Chapter 88: Konoha Will No Longer Have a Hokage

"Why do you all keep assuming that I would want to become the leader of a mere village?"

Reiji did not answer. Instead, he countered with a question.

Jiraiya was stunned.

He had been thinking about how he would stop Uchiha Reiji if Reiji intended to become Hokage.

He had never expected him to say something like this.

The "leader of a mere village"?

Konoha was the foremost of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, and its Hokage governed more than ten thousand shinobi. Yet in Uchiha Reiji’s eyes, the Hokage was merely the leader of a small village?

"Fine, then. Let’s talk about it."

Reiji found a chair in Naruto’s home and sat down leisurely before slowly speaking.

"Lord Jiraiya, what do you think a Hokage is supposed to be?"

Jiraiya answered confidently:

"The Hokage is the person who protects all the villagers!"

However.

The moment he finished speaking, little Naruto immediately turned toward him and went, "Ptooey! Ptooey! Ptooey!"

Jiraiya was completely baffled.

"Naruto, this is Jiraiya. He used to be one of your father’s teachers."

Kakashi hurriedly tried to stop him.

After spending the past few days together, his relationship with Naruto had become fairly good, so Naruto would probably listen to him.

Naruto stopped and angrily said:

"That’s what the previous Hokage told me too!"

"He said that the Hokage was supposed to protect all the villagers, but then he let people spread rumors that I was the Nine-Tails!"

Hearing this, Jiraiya was once again embarrassed.

Deep down, he couldn’t help feeling some resentment toward the already-dead Sarutobi Hiruzen.

The old man had done nothing but despicable things, yet he was always spouting such lofty ideals and deceiving people.

Now he had even caused Naruto to hate him!

Reiji chuckled twice.

"Let’s not even talk about that old bastard Sarutobi Hiruzen, who could die ten times over and it still wouldn’t be enough."

"Lord Jiraiya, you said that the Hokage is the person who protects all the villagers. If we use that as the standard, then among all the Hokage in Konoha’s history, perhaps only the First Hokage can truly be considered a Hokage."

Hearing this, both Jiraiya and Kakashi couldn’t help frowning.

Little Naruto hurriedly protested:

"You’re talking nonsense!"

"My father died sealing the Nine-Tails in order to protect the villagers. Why doesn’t he count as a real Hokage?"

Naruto had recently learned more about the father he had never met.

Although he still harbored some resentment toward his father for sealing the Nine-Tails inside him, Naruto was nevertheless proud that his father had been the Hokage.

Reiji paid no attention to Naruto’s objection and continued:

"On the night of the Nine-Tails’ attack, the Nine-Tails was initially controlled by someone using the Sharingan."

"But after the Sharingan’s control was broken, the Nine-Tails remained in Konoha and continued wreaking havoc. It wanted revenge against Konoha for sealing it and using it as a weapon of war."

"Tell me, if the Hokage at that time had been the First Hokage, what would the Nine-Tails have done?"

Jiraiya was taken aback. Then, following Reiji’s line of thought, he answered:

"According to the legends, the First Hokage’s Wood Release could restrain the Tailed Beasts. If the First Hokage had been there, he probably could have dealt with the Nine-Tails much more easily."

Heh!

Reiji couldn’t help laughing.

"If the First Hokage had been there, the moment the Sharingan’s control was released, the Nine-Tails would have immediately fled!"

Inside Naruto’s mental space.

The Nine-Tails had also heard their conversation outside.

Hearing Reiji say this, it let out an angry snort, but did not say anything.

"Huh? That big fox seems really unhappy."

Naruto also heard the Nine-Tails’ voice and said with some surprise.

Reiji chuckled and explained:

"That’s because the Nine-Tails has personally experienced the First Hokage’s power. It knows that if it doesn’t run immediately, then once the First Hokage makes a move, all it will be able to think about is how to make its next sealing as comfortable as possible."

Hearing this, the Nine-Tails immediately began cursing inside Naruto’s mental space.

Although that was the truth...

Didn’t the Nine-Tails have any dignity?!

"Was the First Hokage really that strong?"

Kakashi asked incredulously.

In his eyes, his teacher, Minato Namikaze, had already been incredibly powerful.

Yet even he had died while sealing the Nine-Tails.

Although the First Hokage possessed Wood Release, which could restrain Tailed Beasts, surely he wasn’t so powerful that the Nine-Tails would simply give up resisting, right?

"That big fox doesn’t seem to be disagreeing with that."

Naruto spoke up.

Although the Nine-Tails was cursing and complaining, it had never actually denied that the First Hokage could crush it.

"That is why I said that only the First Hokage could perhaps be considered a true Hokage."

"The First Hokage possessed enough power to bring peace to the entire shinobi world."

"After the First Hokage died, although the Second Hokage was also extremely powerful, he no longer possessed the kind of overwhelming strength that could make the entire shinobi world dare not act recklessly."

"And so, the First Great Ninja War broke out."

Reiji spoke slowly.

"That’s sophistry!"

Jiraiya was extremely dissatisfied.

Just because a Hokage couldn’t absolutely prevent war, that meant he wasn’t a true Hokage?

What kind of logic was that?!

By that reasoning, the Second Hokage had died protecting his disciples, and the Fourth Hokage had died sealing the Nine-Tails. Were they somehow not true Hokage either?

"If the Hokage is supposed to be the person who protects all the villagers, then of course he should possess the absolute power necessary to prevent war!"

Reiji spoke as though it were self-evident before bringing up another matter.

"As for the Konoha White Fang incident, although it was indeed a conspiracy orchestrated by Sarutobi Hiruzen, it cannot be denied that situations where protecting one’s comrades conflicts with completing a mission can genuinely arise."

"In such a situation, should you prioritize your comrades or the mission?"

Kakashi immediately answered:

"Someone who abandons their comrades is worse than scum!"

Those were words Obito had once said to him, and Kakashi now believed them wholeheartedly.

"Then what if your comrades have already prepared themselves to make the ultimate sacrifice, while the mission is genuinely extremely important to the village?"

Reiji countered.

Jiraiya and Kakashi both hesitated.

In that situation...

How should one choose?

Seeing the two fall into contemplation, Reiji immediately said:

"If the Hokage truly is the person who protects all the villagers, then the Hokage would never allow such a situation to arise in the first place!"

Jiraiya frowned.

"A Hokage can’t possibly control everything. What if there really is a situation where a choice has to be made?"

Hearing this, Reiji smiled.

"And that is precisely the problem with Konoha and the Hokage."

"Konoha is clearly a military organization, yet it insists on seeing itself as a harmonious village where everyone lives together peacefully."

"That is why conflicts between missions and comrades arise."

Kakashi’s brows twitched.

He felt as though he understood something, yet he also felt that he hadn’t completely grasped it.

If Konoha was a military organization, then during wartime, military missions should naturally take priority.

But if Konoha was a village where comrades lived together day after day, then it should naturally strive to protect those comrades.

So what exactly was Konoha?

Was it a military organization?

Or was it a village where comrades lived together?

Jiraiya was beginning to lose patience.

"What exactly are you trying to say? Can you just tell me what you plan to do?"

Reiji’s previous words had made him uncomfortable.

Not only had he denied the legitimacy of several Hokage, he had even reduced Konoha to nothing more than a military organization!

Reiji looked at Jiraiya and couldn’t help feeling somewhat disappointed.

Forget it.

There was no way to truly communicate with someone who had been completely brainwashed by the Will of Fire.

Then, in an indifferent tone, Reiji stated his plan:

"I have no interest in becoming Hokage, nor do I want to protect villagers who disgust me."

"But I have also grown tired of things like the Hokage and the Will of Fire. I don’t want another Hokage ruling over my head."

"From now on, Konoha will no longer have a Hokage."

"I will use my own strength to establish order and bring peace to Konoha—and to the entire shinobi world!"

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