I Will Be The Hokage

In the early morning, before the sun had fully risen, a faint chill of the night still lingered in the air. The streets of Konoha were quiet, almost deserted.

Occasionally, a few early risers could be seen washing up in their courtyards, their movements slow and unhurried. At the village gate, travelers covered in dust registered their entry before quickly disappearing into the streets, vanishing just as swiftly as they had arrived.

Despite the stillness, the entire village moved with a quiet, orderly rhythm, as if preparing for the day ahead.

Sarutobi Hiruzen arrived early at the meeting room in the Hokage Office Building. He quietly unrolled a scroll and placed it on the table before him while resting his hands on his forehead, he sat in deep thought, his expression unreadable. Behind him, five figures stood in silence, neatly lined up, waiting for the meeting to begin.

The door of the meeting room quietly opened and closed as the patriarchs of Konoha's major clans arrived one after another. Without speaking a word, they all cast their gazes toward the scroll on the table, silently observing as more people entered. Once everyone had gathered, Hiruzen gave Danzo a slight nod, signaling him to close the door. Then, placing his hand on the scroll, he stood up and faced the clan leaders. "Clan leaders, it has been ten days since we received news from the front lines. Have you devised any countermeasures?"

"What do you think of the death of the Second Hokage?" Nara clan leader said.

"Kumogakure's Second Raikage is also dead." Yamanaka clan leader said.

"What does the death of their Second Raikage have to do with us? It was caused by people from their own village." Shimura clan leader said coldly.

"Then ask them to give an explanation." Akimichi clan leader respond.

"Explanation? What explanation?" The Uchiha Clan Leader scoffed. "If you ask me, the only way to make Kumogakure answer for this is to crush them. If they aren't defeated, they won't give us any explanation at all." His tone was sharp, filled with the unmistakable pride and confidence of the Uchiha.

"You say it's easy? Do you think fighting doesn't cost money? Doesn't require people. We've been fighting for years, and many of our young clan members have already died." Senju clan leader said.

"Fine, then the Uchiha will go first! But after that, each of your clans better send a few hundred people as well!" The Uchiha Clan Leader's voice was sharp and unwavering, his gaze sweeping across the room, daring anyone to object.

"Stop trying to solve everything with a fight." Sarutobi clan leader interrupted "This is war, not just some battle you can charge into without thinking. "

"How many people does each of your clans have left?" Inuzuka clan leader sighed. "Anyway, my clan doesn't have many left including ninja and ninken dog... We can't keep fighting like this."

Aburame clan leader ". . ."

Looking at a group of clan leaders arguing.

Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke directly, his voice steady and firm. "All clan leaders, please calm down, take a break. Listen to me for a moment." He paused, scanning the room before continuing. "Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, entrusted me with the role of Third Hokage before he fell in battle. At that moment, I was afraid and I doubted whether I could truly fulfill such a responsibility.

"But now, after all this time, we still haven't come up with a clear course of action. So I believe it is my duty to take responsibility. Thus, I will go to the front lines, end this war, and find justice for Second Hokage's death." With those words, he turned his gaze to the clan leaders, waiting for their response.

The meeting room was quiet, as if they were frightened by this sentence.

"Just you, brat? You think you are qualified to be a Hokage?" The Uchiha Clan Leader scoffed, his voice filled with disdain. "Does the Sarutobi Clan want to take the Hokage seat now? Have you even asked us Uchiha?"

His gaze sharpened as he continued, "First, it was Lord Hashirama from the Senju Clan. Then, the Second Hokage was also from the Senju. Now you expect us to accept another Hokage who isn't even from our clan?"

"Isn't it our clan turn to be a Hokage?" Uchiha Setsuna, the head of the Uchiha Clan, retorted coldly. "I believe in Kagami, he's also a member of the Hokage Guard. Why shouldn't an Uchiha take the position?"

The room grew tense, but the head of the Sarutobi Clan, Sarutobi Masaki, remained calm and composed. "This was the Second Hokage's final wish," he stated firmly, his gaze steady as he defended Hiruzen's appointment.

Uchiha Kagami who stood behind him stepped forward and said, "I follow the sensei's will, and I don't think I have the ability to lead the village. Therefore, I am willing to assist Hiruzen."

"The Hyuga clan will not participate."

The head of the Mitokado clan, Mitokado Akane, hurriedly said, "I think our family's Homura is not that bad. As everyone knows, Homura has been assisting the Second Hokage in handling official documents for years. He has the experience, doesn't he?"

"Who among the Hokage Guard hasn't assisted the Second Hokage with official matters, aside from the little fat one from the Akimichi clan?" Shimura Hiroshi, the head of the Shimura clan, remarked with a slight smirk. "Our Danzo, for example, has often handled Anbu missions on behalf of the Second Hokage."

The Akimichi Clan Head immediately countered, his tone firm. "Even if our 'little fat boy' hasn't dealt with documents, he's still an important member of the guard. He has shielded the Second Hokage in battle many times and is always the last to leave the battlefield. Even if he hasn't earned his merit through paperwork, his dedication and effort cannot be ignored."

The head of the Nara clan, Nara Shikatsu, spoke calmly "Even though Torifu hasn't handled administrative affairs, we can't deny his contributions to the Hokage Guard. Whether under the Second Hokage or in the future under the Third Hokage, Torifu has always been a reliable and indispensable ally." His tone was steady, reflecting the Nara clan's usual thoughtful and pragmatic approach.

The head of the Yamanaka clan echoed: "Agreed."

"That's right, our Koharu is also an important subordinate and reliable student of the Second Hokage. "The head of the Utatane clan also echoed.

The clan leaders who didn't have a direct candidate for Hokage exchanged glances. After a brief silence, the Inuzuka clan leader finally stepped forward and said firmly "who becomes the Hokage isn't the priority right now. What truly matters is ending the war and resolving the challenges that are faced by our village".

Hearing this, the other clan leaders nodded in agreement, shifting their focus from political disputes to the pressing reality of the battlefield.

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the clan leaders and spoke with a steady voice, "Clan leaders, yesterday I went to see Lady Mito, and she entrusted me with this." He gestured toward the scroll on the table. "Lady Mito wants me to use it to protect the village. I intend to lead a team to end this war and demand an explanation from Kumogakure. However, under what authority should I do this? As the Captain of the Hokage Guard? That won't be enough." He paused before continuing,

"The Second Mizukage, Hozuki Gengetsu, and the Second Tsuchikage, Mu, perished together. Now, new kage have already risen, Onoki has succeeded as the Third Tsuchikage, and Kirigakure has also appointed a new Mizukage. If Konoha wants to maintain its strength and position, we must act decisively."

"Second Raikage was killed by Kinkaku and Ginkaku. Just a few days ago, we received news that his descendants have already taken on the titles of Third Raikage Ay. But what about us? Konoha, the first hidden village in the ninja world, has gone more than ten days without making a proper decision, won't we become a laughingstock?"

"Where does the title of 'the first hidden village' even come from? The ninja world has always recognized the Five Great Hidden Villages equally," someone muttered.

Sarutobi Hiruzen froze for a moment, 'so that title didn't actually exist? How embarrassing'. His face flushed slightly, but he quickly recovered. "Whether that title officially exists or not, in my heart, Konoha is the first hidden village. We surpass the other hidden village in high-level combat power, economy, and influence. If that doesn't make us the strongest village, then what does?"

"Haha! Kid from the Sarutobi clan, I like that! We are the first hidden village. Those so-called great villages? They're just on par with us at best. We Uchiha used to drove the clans of the Land of Water straight into the sea!" Uchiha Setsuna said excitedly.

Hiruzen nodded and continued, "That's exactly why we must prove ourselves as the true first hidden village, not a scattered force without a leader. Remember, at the start of this war, the other four great villages joined forces to attack Konoha. If we hesitate now, they'll see us as weak, and the whole world will turn their eyes on us once again."

"Since Lady Mito has already expressed her stance, why don't we proceed with the official Hokage appointment? The sooner, the better. What do you all think?" Nara Shikatsu asked as he glanced at the gathered clan leaders.

"Let's go through the process." Yamanaka clan leader

"I agree." Akimichi clan leader

"Agreed." Many clan leaders of small clans also agreed, and finally looked at the three big clans.

Hyuga clan leader looked at the other clans and slowly said, "Then, let's do it as soon as possible."

The Senju clan leader, who had always had little presence, said, "Lady Mito has made the decision on behalf of our Senju clan." Then he looked at Uchiha Setsuna.

"What are you looking at? I didn't say I disagreed. I said that after becoming Hokage, I would like to resolve the war as soon as possible". Seeing that all the clan leaders agreed, Sarutobi Hiruzen breathed a sigh of relief. It was not easy to persuade these elders. 'The next step is to quickly absorb all kinds of ninjutsu and battle experience from the Scroll of Seals. I must focus on both, mastering techniques and strengthening myself at the same time.'

Finally, everyone's eyes fell on Sarutobi Hiruzen. He turned to look at his friends with anticipation.

"I will definitely live up to the expectations of all our predecessors," he declared. "However, one person alone cannot steer the ship thus I need the support of my friends, Kagami, Danzo, Homura, Torifu, Koharu."

"We are a team." Homura and Kagami spoke in unison.

"I won't lose to you when it comes to handling affairs." Only Danzo could say something like that.

"We'll follow your lead." Torifu and Koharu nodded in agreement.

Seeing their determination, the Senju clan leader smiled and said, "From now on, Konoha's future is in your hands. I hope you can lead the village to new heights." He then turned to leave, adding, "Prepare yourselves. I will inform the Daimyo."

As he pushed open the conference room door, the sunlight streamed in, casting a golden glow on the floor. It was as if Konoha itself had stepped into a new era.

Once the clan leaders had left, Sarutobi Hiruzen turned to his friends, his expression filled with both excitement and determination. "We did it! Now, we need to use the power of Hokage and start making real changes. From today onward, we'll be the ones steering Konoha's future, guiding it through the challenges ahead, just like a great ship braving the storms of time."

Uchiha Kagami felt a sense of satisfaction since his teammate was now a Hokage, meaning he could act as a bridge between the Uchiha clan and the village, working to ease the tensions and resolve conflicts.

Akimichi Torifu, on the other hand, felt relieved as Hiruzen become the Hokage. The Ino-Shika-Cho alliance has fulfilled its duty. 'From now on, I'll just be a guard at his side, and all those complicated political matters can be left to others.'

Shimura Danzo's mind was racing. 'My teammate is now the Hokage! That puts me in an unmatched position in Konoha at best, only a few will stand on equal footing with me. Who else can compare?'

Mitokado Homura felt a rush of excitement. 'We made it! This is our time and we will leave our mark on history and shape the future of Konoha with our own hands.'

Utatane Koharu, ever determined, thought to herself, 'Hiruzen is becoming a Hokage. As his teammate, I can't afford to fall behind. I want to witness and be a part of this new era alongside them.'

Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep breath, feeling the weight of his new role settle on his shoulders. 'From today onward, I am the Hokage in this world's Hidden Leaf Village. No matter what it takes, I won't let history in the original anime repeat itself. I'll protect my friends, strengthen the village, and lead it toward a better future. .'

Each of them carried their own thoughts and ambitions as they exchanged smiles. Then, with firm steps, they strode out of the meeting room toward their future.