.

Though Hiruzen appeared lenient, he had fortified Konoha like an iron wall.

With Shūichi's help, the Daimyō had only recently managed to create a breach. Of course, he wanted to continue until he could fully dismantle Konoha's authority and eliminate the position of Hokage altogether.

Hiruzen, however, showed no sign of backtracking, saying firmly, "In the recent war, I made many mistakes. It's time to hand the future over to the younger generation."

The Daimyō nodded in agreement, deciding not to press further, as he didn't want to give Hiruzen a chance to change his mind. "If that's the case, then who will be the successor?"

As he said this, he cast his gaze around the room.

To his left sat his ministers and nobles, while to his right were Konoha's representatives.

The Konoha side remained silent, deferring to Hiruzen's judgment.

Meanwhile, the nobles and ministers began to murmur among themselves.

"Shouldn't it be Orochimaru?"

"After all, he made significant contributions in the last war."

"As one of the Sannin and a disciple of the Third Hokage, he's definitely a suitable candidate."

...

Although Danzo is dead, his PR campaign was well-prepared in advance.

The Daimyō hid most of his face behind a fan, with one eye observing the Konoha delegation.

As much as he hated to admit it, the Daimyō's government had no real authority over Konoha's personnel decisions.

Although he had invited Nara Shikaku as an advisor, Shikaku would never side with the Daimyō's interests.

Thus, the choice of the next Hokage was ultimately up to Hiruzen Sarutobi. The opinions of Konoha's Jōnin were the next priority, while the Daimyō's side was merely a formality.

Hiruzen, calm as always, listened to the discussions before slowly announcing, "For the next generation, Namikaze Minato is an excellent choice!"

Feigning curiosity, the Daimyō asked, "Namikaze Minato?"

A minister quickly added, "The Yellow Flash of Konoha—he's also Shūichi's teacher, the Blue Flash."

The Daimyō acted as if he had just realized, "Ah, so it's him."

"He seems quite young, doesn't he?"

Koharu Utatane clarified, "He's a disciple of Jiraiya, one of the Sannin."

The Daimyō nodded, "So he's Jiraiya's student and a grand-disciple of the Third Hokage! That's fine, then."

…

And so, the decision was settled.

As long as Minato passed the Jōnin vote and secured the support of all Konoha's Jōnin, he would officially become the Fourth Hokage. And it was clear that there would be no obstacles.

On May 2, Year 47 of Konoha, Shūichi was summoned from his experimental base by Shizune to attend the Jōnin meeting.

All available Jōnin in Konoha were required to attend, with the exception of the Anbu Jōnin.

When Shūichi arrived, the gathering was already crowded. Even Tsunade had arrived early, and to his surprise, so had Jiraiya, who was usually hard to pin down.

Only Orochimaru was absent from the Sannin, having left the village with Anko the previous month.

Among the attendees were also Kakashi, Uchiha Shisui, and others.

"Shūichi-kun!"

"Jōnin Shūichi!"

…

As soon as he appeared, greetings flooded in. "Clan Leader Fugaku!"

"Clan Leader Hiashi!"

"Shikaku-senpai!"

…

Shūichi returned each greeting courteously, then moved over to Tsunade and Jiraiya after saying hello to Kakashi.

"Why are you here so early?" Shūichi asked curiously. "And Tsunade, why didn't you call me?"

Tsunade replied calmly, "I wasn't at the experimental base."

"Recently, Hayate has been using Transparency Escape too often, so Nonō asked me to help treat him."

Shūichi raised an eyebrow at this.

Just then, a wave of voices signaled that his teacher, Namikaze Minato, had arrived. Shūichi immediately raised a hand in greeting.

Minato, much like Shūichi, greeted everyone warmly as he made his way over and called Kakashi over to join them.

They all chatted casually until Hiruzen, Koharu, and Homura arrived, at which point the conversations quieted down.

Then came the Jōnin vote—a simple process.

"Those in favor of Namikaze Minato as the Fourth Hokage, raise your hands."

Shūichi scanned the room and saw that no one withheld their vote. It was unanimous.

"Then, on May 6, we will hold the succession ceremony," Hiruzen finally declared.

After the vote, Shūichi and a few others gathered at a tavern. However, only Jiraiya and Tsunade drank; Minato didn't drink, and both Shūichi and Kakashi were still underage.

Jiraiya sighed, "It's a shame that Orochimaru isn't here."

Tsunade gave him a side-eye. "He was a candidate, after all."

Jiraiya laughed, "There's no shame in losing to Minato!"

"After all, Minato is my disciple!"

Shūichi chuckled, "And he's my teacher!"

Minato could only smile awkwardly.

Tsunade looked tempted to punch them both for their shamelessness.

After a bit of lighthearted chatter, Jiraiya spoke up, "Minato, after your inauguration ceremony, I'll be leaving the village."

Before Minato could respond, Tsunade frowned, "Going off again to find your so-called 'Child of Prophecy'?"

Jiraiya answered seriously, "I also want to gather intelligence, to see if Madara Uchiha is really dead or simply hiding."

The group fell silent, frowning, and Minato said, "It's too dangerous for you to go alone."

"From what happened last time, Nagato isn't likely to show mercy to you."

Shūichi quickly chimed in, "Jiraiya-sensei, you should stay in Mount Myōboku and master Sage Mode first."

"Leave the intelligence gathering to me."

"And finding Madara Uchiha isn't urgent right now. Even if we found him, we couldn't take him down alone."

"Just dealing with Nagato and the controlled Obito would be more than you could handle."

Then Shūichi turned to Minato and asked, "Sensei, you can activate Sage Mode instantly, right?"

Minato humbly replied, "Yes, but I can only maintain it for about two minutes."

Alright, his duration was indeed short.

But Jiraiya's prep time was ridiculously long.

In the original story, if Nagato had launched all six Paths from the start, he'd have defeated Jiraiya before he could even prepare.

Jiraiya, however, wasn't embarrassed at all, smiling as he said, "Even if my Sage Mode takes time to activate, I can sustain it for a long time with the help of two Sage Toads."

Tsunade mocked mercilessly, "In a real fight, especially when surrounded, no one will wait for you to finish your prep."

"Besides, Konoha is more important now."

"Madara Uchiha will surely come for the Nine-Tails."

Jiraiya sighed, "Alright, it seems my opportunities for gathering material are limited."

Minato smiled, "In that case, Jiraiya-sensei, you and Tsunade should serve as Hokage advisors too!"

Jiraiya quickly declined, "Minato, I need time to train in Sage Mode. I don't have time for that."

Though he couldn't gather intel abroad, he could still roam around Konoha.

Being an advisor would be too much trouble; it would take away all his writing time.

Tsunade also declined immediately, "Advising is too much work; I'll stay in Konoha Hospital."

Minato looked helplessly at Shūichi.

Shūichi shrugged with a smile, "Being an advisor is just a title."

"When there's important work, everyone will be involved in the discussion."

"I think, Minato-sensei, you should recruit a few secretaries to help. Otherwise, I fear you won't even have time to go home after you take office."

Jiraiya laughed heartily, giving Shūichi a thumbs-up. "Minato, better not hire any female secretaries, or Kushina might not let you come home at all!"

Everyone burst into laughter at that.

...

May 6, Year 47 of Konoha.

In front of the Hokage Building, a massive crowd had gathered.

Amidst a chorus of cheers, on the rooftop, Namikaze Minato, dressed in the Hokage's ceremonial robe, accepted the Hokage hat from Hiruzen Sarutobi at the age of just 23.

The youngest Hokage in history was born!

The Fourth Hokage has arrived!

In the crowd, Shūichi looked up at the Hokage Rock and thought, "I hope fate can change..."

"No, it definitely will!"

…

After the ceremony, Shūichi went to the Hokage's office, where he found Uzumaki Kushina dressed in her ninja attire. He smiled and said, "Congratulations, Kushina-san, on achieving your goal!"

Kushina looked puzzled. "Huh?"

"Shouldn't you be congratulating Minato?"

Shūichi winked at the couple. "I clearly remember you once saying, 'I'm going to be the woman of the Hokage!'"

"Now that Minato-sensei has become Hokage, your goal has been fulfilled."

Kushina laughed, hands on her hips. "I suppose you're right!"

"Then again, Shūichi, I seem to remember you saying something like, 'I'm going to be the man of the Hokage!'" Kushina teased him mischievously.

Nice comeback!

Shūichi quickly changed the subject. "Sensei, I'm planning to perform some modifications on Hayate Gekkō."

They'd discussed this before, so Minato asked, "Is the technique fully developed?"

Shūichi nodded. "The gill-based breathing system is stable—I've already tested it on White Zetsu."

"The skin-based breathing system still needs work; I'll need more time to perfect it."

"For now, starting with the gill-breathing setup for Hayate should work well. I can also create a specialized breathing mask for him, which should greatly ease his condition, especially without impacting his combat abilities."

If his research on the skin-breathing system were more advanced, Shūichi would replace Hayate's respiratory system entirely.

Rest assured, it won't resemble a toad's!

Minato, fully confident in Shūichi, nodded and asked, "And what about the Gekkō clan's opinion?"

Hayate's support was a given—Shūichi wouldn't have come if he hadn't already asked him. The key was the Gekkō clan's approval.

Shūichi smiled, "No issues there. I spoke to Hayate's father myself."

Minato laughed and said, "Then there's no problem. Go ahead."

Shūichi nodded and was about to leave when he suddenly stopped, turning to Kushina, who was busy reviewing paperwork. He grinned and said, "Kushina-san, make sure to get Sensei a few more assistants. Otherwise, he might not make it home in the evenings."

With that, Shūichi immediately teleported away with Flying Thunder God.

(End of Chapter)

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