At the moment, there were really only two people in Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes who stood out above the rest.
One was Minato Namikaze.
The other was Kiyohara.
As someone from the Hokage's own camp, either of them was naturally more likely to win Hiruzen's favor.
His former top student, Orochimaru, had once held that same kind of privileged position too. Unfortunately, he had ended up entangled with Danzo Shimura.
Even so, Hiruzen still believed Orochimaru was qualified to become Hokage. In fact, aside from those three, there were plenty of shinobi in Konoha who were qualified.
But Hokage candidates didn't need to be too numerous. Too many candidates would stir up factional conflict and could even lead to internal unrest.
So Hiruzen planned to call in a few people he personally thought highly of and sound them out first.
The first one he summoned was Minato Namikaze, who had just returned from the front.
Hiruzen looked at the young man standing before him.
"Minato."
Hiruzen set down his pipe and folded his hands on the desk.
"I called you here because there's something I want to discuss."
"Please, Third Hokage."
Minato said respectfully.
Hiruzen's eyes, eyes that had witnessed countless battlefields, drifted past the window toward the Hokage Monument in the distance.
The stone faces of the First, the Second, and his own were lined up there.
And before long, there would be one more.
"The war is almost over."
Hiruzen spoke slowly.
"Kiri has pulled back. Iwa has signed a peace agreement. Suna has become an ally… That leaves only Kumo."
Minato nodded.
"Yes. At most, another year, and the fighting should finally come to an end."
"A year…"
Hiruzen shook his head.
"It may not even take that long."
In Hiruzen's view, a year was too much. The war might very well end within just the next few months.
As things stood now, Kumogakure couldn't sustain a prolonged war.
"Minato, have you ever thought about what kind of person Konoha will need to lead it once the war is over?"
Minato's heartbeat quickened.
Of course he had thought about it.
Every ambitious shinobi had.
"I intend to name you as a Hokage candidate."
Hiruzen's words made Minato's eyes widen slightly.
"When the war ends, I will step down as Hokage. At that time, the Fourth Hokage will be chosen from among the candidates."
Even with Minato's calm nature, hearing that made his heart start pounding faster.
Hokage.
That was the dream every Konoha shinobi grew up with.
It was also Minato's greatest wish. Ever since the day he entered the Ninja Academy, he had worked toward becoming Hokage.
He remembered being a child in the Academy, staring up at the Third Hokage's portrait and imagining the day he might wear that hat himself.
He also thought of Kushina.
He remembered her saying, "I know you'll become Hokage someday."
But now that the possibility was actually in front of him, Minato found himself falling quiet.
Because Hokage was also a crushing responsibility.
Especially after seeing the brutality of war firsthand, Minato understood more than ever how important a village's Kage really was.
After thinking for a moment, Minato looked up at Hiruzen.
"Third Hokage, the war isn't over yet."
"If we decide on candidates now… isn't it a little too early?"
"I think what matters most to everyone in the village right now is ending the war."
Hiruzen looked at him, and a faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
This young man's first thought wasn't excitement over possibly becoming Hokage.
It was the war.
That kind of character really did suit the position of Hokage.
"The war will end sooner or later."
Hiruzen picked up his pipe and took a draw.
"And you won't be the only candidate."
Minato paused, then nodded.
He understood.
Choosing a Hokage was never simple.
Clan influence, the opinions of the higher-ups, accomplishments in war… every part had to be weighed carefully.
"I understand, Third Hokage. I'll keep doing my best."
Hiruzen nodded in satisfaction, then talked with Minato a while longer.
"You may go now."
Minato bowed slightly and turned to leave.
In the corridor outside the Hokage's office, thoughts surged through Minato's mind.
Hokage candidate…
He clenched his fist, then slowly relaxed it.
But this still wasn't the time.
The war wasn't over yet.
He took a deep breath, quickened his pace, and headed downstairs around the corner.
Back in the office, Hiruzen picked up his pipe again, but didn't smoke it.
"Shinnosuke."
he suddenly called.
A figure silently emerged from the shadows.
It was a tall Anbu operative wearing a mask.
He dropped to one knee.
"Hokage-sama."
"Go bring Kiyohara here."
Sarutobi Shinnosuke hesitated slightly.
"Yes."
He answered, but didn't leave immediately.
He raised his head, the eyes beneath the mask fixed on his father.
"Hokage-sama… are you planning to make Kiyohara a candidate too?"
At work, even a son addressed his father by title.
Hiruzen looked at him and didn't deny it.
"Yes."
"The first Uchiha… Hokage candidate?"
"That's right. It will help stabilize the Uchiha."
Shinnosuke nodded.
He understood his father's thinking.
The Uchiha clan's position in the village had always been delicate.
A Hokage candidate didn't mean someone would definitely be chosen.
Letting the clan put forward a candidate, even if that person ultimately lost, was still a meaningful gesture.
But since the Hokage would only be chosen from among the candidates, it was also a sign of genuine regard toward the Uchiha.
"I'll go now."
Shinnosuke rose, opened the window, and vanished in a Body Flicker.
For Anbu, the proper exit was a window, not a door.
That left only Hiruzen in the office, along with the Anbu still guarding the corners.
At Training Ground Three, Kiyohara was doing what he usually did—working on his clay technique.
The explosive clay technique really did have a lot of potential.
Kiyohara planned to spend more time studying how to create clay directly through chakra, so he could get rid of the weakness of having to rely on natural clay.
It would consume more chakra, but if it worked, the payoff would be much greater.
Konan, the richest woman in the shinobi world, had once disguised six hundred billion explosive tags as an ocean and lured Obito into it, then blasted him relentlessly. If not for Izanagi, he would have been finished.
But if Kiyohara infused Earth Release chakra directly into the land beneath his feet during battle, he could theoretically turn an entire mountain into explosive clay.
What kind of damage would that be?
A nuclear blast?
Luckily, Kiyohara thought, the biggest flaw of the technique isn't much of a problem for me.
Creating clay with Earth Release chakra dramatically increased chakra consumption, which was why Deidara didn't use that method himself.
Even though Deidara's chakra reserves were actually greater than Tsunade's in her normal state, before releasing the Strength of a Hundred Seal, it still wouldn't be nearly enough to cover a mountain.
"If I keep stacking futures, my chakra reserves will soon hit twenty times that of a jonin. So about twice a Kage's reserves?"
Kiyohara rubbed his chin.
People might get the impression from the later stages of the war that Kage-level shinobi were everywhere, but in the ninja world as a whole, they were actually extremely rare.
The only reason the Fourth Great Ninja War became so massive was because Kabuto, the grand master of wish fulfillment, dragged the dead of the past back with Edo Tensei.
"Hm?"
Kiyohara suddenly thought of something.
There might be another very convenient way to solve this problem.
One of Ryuchi Cave Sage Mode's abilities was called Sage Art: Inorganic Reanimation.
It could absorb natural energy and give life to inorganic matter, turning it into controllable organic forms.
At its core, that too was a matter of injecting chakra into material and changing its shape.
I should probably pay the White Snake Sage a visit, Kiyohara thought.
This technique had terrifying potential. Even an Otsutsuki would still have to deal with an explosion.
Otsutsuki didn't really take damage from ninjutsu itself, but they did take damage from natural physical phenomena.
For example, in Boruto, Isshiki Otsutsuki was injured by Koji Kashin's Summoning: True Flames of Samadhi because those flames came from a natural fire source—not chakra-generated fire—and therefore couldn't be absorbed by Karma.
Once Kiyohara altered the land with chakra and then made it explode, what manifested was pure heat and shockwave.
Those were natural physical effects. They didn't need chakra simulation or ongoing chakra control anymore.
Whether it was the Rinnegan or Karma, they could only absorb techniques composed of chakra.
If you used Earth Release to gather surrounding soil into a meteor and smashed it into an Otsutsuki, they could still break that meteor apart into ordinary dirt—but if they didn't dodge, they'd still be hurt by the falling mass.
Because at that point, it was just physical matter.
Kiyohara's transformed explosive clay worked the same way. It only changed the form of the material. Even if someone absorbed the chakra inside, it could still explode.
Better to take it one step at a time.
As he thought that, Kiyohara shaped some clay pieces and molded them into a tiny Tsunade.
The little white clay Tsunade looked a bit blank and stiff, but it was extremely accurate.
He made the white clay Tsunade weave through scattered rocks, go around several raised stones, and finally stop near a tree.
Kiyohara raised his hand and flicked a finger.
"Ha."
Boom!
The explosion erupted.
Fire burst out, gravel flew, and dust filled the air.
When the smoke cleared, the tree had been blasted into pieces, the trunk marked with black scorch scars.
He called this technique "C106: Exploding Tsunade."
Kiyohara looked at the wreckage and nodded slightly.
He hadn't created it to use against enemies. He was just testing how good his clay sculpting had gotten.
His control over explosive clay was improving rapidly.
If Deidara saw this, he'd probably start ranting about art all over again.
Then Kiyohara shaped a white clay object that looked like a grenade and was just about to throw it when he suddenly sensed chakra.
Someone was coming.
And that chakra felt familiar.
He turned around.
A figure was walking through the trees.
An Anbu mask. A tall frame.
Kiyohara recognized the figure immediately.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke.
"Kiyohara."
Shinnosuke stopped in front of him, his dark eyes visible through the mask.
"Hokage-sama wants to see you."
Kiyohara raised a brow.
Calling for him at a time like this?
He didn't ask any further questions. He simply nodded.
"I'll head over right away."
Shinnosuke nodded and turned to go, but suddenly stopped.
"Kiyohara."
"Hm?"
"Congratulations."
He said only that, then blurred away into the trees.
Kiyohara stood there, watching him disappear, his brow furrowing slightly.
Congratulations?
For what?
He shook his head, put away the remaining clay, repaired the blasted terrain with Earth Release, and then headed toward the Hokage Tower.
When Kiyohara pushed open the office door, Hiruzen was standing by the window.
Outside, the sky had fully darkened, and the lights of Konoha's busy streets were beginning to come on.
Ordinary villagers and shinobi alike flowed through the roads below.
"Hokage-sama."
Kiyohara walked up to the desk.
Hiruzen turned around.
"Kiyohara, sit."
Kiyohara did as instructed and sat down.
Hiruzen returned to his chair behind the desk and took a slow draw from his pipe.
"Kiyohara."
Hiruzen began.
"Do you have any interest in becoming Hokage?"
A slight shift crossed Kiyohara's expression.
That question had come rather suddenly.
But he didn't let it show on his face. He only smiled faintly.
"Becoming Hokage is probably every shinobi's dream."
Hiruzen looked at him.
That answer wasn't much different from Minato's.
"Then what do you think it takes to become Hokage?"
Kiyohara was silent for two seconds.
"To earn everyone's recognition."
he said quietly.
"It's not that becoming Hokage earns you recognition. It's recognition that allows you to become Hokage."
Hiruzen's eyes narrowed slightly.
That kind of awareness. That kind of Will of Fire…
It was hard to believe it was coming from an Uchiha.
If Uchiha Madara had possessed that kind of political sense back then, maybe the early ninja wars never would have happened at all.
Because if Hashirama Senju and Uchiha Madara had never gone to war with each other, they probably both would have lived much longer.
"Kiyohara."
"I intend to name you as a Hokage candidate."
Kiyohara was honestly surprised.
What the hell?
They hadn't even held a vote yet, and he was already almost a Hokage candidate?
So this was a backroom deal.
But thinking it through, Kiyohara remembered that in canon, only Orochimaru and Minato had been formally nominated and turned into actual candidates.
Both of them were civilians by background.
There was no way Konoha's many shinobi clans lacked people they supported.
Which meant this so-called "voting" had always been a bit of a sham.
What really mattered was the will of the higher-ups.
And now, Hiruzen had already started including him in that circle.
"When the war ends, I'll step down as Hokage."
Hiruzen continued.
"At that time, the Fourth Hokage will be chosen from among the candidates. Until then, you need to keep building your accomplishments in war."
It was the second time that day Hiruzen had said those words.
Kiyohara looked up.
"I understand."
Kiyohara nodded.
"I'll continue doing my part."
Hiruzen nodded in satisfaction.
"Hokage-sama, I'll take my leave."
Kiyohara rose and turned toward the door.
Once the office door closed, Hiruzen remained seated where he was.
That child really was excellent.
Then Hiruzen started wondering when he should call Orochimaru in as well.
After thinking it over, he decided to wait until after the war ended.
That kid was too loose-lipped. There was a real chance he'd leak it to Danzo.
Once outside the Hokage Tower, Kiyohara still found it hard to believe that he had really become one of the Hokage candidates.
In canon, the candidates were only formally decided after the war ended.
But now, before the war was even over, Hiruzen was already laying the groundwork.
Was it because the war had dragged on for several extra years in this timeline?
Kiyohara rubbed his chin.
It was already well into Konoha's fiftieth year. By canon logic, Naruto and Sasuke should've been born already, but they still weren't.
The one upside was that Kurenai had finally reached an age where pursuing her felt completely natural.
Just as that thought crossed his mind, Kiyohara stopped.
At the far end of the corridor, in the shadow, stood a small figure.
A childish face. Dark eyes fixed directly on him.
Itachi Uchiha.
Kiyohara raised a brow.
"Itachi?"
Itachi walked over and stopped in front of him.
"Kiyohara-sensei."
"What is it?"
"Father asked me to invite you."
He paused.
"There's a clan meeting tonight. He hopes you'll come."
Kiyohara's brows drew together slightly.
A meeting?
The Uchiha clan's internal "secret meeting"?
"What kind of meeting?"
Kiyohara asked, pretending not to know.
Itachi looked at him and explained.
"At Naka Shrine. A secret Uchiha gathering. Only Uchiha shinobi are allowed to attend."
Kiyohara glanced around.
Unbelievable. Loudly plotting in public, huh? Good thing nobody was nearby.
"Father said it concerns the Hokage position, because Kiyohara-sensei might become Hokage."
Itachi said.
Kiyohara's expression turned odd.
How do you already know I've become a Hokage candidate?
"Of course, Father may become Hokage too. In any case, if the Uchiha get a Hokage candidate, it'll probably be either Father or Kiyohara-sensei."
Itachi added.
Kiyohara immediately understood.
So Fugaku wanted to talk to him first.
"I understand."
Kiyohara asked what time the meeting would be.
Itachi told him.
It wasn't too late in the evening, so Kiyohara agreed.
"I'll be there."
Itachi nodded and turned to leave.
At the Uchiha district, inside Fugaku's home, Fugaku sat in the living room holding a cup of tea that had already gone cold.
The surface of the tea reflected his face.
Years of bearing the weight of being both clan head and captain of the Konoha Military Police Force had made him look older than he really was.
There were fine lines at the corners of his eyes, deep creases between his brows, and even a few faint strands of white at his temples.
He set the tea down and looked out the window.
Under the moonlight, the trees in the courtyard cast shifting shadows.
"Father."
Itachi's voice came from outside the room.
Fugaku turned.
Itachi walked in and stopped in front of him.
"Kiyohara-sensei said he'll come."
Fugaku nodded.
"Good."
"Tell your mother to prepare some sweets."
Fugaku reminded him.
Once the meeting was over, he intended to invite Kiyohara back here.
Hearing that, Itachi headed to the kitchen.
Inside, Mikoto Uchiha stood at the sink washing dishes.
Water ran steadily.
When Itachi entered, she was just putting a washed bowl away in the cupboard.
"Mother."
Mikoto turned around, a gentle smile on her face.
"Itachi, what is it?"
"Father asked you to prepare some sweets."
Mikoto blinked.
"We're having a guest?"
"Yeah."
Itachi nodded.
"Kiyohara-sensei."
"Kiyohara, huh."
Mikoto nodded, and almost without thinking, the image of Kiyohara rose in her mind.
She had seen him before at Training Ground Three, in chainmail. Those broad shoulders and firm chest had carried a striking kind of beauty.
Unlike Fugaku.
Fugaku had been handsome in his youth too, but after all these years of labor and worry, age had clearly begun to show on him.
There were lines at the corners of his eyes now, deep furrows between his brows, and even his posture was not as straight as it used to be.
Mikoto shook her head and forced those thoughts away.
"Understood."
she said.
~~~
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