XX-level Hokage

"Have you thought it through?" Outside the Hidden Cloud Village, Mashiro looked at Samui and asked softly. "Perhaps," Samui said calmly.

"Should we bring your younger brother along?" Mashiro asked softly. "No need," Samui shook her head and said.

"Alright, we'll be going now." Mashiro waved his hand and left with Sakura.

Samui watched Mashiro's departing figure, bit her lip, her expression complex, and turned back to Kumogakure. On the way back to Konoha, Koro hesitated for a long time before finally asking, "Does Mashiro really like that person?" Sakura felt a strong sense of crisis facing Samui.

Exquisite, aloof features, fair skin, short, light blonde hair, and a stunning figure. Even Sakura herself had to admit she was undeniably alluring; she couldn't compete. "Perhaps," Mashiro said after a moment's thought.

Hearing Mashiro's answer, Sakura sighed softly, then looked at her almost flat upper body.

“But the main reason is because of her talent. I need an assistant, preferably a beautiful female assistant, and she fits my requirements perfectly,” Mashiro continued.

Mashiro initially had her eye on Mabui, but since Mabui was A's secret technique, even though A would definitely give it to her if Mashiro had just asked, she decided against it after thinking it over. There would be plenty of opportunities in the future, and without Mabui's help, A would have a hard time dealing with the mess that Kumogakure was in.

Samui became Mashiro's second choice. Although she was a little less professional than Mabui, she was knowledgeable, calm and composed, and had a great figure.

After listening to Mashiro's words, Sakura thought about it carefully and realized she didn't have the talent, so she felt relieved. Konoha.

After Mashiro and Sakura brought back news of the destruction of Kumogakure, the entire Konoha leadership became tense.

Although I had learned more or less about Akatsuki, I never expected that Akatsuki would have such strength, destroying the Cloud Village, one of the five great ninja villages and one of the strongest.

In the Hokage's office, Tsunade frowned deeply as she looked at the intelligence report in her hand.

She knew that neither Mashiro nor Sakura would lie to her about something like this, so she knew more than the rumors were circulating, and was even more shocked.

"The Rinnegan? I never thought such a legendary eye actually existed," Tsunade said softly.

Mashiro nodded gently. At this moment, she was holding Tun Tun and pinching its nose with great interest, making it make "humming" sounds.

Shizune stood behind her, watching the scene with a somewhat helpless expression. "Listen to me carefully, hey!" Tsunade scolded.

“I’m listening,” Mashiro said, looking at Tsunade very seriously.

"Speaking of which, you specifically brought Sakura along, and secretly contacted the Two-Tails Jinchuriki you had previously imprisoned and then released. Plus, you specifically planned to send an envoy, and even acted as the envoy yourself. You knew all along, didn't you? No, you definitely knew. I should have known." Tsunade said, somewhat annoyed. She had worried about this for a long time.

"Whether it's the Rinnegan or the Akatsuki, it's not really a big problem. The most important thing is what comes after..." Mashiro chuckled and didn't continue.

Tsunade didn't dwell on it and said, "Anyway, you should already have a plan, right? I'll hand over the Hokage position to you, and I won't worry about the rest."

Mashiro nodded gently, handed Ton-Ton to Shizune, stood up, came behind Tsunade, hugged her, and said, "Okay, leave the rest to me." Shizune, holding Ton-Ton, watched this scene, her face slightly flushed, as if she had remembered something.

Over the next few days, Mashiro spent her time teasing Bai, flirting with Tehan and Tayuya, and visiting Yakumo and Kushina.

During the days that Mashiro was away in Kumogakure, the village stopped assigning Naruto missions because of the attack on him. As a result, Kushina and Naruto grew closer.

"Have you adapted to your current life?" Mashiro asked softly, sitting on the bed in Kushina's room.

Kushina is making lunch for Naruto. She has been making lunch at home and bringing it to Naruto every time she finishes a level.

"Konoha is more prosperous, more peaceful, and more thriving than it used to be. Of course, I would prefer my current life, even though I have fewer familiar faces," Kushina said after a moment of silence.

Without Minato and Mikoto, even if there were the Third Hokage, Jiraiya, and Kakashi, she couldn't meet them; they would be no different from strangers.

“You didn’t have many friends in your original world either, did you? You’re only in your early twenties, making friends should be a piece of cake. I can introduce you to a few later,” Mashiro said calmly.

Yugito, Samui, Konan, and Kurenai are all around the same age as Kushina and have independent personalities, so they might be able to become good friends. "Introducing friends? Thank you very much. Your taste is quite good. But speaking of friends, are we really friends?" Mashiro replied with a smile, then...

"Yes, but I want to take it a step further." Mashiro looked at Kushina and said with a light laugh.

Kushina didn't speak again. Over the past few days, she had gradually become familiar with her current life and had figured out her situation, so her personality had become more lively, but she still wouldn't think about anything else.

“I will announce Naruto’s identity to the people of Konoha in a few days,” Mashiro suddenly said. Kushina was stunned and turned to look at Mashiro.

"The son of a hero should be treated accordingly. The Third Hokage may have his concerns, but I don't. Your life and Minato's life should be rewarded sufficiently," Mashiro said leisurely.

[Kushina Uzumaki's Affection +10]

"Well, thank you very much." Kushina looked at Mashiro with gratitude in her eyes.

Through their time together these past few days, she had come to realize that Naruto's situation in Konoha was worse than she had imagined.

She had no choice but to suppress her anger and try to be nicer to Naruto. [Name: Uzumaki Kushina]

Gender: Female Age: 24 Favorability Rating: 40

Relationship: Friends

Favorability Reward (50): Nine-Tails Chakra Favorability Reward (90): One Step Away from the Sealing Chain.

"Then I'll be leaving now. You go find Naruto." Mashiro said, then got up and left. These past few days, Mashiro had some free time.

Various stories about Mashiro began to circulate in Konoha.

Whether it was becoming a Jonin in his teens, or being the head of the Hyuga clan, a disciple of the Third Hokage, or the leader of "Root".

Mashiro carried out various missions, defeated Orochimaru, and led "Root" to make various contributions to Konoha, including this major contribution to Kumogakure.

Various accolades and achievements began to focus on Mashiro. The hype began.

Chapter 144: Naruto

As the word spread, Mashiro's status in Konoha rose higher and higher, and civilians and most ordinary ninjas regarded Mashiro as the hope of Konoha.

And that is precisely Mashiro's goal. Prestige can also be artificially created.

Several years ago, when Jin became the new leader of "Root", he began to transform "Root" and greatly enhanced its influence.

At the same time, Mashiro also placed the Hyuga clan in a suitable position, accumulating a great deal of prestige by developing commerce and solving the problems of ordinary people.

Now, all the prestige of both "Root" and the Hyuga clan is concentrated on Mashiro, coupled with Mashiro's own abilities. Thus, her prestige is established.

Soon after, Tsunade initiated a high-level meeting to discuss how to assist the Hidden Cloud Village.

The senior executives arrived at the conference room one after another and began exchanging pleasantries. After everyone was seated, Mashiro pushed open the door and walked in.

Faced with this rising star, all the high-ranking officials smiled amicably. After a while, Tsunade arrived, and the meeting officially began.

"I think you have all heard about what happened in Kumogakure. The mastermind behind it is the Akatsuki organization. This organization has been collecting Jinchuriki from various ninja villages for years, with the aim of unifying the ninja world with the power of the Tailed Beasts. Our Konoha's Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was attacked by members of this organization not long ago."

What was initially thought to be a small, rogue ninja organization has now come to light as possessing the power to destroy the five great ninja villages. As a result, the Fourth Raikage has initiated a Five Kage Summit.

This concerns the very survival of the entire entertainment industry.

"And the topic of our meeting is related to this—how to aid the Hidden Cloud Village," Tsunade said slowly. Everyone in the meeting room listened silently; no one spoke.

"Shikaku, please read out the draft plan first." After scanning the room, Tsunade looked at Shikaku and said. "Yes, Hokage-sama."

Shikaku respectfully rose and said, "Based on preliminary discussions, Konoha is prepared to provide assistance... If anyone has any objections, we will make revisions after discussion."

After speaking, Shikaku bowed to Tsunade and then sat down.

After Shikaku sat down, Koharu Utatane spoke up, "I think we've given too much aid, both military rations and medicine. Facing such a formidable organization, Konoha should prepare for the future. Our aid to Kumo-nin should be just token, like food and clothing. As for essential supplies like military rations and medicine, we should avoid giving them away if possible."

After Xiaochun finished speaking, no one objected. For most people in the meeting room, Xiaochun's words reflected their true thoughts, but they were unable to speak out for certain reasons.

“My opinion is the same as Koharu’s. The situation in Kumogakure won’t improve in a short time, and our relationship with Kumogakure isn’t that good. Aid should be given in a token way,” Mitokado Homura added.

"So, does anyone else have an opinion?" Tsunade asked.

The heads of the various families remained silent, the heads of the various departments bowed their heads in silence, the members of the Anbu awaited Tsunade's instructions, the members of Root looked at Mashiro, and the Third Hokage closed his eyes to rest. Since retiring, he had never interfered in the affairs of the village, which made Mitokado Homura and Tsukushi Koharu feel very strange. It took them several years to get used to it.

Just then, Mashiro spoke with a light laugh.

I think both advisors are right. Whether from the perspective of planning ahead or from the perspective of the relationship between Konoha and Kumogakure, they have their own considerations. However, in my opinion, the assistance in terms of food and clothing is definitely not lacking. As for military rations, I also think they are unnecessary, as are medicines, which are also in short supply for Konoha.

However, we can take another approach. Since we can't send material resources, we can send manpower. There are many trainee medical ninjas in Konoha, and in my opinion, we can send them to help Kumogakure. There are many injured people in Kumogakure, but most of them are not serious. Sending trainee medical ninjas there can show our sincerity and also provide these trainee medical ninjas with experience.

Furthermore, isn't there a ninja in the Anbu who can use Wood Release? They could send him along too; this would not only help with the reconstruction of Kumogakure (Cloud Village)...

It provides important assistance, and we can also obtain a detailed map of the Hidden Cloud Village through it.

As Mashiro spoke eloquently, everyone in the conference room showed expressions of appreciation. Mashiro not only stabilized Miyo's interest rate but also satisfactorily met the demands of Kumoku Village.

"These are my thoughts. What do you all think?" Mashiro said softly, then sat down. Mitokado Homura and Tsubaki Koharu were stunned for a moment, then silently sat down as well. This was indeed an almost perfect approach.

"Wood Release ninja? You mean Tenzo? I can send him. Since no one objects, Shikaku, make a note of it. We'll provide assistance according to Mashiro's suggestion," Tsunade said softly.

"Yes, Lord Hokage," Shikaku said respectfully.

The discussion reached a conclusion, and the senior executives in the conference room couldn't help but relax, thinking that the meeting was about to end.

Just then, Tsunade spoke again, saying, "The first matter of this meeting has been concluded. Now it's time to talk about the second matter." Hearing this, the high-ranking officials in the conference room became serious again, waiting for Tsunade to continue.

"I wish to resign from the position of Hokage," Tsunade said calmly. Just one sentence.

This caused an immediate commotion in the conference room. "This, this..."

"Lady Tsunade, you mustn't!"

Why would Lady Tsunade suddenly have such a thought?

It was too sudden; they were completely unprepared. In the past, there were always candidates for Hokage, and only after the higher-ups had confirmed them without any objections would they be sent to the Daimyo for confirmation.

But intelligent people like Shikaku, considering the recent events, had some vague guesses in their minds.

"I'm serious. I only became Hokage because there wasn't a suitable candidate, so I filled in temporarily. Now that the right person has left, it's time for me to step down," Tsunade said earnestly.

Upon hearing this, not only Shikaku, but most of the high-ranking officials in the meeting room vaguely guessed what was going on. "Lady Tsunade, who is the candidate you mentioned?" Shikaku asked knowingly.

Tsunade stood up, came behind Mashiro, placed her hands on Mashiro's shoulders, and said, "After the consensus reached by me and the Third Hokage, Hyuga Mashiro will be the next Hokage."

Mashiro chuckled lightly, making no attempt to refuse.

An uproar erupted, then instantly silence fell. "We disagree."

Mito Menyan and Koharu, who had contracted the disease, were the first to state their positions.

“Mashiro is indeed an excellent child, but she is far too young. You know, Minato was 25 when he succeeded him, and Mashiro is only 18 now. Her experience is too shallow,” said Mitokado Homura.

Although he liked Mashiro, his junior, rules are rules.

"Furthermore, there has never been a Hyuga clan member who has served as Hokage in Konoha. As a large clan, and one that relies on its inherited Byakugan, becoming Hokage would inevitably lead to the clan becoming excessively powerful," said Koharu Utatane.

Neither the Uchiha nor the Hyuga clan believed that becoming Hokage was possible.

"Then, let's vote," Mashiro said softly. "Raise your hand if you oppose the proposal," Tsunade said.

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu raised their hands. They had assumed that most of the senior executives in the meeting room would raise their hands as well, but they were wrong. Apart from the two of them, no one else raised their hands.

Among the high-level officials present, those from various departments remained neutral and never participated in the voting.

Among the various clans, the Inu family and the Aburame family are on good terms with the Hyuga family, so these two families naturally do not object.

Mashiro once saved Ino, so the Yamanaka clan wouldn't object.

In recent years, the Hyuga clan and the Akimichi clan have maintained close relations, and the Akimichi clan will not object.