"Fifth Hokage? The Third is still in office. Isn't that topic a bit too far off?"
Hinata showed no surprise at Danzo's words. This ambitious old man had wanted to be Hokage for a long time, and now that the Third Hokage was indeed reaching his twilight years, it wasn't surprising that he would bring up this matter with his 'ally.'
"No, not far off at all. Even if I don't say it, you should know that as a ninja, Hiruzen's time is running out."
Danzo's tone still showed a slight fluctuation. Clearly, even as a pure ninja, he still considered his companionship with the Third Hokage. His subconscious use of 'Hiruzen' instead of 'Third Hokage' was a sign of this.
"Isn't the Third Hokage the same age as you? Do you mean you believe the Third Hokage is too old, but you can still handle it?"
"Indeed, under normal circumstances, I am the same age as the Third Hokage. However, thanks to the First Hokage's Sage Body cells, my physical condition remains excellent. You should have experienced the benefits of Sage Body cells yourself."
Danzo's sinister gaze briefly swept over Hinata. Although he didn't explicitly say it, he was clearly telling Hinata that he knew she had done something with the First Hokage's cells.
Although Sai, who had been lurking within the troupe, had no opportunity to enter the Hyuga compound, it was undeniable that Hinata had taken some of the First Hokage's Sage Body cells from the underground base. Even if Danzo didn't know about the existence of Suigin tou, the old man certainly wouldn't believe Hinata would just leave the First's cells untouched, so such a remark was perfectly understandable.
"So, you want to become the Fifth Hokage? How? By impeaching the Third Hokage for misgoverning, or simply staging a coup to force him to step down?"
Hinata scoffed disdainfully. She truly couldn't agree with Danzo's narrow-minded thinking, but considering the old man's actions in the original story, such a choice wasn't surprising.
"..."
However, this time Hinata didn't hear Danzo's reply for a long time. The air seemed to fall silent, carrying an indefinable emotion.
This made Hinata turn her head slightly in surprise. Danzo, sitting there, was bowing his head and saying nothing. His eyes, though as cold as ever, carried complex waves of emotion, as if he was recalling something distant and unforgettable.
After about a minute, Hinata finally couldn't help but speak: "Hey, say something will you. What are you planning to do?"
Hinata's prompt seemed to finally pull Danzo from his past memories.
He slowly raised his head, his tone filled with an undeniable complexity: "...I won't impeach, nor will I stage a coup... Anyway, Hiruzen will likely pass away soon enough..."
"....."
This statement made Hinata raise an eyebrow slightly. Although Danzo's words were still somewhat vague, it was clear that he had already foreseen the high probability of the Third Hokage's death in this incident.
"You're not going to help him?"
After a moment of thought, Hinata still asked the question. While making cold and rational judgments was a necessary quality for strong individuals, no matter how strong, a powerful person was still ultimately human...
"This is a mistake he made in his youth. Perhaps when he let Orochimaru go back then, he should have foreseen today's situation. So... as Hokage, and as a teacher... he needs to handle his own affairs."
Danzo's words were cold, but the sigh in his voice was impossible to conceal. Even though he had contended with the Third Hokage his entire life, their bond had not faded much; it had merely become a pillar of Konoha's peace since the Second Hokage, due to their differing ideologies.
"Heh, then. After the Third Hokage is gone? Do you plan to become the Fifth Hokage?"
Hinata's eyes narrowed slightly. She had pretty much guessed his intentions.
"No... my personal guard, the Root ninjas, haven't fully recovered their strength. I need to leverage Akihabara's economy to allow Konoha's Root to recover and even grow stronger as quickly as possible. Before my forces have recovered, rashly ascending to the position of Hokage would only make me a puppet or pawn of those idealists..."
Danzo seemed to have made a great decision to utter these words, and this didn't surprise Hinata at all.
For Danzo, Hitler's absolute dictatorship was the form of governance he desired, but even if the Third Hokage were to leave now, the remaining elders and other ruling clan heads had long grown accustomed to the Third Hokage's peaceful ideology and would never agree to Danzo's radical methods.
Unless Danzo could, like Hitler, cultivate his Gestapo, or rather, his Root ninjas, he would only then have the ability to launch his dictatorship once he had sufficient personal power.
Before that, even if he took office, he would simply be a puppet without personal power.
In the original story, when the Third Hokage sacrificed himself, Danzo's Root was not even unsealed. Although here, for economic development reasons, the Third Hokage unsealed Danzo's Root early, this period of time wasn't enough for the Root to recover their strength. Danzo, without the support of personal power, knew full well that even if he ascended to the Hokage position like this, he would only be a puppet for those idealists, which is why he withdrew from the race for the Fifth Hokage.
After all, what he initially wanted was 'his own Konoha,' not 'everyone's Konoha.'
"Since you're not planning to be the Fifth Hokage, then why did you call me here?"
Twirling a strand of hair at her neck, Hinata spoke lazily. She was eager to hear Danzo's answer.
"Although I intend to relinquish the position of Fifth Hokage, there is someone else here who can contend for the Hokage position."
Danzo looked up at Hinata, the leader of Root, his tone carrying an inscrutable emotion: "You."
"Ha~!"
Hinata merely responded to this statement with a cynical chuckle.
Indeed, Danzo's claim wasn't wrong. Although young, Hinata had accumulated considerable capital, and as the eldest daughter of the Hyuga clan, should anything happen, the Hyuga clan would undoubtedly support her wholeheartedly, even if she didn't ask.
Moreover, and most importantly, her money-making ability had already been recognized by the entire Konoha village's upper echelons. With the Third Hokage's departure looming and Konoha needing to rebuild, there was no reason why someone skilled in generating income couldn't become the Fifth Hokage, just as Sunagakure would allow the similarly aged Gaara to become the Fifth Kazekage.
Ultimately, the Kage's primary role isn't about combat prowess, but about providing a village with a strong backbone.
Furthermore, as things stood, even though Hinata had her own team, the growth of everyone else on her team was still far from catching up with hers. This meant that even if she became Hokage, the people she could rely on would still be Koharu Utatane, Homura Mitokado, and Danzo's subordinates—the old guard of Konoha.
In that case, the Hokage title would undoubtedly be that of a puppet. If Hinata became Hokage and didn't have capable personnel around her, she would have to seek help from Danzo to avoid being manipulated by Homura and others, thus unknowingly becoming a puppet for both sides.
Both Homura Mitokado and Danzo would reap significant benefits during this period. With Hinata, a Fifth Hokage skilled in economic development, Konoha's economic power would certainly increase significantly, and Danzo's Root ninjas could also develop rapidly during this time, until Danzo felt the time was right.
Moreover, Hinata herself lacked significant qualifications. It would undoubtedly be difficult for her to gain support if she tried to resist Konoha's elders like Homura Mitokado or Danzo.
By then, Danzo could simply utter a word and potentially remove her from the Hokage position, and the Konoha elders, having used her, would naturally have no objections.
That's why Hinata was laughing.
Danzo was treating her like an idiot. On the surface, the Fifth Hokage position seemed very tempting, but for Hinata, it was merely a seemingly glamorous yet ultimately fatal poisoned chalice.
Danzo knew he needed to develop his own power before he could comfortably become Hokage; did Hinata not know this? Even if she wanted to be Hokage, she would at least need to wait until her own cultivated team, like Shikamaru and the others, had grown. Becoming Hokage before that would purely mean becoming a puppet, subject to manipulation.
"Lord Danzo needn't joke. I believe my personal abilities are insufficient to serve as the Fifth Hokage. So~ if Lord Third truly might leave soon, another candidate will need to be chosen."
Hinata's straightforward refusal caused Danzo's eye to flicker slightly. The old man's fingers, clutching his wooden cane, subconsciously tightened. Clearly, this refusal had shattered many of his subsequent plans.
"No need to be modest. Though you are young, you are a genius in my eyes. Not a genius as a ninja, but a genius as a leader. Therefore, if you are interested, I can support you."
Still unwilling to give up, Danzo's words weren't entirely untrue. After all, he had seen many genius ninjas, from Orochimaru to the Fourth Hokage, and then Shisui Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha—weren't they all rare ninja prodigies? However, even Orochimaru and the Fourth Hokage, both as leaders, still had significant shortcomings.
Because neither Orochimaru nor the Fourth Hokage was skilled in economic development or in winning people's hearts. Even if they became Hokage, they could at most ensure Konoha remained stable or saw some improvement; it would be difficult for Konoha to develop rapidly.
And Shisui Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha need not even be mentioned. These two indeed possessed the selfless spirit of sacrificing for the village and the noble ideal of hoping for peace in the ninja world, but a village cannot, after all, be sustained by an ideal alone.
Hinata, however, was different. As a ninja, her talent and techniques were unremarkable. Even if she developed the so-called Nanto Seiken, it was undoubtedly a childish game compared to the four mentioned above, not worth mentioning at all.
However, when it came to economic development and winning people's hearts, she was the most powerful genius since the founding of Konoha Village!
Indeed, she didn't possess the strength of a jounin at six or seven years old like Shisui or Itachi, nor the renowned reputation of traversing the ninja world in her teens like Orochimaru and the Fourth Hokage. But! How were these four in other aspects?
Shisui, who couldn't gain the support and approval of his clan and was forced to commit suicide, and Itachi, who was forced to wipe out his entire clan, need not be mentioned.
Orochimaru was a defeated dog who couldn't even convince his own teacher and ultimately left in resentment after failing to become Hokage. And the Fourth Hokage accomplished little during his tenure. While this was partly due to his short time in office, he ultimately didn't achieve any practical political achievements.
If he hadn't been the Fourth Hokage at that time, it seems it wouldn't have made much difference to Konoha as a whole. After all, even if he wasn't Hokage, he would still have had to go out and fight when the Nine-Tails attacked, and his subsequent death sealing the Nine-Tails wouldn't have been any different.
But Hinata?
Even while still in the ninja academy, this Byakugan girl easily won over the descendants of all the major Konoha clans. Moreover, through her unique vision and methods, she made "Fox's Tale" a story known throughout the entire ninja world.
First picture books, then figurines, now TV dramas and various merchandise—Hinata, through the things she developed, brought immense economic benefits to the entire Konoha village. The establishment of the Konoha Publishing House and Akihabara further greatly increased employment opportunities and overall improvement for the villagers within Konoha.
Konoha's economic growth this past year has even surpassed the development of the past few decades.
This method of boosting economic interests is arguably unique throughout the entire ninja world over the past several centuries.
And while other clans might not say it openly, they have indeed received huge profits from Hinata's group. Their descendants in this generation have, unbeknownst to them, become "Hinata's people."
It can be said that as long as Hinata speaks, these clans, involved in these interests, will absolutely obey her orders.
After all, genius ninjas who can reach jounin level at eleven years old have never been lacking in any country. However, a genius ruler who can make most of a village's forces genuinely submit to her at eleven years old has never appeared in any country.
Therefore, Danzo gave himself a two-year deadline. He could only allow Hinata to govern for a maximum of two years; otherwise, he would no longer be confident in his ability to shake her position. But conversely, if he succeeded, he was confident he would take over a Konoha village that was militarily and economically stronger than it had ever been since its founding.
"Heh~~ In that case, I'll reserve my eligibility to run for Fifth Hokage. If feasible, I won't decline for the sake of the village. But now..."
Standing up, Hinata clearly didn't intend to refuse too strongly. Things would always turn around, but for now...
"I must leave. I need to prepare for the third exam."
Watching Hinata walk to the door, Danzo suddenly spoke again, and this time, his tone carried a very serious warning.
"Indeed, we have made arrangements. You should also use this opportunity to address the Hyuga clan's succession issue."
"After all, you are the eldest daughter. The right to be the next head of the family should be reclaimed."
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(PS1: Hmm~ o(￣▽￣)o~ There are plenty of genius ninjas, but how many genius rulers are there~)
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