"We'll talk about Hokage tomorrow, but if sister Tsunade really wants to give up the position, then you can leave it to me in two years." Ryosuke thought about it and said.
He used to think being the Hokage was troublesome, so he never accepted it.
But now...
Come to think of it, it's not really a hassle.
At worst, he could just be a hands-off leader like Tsunade.
And Hokage is still a job.
That means...
During his tenure, he would technically be working 24/7.
So wouldn't he be able to enjoy the perks of Kakuzu's talent entry at any time?
And as for leading a team as a Jōnin?
That always comes to an end.
For example, his current team, Team 10, no longer needed him to lead missions.
After all, both Ino and Shikamaru had the strength of a special Jōnin.
Chōji was also stronger than an average Chūnin.
With a team like that, having a Jōnin leading them didn't really make much difference.
So, taking over as the Hokage wasn't out of the question.
"Wait two years? There's no need to wait. This year is okay."
Tsunade saw that Ryosuke had finally relented and immediately took advantage, changing his two-year timeline into this year.
"Let's talk tomorrow." Ryosuke said.
"Alright, we'll have a meeting tomorrow to discuss the details of your Hokage succession." Tsunade said with a smile.
She was in a hurry. Not just because she could finally get rid of the responsibilities of being the Hokage and go gamble without worrying about her status.
But also because she was successfully passing the village on to Ryosuke. It felt like a legacy.
And Tsunade had undoubtedly found an outstanding successor—perhaps even too outstanding.
So, it's no wonder she was so happy.
Of course, the main reason was probably the first one.
...
Nighttime
Ino waved goodbye to her worried father, then took Ryosuke's hand as the two returned to the villa together.
"Ryosuke, I'll come live here often from now on, okay?" Ino asked with a smile.
"Of course, my home is your home. You can come anytime." Ryosuke said.
"Then I'll stay for a month first!" Ino beamed.
Ryosuke shook his head with a smile.
Compared to Hinata, Ino was definitely more straightforward.
They had just gotten engaged, and she was already eager to move in.
Thinking about the expression on Inoichi's face just now, Ryosuke couldn't help but feel guilty.
Weird.
Ino was the one who wanted to move in, he hadn't even suggested it—so why did he feel guilty?
Ryosuke wondered.
The next morning
Even before Ryosuke opened his eyes, he felt something brushing against his nose.
He opened his eyes and, sure enough, saw Ino lying on top of him, playfully running her hair across his face.
"Morning, Ryosuke." Ino giggled.
She had insisted on staying over and sleeping next to him last night.
Ryosuke couldn't win against her persistence, so he agreed.
Of course, nothing happened.
At least, nothing too serious.
After all, expecting Ryosuke to not touch Ino all night would be unrealistic.
But he didn't go too far either. That wouldn't be good for Ino's health.
Ryosuke truly liked Ino, so naturally, he wouldn't do anything to hurt her for his own desires.
As for whether he could make Ino mature faster with his abilities?
It wasn't impossible, but Ryosuke felt it was unnecessary.
Was he really so desperate that he couldn't wait a little longer?
In the morning, after having breakfast at home, Ryosuke set out with Ino.
Since he had promised Tsunade to attend a meeting in the morning, he didn't take Ino along for too long.
After strolling around for a bit, he sent her back to her family's flower shop.
After greeting Ino's mother, Ryosuke turned and left under the watchful eyes of both mother and daughter.
"Ino, last night you..."
Ino's mother looked at her daughter hesitantly.
"Mom~! What are you thinking?!"
Ino's face turned red as she quickly explained, "Ryosuke said we should wait a few years before... In short, it's not what you think!"
Blushing, Ino ran upstairs.
"We have to wait a few more years?"
Ino's mother looked disappointed. She had hoped for a grandchild next year.
Now she had to wait even longer?
But—
Knowing that Ryosuke cherished her daughter so much, she was extremely satisfied with her future son-in-law.
Even if Ryosuke was a bit of a flirt, it didn't seem like a big deal.
After all, what's wrong with a powerful man having a few confidantes?
Of course, this logic only applied to her perfect son-in-law, Ryosuke.
If it were her husband, Inoichi, trying the same thing...
Heh~!
See if she wouldn't teach him a lesson. She'd knock some sense into him.
So he wouldn't dare fool around outside and bring trouble home.
Hokage Office
Ryosuke greeted the Anbu guards at the entrance before heading upstairs.
Knock, knock!
He raised his hand, knocked on the Hokage's office door, then pushed it open.
"Come in, take a seat."
Tsunade was seated with her legs crossed, reading over documents.
Wait... was she actually working hard?
Ryosuke gave her a surprised look, then greeted Shizune and Temari before sitting down.
"Ryosuke, I heard that Tsunade-sama is giving you the Hokage position?"
Temari sat at her desk, secretly glancing at Tsunade before whispering to Ryosuke.
"Seriously?"
Ryosuke nodded, spreading his hands.
"I have no choice, Sister Tsunade has been pushing me endlessly. Since she doesn't want to do any real work, I guess I have to reluctantly accept it."
Temari: "....."
Hokage is the leader of a village.
Why did these two act like it was a burden they didn't want?
At that moment—
Tsunade put down the document she was holding and glanced at Ryosuke.
"You sure know how to act like you're being forced into this." Ryosuke laughed and said.
To be honest, it doesn't matter to him whether he is the Hokage or not.
He meant what he said. If it weren't for Tsunade's kindness, he would never have thought of becoming Konoha's Hokage.
After all, not being Hokage has no effect on Ryosuke.
Could it be that if he isn't the Hokage, others will look down on him?
With his strength, no matter where he goes, everyone will respect him, even deliberately please and fawn over him.
But people like Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō would probably be an exception.
If they were still alive and in their original positions, they would try their best to eliminate Ryosuke to prevent him from affecting their hold on power.
So, this is the difference in perspective.
Tsunade has a broader vision, so she is willing to delegate power.
However, people like Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzō had a narrow mindset and short-sightedness, only seeing the immediate benefits in front of them.
"Anyone else coming?" Ryosuke asked.
"Jiraiya, your old man, and Shikaku and the others." Tsunade replied.
Old man?
Oh~!
Hiashi.
Ryosuke nodded.
Then he sat and waited patiently, chatting with Temari and Shizune nearby.
The two of them giggled from time to time. This made Tsunade a bit uncomfortable.
"Hey, hey, hey~! Don't distract them from their work!" Tsunade patted the table and said.
Ryosuke looked at her speechlessly and said, "Please, Sister Tsunade, you're the Hokage, aren't you? Shouldn't these tasks be done by you?"
Tsunade said, "Hmph~! I'm the Hokage, so of course, I have the final say on what to do!"
Tsunade folded her arms, looking proud…
Shizune, Temari: "...."
Fortunately, at that moment, Jiraiya and the others arrived one after another.
"Okay, since everyone is here, let's start the meeting!"
Tsunade clapped her hands and said directly, "I now propose that Ryosuke succeed as the Sixth Hokage. Who is for and who is against? Raise your hand if you are against."
The few people present looked at each other. No one raised their hands.
"Very good, since everyone agrees, it's confirmed that Ryosuke will succeed as the Sixth Hokage!" Tsunade nodded happily.
"No, are you really deciding this so hastily?"
Ryosuke asked, "Shouldn't you at least discuss it?"
Everyone looked at him and shook their heads.
Ryosuke becoming the Hokage?
They were all completely on board.
After all, Ryosuke was now the strongest in the world.
Given what he had done for the village and their trust in him, they had no doubts.
But this wasn't to say that Tsunade was a bad Hokage.
And besides, wasn't this her idea in the first place?
"Alright, alright."
Seeing everyone's "you're the most suitable" expressions, Ryosuke had nothing more to say.
"Since Ryosuke has no objections, let's discuss the appointment date for the Sixth Hokage."
Tsunade smiled and said, "I think three days is a good day."
???
Wait, why the rush?
This is changing the Hokage, not picking a dress.
"Three days? That's a bit rushed. It takes two or three days just to travel from Konoha to the the Daimyo's residence. But if we use Ryosuke's Flying Thunder God Technique, it shouldn't be a problem." Shikaku analyzed seriously.
"Wait a minute, why do we need to go to the Daimyo's residence?" Ryosuke asked, puzzled.
"Ryosuke, the transition of Hokage requires the Daimyo's approval." Jiraiya explained.
That's a thing?
Ryosuke thought about it. It seemed there really was such a rule.
But he didn't care about the Daimyo.
"No, there's no need to inform the Daimyo about this matter." Ryosuke said directly.
"Uh..."
Everyone looked at him with awkward expressions.
After all, there was no precedent for this.
In the past, every Hokage transition involved notifying the Daimyo in advance.
After the Daimyo approved, Konoha would carry out the Hokage handover.
The Daimyo was no fool. Under normal circumstances, they wouldn't reject a Hokage nomination.
After all, a village was the strongest military force in a country, while the Daimyo's mansion controlled the economy and overall military power.
Nominally, the village was a subsidiary of the Daimyo's mansion.
It was supposed to follow its directives.
But in reality, most of the time, the two sides didn't interfere with each other.
The Daimyo needed the power of ninjas. And the village needed the Daimyo's economic support.
It was a mutually beneficial relationship.
The strange part was that, despite the overwhelming military power of the villages, the supposedly weaker Daimyo still held the dominant position.
This was something Ryosuke never understood.
How could an ordinary Daimyo stand above the leader of a village and act so high and mighty?
Even the appointment of a new Hokage required the Daimyo's approval?
Just because the village needed financial support from the Daimyo?
Then why didn't the ninjas simply install a puppet Daimyo?
With a single genjutsu, wouldn't they be completely obedient?
Why had this never been done before?
It was the deep-rooted thinking that had conditioned them to instinctively regard the Daimyo as a superior ruler, never considering rebellion.
To put it bluntly, it was blind obedience.
But Ryosuke wasn't about to cater to some ridiculous Daimyo.
***
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