Chapter 23: Sensei will become Hokage
"No, Sensei also brought back a severely injured Iwa ninja!"
Rin calmed her heartbeat and then looked up at Kakashi to explain.
"Really?"
Kakashi exclaimed in surprise. He hadn't expected that the Iwa ninja was still alive. Before losing consciousness, he had seen Shenran completely hit by Kamikazutani's wind jutsu. He thought the mission had failed and history had changed. Unexpectedly, it hadn't!
"Yes! You were unconscious for two days. The Iwa ninja lost an arm but was discharged early and signed the peace treaty with Konoha. We don't have to fight anymore!"
Rin nodded, her eyes full of joy as she spoke to Kakashi. Having been on the battlefield since she was a child, Rin had longed for peace.
"Yes! No more fighting!"
Kakashi smiled gently, infected by Rin's happiness.
However, Kakashi knew that peace wouldn't come quickly for Konoha. The Nine-Tails attack would happen next year, followed by a conflict with the Cloud Village before a period of peace. Yet, even that wouldn't last long. The chaos would resume when Naruto and his peers graduated from the Ninja Academy. But those were events for the future.
"Kakashi, did you know? The village is electing the Fourth Hokage! Sensei has a good chance of becoming the Fourth Hokage! Many in the village support him!"
Rin's beautiful eyes sparkled with excitement as she shared the news with Kakashi.
Kakashi's heart stirred at her words. As expected, Minato was about to become the Fourth Hokage!
"Really? How did you find out?"
Kakashi feigned surprise as he asked Rin.
"It's all over the village. A village vote elects each new Hokage before being confirmed by the Daimyo!"
"Several candidates have the strength to be Hokage: Jiraiya-sama, Tsunade-sama, though she left years ago, and Orochimaru-sama, who could have been chosen but defected. That leaves our Sensei! Everyone in the village is discussing who should be the Fourth Hokage!"
"I've heard that Jiraiya-sama and Tsunade-sama are the most popular, but Jiraiya-sama has refused to become Hokage, and Tsunade-sama isn't here. So, Sensei has the best chance of becoming the Fourth Hokage!"
Rin smiled gently as she explained, still excited about the possibility of her teacher becoming Hokage, making her the disciple of the Hokage.
Kakashi pretended to be pleasantly surprised while inwardly noting that the historical timeline remained intact.
"Sensei will become Hokage!"
Kakashi said confidently, believing in Minato's success as he knew the future.
"Yes!"
"I've heard that Jiraiya-sama has firmly refused the position, and the village leaders have decided to send someone to find Tsunade-sama. If they don't succeed within a month, Sensei will become the Fourth Hokage!"
Rin nodded excitedly. Minato had shared these details, and weren't widely known in the village.
"Hmm?"
Kakashi's heart skipped a beat at this information. He had planned to find Tsunade, and now he had a legitimate mission. It was better than sneaking around.
After the recent experiences, Kakashi was even more eager to find Tsunade to solve the Sharingan issue. His chakra consumption was too high, and using one Hatake blade strike had left him unconscious for two days. Even at full strength, he could only perform one strike.
Kakashi was discharged that day. He wasn't injured, just exhausted and chakra-depleted. After a big meal, he felt fine.
On his way home, Kakashi pondered how to get the mission to find Tsunade.
"This is stupid. I should just explain to Sensei. He'll support me in finding Tsunade unless he wants to be Hokage himself!"
Kakashi quickly realized he was overthinking it. As Minato's disciple, he could just ask directly. Minato wasn't selfish; he had sacrificed himself to protect the village from the Nine-Tails.
Swish, swish, swish!
With that thought, Kakashi changed direction and headed to Minato's house. The sooner, the better, before someone else took the mission.
Bang!
In his haste, Kakashi accidentally broke Minato's door.
"Damn..."
Realizing his mistake, Kakashi panicked.
"Kakashi, you..."
"Die!"
As expected, a furious red-haired figure appeared, glaring at Kakashi. It was Kushina.
Swish!
A fierce punch flew towards Kakashi. Kushina's gentleness was reserved only for Minato. Others, including Jiraiya and Minato's disciples, rarely experienced it.
But Kakashi easily dodged Kushina's attack.
"You dare dodge? You don't respect me as your Sensei's wife!"
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"