34. Reward Qualification, Successful Practice
"I want to be the Head of the Medical Department!"
Shihouin Naraku, the deputy head of the medical department, stood in the Hokage's office and made his demand in a firm tone.
Sarutobi Hiruzen held his pipe, forgetting to light it, and looked at Shihouin Naraku with surprise. "Why?"
He knew very well that Shihouin Naraku understood that the Head of the Medical Department had no real power. It was just an impressive title.
Not long after Shihouin Naraku had taken control of the Medical Emergency Squad, the Medical Department had basically become his domain, with the director being just an elderly shinobi appointed by Sarutobi Hiruzen.
The old man had considerable experience but was only responsible for simple administrative tasks and conveying the Hokage's orders.
When Shihouin Naraku became the deputy head, the situation hadn't changed much.
The most important medical emergency team was managed by Shimura Danzō and the two village elders, while the remaining branches, such as the corpse disposal team and the animal training and rehabilitation team, remained under Shihouin Naraku's control.
Therefore, whether he became the Head of Medical Affairs or not would have little impact on Shihouin Naraku's actual power.
Shihouin Naraku looked directly at Sarutobi Hiruzen and said, "I'm currently managing the division of the medical emergency team. If I become the head of the medical department, it will be more convenient, and I can complete the reorganization task sooner."
Seeing Shihouin Naraku's determined expression, Sarutobi Hiruzen hesitated for a moment but ultimately agreed. "Very well. If that's what you want, you will be the Head of Konoha's Medical Department."
[Ding! Host is promoted to Head of Konoha Village Medical Department!]
[Congratulations to the Host for obtaining five draw qualifications! Remaining draw qualifications: seven!]
[Friendly reminder: There is a higher chance of obtaining rare items when you draw ten times in a row!]
A system prompt appeared.
Unfortunately for Shihouin Naraku, even though he had earned the maximum of five qualifications for this achievement, with his previous two, he only had seven draws total—not enough for the ten consecutive draws needed for better rewards.
...
Sarutobi Hiruzen watched Shihouin Naraku leave and suddenly thought, "Is Naraku using this opportunity to signal that he doesn't want to be a candidate for Hokage?"
"No, they haven't been officially informed yet, so Naraku and Kakashi probably don't know about it. But they're both quick-thinking, so perhaps they've guessed something."
With these suspicions in mind, Sarutobi Hiruzen noticed over the next few days that Shihouin Naraku was no longer accompanying Uzumaki Naruto alongside Hatake Kakashi.
He immediately sent someone to inquire, and Shihouin Naraku's answer was predictable. He was busy with the reorganization of the medical emergency team and had no time to check on Uzumaki Naruto. Besides, Hatake Kakashi was there, so his presence wasn't necessary.
This confirmed Sarutobi Hiruzen's suspicion that Shihouin Naraku must have guessed something. That's why he had directly requested the position of medical director and had distanced himself from Uzumaki Naruto.
Shihouin Naraku's sudden action caught Sarutobi Hiruzen off guard. He hadn't expected Naraku to be unwilling to become a candidate for Hokage.
Personally, Sarutobi Hiruzen actually trusted Shihouin Naraku more, but if the man clearly expressed his unwillingness, Sarutobi couldn't force him to become a candidate. That wouldn't make sense.
"Tap, tap, tap..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen drummed his fingers on his chair, looking uncertain. After a while, he stood up and left the Hokage building, wandering through the streets of Konohagakure.
"Ah! Hokage-sama!"
"It really is the Third Hokage!"
"This bouquet of flowers is for you, Hokage-sama!"
"Wow, it's Grandpa Hokage..."
It had to be said that the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, was deeply respected by the ordinary citizens of Konohagakure.
For civilians who didn't fully understand the complexities of shinobi affairs, they knew that they lived good lives under Sarutobi Hiruzen's protection, and that was enough. Ordinary people only cared about their basic needs and didn't concern themselves with much else.
This also illustrated why Shimura Danzō wasn't suitable to be Hokage. Someone who spent all his time in the shadows was naturally incompatible with the role of Hokage, which required maintaining an image of greatness and justice in public, regardless of what happened behind the scenes.
Sarutobi Hiruzen wandered around Konoha for a long time, quietly appreciating the people's affection for him, before finally returning to the Hokage building. Instead of going to his office, he went to the rooftop.
A gust of wind blew, ruffling the white robe Sarutobi Hiruzen wore.
Standing on the roof and looking down at Konoha Village, Sarutobi Hiruzen contemplated for a long time before finally making up his mind.
"Now that Naraku has made his intentions clear, I'll let Kakashi do it."
Sarutobi Hiruzen had figured it out—this was just about confirming a candidate for Hokage. Even if Hatake Kakashi became Uzumaki Naruto's instructor, it didn't guarantee he would become Hokage.
If any problems arose, as long as Sarutobi Hiruzen was still alive, they could replace him. It wouldn't be a major issue.
After all, Sarutobi Hiruzen himself had been appointed Hokage by the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, on the battlefield, and Konoha had survived then. Nothing should go wrong during peacetime.
Having made his decision, Sarutobi Hiruzen no longer inquired about Shihouin Naraku. He instructed the Anbu to take care of Uzumaki Naruto's meals and occasionally appeared to eat with the boy and teach him the finer points of tree-walking training.
Hatake Kakashi, meanwhile, continued to watch from the shadows as Uzumaki Naruto grew little by little each day.
...
"I did it!"
"Hahahaha, I succeeded!"
Uzumaki Naruto stood on the large tree trunk happily, jumping and skipping with excitement. He accidentally lost his balance and nearly fell, but fortunately, the chakra under his feet helped him stick to the tree and prevented the fall.
"Be careful," Sarutobi Hiruzen said, puffing on his pipe and exhaling a cloud of smoke as he smiled at the jubilant Uzumaki Naruto.
After jumping down from the tree, Naruto lay on the grass, unable to hide the smile on his face. The joy that came from that moment of success was truly indescribable.
Sarutobi Hiruzen walked closer and stood beside Uzumaki Naruto, watching as the boy rolled over and sat swaying on the grass.
"Hey, Grandpa Hokage, can I become a ninja of the village now?"
Uzumaki Naruto looked up at Sarutobi Hiruzen, hopefully. He felt that he was now better than everyone else at the Academy—after all, none of them could do what he could.
"No, you still have to pass the Academy graduation exam."
Sarutobi Hiruzen gave Uzumaki Naruto the answer he least wanted to hear.
"Why? Iruka-sensei said the graduation exam is the Clone Jutsu, and that's what I'm worst at!"
Uzumaki Naruto scratched his head in frustration. After practising tree-walking for so long, he could feel his strength growing, but unfortunately, his Clone Jutsu was still inconsistent—sometimes good, sometimes terrible.
"Hehe..." Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled, his eyes narrowing. "There's nothing I can do about that. Iruka is an Academy instructor. I can't change the rules he's established."
"But you're the Hokage," Naruto protested.
Even with his slow reaction time, Uzumaki Naruto could see that Sarutobi Hiruzen wasn't going to help him in this matter.
He had no choice but to abandon the idea of taking shortcuts and practice the Clone Jutsu honestly instead.
Of course, Uzumaki Naruto didn't know that even if someone might fail to graduate from the Academy, that person wouldn't be him.
Sarutobi Hiruzen wouldn't allow it, and neither would the entire village of Konoha.
The Nine-Tails Jinchūriki failing to graduate? It would be laughable.
Uzumaki Naruto was destined to walk the path of a ninja—it was the road that fate had chosen for him!
----------------
You can read advanced chapters here: patreon.com/GregariousLion