Konoha's Genius is a bit Ordinary?

The worst-case scenario Natsuro had envisioned was for all three advisors, including the Third Hokage, to vehemently oppose him, forcing him to announce his succession as Hokage regardless.

Danzō had to die no matter what, but such a scenario would inevitably lead to offending the advisors.

The purpose of holding this meeting was to gauge the advisors' opinions and give them some time to psychologically prepare.

Otherwise, he could have skipped the meeting entirely and directly announced his succession as Hokage while publicly exposing Danzō's crimes during the inauguration.

In that case, even if the advisors wanted to defend Danzō, they would have had to weigh the potential backlash from the villagers.

It would have been a way to force them to accept the reality, but it might have made things even worse, further damaging their relationship.

However, with the current outcome, since the advisors accepted the resolution for Danzō, their relationship would not become irreparably strained.

After all, the Third Hokage, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane were still valuable assets.

Though rigid and conservative, they were adept at handling matters that required following established procedures. Their wealth of experience could serve as a learning opportunity for the younger generation, allowing them to take the good while discarding the bad.

With that, Natsuro removed the barrier and opened the door. The Third Hokage and the two advisors left one after another, and Tsunade also went off to handle other matters. Even stepping down as Hokage required some preparation on her part.

Kakashi turned to Natsuro.

Natsuro nodded at him, signaling that everything had gone smoothly.

Kakashi smiled and squinted his eyes. Finally, they had brought Danzō down. Most importantly, he had played a part in it.

Once Danzō was executed, he planned to visit his father's grave.

This thought lingered as Kakashi suddenly remembered something. "Natsuro, there's something strange I noticed during the investigation."

"What is it? Did you mention it to Lady Tsunade?" Natsuro asked.

"I did, but even the Hokage didn't know why," Kakashi replied, before explaining the peculiar matter.

It concerned how Danzō managed to take those resources. He didn't have the Hokage's authorization, yet the ninja guarding the supplies let him through.

Later, those guards had no memory of anything being taken from the warehouse.

Moreover, during resource audits, they somehow avoided counting the missing items altogether.

Otherwise, such a large volume of resources would have been discovered much earlier.

Hearing this, Natsuro glanced at Kakashi, particularly at his left eye.

"What is it?" Kakashi asked, puzzled.

"Kakashi, you're not the only non-Uchiha to possess a Sharingan," Natsuro said.

"You mean…" Kakashi's eyes widened as he instantly pieced everything together. So that's how it was.

It was genjutsu, specifically a high-level illusion cast using the Sharingan. Even he hadn't noticed that the guards had been manipulated. Moreover, it was advanced enough to alter the subconscious actions of its victims.

Terrifying indeed. But if the Sharingan was involved, it wasn't surprising.

Kakashi thought of his own Mangekyō Sharingan technique. Although it wasn't geared toward genjutsu, its effects were similarly terrifying.

"Exactly. So it's not just me. You, and even Sasuke, have all been pondering how to bring down Danzō," Natsuro said earnestly.

Kakashi didn't argue. His unusually proactive efforts in gathering evidence spoke volumes.

"Alright, from now on, keep an eye on Danzō. Don't let anyone leak information to him. Of course, it's fine to let him know about my upcoming succession as Hokage," Natsuro added with a mischievous grin.

"That makes sense," Kakashi replied, smiling as well.

He was curious to see Danzō's reaction to the news. Outrage was inevitable, but how would it manifest? Slamming the table? Storming out?

Either way, it promised to be entertaining.

Of course, Natsuro didn't plan to leave the surveillance to Kakashi alone. He would also station his Spirit Clone to monitor the situation.

He was curious to see if the two advisors would secretly tip off Danzō and help him escape.

Although Natsuro thought it unlikely, the possibility couldn't be ruled out.

He couldn't afford to be careless. No matter what, Danzō had to die. Only then could Natsuro feel at ease.

...

As expected, the announcement that Natsuro would be succeeding as the Sixth Hokage caused an uproar within Konoha.

Many people had no objections to Tsunade's time as Hokage and supported her leadership.

But the key was that Tsunade herself fully supported Natsuro's ascension to the position of Sixth Hokage. With her endorsement, there was no reason for anyone to oppose it.

Although Natsuro's fame had waned slightly over the years due to his prolonged seclusion, most villagers still remembered the events surrounding Tsunade's succession as the Fifth Hokage.

As a result, there was little to no resistance to Natsuro taking on the role of Sixth Hokage.

In almost no time at all, news of Natsuro's impending inauguration spread throughout the village.

The majority of villagers celebrated and cheered, chanting the names of the Fifth Hokage and the soon-to-be Sixth Hokage.

Of course, not everyone was happy about the news.

Danzō, who had been keeping to himself, received word from his subordinates about Natsuro's succession as Hokage in two days.

Danzō froze in shock. Why was the succession happening so soon?

Tsunade was still so young and capable of serving for many more years. Danzō had assumed her earlier statements about stepping down were mere jokes. Who would willingly give up the position of Hokage?

But if this was true, then he truly had no chance left.

Natsuro's strength had long surpassed what could be dealt with through assassination.

Gritting his teeth, Danzō's eyes flashed with a cold and calculating light.

After calming himself, he began to plot.

He would wait until the commotion died down before making his move against Natsuro. Did Natsuro think becoming Hokage would stop him? Impossible!

Natsuro was far too young. Even if Danzō waited until his own death, Natsuro would still be in his prime. How could Danzō accept such a reality?

If force wasn't an option, then he would have to resort to more subtle tactics.

Unbeknownst to him, there would be no opportunity for him to wait out this storm. His time was up.

"Natsuro, are you really going to become Hokage?!" Ino asked in disbelief, staring at him.

"Of course, it's true," Natsuro said, taking advantage of her surprise to pinch her cheek with a grin.

"Ugh, but it's so sudden!" Ino exclaimed. There had been no news earlier, and now it had spread everywhere.

"Yeah, it was moved up because of some unexpected circumstances," Natsuro nodded. Originally, he had planned to wait a bit longer to take over.

That timeline was supposed to align with the Pain Invasion.

After all, Pain was bound to attack Konoha sooner or later because of the Nine-Tails. That battle was inevitable.

However, Natsuro wouldn't let Pain destroy Konoha again.

He had planned to showcase his full strength during that battle, elevating his reputation to new heights. At that point, announcing his ascension to Hokage would have been perfectly timed.

Unfortunately, the situation with Danzō forced him to take on the role earlier than expected.

Of course, Natsuro felt that his current strength was already more than sufficient to handle the position.

"Alright, time to eat," said Shinai as she walked in carrying a dish, smiling at the sight of Natsuro and Ino's close interaction.

Shinai wasn't surprised by the news of Natsuro becoming Hokage. She only felt pride.

"Okay, Mom, I'll help carry the dishes," Natsuro said with a smile, running into the kitchen to help. He showed none of the airs of someone about to take on the mantle of Hokage.

When all the dishes were on the table, a voice rang out.

"Smells so good! What delicious dishes do we have today?"

Tsunade, accompanied by Shizune, pushed open the door and walked in unceremoniously. She was here to mooch a meal, again.

Yes, again. She had become quite accustomed to it.

"Tsunade-sama, come in and sit. The tableware is already prepared," Shinai said with a smile when she saw her.

Although Shinai had always been a fan of Tsunade, over time, her excitement about seeing her had faded. This was mostly because Tsunade rarely acted serious, lacked a sense of decorum, and frequently came over to mooch meals.

"Hmph, as expected, today's dishes look amazing. You brat, after all I've done for you, you didn't even invite me to dinner," Tsunade said as she skillfully took a seat next to Shinai. Seeing the array of dishes, her eyes lit up.

Tsunade knew very well how exceptional Shinai's cooking skills were easily on par with a professional chef. That was precisely why she kept coming back to mooch meals.

"Because even if I don't invite you, you'll still show up," Natsuro replied with a grin.

"Hmph," Tsunade snorted, dropping the topic and shifting to another one. "Everything went smoothly. None of the clans objected."

Natsuro nodded, unsurprised. After all, succeeding as Hokage was a major event. It couldn't be handled autocratically. Proper notifications had to be made, and the clans had to be given a chance to express their stance.

But what kind of relationship did Natsuro have with those major clans?

There was no need to mention the Ino-Shika-Chō trio. The Hyūga clan's heiress, Hinata Hyūga, was Natsuro's classmate, and she had recently been spending a lot of time with Ino. The Hyūga clan had no reason to oppose.

As for the Inuzuka clan, Natsuro had a former teammate from ANBU who was from their family, and Kiba Inuzuka, a classmate of Natsuro's, was also the clan leader's son.

The same went for the Aburame clan. Shino Aburame was the son of the Aburame clan leader.

The remaining families? They tended to follow the prevailing winds, and right now, the winds were blowing in Natsuro's favor.

So, when he brought up the matter during the meeting, even the two advisors, knowing the formalities hadn't been fully prepared yet, didn't voice a single objection.

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Currently on Chapter 284 - A Path to Kekkai Mōra?