Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 468 Meeting with the Daimyo

"We and our allied ninja villages plan to continue dealing with the Akatsuki organization in the future." As the most senior member of the advisory group, Mitokado Homura reported the situation of Konoha and future goals to the Daimyo of the Land of Fire on behalf of Tsunade.

The minister from the Land of Fire also made a statement, saying, "The village suffered severe damage in this attack, and our Land of Fire will do everything in its power to support the village's repair."

Mitokado Yan simply nodded in response, waiting for the other party to explain first.

"First, we need to make a budget. Next, we need to address the tense relations with other countries..."

"More important than all that, there's one thing we need to confirm first," Koharu Utatane said at this moment, "whether we should appoint a new Hokage."

Upon hearing this, Shikaku frowned, a knowing look on his face. The meeting had been held rather hastily; the Daimyo had only sent five representatives, and naturally, they couldn't send more. They already had two advisors, plus a current Anbu captain who was likely biased towards the advisors… Fortunately, Kakashi had been persuaded by Naruto to return to work; otherwise, the situation would have been even more unfavorable for the Hokage's faction.

The daimyo, waving his fan, then said, "Wouldn't it be fine once Tsunade recovers?"

Koharu explained, "Your Excellency, Tsunade is still unconscious."

The man nodded and waved his fan, indicating that he was listening.

Despite the patron's dismissive attitude, what could Xiaochun do? He was the patron. She had no right to complain about his attitude and could only continue to explain: "The village is in such a state now that if we don't even know when Tsunade will wake up, we can't make any plans."

They'd been grappling with a formidable opponent for quite some time, never expecting that Naruto, who seemed so easy to talk to, was actually such a shrewd and formidable adversary. No matter what tricks they played in the plan, he could spot them instantly; his political acumen was even stronger than the current Hokage's! Sometimes, even Tsunade might not immediately notice something amiss!

These difficult days are unbearable; they must find a way to remove this person from the decision-making level! Even if their lineage has failed to cultivate a decent successor to the Hokage, if they can create a temporary internal strife in the enemy camp by sowing discord, that would be a good thing for them.

If Tobirama knew what they were thinking, he'd probably regret not taking all three of them with him that day. "Opposing" factions, huh? They're so caught up in factional strife they've lost their minds!

The main reason they became so impatient was Tsunade. This Hokage acted ruthlessly, indiscriminately eliminating a group of management members. Their hard-earned power was gradually dismantled and eroded. Those who rose to power were chosen through a relatively fair selection process, standing out from dozens or even hundreds of applicants—truly capable individuals. These people are difficult to control; Tsunade's actions were tantamount to playing with fire and getting burned!

They must regain control as soon as possible and restore the talent selection process to a recommendation system; that is the only comfortable zone that can ensure their power remains permanently secure.

"Moreover, she is also responsible for the large-scale invasion of Konoha this time."

The daimyo finally put away his fan, looking as if he was thinking seriously. "I think it should be Jiraiya's turn this time. I had high hopes for him. Why didn't he come?"

Mitokado Yan added, "Jiraiya was seriously injured in this invasion and will need to stay in bed for a while."

"That's a real shame," the daimyo asked, troubled. "Who else could we choose?"

"Since that's the case..." Before Xiaochun could finish speaking, Shikaku interrupted her.

"I recommend Kakashi Hatake."

Kakashi, sitting next to him, gave him a helpless look, but could only grit his teeth and reply, "If Konoha needs me, I will certainly do my duty."

"Oh, White Fang's son?" Kakashi's father had been one of the twelve guards of the daimyo, so the daimyo still remembered him. He said with a happy expression, "Hmm, that's not bad. What do you all think?"

The daimyo's ministers didn't have much of an opinion on this, after all, Kakashi's reputation was undeniable; he was just... a bit too young? But the Fourth Hokage, Minato, was even younger than him.

"May I ask whose disciple you are?"

"My teacher is Minato Namikaze."

“The Fourth Hokage, huh? I remember the Fourth Hokage was Jiraiya’s student.” The Daimyo quickly came to a good conclusion, saying, “The Fourth Hokage was Jiraiya’s student, and Jiraiya was the Third Hokage’s student, so there’s no problem with that, right?”

How could the consultants give up so easily? They took advantage of the pause in the naming process and submitted another name.

“I would like to recommend Sarutobi Asuma,” Koharu said. “He is Hiruzen’s son and once served as your guard. You should remember him, right?”

Upon hearing the new name, the daimyo began his performance again, "Oh, Asuma, he is indeed a very reliable bodyguard, and he was a ninja of the same generation as Kakashi."

"Hmm, this one's not bad either. It's really hard to choose. What do you guys think?"

It's precisely because it's a difficult election that the Hokage lineage could be chosen so easily. Asuma was the result of discussions with the Sarutobi clan. Although he wasn't particularly interested in clan affairs, protecting Konoha was an inescapable responsibility. If Asuma was elected, the Sarutobi clan could then play the emotional card, and eventually, they would be swayed.

At this moment, the "minister" sitting on the far side of the Daimyo's faction suddenly said, "We have seen the damage to Konoha. It is said that there was a time when the damage was even more severe and there were many casualties, but all of this was reversed by a ninja with incredible power."

The reason the "minister's" identity is in quotation marks is because his attire is nothing like that of a minister; he's dressed in rather formal everyday clothes. As they scrutinized the "minister," the two advisors felt strangely familiar with him, but couldn't quite place where they'd seen him before.

"Incredible power? What does that mean?" the daimyo asked.

This time, it was Kakashi who spoke up. He would never give the advisor a chance to smear Naruto's achievements. "It's a technique similar to time reversal. After it was activated, an area that had been razed to the ground was quickly restored. Later, Naruto also persuaded the culprit who attacked Konoha. The other party used a life-reversal ninjutsu at the cost of his life, which created the miracle that no one died in this invasion."

The Daimyo had already heard Dongfeng's report, but hearing it again still shocked and terrified him at the power of the ninja. For ordinary people, the various ninjutsu techniques were already amazing enough, but now there was a ninja who could briefly reverse time and revive the dead. However, such ninjutsu must have come at a huge cost, otherwise it wouldn't have been kept unused for so long.

"So the hero who saved Konoha is Naruto-kun. I've always thought he was a promising talent, and I've been hearing a lot about him this year." The daimyo's folding fan fluttered again, concealing the smile on his lips.

What do you think of that child?

“He is a disciple I am proud of,” Kakashi replied readily.

"Naruto-kun is an amazing ninja." Someone from the daimyo's side also made a judgment. This person was also an old acquaintance. As a close retainer of the daimyo, how could Kobayashi Sumihiro be absent?

“His strength is beyond doubt.” Shikaku sensed something, but he didn’t intend to stop him; instead, he would contribute to his cause.

Now that Naruto has the aura of a hero of Konoha, even if the advisory group is annoyed with him, they can't go against his opinion at this time. They can only bite the bullet and say, "Naruto is indeed an excellent ninja."

"Hmm~ It's decided." The Daimyo suddenly closed his fan and said with a smile, "Let's appoint him as the Sixth Hokage."