In the blink of an eye, Hiruzen was already fifty-three years old.
He had served as Hokage for… what, about eighteen years now?
Akio pondered for a moment, pulling scattered fragments of memory from the haze.
"It seems Hiruzen has started thinking about retirement and wants to choose a successor… and some people are getting restless."
He didn't even need to investigate who was stirring up trouble.
"When in doubt, just blame Danzō."
If this wasn't Danzō's doing, that would've surprised Akio.
First, he had used one of Orochimaru's "failure-to-rescue" missions to spark a debate about what was more important, the mission or one's comrades. Then he took advantage of Nawaki's idealism and hot-headedness to pit him directly against Orochimaru.
If all went well, Danzō could take out two competitors at once and they just happened to be the strongest two.
"Looks like Minato hasn't 'shined' enough yet; Danzō seems to be overlooking him." Akio chuckled and shook his head.
In his heart, Akio still favored Minato as the Fourth Hokage from every possible angle.
Everyone had their preferences, and Akio's judgment often mixed his past life and present one together.
Just like when Nawaki and Fugaku had competed for Mikoto's affection, Akio hadn't taken sides. But if it came to Nawaki and Minato competing for the Hokage's seat… whether from personal inclination or Kushina's standpoint, Akio would definitely stand with Minato.
"Besides, Nawaki's personality isn't exactly suited to be Hokage." Akio quickly found himself a convenient excuse.
As for Kushina's earlier talk about "taking Minato and the Nine Tails back to Uzushio," Akio had just laughed it off. With how she looked at him, would she really let Minato give up on his dream?
"But Danzō playing these little games… he's getting bold enough to ignore even his ancestors now." Akio muttered under his breath as he stepped out of his " Kiboku-dō shop" again, deciding it was time to make Danzō's life a bit more difficult.
He didn't do anything overt at first. Instead, he disguised himself as the shopkeeper and took a full walk around Konoha, using Wind Release chakra to eavesdrop on the chatter in the streets.
He ignored all gossip. Akio couldn't care less about who lost a cat or who lost a lover, and any whispered rumors? Absolutely none of his business… really.
He was only counting how many people supported rescuing comrades versus those who prioritized completing the mission.
To his relief, the majority still leaned toward saving comrades, though most of them were civilians.
"'A shinobi must prioritize the mission above all else.'"
That line written into the Academy textbooks by Tobirama himself had now become the root of the conflict.
Even now, Akio wasn't sure if that phrase was right or wrong. Its meaning depended entirely on context.
But one thing was clear: a person who doesn't value comrades could never gain everyone's trust to become Hokage.
In other words, unless Orochimaru clarified the incident where he "abandoned a comrade," he was already out of the running.
With that in mind, Akio decided to visit Orochimaru to "interview" him about the situation.
"What a boring trick," Orochimaru said flatly in reply.
Exactly as Akio expected. Nawaki might still be confused about why he was suddenly at the center of public debate, but Orochimaru could see straight through it.
Akio smiled. "So what will you do? Just let it go like this?"
Orochimaru licked his lips. "Elder Akio, would you let it go?"
Akio rolled his eyes. This guy really didn't look the least bit concerned.
But when he focused his senses for a moment, Akio's eyes widened slightly.
"Your strength… has improved again?"
At thirty-four, Orochimaru was at the prime of his shinobi career. For Akio to sense noticeable growth meant that progress was quite significant.
"A small improvement," Orochimaru replied calmly.
Akio waved dismissively and walked out.
No wonder he's not paying this political mess any mind, he's found another way to strengthen himself…
"Looks like Sage Mode's been quite helpful for him. Otherwise, without body modification, his current strength would've already hit its peak."
With nothing new to learn from Orochimaru, Akio didn't mind. He'd only wanted to confirm the man's stance, the rest would have to be handled through the Senju.
After a leisurely stroll, he arrived at the Senju compound and found Nawaki directly in the clan's main hall, with Tsunade there as well.
"Great-ancestor," Tsunade greeted first, her face bright with joy. "Two more members of the Senju clan have had children recently."
Akio blinked, then smiled. "Naturally. When I step in, results are… guaranteed."
He thought for a while, but couldn't come up with a better word.
Tsunade nodded repeatedly, then sighed. "You're here for Nawaki's situation, aren't you? You've heard about it?"
Nawaki's expression fell. "Sis, I really never said any of that!"
"But you did think it, didn't you?" Akio said with a teasing smile.
Nawaki's lips quivered, he couldn't refute it.
Tsunade sighed again. "Thinking about it is fine. After all, 'a shinobi must prioritize the mission' that's what our granduncle Tobirama said. Orochimaru's decision wasn't exactly wrong. If he'd chosen to save someone instead, he might be facing even harsher criticism now."
Her reasoning actually surprised Akio. He had expected her to firmly defend the value of comrades, but she was subtly siding with Orochimaru.
As expected… in the original timeline, she became the Fifth Hokage not just because she was Hashirama's granddaughter.
Seeing Nawaki getting scolded into silence, Akio stepped in to mediate. "That's not entirely fair either. I don't know the exact details of the mission, but I think both choices can be valid, it depends on how much the captured comrade means to you. Someone like Nawaki, who values his comrades above all else, would naturally choose to save them."
Nawaki nodded emphatically.
Akio continued, "Tsunade, think about it. If it had been Jiraiya captured instead, what do you think Orochimaru would've done?"
Tsunade stared at him blankly.
Akio froze. …Awkward.
"Orochimaru probably wouldn't have saved Jiraiya," he muttered. "The ship of friendship can sink just like that."
An awkward silence filled the room. Akio scrambled for another example, but soon realized that regardless of who the hostage was, Orochimaru's decision probably wouldn't have changed.
"Nawaki, you're right! You should strongly refute Orochimaru's actions!"
Nawaki nodded, then paused, confused. "But, Great-ancestor, I never actually said anything publicly"
"I know!" Akio sighed, interrupting. "It's just the start of another Hokage selection struggle. Some people are playing small games behind the scenes but this old ancestor sees through them all."
Nawaki nodded uncertainly.
"So what should I do, Great-ancestor?"
Akio paused, then grinned mischievously. "Right now, it's just you and Orochimaru caught in the spotlight. That's no goodtoo many people are watching the show."
He leaned close to Nawaki's ear and whispered instructions, while Tsunade rolled her eyes from the side. Here we go again. The old man's up to something…
A day later, the chatter across Konoha shifted once more:
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, publicly expressed support for Nawaki, while Elder Danzō Shimura openly declared his backing of Orochimaru.
Two heavyweight figures both dragged into the fray by Akio himself.
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